he salvation of your soul, and may God be gracious to
you!" And before the Queen could recover from her consternation, he had
disappeared.

She would have hurried after him to call him back but she was met at
the door by Petros, the ambassador.

"Stay, Queen," he said in a low and rapid voice, "stay and hear me. I
have no time to lose. I am followed."

"Who follows you?"

"People who do not mean so well by you as I do. Deceive yourself no
more; the fate of the kingdom is decided; you can hinder it no longer,
so save for yourself what you can. I repeat my proposal."

"What proposal?"

"You heard it yesterday."

"That treacherous advice! Never! I shall report it to your master, the
Emperor, and beg him to recall you. With you I will confer no more."

"Queen, this is not the moment to spare you. The next ambassador of
Justinian is called Belisarius, and he will come with an army!"

"Impossible!" cried the forsaken Queen. "I recall my petition."

"Too late. The fleet of Belisarius already lies off Sicily. The
proposal which you thought came from me you have rejected. Learn that
the Emperor, and not I, was the propounder, and meant it as a last
token of his favour."

"Justinian, my friend, my protector, would thus ruin me and my
kingdom!" cried Amalaswintha, who began to see the terrible truth.

"Not ruin you, but save you! He will re-conquer this Italy, the cradle
of the Roman Empire. This unnatural, impossible kingdom of the Goths is
condemned and lost. Leave the sinking ship. Justinian reaches out to
you a friendly hand, and the Empress offers you an asylum, if you will
deliver Neapolis, Rome, Ravenna, and all the fortresses into the hands
of Belisarius, and consent that the Goths shall be led, disarmed, over
the Alps."

"Wretched man! Shall I betray my people as you have betrayed me? Too
late I see your schemes; I came to you for help, and you will destroy
me!"

"Not you, only the barbarians."

"These barbarians are my people; they are my only friends! I see it
now, and will stand by them to the death."

"But they will not stand by you."

"Insolent! Out of my sight! Leave my court!"

"You will not listen? Reflect, O Queen! only on this condition can I
answer for your life."

"My people in arms shall answer for my life!"

"Hardly. For the last time I ask you----"

"Be silent! I will not give up my crown to Justinian without a
struggle."

"Well, then," said Petros to himself, "another must, do