首页 >出版文学> The Virgin of the Sun>第12章
  "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。"