at the royal expense. Cambyses had
commanded that his marriage with Nitetis should be celebrated eight days
after the birthday, and all the magnates of the realms should be invited
to the ceremony.

The streets of Babylon swarmed with strangers, the colossal palaces on
both shores of the Euphrates were overfilled, and all the houses stood
adorned in festal brightness.

The zeal thus displayed by his people, this vast throng of human
beings,--representing and bringing around him, as it were, his entire
kingdom, contributed not a little to raise the king's spirits.

His pride was gratified; and the only longing left in his heart had been
stilled by Nitetis' love. For the first time in his life he believed
himself completely happy, and bestowed his gifts, not only from a sense
of his duty as king of Persia, but because the act of giving was in
itself a pleasure.

Megabyzus could not extol the deeds of Bartja and his friends too
highly. Cambyses embraced the young warriors, gave them horses and gold
chains, called them "brothers" and reminded Bartja, that he had promised
to grant him a petition if he returned victorious.

At this Bartja cast down his eyes, not knowing at first in what form to
begin his request, and the king answered laughing: "Look, my friends;
our young hero is blushing like a girl! It seems I shall have to grant
something important; so he had better wait until my birthday, and then,
at supper, when the wine has given him courage, he shall whisper in my
ear what he is now afraid to utter. Ask much, Bartja, I am happy myself,
and wish all my friends to be happy too." Bartja only smiled in answer
and went to his mother; for he had not yet opened his heart to her on
the matter which lay so near it.

He was afraid of meeting with decided opposition; but Croesus had
cleared the way far him by telling Kassandane so much in praise of
Sappho, her virtues and her graces, her talents and skill, that Nitetis
and Atossa maintained she must have given the old man a magic potion,
and Kassandane, after a short resistance, yielded to her darling's
entreaties.

"A Greek woman the lawful wife of a Persian prince of the blood!" cried
the blind woman. "Unheard of! What will Cambyses say? How can we gain
his consent?"

"On that matter you may be at ease, my mother," answered Bartja, "I am
as certain that my brother will give his consent, as I am that Sappho
will prove an ornament and honor to our house."

"Croesus