CHAPTER XI.
LOVE AND JEALOUSY.
Once more we were ushered into the large and lofty room which was tobe our prison house. Our guards withdrew, the massive door swung back,moved by hidden automatic action, and we were left to our own sadreflections.
"Oh, for the good _Sirius_, with everything in order!" sighed Graham."We would soon show these Martial hosts that we are not the poor weakfools they take us to be."
"Tut, tut, Graham," said the Doctor, cheerily. "The game seems againstus now, but we may hold the trump cards yet, man! Besides, you haveevidently made a conquest," he continued, with sly humour, "and thatfair Martial maiden may yet prove a guardian angel."
"Ah, Doctor, sanguine as ever! What a hopeful old boy you are! But I,for one, seem to think we are in a deuce of a hole this time," saidTemple, with just a tinge of irritation in his voice.
"I don't see the least call for any such joke at my expense, Doctor,"said Graham, smilingly. "But there, it is best to look on the brightside of things."
"Ah, now I was right, after all! Graham, the fair lady who seems sogrieved about us, little dreams that she has made a conquest too!"
"Doctor, I feel peckish mysel', and I ken puir old Rover misses hissupper. Surely they dinna mean starvin' o' us!"
"All in good time, Sandy; all in good time. Here's a biscuit for Rover,I happened to put in my pocket this morning," remarked the Doctor,good-humouredly.
"Well, Temple," he continued, "we have evidently been respited forsome reason or other. That looks as though these strange people werenot altogether unfriendly disposed towards us. We must make a lot ofallowance for them, after all. Think what a fuss five beings from Marswould make, were they to drop from the sky into Trafalgar Square orPalace Yard, some fine day; and that, mind you, after killing in coldblood an innocent farm-labourer at Ealing or Hendon! Why, all Londonwould be wild with excitement, and a righteously incensed populacewould be clamouring for their immediate trial and execution--theevening papers, especially! We take these inoffensive people bysurprise, and, really, we are fortunate in having been able so far toconciliate them as to gain time--and that is all we want. We shallbe----"
But the Doctor was interrupted by the door swinging open, and Kaospmaking his appearance once more, accompanied by the two attendantguards, and five servants bearing dishes. These dishes were of thecostliest description, evidently of fine gold, beautifully chased, withcuriously-shaped leaves and flowers, the like of which we had neverseen before. Each servant bore his dish in silent state, and placed itupon the inlaid marble table, then, bowing low, withdrew. The guardsstationed themselves one on either side of the doorway, and then Kaospadvanced, and in his unknown tongue, assisted by signs, conveyed to usthe fact that it was by the King's desire that this food was brought,and that we were to sit down and eat. We began to look on Kaosp almostas a friend; he seemed equally to be kindly disposed towards us, for hesmiled and smote his breast--evidently a salute--as he and his guardsdeparted.
"Come, come," said the Doctor, "this is not so bad, after all. We musttry and pick up their language, and then I have no doubt, by being ableto explain ourselves, we shall be safe with these people. Now, Sandy,uncover our dishes, and let us see on what strange food we are expectedto fare."
"Do, Doctor, be serious!" remarked Temple. "What are you going to do?"
"Why, eat, of course, man, since these captors of ours havecondescended to supply us with the wherewithal to do so. I mustconfess, in spite of our bad luck, I begin to feel uncommonly hungry,"said the Doctor.
It was all no good, however; Temple seemed thoroughly cast down, andall that we could do or say failed to arouse him from his despondentmood.
Sandy was soon at work, and we found that under each larger cover was adish divided into compartments, in which a variety of tempting-lookingfood was placed. We had flesh of various kinds, a liquor like clearsoup, fruits, and square tablets of what appeared to be bread, yetvery fruity to the taste. The large vase-like vessel contained purewater, and round the lower rim were hung several smaller vases, whichwere evidently to be used as drinking-cups. Two curious instrumentswere attached to each dish, which took us some time to comprehend theiruse. The larger was fashioned something like a spoon, fastened in acarved wooden handle, yet one edge was sharp, and it was ultimatelydiscovered that this served the purpose of knife and spoon in one. Theother, a sharply-pointed piece of gold, also set in a handle of carvedwood, we took to be a fork, and used it as such. We found the flesh,and one of the dishes of green vegetables, excellent, but the fruit,and what we must call bread, was not very palatable to us.
