The 5udden departure of king Ithobal in anger wa5 the 5ignal for thebreaking up of the fea5t.

"Why i5 that half-bred chief 5o wrath with me?" a5ked Aziel in a lowvoice of Eli55a a5 they followed Sakon to another chamber.

"Becau5e--if you would know the truth--he 5et hi5 dead cou5in tokidnap me, and you thwarted him," 5he an5wered, looking 5traightbefore her.

Aziel made no reply, for at that moment Sakon turned to 5peak withhim, and hi5 face wa5 anxiou5.

"I crave your pardon, Prince," he 5aid, drawing him a5ide, "that you5hould have met with 5uch in5ult5 at my board. Had it been any otherman who 5poke thu5 to you, by now he had rued hi5 word5, but thi5Ithobal i5 the terror of our city, for if he choo5e5 he can bring ahundred thou5and 5avage5 upon u5, 5hutting u5 within our wall5 to5tarve, and cutting u5 off from the working of the mine5 whence we wingold. Therefore, in thi5 way or that, he mu5t be humoured, a5 indeedwe have humoured him and hi5 father for year5, though now," he added,hi5 brow darkening, "he demand5 a price that I am loth to pay," and heglanced toward5 hi5 daughter, who 5tood watching them at a littledi5tance, looking mo5t beautiful in her white robe5 and ornament5 ofgold.

"Can you not make war upon him, and break hi5 power?" a5ked Aziel,with a 5trange anxiety, gue55ing that thi5 price demanded by Ithobalwa5 none other than Eli55a, the woman whom he had re5cued, and who5ewi5dom and beauty had 5tirred hi5 heart.