yet none returned to bring him the wished-for

answer.

The minarets tolled to evening-prayer, and still he stopped. He saw the gilt domes of the neighboring Mosques turn to silver in the moonlight, and he heard the low chant of the watchmen, crying, as they went, "Attest the unity of God!" and still he stirred not.

At last the many-colored lamps of the Palace. died out, and the air grew blue and bleak with the coming day; and then, weary and cold, Huan went toward the lonely market-streets, to while away the time till Ulphilas should rise.

As he walked along, he saw advancing a band of men leading mules laden with reeds and fagots and naphtha. As they passed yawning by, another drowsy band approached with camels bearing stakes and gibbets. Huan's heart sank within him, and his knees bent under him, in his horror; and, thinking how little time he had to gain his sister's pardon, he hastened back again to the Palace.

Then he wrote a petition to the King, begging Ulphilas to take back the pardon that he had vouchsafed to him, and grant it to his sister in his stead for that her life was more precious to him than his own.

And, as the first gate of the Palace opened, he gave the paper to the guard, bidding him, for the love of God, deliver it to the King.

He sat himself down to wait in wretched anxiety for the royal answer.

As the sun rose, the whole city came streaming by, careless, as if it were a holiday; and, as the callous tide poured along, some would ask, "how many were to be burned," and others, "how long it wanted to the hour of burning," while others, would look at Huan and whisper to one another, "it was he whose sister was condemned to death."

WP

At length the crowd had ceased, and the city and the Palace were still as night; and Huan, fearing lest Ulphilas should leave without reading.

his petition hastened to the Princess to beg of her to pray an audience for him of the King.

But Evöe, when she heard his wish, told him, " he had come too late, for Ulphilas had already left the Palace." Huan nearly sank to the ground in his agony of despair.

But it was no time for idle grief, and, staggering from the room, he darted wildly into the street, and then he almost shrieked, as he saw the sky grow red with the distant flames.

to suffer at the gibbet. as the poor

Then, demoniac things were led past the King, the crowd yelled and hooted at them; and, though the guards strove to keep the people back, still some of the wretched victims nearly lost their lives, from the injuries they received at the hands of the multitude. For the most superstitious of the mob-no matter what their rank*would rush forth to tear the gray hairs from the heads of the poor hags, believing that, if the lock *Lady Cromwell and Alice Samuel.

were burnt by them at any future time, it would act as a charm against the machinations of the Evil One.

As the wretched band marched on, there came rich and poor, young and old, men and women, sane and insane; some decrepit and idiotic; others, stalwart and demoniac-and all condemned to be burnt alive and quick, as burthens and curses on the land.

Now there passed one that was doomed to death for her ugliness—for that alone was sufficient to stamp the aged poor as the slaves of the Archfiend-and now another, who, being accounted the prettiest girl in all the town,* men, in their bigotry, had judged to be some demon that had assumed a form of transcendent loveliness, to deceive mankind.

Next there came a Dervish who, in his madness, had confessed that, by the imps at his command, he had sunk a ship; and though, when his reason had returned, he had denied all that he had spoken in his ravings, still he was doomed to death; and, as he walked to the stake, he repeated aloud his own burial service.† After him, came a poor crazy creature, who believing herself the witch her fanatic Judges had pronounced her to be, paced on, muttering the jargon charm which was said to have the power to raise the Evil One. Then came the poor, blind Anthy, so rapt in *Gobel Babelin. † Rev. Mr. Lewis.