[NOTE: There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of thefile for those who may wish to sample the author's ideas before making anentire meal of them. D. W. ] ARACHNE By Georg Ebers Volume 1. Translated from the German by Mary J. Safford CHAPTER I. Deep silence brooded over the water and the green islands which rose likeoases from its glittering surface. The palms, silver poplars, andsycamores on the largest one were already casting longer shadows as theslanting rays of the sun touched their dark crowns, while its glowingball still poured a flood of golden radiance upon the bushes along theshore, and the light, feathery tufts at the tops of the papyrus reeds inthe brackish water. More than one flock of large and small waterfowl flew past beneath thesilvery cloudlets flecking the lofty azure vault of heaven; here andthere a pelican or a pair of wild ducks plunged, with short calls whichceased abruptly, into the lush green thicket, but their cackling andquacking belonged to the voices of Nature, and, when heard, soon diedaway in the heights of the tipper air, or in the darkness of theunderbrush that received the birds. Very few reached the little city ofTennis, which now, during the period of inundation in the year 274 B. C. , was completely encircled by water. From the small island, separated from it by a channel scarcely threearrow-shots wide, it seemed as though sleep or paralysis had fallen uponthe citizens of the busy little industrial town, for few people appearedin the streets, and the scanty number of porters and sailors who wereworking among the ships and boats in the little fleet performed theirtasks noiselessly, exhausted by the heat and labour of the day. Columns of light smoke rose from many of the buildings, but the sunbeamsprevented its ascent into the clear, still air, and forced it to spreadover the roofs as if it, too, needed rest. Silence also reigned in the little island diagonally opposite to theharbour. The Tennites called it the Owl's Nest, and, though for noespecial reason, neither they nor the magistrates of King Ptolemy II everstepped upon its shores. Indeed, a short time before, the latter hadeven been forbidden to concern themselves about the pursuits of itsinhabitants; since, though for centuries it had belonged to a family ofseafaring folk who were suspected of piracy, it had received, twogenerations ago, from Alexander the Great himself, the right of asylum, because its owner, in those days, had commanded a little fleet whichproved extremely useful to the conqueror of the world in the siege ofGaza and during the expedition to Egypt. True, under the reign ofPtolemy I, the owners of the Owl's Nest were on the point of beingdeprived of this favour, because they were repeatedly accused of piracyin distant seas; but it had not been done. Yet for the past two years aninvestigation had threatened Satabus, the distinguished head of thefamily, and during this period he, with his ships and his sons, hadavoided Tennis and the Egyptian coast. The house occupied by the islanders stood on the shore facing the littlecity. It had once been a stately building, but now every part of itseemed to be going to ruin except the central portion, which presented aless dilapidated appearance than the sorely damaged, utterly neglectedside wings. The roof of the whole long structure had originally consisted of palmbranches, upon which mud and turf had been piled; but this, too, was nowin repair only on the central building. On the right and left wings therain which often falls in the northeastern part of the Nile Delta, nearthe sea, had washed off the protecting earth, and the wind had borne itaway as dust. Once the house had been spacious enough to shelter a numerous family andto store a great quantity of goods and provisions, but it was now longsince the ruinous chambers had been occupied. Smoke rose only from theopening in the roof of the main building, but its slender column showedfrom what a very scanty fire it ascended. The purpose which this was to serve was readily discovered, for in frontof the open door of the dwelling, that seemed far too large and onaccount of the pillars at the entrance, which supported a triangularpediment--also too stately for its sole occupant, sat an old woman, plucking three ducks. In front of her a girl, paying no heed to her companion, stood leaningagainst the trunk of the low, wide-branching sycamore tree near theshore. A narrow boat, now concealed from view by the dense growth ofrushes, had brought her to the spot. The beautiful, motherless young creature, needing counsel, had come toold Tabus to appeal to her art of prophecy and, if she wanted them, torender her any little services; for the old dame on the island wasclosely bound to Ledscha, the daughter of one of the principal ship-owners in Tennis, and had once been even more closely united to the girl. Now, as the sun was about to set, the latter gave herself up to a wildtumult of sweet memories, anxious fears, and yearning expectation. Not until a cool breath from the neighbouring sea fanned her brow did shethrow down the cord and implement with which she had been adding a fewmeshes to a net, and rising, gaze sometimes across the water at a largewhite house in the northern part of the city, sometimes at the littleharbour or the vessels on the horizon steering toward Tennis, among whichher keen eyes discovered a magnificent ship with bright-hued sails. Drawing a long breath, she enjoyed the coolness which precedes thedeparture of the daystar. But the effect of this harbinger of night upon her surroundings was evenmore powerful than upon herself, for the sun in the western horizonscarcely began to sink slowly behind the papyrus thicket on the shore ofthe straight Tanite arm of the Nile, dug by human hands, than one new andstrange phenomenon followed another. First a fan, composed of countless glowing rays which spread in dazzlingradiance over the west, rose from the vanishing orb and for severalminutes adorned the lofty dome of the deep-blue sky like the tail of agigantic peacock. Then the glitter of the shining plumes paled. Thelight-giving body from which they emanated disappeared and, in its stead, a crimson mantle, with gold-bordered, crocus-yellow edges, spread itselfover the space it had left until the gleaming tints merged into thedeeper hues of the violet. But the girl paid no heed to this splendid spectacle. Perhaps shenoticed how the fading light diffused a delicate rose-hued veil over thelight-blue sails, embroidered with silver vines, of the approaching stategalley, making its gilded prow glitter more brightly, and saw one fishingboat after another move toward the harbour, but she gave the whole sceneonly a few careless glances. Ledscha cared little for the poor fishermen of Tennis, and the glitteringstate galley could scarcely bring or bear away anything of importance toher. The epistrategus of the whole province was daily expected. But of whatconsequence to the young girl were the changes which it was rumoured heintended to introduce into the government of the country, concerningwhich her father had expressed such bitter dissatisfaction before he setout on his last trip to Pontus? A very different matter occupied her thoughts, and as, pressing her handupon her heart, she gazed at the little city, gleaming with crimson huesin the reflection of the setting sun, a strange, restless stir pervadedthe former stillness of Nature. Pelicans and flamingoes, geese andducks, storks and herons, ibises and cranes, bitterns and lapwings, flewin dark flocks of manifold forms from all directions. Countlessmultitudes of waterfowl darkened the air as they alighted upon theuninhabited islands, and with ear-splitting croaking and cackling, whistling and chirping, clapping and twittering, dropped into the sedgesand bushes which concealed their nests, while in the city the doors ofthe houses opened, and men, women, and children, after toiling at theloom and in the workshop, came out to enjoy the coolness of the eveningin the open air. One fishing boat after another was already throwing a rope to the shore, as the ship with the gay sails approached the little roadstead. How large and magnificent it was! None of the king's officials had ever used such a galley, not even theepistrategus of the Delta, who last year had given the banking and theoil trade to new lessees. Besides, the two transports that had followedthe magnificent vessel appeared to belong to it. Ledscha had watched the ships indifferently enough, but suddenly hergaze--and with it the austere beauty of her face--assumed a differentexpression. Her large black eyes dilated, and with passionate intentness she lookedfrom the gaily ornamented galley to the shore, which several men in Greekcostume were approaching. The first two had come from the large white house whose