ssive brow and masterful face. The deep lines of
thought, graven deeper by age, followed the noble shaping of his brows
in even course, and his dark eyes still shot fire, as piercing the
bleared thickness of time to gaze boldly on the eternity beyond. His
left hand gathered the folds of a snow-white robe around him, while in
his right he grasped a straight staff of ebony and ivory, of fine
workmanship, marvellously polished, whereon were wrought strange sayings
in the Israelitish manner of writing. The old man stood up to his noble
height, and looked from the burnished face of the king's image to the
eyes of the boy beside him, in silence, as though urging his young
companion to speak for him the thoughts that filled the hearts of both.

The youth spoke not, nor gave any sign, but stood with folded hands and
gazed up to the great features of Nebuchadnezzar.

He was but fourteen years of age, tall and delicately made, full of the
promise of a graceful and elastic power, fine of skin, and instinct with
the nervous strength of a noble and untainted race. His face was fair
and white, tinged with faint colour, and his heavy golden hair fell in
long curls upon his shoulders, thick and soft with the silken fineness
of early youth. His delicate features were straight and noble, northern
rather than Oriental in their type--supremely calm and thoughtful,
almost godlike in their young restfulness. The deep blue eyes were
turned upward with a touch of sadness, but the broad forehead was as
marble, and the straight marking of the brows bounded it and divided it
from the face. He wore the straight white tunic, edged about with fine
embroideries of gold and gathered at the waist with a rich belt, while
his legs were covered with wide Persian trousers wrought in many colours
of silk upon fine linen. He wore also a small cap of linen, stiffened
to a point and worked with a cunning design in gold and silver. But the
old man's head was covered only by the thick masses of his snowy hair,
and his wide white mantle hid the details of his dress from view.

Again he glanced from the statue to his companion's eyes, and at last he
spoke, in a deep smooth voice, in the Hebrew tongue.

"Nebuchadnezzar the king is gathered to his fathers, and his son also,
and Nabonnedon Belshazzar reigns in his stead, yet have I endured to
this day, in Babylon, these threescore and seven years, since
Nebuchadnezzar the king destroyed our place upon the earth and