voice and has no notion of time -- and I ran to my window-place
to see what was the matter. And there, standing in the full

moonlight in the courtyard, I perceived Good, adorned with an
enormous ostrichfeather head-dress and a flowing silken cloak,

which it is the right thing to wear upon these occasions, and
shouting out the abominable song which he and the old gentleman

had evolved, to a jerky, jingling accompaniment. From the direction
of the quarters of the maids of honour came a succession of faint

sniggerings; but the apartments of Sorais herself -- whom I devoutly
pitied if she happened to be there -- were silent as the grave.

There was absolutely no end to that awful song, with its eternal
'I will kiss thee!' and at last neither I nor Sir Henry, whom

I had summoned to enjoy the sight, could stand it any longer;
so, remembering the dear old story, I put my head to the window

opening, and shouted, 'For Heaven's sake, Good, don't go on talking
about it, but kiss her and let's all go to sleep!' That choked

him off, and we had no more serenading.
Then whole thing formed a laughable incident in a tragic business.

How deeply thankful we ought to be that even the most serious
matters have generally a silver lining about them in the shape

of a joke, if only people could see it. The sense of humour
is a very valuable possession in life, and ought to be cultivated

in the Board schools -- especially in Scotland.
Well, the more Sir Henry held off the more Sorais came on, as

is not uncommon in such cases, till at last things got very queer
indeed. Evidently she was, by some strange perversity of mind,

quite blinded to the true state of the case; and I, for one,
greatly dreaded the moment of her awakening. Sorais was a dangerous

woman to be mixed up with, either with or without one's consent.
At last the evil moment came, as I saw it must come. One fine

day, Good having gone out hawking, Sir Henry and I were sitting
quietly talking over the situation, especially with reference

to Sorais, when a Court messenger arrived with a written note,
which we with some difficulty deciphered, and which was to the

effect that 'the Queen Sorais commanded the attendance of the
Lord Incubu in her private apartments, whither he would be conducted

by the bearer'.
'Oh my word!' groaned Sir Henry. 'Can't you go instead, old fellow?'

'Not if I know it,' I said with vigour. 'I had rather face a
wounded elephant with a shot-gun. Take care of your own business,

my boy. If you will be so fascinating you must take the consequences.
I would not be in your place for an empire.'

'You remind me of when I was going to be flogged at school and
the other boys came to console me,' he said gloomily. 'What

right has this Queen to command my attendance, I should like
to know? I won't go.'

'But you must; you are one of her officers and bound to obey
her, and she knows it. And after all it will soon be over.'

'That's just what they used to say,' he said again. 'I only
hope she won't put a knife into me. I believe that she is quite

capable of it.' And off he started very faintheartedly,
and no wonder.

I sat and waited, and at the end of about forty-five minutes
he returned, looking a good deal worse than when he went.

'Give me something to drink,' he said hoarsely.
I got him a cup of wine, and asked what was the matter.

'What is the matter? Why if ever there was trouble there's trouble
now. You know when I left you? Well, I was shown straight into

Sorais' private chamber, and a wonderful place it is; and there
she sat, quite alone, upon a silken couch at the end of the room,

playing gently upon that zither of hers. I stood before her,
and for a while she took no notice of me, but kept on playing

and singing a little, and very sweet music it was. At last she
looked up and smiled.

'"So thou art come," she said. "I thought perchance thou hadst
gone about the Queen Nyleptha's business. Thou art ever on her

business, and I doubt not a good servant and a true."
'To this I merely bowed, and said I was there to receive the

Queen's word.
'"Ah yes, I would talk with thee, but be thou seated. It wearies

me to look so high," and she made room for me beside her on the
couch, placing herself with her back against the end, so as to

have a view of my face.
'"It is not meet," I said, "that I should make myself equal with

the Queen."
'"I said be seated," was her answer, so I sat down, and she began

to look at me with those dark eyes of hers. There she sat like
an incarnate spirit of beauty, hardly talking at all, and when

she did, very low, but all the while looking at me. There was
a white flower in her black hair, and I tried to keep my eyes

on it and count the petals, but it was of no use. At last, whether
it was her gaze, or the perfume in her hair, or what I do not

know, but I almost felt as though I was being mesmerized. At
last she roused herself.

'"Incubu," she said, "lovest thou power?"
'I replied that I supposed all men loved power of one sort or another.

'"Thou shalt have it," she said. "Lovest thou wealth?"
'I said I liked wealth for what it brought.

'"Thou shalt have it," she said. "And lovest thou beauty?"
'To this I replied that I was very fond of statuary and architecture,

or something silly of that sort, at which she frowned, and there
was a pause. By this time my nerves were on such a stretch that

I was shaking like a leaf. I knew that something awful was going
to happen, but she held me under a kind of spell, and I could

not help myself.
'"Incubu," she said at length, "wouldst thou be a king? Listen,

wouldst thou be a king? Behold, stranger, I am minded to make
thee king of all Zu-Vendis, ay and husband of Sorais of the Night.

