\"Yes,falseandyettrue。Sotruethatshediedbecauseshewasfalse。\"
\"Howcanawomanbebothfalseandtrue？\"
\"Womancanbeallthings。Askthequestionofyourownheart。Canyounotperchancebebothfalseandtrue？\"
Shethoughtawhileand,leavingthismatter,said:
\"So,havingonceloved,youcanneverloveagain。\"
\"Whynot？PerchanceIcanlovetoomuch。Butwhatwouldbetheusewhenmorelovewouldbutmeanmorelossandpain？\"
\"Whomshouldyoulove,mylordHurachi,seeingthatthewomenofyourownfolkarefaraway？\"
\"Ithinkonewhoisverynear,ifshewouldpaybackloveforlove。\"
Quillamadenoanswer,andIthoughtthatshewasangryandwouldgoaway。Butshedidnot;indeed,shesatherselfdownuponthestoneatmysideandcoveredherfacewithherhandsasIhaddoneandbegantoweepasIhaddone。NowinmyturnIaskedher:
\"Whydoyouweep？\"
\"BecauseI,too,mustknowloneliness,andwithitshame,LordHurachi。\"
Atthesewordsmyheartbeatandpassionflamedupinme。StretchingoutmyhandIdrewhersawayandinthedyinglightgazedatthefacebeneath。Lo！onitslovelinesstherewasalookwhichcouldnotbemisread。
\"Doyou,then,alsolove？\"Iwhispered。
\"Aye,more,Ithink,thaneverwomanlovedbefore。FromthemomentwhenfirstIsawyousleepinginthemoonbeamsonthedesertisle,I
knewmyfatehadfoundme,andthatIloved。IfoughtagainstitbecauseImust,butthatlovehasgrownandgrown,tillnowIamalllove,and,havinggiveneverything,havenomorelefttogive。\"
WhenIheardthis,makingnoanswer,Isweptherintomyarmsandkissedher,andthereshelayuponmybreastandkissedmeback。
\"Letmego,andhearme,\"shemurmuredpresently,\"foryouarestrongandIamweak。\"
Iobeyed,andshesankbackuponthestone。
\"Mylord,\"shesaid,\"ourcaseisverysad,oratleastmycaseissad,sincethoughyoubeingamanmayloveoften,Icanlovebutonce,and,mylord,itmaynotbe。\"
\"Whynot？\"Iaskedhoarsely。\"Yourpeoplethinkmeagod;cannotagodtakewhomhewillstowife？\"
\"Notwhensheisvowedtoanothergod,hewhowillbeInca;notwhenonher,mayhap,hangsthefateofnations。\"
\"Wemightfly,Quilla。\"
\"WhithercouldtheGod—from—the—SeaflyandwhithercouldflythedaughteroftheMoon,whoisvowedtothesonoftheSuninmarriage,savetodeath？\"
\"Thereareworsethingsthandeath,Quilla。\"
\"Aye,butmylifeisinpawn。Imustlivethatmypeoplemaynotdie。
MyselfIofferedittothiscauseandnow,beingroyal,Icannottakeitbackagainformyownjoy。Itisbettertobeshamedwithhonourthantobelovedinthelapofshame。\"
\"Whatthen？\"Iaskedhopelessly。
\"Onlythis,thataboveusarethegods,and——heardyounottheoracleofRimacthatdeclaredtomethatIshouldslipfromthehatedarms,thattheSunshouldbemyshelter,andinthebelovedarmsIshouldsleepatlast,thoughfromthevengeanceofthegodbetrayedImustflyfastandfar？Ithinkthatthismeansdeath,butalsoitmeanslifeindeathand——Oarmsbeloved,youshallfoldmeyet。Iknownothow,buthavefaith——foryoushallfoldmeyet。Meanwhile,temptmenotfromthepathofhonour,sincethisIknow,thatitalonecanleadmetomyhome。YetwhoisthegodbetrayedfromwhomImustfly？Who,who？\"
Thusshespokeandwassilent,andI,too,wassilent。Yes,therewesat,bothsilentinthedarkness,searchingtheheavensforaguidingstar。Andaswesat,presentlyIheardthevoiceofKarisaying:
\"HaveIfoundyou,Lord,andyoualso,LadyQuilla？Return,Iprayyou,forallsearchandarefrightened。\"
\"Why？\"Ianswered。\"TheladyQuillaandIstudythiswondrousscene。\"
\"Yes,Lord,thoughtothosewhoarenotgod—bornitwouldbedifficultinthisdarkness。Suffer,nowthatIshowyouthepath。\"
CHAPTERV
KARIGOES
