e
to her lips. When a woman is in the grip of a rude soldiery, any excuse
which can save her for the moment must serve. For myself, I should think
it like enough that she would confess to having come back to her old
allegiance, if she were asked."

"Sir," said the Empress, "keep your peace. Any interest you may show in
this matter will go far to offend me. You have spoken of Nais in your
narrative before, and although your tongue was shrewd and you did not
say much, I am a woman and I could read between the lines. Now regard,
my rebel, I have no wish to be unduly hard upon you, though once
you were my fan-girl, and so your running away to these ill-kempt
malcontents, who beat their heads against my city walls, is all the
more naughty. But you must meet me halfway. You must give an excuse
for leniency. Point me out the man you would wed, and he shall be your
husband to-morrow."

"There is no man."

"Then name me one at random. Why, my pretty Nais, not ten months ago
there were a score who would have leaped at the chance of having you for
a wife. Drop your coyness, girl, and name me one of those. I warrant
you that I will be your ambassadress and will put the matter to him with
such delicacy that he will not make you blush by refusal."

The prisoner moistened her lips. "I am a maiden, and I have a maiden's
modesty. I will die as you choose, but I will not do this indecency."

"Well, I am a maiden too, and though because I am Empress also,
questions of State have to stand before questions of my private modesty,
I can have a sympathy for yours--although in truth it did not obtrude
unduly when you were my fan-girl, Nais. No, come to think of it, you
liked a tender glance and a pretty phrase as well as any when you were
fan-girl. You have grown wild and shy, amongst these savage rebels, but
I will not punish you for that.

"Let me call your favourites to memory now. There was Tarca, of course,
but Tarca had a difference with that ill-dressed father of yours, and
wears a leprosy on half his face instead of that beard he used to trim
so finely. And then there is Tatho, but Tatho is away overseas. Eron,
too, you liked once, but he lost an arm in fighting t'other day, and I
would not marry you to less than a whole man. Ah, by my face! I have it,
the dainty exquisite, Rota! He is the husband! How well I remember the
way he used to dress in a change of garb each day to catch your proud
fancy, girl. Well, you shall have Rota.