door, sincesunset, had been the principal object of her attention. It was Hermon, the taller one, for whom she was waiting with old Tabus. He had promised to take her from the Owl's Nest, after nightfall, for alonely row upon the water. Now he was not coming alone, but with his fellow-artist, the sculptorMyrtilus, the nomarch and the notary--she recognised both distinctly--Gorgias, the rich owner of the second largest weaving establishment inTennis, and several slaves. What did it mean? A sudden flush crimsoned her face, now slightly tanned, to the brow, andher lips were compressed, giving her mouth an expression of repellent, almost cruel harshness. But the tension of her charming features, whose lines, though sharp, weredelicately outlined, soon vanished. There was still plenty of timebefore the darkness would permit Hermon to join her unnoticed. Areception, from which he could not be absent, was evidently about to takeplace. Yes, that was certainly the case; for now the magnificent galley hadapproached as near the land as the shallow water permitted, and thewhistle of the rowers' flute-player, shouts of command, and the barkingof dogs could be heard. Then a handkerchief waved a greeting from the vessel to the men on shore, but the hand that held it was a woman's. Ledscha would have recognisedit had the twilight been far deeper. The features of the new arrival could no longer be distinguished; but shemust be young. An elderly woman would not have sprung so nimbly into theskiff that was to convey her to the land. The man who assisted her in doing so was the same sculptor, Hermon, forwhom she had watched with so much longing. Again the blood mounted into Ledscha's cheeks, and when she saw thestranger lay her hand upon the shoulder of the Alexandrian who, onlyyesterday, had assured the young girl of his love with ardent vows, andallow him to lift her out of the boat, she buried her little white teethdeeply in her lips. She had never seen Hermon in the society of a woman of his own class, and, full of jealous displeasure; perceived with what zealous assiduityhe who bowed before no one in Tennis, paid court to the stranger no lesseagerly than did his friend Myrtilus. The whole scene passed like a shadow in the dusk before Ledscha's eyes, half dimmed by uneasiness, perplexity, and suddenly inflamed jealousy. The Egyptian twilight is short, and when Hermon disappeared with the new-comer it was no longer possible to recognise the man who entered the veryboat in which she was to have taken the nocturnal voyage with her lover, and which was now rowed toward the Owl's Nest. Surely it would bring her a message from Hermon; and as the stranger, whowas now joined by a number of other women and two packs of barking dogs, with their keepers, vanished in the darkness, the skiff already touchedthe shore close at her side. CHAPTER II. In spite of the surrounding gloom, Ledscha recognised the man who leftthe boat. The greeting he shouted told her that it was Hermon's slave, Pias, aBiamite, whom she had met in the house of some neighbours who were hisrelatives and had sharply rebuffed when he ventured to accost her morefamiliarly than was seemly for one in bondage. True, in his childhood this man had lived near Tennis as the son of afree papyrus raiser, but when still a lad was sold into slavery inAlexandria with his father, who had been seized for taking part in aninsurrection against the last king. In the service of Areluas, his present master's uncle, who had given himto his nephew, and as the slave of the impetuous yet anything but cruelsculptor, Hermon, he had become accustomed to bondage, but was still farmore strongly attached to his Biamite race than to the Greek, to whom, it is true, his master belonged, but who had robbed him and his family offreedom. The man of forty did not lack mother wit, and as his hard fate renderedhim thoughtful and often led him to use figurative turns of speech, whichwere by no means intended as jests, he had been called by his firstmaster "Bias" for the sage of Priene. In the house of Hermon, who associated with the best artists inAlexandria, he had picked up all sorts of knowledge and gladly welcomedinstruction. His highest desire was to win esteem, and he often did so. Hermon prized the useful fellow highly. He had no secrets from him, andwas sure of his silence and good will. Bias had managed to lure many a young beauty in Alexandria, in whom thesculptor had seen a desirable model, to his studio, even under the mostdifficult circumstances; but he was vexed to find that his master hadcast his eye upon the daughter of one of the most distinguished familiesamong his own people. He knew, too, that the Biamites jealously guardedthe honour of their women, and had represented to Hermon what a dangerousgame he was playing when he began to offer vows of love to Ledscha. So it was an extremely welcome task to be permitted to inform her thatshe was awaiting his master in vain. In reply to her inquiry whether it was the aristocrat who had justarrived who kept Hermon from her, he admitted that she was right, butadded that the gods were above even kings, and his master was obliged toyield to the Alexandrian's will. Ledscha laughed incredulously: "He--obey a woman!" "He certainly would not submit to a man, " replied the slave. "Artists, you must know, would rather oppose ten of the most powerful men than oneweak woman, if she is only beautiful. As for the daughter of Archias--thereby hangs a tale. " "Archias?" interrupted the girl. "The rich Alexandrian who owns thegreat weaving house?" "The very man. " "So it is his daughter who is keeping Hermon? And you say he is obligedto serve her?" "As men serve the Deity, to the utmost, or truth, " replied the slaveimportantly. "Archias, the father, it is true, imposed upon us the debtwhich is most tardily paid, and which people, even in this country, call'gratitude. ' We are under obligations to the old man--there's no denyingit--and therefore also to his only child. " "For what?" Ledscha indignantly exclaimed, and the dark eyebrows whichmet above her delicate nose contracted suspiciously. "I must know!" "Must!" repeated the slave. "That word is a ploughshare which suitsonly loose soil, and mine, now that my master is waiting for me, can notbe tilled even by the sharpest. Another time! But if, meanwhile, youhave any message for Hermon----" "Nothing, " she replied defiantly; but Bias, in a tone of the most eagerassent, exclaimed: "One friendly word, girl. You are the fairest amongthe daughters of the highest Biamite families, and probably the richestalso, and therefore a thousand times too good to yield what adorns youto the Greek, that it may tickle the curiosity of the Alexandrian apes. There are more than enough women in the capital to serve that purpose. Trust the experience of a man not wholly devoid of wisdom, my girl. Hewill throw you aside like an empty wine bottle when he has used you fora model. " "Used?" interrupted Ledscha disdainfully; but he repeated with firmdecision: "Yes, used! What could you learn of life, of art and artists, here in the weaver's nest in the midst of the waves? I know them. Asculptor needs beautiful women as a cobbler wants leather, and the charmshe seeks in you he does not conceal from his friend Myrtilus, at least. They are your large almond-shaped eyes and your arms. They make himfairly wild with delight by their curves when, in drawing water, you holdthe jug balanced on your head. Your slender arched foot, too, is awelcome morsel to him. " The darkness prevented Bias from seeing Ledscha's features, but itwas easy to perceive what was passing in her mind as, hoarse withindignation, she gasped: "How can I know the object of your accusations?but fie upon the servant who would alienate from his own kind master whathis soul desires!" Then Bias changed not only his tone of voice, but his language, and, deeply offended, poured forth a torrent of wrath in the dialect of hispeople: "If to guard you, and my master with you, from harm, my words hadthe power to put between you and Hermon the distance which separatesyonder rising moon from Tennis, I would make them sound as loud as thelion's roar. Yet perhaps you would not understand them, for you gothrough life as though you were deaf and blind. Did you ever even askyourself whether the Greek is not differently constituted from the sonsof the Biamite sailors and fishermen, with whom you grew up, and to whomhe is an abomination? Yet he is no more like them than poppy juice islike pure water. He and his companions turn life upside down. There isno more distinction between right and wrong in Alexandria than we here inthe dark can make between blue and green. To me, the slave, who isalready growing old, Hermon is a kind master. I know without your aidwhat I owe him, and serve him as loyally as any