The Project Gutenberg EBook of The King's Cup-Bearer, by Amy Catherine Walton

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The King's Cup-Bearer

Author: Amy Catherine Walton

Release Date: May 3, 2004 [EBook #12248]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE KING'S CUP-BEARER ***

Produced by Joel Erickson, Michael Ciesielski, Marit Henningsen and
the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

[Illustration: NEHEMIAH'S MIDNIGHT SURVEY.]

THE

KING'S CUP-BEARER

By

MRS. O.F. WALTON

Author of 'Christie's Old Organ,' 'A Peep Behind the Scenes,'
'Elisha, the Man of Abd-Meholah'

CONTENTS.

* * * * *

CHAP.

I. THE CITY OF LILIES

II. THE KING'S TABLE

III. THE GOOD HAND

IV. TO EVERY MAN HIS WORK

V. THE SWORD AND THE TROWEL

VI. THE WORLD'S BIBLE

VII. TRUE TO HIS POST

VIII. THE PAIDAGOGOS

IX. THE SECRET OF STRENGTH

X. THE EIGHTY-FOUR SEALS

XI. THE BRAVE VOLUNTEERS

XII. THE HOLY CITY

XIII. HAVING NO ROOT

XIV. STRONG MEASURES

XV. THE OLDEST SIN

XVI. GOD'S REMEMBRANCE

[Illustration: PLAN OF THE PALACE AT PERSEPOLIS.]

THE KING'S CUP-BEARER

* * * * *

CHAPTER I.

The City of Lilies.

The great Rab-shakeh, magnificently attired in all the brilliancy of
Oriental costume, is walking towards the city gate. Above him stretches
the deep blue sky of the East, about and around him stream the warm rays
of the sun. It is the month of December, yet no cold biting wind meets
him, and he needs no warm wraps to shield him from the frost or snow.

The city through which the Rab-shakeh walks is very beautiful; it is the
capital of the kingdom of Persia. Its name is Shushan, the City of
Lilies, and it is so called from the fields of sweet-scented iris
flowers which surround it. It is built on a sunny plain, through which
flow two rivers,--the Choaspes and the Ulai; he sees them both sparkling
in the sunshine, as they wind through the green plain, sometimes flowing
quite close to each other, at one time so near that only two and a half
miles lie between them, then wandering farther aw