AT THE TEMPLE ON THE HILL VEROSI.
"Already my comrades had retired to rest, and I did not see any of them
until the morrow. Each one of us had now a separate chamber, fitted
up with every convenience and every luxury; and after I had lightly
supped a Martial showed me to my own apartment. Sleep I could not. The
couch was soft; the surroundings all that might woo sleep for any man;
but my eyes refused to close in slumber. Hour after hour I lay there
awake, busy with thoughts of the woman I was about to espouse, and of
the awful conditions under which our union was to be made. All night
I tossed in feverish excitement, until the sickly light of the yellow
dawn crept between the window draperies. Then I rose and dressed, and
threw wide the casement, to let the refreshing morning air cool my
burning temples. My tongue was dry and parched, and the cruel grip of
a deadly fever seemed to have seized me. Then a terrible dread came
over me that I was becoming mad. Was I still on Earth, and my visit to
this strange world, and all that had befallen me thereon, but the wild
delusion of a madman's dream? I would seek out Doctor Hermann, if all
was an absolute reality, tell him my symptoms, and let him prescribe
some remedy.
"Early as it was, I left my room and sought the Doctor's; for to stay
there any longer I felt to be impossible.
"'Good morning, Doctor----'
"'Why, Graham,' said he, in a voice mingled with alarm and sympathy,
rising from his couch as he spoke--'why, whatever ails you?'
"'That is just what I came here to know, Doctor. I feel all to pieces;
generally out of sorts; and thought you might have some simple remedy
at hand to brace me up a bit.'
"'Simple remedy! Why, man, you look half dead. Come, let me have a look
at you. Your pulse! Ah! I thought so. You are exciting yourself too
much over something or other. You don't want medicine. Absolute rest
is all I can prescribe. Have you been to bed at all? You have! Then go
back to bed again, man----'
"'But, Doctor, I cannot sleep, try as I will. All night I have not
closed my eyes.'
"'Then swallow a couple of those,' answered the Doctor, taking two
tiny, silver-coated pills from a phial in his pocket-case as he spoke.
'Twelve hours' sleep should put you to rights. And just one word of
advice, Graham--don't worry yourself so much, whatever may be the
cause, or you will be downright ill. There, be off to bed again, and I
will look in later on.'
"I took the pills, and went back to my bed; but it seemed hours and
hours before the opiate acted, and I sank into a deep and dreamless
slumber. The sun was low down in the western sky before I woke again;
but the fever had left me, and I felt refreshed. By my bedside I found
various meats, and a tall, slender flagon of 'wine'; but far more
welcome to my opening eyes was a small nosegay of flowers, with a
scroll of paper fastened to them, on which was written the two magic
words 'Ra Volinè'--From Volinè! Heaven guard her from all evil!
"I dressed in haste, eating as I did so, for the hour appointed for my
meeting with her was nigh, and my heart was filled with anxiety for
the news that she might bring. But ere I had time to leave my chamber
a servant came, leaving a message from my darling, saying that she
would see me in her apartments. At the foot of the stairway Cyni and
her sister waited my coming, and conducted me into the same room I had
entered before.
"Volinè was waiting for me, and as the two handmaidens bowed and left,
she came quickly to my side, a frightened, anxious look clouding her
peerless face.
"'What is the matter, dear one?' I asked, as I saw her troubled look,
although I guessed the cause.
"'Thy sickness hath grieved me sorely, dear. Art thou better now?'
"'The sight of you makes illness flee. But my malady is more of the
spirit than the body. Darling, I cannot sleep for thoughts of you. That
is all my ailment. And now let me thank you and kiss you for the pretty
flowers. See; I wear them near my heart, and prize them much. But why
do I see you here?'
"'For two reasons. First, thou art not well enough to risk the chilly
air of evening; and second, I have prevailed upon Echri to meet thee
here at a later hour. Already have I seen him when he came to Edos this
morning, as is his daily custom, and by great good fortune persuaded
him to grant my prayer. Oh! Harry, Harry, canst thou bear this pain for
me?'
"'Dear one, my word is given, and I am ready, even now, to-night, to
pass through this mystic ceremony, if it but hastens the day of our
happiness. Have you yet made known our secret to the King?'