Asitchancedduringtheremainingdaysofthatjourney,QuillaandI
werenotagainalonetogether（thatistosay,exceptonceforafewminutes）,forwewereneveroutofeyeshotofsomeoneinourcompany。
ThusKariclungtomeveryclosely,indeed,andwhenIaskedhimwhy,toldmebluntlythatitwasformysafety\'ssake。Agodtoremainagod,hesaid,shouldlivealoneinatemple。Whenhebegantomixwithothersoftheearthandtodothosethingstheydid,toeatandtodrink,tolaughandtofrown;eventoslipinthemudortostumbleoverthestonesinthecommonpath,thoseotherswouldcometothinkthattherewassmalldifferencebetweengodandman。Especiallywouldtheythinksoifhewereobservedtolovethecompanyofwomenortomeltbeneaththeirsoftglances。
NowIgrewsoreatthestingofthesearrowswhichoflatehehadlovedtoshootatme,andwithoutpretendingtomisunderstandhim,saidoutright:
\"Thetruthis,Kari,thatyouarejealousoftheladyQuillaasonceyouwerejealousofanother。\"
Heconsideredthematterinhisgravefashion,andanswered:
\"Yes,Master,thatisthetruth,orpartofit。Yousavedmylife,andshelteredmewhenIwasaloneinastrangeland,andforthisandforyourselfIcametoloveyouverygreatly,andlove,ifitbetrue,isalwaysjealousandalwayshatesarival。\"
\"Therearedifferentsortsofloves,\"Isaid;\"thatofamanformanisone,thatofmanforwomanisanother。\"
\"Yes,Master,andthatofwomanformanisathird;moreover,thereisthisaboutit——itistheacidwhichturnsallotherlovessour。Whereareaman\'sfriendswhenawomanhashimbytheheart？——althoughperchancetheylovehimbetterthaneverwillthewomanwhoatbottomlovesherselfbestofall。Still,letthatbe,forsoNatureworks,andwhocanfightagainstNature？WhatQuillatakes,Kariloses,andKarimustbecontenttolose。\"
\"Haveyoudone？\"Iaskedangrily,whoweariedofhishomilies。
\"No,Master。Thematterofjealousyissmallandprivate;soisthematteroflove。But,Master,youhavenottoldmeoutrightwhetheryoulovetheladyQuilla,and,whatismoreimportant,whethershelovesyou。\"
\"ThenIwilltellyounow。Idoandshedoes。\"
\"YoulovetheladyQuillaandshesaysthatshelovesyou,whichmayormaynotbetrue,oriftrueto—daymaybefalseto—morrow。ForyoursakeIhopethatitisnottrue。\"
\"Why？\"Isaidinarage。
\"Because,Master,inthislandtherearemanysortsofpoison,asI
havelearnedtomycost。Alsothereareknives,ifnotofsteel,andmanywhomightwishtodiscoverwhetheragodwhocourtswomenlikeamancanbeharmedbypoisonsorpiercedbyknives。Oh！\"headded,inanothertone,ceasingfromhisbitterjests,\"believemethatIwouldshield,notmockyou。ThisLadyQuillaisaqueeninagreatgameofpiecessuchasyoutaughtmetoplayfarawayinEngland,andwithoutherperchancethatgamecannotbewon,orsothosewhoplayitthink。
Nowyouwouldstealthatqueenandthereby,astheyalsothink,bringdeathanddestructiononacountry。Itisnotsafe,Master。Thereareplentyoffairwomeninthisland;takeyourpickofthem,butleavethatonequeenalone。\"
\"Kari,\"Ianswered,\"iftherebesuchagame,areyounotperchanceoneoftheplayersonthissideoronthat？\"
\"Itmaybeso,Master,andifyouhavenotguessedit,perhapsonedayIwilltellyouuponwhichsideIplay。ItmayevenbethatformyownsakeIshouldbegladtoseeyouliftthisqueenfromofftheboard,andthatwhatItellyouisforloveofyouandnotofmyself,alsooftheladyQuilla,who,ifyoufall,fallswithyoudownthroughtheblacknightintothearmsoftheMoon,hermother。ButIhavesaidenough,andindeeditisfoolishtowastebreathinsuchtalk,sinceFatewillhaveitswaywithbothofyou,andtheendofthegameinwhichweplayisalreadywritteninPachacamac\'sbookforeveryoneofus。DidnotRimacspeakofittheothernight？Soplayon,playon,andletDestinyfulfilitself。IfIdaredtogivecounselitwasonlybecausehewhowatchesthebattlewithageneral\'seyeseesmoreofitthanhewhofights。\"
