said. "I am here with no trivial message. There is nothing paltry
about the threat I can throw at you, Phorenice. With your
fire-tubes, your handling of troops, and your other fiendish
clevernesses, you may not be easy to overthrow by mere human means,
though, forsooth, these poor rebels who yap against your city walls
have contrived to hold their ground for long enough now. It may be
that you are becoming enervated; I do not know. It may be that you
are too wrapped up in your feastings, your dressings, your pomps,
and your debaucheries, to find leisure to turn to the art of war.
It may be that the man's spirit has gone out from your arm and
brain, and you are a woman once more--weak, and pleasure-loving;
again I do not know.

"But this must happen: You must undo the evil you have done;
you must give bread to the people who are starving, even if you
take it from these gluttons in this hall; you must restore Atlantis
to the state in which it was entrusted to you: or else you must be
removed. It cannot be permitted that the country should sink back
into the lawlessness and barbarism from which its ancient kings
have digged it. You hear, Phorenice. Now give me true answer."

"Speak him fair. Oh! For the sake of your fortune, speak him
fair," came Ylga's voice in a hurried whisper from behind us. But
the Empress took no notice of it. She leaned forward on the
cushions of the divan with a knit brow.

"Do you dare to threaten me, old man, knowing what I am?"

"I know your origin," he said gravely, "as well as you know it
yourself. As for my daring, that is a small matter. He need be