"'Alas! no; for I fear his refusal. But methinks I hadst better tell
him before Echri comes. He may ask if my father hath given his consent
to our betrothal, and even refuse his aid if such hath not been given.'
"'Then, darling, tell your father of our love to-night,' and I took her
in my arms as I spoke, and kissed her upturned face in boundless pride.
"'As thou sayest, so will I do. Yea, even now shall the King hear of my
love for thee, and my desire to be thy wife.'
"So speaking, Volinè withdrew herself from my arms, and placing the
whistle to her lips, called her faithful Cyni into the room.
"'Is thy royal master engaged with business of State? Learn, and tell
me.'
"'His Majesty, O mistress, is in the Hall of Song.'
"'Alone?'
"'Even so, O mistress.'
"'Ah, then, conduct me to his presence, good Cyni, for I would speak to
him there'; and waving her hand to me Volinè departed, leaving me to
wait by myself whilst the question of our happiness was decided.
"Slowly the moments slipped away--one hour passed, another had nearly
sped, and yet Volinè came not. My heart was filled with forebodings of
evil. Dread had seized upon my soul, and so agitated did I begin to
feel as the time wore on, that I trembled like an aspen, and my legs
became unable to bear me. Once more I passed through untold agonies of
suspense, until at last I heard Volinè's voice outside, bidding Cyni
leave her.
"The look of triumph on her face as she entered told me her story
before she could speak, yet her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes bore
silent witness that the interview with the King, her father, had been
by no means an unexciting one.
"'My darling, I read your secret on your radiant face. Now all is well,
and I may justly claim you as my own.'
"'Thou sayest truly. My father hath said that I may wed thee; he hath
consented to our troth, and, Harry, I could cry with joy. But wilt thou
always love me as thou lovest me now? Art thou really sure? for I can
tell thee, men of Gathma are often known to tire of their wives.'
"'Then they cannot be one quarter so charmingly fascinating as you are,
darling.'
"'Ah, flatterer, thou seemest to know the way to a woman's heart. Who
hath taught thee her weakness?'
"'None of your sex, certainly, my sweet one, unless maybe I inherit it
from those who have had more experience. But, Volinè, why stay so long
away? Was your father at all inclined to withhold his sanction?'
"'He was; for although succession to the crown of Gathma never runs
through female descendants, it was his wish that I should wed a noble
of our own race. He hath prejudice against thee, for thou art not of
this world; besides, he also urged thy short span of life.'
"'But that is easily overcome, darling,' I urged.
"'Not so easily as thou thinkest; but I am not going to brood on that
terror to-night--at least, not yet. I spoke of Echri's power, and of
thy own determination, and that bringeth me to what I hadst forgotten
in my joy. My father at last consented to my wish; but he made it the
condition that thou shouldst pass through this ordeal of fire. He
sayeth that if thou hast the courage to face this awful trial, which
will make thee more of Gathma than of Ramos, then, and then only, art
thou worthy of being mate for me.'
"'With you for my reward, dearest Volinè, I would not hesitate to
suffer the pangs of death a hundred times. I win your love in this
ordeal----"
"'Nay, Harry, thou hast won it long ago.'
"'May heaven bless you for those precious words,' I answered, as I
kissed her flushed cheeks, and drew her head gently down upon my
shoulder.
"A low knocking at the door broke the spell of our delicious pleasure,
and we heard Cyni, who had evidently being instructed to watch, saying:
"'Hearken, O mistress; Echri the Priest cometh.'
"'Then conduct him thither, Cyni, with thy fleetest steps,' Volinè
answered, seating herself on a couch and smoothing her ruffled hair.
"In a few moments this famous Priest arrived, and I was not a little
astonished to see with what reverence he was received. But his calm,
saintly, dignified bearing seemed imperatively to demand respect,
even obeisance. Never before had I seen so aged a being, or one whose
full-ripe years of life were borne with so much vigour and manliness.
He came into Volinè's room with a firm and upright step, his long hair
and beard, which reached below his breast, white with the winters of
centuries, setting off a singularly handsome and intelligent face.
