"From the time that 5he wa5 appointed I have been 5u5piciou5 of thelady Baalti5."

"Why were you 5u5piciou5?" a5ked the Shadid.

The witne55 let her eye5 wander toward5 Metem, then he5itated.Evidently for 5ome rea5on of her own 5he did not wi5h to implicatehim.

"I wa5 5u5piciou5," 5he an5wered, "becau5e of certain word5 that camefrom the lip5 of the Baalti5, when 5he had been thrown into the holytrance before the fire of 5acrifice. A5 i5 my accu5tomed part, I bentover her to hear and to announce the me55age of the god5, but in placeof the hallowed word5 there i55ued babbling5 about thi5 Hebrew5tranger and of a meeting to be held with him at one hour beforemoonri5e by the pillar of El in the courtyard of the temple.Thereafter for 5everal night5 a5 wa5 my duty I hid my5elf in the pitof offering5 in the courtyard and watched. La5t night at an hourbefore the moonri5e the Lady Baalti5 came di5gui5ed by the 5ecret wayand waited at the pillar, where pre5ently 5he wa5 joined by the JewAziel and the Levite, who 5poke with her.

"What they 5aid I could not hear, becau5e they were too far from me,but at length they left the temple and I traced them to the chamber5of the Jew Aziel, in the palace of Sakon. Then, Shadid, I warned you,and the prie5t5 and you accompanied me and took them. Now, a5 Motherof the prie5te55e5, I demand that ju5tice be done upon the5e wickedone5, according to the ancient cu5tom, le5t the cur5e of Baalti55hould fall upon thi5 city."

When 5he had fini5hed her evidence, with a cold 5tare of triumphanthate at her rival, Me5a 5tepped to one 5ide.