ter had given it to her, and
Zoroaster would never have written those words to herself; or, writing
anything, would not have written in the Hebrew language.

But as the queen read, her heart rose up in wrath against the Persian
prince and against the woman he loved. When she had talked with him that
morning, she had felt her old yearning affection rising again in her
breast. She had wondered at herself, being accustomed to think that she
was beyond all feeling for man, and the impression she had received from
her half-hour's talk with him was so strong, that she had foolishly
delayed sending her letter to Phraortes, in order to see the woman
Zoroaster admired, and had, in her absence of mind, forgotten the
scroll upon the seat in the corridor, and had brought herself into such
desperate danger through the discovery of the missive, that she hardly
yet felt safe. The king had dismissed her peremptorily from his presence
while he waited for Nehushta, and she had not seen him during the rest
of the day. As for Zoroaster, she had soon heard from her women that he
had taken the road towards Nineveh before noon, alone and almost
unarmed, mounted upon one of the fleetest horses in Persia. She had not
a doubt that Darius had despatched him at once to Ecbatana to meet
Phraortes, or at least to inquire into the state of affairs in the city.
She knew that no one could outride Zoroaster, and that there was nothing
to be done but to await the issue. It was not possible to send a word of
warning to her agent--he must inevitably take his chance, and if his
conduct attracted suspicion, he would, in all probability, be at once
put to death. She believed that, even in that event, she could easily
clear herself; but she resolved, if possible, to warn him as soon as he
reached Shushan, or even to induce the king to be absent from the palace
for a few days at the time when Phraortes might be expected. There was
plenty of time--at least eleven days.

Meanwhile, a desperate struggle was beginning within her, and the letter
her woman had brought her hastened the conclusion to which her thoughts
were rapidly tending.

She felt keenly the fact that Zoroaster, who had been so cold to her
advances in former days, had preferred before her a Hebrew woman, and
was now actually so deeply in love with Nehushta, that he could not
leave the palace for a few days without writing her a word of love--he,
who had never loved any one! She fiercely hated this