Bareheaded, clad in a long loose black garment, tightened with a
scarlet sash round his waist, and with a scroll of what looked like
parchment in one hand, and a long, richly ornamented staff in the
other, he advanced towards Volinè saying:--
"'God's blessing rest upon thee and thine, Volinè, daughter of our
well-loved King.'
"'I thank thee, Holy Father, for thy kindly benediction, and also for
showing me such favour in coming hither at so late an hour.'
"'Nay, nay, child. I am ever ready to comfort any sorrow, and assist
distress. I come to talk of thy troubles, and, by God's good grace,
relieve them.'
"'But thou art weary, good Father, and may not yet have supped. Wilt
thou not eat before thou hast converse with us?'
"'God ever gives me strength unto the measure of my labours, child; and
my humble fare awaits me in my mountain-home, as soon as the works
of the day be done. This stranger here is the man of Ramos, who was
delivered from thy father's misplaced wrath at Remagaloth?'
"'The same, O Father. See! thy sacred ring is even now upon his finger,
thy talisman from evil.'
"'And now, most reverend Echri, I would offer you my gratitude, as well
as that of my companions, for your timely and marvellous aid in the
hour of our darkest need, both there and in the Chados deserts, when we
were perishing of thirst,' I said, advancing to where the old priest
stood, and bowing to him respectfully.
"'I ever seek to help all who put their faith in God, and blindly trust
themselves to His Omnipotence. But thou hast come a long journey, my
son, from a world whose ways I know not save by their revelation to me
in a vision. Therein was declared unto me that ye do worship God, but
in a different manner from us of Gathma. Therein, too, was declared
unto me that, all in God's good time, the peoples of the worlds that
roll across the sky in majesty and splendour, those balls that speak
of His creative wisdom in their throbbing lights by night, shall be
knit together in one grand brotherhood of God! This vision teacheth me
that in thee and thy companions I see the shadowed prophecy beginning
its fulfilment. Ye have conquered Space by your cunning arts, and the
planets now no longer keep them to themselves. So will God gather those
scattered worlds together and hold all His people united! And now
Volinè tells me that the passion ye call Love hath taken root between
ye, and that already thou hast asked her to wife. Thou art but an
agent of God in this wondrous thing, and being so, it is my holy duty
to help thee yet again, in prolonging thy days, so that they shall
equal hers. I hear that thou art willing to go through the holy rite
that will endow thee with a longer span?'
"'Even so,' I answered, overwhelmed by the solemn words the old priest
had uttered.
"'But hast thou weighed well thine inclination? The ordeal that thou
must pass is one of Fire. Know ye that Fire is Life, and Life is Fire?
By passing Fire ye enter Life. But even so must Death be conquered
first!'
"'Holy Father, I wait with growing impatience to so prolong my days,
having all faith in your wondrous power to help me,' I answered with a
trembling voice, awed beyond description by the subtle influence this
old priest already had over me.
"'Then, at noon upon the morrow, come thou to the Temple on the hill
Verosi, and there will I help thee to thy wish. Volinè will show thee
thither; and let your coming and your going be in secret, and be done
by stealth.'
"'Come hither, Volinè, for I would give my blessing to ye both before I
go'--and the old priest, taller by a head and shoulders than I, stood
up, and with one hand placed on Volinè's head, and the other on my own,
he breathed a silent prayer for us.
"'And now, my children, I must get me gone. The nightly services of our
Holy House upon the hill await my ministration, and methinks ye both do
tire of an old man's company.'
"'We thank thee much for thy good offices, Holy Echri; and will keep
faith with thee to-morrow. Fare-thee-well.'
"Then taking up his staff, and his scroll of holy writings, the old
priest, with a smile in which no human passions mingled, slowly went
his way.
"'Now, Harry, thou shalt sup with me to-night, as a mark of royal
favour,' said Volinè with a smile, 'and then must thou go and rest, and
fortify thyself for the morrow.'
"So saying, she led me into another and a smaller room adjoining, where
Cyni and her sister Irolne waited to serve us with food. Our meal over,
I bade Volinè adieu until the morrow, she promising to meet me at our
old tryst in the garden of Siccoth-trees, an hour before noon, whence
we might journey together to the gold-domed Temple on the distant hill
of Verosi.
