58
THAÏS
from the astonished Dorion, gained the door, still prophesying.
An hour later he knocked at the door of the house of Thaïs.
The actress then lived in the rich Racotis quarter, near the tomb of Alexander, in a house surrounded by shady gardens, in which a brook, bordered with poplars, flowed amidst artificial rocks. An old black slave woman, loaded with rings, opened the door, and asked what he wanted.
"I wish to see Thaïs," he replied. "God is my witness that I came here for no other purpose."
As he wore a rich tunic, and spoke in an imperious manner, the slave allowed him to enter.
"You will find Thaïs," she said, "in the Grotto of Nymphs."
