smiling face, in which she adores the image of her
great husband Cyrus, becomes clouded, I verily believe she would be
ready to sanction his taking even a Scythian woman to wife, if it could
restore him to cheerfulness. Neither will Cambyses himself refuse his
consent if his mother press the point at a right moment."

"In that case every difficulty is set aside," cried Rhodopis joyfully.

"It is not the marriage itself, but the time that must follow, which
causes me uneasiness," answered Croesus.

"Do you think then that Bartja...?"

"From him I fear nothing. He has a pure heart, and has been so long
proof against love, that now he has once yielded, he will love long and
ardently."

"What then do you fear?"

"You must remember that, though the charming wife of their favorite
will be warmly received by all his friends of his own sex, there are
thousands of idle women in the harems of the Persian nobles, who will
endeavor, by every artifice and intrigue in their power, to injure the
newly-risen star; and whose greatest joy it will be to ruin such an
inexperienced child and make her unhappy."

"You have a very bad opinion of the Persian women."

"They are but women, and will naturally envy her, who has gained the
husband they all desired either for themselves or for their daughters.
In their monotonous life, devoid of occupation, envy easily becomes
hatred, and the gratification of these evil passions is the only
compensation which the poor creatures can obtain for the total absence
of love and loss of freedom. I repeat, the more beautiful Sappho is, the
more malicious they will feel towards her, and, even if Bartja should
love her so fervently as not to take a second wife for two or three
years, she will still have such heavy hours to encounter, that I really
do not know whether I dare congratulate you on her apparently brilliant
future."

"That is quite my own feeling. A simple Greek would be more welcome to
me than this son of a mighty monarch."

In this moment Knakias brought Bartja into the room. He went to Rhodopis
at once, besought her not to refuse him the hand of her granddaughter,
spoke of his ardent love, and assured her that his happiness would be
doubled, if she would consent to accompany them to Persia. Then turning
to Croesus, he seized his hand and entreated forgiveness for having so
long concealed his great happiness from one who had been like a father
to him, at the same time begging him to s