"'And so the morrow is to be the most eventful day of all my eventful
life,' I mused, as I sat in my chamber looking out upon the Palace
grounds, now appearing in all the subtle beauty a tropical night
alone can lend. There I sat for an hour or more, deeply pondering
over the morrow's mysteries. 'Where and what shall I, Harry Graham,
be at the close of that all-fateful day?' My home, my Earth, shone
like a steady-burning brilliant in the green-blue southern sky; in a
few hours more, and all the ties that bind me thereto will be burnt
away--destroyed by fire! Slowly, as I mused, her beautiful point
of light sank lower and lower, and finally she dropped behind the
garden-trees, and I bade her adieu--farewell, for with earthly eyes I
should see her no more. One pang of regret, and one only, shot through
my heart quicker than the lightning flash, and was gone; and then I
cursed my weakness, for it seemed like a breach of loyalty to Her!
"All night I slept but little, and right glad was I to see the distant
mountains, through my eastern window, tipped with ruddy day. I rose up
from my couch and, early as it was, summoned Herio, the servant who had
been charged with the duty of attending to my personal needs.
"'At what hour do my comrades take their morning meal, Herio?' I asked
as he entered.
"'Two hours from the present, sire.'
"'Then you will find me, if they make enquiry, in the garden below. I
go there to breathe the morning air, and to refresh myself.'
"Truly, this garden was a wondrous place--filled with strange flowers
and plants and trees, many of the latter festooned together by creepers
which dropped in mid-air blooms of rare beauty and fragrance. It was
graced with statuary, and with fountains which, by hidden means,
dispelled a subtle perfume in their spray as the winds caught it and
wafted it across the groves. Here I wandered, striving to compose
myself and steady my nerves for the coming trial. Besides, I had no
desire at present to betray myself, and to let my comrades know the
step I was contemplating. When all was over, then might I tell them my
secrets, but, until then, I deemed it best to keep my own counsel.
"The time slipped quickly away, and Herio came to summon me to eat.
Already my companions were at table, waiting for me. "'Why, Graham,
wherever on Earth--no, on Mars--do you hide yourself?' said Temple, as
I entered the room. 'Where did you conceal yourself last evening? We
knew that you were a-bed all day, for the Doctor came from time to time
and saw you as you slept, but at night you utterly vanished.'
"'I thought I told you explicitly to keep quiet, Graham, and here you
are gadding about the moment you awake, casting all my cautions to the
winds.'
"'Now, Doctor--and you, too, Temple--as to where I spent the evening,
I did so with Volinè, at her invitation, and I assure you I was well
taken care of----'
"'Really; I don't doubt it! What a lucky fellow you are! And when is
the fatal day to be?' said Temple carelessly, and with a merry laugh,
determined to have his say for once, in spite of the Doctor's presence,
yet little dreaming of the awful signification his last lightly-spoken
words had for me.
"'I'm real glad to see you in such spirits, Mr. Temple, after all we
have gone through lately,' I answered, trying to turn our conversation
to subjects less personal and painful to me. 'What are your plans for
the future, Doctor? Have you seen anything more of the King?'
"'Well, Graham,' said the Doctor, evidently as pleased as myself to
see the conversation taking a more practical turn, for an argument of
any feminine subject was his one abomination. 'Well, Temple and I had
a long consultation with the King yesterday; and we are about to hold
a grand scientific Congress here in Edos, to which all the leading
philosophers are to be invited, and then we are going to discuss I
don't know how many important subjects. The King is quite enthusiastic,
especially on one great project we are contemplating, namely, the
establishment of regular communication between Earth and here. I have,
also, a bit of news for you. I heard yesterday from our old friend
Kios that that rascal, that villain Perodii, had destroyed the poor
_Sirius_--wrecked her completely!'
"'Doctor, you don't mean that?'
"'But I do; and if I were a younger man, I would thrash him soundly for
his mischief.'
"'Ah, Doctor,' I answered, 'Perodii is having his day, but retribution
may be coming swiftly.'
"'Has come, but too late for me. The King has banished him from here.'
