, that the pole does not repel your female nature as it
attracts the male? Would it not repel an ordinary woman so that she
could not approach it?"

"In that you are wrong, Druga. The nature of this life-energy is not the
same as ordinary iron magnetism. Like poles do not repel, but are
unaffected. It is in fact only invigorating to me, making me stronger.
So it would be if you were at the other end of the universe. At the male
pole you would be vastly invigorated, not repelled. Do you understand?"

"It is only sad that the poles lie at opposite ends of the universe,"
murmured Druga, looking askance at Eos.

"Whatever might you be thinking, Druga? If such power arced between man
and woman they would be consumed!"

"But what a death, what a death," murmured Druga. Her sudden laughter
rang through the hall of death incongruously, and at the sound they fell
silent again and did not speak for thinking of the corpses waiting there
for what would never come.

"How many men has Diana and her friends killed through the years? Enough
to populate a couple of planets, I should say?"

"Diana? With her bow and arrows alone she used to account for a good
many; and later, as she learned more evil arts, there was no record
kept. She has been a most evil goddess, yet men worship her."

"Why? A goddess that kills a man for seeing her is a fiend! And her
maidens may not see a man, either. It is a strange life she leads, for a
true woman. She must be other than female."

"That could be, Druga," murmured Eos.

* * * * *

The morning sun glittered from the streams and from the little glass
foot-bridge that shimmered magically across and up in a great arc to the
door in the side of the cliff. Eos sighed at the beauty.

"This wife of yours was a housekeeper, I note, with an eye for art."

"Her art and her work were always first, Eos. She was an uncommon hard
woman to get used to, but she made a man of me."

"That I can see," agreed Eos, and Druga looked at her twice to know what
she meant. "You owe everything to Feronia, according to you, and nothing
to yourself."

"Very little, Goddess. But I do not exaggerate, she was...."

"Well, never mind it now. I grow weary of Feronia this and Feronia that.
I will judge for myself whether she understood you or no."

"She was extremely understanding," said Druga.

* * * * *

Days passed, and much hard work, Eos studying th