"It's taken already," he answered. "It fluttered so that I had to sit on
it to hide it from the priest, and when he had gone it was dead. Look,"
and he opened the linen bag he held, and showed her the dove cold and
stiff.

"As you did not mean to kill it, that makes a difference," said Tua
judicially. "Well, perhaps my Ka did not mean that we should not have
one peep, and it is a pity to waste the poor pigeon, which then will
have died for nothing."

Rames agreed that it would be the greatest of pities, so the two
children slipped away through the trees of the garden into the shadow of
the wall, along which they crept till they came to the bronze door. Then
guiltily enough Rames put the great key into the lock, and with the help
of a piece of wood which he had also made ready, that he set in the ring
of the key to act as a lever, the two of them turning together shot back
the heavy bolts.

Taking out the key lest it should betray them, they opened the door
a little and squeezed themselves through into the forbidden place. No
sooner had they done so than almost they wished themselves back again,
for there was something about the spot that frightened them, to say
nothing of the horrible smell which made Tua feel ill. It was a great
tank, with a little artificial island in its centre, full of slimy water
that looked almost black because of the shadow of the high walls, and
round it ran a narrow stone path. At one spot in this path, however,
where grew some dank-looking trees and bushes, was a slope, also of
stone, and on the slope with its prow resting in the water a little
boat, and in the boat, oars. But of the crocodile there was nothing to