Thenhebowedinhisstatelyfashionandleftme,anditwaslongerehespoketomeagainofthismatterofQuillaandourloveforoneanother。
Whenhewasgonemyangeragainsthimpassed,sinceIsawthathewaswarningmeofmorethanhedaredtosay,notforhimself,butbecausehelovedme。Moreover,Iwasafraid,forIfeltthatIwasmovinginthewebofagreatplotthatIdidnotunderstand,ofwhichQuillaandthosecold—eyedlordlingsofhercompanyandthechiefwhoseguestI
hadbeen,andKarihimself,andmanyothersasyetunknowntome,spuntheinvisiblethreads。Onedaythesemightchokeme。Well,iftheydid,whatthen？OnlyIfearedforQuilla——greatlyIfearedforQuilla。
OnthedayfollowingmytalkwithKariatlengthwereachedthegreatcityoftheChancas,which,afterthem,wascalledChanca——atleastI
alwaysknewitbythatname。FromthedawnwehadbeenpassingthroughrichvalleyswheredweltthousandsoftheseChancaswho,Icouldsee,wereamightypeoplethatborethemselvesproudlyandlikesoldiers。
Inmultitudestheygatheredthemselvestogetheruponeithersideoftheroad,chieflytocatchasightofme,thewhitegodwhohadrisenfromtheocean,butalsotogreettheirprincess,theladyQuilla。
Indeed,nowIlearnedforthefirsttimehowhighaprincessshewas,sincewhenherlitterpassed,thesefolkprostratedthemselves,kissingtheairandthedust。Moreover,assoonasshecameamongthemQuilla\'sbearingchanged,forhercarriagegrewmorehaughtyandherwordsfewer。Nowsheseldomspokesavetoissueacommand,noteventomyself,althoughInotedthatshestudiedmewithhereyeswhenshethoughtthatIwasnotobservingher。
DuringourmiddayhaltIlookedupandsawthatanarmywasapproachingus,fivethousandmenormore,andaskedKariitsmeaning。
\"These,\"heanswered,\"aresomeofthetroopsofHuaracha,KingoftheChancas,whomhesendsouttogreethisdaughterandonlychild,alsohisguest,theWhiteGod。\"
\"Someofthetroops！Hashemore,then？\"
\"Aye,Master,tentimesasmany,asIthink。Thisisagreatpeople;
almostasgreatasthatoftheIncaswholiveatCuzco。Comenowintothetentandputonyourarmour,thatyoumaybereadytomeetthem。\"
Ididso,and,steppingforthcladintheshiningsteel,tookmystandwhereKarishowedme,uponariseofground。OnmyrightatalittledistancestoodQuilla,moresplendidlyarrayedthanIhadeverseenher,andbehindherhermaidensandthecaptainsandcounsellorsofherfollowing。
Thearmydrewnearer,marshalledinregimentsandhaltedontheplainsometwohundredyardsaway。Presentlyfromitadvancedgeneralsandoldmen,cladinwhite,whomItooktobepriestsandelders。Theyapproachedtothenumberoftwentyormoreandboweddeeply,firsttoQuilla,whobentherheadinacknowledgmentandthentomyself。AfterthistheywenttospeakwithQuillaandherfollowing,butwhattheysaidIdidnotknow。Allthewhile,however,theireyeswerefixedonme。ThenQuillabroughtthemtomeandonebyonetheybowedbeforeme,sayingsomethinginalanguagewhichIdidnotunderstandwell,foritwassomewhatdifferentfromthatwhichKarihadtaughtme。
Afterthisweenteredthelitters,and,escortedbythatgreatarmy,wereborneforwarddownvalleysandoverridgestillaboutsunsetwecametoalargecup—likeplaininthecentreofwhichstoodthecitycalledChanca。OfthiscityIdidnotseemuchexceptthatitwasverygreatasthedarknesswasfallingwhenweentered,andafterwardsI
