s determined to get lamb."

The Gray Mahatma saw fit to challenge some of that statement.

"It is true, that there are wolves who seek to break in," he said
quietly, "but it is false that there are quarrels among ourselves."

"Hah!" That little laugh of hers was like the exclamation of a fellow
who has got home with his rapier point.

"Quarrels or not," she answered, "there is a faction that was more than
willing to use the ancient passage under my palace grounds, and to hold
secret meetings in a room that I made ready for them."

"Faction!" The Gray Mahatma sneered. "Faithful seniors determined to
expel unfaithful upstarts are not a faction!"

"At any rate," she chuckled, "they wished to hold a meeting unbeknown to
the others, and they wished to make wonderful preparations for not being
overheard. And I helped them--is that not so, Mahatma-ji? You see, they
were scornful of women--then."

"Peace, woman!" the Mahatma growled. "Does a bee sting while it gathers
honey? You spied on our secrets, but did we harm you for it?"

"You did not dare!" she retorted. "If I had been alone, you would have
destroyed me along with those unfortunates on whose account you held the
meeting. It would have been easy to throw me to the _mugger_. But you
did not know how many women had overheard your secrets! You only knew,
that more than one had, and that at least ten women witnessed the fate
of your victims. Is that not so?"

"Victims is the wrong word. Call them culprits!" said the Gray Mahatma.

"What would the Government call them?" she retorted.

The Gray Mahatma curled his lip, but made no answer to that. Yasmini
turned to King.

"So I knew enough of their secrets to oblige them either to kill me or
else teach me all. And they did not dare kill me, because they could not
kill all my women too, for fear of Government. So first they took me
through that ordeal that you went through last night. And ever since
then I have been trying to learn; but this science of theirs is
difficult, and I suspect them of increasing the difficulty for my
benefit. Nevertheless, I have mastered some of it."

"You have mastered none of it!" the Gray Mahatma retorted
discourteously. "The golden light is the first step. Show me some."

"They thought they were being too clever for me," she went on. "They
listened to my suggestion that it might be wise to show Athelstan King
the mysteries, and send him to America to prepare the way for what is
com