one; but where hethreatens to lead to ruin the innocent daughter of the race whose bloodflows in my veins as well as yours, and in doing so perhaps finallydestroy himself too, conscience commands me to raise my voice as loud asthe sentinel crane when danger threatens the flock. Beware, girl, Irepeat! Keep your beauty, which is now to be degraded to feast the eyesof gaping Greeks, for the worthiest husband among our people. ThoughHermon has vowed, I know not what, your love-dallying will very soon beover; we shall leave Tennis within the next few days. When he has gonethere will be one more deceived Biamite who will call down the curse ofthe gods upon the head of a Greek. You are not the only one who willexecrate the destiny that brought us here. Others have been caught inhis net too. " "Here?" asked Ledscha in a hollow tone; and the slave eagerly answered:"Where else? And that you may know the truth--among those who visitedHermon in his studio is your own young sister. " "Our Taus? That child?" exclaimed the girl, stretching her handstoward the slave in horror, as if to ward off some impending disaster. "That child, who, I think, has grown into a very charming girl--and, before her, pretty Gula, the wife of Paseth, who, like your father, isaway on his ship. " Here, in a tone of triumphant confidence, the answer rang from theBiamite's lips: "There the slanderer stands revealed! Now you aredetected, now I perceive the meaning of your threat. Because, miserableslave, you cherish the mad hope of beguiling me yourself, you do yourutmost to estrange me from your master. Gula, you say, visited Hermon inhis studio, and it may be true. But though I have been at home only ashort time, Tennis is too full of the praises of the heroic Greek who, at the risk of his own life, rescued a child from Paseth's burning house, for the tale not to reach my ears from ten or a dozen different quarters. Gula is the mother of the little girl whose life was saved by Hermon'sbold deed, and perhaps the young mother only knocked at her benefactor'sdoor to thank him; but you, base defamer--" "I, " Bias continued, maintaining his composure with difficulty, "I sawGula secretly glide into our rooms again and again to permit her child'spreserver to imitate in clay what he considered beautiful. To seek yourlove, as you know, the slave forbade himself, although a man no moreloses tender desires with his freedom than the tree which is encircled bya fence ceases to put forth buds and blossoms. Eros chooses the slave'sheart also as the target for his arrows; but his aim at yours was betterthan at mine. Now I know how deeply he wounds, and so, as soon as yondership in the harbour bears our visitor away again, I shall see you, Schalit's daughter, Ledscha, standing before Hermon's modelling table andbehold him scan your beauty to determine what seems worth copying. " The Biamite, panting for breath, had listened to the end. Then, raisingher little clinched hand menacingly, she muttered through her set teeth:"Let him try even to touch my veil with his fingers! If I had not beenobliged to go away, this would not have happened to my Taus and lucklessGula. " "Scarcely, " replied Bias calmly. "If the chicken runs into the water, the hen can not save it. For the rest--I grew up as a boy in freedomwith the husband of your sister, who summoned you to her aid. Hisfather's brick-kiln was next to our papyrus plantation. Then we faredlike so many others--the great devour the small, the just cause is thelost one, and the gods are like men. My father, who drew the swordagainst oppression and violence, was robbed of liberty, and your brother-in-law, in payment for his honest courage, met an early death. Is thestory which is told of you here true? I heard that soon after the poorfellow's burial the slaves in the brick-kiln refused to obey his widow. There were a dozen rebellious brick-moulders, and you--one can forgiveyou much for it--you, the weak girl----" "I am not weak, " interrupted Ledscha proudly. "I could have taught threetimes twelve of the scoundrels who was master. Now they obey my sister, and yet I wish I had stayed in Tennis. Our Taus, " she continued in amore gentle tone, "is still so young, and our mother died when she was alittle child; but I, fool, who should have warned her, left her alone, and if she yielded to Hermon's temptations the fault is mine, whollymine. " During this outburst the light of the fire, which old Tabus had fed withfresh straw and dry rushes, fell upon the face of the agitated girl. Itrevealed her thoughts plainly enough, and, pleased with the success ofhis warning, Bias exclaimed: "And Ledscha, you, too, will not grant himthat from which you would so gladly have withheld your sister. So I willgo and tell my master that you refuse to give him another appointment. " He had confidently expected an assent, and therefore started indignantlyat her exclamation: "I intend to do just the contrary. " Yet she eagerlyadded, as if in explanation: "He must give me an account of himself, nomatter where, and, since it can not be to-day, to-morrow at latest. " The slave, disappointed and anxious, now tried to make her understand howfoolish and hard to accomplish her wish was, but she obstinately insistedupon having her own way. Bias angrily turned his back upon her and, in the early light of themoon, walked toward the shore, but she hastened after him, seized his armand, with imperious firmness, commanded: "You will stay! I must firstknow whether Hermon really means to leave Tennis so soon. " "That was his intention early this morning, " replied the other, releasinghimself from her grasp. "What are we to do here longer, now that hiswork is as good as finished?" "But when is he going?" she urged with increased eagerness. "Day after to-morrow, " was the reply, "in five, or perhaps even in sixdays, just as it suits him. Usually we do not even know to-day what isto be done to-morrow. So long as the Alexandrian remains, he willscarcely leave her, or Myrtilus either. Probably she will take bothhunting with her, for, though a kind, fair-minded woman, she loves thechase, and as both have finished their work, they probably will not bereluctant to go with Daphne. " He stepped into the boat as he spoke, but Ledscha again detained him, asking impatiently: "And 'the work, ' as you call it? It was coveredwith a cloth when I visited the studio, but Hermon himself termed it thestatue of a goddess. Yet what it represents--Does it look like my sisterTaus--enough like her, I mean, to be recognised?" A half-compassionate, half-mocking smile flitted over the Biamite'scopper-coloured visage, and in a tone of patronizing instruction assumedby the better informed, he began: "You are thinking of the face? Why no, child! What that requires can be found in the countenance of no Biamite, hardly even in yours, the fairest of all. " "And the goddess's figure?" asked Ledscha eagerly. "For that he first used as a model the fair-haired Heliodora, whom hesummoned from Alexandria, and as the wild cat could endure the lonelinessonly a fortnight, the sisters Nico and Pagis came together. But Tenniswas too quiet for them too. The rabble can only be contented among thoseof their own sort in the capital. But the great preliminary work wasalready finished before we left Alexandria. " "And Gula--my sister?" "They were not used for the Demeter, " said the slave, smiling. "Justthink, that slender scarcely grown creature, Taus, and the matronlypatroness of marriage. And Gula? True, her little round face is freshand not ill-looking--but the model of a goddess requires something more. That can only be obtained in Alexandria. What do not the women there dofor the care of the body! They learn it in the Aphrodision, as the boysstudy reading and writing. But you! What do you here know even aboutcolouring the eyelids and the lips, curling the hair, and treating thenails on the hands and feet? And the clothes! You let them hang just asyou put them on, and my master's work is full of folds and little linesin the robe and the peplos--But I have staid too long already. Do youreally insist upon meeting Hermon again? "I will and must see him, " she eagerly declared. "Well, then, " he answered harshly. "But if you cast my warning to thewinds, pity will also fly away with it. " "I do not need it, " the girl retorted in a contemptuous tone. "Then let Fate take its course, " said the slave, shrugging his shouldersregretfully. "My master shall learn what you wish. I shall remain athome until the market is empty. There are plenty of servants at yourfarm. Your messenger shall bring you Hermon's answer. " "I will come myself and wait for it under the acacia, " she cried hastily, and went toward the house, but this time it was Bias who called her back. Ledscha reluctantly fulfilled his wish, but she soon regretted it, forthough