ure of gold, and she threw herself at the king's feet, embracing his
knees with a passionate gesture of appeal. Her face was very pale, and
the beauty of it seemed to grow by the unnatural lack of colour, while
her soft blue eyes looked up into the king's face with such an
expression of imploring supplication that he was fain to acknowledge to
himself that she moved his heart, for she had never looked so fair
before. She spoke no word, but held his knees, and as she gazed, two
beautiful great tears rolled slowly from under her eyelids, and trembled
upon her pale, soft cheeks, and her warm, quick breath went up to his
face.

Darius tried to push her from him, but she would not go, and he was
forced to look at her, and his anger melted, and he smiled somewhat
grimly, though his brows were bent.

"Go to," he said, "I jested. It is impossible for a man to slay anything
so beautiful as you."

Atossa's colour returned to her cheeks, and bending down, she kissed the
king's knees and his hands, and her golden hair fell all about her and
upon the king's lap. But Darius rose impatiently, and left her kneeling
by the couch. He was already angry with himself for having forgiven her,
and he hated his own weakness bitterly.

"I will myself go hence at once with the guards, and I will take half
the force from the fortress of Stakhar and go to Shushan, and thence,
with the army that is there, I will be in Ecbatana in a few days. And I
will utterly crush out these rebels who speak lies and do not
acknowledge me. Remain here, Zoroaster, and govern this province until I
return in triumph."

Darius glanced once more at Atossa, who lay by the couch, half upon it
and half upon the floor, seemingly dazed at what had occurred; and then
he turned upon his heel and strode out of the room between the two
spearmen of the guard, who raised their weapons as he passed, and
followed him with a quick, rhythmical tread down the broad corridor
outside.

Zoroaster was left alone with the queen.

As soon as Darius was gone, Atossa rose to her feet, and with all
possible calmness proceeded to rearrange her disordered hair and to
place her head-dress upon her head. Zoroaster stood and watched her; her
hand trembled a little, but she seemed otherwise unmoved by what had
occurred. She glanced up at him from under her eyelids as she stood with
her head bent down and her hands raised, to arrange her hair.

"Why did you beg the king to spare my life?" s