you to blind? Why did it please you to
blind him, Lady?"

"Who are you that dare to ask me questions?" she replied, gathering up
her courage.

"I'll tell you, Lady. Now that the General Olaf yonder is blinded I am
the officer in command of the Northmen, who, until you tried to murder
the said General Olaf a while ago, were your faithful guard. I am also,
as it chances, the officer in command of this palace, which we took this
morning by assault and by arrangement with most of your Greek soldiers,
having learned from your confidential lady, Martina, of the vile deed
you were about to work on the General Olaf."

"So it was you who betrayed me, Martina," gasped Irene; "and I had you
in my power. Oh! I had you in my power!"

"I did not betray you, Augusta. I saved my god-son yonder from torture
and butchery, as by my oath I was bound to do," answered Martina.

"Have done with this talk of betrayals," went on Jodd, "for who can
betray a devil? Now, Lady, with your State quarrels we have nothing to
do. You can settle them presently with your son, that is, if you still
live. But with this matter of Olaf we have much to do, and we will
settle that at once. The first part of the business we all know, so let
us get to the next. By whose order were you blinded, General Olaf?"

"By that of the Augusta," I answered.

"For what reason, General Olaf?"

"For one that I will not state," I answered.

"Good. You were blinded by the Augusta for a reason you will not state,
but which is well known to all of us. Now, we have a law in the North
which says that an eye should be given for an eye and a life for a life.
Would it not then be right, comrades, that this woman should be blinded
also?"

"What!" screamed Irene, "blinded! I blinded! I, the Empress!"

"Tell me, Lady, are the eyes of one who was an Empress different from
other eyes? Why should you complain of that darkness into which you were
so ready to plunge one better than yourself. Still, Olaf shall judge.
Is it your will, General, that we blind this woman who put out your eyes
and afterwards tried to murder you?"

Now, I felt that all in that place were watching me and hanging on the
words that I should speak, so intently that they never heard others
entering it, as I did. For a while I paused, for why should not Irene
suffer a little of that agony of suspense which she had inflicted upon
me and others?

Then I said, "See what I have lost, friends, through no grave f