“Indeed there have been changes,” answered Atossa, calmly.  “A great many things that used to be tolerated will never be heard of now.  On the whole, the change has been rather in relation to religion than otherwise.  You will understand that in one year we have had three court religions.  Cambyses sacrificed to Ashtaroth—­and I must say he made a most appropriate choice of his tutelary goddess.  Smerdis”—­continued the queen in measured tones and with the utmost calmness of manner—­“Smerdis devoted himself wholly to the worship of Indra, who appeared to be a convenient association of all the most agreeable gods; and the Great King now rules the earth by the grace of Auramazda.  I, for my part, have always inclined to the Hebrew conception of one God—­perhaps that is much the same as Auramazda, the All-Wise.  What do you think?”

Nehushta smiled at the deft way in which the queen avoided speaking of Smerdis by turning the conversation again to religious topics.  But fearing another lecture on the comparative merits of idolatry, human sacrifice, and monotheism, she manifested very little interest in the subject.

“I daresay it is the same.  Zoroaster always says so, and that was the one point that Daniel could never forgive him.  The sun is coming through those plants upon your head—­shall we not have our cushions moved into the shade at the other end?” She clapped her hands and rose languidly, offering her hand to Atossa.  But the queen sprang lightly to her feet.

“I have stayed too long,” she said.  “Come with me, dearest princess, and we will go out into the orange gardens upon the upper terrace.  Perhaps,” she added, adjusting the folds of her mantle, “we shall find Zoroaster there, or some of the princes, or even the Great King himself.  Or, perhaps, it would amuse you to see where I live?”

Nehushta received her mantle from her slaves, and one of them brought her a linen tiara in place of the gauze veil she had twisted about her hair.  But Atossa would not permit the change.

“It is too beautiful!” she cried enthusiastically.  “So new! you must really not change it.”

She put her arm around Nehushta affectionately and led her towards the door of the inner staircase.  Then suddenly she paused, as though recollecting herself.

“No,” she said, “I will show you the way I came.  It is shorter and you should know it.  It may be of use to you.”

So they left the balcony by the little door that was almost masked by one of the great pillars, and descended the dark stairs.  Nehushta detested every sort of bodily inconvenience, and inwardly wished the queen had not changed her mind, but had led her by an easier way.

“It is not far,” said the queen, descending rapidly in front of her.

“It is dreadfully steep,” objected Nehushta, “and I can hardly see my way at all.  How many steps are there?”

“Only a score more,” answered the queen’s voice, farther down.  She seemed to be hurrying, but Nehushta had no intention of going any faster, and carefully groped her way.  As she began to see a glimmer of light at the last turn of the winding stair, she heard loud voices in the corridor below.  With the cautious instinct of her race, she paused and listened.  The hard, quick tones of an angry man dominated the rest.