ge, clear, intelligent, grey eyes looked out of a head so worn and
wasted, as to be more like a mere skull than the head of a living man.
He held a large papyrus-roll in his gaunt hand, and was seated in an
easy chair, as his paralyzed limbs did not allow of his standing, even
in the king's presence. His dress was snow-white, as beseemed a priest,
but there were patches and rents to be seen here and there. His figure
might perhaps once have been tall and slender, but it was now so bent
and shrunk by age, privation and suffering, as to look unnatural and
dwarfish, in comparison with the size of his head.

Nebenchari, who revered Onuphis, not only as a high-priest deeply
initiated in the most solemn mysteries, but also on account of his great
age, stood by his side and arranged his cushions. At his left stood
Phanes, and then Croesus, Darius and Prexaspes.

The king sat upon his throne. His face was dark and stern as he broke
the silence with the following words:--"This noble Greek, who, I am
inclined to believe, is my friend, has brought me strange tidings. He
says that I have been basely deceived by Amasis, that my deceased wife
was not his, but his predecessor's daughter."

A murmur of astonishment ran through the assembly. "This old man is here
to prove the imposture." Onuphis gave a sign of assent.

"Prexaspes, my first question is to you. When Nitetis was entrusted to
your care, was it expressly said that she was the daughter of Amasis?"

"Expressly. Nebenchari had, it is true, praised Tachot to the noble
Kassandane as the most beautiful of the twin sisters; but Amasis
insisted on sending Nitetis to Persia. I imagined that, by confiding his
most precious jewel to your care, he meant to put you under a special
obligation; and as it seemed to me that Nitetis surpassed her sister,
not only in beauty but in dignity of character, I ceased to sue for the
hand of Tachot. In his letter to you too, as you will remember, he spoke
of confiding to you his most beautiful, his dearest child."

"Those were his words."

"And Nitetis was, without question, the more beautiful and the nobler
of the two sisters," said Croesus in confirmation of the envoy's remark.
"But it certainly did strike me that Tachot was her royal parents'
favorite."

"Yes," said Darius, "without doubt. Once, at a revel, Amasis joked
Bartja in these words: 'Don't look too deep into Tachot's eyes, for if
you were a god, I could not allow you to take her t