Chia'gnosi," she returned, "it will not be so brief as you appear
to think; therefore sit, I pray you, if not by my side, then opposite
me, for it wearies me to see you standing. That is well!"--as I drew up
an ottoman and seated myself upon it.

Bimbane kept silence for a short time, resting her chin upon her clasped
hands and regarding me with an inexpressibly mournful expression; and as
I returned her gaze I felt my anger against her dying away, and a great
pity for her taking its place in my heart. She looked so small, so
frail, so utterly helpless and lonely and miserable that all the innate
chivalry of my nature arose and clamoured that it was impossible she
could be guilty of the crimes imputed to her; that I had judged her
hastily and unfairly; that I had wronged her by lending a too ready ear
to her declared enemies; and that in deciding to forsake her I had been
guilty of a base and cowardly thing. Then a faint smile of dawning
triumph, which lighted up her eyes and irradiated her face, warned me of
my danger, warned me that again she was exercising her evil influence
upon me, and that I was fast succumbing to it; it reminded me of the
dreadful state of helplessness to which Anuti had been reduced by that
influence; and I pulled myself together and braced my mental powers to
meet and resist it. And as I did so the smile of triumph vanished from
her eyes, and was replaced by a gleam of malice and hatred so deadly
that although it was but momentary I recoiled in something that, if it
was not fear, was very closely akin to it. Yet I was glad that I had
caught that fleeting expression, for it reassured me; it afforded me a
transitory glimpse of the woman's true character, and taught me more
thoroughly, perhaps, than anything else could that Anuti and his friends
were right and justified in their denunciation of her character. And I
think she must have realised in that moment that she had betrayed
herself and lost her hold upon me, for when she spoke her voice was
harsh and bitter, and full of scornful anger.

"So, Chia'gnosi," she said, "you, to whom I extended a cordial welcome
to my kingdom, whom I made a general of my army, upon whom I heaped
benefits innumerable, even to the bestowal upon you of all the shining
stones I possess, and which you have so greatly craved--you whom I
deemed the very soul and embodiment of chivalry and honour and truth--
you have stooped so low as to clandestinely consort with m