what he had to say was doubtless kindly meant, it contained afresh and severe offence: the slave represented to her the possibilitvthat, so long as the daughter of Archias remained his guest, Hermon mightrebuff her like a troublesome beggar. Then, as if sure of her cause, she indignantly cut short his words: "Youmeasure him according to your own standard, and do not know what dependsupon it for us. Remind him of the full moon on the coming night and, though ten Alexandrians detained him, he would escape from them to hearwhat I bring him. " With these words Ledscha again turned her back upon him, but Bias, with alow imprecation, pushed the boat from the shore and rowed toward thecity. CHAPTER III. When Ledscha heard the strokes of the oars she stopped again and, withglowing cheeks, gazed after the boat and the glimmering silver furrowwhich it left upon the calm surface of the moonlit water. Her heart was heavy. The doubts of her lover's sincerity which the slavehad awakened tortured her proud soul. Was Hermon really only trifling mischievously with her affection? Surely it was impossible. She would rather endure everything, everything, than this torturinguncertainty. Yet she was here on the Owl's Nest to seek the aid of old Tabus's magicarts. If any one could give her satisfaction, it was she and the demonswho obeyed her will, and the old woman was glad to oblige Ledscha; shewas bound to her by closer ties than most people in Tennis knew. Ledscha had no cause to be ashamed of her frequent visits to the Owl'sNest, for old Tabus had no equal as a leech and a prophetess, and thecorsair family, of which she was the female head, stood in high reputeamong the Biamites. People bore them no ill-will because they practisedpiracy; many of their race pursued the same calling, and the sailors madecommon cause with them. Ledscha's father, too, was on good terms with the pirates, and when Abus, a handsome fellow who commanded his father's second ship and had won acertain degree of renown by many a bold deed, sought the hand of hisoldest daughter, he did not refuse him, and only imposed the conditionthat when he had gained riches enough and made Ledscha his wife, he wouldcease his piratical pursuits and, in partnership with him, take goods andslaves from Pontus to the Syrian and Egyptian harbours, and grain andtextiles from the Nile to the coasts of the Black Sea. Young Abus had yielded to this demand, since his grandmother on the Owl'sNest thought it wise to delay for a time the girl's marriage to him, thebest beloved of her grandsons; she was then scarcely beyond childhood. Yet Ledscha had felt a strong affection for the young pirate, in whom shesaw the embodiment of heroic manhood. She accompanied him in imaginationthrough all his perilous expeditions; but she had been permitted to enjoyhis society only after long intervals for a few days. Once he remained absent longer than usual, and this very voyage was tohave been his last on a pirate craft--the peaceful seafaring life was tobegin, after his landing, with the marriage. Ledscha had expected her lover's return with eager longing, but weekafter week elapsed, yet nothing was seen or heard of the ships owned bythe Owl's Nest family; then a rumour spread that this time the corsairswere defeated in a battle with the Syrian war-galleys. The first person who received sure tidings was old Tabus. Her grandsonHanno, who escaped with his life, at the bidding of his father Satabus, who revered his mother, had made his way to her amid great perils toconvey the sorrowful news. Two of the best ships in the family had beensunk, and on one the brave Abus, Ledscha's betrothed husband, whocommanded it, had lost his life; on the other the aged dame's oldest sonand three of her grandchildren. Tabus fell as if struck by lightning when she heard the tidings, andsince that time her tongue had lost its power of fluent speech, her earits sharpness; but Ledscha did not leave her side, and saved her life bytireless, faithful nursing. Neither Satabus, the old woman's second son, who now commanded the littlepirate fleet, nor his sons, Hanno and Labaja, had been seen in theneighbourhood of Tennis since the disaster, but after Tabus had recoveredsufficiently to provide for herself, Ledscha returned to Tennis to manageher father's great household and supply the mother's place to her youngersister, Taus. She had not recovered the careless cheerfulness of earlier years, but, graver than the companions of her own age, she absented herself from thegaieties of the Biamite maidens. Meanwhile her beauty had increasedwonderfully, and, attracting attention far and wide, drew many suitorsfrom neighbouring towns to Tennis. Only a few, however, had made offersof marriage to her father; the beautiful girl's cold, repellent mannerdisheartened them. She herself desired nothing better; yet it secretlyincensed her and pierced her soul with pain to see herself at twentyunwedded, while far less attractive companions of her own age had longbeen wives and mothers. The arduous task which she had performed a short time before for herwidowed sister had increased the seriousness of her disposition to sullenmoroseness. After her return home she often rowed to the Owl's Nest, for Ledscha feltbound to old Tabus, and, so far as lay in her power, under obligation toatone for the injury which the horror of her lover's sudden death hadinflicted upon his grandmother. Now she had at last been subjugated by a new passion--love for the Greeksculptor Hermon, who did his best to win the heart of the Biamite girl, whose austere, extremely singular beauty attracted his artist eyes. To-day Ledscha had come to the sorceress to learn from her what awaitedher and her love. She had landed on the island, sure of favourablepredictions, but now her hopes lay as if crushed by hailstones. If Bias, who was superior to an ordinary slave, was right, she was to bedegraded to a toy and useful tool by the man who had already proved hispernicious power over other women of her race, even her own young sister, whom she had hitherto guarded with faithful care. It had by no meansescaped her notice that the girl was concealing something from her, though she did not perceive the true cause of the change. The bright moonbeams, which now wove a silvery web over every surroundingobject, seemed like a mockery of her darkened soul. If the demons of the heights and depths had been subject to her, as tothe aged enchantress she would have commanded them to cover the heavenswith black clouds. Now they must show her what she had to hope or tofear. She shook her head slightly, as if she no longer believed in a favourableturn of affairs, pushed the little curls which had escaped from thewealth of her black hair back from her forehead with her slender hand, and walked firmly to the house. The old dame was crouching beside the hearth in the middle room, turningthe metal spit, on which she had put the ducks, over the freshly kindledfire. The smoke hurt her eyes, which were slightly inflamed, yet they seemed toserve their purpose better than her half-dulled ear, for, after a swiftglance at Ledscha, she stammered in her faltering speech: "What hashappened? Nothing good, certainly. It is written on your face. " The girl nodded assent, pointed with a significant gesture to her eyesand the open air, and went down to the shore again to convince herselfthat no other vessel was approaching. What she had to confide to Tabus was intended for her alone, andexperience taught how far spoken words could be heard at night over thewater. When she had returned to the hut, she bent down to the old woman's earand, holding her curved hand to her lips, cried, "He is not coming!" Tabus shrugged her shoulders, and the smile of satisfaction which flittedover her brown, wrinkled face showed that the news was welcome. For her murdered grandson's sake the girl's confession that she had givenher heart to a Greek affected her painfully; but Tabus also had somethingelse on her mind for her beautiful darling. Now she only intimated by a silent nod that she understood Ledscha, andher head remained constantly in motion as the latter continued: "True, Ishall see him again to-morrow, but when we part, it will hardly be inlove. At any rate--do you hear, grandmother?--to-morrow must decideeverything. Therefore--do you understand me?