fancy last night with regard to the armed masquerader thou didst
see in Lysia's garden?"

Theos made no reply, but sat absorbed in his own reflections. He
began now to understand much that had before seemed doubtful and
mysterious,--no wonder, he thought, that Zephoranim's fury against
the audacious Khosrul had been so excessive! For had not the
crazed Prophet called Lysia an "unvirgined virgin and Queen-
Courtesan"? ... and, according to Sah-luma's present explanation,
nothing more dire and offensive in the way of open blasphemy could
be uttered! Yet the question still remained--, was Khosrul right
or wrong? This was a problem which Theos longed to investigate and
yet recoiled from,--instinctively he felt that upon its answer
hung the fate of Al-Kyris,--and also, what just then seemed more
precious than anything else,--the life of Sah-luma. He could not
decide with himself WHY this was so,--he simply accepted his own
inward assurance that so it was. Presently he inquired:

"How comes it, Sah-luma, that the corpse of Nir-jalis was found on
the shores of the river? Did we not see it weighted with iron and
laid elsewhere ... ?"

"O simpleton!" laughed Sah-luma--"Thinkest thou Lysia's lake of
lilies is a common grave for criminals? The body of Nir-jalis sank
therein, 'tis true, . . but was there no after-means of lifting it
from thence, and placing it where best such carrion should be
found? Hath not the High Priestess of Nagaya slaves enough to work
her will? ... Verily thou dost trouble thyself overmuch concerning
these trivial every-day occurences,--I marvel at thee!--Hundreds
have drained the Silver Nectar gladly for so fair a woman's sake,