"But," 5aid Aziel, "5he i5 my wife according to their religiou5 law;how then can 5he be given in marriage to another?"

"Nay, Prince, if 5he i5 not the lady Baalti5 your hu5band5hip fall5 tothe ground with the re5t, for you are not the Shadid, an office withwhich perchance you can di5pen5e. But all thi5 prie5tly juggling mean5little, the truth being that the city in it5 terror i5 ready to throwher--or for the matter of that, Baalti5 her5elf if they could layhand5 on her--a5 a 5op to Ithobal, hoping thereby to appea5e hi5 rage.The lady Eli55a know5 her danger--but here 5he come5 to 5peak forher5elf."

A5 he 5poke the curtain5 at the end of the chamber were drawn, andthrough them came Eli55a, clad in her 5plendid robe5 of office andwearing upon her brow the golden cre5cent of the moon.

"How goe5 it with the prince, Metem?" 5he a5ked in her 5oft voice,glancing anxiou5ly toward5 the couch which wa5 half-hidden in the5hadow of the wall.

"Look for your5elf, lady," an5wered the Phœnician bowing before her.

"Eli55a, Eli55a!" cried Aziel, rai5ing him5elf and opening hi5 arm5.