"I doubt not that if we live here long," remarked Graham, "we shallacquire a taste for the other viands. We can't expect to findeverything suited to the tastes and customs of the men of Earth."
"That's true, Graham," said Temple, who was fast recovering hisspirits, and beginning to take a more cheerful view of our situation."It's astonishing what a difference a little food makes, in a hungry,even in a despondent man."
Our meal was quickly finished, Sandy taking good care that Rover had aplentiful portion of the feast. Then Graham produced his well-filledcase, and each one of us enjoyed the precious luxury of a really goodcigar--a "Bock" of the choicest quality.
"Make the most of them, my comrades," said Graham, striking a wax taperon the end of his silver match-case. "I have but a dozen, and heavenknows when we may get more. There's a score boxes left, at least, inthe _Sirius_, but I suppose they are lost to us for ever."
In the middle of our smoke Kaosp appeared with his guards, and greatwas his and their amazement to see us smoking. This is evidently anart unknown to the people of Mars--tobacco, apparently, being a plantwith which Earth alone is blessed. By some curious action of his, adoor in our prison opened and revealed to us another chamber, fittedup with luxuriant couches, soft as eider-down, on which by signs thefriendly soldier informed us we might stretch our weary limbs in sleep.We passed into this ante room, and with friendly salute Kaosp withdrew,and the door immediately closed behind him.
It is almost needless to say that we passed a fairly comfortable night,yet we deemed it wisest to keep watch by turns, in case of surprise.The Martial moons shone down through the windows of our prison withgreat brightness, two of them being visible together, and the planetEarth (now much lower on the horizon than when we were in the Hall ofJustice) looked like Venus, as we often see her when fairly placed inthe sky of our own world at home.
It is unnecessary here to chronicle all the monotony of ourconfinement. One day passed much as another, so far as eating,drinking, and sleeping were concerned.
We saw a great deal of the commander, Kaosp, and from him we began tolearn the Martial tongue. The Doctor possessed a marvellous aptitudefor acquiring any new tongue on Earth, and this served him in goodstead on the planet Mars. After a week's intercourse with Kaosp hewas able to converse in a broken sort of way, in three weeks he hadmastered sufficient for all ordinary purposes. Temple found it moredifficult; Sandy only picked up a few words and phrases from hismaster, but Graham proved himself an apt pupil, and was almost as gooda conversationist as the Doctor, in even less time.
From Kaosp we learned much. He was the only one who acted as ourjailor. We learned that the King had commanded him to teach us theirlanguage, so that we might be prepared to explain ourselves and ourmission to him and his ministers at the trial, which he assured uswas to take place in forty days from the time of our capture. We alsolearned that the beautiful being who sat near the King, in the Hallof Justice, was his own daughter; that her name was Volin?; that shewas her father's idol and his people's pride. Many startling facts didKaosp tell us concerning his race. How their span of life averagedfive hundred years, which, as the year of Mars is twice the length ofEarth's, would be a thousand years of our time! How war was unknownamongst them; one king and one government ruling all civilized beings;how some parts of Mars were inhabited by savage tribes and semi-humanbeasts; how their armies were kept up f
or protection against theseuncivilized races, and for Court pageantry; and also how one universallanguage prevailed. He also told us, among other things, that thisstranger world was but thinly peopled, its inhabitants increasingvery slowly, the results of a marriage rarely producing more thantwo or three offspring. That one of the most terrible scourges whichtroubled the Martial world was the almost universal loss of memory thatbroke out like a plague from time to time, and that owing to this thepeople were exceedingly careful in keeping records of their pursuits,history, and progress. From what we learned from Kaosp, respectingour preliminary examination in the Hall of Justice, we concluded thatwhen our trial did take place we should be able to vindicate ourselvesand make friends with these people. So that we looked forward to theevent with eager interest, being most anxious to regain our liberty andexplore this strange world to our hearts' desire.
