Sardou's Cleopatra — page 261: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

246 SARDOU’S CLEOPATRA. bed, lay Antony, asleep. Kephren and his slaves had been in time, and, before the invasion of the palace by Ceesar’s troops, had managed to carry him to the monument, where the blood from his wound had been staunched, and he himself ten- derly cared for by the queen and her maidens. Of little avail, however, had been the elaborate barricades, the bolts and bars and chains. It took but a short time for the Romans to force an entrance. (Guards were stationed before the doors of the chamber, although the privacy of the queen had not as yet been molested. Back and forth, upon the tesselated marble of the floor, paced Cleopatra, the silken masses of her hair unbound and disheveled, and the dusky splendor of her eyes dimmed with weeping. Now and then she would pause near the gorgeous bed and bend over the prostrate form of Antony, as if to satisfy herself that he was still breathing. Pale and weary, Charmian and Iras watched her restless movements, recognizing their power- lessness to do or say aught to comfort her. Before the door, with drawn sword, stood Keph- ren, the sad mockery of a guard, for what could even his giant strength avail against the num- bers of Ceesar’s legions. — Eomicbooks €o