ecame of the few women who survived I do not know, for
my mother never told me; but she was brought by her captors to this
country and presented to King Geshuri, who made her his queen. Two
months later I was born; and my mother never had any other children.

"Five years ago King Geshuri died; and my mother became the reigning
monarch of the country, in accordance with the Izreelite law. But she
was never strong; and three years ago she, too, died, leaving me
absolutely alone to govern this fierce, headstrong people as best I
could."

Here the Queen's emotion overcame her for a moment, and she hid her face
in her hands, while the tears welled over and trickled through her
fingers. Her distress moved the young Englishmen powerfully, and they
began to murmur expressions of sympathy and assurances of help. But,
quickly recovering her composure, the Queen resumed her narrative.

"That, however, is not what is troubling me, for my mother, realising
that I must one day become a queen, devoted herself entirely to
educating me in such a manner as to prepare me, as well as she could,
for the discharge of my difficult duties. Unfortunately, we had no
books, so my mother was compelled to rely entirely upon her own
knowledge and experience in the matter of my education and training; but
she not only taught me the English language, but also how to read and
write it, spending many hours in printing with her own hand long
passages containing maxims for my guidance, simply that I might have the
means of learning to read English books, should ever any such fall into
my hands.

"And now I come to the matter that is troubling me. The Elders tell me
that the time has arrived when I must take to myself a husband; and they
have suggested--oh, I cannot tell you how many men!--Izreelite nobles,
of course--from whom I may make my choice. But I do not like any of
them; there is not one among them all whom I do not thoroughly detest,
for they are all fierce, arrogant, overbearing men who do not even
pretend that they have any desire to make me happy. All they want is to
be king, so that they may enjoy the absolute power and authority of a
monarch; for, if I marry, my husband will at once become the ruler of
the country, according to the Izreelite law, and I shall merely be his
wife. Fortunately, I cannot be compelled to marry, and I won't--I
won't," with a passionate little stamp of the foot, "until I meet with a
man whom I can--can-