We also learned from Kaosp that Volin?, the King's daughter, had takena great interest in us, and had deigned to make numerous enquiriesabout us from him, he being granted an audience each day, to inform herof whatever portion of our history he had been able to learn. The Kinghimself was also eager to know how his captives fared, but never oncedid he come to see us in person.
On the tenth morning of our imprisonment, Kaosp brought startling news.Nothing less than that Volin?--Volin?, the King's proud, beautifuldaughter, was coming to visit us, in our prison, some time during theday. He told us how she had besought him to let her see us; how he hadtried to dissuade her; and how, ultimately, she had commanded him totake her, and that he had not dared to disobey her wish.
We were all full of expectant curiosity. Attendants came, andprepared our large room for the unusual visit; and Sandy's pocketdressing-case--his inseparable companion, even in captivity--was ingreat requisition by us all; for each of us felt it incumbent to makehimself as presentable as possible to our fair and distinguishedvisitor.
"VOLIN?."]
She came. The day was nearly spent; the sun, in a sea of yellowradiance, was just about to sink behind the hills, as our prison doorswere thrown open, and Kaosp, saluting respectfully, with helmet inhand, ushered Volin? and her attendant maidens into our presence. Wehave already alluded to her marvellous beauty, as we saw her recliningby her father's judgment-seat; but far more did her charms impress usnow, as she swept, with all queenly grace, into our apartment, withhead held high, and flowing golden tresses, mantling over her gloriousbust and shoulders, and falling in silky coils below her waist. Herouter dress was polished black--a loosely-fitting robe, girdled at thewaist, and which clung in ravishing folds to her stately form. A diademof glittering purple stones, like diamonds, encircled her brow, andher robe was fastened across her left shoulder by a jewelled buckle offabulous richness. Though of such commanding stature, she was graceitself; not a part of her magnificent figure out of proportion withthe rest--a woman, yet a goddess, too. Beauty personified! Her lovelyviolet eyes gave an incomparable expression of saintly beauty to hercountenance; and yet there was nothing meek or humble there; fire, andpassion, and unbending will, lurked deep down in their purple, dreamydepths. No being in female form, whether human or divine, could haveappeared more lovely, as Volin? stood, surrounded by the subdued goldenglory of the setting sun, which poured in at the window, and threw ahalo round her. A murmur of admiration involuntarily burst from eachone of us, as we stood, in rapt astonishment, gazing upon the fairbeing before us. Then we each bowed low and respectfully, as she sankinto the pillowed seat which had been provided for her. In truth, itwas an impressive scene. Two Martial maidens stood on either side,carrying little golden vessels, suspended by chains of the same metal,and containing a subtle perfume, which soon pervaded our chamber withits sweetness. Two other maidens bore long, tapering, white wands intheir left hands--in their right hands they had bouquets of rare andcurious flowers.
"Strangers," she commenced in a voice that was singularly sweet andmusical--"for your names I know not--I, Volin?, daughter of the King,give you greeting. I have bidden our trusty soldier Kaosp conduct mehither, so that mine eyes may see that it is still well with ye, forI feel an interest in your fate. My ears are open to any complaint,which perchance ye may wish to make concerning your treatment in thisour palace, since my royal father and his councillors, in their greatwisdom, commanded that ye be held prisoners here. We dwellers in thecity Edos are not wanting in hospitality to the stranger; but ye arenot our people, not of our world; we know ye not, still, Volin? is yourfriend."
Doctor Hermann advanced and kissed the white, ring-decked hand extendedtowards him, and did his best to convey our gratitude to the generousgirl; telling her that we were friends, fashioned in the same creativemould as her own race; and that we came from the star which is knownas Ramos, but to us, its people, as "Earth"; that we had come to studythis new world of hers, and to take back our information, if we werespared to do so, to our fellow-men.