Nay, peace and hear me. To no man among my people had I thus
opened out my secret heart, but thou art an outlander and therefore

I speak without shame, knowing all I have to offer and how hard
it had been thee to ask. See, a crown lies at thy feet, my lord

Incubu, and with that fortune a woman whom some have wished to
woo. Now mayst thou answer, oh my chosen, and soft shall thy

words fall upon mine ears."
'"Oh Sorais," I said, "I pray thee speak not thus" -- you see

I had not time to pick and choose my words -- "for this thing
cannot be. I am bethrothed to thy sister Nyleptha, oh Sorais,

and I love her and her alone."
'Next moment it struck me that I had said an awful thing, and

I looked up to see the results. When I spoke, Sorais' face was
hidden in her hands, and as my words reached her she slowly raised

it, and I shrank back dismayed. It was ashy white, and her eyes
were flaming. She rose to her feet and seemed to be choking,

but the awful thing was that she was so quiet about it all.
Once she looked at a side table, on which lay a dagger, and from

it to me, as though she thought of killing me; but she did not
take it up. At last she spoke one word, and one only --

'"Go!"
'And I went, and glad enough I was to get out of it, and here

I am. Give me another cup of wine, there's a good fellow,
and tell me, what is to be done?'

I shook my head, for the affair was indeed serious. As one of the
poets says,

'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned',
more especially if the woman is a queen and a Sorais, and indeed

I feared the very worst, including imminent danger to ourselves.
'Nyleptha had better be told of this at once,' I said, 'and perhaps

I had better tell her; she might receive your account with suspicion.'
'Who is captain of her guard tonight?' I went on.

'Good.'
'Very well then, there will be no chance of her being got at.

Don't look surprised. I don't think that her sister would stick
at that. I suppose one must tell Good of what has happened.'

'Oh, I don't know,' said Sir Henry. 'It would hurt his feelings,
poor fellow! You see, he takes a lively personal interest in Sorais.'

'That's true; and after all, perhaps there is no need to tell him.
He will find out the truth soon enough. Now, you mark my words,

Sorais will throw in her lot with Nasta, who is sulking up in
the North there, and there will be such a war as has not been

known in Zu-Vendis for centuries. Look there!' and I pointed
to two Court messengers, who were speeding away from the door

of Sorais' private apartments. 'Now follow me,' and I ran up
a stairway into an outlook tower that rose from the roof of our

quarters, taking the spyglass with me, and looked out over the
palace wall. The first thing we saw was one of the messengers

speeding towards the Temple, bearing, without any doubt, the
Queen's word to the High Priest Agon, but for the other I searched

in vain. Presently, however, I spied a horseman riding furiously
through the northern gate of the city, and in him I recognized

the other messenger.
'Ah!' I said, 'Sorais is a woman of spirit. She is acting at

once, and will strike quick and hard. You have insulted her,
my boy, and the blood will flow in rivers before the stain is

washed away, and yours with it, if she can get hold of you.
Well, I'm off to Nyleptha. Just you stop where you are, old

fellow, and try to get your nerves straight again. You'll need
them all, I can tell you, unless I have observed human nature

in the rough for fifty years for nothing.' And off I went accordingly.
I gained audience of the Queen without trouble. She was expecting

Curtis, and was not best pleased to see my mahogany-coloured
face instead.

'Is there aught wrong with my Lord, Macumazahn, that he waits
not upon me? Say, is he sick?'

I said that he was well enough, and then, without further ado,
I plunged into my story and told it from beginning to end. Oh,

what a rage she flew into! It was a sight to see her, she looked
so lovely.

'How darest thou come to me with such a tale?' she cried. 'It
is a lie to say that my Lord was making love to Sorais, my sister.'

'Pardon me, oh Queen,' I answered, 'I said that Sorais was making
love to thy lord.'

'Spin me no spiders' webs of words. Is not the thing the same
thing? The one giveth, the other taketh; but the gift passes,

and what matters it which is the most guilty? Sorais! oh, I
hate her -- Sorais is a queen and my sister. She had not stooped

so low had he not shown the way. Oh, truly hath the poet said
that man is like a snake, whom to touch is poison, and whom none

can hold.'
'The remark, oh Queen, is excellent, but methinks thou hast misread

the poet. Nyleptha,' I went on, 'thou knowest well that thy
words are empty foolishness, and that this is no time for folly.'

'How darest thou?' she broke in, stamping her foot. 'Hast my
false lord sent thee to me to insult me also? Who art thou,

stranger, that thou shouldst speak to me, the Queen, after this
sort? How darest thou?'

'Yea, I dare. Listen. The moments which thou dost waste in
idle anger may well cost thee thy crown and all of us our lives.

Already Sorais' horsemen go forth and call to arms. In thee
days' time Nasta will rouse himself in his fastnesses like a

lion in the evening, and his growling will be heard throughout
the North. The "Lady of the Night" (Sorais) hath a sweet voice,

and she will not sing in vain. Her banner will be borne from
range to range and valley to valley, and warriors will spring

up in its track like dust beneath a whirlwind; half the army
will echo her war-cry; and in every town and hamlet of this wide

land the priests will call out against the foreigner and will
preach her cause as holy. I have spoken, oh Queen!'

