when he has hysteria to deal with in a woman whom
he loves.

"I cursed a man, father! I cursed a man! I did! I said 'Damn you!' I'm
glad!"

"Don't, little girl--don't! Lassie mine, don't! Never mind what you saw
or what you said--be calm now--there is something we must do; we must
act; I have determined we must act. We must act tonight. But we can't do
anything with you in this state."

Slowly, gradually he calmed her--or probably she grew calm, in spite of
his attentions, for he was too upset himself to exercise much soothing
sway over anybody else. At last, though, she fell into a fitful sleep,
and he sat beside her, holding rigid the left hand that she clutched,
letting it stiffen and grow cold and numb for fear of waking her.

Outside a full moon rose majestically, pure and silvery as peace
herself, bathing the universe in blessings. And each month, when the
full moon rose above the carved dome of Siva's temple, there was a
ceremony gone through that commemorated cruelty, greed, poisoning,
throat-slitting, hate, and all the hell-invented infamy that suckles
always at the breast of stagnant treasure.

Since history has forgotten when, at each full moon, the priests of Siva
had gone with circumstantial ceremony to view the hoarded wealth tied up
by jealousy and guarded jealously in Howrah's palace. With them, as
the custom that was stronger than a thousand laws dictated, went the
Maharajah and his brother Jaimihr--joint owners with the priests.

There had not been one Maharajah, since the first of that long line, who
would not have given the lives of ten thousand men for leave to broach
that treasure; nor, since the first heir apparent shared the secret with
the priests and the holder of the throne, had there been one prince in
line-son-brother-cousin--who would not have drenched the throne with his
relation's blood with that same purpose.

Heir after heir could have agreed with Maharajah, but the priests had
stood between. That treasure was their fulcrum; the legacy, dictated by
a dead, misguided hand, intended as a war reserve to stay the throne of
Howrah in its need, and trebly locked to guard against profligacy, had
placed the priests of Siva in the position of dictators of Howrah's
destiny. A word from them, and a prince would slay his father--only
to discover that the promises of Siva's priests were something less to
build on than the hope of loot. There would be another heir apparent
to be let into the