John Temple was then commanded by Volin? to come forward and saluteher, a mark of royal favour of which he was not slow to avail himself,as what man would not when the donor was so ravishingly beautifulas she! Then Sandy was called for, and bidden to bring Rover, too.Volin? was deeply interested, and asked many questions, through Kaosp,concerning the Scotsman and his dog.
Volin?'s voice was distinctly less commanding in its tone, eventender, when with some slight hesitation she asked that Graham mightbe presented to her; and as he came forward and pressed her hand tohis lips for a moment, we all noticed a blush steal over her lovelyface. As a special mark of her favour, she bade one of her attendantmaidens hand to him the flowers she was carrying. Graham already was,evidently, held high in her esteem. He was so utterly confounded bysuch an unexpected mark of royal favour that, beyond kissing thehand held out to him, he was unable to utter a word of gratitude, ofcompliment, or thanks. Very soon after this the interview came to anend, and Volin? with her attendants withdrew, leaving us to recoverourselves as if from some delicious dream. We had had no femininesociety for years, and if the Doctor and Sandy did not miss it,certainly Graham and Temple did, and appreciated the visit of thispeerless maiden to the uttermost.
Graham had to run the gauntlet of the Doctor's and Temple's chaffover Volin?'s very marked notice of him; but for the first time sincewe left Earth he failed to enter into the spirit of our jokes, andevery now and then we caught him as though engaged in deep and earnestthought. The magic spell of a first love was beginning to work withinhim, and from this time forth he would never be the same man again!
"Come, come, Graham, my boy," said Temple on the following day, as thetwo sat together after our morning meal; "what is the matter with you?Why so melancholy? Surely, Volin?'s is not the first pretty face youhave seen?"
"Mr. Temple," answered Graham, "your last stray shot has hit the mark.No woman on Earth, you know as well as I, is so incomparably beautifulas she. Volin? is a goddess; the soul of Beauty! Would any fellow,especially situated as I am, fancy free, in the pride of early manhood,escape from such seductive attractions unscathed? From the moment thatmy eyes first fell upon her, I became conscious that I had found myideal of female beauty at last--found it, alas! under circumstanceswhich admit of no hope, however remote, to become ultimately its proudpossessor. I have tried to conceal my feeling from you all; but Loveever betrays itself. She has filled my thoughts by day, and my dreamsby night. Yes, I love her! and it is at least consoling to be able toconfess my secret to such an old and tried friend as you. It relievesmy feelings in some measure to tell them to another who can show somesympathy."
"Why, Graham, you must be hard hit indeed! But your chance is not byany means a hopeless one. From what we can see, Volin? is certainlyinterested in us, and in you particularly so."
"But look at the differences of our race and station--ah! and myposition, too, a prisoner, whose very life is threatened," Grahamsighed.
"All the more need for you to put matters in their best light. Goin and win, man. By doing so, you may gain your heart's desire, andsave us from death. Vo
lin? is all-powerful. Her word is second to theKing's, and she is his only daughter. She looks upon you with decidedfavour already; and when once you get that far with a woman, the restis easy--it is certainly so with the ladies of Earth; and if we believein Doctor Hermann's theory of Universality, the maidens of Mars must bemade of much the same material," answered Temple, laughing.
"What you say, Mr. Temple, certainly puts matters in a different light.That flickering phantom men call Hope, once more appears before me andbids me follow; but whither she may lead me is very doubtful."
"I say, Temple and Graham, you two appear to have a very serious topicfor your conversation this morning," said the Doctor, rising from hisseat at the other end of the room, where he had been busy writingmemoranda in his pocket-book.
The Doctor was here interrupted by a visit from Kaosp, who spent theremainder of the morning with us, helping us to acquire the Martiallanguage.
