For a moment she stood there brooding, and then cast herself down on her
knees beside the form, and began to press her lips against the sheet,
and weep. There was something so horrible about the sight of this
awe-inspiring woman letting loose her passion on the dead--so much more
horrible even than anything that had gone before--that I could no longer
bear to look at it, and, turning, began to creep, shaking as I was in
every limb, slowly along the pitch-dark passage, feeling in my trembling
heart that I had seen a vision of a Soul in Hell.

On I stumbled, I scarcely know how. Twice I fell, once I turned up the
bisecting passage, but fortunately found out my mistake in time. For
twenty minutes or more I crept along, till at last it occurred to me
that I must have passed the little stair by which I had descended. So,
utterly exhausted, and nearly frightened to death, I sank down at length
there on the stone flooring, and sank into oblivion.

When I came to I noticed a faint ray of light in the passage just behind
me. I crept to it, and found it was the little stair down which the weak
dawn was stealing. Passing up it, I gained my chamber in safety, and,
flinging myself on the couch, was soon lost in slumber or rather stupor.



XV

AYESHA GIVES JUDGMENT

The next thing that I remember was opening my eyes and perceiving the
form of Job, who had now practically recovered from his attack of fever.