e safe from them? They did not certainly injure his
person; but they did worse, for when the Melchites rose up against our
party--it was at Alexandria, and the late Greek patriarch Cyrus had a
finger in that pie--they killed his two sons, two fine, splendid
men--killed them like dogs; and it crushed him completely."

"Poor man!" sighed the Arab. "And has he no child left?"

"Oh, yes. One son, and the widow of his eldest. She went into a convent
after her husband's death, but she left her child, her little Mary--she
must be ten years old now--to live with her grandparents."

"That is well," said the old man, "that will bring some sunshine into the
house."

"No doubt, Master. And just lately they have had some cause for
rejoicing. The only surviving son--Orion is his name--came home only the
day before yesterday from Constantinople where he has been for a long
time. There was a to-do! Half the city went crazy. Thousands went out to
meet him, as though he were the Saviour; they erected triumphal arches,
even folks of my creed--no one thought of hanging back. One and all
wanted to see the son of the great Mukaukas, and the women of course were
first and foremost!"

"You speak, however," said the Arab, "as though the returning hero were
not worthy of so much honor."

"That is as folks think," replied the Egyptian shrugging his shoulders.
"At any rate he is the only son of the greatest man in the land."

"But he does not promise to be like the old man?"

"Oh, yes, indeed," said the guide. "My brother, a priest, and the head of
one of our great schools, was his tutor, and he never met such a clever
head as Orion's, he tells me. He learnt everything without any trouble
and at the same time worked as hard as a poor man's son. We may expect
him to win fame and honor--so Marcus says--for his parents and for the
city of Memphis: but for my part, I can see the shady side, and I tell
you the women will turn his head and bring him to a bad end. He is
handsome, taller even than the old man in his best days, and he knows how
to make the most of himself when he meets a pretty face--and pretty faces
are always to be met in his path . . ."

"And the young rascal takes what he finds!" said the Moslem laughing. "If
that is all you are alarmed at I am glad for the youth. He is young and
such things are allowable."

"Nay, Sir, even my brother--he lives now in Alexandria, and is blind and
foolish enough still in all that concerns his