In the afternoon we had another visit from Volin? and her maidens. Herattention to Graham became even more pronounced, and she never seemedto tire of hearing him tell to her the story of Earth. Indeed, somuch did she appear to enjoy his company, that the Doctor and Templefelt completely _de trop_. The Doctor appeared annoyed at Graham forencouraging this flirtation; but Temple was secretly pleased, for hesaw in it a possible escape from captivity.
That night Graham retired to rest earlier than usual, pleading aheadache for excuse. We now had complete use of the two apartments,thanks to Kaosp, the door separating them having been made to openand close at our will. The Doctor and Temple remained up, discussingone thing and another, until a late hour, the conversation eventuallyturning to the subject of Volin? and Graham.
"Doctor, I think it is rather a mistake on your part to show such anaversion to Graham's conduct with Volin?. You were the first to expressan opinion, and even to hint that this girl might be of service."
"How so? It's bound to end in trouble, not only to him, but to us. Andas for the latter part of your remarks, why, it was only a silly jokeon my part."
"I differ from you, Doctor. This woman is all-powerful here. The Kingmay govern his people, but his daughter governs him; although he maynot know it--what man ever does? And if we can once gain her goodword, say even through her betrothal to Graham, we are absolutely safe!"
"All very well; all very well, Temple, if things would turn out so; butwhen do things turn out exactly as we want them? There is much to besaid on the other side of the question. Kings have peculiar ideas as torank and station; princesses, even in the nineteenth century, may notchoose their own partners; at least, as far as our world is concerned.I dare say the King has his own views respecting his daughter, and thenwhen this foolish affair becomes known, as it surely will, we shallonly incur a still larger amount of royal anger than we do at present.It is too risky a business, and I will be no party to it. Pray let usdrop the subject, Temple; the hour is late, and we had better go torest."
"As you will, Doctor, but as sure as I am sitting here I am convincedthat a love affair between Graham and Volin? is our only chance."
"We shall see, Temple. It is playing a dangerous game with our ownlives as well as his own, and I am just as certain that it will end indisaster."
Volin?'s visits became more and more frequent. Rarely a day passed nowthat she did not either come in person, or send one of her attendantmaids with flowers or fruits for the captives, but these gifts werereally meant for Graham alone. She exercised her royal prerogative andshowed her marked preference for him in many ways. We were also allowedmore liberty, presumably through her intercession, and were now evenpermitted to walk for a short time each day in an enclosed garden belowour prison windows. This was a great boon, as the close confinementwas beginning to tell upon us greatly, seasoned as we were to the lackof exercise through our long sojourn in the _Sirius_.
We had been in prison five weeks, when the love affair betweenGraham and Volin? assumed a more decided phase. Volin? and he werelovers; more to each other than either thought or knew. Fierce anduncontrollable love was smouldering in each heart, requiring butsome accidental spark to set the whole aflame. This was not long incoming. A secret meeting was arranged between them. Kaosp being Love'sambassador, he conveyed the welcome news to Graham that Volin? wishedto see him in the grounds. Needless to say, the Doctor was highlydispleased at this; but being in the minority he had the good sense tolet matters take their own course, satisfying himself by warning Grahamof the risk he ran.
Kaosp, too, showed some reluctance to be a party to this meeting. Hefeared discovery, and the King's anger; but pressure had evidentlybeen put upon him, and as the dusk of evening deepened, he came,and secretly conducted Graham to the garden below. Graham must, ofnecessity, tell this portion of our narrative in his own words:
"I followed Kaosp, at his bidding, down the silent, deserted corridors,and at last felt the cool, refreshing night air beat against my face,as we passed under an arched gateway of the palace, into the opengrounds. Here he left me, telling me to keep along a narrow pathway,until I came to an arbour where I was to wait until Volin? joined me.The night was gloriously fine; the Martial moons were beaming in acloudless sky; the stars scintillated sharp as swords in the heavens;the far-away Earth shone with a dazzling fairness--the star of theevening. Flowers threw off delicious fragrance, though I could not seethem; here and there a tall, tapering tree, towering far above thelower vegetation of this wondrous garden, shone out clearly againstthe green-hued sky; whilst distant fountains sang their soothing song.Oh, how can I express the expectant rapture that filled my soul, asI watched and waited for my darling! With leaden-flighted wings themoments dragged along; and yet she came not. Was all a dream? If so,oh God! then let me dream for ever! for the suspense of waiting forVolin? in that garden fair would be Paradise, compared with the pain ofawaking and finding that all had vanished with my opening eyes.
