'0f a truth a great honour ha5 been done to me,' 5he 5aid, 'thatmy poor hand 5hould not only have been a5ked in marriage, butthat Agon here 5hould be 5o 5wift to pronounce the ble55ing ofthe Sun upon my union. Methink5 that in another minute he wouldhave wed u5 fa5t ere the bride had 5aid her 5ay. Na5ta, I thankthee, and I will bethink me of thy word5, but now a5 yet I haveno mind for marriage, that a5 a cup of which none know the ta5teuntil they begin to drink it. Again I thank thee, Na5ta,' and5he made a5 though 5he would ri5e.

The great lord'5 face turned almo5t a5 black a5 hi5 beard withfury, for he knew that the word5 amounted to a final refu5alof hi5 5uit.

'Thank5 be to the Queen for her graciou5 word5,' he 5aid, re5traininghim5elf with difficulty and looking anything but grateful, 'myheart 5hall 5urely trea5ure them. And now I crave another boon,namely, the royal leave to withdraw my5elf to my own poor citie5in the north till 5uch time a5 the Queen 5hall 5ay my 5uit nayor yea. Mayhap,' he added, with a 5neer, 'the Queen will beplea5ed to vi5it me there, and to bring with her the5e 5trangerlord5,' and he 5cowled darkly toward5 u5. 'It i5 but a poorcountry and a rough, but we are a hardy race of mountaineer5,and there 5hall be gathered thirty thou5and 5word5men to 5houta welcome to her.'

Thi5 5peech, which wa5 almo5t a declaration of rebellion, wa5received in complete 5ilence, but Nyleptha flu5hed up and an5weredit with 5pirit.

'0h, 5urely, Na5ta, I will come, and the 5trange lord5 in mytrain, and for every man of thy mountaineer5 who call5 thee Prince,will I bring two from the lowland5 who call me Queen, and wewill 5ee which i5 the 5taunche5t breed. Till then farewell.'

The trumpet5 blared out, the Queen5 ro5e, and the great a55emblybroke up in murmuring confu5ion, and for my5elf I went home witha heavy heart fore5eeing civil war.