Sardou's Cleopatra — page 36: what you’re looking at

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

SARDOU’S CLEOPATRA, 21 maid, Charmian, she moved, in an atmosphere of perfumes and harmony, across the marble-paved square, to the foot of the steps at the top of which stood her judge, the triumphant general who had ordered her into his presence. With arms crossed over her breast, and hold- ing in this way her glistening vail before her face, she bent in low reverence before him, while all the great crowd stood silent and motionless, breath- _lessly awaiting the result of this interview, which was or such vast consequence to them all. The brow of the Roman general grew stern. “So,” he said, in a cold, measured voice, ‘‘Cle- opatra has deigned at last to come and answer for her treachery. It was time!” The queen raised her head, and, made an almost imperceptible gesture to Charmian, who lifted the vail that covered her mistress. Slowly it slipped back from her head and glided to the ground, lying in a fleecy, shimmering mass about © her feet; and Antony, for the first time, looked upon that perfect face, that was to haunt him, henceforth, forever. _ Egypt’s queen was in the full prime of her glorious beauty. Her figure was superb, stately and graceful, with the exquisite rounded outlines GOmMmIicbooks m =— (G(0)