"Soft, yet distant footsteps at last fell upon my eager ears, and shefor whom I waited came stealthily along towards our trysting-place.We met as lovers of long standing, even though no single word of lovehad passed between us; the kiss I reverently pressed upon her white,upturned brow, was the first I had ever given her. But the languageof love is universal--neither race nor dialect forms a barrier to thecommunication of its sweet secrets one to the other.
"'Volin?, beloved,' I whispered, trembling with joy. 'You, for whom Ihave waited so long, have come to me at last!'
"'Oh! man of Ramos, I am so happy to be with thee,' she answered, as Idrew her gently within the shelter of the arbour, and sat down by herside.
"'Nay, Volin?, will you not call me "Harry"? I ask it as a royalfavour.'
"'But "Harry" is not thy name. Still, to please thee, I will grant thyrequest. "Harry!"--"Harry!" is much prettier, too; I had not thought ofthat.'
"'But I had, Volin?, and have been longing to hear my name fall fromyour sweet lips.'
"'I fear, Harry, that I shall incur my father's anger in coming thus.I have dared his wrath, because I like thee and thy companions much,and because I would save thee and them from all harm. Now tell me allconcerning thyself, for my soul is curious to know. Tell me, Harry,more of that mystic world from whence you came. Are the women of thatworld more fair, more beautiful than we? Doth no maid of Ramos holdthy heart in bondage? Hath not that power you tell me the sons anddaughters of earth call Love, yet had no resting-place in thy soul?'And as she spoke these last words, Volin? laid her head upon my breastand gazed up into my face with her radiant love-lit eyes, as though shewould read the innermost depths of my soul.
"'Ah! Volin?, Volin?, of a truth I tell you no woman has yet moved myheart like you have done,' I answered, gazing down into her peerlessface, my pulses thrilled by the magnetic touch of her soft white handresting trustfully in my own, and by the vision of her marvellousbeauty. Her breath intoxicated me with its warm, rich fragrance; herthrobbing heart against my own filled my senses with the wild deliriumof passionate ecstasy.
"'Volin?,' I whispered--'
Volin?, the maidens of that Earth Star yonder,glimmering serenely fair in the evening sky, are good and pure, andwith no mean measure of beauty--even, Volin?, as you are good, and asyou are pure; but such beauty as yours is unknown amongst them. Manonly knows of beauty such as yours in the holy legends of his heaven;only the angels of his faith are decked in such graces as are yours;but in his mortal life he knows them not, save by imagination, and asthey have been revealed to him. Such peerless, queenly beauty as yours,Volin?, no mortal man beheld before; such winning grace, such maidenlycharm, are what we men of Earth would call immortal and divine!'
"'Harry, thy words are sweet unto me, and I feel that they flow fromthy heart; but I would have thee tell me more of that Love, by whichthese men of Earth enslave her daughters. Thy words are full offlattery of my bodily form. Is there nought else to charm thee, andbind thee closer to me, to unite thine immortal soul to mine?'
"My arm stole gently round Volin?'s shapely waist withoutresistance--what bliss!--and I drew her yet nearer to me ere I madereply.
"'Volin?, my darling, I know nothing from experience of this Love ofwhich you bid me tell, and of which you are so curious to hear. Nowoman on that star-world yonder has won it from my heart. Until I sawyou I knew not love; but now its fires consume me. Volin?, I love youas never man loved woman yet. For you I would die, and in dying glorifyand exalt that love you have inspired! Say, Volin?, that you return mylove, and make my happiness complete.'