--you must question thecords now, to-night, for to-morrow evening what they advised might betoo late. " "Now?" repeated Tabus in surprise, letting her gaze rest inquiringly uponthe girl. Then she took the spit from the fire, exclaiming angrily:"Directly, do you mean? As if that could be! As if the stars obeyed usmortals like maids or men servants! The moon must be at the full tolearn the truth from the cords. Wait, child! What is life but waiting?Only have patience, girl! True, few know how to practise this art atyour age, and it is alien to many all their lives. But the stars! Fromthem, the least and the greatest, man can learn to go his way patiently, year by year. Always the same course and the same pace. No deviationeven one hair's breadth, no swifter or slower movement for the unrestingwanderers. No sudden wrath, no ardent desire, no weariness or aversionurges or delays them. How I love and honour them! They willingly submitto the great law until the end of all things. What they appoint for thishour is for it alone, not for the next one. Everything in the vastuniverse is connected with them. Whoever should delay their course amoment would make the earth reel. Night would become day, the riverswould return to their sources. People would walk on their heads insteadof their feet, joy would be transformed to sorrow and power to servitude. Therefore, child, the full moon has a different effect from the waxing orwaning one during the other twenty-nine nights of the month. To ask ofone what belongs to another is to expect an answer from the foreigner whodoes not understand your language. How young you are, child, and howfoolish! To question the cords for you in the moonlight now is to expectto gather grapes from thorns. Take my word for that!" Here she interrupted the words uttered with so much difficulty, and withher blackish-blue cotton dress wiped her perspiring face, strangelyflushed by the exertion and the firelight. Ledscha had listened with increasing disappointment. The wise old dame was doubtless right, yet before she ventured to thesculptor's workshop the next day she must know at every cost how mattersstood, what she had to fear or to hope from him; so after a brief silenceshe ventured to ask the question, "But are there only the stars and thecords which predict what fate holds in store for one who is so nearlyallied to you?" "No, child, no, " was the reply. "But nothing can be clone about lookinginto the future now. It requires rigid fasting from early dawn, and Iate the dates you brought me. I inhaled the odor of the roasting ducks, too, and then--it must be done at midnight; and at midnight your peoplewill be anxious if you are not at home by that time, or perhaps send aslave to seek you here at my house, and that--that must not be done--Imust prevent it. " "So you are expecting some one, " Ledscha eagerly replied. "And I knowwho it is. Your son Satabus, or one of your grandsons. Else why are theducks cooked? And for what is the wine jar which I just took from itshiding place?" A vehement gesture of denial from Tabus contradicted the girl'sconjecture; but directly after she scanned her with a keen, searchingglance, and said: "No, no. We have nothing to fear from you, surely. Poor Abus! Through him you will always belong to us. In spite of theGreek, ours you are and ours you will remain. The stars confirm it, andyou have always been faithful to the old woman. You are shrewd andsteadfast. You would have been the right mate for him who was also wiseand firm. Poor, dear, brave boy! But why pity him? Because the saltwaves now flow over him? Fools that we are! There is nothing betterthan death, for it is peace. And almost all of them have found it. Ofnine sons and twenty grandsons, only three are left. The others are allcalm after so much conflict and danger. How long ago it is since sevenperished at once! The last three their turn will come too. How I envythem that best of blessings, only may they not also go before me!" Here she lowered her voice, and in a scarcely audible whisper murmured:"You shall know it. My son Satabus, with his brave boys Hanno andLabaja, are coming later in the evening. About midnight--if ye protectthem, ye powers above--they will be with me. And you, child, I know yoursoul to its inmost depths. Before you would betray the last of Abus'skindred--" "My hand and tongue should wither!" Ledscha passionately interrupted, andthen, with zealous feminine solicitude, she asked whether the three duckswould suffice to satisfy the hunger of these strong men. The old woman smiled and pointed to a pile of fresh leaves heaped oneabove another, beneath which lay several fine shad. They were not to becooked until the expected visitors arrived, and she had plenty of breadbesides. In the presence of these proofs of maternal solicitude the morose, wrinkled countenance of the old sorceress wore a kind, almost tenderexpression, and the light of joyous anticipation beamed upon her youngguest from her redrimmed eyes. "I am to see them once more!" cried Tabus in an agitated tone. "Thelast--and all three, all! If they-- But no; they will not set to workso near Pelusium. No, no! They will not, lest they should spoil themeeting with the old woman. Oh, they are kind; no one knows how kind myrough Satabus can be. He would be your father now, girl, if we couldhave kept our Abus--he was the best of all--longer. It is fortunate thatyou are here, for they must see you, and it would have been hard for meto fetch the other things: the salt, the Indian pepper, and the jug ofPelusinian zythus, which Satabus is always so fond of drinking. " Then Ledscha went into the ruinous left wing of the house, where she tookfrom a covered hole in the floor what the old woman had kept for the lastof her race, and she performed her task gladly and with rare skill. Next she prepared the fish and the pan, and while her hands were movingbusily she earnestly entreated the old woman to gratify her wish and lookinto the future for her. Tabus, however, persisted in her refusal, until Ledscha again called her"grandmother, " and entreated her, by the heads of the three beloved oneswhom she expected, to fulfil her desire. Then the old dame rose, and while the girl, panting for breath, took theroasted ducks from the spit, the former, with her own trembling hands, drew from the little chest which she kept concealed behind a heap of dryreeds, branches, and straw, a shining copper dish, tossed the gold coinswhich had been in it back into the box, and moistened the bottom with theblackish-red juice of the grape from the wine jar. After carefully making these preparations she called Ledscha and repeatedthat the cords possessed the power of prophecy only on nights when themoon was full, and that she would use another means of looking into thefuture. Then she commanded the girl to let her hands rest now and to think ofnothing except the questions whose answer she had at heart. Lastly, shemuttered into the vessel a series of incantations, which Ledscha repeatedafter her, and gazed as if spellbound at the dark liquid which coveredthe bottom. The girl, panting for breath, watched every movement of the sorceress, but some time elapsed ere the latter suddenly exclaimed, "There he is!"and then, without removing her eyes from the bottom of the vessel, shewent on, with faltering accents, as though she was describing a sceneclose before her eyes. "Two young men-both Greeks, if the dress does notdeceive--one is at your right hand, the other at your left. The formeris fair-haired; the glance of his eyes is deep and constant. It is he, Ithink--But no! His image is fading, and you are turning your back uponhim. You do it intentionally. No, no, you two are not destined for eachother. You think of the one with the waving black hair and beard--of himalone. He is growing more and more distinct--a handsome man, and how hisbrow shines! Yet his glance--it sees more than that of many others, but, like the rest of his nature, it lacks steadfastness. " Here she paused, raised her shaking head, looked at Ledscha's flushedface, and in a grave, warning tone, said: "Many signs of happiness, butalso many dark shadows and black spots. If he is the one, child, youmust be on your guard. " "He is, " murmured the girl softly, as if speaking to herself. But the deaf old crone had read the words from her lips, and while gazingintently at the wine, went on impatiently: "If the picture would onlygrow more distinct! As it was, so it has remained. And now! The imageof the fair man with the deep-blue eyes melts away entirely, and a graycloud flutters between you and the other one with the black beard. If itwould only scatter! But we shall never make any progress in this way. Now pay attention, girl. " The words had an imperious tone, and with outstretched head and throbbingheart Ledscha awaited the old woman's further commands. They came at once and ordered her to confess, as freely and openly asthough she was talking to herself, where she had met the man whom sheloved, how he had succeeded in snaring her heart, and how he repaid herfor the passion which he had awakened. These commands were so confused and mingled in utterance that any oneless familiar with the speaker would scarcely have comprehended what theyrequired of her, but Ledscha understood and was ready to obey. CHAPTER IV. This