live amongst them if
that was to be my fate. One or other alternative were better than going
to torture and death.

"You seem to take the fate of that Hither girl of yours mightily to
heart, stranger," quoth my hostess, with a touch of feminine jealousy,
as she watched my hesitation. "Do you know anything of her?"

"Yes," I answered gloomily. "I have seen her once or twice away in
Seth."

"Ah, that reminds me! When they brought her up here from the boats to
dry her wet clothes, she cried and called in her grief for just such a
one as you, saying he alone who struck down our men at her feast could
rescue her--"

"What! Heru here in this room but yesterday! How did she look? Was
she hurt? How had they treated her?"

My eagerness gave me away. The woman looked at me through her
half-shut eyes a space, and then said, "Oh! sits the wind in THAT
quarter? So you can love as well as eat. I must say you are
well-conditioned for a spirit."

I got up and walked about the room a space, then, feeling very
friendless, and knowing no woman was ever born who was not interested
in another woman's loves, I boldly drew my hostess aside and told her
about Heru, and that I was in pursuit of her, dwelling on the girl's
gentle helplessness, my own hare-brained adventure, and frankly asking
what sort of a sovereign Ar-hap was, what the customs of his court
might be, and whether she could suggest any means, temporal or
spiritual, by which he might be moved to give back Heru to her kindred.

Nor was my confidence misplaced. The woman, as I guessed, was touched
somewhere back in her female heart by my melting love-tale, by my
anxiety and Heru's peril. Besides, a ghost in search of a fairy
lady--and such the slender folk of Seth were still considered to be by
the race which had supplanted them--this was romance indeed. To be
brief, that good woman proved invaluable.

She told me, firstly, that Ar-hap was believed to be away at war,
"weekending" as was his custom, amongst rebellious tribes, and by
starting at once up the water, I should very probably get to the town
before he did. Secondly, she thought if I kept clear of private brawls
there was little chance of my receiving injury, from the people at all
events, as they were accustomed to strange visitors, and civil enough
until they were fired by war. "Sickle cold, sword hot," was one of
their proverbs, meaning thereby that in peaceful times they were lambs,
however lionli