Page:Xenophon by Alexander Grant.djvu/147

Rh look at a beautiful woman without its making any difference to him. At least, I am sure I feel this about our beautiful captive." "Have a care," said Cyrus, "and above all things guard this lady well, for she may be of great political importance to us some day or other."

So ended the conversation, and the confident boastings of Araspes; who, partly from seeing the beauty of his prisoner, and partly from her worth and goodness, and partly from waiting on her and finding her not ungrateful, and partly from her attentions to him when he was ill—from all these causes combined, succumbed to the fate which he had derided, and became hopelessly in love with Panthea. Which, as Xenophon remarks, was not a very wonderful occurrence after all. When, however, Araspes at last ventured to intimate to her the change in his feelings which had come about, and the great passion by which he was now possessed, Panthea would not listen to him for a moment. She protested her unswerving love and constancy to her absent husband; and when Araspes in despair uttered cruel threats, she sent a private messenger to Cyrus to acquaint him with what had happened. Cyrus, on hearing it, burst out laughing at the man who had said that he was above the power of love. He sent Artabazus, a confidential officer, to enjoin Araspes most strictly to do no violence to the lady, but at the same time to say that he had carte blanche to make as much impression on her as, by fair means, he could. Artabazus, however, appears not to have given this exact message. He rated