Gifted by nature with boundless frolic and good-humour, wit and cunning, her Greek taste for the physically beautiful and graceful developed by long training, until she had become, without a rival, the most perfect pantomime, dancer, and musician who catered for the luxurious tastes of the Alexandrian theatres, she had lived since her childhood only for enjoyment and vanity, and wished for nothing more.

But her new affection, or rather worship, for the huge manhood of her Gothic lover had awoke in her a new object--to keep him--to live for him--to follow him to the ends of the earth, even if he tired of her, ill-used her, despised her.

And slowly, day by day, Wulf's sneers bad awakened in her a dread that perhaps the Amal might despise her....

Why, she could not guess: but what sort of women were those Alrunas of whom Wulf sang, of whom even the Amal and his men spoke with reverence, as something nobler, not only than her, but even than themselves?
And what was it which Wulf had recognised in Hypatia which had bowed the stern and coarse old warrior before her in that public homage ?....

it was not difficult to say what....