Nyleptha was quite calm now; her jealous anger had passed; and
putting off the character of a lovely headstrong lady, with a

rapidity and completeness that distinguished her, she put on

• standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
• feather [´feðə] n.羽毛 (初中英语单词)
• succession [sək´seʃən] n.继任；继承(权) (初中英语单词)
• absolutely [´æbsəlu:tli] ad.绝对地；确实 (初中英语单词)
• incident [´insidənt] n.小事件；事变 (初中英语单词)
• valuable [´væljuəbəl, -jubəl] a.有价值的，贵重的 (初中英语单词)
• evidently [´evidəntli] ad.明显地 (初中英语单词)
• messenger [´mesindʒə] n.使者；送信人 (初中英语单词)
• elephant [´elifənt] n.象 (初中英语单词)
• fascinating [´fæsineitiŋ] a.迷人，使神魂颠倒的 (初中英语单词)
• remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)
• gently [´dʒentli] ad.温和地；静静地 (初中英语单词)
• perfume [´pə:fju:m, pə´fju:m] n.香味 vt.使发香 (初中英语单词)
• supposed [sə´pəuzd] a.想象的；假定的 (初中英语单词)
• wealth [welθ] n.财富，财产 (初中英语单词)
• knowing [´nəuiŋ] a.会意的，心照不宣的 (初中英语单词)
• account [ə´kaunt] vi.说明 vt.认为 n.帐目 (初中英语单词)
• lively [´laivli] a.活泼的；热烈的 (初中英语单词)
• temple [´tempəl] n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴 (初中英语单词)
• priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
• presently [´prezəntli] ad.不久；目前 (初中英语单词)
• acting [´æktiŋ] a.代理的 n.演戏 (初中英语单词)
• audience [´ɔ:diəns] n.听众；观众；接见 (初中英语单词)
• beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
• guilty [´gilti] a.有罪的；心虚的 (初中英语单词)
• poison [´pɔizən] n.毒物 v.毒害 a.有毒的 (初中英语单词)
• insult [in´sʌlt, ´insʌlt] n.&vt.侮辱；损害 (初中英语单词)
• banner [´bænə] n.旗(帜)；头号标题 (初中英语单词)
• valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)
• foreigner [´fɔrinə] n.外国人 (初中英语单词)
• spoken [´spəukən] speak的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
• jealous [´dʒeləs] a.妒忌的 (初中英语单词)
• character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)
• courtyard [´kɔ:tjɑ:d] n.院子，庭院 (高中英语单词)
• silken [´silkən] a.丝制的；柔软光滑的 (高中英语单词)
• tragic [´trædʒik] a.悲剧的；悲惨的 (高中英语单词)
• thankful [´θæŋkfəl] a.感激的；欣慰的 (高中英语单词)
• lining [´lainiŋ] n.衬里；衬料 (高中英语单词)
• vigour [´vigə] (=vigor) n.活力；精力 (高中英语单词)
• chamber [´tʃeimbə] n.房间；议院；会议室 (高中英语单词)
• bearing [´beəriŋ] n.举止；忍耐；关系 (高中英语单词)
• horseman [´hɔ:smən] n.骑手，马术师 (高中英语单词)
• methinks [mi´θiŋks] vi.据我看来 (高中英语单词)
• hamlet [´hæmlit] n.村庄 (高中英语单词)
• distinguished [di´stiŋgwiʃt] a.卓越的，著名的 (高中英语单词)
• abominable [ə´bɔminəbəl] a.可憎的；极坏的 (英语四级单词)
• accompaniment [ə´kʌmpənimənt] n.伴随物；伴奏(唱) (英语四级单词)
• uncommon [ʌn´kɔmən] a.非常的，非凡的，罕见的 (英语四级单词)
• console [kən´səul] vt.安慰；慰问 (英语四级单词)
• perchance [pə´tʃɑ:ns] ad.偶然；可能 (英语四级单词)
• flaming [´fleimiŋ] a.熊熊燃烧的；热情的 (英语四级单词)
• dagger [´dægə] n.短剑，匕首 (英语四级单词)
• stairway [´steəwei] n.楼梯 (英语四级单词)
• outlook [´autluk] n.眺望；景色；展望 (英语四级单词)
• whirlwind [´wə:l,wind] n.旋风；猛烈的势力 (英语四级单词)
• ostrich [´ɔstritʃ] n.鸵鸟 (英语六级单词)
• awakening [ə´weikəniŋ] n.&a.觉醒(中的) (英语六级单词)
• gloomily [´glu:mili] adv.忧郁的 (英语六级单词)
• minded [´maindid] a.有...心的 (英语六级单词)
• shrank [ʃræŋk] shrink的过去式 (英语六级单词)
• imminent [´iminənt] a.临头的，逼近的 (英语六级单词)
• taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
• foolishness [´fu:liʃnis] n.愚蠢 (英语六级单词)