Mermaza’s smile grew yet more honeyed. “Lord, your slave can tell the story quickly. Daniel hid the maid with his friend Imbi-Ilu at Borsippa; but when that traitor fled to Cyrus, he gave the maid into the keeping of one Dagan-Milki, a schoolmaster who owed Daniel some debt of gratitude. To-day in the rejoicings one of the older scholars, well laden with palm-beer, chattered somewhat in the ears of Ili-Kamma, the slyest rat amongst all my eunuchs. Said the lad, ‘Our master has a strange maid in his family, and her manner is thus and thus.’ Ili comes to me; together we go to the school and house of Dagan-Milki. And behold! Dagan lies in the inner prison, and Ruth, the daughter of Daniel, waits now the good pleasure of Belshazzar, the ever victorious king!” Belshazzar gave a laugh that almost set Mermaza to trembling; for it was safer sometimes to hear the roar of uncaged lions, than such burst of royal mirth. But the eunuch had naught to fear. “I thank you, rascal; by every god I thank you! Truly, Marduk sends all things good at once; let him keep back some now, that his later store may not be exhausted. Where is the maid?” “Already here in the harem. I have commanded that she be dressed in a manner pleasing to your Majesty.” “And she has lost none of her beauty—she is fair as on that day when Darius (curses light on the Persian!) beguiled me into letting her slip through my grasp?” “She has lost nothing; nay, rather, in one year her bud has blown to full blossom; she is doubly fair.” “Again I give you thanks. Lead me to her.” But the king paused an instant: “One thing also,—command that Atossa be brought to me, when I am with the Jewess in the harem.” * * * * * Atossa had been on the palace roof that afternoon, where she had spent many a long hour during the siege,—gazing toward the lowering walls, and praying for the moment so long delayed, when Aryan steel should be flashing on the summits of those ramparts. And now Mermaza had come to her, declaring: “Rejoice, my lady! for all Babylon rejoices. Cyrus raises his siege; his host melts away like snow in the springtime!” Then Atossa had stared hard at the eunuch, wasting no tears on such as him. “Another lie, serpent! Earth will turn to fire ere the host of the Aryans turn the back from a war once begun.” “Nevertheless,” answered Mermaza, with an unusually lowly salaam, “you will find your slave’s words do not err.” Full soon the shouts of gladness and the tidings that the under servants brought into the palace told the Persian that Mermaza had indeed spoken well; and right on the heels of this great bitterness trod a summons from Belshazzar to appear before him without delay. A fearful outburst rewarded the eunuch who brought it. “Get you gone! Tell Belshazzar that Atossa will love to see your Chaldean ‘Maskim’ more gladly than him.”