f, halting, "tell me what does all this mean?"

"Are you deaf and blind?" asked Godwin. "Cannot you see that
yonder fiend is in love with Rosamund, and means to take her, as
he well may do?"

Wulf groaned aloud, then answered: "I swear that first I will
send his soul to hell, even though our own must keep it
company."

"Ay," answered Godwin, "I saw; you went near to it tonight. But
remember, that is the end for all of us. Let us wait then to
strike until we must--to save her from worse things."

"Who knows that we may find another chance? Meanwhile,
meanwhile--" and again he groaned.

"Among those ornaments that hung about the waist of Rosamund I
saw a jewelled knife," answered Godwin, sadly. "She can be
trusted to use it if need be, and after that we can be trusted to
do our worst. At least, I think that we should die in a fashion
that would be remembered in this mountain."

As they spoke they had loitered towards the edge of the glade,
and halting there stood silent, till presently from under the
shadow of a cedar tree appeared a solitary, white robed woman.

"Let us be going," said Wulf; "here is another of them with her
accursed cup."

But before they could turn the woman glided up to them and
suddenly unveiled. It was Masouda.

"Follow me, brothers Peter and John," she said in a laughing
whisper. "I have words to say to you. What! you will not drink?
Well, it is wisest." And emptying the cup upon the ground she
flitted ahead of them.

Silently as a wraith she went, now appearing in the open spaces,
now vanishing, beneath the dense gloom of cedar boughs, till she
reached a naked, lonely rock which stood almost upon the edge of
the gulf. Opposite to this rock was a great mound such as ancient
peoples reared over the bodies of their dead, and in the mound,
cunningly hidden by growing shrubs, a massive door.

Masouda took a key from her girdle, and, having looked around to
see that they were alone, unlocked it.

"Enter," she said, pushing them before her. They obeyed, and
through the darkness within heard her close the door.

"Now we are safe awhile," she said with a sigh, "or, at least, so
I think. But I will lead you to where there is more light."

Then, taking each of them by the hand, she went forward along a
smooth incline, till presently they saw the moonlight, and by it
discovered that they stood at the mouth of a cave which was
fringed with bushes. Running up from the depths of the gulf
bel