ct our race and family, my son shall
return to the East and one of these wise men shall cure him--else--
else--Have ye told the queen?"

"Not yet."

"That is well. I will myself tell her. Go!" This summary dismissal
was nothing new to the doctor, who understood the king well, and
sympathised with his obvious distress. Pausing at the door, however, he
said--

"I have often talked with Phoenician captains about this disease, and
they tell me that it is terribly infectious, insomuch that those who are
smitten with it are compelled to live apart and keep away from men. If
Bladud remains here the disease will surely spread through the house,
and thence through the town."

Poor Hudibras fell into a chair, and covered his face with both hands,
while the doctor quietly retired.

It is impossible to describe the consternation that ensued when the
terrible fact was made known. Of course the news spread into the town,
and the alarm became general, for at various times the Phoenician
mariners had entertained the islanders with graphic descriptions of the
horrors connected with this loathsome disease, and it soon became
evident, that even if the king and his family were willing to run the
risk of infection by keeping Bladud near them, his people and warriors
would insist on the banishment of the smitten man.

To Bladud himself the blow was almost overwhelming--almost, but not
quite, for the youth was possessed of that unselfish, self-sacrificing
spirit which, in all ages of the world's history, has bid defiance to
misfortune, by bowing the head in humble submission to the will of God.
He knew well the nature of the dread disease by which he had been
attacked, and he shuddered at the thought that, however long he might be
spared to live, it would sap his strength, disfigure his person, and
ultimately render his face hideous to look upon, while a life of
absolute solitude must from that day forward be his portion. No wonder
that in the first rush of his dismay, he entertained a wild thought of
putting an end to his own existence. There was only one gleam of
comfort to him, and that was, the recollection that he had caught the
disease in a good cause--in the rescue of a poor old woman from
destruction. The comfort of the thought was not indeed great, still it
was something in the awful desolation that overwhelmed him at the time.

While travelling in the East, a short time previous to setting sail for
home, he had com