treet of
the city, and proclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man
whom the king delighteth to honor.'"

Then the king said, "Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse as
thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai, the Jew, that sitteth at
the king's gate; let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken."

Haman did as he was commanded, for he could do nothing else, and after
it was all over Mordecai took his place again at the king's gate, but
Haman hastened home mourning, and with his head covered.

The next day he came to the queen's banquet with the king, and again
the king said,

"What is thy petition, Queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee; and
what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of my
kingdom."

Then the queen made her request, saying,

"If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king,
let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request;
for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to
perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen I had held
my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage."

"Who is he, and where is he," cried the king, "That durst presume in
his heart to do so?"

Then Esther said, "The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman."

[Illustration: Haman denounced by the queen]

Haman was overcome with fear at this, and the king was so angry that he
rose up and went out into the palace garden. Haman stood up to make a
plea for his life, and when the king came in he found Haman fallen at
the queen's feet.

One of the king's chamberlains who knew what the king wished told him
of the gallows at Haman's house that had been made for Mordecai, and
the king said, "Hang him thereon," and they did so, and the king's
anger was pacified.

That day the king gave Haman's house to the queen. Mordecai came
before the king that day also, for Esther had told him how he was
related to her, and the King gave to Mordecai the ring that he had once
given to Haman. Esther's petition was not yet finished, so she fell
down at the king's feet and asked for the life of her people, and that
the decree might be changed.

Then the king held out his golden sceptre to Esther, and she arose.
She spoke noble words of petition for her people, and the king told
Mordecai to write in the king's name and seal with the king's seal
letters that should make the decree void.

So th