"'A worse fate than that awaits him, or I am no prophet,' I added, in a
tone of hatred.
"'But your plans, Doctor?'
"'We are going to make exhaustive collections of the fauna and the
flora of this planet. Temple is going to investigate its commercial
resources, visiting all the great centres of industry, acquiring
information useful to the manufacturers of Earth, and at the same
time imparting whatever knowledge he may possess that is likely to
be welcome here. You, Graham, might do worse than go with Temple--an
engineer would be a useful companion. Ah, Graham, we have years of
work before us--years. Here, in my glory of triumph, I positively
pity the poor scientists of Earth, turning over and over their few
theories and time-worn specimens, each with little better to do than
to spend his life and efforts in seeking to overturn the views of
his contemporaries on this question and on that. It is almost an
event, nowadays, in the scientific world at home, for any real good
new species to be discovered; and yet here a world, an entire world,
crammed full of new and curious forms, lies before me!'
"'You see, the Doctor has not been idle,' said Temple.
"'Indeed he has not,' I answered, 'and all you tell me interests me
exceedingly.' At any other time I should have felt enchanted whilst
listening to dear old Doctor Hermann's plans and projects, but this
morning I heard all that was said like one in a dream. I was heartily
glad when the Doctor took Temple off to hear of a wonderful account of
some monster insect, whose habitat was in a valley near Edos.'
"'I suppose you are engaged for the day, Graham?' said Temple, slily,
as the two walked away.
"'I am going to write up some of my notes, and may then join you,' I
answered evasively. Already it wanted but an hour to the time I had
promised Volinè to meet her, so long had we lingered at table.
"With ever increasing excitement, with nerves becoming strung unto
their tightest tension, I passed that hour away, and then betook
myself to the arbour where Volinè was to join me. There, to my
great astonishment, I found one of her maids--Irolne, sister of
Cyni--awaiting my coming with a message from her mistress, saying that
I was to go with this maiden, who would conduct me to a distant part
of the Palace grounds, where Volinè already waited. Along secluded
paths, and twice for some considerable way underground, through wild
and wondrous grottoes we went, until at last we came unto steps which
seemed to lead into a large and lofty building, entirely underground.
At the bottom of this stairway stood Volinè, with Cyni. We were in a
round chamber, from which radiated in all directions large pipes or
tunnels, similar to the one through which we were brought by Perodii
captives to Edos. In the centre was a luxuriously-fitted car, by the
side of which stood two marshals in royal uniform.
"Smiling sweetly to me, Volinè stepped forward and said to these
attendants:
"'We would visit Echri's Temple on the hill Verosi. Place us thither
with speed,' and, beckoning to me, she entered the brilliantly-lighted
car, and I followed her and sat down by her side. Then the car was
turned round perhaps a quarter of a circle, and began to move forward
into one of the pipes, and in an instant we were gliding onwards
with ever-increasing speed. My arm stole round Volinè's waist as we
travelled on, and, kissing her, I said:
"'You see, dear one, I am still as anxious to go through this ordeal of
fire as I was when I left you last night.'
"'I knew thou wouldst not fail, dear Harry; but already my heart
falters within me. Even now there is time for thee to repent thy words.'
"'And lose you? Never, darling! I see happiness before me, happiness
with you; and though the path that leads thereto is rough and terrible,
the reward will all the sweeter be.'
"We had no time for much further converse, as in a few minutes of time
we slowed, and at last came to a stop in another building, similar in
all respects to the one we had left.
"Instantly four venerable, white-haired Priests approached, and with
some invocation which I did not understand, assisted us to alight, and,
in a tone of great respect, asked us to follow them. We walked up a
sloping path in silence, and then found ourselves in a beautiful grove
of trees, from which, perhaps a quarter of a mile distant, towered the
three mighty domes of burnished metal we had seen from the air, when
approaching Edos in the _Sirius_.
"Escorted by our priestly guides, we wended our way between the trees,
until we reached the lofty arched entrance to the Temple. Passing under
this we came into a kind of courtyard, after crossing which we went
through another and a smaller way, and here Holy Echri stood waiting
to receive us. He was dressed much more imposingly, in a crimson robe,
with a long rod of what looked like fine gold in his left hand, and a
scroll of parchments, bound and suspended by a curiously-wrought chain
of the same metal, in his right.
