kable signs of genuine delight.

"Charming!" cried Joram, in ecstasies. "The reward of fidelity and
perseverance, Barzello!"

CHAPTER XV.

THE stately mansion of Barzello was brilliantly illuminated. Streams of
light poured forth from every window. Sweet melody floated on the wings
of the gentle zephyrs. Chariot after chariot arrived, and halted before
the massive portals. It was evident to the passer-by that it was not an
event of common occurrence that called forth such unusual movements and
peculiar displays.

From the first moment of Mathias and Perreeza's introduction to each
other, there was a warm attachment formed, and from the subsequent
revelations, this sentiment greatly increased.

On this night the maid of Judah was to become the happy bride of Mathias;
and from the smiles that greet smiles on the happy countenances of those
who hurry to and fro through the richly furnished apartments, it is
evident that their union is hailed as a joyous event.

The marriage was not, in all its parts, so strictly after the customs of
the Hebrews as if it had been solemnized in the land of Judah. The long
residence of Joram in Babylon, together with the very high regard he
cherished for his friend Barzello and his family, gave the features of
the occasion an admixture of Hebrew and Chaldean customs.

Never did the "Rose of Sharon" bloom fairer. Three years have added
ripeness to her beauty, and dignity to her charms. She is no longer the
timid maid of seventeen, but a blooming damsel, having reached her
twentieth year, with a finish stamped on all her words and actions; and
no one who has had the pleasure of her acquaintance can envy such a
choice spirit the heart and hand of one of the most brilliant young men
in the great metropolis.

The "Lily of the Valley" has but one thing to diminish her full share of
enjoyment--and that is by no means a trifling one. Her sweet Perreeza, her
constant companion for the last three years, whom she loves as her own
sister, is about to leave her father's house and take her abode with
another. This, at times, makes her sad. The same cause produces the same
effect on Perreeza. She, also, is about to impress the parting kiss on
the fair cheek of one who has proved herself worthy of her ardent
love--one who gave her such a warm welcome to her large heart, when a
stranger in a foreign land--one who has continued to love her with a pure
affection. But these gloomy feelings are not t