of the castle to where a sleeping soldier stood, his lantern
flaring. I entered into a long corridor, and passed down to a door that
just shone at the other end. I opened it, and came into a small, gay
room where three young pages sat, who cried out at the draught from the
opened door: they did not see me, and I kept my sword away from them,
though I remembered that, I being invisible, they could see as well on
whichever side of me I held it. Then opened I the other door: at once
the full lights blazed upon me, and the hum and sweet wail of
dance-music came, with smell of flowers, and I wondered as the old
flowers sent me their greetings if he was here, as I thought he would
be. Then stealing through the room, through the dancers, I passed into a
corner where sat some young tired men who looked like sleeping. He was
not there. I passed between the dancers once again, and came into a
corner where there sat some foreign-looking men with light-haired
dames--bowing and paying them compliments, I think. I passed between the
dancers then again, and passed before where sat the king and queen both
weary-looking; yet with quick eyes, I could not find him. Then the music
ceased and the dancers went back to their seats once more. Then passed I
down the middle of the hall into the farthest corner, where there sat a
group of ladies speaking in low voice, and men who leaned and talked
and laughed and grinned, and as I passed through the crowd I saw the
face of Him, and all the floor trembled. He sat back in the corner, very
old: his long white hair fell on his sloping shoulders; his thin white
hands were clasped upon his knees and his thin legs were thrust in
velvet boots from which the fur stuck out. He had strange gold things on
his chest and front, and a short beard that straggled round the chin,
but his long hair fell over it; and every moment he would lean forward
and mutter to the women near him some tale of woman's talk forgotten
when half finished. I stood looking, in a corner where the stair ran up
to the musician's gallery, I stood beneath the stair where I could see
his face from out the shadow and where no one could see the sword, and
there I stood and I hated him until there was a sound of rustling in the
hall and of men's feet upon the smooth wood floor; and as I turned to
look I saw the king and queen rise and go out, and then after a little
time the others also went, and nearly last, he rose. A man had come to
him from