“What man?” demanded Belshazzar. Every eye was on the queen, who continued:—
“In the days of your father, light and understanding like the wisdom of the gods were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar made him master of the magicians and soothsayers, because an excellent knowledge and interpretation of dreams and dissolving of doubts was found in him.”
“Ay! The man! His name!” The king snatched her wrist roughly. Many voices reëchoed, “The man! His name! Send for him! Send!”
The queen-mother looked steadily into Belshazzar’s eyes.
“The name of the man is Daniel, whom the king called Belteshazzar; now let Daniel be called, and he will show the interpretation.”
But the words were like fire thrust into the king’s face. He recoiled from her; the ashen gray came back to his cheeks. “Not Daniel! I will never see him! I have sworn it! Not he! Not he!”
So cried the king. But from all the captains rose one clamour:—
“Send for Daniel! He is the only hope. He alone can reveal. Send! Send!”
Avil found courage to rise and whisper in the royal ear, “Let all Babylon burn, ere the king craves one boon of this villanous Jew!”