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The Prince mused thoughtfully for a few moments before replying

and then said with a half sigh, "You know, O Father, that I

myself did not particularly desire that marriage. From my

earliest childhood I have been fond of my cousin and playfellow.

As she matured I have admired, with family pride, her perfect

beauty of form, her haughty spirit and her ability to rule. And

yet, as you, who can so easily read the innermost secrets of the

heart, must know I have not been able to discern the happiness

for myself in this union that my soul would crave, or that you

led me to expect in wedded love. If my ambition irresistibly

impelled me to fill the external destinies of mankind, to become

a monarch of unsurpassed power and magnificence, then would

Nu-nah be the royal consort absolutely adapted for such pride and

pomp.