第71章

"Ayesha," I said, "thou art too subtle for me; but thou thyself hast told me that each man should be a law unto himself, and follow the teaching of his heart.Hath thy heart no mercy towards her whose place thou wouldst take? Bethink thee, as thou sayestthough to me the thing is incrediblehim whom thou desirest has returned to thee after many ages, and but now thou hast, as thou sayest also, wrung him from the jaws of death.Wilt thou celebrate his coming by the murder of one who loved him, and whom perchance he lovedone, at the least who saved his life for thee when the spears of thy slaves would have made an end thereof? Thou sayest also that in past days thou didst grievously wrong this man, that with thine own hand thou didst slay him because of the Egyptian Amenartas whom he loved.""How knowest thou that, O stranger? How knowest thou that name? I spoke it not to thee," she broke in with a cry, catching at my arm.

"Perchance I dreamed it," I answered; "strange dreams do hover about these caves of Ko^r.It seems that the dream was, indeed, a shadow of the truth.What came to thee of thy mad crime?two thousand years of waiting, was it not? And now wouldst thou repeat the history?

Say what thou wilt, I tell thee that evil will come of it; for to him who doeth, at the least, good breeds good and evil evil, even though in after-days out of evil cometh good.Offences must needs come; but woe to him by whom the offence cometh.So said that Messiah of whom I spoke to thee, and it was truly said.If thou slayest this innocent woman, I say unto thee that thou shalt be accursed, and pluck no fruit from thine ancient tree of love.Also, what thinkest thou? How will this man take thee redhanded from the slaughter of her who loved and tended him?''

"As to that," she answered, "I have already answered thee.Had I slain thee as well as her, yet should he love me, Holly, because he could not save himself therefrom any more than thou couldst save thyself from dying, if by chance I slew thee, O Holly.And yet, maybe there is truth in what thou dost say; for in some way it presseth on my mind.If it may be I will spare this woman; for have I not told thee that I am not cruel for the sake of cruelty? I love not to see suffering or to cause it.Let her come before mequick, now, before my mood changes," and she hastily covered her face with its gauzy wrapping.

Well pleased to have succeeded even to this extent, Ipassed out into the passage and called to Ustane, whose white garment I caught sight of some yards away, huddled up against one of the earthenware lamps that were placed at intervals along the tunnel.She rose, and ran towards me.

"Is my lord dead? Oh, say not he is dead," she cried, lifting her noble-looking face, all stained as it was with tears, up to me with an air of infinite beseeching that went straight to my heart.

"Nay, he lives," I answered." _i_ She _i_ hath saved him.Enter."She sighed deeply, entered, and fell upon her hands and knees, after the custom of the Amahagger people, in the presence of the dread _i_ She _i_.

"Stand," said Ayesha, in her coldest voice, "and come hither."Ustane obeyed, standing before her with bowed head.

Then came a pause, which Ayesha broke.

"Who is this man?" she said, pointing to the sleeping form of Leo.

"The man is my husband," she answered in a low voice.

"Who gave him to thee for a husband?"

"I took him according to the custom of our country, O_i_ She _i_."

"Thou hast done evil, woman, in taking this man, who is a stranger.He is not a man of thine own race, and the custom fails.Listen: perchance thou didst this thing through ignorance, therefore, woman, do I spare thee; otherwise hadst thou died.Listen again.Go from hence back to thine own place, and never dare to speak to or set thine eyes upon this man again.He is not for thee.Listen a third time.If thou breakest this my law, that moment thou diest.Go."But Ustane did not move.

"Go, woman!"

Then she looked up, and I saw that her face was torn with passion.

"Nay, O _i_ She _i_ , I will not go," she answered, in a choked voice: "the man is my husband, and I love himI love him, and I will not leave him.What right hast thou to command me to leave my husband?"I saw a little quiver pass down Ayesha's frame, and shuddered myself, fearing the worst.

"Be pitiful," I said in Latin; "it is but Nature working.""I am pitiful," she answered, coldly, in the same language; "had I not been pitiful she had been dead even now." Then addressing Ustane: "Woman, I say to thee, go before I destroy thee where thou art!""I will not go! He is minemine!" she cried, in anguish."I took him, and I saved his life! Destroy me, then, if thou hast the power! I will not give thee my husbandnevernever!"Ayesha made a movement so swift that I could scarcely follow it, but it seemed to me that she lightly struck the poor girl upon the head with her hand.I looked at Ustane, and then staggered back in horror, for there upon her hair, right across her bronze-like tresses, were three finger-marks white as snow.As for the girl herself, she had put her hands to her head, and was looking dazed.

"Great heavens!" I said, perfectly aghast at this dreadful manifestation of inhuman power; but _i_ She _i_ did but laugh a little.

"Thou thinkest, poor, ignorant fool," she said to the bewildered woman, "that I have not power to slay.

Stay, there lies a mirror," and she pointed to Leo's round shaving-glass that had been arranged by Job with other things upon his portmanteau; "give it to this woman, my Holly, and let her see that which lies across her hair, and whether or not I have power to slay."I picked up the glass, and held it before Ustane's eyes.She gazed, then felt at her hair, then gazed again, and then sank upon the ground with a sort of sob.