on the whole. He surely is a man of kind feelings and
refined taste."

"But my dear cousin seems somewhat disconsolate and much less cheerful
than when we left this apartment one hour ago. We are at a loss to find a
cause for this sudden change."

"I perceive that a certain part of the address, which struck me as rather
unfortunate for us, was not looked upon in that light by my worthy
cousins."

"I suppose thou hast reference to that part relating to the change of
names. For my part, I am not overtenacious on that point, for to me thou
wilt always remain 'Cousin Daniel,' and to thee, I trust, I shall always
be 'Cousin Azariah;' and if the Chaldeans prefer to call me
Bel-sha-bo-raze-ba-phoo, and my Cousin Daniel Sha-go-mer-zalta-ba-phee,
or some other long name, let them by all means be gratified."

"My worthy cousin is mistaken in regard to this point," said Daniel,
smiling, while the three brothers, for the first time in Babylon, joined
in a hearty laugh. "As far as names are concerned, they are welcome to
add on the syllables to their hearts' content; but, seriously, cousins,
there is a point that, if not rightly managed, will entangle us in
serious difficulties. I have reference to that part which made mention of
our meat and drink. How can we, as Hebrews, defile ourselves with meats,
portions of which are offered to idols, and with wine sacrificed to the
gods of Chaldea? This would be in direct violation of the law of our God.
To this we can never consent; and, moreover, we are not accustomed to
these dainties, and such high living can never be conducive to our health
and happiness. Ye know, cousins, that from beholding the drunken
degradation of those in high authority in Judah, our parents, many years
ago, arrived at the wise conclusion that their children, in order to
escape the pit-falls into which others had fallen, should never be
counted among wine-drinkers. To this desire of our fond parents we
strictly adhered while in Jerusalem, although often ridiculed by drunken
wit, and frowned upon by countenances flushed with strong drink. Shall
we, then, in a strange land, forget the covenant of our God, and violate
our sacred obligations to our beloved parents? No, cousins, this must
never be. I trust we may yet be excused, for we were informed that we
would not be required to perform any act against our religious
convictions. Our food must remain simple, as in Judah; and by this we
shall not only adhere to the