s, and turning to the people, confirmed the words of their fellow.
Then, amid a tremulous hush, the last of the six--the Arch-Councillor
himself--was led up the aisle.

For an instant the glimmering of some new feeling crossed the Prophet's
face, as his glance rested on the old man who slowly approached with
feeble steps, bent back, and anxious, sightless eyes. But, as quickly as
it had come, the expression passed, and he stepped forward for the old
man's touch.

With a quivering gesture the Arch-Councillor lifted his hand and
nervously passed his fingers over the scars; then, drawing the Prophet
down, he touched his face. For a long moment of suspense his fingers
lingered over the features; then they fell again upon the scars. And an
instant later he sank upon his knees.

"It is indeed made manifest!" he cried, in a loud, unsteady voice. "He
shall sit above you as upon a Throne!"

The words were magical. The whole concourse of people swayed forward
hysterically. Men pressed upward towards the railing; women wept.

And through it all the Prophet stood unmoved. He stood like a rock
against which the clamorous human sea beat wildly. With a quiet movement
he drew his robe across his breast, hiding the unsightly scars, but
otherwise he made no motion. At last the red-haired man who had first
claimed him, stepped forward to his side.

"Speak to them, Master!" he said.

The words roused the Prophet. With a calm gesture he raised his head,
his eyes confronting the mass of strained, excited faces lifted to his.

"My People," he said again, in his deep voice. "What will you do with
me?"

The response was instant.

"The Throne! The Throne!" The crowd surged forward in a wave, then
receded as the tide recedes; and the old Arch-Councillor stepped feebly
into the Sanctuary and extended his hands to the Prophet.

It was a moment of breathless awe. The tall woman, who until that moment
had remained seated, involuntarily rose to her feet.

She saw the figure of the Prophet move grandly across the Sanctuary in
the wake of the old blind man; she saw him halt for an infinitesimal
space at the foot of the throne; she saw him calmly and decisively mount
the steps of the dais and seat himself in the golden chair. Then,
prompted by an overwhelming impulse, she yielded to the spirit of the
moment and dropped to her knees.

CHAPTER IV

Three hours later, when the curious rite of acknowledgment had been
completed and th