s of nature, for the sake of the cast soul of that most beautiful
body, Diadyomene.

Vain was the encounter and the passionate spiritual wooing. Diadyomene
would not hear, at heart fiercely jealous because no such ardent entreaty
had all her beauty and charms ever evoked. She was angered when he would
not take dismissal.

'Never, never,' she said, 'has any creature of the sea thwarted me so and
lived; and you, you dare! Hear now. There, and there, and there, stand
yet your silly inscriptions. Cancel them, for earnest that never again
shall mention of those monstrous impossible three trouble my ear.'

'No.'

'Hear yet. Cancel them, and here, perpetual and irrevocable, shall right
of freedom be yours, and welcome. Leave them intact, and I swear you
shall not get hence scatheless.'

'Can you mean this, Diadyomene?'

'Ah, so! because I relented once, you presume. See, and if those three
can deliver you whole, them will I worship with you.'

And it came to pass that Christian carried home the best member that he
possessed broken, for fulfilment of Diadyomene's promise.

He doubted she had divined a profane desire, and covertly rewarded it.

CHAPTER XI

One there was who watched Christian with curious intentness, who, when
the plight of the Alien staled on general interest, was singular by
persistent advances: his old rival, Philip. Elder by two years, the
tyrant of Christian's early day had he been; between them drawn battle
raged while the one had yet advantage by a head, soon to alter when the
other came stepping up from the ranks of boyhood to match with men, and
to win final supremacy at every point. Latent challenge had not worn out
of meeting glances even before Rhoda's coming accentuated an antagonism
based primarily on temperament and type. When the world turned upon
Christian, Philip's forwardness was accountable enough; when the world
veered, his position might fairly have been backward.

And truly slowest he was to get conviction of the perfect cure that had
befallen the alien. Though for proof he drew near, venturous to tempt a
sparkle out of the quenched firebrand, his closest approach could
discover none; nay, all lively mislike and jealousy seemed gone with the
missing core; old remembered heats kept but indifferent life, and every
trace of arrogance had vanished quite. To such an one Philip could be
generous at no great cost were it not for Rhoda's preference.

In a character of but poor