couldnotgooutbecauseofthecrowdsthatpressedaboutme。Iwasbornedownawidestreettoahousethatstoodinalargegardenwhichwaswalledabout。HereinthisfinehouseIfoundfoodpreparedforme,anddrink,allofitservedindishesandcupsofgoldandsilver;
alsotherewerewomenwhowaiteduponme,asdidKariwhonowwascalledZapanaandseemedtobemyslave。
WhenIhadeatenIwentoutaloneintothegarden,foronthisplaintheairwasverywarmandpleasant。Itwasabeautifulgarden,andI
wanderedaboutamongitsavenuesandfloweringbushes,gladtobesolitaryandtohavetimetothink。AmongstotherthingsIwonderedwhereQuillamightbe,forofherIhadseennothingfromthetimethatweenteredthetown。Ihatedtobepartedfromher,becauseinthisvaststrangelandintowhichIhadwanderedshewastheonlyoneforwhomIhadcometocareandwithoutwhomIfeltIshoulddieofloneliness。
TherewasKari,itistrue,whoIknewlovedmeinhisfashion,butbetweenhimandmetherewasagreatgulffixed,notonlyofraceandfaith,butofsomethingnowwhichIdidnotwhollyunderstand。InLondonhehadbeenmyservantandhisendsweremyends;onourwanderinghehadbeenmycompanioningreatadventures。ButnowIknewthatotherinterestsanddesireshadtakenaholdofhim,andthathetrodaroadofwhichIcouldnotseethegoal;andnolongerthoughtmuchofmesavewhenwhatIdidordesiredtodocamebetweenhimandthatgoal。
ThereforeQuillaalonewaslefttome,andQuillawasabouttobetakenaway。Oh！Iweariedofthisstrangelandwithitssnowcladmountainsandrichvalleys,itshordesofdark—skinnedpeoplewithlargeeyes,smilingfaces,andsecrethearts;itsgreatcities,temples,andpalacesfilledwithuselessgoldandsilver;itsbrilliantsunshineandrushingrivers,itsgods,kings,andpolicies。
Theywerealientome,everyoneofthem,andifQuillaweretakenawayandIwereleftquitealone,thenIthoughtthatitwouldbewelltodie。
SomethingmovedbehindapalmtrunkoftheavenueinwhichIwalked,andnotknowingwhetheritwerebeastorman,IlaidmyhanduponmyswordwhichIstillwore,althoughIhadtakenoffthearmour。BeforeIcoulddrawitmywristwasgraspedandasoftvoicewhisperedinmyear:
\"Fearnothing;itisI——Quilla。\"
Quillaitwas,wrappedinalonghoodedcloaksuchasthepeasantwomenwearinthecoldcountry,forshethrewbackthehoodandabeamofstarlightfelluponherface。
\"Hearken！\"shesaid。\"Itisdangeroustobothofus,butIhavecometobidyoufarewell。\"
\"Farewell！Ifeareditwouldbethus,butwhysosoon,Quilla？\"
\"Forthisreason,LoveandLord。IhaveseenmyfathertheKing,andmademyreporttohimofthematterwithwhichIwassenttodealamongtheYuncas。Itpleasedhim,andsincehismoodwasgracious,I
openedmyhearttohimandtoldhimthatnolongerdidIwishtobegiveninmarriagetoUrco,whowillsoonputontheIncafringe,for,asyouknow,itistohimthatIampromised！\"
\"Whatdidheanswer,Quilla？\"
\"Heanswered:\'Thismeans,Daughter,thatyouhavemetsomeothermantowhomyoudowishtobegiveninmarriage。Iwillnotaskhisname,sinceifIknewititwouldbemydutytokillhim,howeverhighandnoblehemightbe。\'\"
\"Thenheguesses,Quilla？\"
\"Ithinkheguesses;Ithinkthatalreadysomehavewhisperedinhisear,buthedoesnotwishtolistenwhodesirestoremaindeafandblind。\"
\"Didhesaynomore,Quilla？\"
\"Hesaidmuchmore;hesaidthis——nowItellyousecrets,Lord,andplacemyhonourinyourkeeping,forhavinggivenyoualltherest,whyshouldInotgiveyouthatalso？Hesaid:\'Daughter,youwhohavebeenmyambassador,you,myonlychild,whoknowallmycounsel,knowalsothatthereisabouttobethegreatestwarthatthelandofTavantinsuyuhaseverknown,warbetweenthetwomightynationsoftheQuichuasofCuzcowhereoftheoldUpanquiiskingandgod,andtheChancaswhereofIamkingandyou,ifyoulive,inadaytocomewillbethequeen。Nolongercanthesetwolionsdwellinthesameforest;