"'Welcome to our Holy House, O daughter of the King, and man of Ramos!
Welcome to the Temple of God. Thy faith is strong within thee, my son.
Have no fear, and follow me without dismay, for heaven shall lend thee
strength equal to thy weakness.'
"Then, turning round, he led the way into a gorgeous sanctuary under
one of the smaller domes. To say that I was astonished at the
magnificence around me, conveys but a faint idea of my actual feelings.
It was a Temple of gems and costly fabrics, enough to excite the envy
of a Solomon, and fill his soul with despair. There were altars and
curious structures whose uses were unknown to me, wrought in solid
gold and garnished with jewels; there were rows and rows of venerable
Priests ranged in close array round each altar, some bearing pots of
incense slung by chains of gold, others with rods of gold, others yet
again with curious lamps that burnt so brilliantly that the eye could
not look upon them without becoming almost blind to all other objects.
Then there was a sumptuous throne, encircled round about with a low
trellis-work of gold, and behind that a lofty gallery, also filled with
Priests. As we entered a dirge-like chant was sung to strains of music,
where and how played I know not, which vibrated through our very souls
in its harmonious beauty. Coming to a pause before the trellis-work,
Echri bade Volinè and myself stand there together, and then, escorted
by two aged Priests, he went and sat him down thereon. Then the music
and the singing ceased, and a great silence fell upon the assembled
throng, all eyes being fixed upon the throne, and we who stood before
it. Volinè clung to me, and I could feel that ever and anon she
trembled violently. All were apparently waiting now for Echri to act.
Soon he did so, by addressing me:
"'Man of Ramos, the hour hath now arrived when, if thy faith or thy
courage hath not failed thee, thou mayest, by the ordinance of Eternal
Fire, obtain a greater span of years for thy decaying body. If thou
hast the nerve within thee to let this living Fire embrace thee, then
shalt thou become possessed of that for which thy heart hath craved.'
"Then, addressing Volinè, he continued:
"'And hast thou, Volinè, daughter of Gathma's mighty King, sought and
got thy royal Father's free consent to take this man of Ramos for thy
husband? If so be thou hast, speak!'
"'In truth, most Holy Echri, the King hath said that this shall be, and
I assure thee this man of Ramos, standing by my side, goes through thy
sacred ceremony with the King's full knowledge and approval unto that
end,' Volinè answered, in a voice choked with the emotion that was fast
overcoming her.
"'Enough! Now let us, therefore, enter upon our solemn duty.'
"And as he finished speaking, the multitude of Priests formed
themselves into procession; the incense-throwers swung their cups to
and fro, the lamp-bearers hoisted their lights on high, and the singers
in the gallery commenced their solemn anthems. When they had finished
singing, the grand procession began its imposing movement to the
distant strains of some wind-instrument of great power and loud tone,
on which twelve priestly artistes played, with marvellous precision,
a march of soul-stirring beauty, though sad and tenderly plaintive in
its cadence. At the end of this long company of marching Priests came
Volinè, Echri, and myself; and so we wended our way around the spacious
Hall and under an archway, into a larger building which was beneath
the mightiest of the three brazen domes.
"This larger Temple was fitted up even more gorgeously than the one
we had left; and right in the centre thereof was a High Altar, at the
front of which flowed a constant stream of molten fire, smokeless and
silent, yet so brilliant that it lighted up the vast dome into its
uttermost recesses with a noonday brightness. The heat, as we passed
within fifty paces of this wondrous fire-stream, was great, and beads
of perspiration formed themselves on my face; but these were more the
result of the great and awful excitement that filled my brain, than
the glow of heat that radiated from this living furnace. As we passed,
Echri said:
"'Behold, my son, Fire that hath never ceased to burn since Gathma
sprang from chaos! It is the primordial force that hath sustained and
nourished Life from the beginning of all things! yea, the blood that
courses through the veins and arteries of worlds. It floweth here by a
dark and rocky way beneath the ground, from the mountain of fire ye,
perhaps, have noted some distance from Edos.'
