wall of individual
responsibility that marks off mankind from the beasts?

But I was deeply anxious to save Ustane, whom I liked and respected,
from the dire fate that overshadowed her at the hands of her mighty
rival. So I made one more appeal.

"Ayesha," I said, "thou art too subtle for me; but thou thyself hast
told me that each man should be a law unto himself, and follow the
teaching of his heart. Hath thy heart no mercy towards her whose place
thou wouldst take? Bethink thee--as thou sayest--though to me the thing
is incredible--he whom thou desirest has returned to thee after many
ages, and but now thou hast, as thou sayest also, wrung him from the
jaws of death. Wilt thou celebrate his coming by the murder of one who
loved him, and whom perchance he loved--one, at the least, who saved
his life for thee when the spears of thy slaves would have made an end
thereof? Thou sayest also that in past days thou didst grievously wrong
this man, that with thine own hand thou didst slay him because of the
Egyptian Amenartas whom he loved."

"How knowest thou that, oh stranger? How knowest thou that name? I spoke
it not to thee," she broke in with a cry, catching at my arm.

"Perchance I dreamed it," I answered; "strange dreams do hover about
these caves of Kor. It seems that the dream was, indeed, a shadow of
the truth. What came to thee of thy mad crime?--two thousand years of
waiting, was it not? And now wouldst thou repeat the history? Say what
thou wilt, I tell thee that evil will come of it; for to him who doeth,
at the least, good breeds good and evil evil, even though in after days
out of evil cometh good. Offences must needs come; but woe to him by
whom the offence cometh. So said that Messiah of whom I spoke to thee,
and it was truly said. If thou slayest this innocent woman, I say unto
thee that thou shalt be accursed, and pluck no fruit from thine ancient
tree of love. Also, what thinkest thou? How will this man take thee
red-handed from the slaughter of her who loved and tended him?"

"As to that," she answered, "I have already answered thee. Had I slain
thee as well as her, yet should he love me, Holly, because he could not
save himself from therefrom any more than thou couldst save thyself from
dying, if by chance I slew thee, oh Holly. And yet maybe there is truth
in what thou dost say; for in some way it presseth on my mind. If it
may be, I will spare this woman; for have I not told thee that I am not