oneofthemmustdevourtheother;norshallIfightalone,sinceonoursidearealltheYuncasofthecoastwho,asyoureporttome,areripeforrebellion。But,asyoualsoreport,andasIhavelearnedfromothers,theyarenotyetready。MoonsmustgobybeforetheirarmiesarejoinedtomineandIthrowoffthemask。Isitnotso？\'
\"Iansweredthatitwasso,andmyfatherwenton:
\"\'Thenduringthattime,Daughter,adustmustberaisedthatwillhidetheshiningofmyspears,and,Daughter,youarethatdust。
To—morrowtheoldIncaUpanquivisitsmeherewithasmallarmy。I
readyourthought。Itis——Whydoyounotkillhimandhisarmy？
Daughter,forthisreason。Heisveryagedandabouttolaydownhissceptre,whogrowsfeebleofmindandbody。IfIkilledhimwhatwoulditserveme,seeingthathehaslefthisson,Urco,whowillbeInca,rulingatCuzco,andthatofhissoldiersnotoneinfiftywillbewithhimhere？Moreover,heismyguest,andthegodsfrownonthosewhoslaytheirguests,norwillmenevertrustthemmore。\'
\"NowIanswered:\'Youspokeofmeasacloudofdust,Father;how,then,canthispoordustserveyourendsandthoseoftheChancapeople？\'
\"\'ThusDaughter,\'heanswered。\'WithyourownconsentyouarepromisedinmarriagetoUrco。UpanquitheIncahasheardrumoursthattheChancasprepareforwar。Therefore,hewhotravelsonhislastjourneythroughcertainofhisdominionscomestoleadyouaway,tobeUrco\'sbride,sayingtohimself,\"Ifthoserumoursaretrue,KingHuarachawillwithholdhisonlychildandheiress,sinceneverwillhemakewaruponCuzcoifsherulesthereasitsqueen。\"Therefore,ifIrefuseyoutohim,hewillwithdrawandbeginthewar,rollingdownhisthousandsuponusbeforeweareready,andbringingtheChancastodestructionandenslavement。Thereforealsonotonlymyfate,butthefateofallyourcountryliesinyourhand。\'
\"\'Father,\'Isaid,\'tellme,whowaseverdeartoyouthatlacksons,istherenoescape？MustIeatthisbitterbread？Beforeyouanswer,learnthatyouhaveguessedaright,andthatIwho,whenImadethatpromise,caredfornoman,havecometofeeltheburningoflove\'sfire！\'
\"Nowhelookedatmeawhile,thensaid:\'ChildoftheMoon,thereisbutoneescape,anditmustbesought——inthemoon。Thedeadcannotbegiveninmarriage。Ifyourstraitissosore,thoughitwouldcutmetotheheart,perchanceitisbetterthatyoushoulddieandgowhitherdoubtlesshewhomyoulovewillsoonfollowyou。DepartnowandcounselwithHeaveninyoursleep。To—morrow,beforeUpanquicomes,wewilltalkagain。\'
\"SoIkneltandkissedthehandoftheKing,myfather,andlefthim,wonderingathisnoblenesswhocouldshowsucharoadtohisonlychild,thoughitstreadingwouldmeanwoetohimandmayhaptheruinofhishopes。Stillthatroadisanoldoneamongthewomenofmypeople,andwhyshouldInotwalkit,asthousandshavedonebeforeme？\"
\"Howcameyouhere？\"Iaskedhoarsely。
\"Lord,Iguessedthatyouwouldbewalkinginthisgardenwhichjoinsontothatofthepalace,and——nonewereabout,and——thedoorinthewallwasopen。Indeed,itwasalmostasthoughIwereleftaloneandunwatchedofsetpurpose。SoIcameandsought——andfound,havingaquestiontoputtoyou。\"
\"Whatquestion,Quilla？\"
\"This:ShallIliveorshallIdie？SpeakthewordandIobey。Yetereyouspeak,rememberthatifIlivewemeetforthelasttime,sinceverysoonIgohencetobecomethewifeofUrcoandplaythepartthatispreparedforme？\"
NowwhenI,Hubert,heardthesewords,Ifeltasthoughmyheartwouldburstwithinmybreastandknewnotwhattosay。SotogaintimeI
askedher:
\"Whichdoyoudesire——toliveortodie？\"
Shelaughedalittleassheanswered:
