looked for help he could find nothing; only an empty space. The word
of hope had vanished. He felt for it blindly and in desperate haste.

"Father, wait! I have forgotten something--it has slipped away
from me. I shall find it in a moment. There is hope--I will tell
you presently--oh, wait!"

The bony hand gripped his like a vice; the glazed eyes opened wider.
"Tell me," whispered the old man; "tell me quickly, for I must go."

The voice sank into a dull rattle. The fingers closed once more, and
relaxed. The light behind the eyes went out.

Hermas, the master of the House of the Golden Pillars, was keeping
watch by the dead.






IV

LOVE IN SEARCH OF A WORD





THE break with the old life was as clean as if it had been cut with