reserved, thoroughly self-reliant creature would never have betrayedto any human being what moved her soul and filled it some times withinspiring hope, sometimes with a consuming desire for vengeance; butLedscha did not shrink from confiding it to the demons who were to helpher to regain her composure. So, obeying a swift impulse, she threw herself on her knees by the oldwoman's side. Then, supporting her head with her hands, she gazed at thestill glimmering fire, and, as if one memory after another received newlife from it, she began the difficult confession: "I returned from my sister's brick-kiln a fortnight ago, " she commenced, while the sorceress leaned her deaf ear nearer to her lips. "During my absence something--I know not what it was--had saddened thecheerful spirits of my young sister Taus. At the recent festival ofAstarte she regained them, and obtained some beautiful bright flowers tomake wreaths for herself and me. So we joined the procession of theTennis maidens and, as the fairest, they placed us directly behind thedaughters of Hiram. "When we were about to go home after the sacrifice, two young Greeksapproached us and greeted Hiram's daughters and my sister also. "One was a quiet young man, with narrow shoulders and light, curlinghair; the other towered above him in stature. His powerful figure wasmagnificently formed, and he carried his head with its splendid blackbeard proudly. "Since the gods snatched Abus from me, though so many men had wooed me, I had cared for no one; but the fair-haired Greek with the sparklinglight in his blue eyes and the faint flush on his cheeks pleased me, andhis name, 'Myrtilus, ' fell upon my ear like music. I was glad when hejoined me and asked, as simply as though he were merely inquiring theway, why he had never seen me, the loveliest among the beauties in thetemple, in Tennis. "I scarcely noticed the other. Besides, he seemed to have eyes only forTaus and the daughters of Hiram. He played all sorts of pranks withthem, and they laughed so heartily that, fearing the strangers, of whomthere was no lack, might class them with the Hieroduli who followed thesailors and young men in the temple grottoes, I motioned to Taus torestrain herself. "Hermon--this was the name of the tall, bearded man--noticed it andturned toward me. In doing so his eyes met mine, and it seemed as thoughsweet wine flowed through my veins, for I perceived that my appearanceparalyzed his reckless tongue. Yet he did not accost me; but Myrtilus, the fair one, entreated me not to lessen for the beautiful children thepleasure to which we are all born. "I thought this remark foolish--how much sorrow and how little pleasureI had experienced from childhood!--so I only shrugged my shouldersdisdainfully. "Then the black-bearded man asked if, young and beautiful as I was, I had forgotten to believe in mirth and joy. My reply was intended totell him that, though this was not the case, I did not belong to thosewho spent their lives in loud laughing and extravagant jests. "The answer was aimed at the black-bearded man's reckless conduct; butthe fair-haired one parried the attack in his stead, and retorted thatI seemed to misunderstand his friend. Pleasure belonged to a festival, as light belonged to the sun; but usually Hermon laboured earnestly, andonly a short time before he had saved the little daughter of Gula, thesailor's wife, from a burning house. "The other did not let Myrtilus finish, but exclaimed that this wouldonly confirm my opinion of him, for this very leap into the flames hadafforded him the utmost joy. "The words fell from his bearded lips as if the affair was very simple, amere matter of course, yet I knew that the bold deed had nearly cost himhis life--I said to myself that no one but our Abus would have done it, and then I may have looked at him more kindly, for he cried out that I, too, understood how to smile, and would never cease doing so if I knewhow it became me. "As he spoke he turned away from the girls to my side, while Myrtilusjoined them. Hermon's handsome face had become grave and thoughtful, andwhen our eyes met I could have wished that they would never part again. But on account of the others I soon looked down at the ground and wewalked on in this way, side by side, for some distance; but as he did notaddress a word to me, only sometimes gazed into my face as if seeking orexamining, I grew vexed and asked him why he, who had just entertainedthe others gaily enough, had suddenly become so silent. "He shook his head and answered--every word impressed itself firmly uponmy memory: 'Because speech fails even the eloquent when confronted with amiracle. ' "What, except me and my beauty, could be meant by that? But he probablyperceived how strangely his words confused me, for he suddenly seized myhand, pressing it so firmly that it hurt me, and while I tried towithdraw it he whispered, 'How the immortals must love you, that theylend you so large a share of their own divine beauty!'" "Greek honey, " interposed the sorceress, "but strong enough to turnsuch a poor young head. And what more happened? The demons desire tohear all--all--down to the least detail--all!" "The least detail?" repeated Ledscha reluctantly, gazing into vacancy asif seeking aid. Then, pressing her hand on her brow, she indignantlyexclaimed: "Ah, if I only knew myself how it conquered me so quickly!If I could understand and put it into intelligible words, I should needno stranger's counsel to regain my peace of mind. But as it is! I wasdriven by my anxiety from temple to temple, and now to you and yourdemons. I went from hour to hour as though in a burning fever. If Ileft the house firmly resolved to bethink myself and, as I had bidden mysister, avoid danger and the gossip of the people, my feet still led meonly where he desired to meet me. Oh, and how well he understood how toflatter, to describe my beauty! Surely it was impossible not to believein it and trust its power!" Here she hesitated, and while gazing silently into vacancy a sunny lightflitted over her grave face, and, drawing a long breath, she began again:"I could curse those days of weakness and ecstasy which now--at least Ihope so--are over. Yet they were wonderfuly beautiful, and never can Iforget them!" Here she again bowed her head silently, but the old dame noddedencouragingly, saying eagerly; "Well, well! I understand all that, andI shall learn what more is coming, for whatever appears in the mirror ofthe wine is infallible--but it must become still more distinct. Let me--first conjure up the seventy-seven great and the seven hundred andseventy-seven little demons. They will do their duty, if you open yourheart to us without reserve. " This demand sounded urgent enough, and Ledscha pressed her head againstthe old woman's shoulder as if seeking assistance, exclaiming: "I cannot--no, I can not! As if the spirits who obey you did not know alreadywhat had happened and will happen in the future! Let them search thedepths of my soul. There they will see, with their own eyes, what Ishould never, never succeed in describing. I could not tell even you, grandmother, for who among the Biamites ever found such lofty, heart-bewitching words as Hermon? And what looks, what language he had atcommand, when he desired to put an end to my jealous complaints! Could Istill be angry with him, when he confessed that there were other beautieshere whom he admired, and then gazed deep into my eyes and said that whenI appeared they all vanished like the stars at sunrise? Then everyreproach was forgotten, and resentment was transformed into doubly ardentlonging. This, however, by no means escaped his keen glance, whichdetects everything, and so he urged me with touching, ardent entreatiesto go with him to his studio, though but for one poor, brief hour. " "And you granted his wish?" Tabus anxiously interrupted. "Yes, " she answered frankly, "but it was the evening of the day beforeyesterday--that was the only time. Secrecy--nothing, Grand mother, wasmore hateful to me from childhood. " "But he, " the old woman again interrupted, "he--I know it--he praised itto you as the noblest virtue. " A silent nod from Ledscha confirmed this conjecture, and she addedhesitatingly: "'Only far from the haunts of men, ' he said, 'when thelight had vanished, did we hear the nightingale trill in the darkthickets. Those are his own words, and though it angers you, Grandmother, they are true. " "Until the secrecy is over, and the sun shines upon misery, " thesorceress answered in her faltering speech, with menacing severity. "And beneath the tempter's roof you enjoyed the lauded secret love untilthe cock roused you?" "No, " replied Ledscha firmly. "Did I ever tell you a lie, that you lookat me so incredulously?" "Incredulously?" replied the old woman in protest. "I only trembled atthe danger into which you plunged. " "There could be no greater peril, " the girl admitted. "I foresaw itclearly enough, and yet--this is the most terrible part of it--yet myfeet moved as if obeying a will of their own, instead of mine, and when Icrossed his threshold, resistance was silenced, for I was received like aprincess. The lofty, spacious apartment was brilliantly illuminated, andthe door was garlanded with flowers. "It was magnificent! Then, in a manner as respectful as if welcoming anillustrious guest, he invited me to take my place opposite to him, thathe might form a goddess after my model. This was the highest flattery ofall, and I willingly assumed the position he directed, but he looked atme from every side, with sparkling eyes, and asked me to let down my hairand remove the veil from the back of my head. Then--need I assure youof it?