it grew it shone like a torch in
a tomb, and wound itself about the body of Meriamun, wrapping her in its
fiery folds till it reached her middle. Then it reared its head on high,
and from its eyes there flowed a light like the light of a flame, and
lo! its face was the face of a fair woman--it was the face of Meriamun!

Now face looked on face, and eyes glared into eyes. Still as a white
statue of the Gods stood Meriamun the Queen, and all about her form and
in and out of her dark hair twined the flaming snake.

At length the Evil spoke--spoke with a human voice, with the voice of
Meriamun, but in the dead speech of a dead people:

"Tell me my name," it said.

"_Sin_ is thy name," answered Meriamun the Queen.

"Tell me whence I come," it said again.

"From the evil that is in me," answered Meriamun.

"Tell me whither I go."

"Where I go there thou goest, for I have warmed thee in my breast and
thou art twined about my heart."

Then the Snake lifted up its human head and laughed horribly.

"Well art thou instructed," it said. "So I love thee as thou lovest me,"
and it bent itself and kissed her on the lips. "I am that Ancient Evil,
that Life which endures out of the first death; I am that Death which
abides in the living life. I am that which brought on thee the woe that
is in division from the Heart's Desire, and the name thereof is _Hell_.
From Life to Life thou hast found me at thy hand, now in this shape, now
in that. I taught thee the magic which thou knowest; I showed thee how
to win the Throne! Now, what wilt thou of me, Meriamun, my Mother, my
Sister, and my Child? From Life to Life I have been with thee: ever thou
mightest have put me from thee, ever thou fliest to the wisdom which I
have, and ever from thee I draw my strength, for though without me thou
mightest live, without thee I must die. Say now, what is it?--tell me,
and I will name my price. No more will I ask than must be, for--ah!--I
am glad to wake and live again; glad to grip thy soul within these
shining folds, to be fair with thy beauty!--to be foul with thy sin!"

"Lay thy lips against my ear and thine ear against my lips," said
Meriamun the Queen, "and I will say what it is that I will of thee, thou
Ancient Evil."

So the human-headed Evil laid its ear against the lips of Meriamun, and
Meriamun laid her lips against its ear, and they whispered each to each.
There in the darkness they whispered, while the witch-light glittered
down t