was the oath of the Christian by the law of the Lord; but Mary clung to
her, stroked her thin cheeks, and at last declared she could not say a
word unless Eudoxia yielded. In such an hour the Greek could not resist
this tender coaxing; she allowed Mary to take possession of her hand and
lay it on the Bible; and when once this was done Eudoxia gave way, and
with much head shaking repeated the oath that her pupil dictated, though
much against her will.

After this the governess threw herself on the divan, as if exhausted and
shocked at her own weakness; and the little girl took advantage of her
victory, seating herself at her feet, and telling her all she knew about
Paula and the perils that threatened her and Orion; and she was artful
enough to give special prominence to Orion's danger, having long since
observed how high he stood in Eudoxia's good graces. So far Eudoxia had
not ceased stroking her hair, while she assented to everything that was
said; but when she heard that Mary proposed to undertake the embassy to
Amru herself, she started to her feet in horror, and declared most
positively that she would never, never consent to such rashness,
to such fatal folly.

Mary now brought to bear her utmost resources of persuasion and flattery.
There was no other fit messenger to be found, and the lives of Orion and
Paula were at stake. Was a ride across the mountains such a tremendous
matter after all? How well she knew how to manage a beast, and how
little she suffered from the heat! Had she not ridden more than once
from Memphis to their estates by the seaboard? And faithful Rustem would
be always with her, and the road over the mountains was the safest in all
the country, with frequent stations for the accommodation of travellers.
Then, if they found Amru, she could give a more complete report than any
other living soul.