--my blood boiled with righteous indignation; but instead of beingashamed of the outrage, he raised his hand to my head and pulled theveil. Resentment and wrath suddenly flamed in my soul, and before hecould detain me I had left the room. In spite of his representations andentreaties, I did not enter it again. " "Yet, " asked the sorceress in perplexity, "you once more obeyed hissummons?" "Yesterday also I could not help it, " Ledscha answered softly. "Fool!" cried Tabus indignantly, but the girl exclaimed, in a tone ofsincere shame: "You do well to call me that. Perhaps I deserve stillharsher names, for, in spite of the sternness with which I forbade himever to remind me of the studio by even a single word, I soon listened tohim willingly when he besought me, if I really loved him, not to refusewhat would make him happy. If I allowed him to model my figure, hisrenown and greatness would be secured. And how clearly he made meunderstand this! I could not help believing it, and at last promisedthat, in spite of my father and the women of Tennis, I would grant all, all, and accompany him again to the work room if he would have patienceuntil the night of the next day but one, when the moon would be at thefull. " "And he?" asked Tabus anxiously. "He called the brief hours which I required him to wait an eternity, "replied the girl, "and they seemed no less long to me--but neitherentreaties nor urgency availed; what you predicted for me from thecords last year strengthened my courage. I should wantonly throw away--I constantly reminded myself--whatever great good fortune Fate destinedfor me if I yielded to my longing and took prematurely what was alreadyso close at hand; for--do you remember?--at that time it was promisedthat on a night when the moon was at the full a new period of the utmosthappiness would begin for me. And now--unless everything deceives me--now it awaits me. Whether it will come with the full moon of to-morrownight, or the next, or the following one, your spirits alone can know;but yesterday was surely too soon to expect the new happiness. " "And he?" asked the old dame. "He certainly did not make it easy for me, " was the reply, "but as Iremained firm, he was obliged to yield. I granted only his earnestdesire to see me again this evening. I fancy I can still hear himexclaim, with loving impetuosity, that he hated every day and every nightwhich kept him from me. And now? Now? For another's sake he lets mewait for him in vain, and if his slave does not lie, this is only thebeginning of his infamous, treacherous game. " She had uttered the last words in a hoarse cry, but Tabus answeredsoothingly: "Hush, child, hush! The first thing is to see clearly, if Iam to interpret correctly what is shown me here. The demons are to befully informed they have required it. But you? Did you come to hearwhether the spirits still intend to keep the promise they made then?" Ledscha eagerly assented to this question, and the old woman continuedurgently: "Then tell me first what suddenly incenses you so violentlyagainst the man whom you have so highly praised?" The girl related what had formerly been rumoured in Tennis, and which shehad just heard from the slave. He had lured other women--even her innocent young sister--to his studio. Now he wanted to induce Ledscha to go there, not from love, but merely tomodel her limbs so far as he considered them useful for his work. He wasin haste to do so because he intended to return to the capitalimmediately. Whether he meant to leave her in the lurch after using herfor his selfish purposes, she also desired to learn from the sorceress. But she would ask him that question herself to-morrow. Woe betide him ifthe spirits recognised in him the deceiver she now believed him. Hitherto Tabus had listened quietly, but when she closed her passionatethreats with the exclamation that he also deserved punishment foralienating Gula, the sailor's wife, from her absent husband, theenchantress also lost her composure and cried out angrily: "If that istrue, if the Greek really committed that crime--then certainly. Theforeigners destroy, with their laughing levity, much that is good amongus. We must endure it; but whoever broke the Biamite's marriage bond, from the earliest times, forfeited his life, and so, the gods bethanked, it has remained. This very last year the fisherman Phabiskilled with a hammer the Alexandrian clerk who had stolen into his house, and drowned his faithless wife. But your lover--though you should weepfor sorrow till your eyes are red--" "I would denounce the traitor, if he made himself worthy of death, "Ledscha passionately interrupted, with flashing eyes. "What portion ofthe slave's charge is true will appear at once--and if it proves correct, to morrow's full moon shall indeed bring me the greatest bliss; forthough, when I was younger and happier, I contradicted Abus when hedeclared that one thing surpassed even the raptures of love--satisfiedvengeance--now I would agree with him. " A loud cry of "Right! right!" from the old crone's lips expressed thegray-haired Biamite's pleasure in this worthy daughter of her race. Then she again gazed at the wine in the vessel, and this time she did sosilently, as if spellbound by the mirror on its bottom. At last, raising her aged head, she said in a tone of the most sincerecompassion: "Poor child! Yes, you would be cruelly and shamefullydeceived. Tear your love for this man from your heart, like poisonoushemlock. But the full moon which is to bring you great happiness isscarcely the next, perhaps not even the one which follows it, but surelyand certainly a later one will rise, by whose light the utmost blissawaits you. True, I see it come from another man than the Greek. " The girl had listened with panting breath. She believed as firmly in theinfallibility of the knowledge which the witch received from the demonswho obeyed her as she did in her own existence. All her happiness, all that had filled her joyous soul with freshlyawakened hopes, now lay shattered at her feet, and sobbing aloud shethrew herself down beside the old woman and buried her beautiful face inher lap. Completely overwhelmed by the great misfortune which had come upon her, without thinking of the vengeance which had just made her hold her headso proudly erect, or the rare delight which a later full moon was tobring, she remained motionless, while the old woman, who loved her andwho remembered an hour in the distant past when she herself had beendissolved in tears at the prediction of another prophetess, laid hertrembling hand upon her head. Let the child weep her fill. Time, perhaps vengeance also, cured many a heartache, and when they hadaccomplished this office upon the girl who had once been betrothed to hergrandson, perhaps the full moon bringing happiness, whose appearancefirst the cords, then the wine mirror in the bottom of the vessel hadpredicted, would come to Ledscha, and she believed she knew at whose sidethe girl could regain what she had twice lost--satisfaction for the youngheart that yearned for love. "Only wait, wait, " she cried at last, repeating the consoling words againand again, till Ledscha raised her tear-stained face. Impulse urged her to kiss the sufferer, but as she bent over the mournerthe copper dish slipped from her knees and fell rattling on the floor. Ledscha started up in terror, and at the same moment the Alexandrian'spacks of hounds on the shore opposite to the Owl's Nest began to bark soloudly that the deaf old woman heard the baying as if it came from agreat distance; but the girl ran out into the open air and, returning atthe end of a few minutes, called joyously to the sorceress from thethreshold, "They are coming!" "They, they, " faltered Tabus, hurriedly pushing her disordered gray hairunder the veil on the back of her head, while exclaiming, scarcely ableto use her voice in her joyous excitement: "I knew it. He keeps his word. My Satabus is coming. The ducks, the bread, the fish, girl! Good, loyalheart. " Then