thin she found a smaller casket. Lifting it to her
lips she whispered over it words of no living speech, and in the heavy
and scented dark a low flame flickered and trembled on her lips, as she
murmured in the tongue of a dead people. Then slowly the lid opened of
itself, like a living mouth that opens, and as it opened, a gleam of
light stole up from the box into the dusk of the chamber.

Now Meriamun looked, and shuddered as she looked. Yet she put her hand
into the box, and muttering "Come forth--come forth, thou Ancient Evil,"
drew somewhat to her and held it out from her on the palm of her hand.
Behold, it glowed in the dusk of the chamber as a live ember glows among
the ashes of the hearth. Red it glowed and green, and white, and livid
blue, and its shape, as it lay upon her hand, was the shape of a coiling
snake, cut, as it were, in opal and in emerald.

For awhile she gazed upon it, shuddering, as one in doubt.

"Minded I am to let thee sleep, thou Horror," she murmured. "Twice have
I looked on thee, and I would look no more. Nay, I will dare it, thou
gift of the old wisdom, thou frozen fire, thou sleeping Sin, thou living
Death of the ancient city, for thou alone hast wisdom."

Thereon she unclasped the bosom of her robe and laid the gleaming toy,
that seemed a snake of stone, upon her ivory breast, though she trembled
at its icy touch, for it was more cold than death. With both her hands
she clasped a pillar of the chamber, and so stood, and she was shaken
with throes like the pangs of childbirth. Thus she endured awhile till
that which was a-cold grew warm, watching its brightness that shone
through her silken dress as the flame of a lamp shines through an
alabaster vase. So she stood for an hour, then swiftly put off all her
robes and ornaments of gold, and loosing the dark masses of her hair let
it fall round her like a veil. Now she bent her head down to her breast,
and breathed on that which lay upon her breast, for the Ancient Evil
can live only in the breath of human kind. Thrice she breathed upon it,
thrice she whispered, "_Awake! Awake! Awake!_"

And the first time that she breathed the Thing stirred and sparkled. The
second time that she breathed it undid its shining folds and reared its
head to hers. The third time that she breathed it slid from her bosom
to the floor, then coiled itself about her feet and slowly grew as grows
the magician's magic tree.

Greater it grew and greater yet, and as