Etruscanprophecywhichsaith，\"Whenthemountainopens，thecityshallfall——whenthesmokecrownstheHilloftheParchedFields，thereshallbewoeandweepinginthehearthsoftheChildrenoftheSea。\"Dreadmaster，ereIleavethesewallsforsomemoredistantdwelling，Icometothee。Asthoulivest，knowIinmyheartthattheearthquakethatsixteenyearsagoshookthiscitytoitssolidbase，wasbuttheforerunnerofmoredeadlydoom。ThewallsofPompeiiarebuiltabovethefieldsoftheDead，andtheriversofthesleeplessHell。Bewarnedandfly！’
ThroughthisawfulscenedidtheAthenianwadehisway，accompaniedbyIoneandtheblindgirl。Suddenly，arushofhundreds，intheirpathtothesea，sweptbythem。NydiawastornfromthesideofGlaucus，who，withIone，wasbornerapidlyonward；andwhenthecrowd（whoseformstheysawnot，sothickwasthegloom）weregone，Nydiawasstillseparatedfromtheirside。
Glaucusshoutedhername。Noanswercame。Theyretracedtheirsteps——invain：theycouldnotdiscoverher——itwasevidentshehadbeensweptalongsomeoppositedirectionbythehumancurrent。Theirfriend，theirpreserver，waslost！AndhithertoNydiahadbeentheirguide。Herblindnessrenderedthescenefamiliartoheralone。Accustomed，throughaperpetualnight，tothreadthewindingsofthecity，shehadledthemunerringlytowardsthesea—shore，bywhichtheyhadresolvedtohazardanescape。Now，whichwaycouldtheywend？allwasraylesstothem——amazewithoutaclue。Wearied，despondent，bewildered，they，however，passedalong，theashesfallingupontheirheads，thefragmentarystonesdashingupinsparklesbeforetheirfeet。
’Alas！alas！’murmuredIone，’Icangonofarther；mystepssinkamongthescorchingcinders。Fly，dearest！——beloved，fly！andleavemetomyfate！’
’Hush，mybetrothed！mybride！Deathwiththeeissweeterthanlifewithoutthee！Yet，whither——oh！whither，canwedirectourselvesthroughthegloom？