I'll show you. Look here!"

Rising cautiously upon tip-toe as he spoke, he pointed to the hollow in
the trunk of a tree. A pair of finches had built their nest in it, and
five young ones with big yellow beaks stretched their ugly little heads
hungrily upward.

"That's so pretty!" cried the prince. "And you must see the old ones
come to feed them." The beautiful boy's sweet face fairly beamed with
delight, and Charmian kissed him tenderly. Yet, even as she did so, she
thought of the young swallows hacked to death in his mother's galley, and
a chill ran through her veins.

Just at that moment voices were heard calling Alexander from a neglected
spot behind the dainty little house built for the children, and the boy
exclaimed peevishly:

"There, now, I showed you the little nest, so I forgot. Agatha fell
asleep and Smerdis went away, so we were alone. Then they sent me to
Horus, the gate-keeper, to get some of his spelt bread. He never says no
to anything, and it does taste so good. We're peasants, and have been
using the axe and the hoe, so we want something to eat. Have you seen
our house? We built it ourselves. Selene, Helios, Jotape, my future
wife, and I--yes, I! They let me help, and we finished it alone, all
alone! Everything is here. We shall build the shed for the cow
to-morrow. The others mustn't see it, but I may show it to you."

While speaking, he drew her forward again, and Charmian obediently
followed. The twins and little Jotape, who had been chosen for the
future bride of the six-year-old Prince Alexandera pretty, delicate,