"'Harry, thou art dearer to me than all men. Nobles and princes of highdegree have sought to woo me; but until I knew thee, I knew not thesecret of my own heart.'
"'Bless you, dear one, for those precious words,' I answered, tremblingin my great new-found joy. The love that is born of Desire is sweet;but the mysterious power that welds two hearts together, making themthrob as one, and bringing perfect harmony to both, is sweeter still.In willing rapture I yielded to the captivity of her arms, which likebonds of ivory whiteness held me. I felt her smooth cheek against myown, burning with modesty and love, and in my new-found happiness Irained hot kisses on her upturned, willing lips. Closer and closer westole into each other's arms; our sighs mingled together; time for ushad now no measure; we lived but for each other; and in silent ecstasywe drank those pleasures that mutual love alone distils.
"'Harken, Harry, someone approaches! I shall die of shame to bediscovered thus, and my father's wrath will be terrible.'
"'Courage, darling; no one shall harm you while I am by your side.' AndI gripped with my right hand my revolver.
"But no one came to disturb the measure of our happiness, and thejoyful moments, all too fleeting, slipped rapidly away.
"'Harry, now I must bid thee leave me; the hour is getting late, and myabsence may be discovered.'
"'Stay, Volin?. On Earth, among my English race, when man makes loveunto a woman, he pledges his troth to her with a ring of gold, set withjewels or precious stones, which she, the object of his choice, wearsas a token upon the fourth finger of her left hand. So take this ringof mine as our love-pledge; let me place it on your finger--so--andpromise me to wear it always there for my sake.'
"'Thy words are strange, Harry, for no such custom is known to us. Butwhat a pretty idea, though! I will take thy ring and wear it as thousayest. But thou must have one of mine in return'; and as she spoke,Volin? slipped a ring of curious workmanship from her finger, andplaced it on my own.
"'Prize it, as thou wouldst prize me; guard it, as thou wouldst guardthy life; for it is a precious talisman, and was given to my mother byEchri, the most sacred of our priests. No man of Gathma dare harm orslay thee, if he knows that ring is on thy hand.'
"'My darling, I will part with it only with my life! Now, one more fondembrace ere you go; and with it I would crave your promise to meet mehere again at the same hour----'
"But the sentence was never finished, for a Martial, who by his dressand mien I judged to be someone of high degree, stepped out from thearbour's shadow into the moonlight, saying in a contemptuous voice ashe came:
"'So, Volin?, it is thee! Meeting one of thy father's base-bornprisoners here, at this hour and alone, to bestow thy favours and tolose thy honour. Edos shall ring with thy shame before another sun hathset, and this evil stranger from the star-world Ramos, and all his foulcompanions, shall pay with their lives for his insolent temerity thisnight.'
"With a scream of terror, Volin? tore herself away from my embrace andfled towards the palace, leaving me alone with the stranger.
"'Pray, who are you,' I asked, 'to question Volin?'s right to meetwhomsoever she may please?'
"'Who am I? Why should I gratify thy curiosity, thou dirt of Ramos? Forlittle, I would kill thee where thou standest! Get thee back to thyprison cell, and prepare to die, for die thou surely shalt.'
"'Dirt, am I, you Martial bully? That insult shall be wiped away atanother time and in another place. But by what right do you dictate toher? Breathe her name in scandal to a living soul, and I will thrashyou like the cur you are. Nay, more, the lying shame you bring upon hershall be washed away in your own worthless blood.'
"'By the right of being her affianced lover,' he hissed, rather thanspoke, and turning round, walked quickly away into the gloom.
"'Liar,' I shouted, as I watched his retreating form, for a momenthalf-inclined to shoot him as he went; but prudence forbade such acourse, and slowly I returned to the arched doorway, where I foundKaosp anxiously waiting to conduct me back again. Not a word didI breathe to anyone of my adventure in the garden, although I layawake until the yellow dawn, thinking of Volin? and of my rival, andwondering greatly what the future would bring."
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