\"Thatisastrangequestion,Lord。HaveInottoldyouthatifIliveImustdosobefouledasoneofUrco\'swomen,whereas,ifIdie,IdiecleanandtakemylovewithmetowhereUrcocannotcome,butwhere,mayhap,anothermayfollowattheappointedtime。\"
\"Whichtimewouldbeverysoon,Ithink,Quilla,seeingthathewhohadspoiledallthisprettyplotwouldscarcelybeleftlongupontheearth,evenifhewishedtostaythere。YetIsay:Donotdie——liveon。\"
\"TobecomeUrco\'swoman！Thatisstrangecounselfromalover\'slips,Lord;suchaswouldscarcelyhavebeengivenbyanyofournobles。\"
\"Aye,Quilla,anditisgivenbecauseIamnotofyourpeopleanddonotthinkastheythink,whorejecttheircustoms。YouarenotyetUrco\'swife,andmayberidofhimbyotherpathsthanthatofdeath,butfromthegravethereisnoescape。\"
\"Andinthegravethereisnomorefear,Lord。ThitherUrcocannotcome;thereareneitherwarsnorplottings;therehonourdoesnotbeckonandloveholdback。IsaythatIwilldieandmakeanend,asforlikecausesmanyofmybloodhavedone,thoughnothereandnow。
WhenIamabouttobedeliveredtoUrcothenIwilldie,andperchancenotalone。Perchancehewillaccompanyme,\"sheaddedslowly。
\"Andifthishappens,whatshallIdo？\"
\"Liveon,Lord,andfindotherwomentoloveyou,asagodshould。
TherearemanyinthislandfairerandwiserthanI,and,savemyself,youmaytakewhomyouwill。\"
\"Listen,Quilla。Ihaveastorytotellyou。\"
Then,asbrieflyasIcould,IsetoutthetaleofBlancheandofherend,whileshehunguponmyeveryword。
\"Oh！Igrieveforyou,\"shesaid,whenIhadfinished。
\"Yougrieveforme,andyet,whatshedidformysakeyouwoulddoalso,sothat,asitwere,bothmyhandsmustbedyedwithblood。ThisfirstterrorIhaveborne,butifasecondfallsuponmethenIknowthatIshallgomadandperishinthiswayorinthat,andyou,Quilla,willbemymurderess。\"
\"No,no,notthat！\"shemurmured。
\"Thensweartomebyyourgodandbyyourspirit,thatyouwilldoyourselfnoharm,whateverchances,andthatifdieyoumust,itshallbewithmeforcompany。\"
\"Isyourlovesogreatthatyouwoulddarethisformysake,Lord？\"
\"Ithinkso,thoughnottillallelsehadfailed。Ithinkthatifyouweretakenfromme,Quilla,Icouldnotliveonhereinlonelinessandexile——howevergreatthesin。Butdoyouswear？\"
\"Aye,LoveandLord,Iswear,foryoursake。Moreover,Iaddtotheoath。Ifperhapsweshouldescapetheseperilsandcometogether,I
willbesuchawifetoyouasnevermanhashad。Iwillwrapyouroundwithloveandliftyouuptobeaking,thatyoumayliveingloryforgettingyourhomeacrossthesea,andallthesorrowsthatbefellyouthere。Childrenyoushallhavealsoofwhomyouneednotbeashamed,thoughmydarkbloodrunsinthem,andarmiesatcommandandpalacesfilledwithgold,andallroyaljoys。Andifperchancethegodsdeclareagainstus,andwepassfromtheworldtogether,thenI
think,oh！thenIthinkthatIshallgiveyoufinergiftsthanthese,thoughwhattheyareIknownotyet,sincetothepoweroflovethereisnoend——hereonearthoryonderintheskies。\"
Istaredatherfaceinthestarlight,andoh！ithadgrownsplendid。
Nolongerwasitthatofawoman,sincethroughit,likelightthroughpearl,shoneasouldivine。Itmighthavebeenagoddesswhostoodbesideme,forthoseeyeswereholyandherembracethatwrappedmeclosewasnotthatofthefleshalone。
\"Imustbegone,\"shewhispered,\"butnowIgowithoutfear。Perchancewemaynotspeakagainforlong,buttrustmealways。PlayyourpartandIwillplaymine。FollowmewhereverIamtakenandkeepneartome,ifyoumay,asevermyspiritshallbeneartoyou。Thenwhatmattersanything,evenifweareslain？Farewell,beloved,kissmeandfarewell。\"
