"Well-beloved Augustus! whom do you name as your successor?"
"What matters it? Let Destiny decide! We must not resist her. Let the
Galileans triumph. We shall conquer later on. And then shall begin on
earth the reign of the equals of the gods, souls laughing for ever
like the sun.... Look, behold him!"
A faint shiver ran through his body, and with a last effort Julian
stretched out his arms, as if he would have rushed to meet the rising
orb. Blood gushed from his wound, and the veins swelled on neck and
temples.
"Water! water!" he whispered, choking.
Victor lifted a golden cup of spring-water to his mouth. Julian,
looking forth from the tent drank thirstily of the ice-cold draught.
Then his head fell back, and the last murmur came from his half-open
lips--
"Helios! receive me into thyself...."
The eyes went out. Victor closed their lids. The face of the Emperor,
lying in the sun-rays, took on a look of one of the Olympians
sleeping.