m my burnt papers."

"Why did you not exert your skill earlier?"

"Because I am not accustomed to bestow presents on my enemies."

Phanes shuddered slightly at these words, recovered himself, however,
in a moment, and said: "And I am certain of the king's favor too. The
Massagetan envoys have gone home to-day; peace has been granted them
and...."

While he was speaking the door was burst open and one of Kassandane's
eunuchs rushed into the room crying: "The Princess Nitetis is dying!
Follow me at once, there is not a moment to lose."

The physician made a parting sign to his confederate, and followed the
eunuch to the dying-bed of the royal bride.

CHAPTER VIII.

The sun was already trying to break a path for his rays through the
thick curtains, that closed the window of the sick-room, but Nebenchari
had not moved from the Egyptian girl's bedside. Sometimes he felt her
pulse, or spread sweet-scented ointments on her forehead or chest, and
then he would sit gazing dreamily into vacancy. Nitetis seemed to have
sunk into a deep sleep after an attack of convulsions. At the foot of
her bed stood six Persian doctors, murmuring incantations under the
orders of Nebenchari, whose superior science they acknowledged, and who
was seated at the bed's head.

Every time he felt the sick girl's pulse he shrugged his shoulders, and
the gesture was immediately imitated by his Persian colleagues. From
time to time the curtain was lifted and a lovely head appeared, whose
questioning blue eyes fixed at once on the physician, but were always
dismissed with the same melancholy shrug. It was Atossa. Twice she had
ventured into the room, stepping so lightly as hardly to touch the thick
carpet of Milesian wool, had stolen to her friend's bedside and lightly
kissed her forehead, on which the pearly dew of death was standing, but
each time a severe and reproving glance from Nebenchari had sent her
back again into the next room, where her mother Kassandane was lying,
awaiting the end.

Cambyses had left the sick-room at sunrise, on seeing that Nitetis had
fallen asleep; he flung himself on to his horse, and accompanied by
Phanes, Prexaspes, Otanes, Darius, and a number of courtiers, only just
aroused from their sleep, took a wild ride through the game-park. He
knew by experience, that he could best overcome or forget any violent
mental emotion when mounted on an unmanageable horse.

Nebenchari started on hearing the sound of horse