ne. And the Lady Euphrosyne was away; she is
often away, down on the rocks by the sea, watching the waves. And they
came and said that a man had landed who claimed our island as his--a
man of your name, my lord. And when my dear lord said he had sold the
island to save the honor of his house and race, they were furious, and
Vlacho raised the death chant that One-eyed Alexander the Bard wrote
on the death of Stefan Stefanopoulos long ago. And they came near with
knives, demanding that my dear lord should send away the stranger; for
the men of Neopalia were not to be bought and sold like bullocks or
like pigs. At first my lord would not yield; and they swore they would
kill the stranger and my lord also. Then they pressed closer. Vlacho
was hard on him with drawn knife, and the Lord Constantine stood by
him, praying him to yield, and Constantine drew his own knife, saying
to Vlacho that he must fight him also before he killed the old lord.
But at that Vlacho smiled--and then--and then--ah, my dear lord!"

For a moment her voice broke, and sobs supplanted words. But she drew
herself up, and, after a glance at the old man, whom her vehement
speech had not availed to waken, she went on:

"And then those behind cried out that there was enough talk. Would he
yield or would he die? And they rushed forward, pressing the nearest
against him. And he, an old man, frail and feeble--yet once he was
as brave a man as any--cried, in his weak tones: 'Enough, friends, I
yield; I--' And they fell back. But my lord stood for an instant; then
he set his hand to his side, and swayed and tottered and fell, and the
blood ran from his side. And the Lord Constantine fell on his knees
beside him, crying: 'Who stabbed him?' And Vlacho smiled grimly, and
the others looked at one another. And I, who had run out from the
doorway whence I had seen it all, knelt by my lord and stanched the
blood. Then Vlacho said, fixing his eyes straight and keen on the Lord
Constantine, 'It was not I, my lord,' 'Nor I, by heaven!' cried the
Lord Constantine; and he rose to his feet, demanding: 'Who struck the
blow?' But none answered, and he went on: 'Nay, if it were in error,
if it were because he would not yield, speak! There shall be pardon,'
But Vlacho, hearing this, turned himself round and faced them all,
saying: 'Did he not sell us like oxen and like pigs?' and he broke
into the death chant, and they all raised the chant, none caring any
more who had struck t