a wide, long shadow fell across the dimly lighted room, and from thedarkened threshold a strangely deep, gasping peal of laughter rang from aman's broad breast. "Satabus! My boy!" the witch's shriek rose above the peculiar sound. "Mother!" answered the gray-bearded lips of the pirate. For one short moment he remained standing at the door with outstretchedarms. Then he took a step toward the beloved being from whom he had beenseparated more than two years, and suddenly throwing himself down beforeher, while his huge lower limbs covered part of the floor, he stretchedhis hands toward the little crooked old woman, who had not strength torise from her crouching posture, and seizing her with loving impetuosity, lifted her as if she were a child, and placing her on his knees, drew herinto a close embrace. Tabus willingly submitted to this act of violence, and passing her thinleft arm around her son's bull neck with her free hand, patted hisbearded cheeks, wrinkled brow, and bushy, almost white hair. No intelligible words passed the lips of either the mother or the son atthis meeting; nothing but a confused medley of tender and uncouth naturalsounds, which no language knows. Yet they understood each other, and Ledscha, who had moved silentlyaside, also comprehended that these low laughs, moans, cries, andstammers were the expressions of love of two deeply agitated hearts, and for a moment an emotion of envy seized her. The gods had early bereft her of her mother, while this savage fighteragainst the might of the waves, justice, law, and their pitiless, toopowerful defenders, this man, already on the verge of age, stillpossessed his, and sunned his rude heart in her love. It was some time before the old pirate had satisfied his yearning foraffection and placed his light burden down beside the fire. Tabus now regained the power to utter distinct words, and, difficult asit was for her half paralyzed tongue to speak, she poured a flood oftender pet names and affectionate thanks upon the head of her rude son, the last one left, who had grown gray in bloody warfare; but with theeyes of her soul she again saw in him the little boy whom, with warmmaternal love, she had once pressed to her breast and cradled in herarms. When, in his rough fashion, he warmly returned her professions oftenderness, her eyes grew wet with tears, and at the question what hecould still find in her, a withered, good-for-nothing little creature whojust dragged along from one day to another, an object of pity to herself, he again burst into his mighty laugh, and his deep voice shouted: "Do youwant to know that? But where would be the lime that holds us on theships if you were no longer here? The best capture wouldn't be worth adrachm if we could not say, 'Hurrah! how pleased the old mother will bewhen she hears it!' And when things go badly, when men have been woundedor perished in the sea, we should despair of our lives if we did not knowthat whatever troubles our hearts the old mother feels, too, and we shallalways get from her the kind words needed to press on again. And then, when the strait is sore and life is at stake, whence would come thecourage to cast the die if we did not know that you are with us day andnight, and will send your spirits to help us if the need is great?Hundreds of times they rushed to our aid just at the right time, andassisted us to hew off the hand of the foe which was already choking us. But that is only something extra, which we could do without, ifnecessary. That you are here, that a man still has his dear mother, whose heart wishes us everything good and our foes death and destruction, whose aged eyes will weep if anything harms us, that, mother dear, thatis the main thing!" He bent his clumsy figure over her as he spoke, and cautiously, as if hewere afraid of doing her some injury, kissed her head with tender care. Then, rising, he turned to Ledscha, whom he always regarded as his deadson's betrothed bride, and greeted her with sincere kindness. Her great beauty strengthened his plan of uniting her to his oldest son, and when the latter entered the house he cast a searching glance at him. The result was favourable, for a smile of satisfaction flitted over hisscarred features. The young pirate's stately figure was not inferior in height to the oldone's, but his shoulders were narrower, his features less broad and full, and his hair and beard had the glossy raven hue of the blackbird'splumage. The young man paused on the threshold in embarrassment, and gazed atLedscha with pleased surprise. When he saw her last his grandmother hadnot been stricken by paralysis, and the girl was the promised wife of hisolder brother, to whom custom forbade him to raise his eyes. He had thought of her numberless times as the most desirable of women. Now nothing prevented his wooing her, and finding her far more beautifulthan memory had showed her, strengthened his intention of winning her. This purpose had matured in the utmost secrecy. He had concealed it evenfrom his father and his brother Labaja, who was still keeping watch onthe ships, for he had a reserved disposition, and though obliged to obeyhis father, wherever it was possible he pursued his own way. Though Satabus shared Hanno's wish, it vexed him that at this meeting, after so long a separation, his son should neglect his beloved andhonoured mother for the sake of a beautiful girl. So, turning his backon Ledscha, he seized the young giant's shoulder with a powerful grip todrag him toward the old woman; but Hanno perceived his error, and now, inbrief but affectionate words, showed his grandmother that he, too, rejoiced at seeing her again. The sorceress gazed at her grandson's stalwart figure with a pleasantsmile, and, after welcoming him, exclaimed to Ledscha: "It seems as ifAbus had risen from the grave. " The girl vouchsafed her dead lover's brother a brief glance, and, whilepouring oil upon the fish in the pan, answered carelessly: "He is alittle like him. " "Not only in person, " remarked the old pirate, with fatherly pride, andpointing to the broad scar across the young man's forehead, visible evenin the dim light, he added by way of explanation: "When we took vengeancefor Abus, he bore away that decoration of honour. The blow nearly madehim follow his brother, but the youth first sent the souls of half adozen enemies to greet him in the nether world. " Then Ledscha held out her hand to Hanno, and permitted him to detain ittill an ardent glance from his black eyes met hers, and she withdrew itblushing. As she did so she said to Tabus: "You can put them on thefire, and there stands whatever else you need. I must go home now. " In taking leave of the men she asked if she could hope to find them hereagain the next day. "The full moon will make it damnably light, " repliedthe father, "but they will scarcely venture to assail the right ofasylum, and the ships anchored according to regulation at Tanis, with acargo of wood from Sinope. Besides, for two years people have believedthat we have abandoned these waters, and the guards think that if weshould return, the last time to choose would be these bright nights. Still, I should not like to decide anything positively about the morrowuntil news came from Labaja. " "You will find me, whatever happens, " Hanno declared after his father hadceased speaking. Old Tabus exchanged a swift glance with her son, andSatabus said: "He is his own master. If I am obliged to go--which mayhappen--then, my girl, you must be content with the youth. Besides, youare better suited to him than to the graybeard. " He shook hands with Ledscha as he spoke, and Hanno accompanied her to herboat. At first he was silent, but as she was stepping into the skiff herepeated his promise of meeting her here the following night. "Very well, " she answered quickly. "Perhaps I may have a commission togive you. " "I will fulfil it, " he answered firmly. "To-morrow, then, " she called, "unless something unexpectedprevents. " But when seated on the thwart she again turned to him, and asked: "Doesit need a long time to bring your ship, with brave men on board, to thisplace?" "We can be here in four hours, and with favourable winds still sooner, "was the reply. "Even if it displeases your father?" "Even then, and though the gods, many as there are, should forbid--ifonly your gratitude will be gained. " "It will, " she answered firmly, and the water plashed lightly under thestrokes of her oars. ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS: Cast my warning to the winds, pity will also fly away with itMust--that word is a ploughshare which suits only loose soilTender and uncouth natural sounds, which no language knowsThere is nothing better than death, for it is peaceTone of patronizing instruction assumed by the better informedWait, child! What is life but waiting?