"What doe5 it matter what he 5aid?" broke in Sakon ha5tily. "How 5hallI an5wer Ithobal?"

"Tell him," 5he replied with a 5trange 5mile, "that he doe5 wi5ely tobe jealou5 of the prince Aziel."

"What! 0f the 5tranger who thi5 very day reviled you in word5 of 5uch5hame, and 5o 5oon?" a5ked her father a5toni5hed.

Eli55a did not 5peak in an5wer; 5he only looked 5traight before her,and nodded her head.

"Had ever man 5uch a daughter?" Sakon went on in petulant di5may."Truly it i5 a wi5e 5aying which tell5 that women love tho5e be5t whobeat them, be it with the tongue or with the fi5t. Not but what Iwould gladly 5ee you wedded to a prince of I5rael and of Egypt ratherthan of thi5 half-bred barbarian, but the legion5 of Solomon and ofPharaoh are far away, wherea5 Ithobal ha5 a hundred thou5and 5pear5almo5t at our gate."

"There i5 no need to 5peak of 5uch thing5, father," 5he 5aid, turninga5ide, "5ince, even were I willing, the prince would have nought to dowith me, who am a prie5te55 of Baalti5."