"I nodded, for I was absolutely too awe-stricken to speak, and the old
Priest continued:
"'Note thee well its living, brilliant beauty, for it is the enemy
thou hast to conquer, or rather the friend that will help thee to thy
heart's desire.'
"I shuddered as I listened to his awful words, yet somehow I felt no
fear, no regret, no dread, only an overwhelming sense of reverence and
wonder.
"Then, taking Volinè and myself by the hand, he walked between us,
and led us to the foot of another throne, and, walking up the seven
steps of solid gold, sat him down thereon. The procession of Priests
continued walking on with slow and stately step, keeping time to the
music that had now become louder, more triumphant in its melody, until,
to the closing bars of this wondrous solo, they ranged themselves in
one wide circle round the throne on which Echri sat, and the High Altar
before which flowed the stream of Fire.
"Amidst death-like silence four Priests advanced, two carrying chains
of gold, and two with some kind of vestments; and these they placed on
a low table near, and then stood behind us, still and silent as the
rest. Volinè clasped my hand in terror, but she seemed too frightened
to speak, and tears were coursing down her white lovely face!
"'My son, our holy Priests shall pray that God mayest give thee
strength unto the measure of thy woe. Meantime, these men will take
thee and prepare thee for thy fiery trial.'
"As soon as these words were finished, the four Priests stepped forward
and bade me follow them. They took me across the wide floor of the
Temple into a smaller chamber; and there I was divested of my garments,
and draped in a priestly robe. Then the chains were fastened around my
wrists, and I was given a draught of some sweet and volatile liquid
from a goblet of crystal, before being conducted back to Echri's
throne. Volinè was sobbing loudly; but I felt brave, endowed with a
new-found strength, and stood calmly waiting for the end to come.
"'Dost thou still desire to proceed through this ordeal, man of Ramos?'
said Echri, in a solemn tone. 'Hath thou still the inclination to wed
this gracious lady, the daughter of our King, by such means as have
already been explained to thee?'
"'I am ready,' I answered in a firm, unfaltering voice, with my arms
extended towards him, draped in their manacles of gold. 'Fuse us in
your Fire, O Holy Priest! Weld our souls together upon the altar-anvil
of your strange mysterious faith! Make our two loving hearts but one!
I am ready to brave your fiery ordeal, e'en pass through the glowing
furnace of your wondrous creed, to reach my wedded bliss.'
"Here Volinè, by a great effort, composed herself to speak, and turning
round, she looked at me in a tender, supplicating way, saying:
"'Oh, Harry! Harry! My love for thee is strong, yet my poor heart
falters before Echri's sacred furnace. Alas! Alas! my courage fails me!
My dear one, my brave one, I am not worthy of such love as thine. Leave
me. Return unto thine own people. Spare thyself this agony of Fire.
Return, I bid thee, and be safe.'
"'Nay, Volinè, speak not so! for your words wound me worse than that
fire I now yearn to pass through to reach the full measure of my
joy. Courage, darling, courage! as beseems a daughter of your noble,
peerless race! I wait but Echri's word to enter yon Shrine of Fire. He
will unite our hearts together; for all things to him seem possible,'
I answered, bowing reverently before the throne on which Echri sat
unmoved at Volinè's sorrow, solemn and still as though carved in
marble, patiently waiting to complete what I deemed the spiritual
portion of our strange betrothal.
"'Oh! Holy Echri, this thing must not be. His pain is my pain; and if
he will not spare himself, then must thou spare him,' Volinè said, in a
voice piteous to hear; and her words went each like a keen-edged dagger
into my heart. Turning to me, she continued:
"'Harry, thou shalt not go! Yea, I will even wed thee as thou art. Come
back to me, for my heart is breaking. Come back to me; come back and
comfort my dreadful sorrow. Oh! why did I tell thee of this terrible
thing! oh! why did I tempt thee! Why, oh why did I counsel thee to
this! Why send thee to such a doom of agony for ME--thee, whom I love
better than my own life!'
"But even as Volinè spoke I was led away by the attendant Priests,
feeling powerless to help the woman I loved, and growing more
determined to consummate the dread doom before me.
