第98章

"Yes," she said, "it is his without a doubt.Behold what remaineth of Noot and the wisdom of Nootone little tooth! And yet that man had all life at his command, and for his conscience sake would have none of it.Well, he lay there newly dead, and we descended whither I shall lead you, and then, gathering up all my courage, and courting death that I might perchance win so glorious a crown of life, I stepped into the flames, and behold! life such as ye can never know until ye feel it also, flowed into me, and I came forth undying, and lovely beyond imagining.Then did Istretch out mine arms to thee, Kallikrates, and bid thee take thine immortal bride, and behold, as Ispoke, thou, blinded by my beauty, didst turn from me and throw thine arms about the neck of Amenartas.And then a great fury filled me, and made me mad, and Iseized the javelin that thou didst bear, and stabbed thee, so that there, at my very feet, in the Place of Life, thou didst groan and go down into death.I knew not then that I had strength to slay with mine eyes and by the power of my will, therefore in my madness slew I with the javelin.

"And when thou wast dead, ah! I wept, because I was undying and thou wast dead.I wept there in the Place of Life, so that had I been mortal any more my heart had surely broken.And she, the swart Egyptianshe cursed me by her gods.By Osiris did she curse me, and by Isis, by Nephthys and by Hekt, by Sekhet, the lion-headed, and by Set, calling down evil on me, evil and everlasting desolation.Ah! I can see her dark face now lowering o'er me like a storm, but she could not hurt me, and II know not if I could hurt her.I did not try; it was naught to me then; so together we bore thee hence.And afterwards I sent herthe Egyptianaway through the swamps, and it seems that she lived to bear a son and to write the tale that should lead thee, her husband, back to me, her rival and thy murderess.

"Such is the tale, my love, and now is the hour at hand that shall set a crown upon it.Like all things on the earth, it is compounded of evil and goodmore of evil than of good, perchance; and writ in letters of blood.It is the truth; naught have I hidden from thee, Kallikrates.And now one thing before the final moment of thy trial.We go down into the presence of Death, for Life and Death are very near together, andwho knoweth?that might happen which should separate us for another space of waiting.I am but a woman, and no prophetess, and I cannot read the future.But this I knowfor I learned it from the lips of the wise man Nootthat my life is but prolonged and made more bright.I cannot live for aye.Therefore, before we go, tell me, O Kallikrates, thatof a truth thou dost forgive me, and dost love me from thy heart.See, Kallikrates: much evil have I doneperchance it was evil but two nights gone to strike that girl who loved thee cold in deathbut she disobeyed me and angered me, prophesying misfortune to me, and I smote.Be careful when power comes to thee also, lest thou too shouldst smite in thine anger or thy jealousy, for unconquerable strength is a sore weapon in the hands of erring man.Yea, I have sinnedout of the bitterness born of a great love have I sinnedbut yet do I know the good from the evil, nor is my heart altogether hardened.Thy love, O Kallikrates, shall be the gate of my redemption, even as aforetime my passion was the path down which I ran to evil.For deep love unsatisfied is the hell of noble hearts and a portion for the accursed, but love that is mirrored back more perfect from the soul of our desired doth fashion wings to lift us above ourselves, and make us what we might be.Therefore, Kallikrates, take me by the hand, and lift my veil with no more fear than though I were some peasant girl, and not the wisest and most beauteous woman in this wide world, and look me in the eyes, and tell me that thou dost forgive me with all thine heart, and that with all thine heart thou dost worship me."_i_ She _i_ paused, and the strange tenderness in her voice seemed to hover round us like a memory.I know that the sound of it moved me more even than her words, it was so very humanso very womanly.Leo, too, was strangely touched.Hitherto he had been fascinated against his better judgment, something as a bird is fascinated by a snake, but now I think that all this passed away, and he realized that he really loved this strange and glorious creature, as, alas! Iloved her also.At any rate, I saw his eyes fill with tears, and he stepped swiftly to her and undid the gauzy veil, and then took her by the hand, and, gazing into her deep eyes, said aloud, "Ayesha, I love thee with all my heart, and so far as forgiveness is possible I forgive thee the death of Ustane.For the rest, it is between thee and thy Maker; I know naught of it.I only know that I love thee as I never loved before, and that I will cleave to thee to the end.""Now," answered Ayesha, with proud humility"now when my lord doth speak thus royally and give with so free a hand, it cannot become me to lag behind in words, and be beggared of my generosity.Behold!" and she took his hand and placed it upon her shapely head, and then bent herself slowly down till one knee for an instant touched the ground"Behold! in token of submission do I bow me to my lord! Behold!" and she kissed him on the lips, "in token of my wifely love do I kiss my lord.Behold!" and she laid her hand upon his heart, "by the sin I sinned, by my lonely centuries of waiting wherewith it was wiped out, by the great love wherewith I love, and by the Spiritthe Eternal Thing that doth beget all life, from whom it ebbs, to whom it doth return againI swear: