, not my own pleasure," he retorted stiffly. "The
son of Gobryas is too well known to have slurs cast on his courage. And
now what questions would my captains ask these Greeks? Promptly--they must
be again in their own lines, or they are missed."

An officer here or there threw an interrogation. Lycon answered briefly.
Democrates kept sullen silence. He was clearly present more to prove the
good faith of his Medizing than for anything he might say. Mardonius smote
the ewer again. The soldiers escorted the two Hellenes forth. As the
curtains closed behind them, the curious saw that the features of the
beautiful page by the general's side were contracted with disgust.
Mardonius himself spat violently.

"Dogs, and sons of dogs, let Angra-Mainyu wither them forever. Bear
witness, men of Persia, how, for the sake of our Lord the King, I hold
converse even with these vilest of the vile!"

Soon the council was broken up. The final commands were given. Every
officer knew his task. The cavalry was to be ready to charge across the
Asopus at gray dawn. With Lycon and Democrates playing their part the
issue was certain, too certain for many a grizzled captain who loved the
ring of steel. In his own tent Mardonius held in his arms the beautiful
page--Artazostra! Her wonderful face had never shone up at his more
brightly than on that night, as he drew back his lips from a long fond
kiss.

"To-morrow--the triumph. You will be conqueror of Hellas. Xerxes will make
you satrap. I wish we could conquer in fairer fight, but what wrong to
vanquish these Hellenes with their own sly weapons? Do you remember what
Glaucon said?"

"What thing?"

"That Zeus and Athena were greater than Mazda the Pure and glorious
Mithra? To-morrow will prove him wrong. I wonder whether he yet
lives,--whether he will ever confess that Persia is irresistible."

"I do not know. From the evening we parted at Phaleron he has faded from
our world."

"He was fair as the Amesha-Spentas, was he not? Poor Roxana--she is again
in Sardis now. I hope she has ceased to eat her heart out with vain
longing for her lover. He was noble minded and spoke the truth. How rare
in a Hellene. But what will you do with these two gold-bought traitors,
'friends of the king' indeed?"

Mardonius's face grew stern.

"I have promised them the lordships of Athens and of Sparta. The pledge
shall be fulfilled, but after that,"--Artazostra understood his sinister
smile,--"there are man