eak to him very early about the horse-fair at Niku."

"A horse was off--off--offered me for sale this very day."

"Good, very good; then you lingered in the vestibule to speak of
that--to ask the master about it before he should go out. It must be
daylight in a few hours.--Now, come."

Paula went down the stairs with a sure and rapid step. At the bottom
Hiram again took off his shoes, holding them in his hand, so as to lose
no time in following his mistress. They went on in silence through the
darkness till they reached the kitchen. Here Paula turned and said to
the Syrian:

"If there is any one here, I will say I came to fetch some water; if
there is no one I will cough and you can follow. At any rate I will
leave the door open, and then you will hear what happens. If I am
obliged to return, do you hurry on before me back by the way we came. In
that case I will return to my room where you must wait outside till
the side door is opened again, and if you are found there leave the
explanation to me.--Shrink back, quite into that corner."

She softly opened the door into the kitchen; the roof was open to the
light of the declining moon and myriad stars. The room was quite empty:
only a cat lay on a bench by the wide hearth, and a few bats flitted
to and fro on noiseless wings; a few live coals still glowed among the
ashes under the spits, like the eyes of lurking beasts of prey. Paula
coughed gently, and immediately heard Hiram's step behind her; then,
with a beating heart and agonizing fears, she proceeded on her way.
First down a few steps, then through a dark passage, where the bats in
their unswerving flight shot by close to her head. At last they had
to cross the large, open dining-hall. This led into the viridarium, a
spacious quadrangle, paved at the edges and planted in the middle, where
a fountain played; round this square the Governor's residence was built.
All was still and peaceful in this secluded space, vaulted over by the
high heavens whose deep blue was thickly dotted with stars. The moon
would soon be hidden behind the top of the cornice which crowned the
roof of the building. The large-leaved plants in the middle of the
quadrangle threw strange, ghostly shadows on the dewy grass-plot; the
water in the fountain splashed more loudly than by day, but with a
soothing, monotonous gurgle, broken now and then by a sudden short
pause. The marble pillars gleamed as white as snow, and filmy mists,
which were b