"They led me unto the fiery stream, and there, as Echri rose and raised
his voice in some unknown tongue, the floor gave way beneath me and I
sank in an oblique direction into a small pit which seemed to me to
be under, or in the very course of, the fiery stream! Then all became
dark, and I could hear, as afar off, the singing of the Priests, their
heaven-wrought music, and the piteous appeals of she whom I loved!
Shortly the agony of my awful situation entered into my soul; yet all
was hopeless now; hopeless! A living death by Fire approached me! I
tried to cry out, but my voice was dumb; 'Volinè,' the one word I
could say, became but a hideous rattle in my burning throat; and as
my eyes strove in vain to penetrate the ghastly gloom of this dread
chamber, the blackness around me seemed to fall away, and a volume of
white-hot fire approached! Scorched and burnt by the sudden heat, all
the agony of death entered into my soul in that one awful moment of
time, my brain seemed to burst asunder with pain, and all became an
instant blank!
"How long this lasted I know not; but in what seemed to me the
twinkling of an eye I awoke, and found myself in the same small chamber
where the Priests had robed and chained me. Echri stood near, and the
same Priests were arranging my old garments ready for use. The melted
gold of my manacles still hung in guttered streams from my wrists; my
robe was burned to tinder; yet, otherwise, not one trace of fire marked
my body, and even the downy hair upon my arms was soft and unsinged!
The sacred ring upon my finger had also passed through the fire
unscathed! At all this I marvelled greatly, and pondered in amazement.
I felt myself, and yet I knew instinctively I was not. What had
actually befallen me I had not a single remembrance; all was blotted
out by that stream of raging fire. How this wonderful transformation
had been accomplished I never learned. It was the jealously-kept secret
of Echri and his brother-Priests.
"'My son, thou hast acted as only a brave man couldst. Begarb thyself,
and hasten to the comfort of her whom thou lovest. She needs thy care.'
"I walked by Echri's side back into the Temple and as I entered, a
song of my triumph over death was raised in my honour, and strains of
sweet music rolled through the mighty dome like a paean of praise.
I ran forward in my new-found joy, and Volinè, sobbing and weeping
bitterly, fell senseless into my arms!
"'Joy doth not kill, my son. Let her tears flow freely, for they will
bear away her sorrow; and her faintness is but caused by her pleasure
at seeing thee.'
"Slowly we brought my poor darling back to life, and then she and I
wended our way from this tabernacle of fiery mystery into the place
where we might start back to Edos again. In my great concern for
Volinè, I forgot even to thank Echri, or to speak to any living soul
but her. All my thoughts were centered in Volinè, and the moment that
we were at last alone in the carriage I took her in my arms, and we
rained passionate kisses upon each other's lips.
"'Oh, Harry, how I love thee! Verily hast thou won me at the Shrine of
Death.'
"'The joy that fills these fleeting moments is a full recompense for
aught that I have suffered, darling. And now you must try and be your
own dear self. I want to see the roses in your cheeks again, and the
happy careless smile upon your lips once more. Come, darling, cheer up
now! All is over, and we have the long and radiant future before us.'
"'Wilt thou always be so good and kind and loving as thou art just now?
Oh, Harry, I shall worship thee if thou art ever so.'
"'For ever, my dear one! For I love you--love you better now, Volinè,
than I ever have before. And, darling, I have now a request to ask.'
"'Anything that I can grant thee thou canst have for asking. Do with me
as thou wilt.'
"'Then, dear one, when may I look for the consummation of my happiness?
When shall our nuptials be? When will you name your bridal day, so that
I may make you my own for evermore?'
"'Oh, Harry, thy words almost frighten me! How impatient thou hast
become! In how many months must I say--?'
"'How--many--months--' I repeated in despair. 'Nay, surely you will not
be so cruel! Promise me in one month--even in less.'
"'If my father so wishes, then will I favour thee,' she answered,
hiding her blushing cheeks upon my breast. 'Now, wilt that content
thee?'
"By this time we had reached the Palace grounds in Edos again; and upon
leaving the car we found Volinè's two handmaidens waiting for their
mistress. There I left her in their charge, and sought the Palace by
another way, alone."