ppositely, we say that a thing has not reached its final stage--that
its development is not complete--until it has turned to its opposite.
Thus man is not a finished being until hate and selfishness have turned
to love and self-sacrifice. The flower of the soul is love, and as the
sun is an emblem of the divine love, when the sacred lily opens and
displays all its beauty in the sunshine, it means to us that the flower
of the soul blooms in the smile of 'The Giver.'"

"I see," said the professor; "and what is done with the flower?"

"It is an offering," replied Otare, "and after the Priestess of the
Lily, or Priestess of the Sun, as we call her, has shown it to the
people it will be treasured in the temple, and will never fade."

"Beautiful woman, the priestess! And so young."

"She is barely seventeen. The Priestess of the Sun Lily must be in the
flower of her age, and the early dawn of her womanhood. Every year by
the popular voice she is chosen from all the maidens of the country for
her intelligence, beauty, and goodness. For a year before the ceremony
she lives in the temple with her maidens, and never leaves the sacred
island, or has any visitors from the outer world. During this period she
undergoes a preparation and purification for the fulfilment of her holy
office--the culling of the flower. It consists mainly in the study of
our sacred writings, the eating of a certain food, and bathing in the
waters of a holy fountain, which issues from the rock in a sacred grotto
of the island. When the ceremony of cutting the lily is over, and the
holy month has expired, that is to say in ten days from now, she will
leave the temple and return to her family. Another girl will take her
place--the priestess appointed for the coming year--in fact, the maiden
who gave her the sickle."

I had listened to this conversation with breathless interest, but
without daring to take part in it.

"Will she ever marry?" enquired Gazen.

I waited for the answer with a beating heart.

"Oh, yes," replied Otare, "why not? She will marry if she finds a lover
whom she can love. There are many who admire Alumion."

"What of yourself?" asked the professor, smiling pointedly. "You seem to
know a good deal about her."

"I am her brother."

Nothing more was said, for at this moment the barge was seen coming from
behind the temple, after having made a round of the spectators, and
presently drew up at the marble stairs. Again the doors swun