Nu-nah was cold and haughty, accustomed to rule and be obeyed.

Sarthia was humble externally, a Vestal of the Temple, but in her
mind and soul as imperious as a Queen of the realm of Heaven.
Passionately devoted to the pursuit of Wisdom and the possibilities
of obtaining knowledge, even Magic was open to her, in the Temple
Service. Could she leave her Temple home, her opportunities for
growth, her idolized Priestess, to go into the environments of
Nu-nah?

The thought seemed to her worse than death itself. "Every one has to
die," she mused, "and I may as well die one time as another."

Then another thought came into her mind--Hermo. He had begun to
teach her the mysteries of his science of Astrology. Hermo, for whom
she had a pure sisterly regard and who was so proud of her swift
proficiency in his favorite study. And then she recalled the vision
of the previous night when Hermo had shown to her clairvoyant eye
his agitation at her impending doom.

"But if I become Nu-nah and Nu-nah becomes Sarthia, Hermo will never
know the difference and thus be spared the pain of loving his young
sister. And furthermore, Nu-nah has a lover to whom she is betrothed
and would have married, ere this, but for her lingering malady, the
superb young Prince Rathunor, whom I have never seen."

Ah! here was indeed a most dire complication. Love was a most
mysterious and unknown emotion to her. She might hate Prince
Rathunor and "then we would both wish I had died," and she half