od had been taken out of him.

Then Ayesha spoke. "Forgive me, my guest," she said softly, addressing
him, "if I have shocked thee with my justice."

"Forgive thee, thou fiend," roared poor Leo, wringing his hands in his
rage and grief. "Forgive thee, thou murderess! By Heaven, I will kill
thee if I can!"

"Nay, nay," she answered in the same soft voice, "thou dost not
understand--the time has come for thee to learn. _Thou_ art my love,
my Kallikrates, my Beautiful, my Strong! For two thousand years,
Kallikrates, have I waited for _thee_, and now at length thou hast come
back to me; and as for this woman," pointing to the corpse, "she
stood between me and thee, and therefore have I laid her in the dust,
Kallikrates."

"It is an accursed lie!" said Leo. "My name is not Kallikrates! I am Leo
Vincey; my ancestor was Kallikrates--at least, I believe he was."

"Ah, thou sayest it--thine ancestor was Kallikrates, and thou, even
thou, art Kallikrates reborn, come back--and mine own dear lord!"

"I am not Kallikrates, and, as for being thy lord, or having aught to do
with thee, I had sooner be the lord of a fiend from hell, for she would
be better than thou."

"Sayest thou so--sayest thou so, Kallikrates? Nay, but thou hast not
seen me for so long a time that no memory remains. Yet am I very fair,
Kallikrates!"

"I hate thee, murderess, and I have no wish to see thee. What is it to
me how fair thou art? I hate thee, I say."

"Yet within a very little space shalt thou creep to my knee, and swear
that thou dost love me," answered Ayesha, with a sweet, mocking laugh.
"Come, there is no time like the present time, here before this dead
girl who loved thee, let us put it to the proof.

"Look now on me, Kallikrates!" and with a sudden motion she shook her
gauzy covering from her, and stood forth in her low kirtle and her snaky
zone, in her glorious radiant beauty and her imperial grace, rising from
her wrappings, as it were, like Venus from the wave, or Galatea from her
marble, or a beatified spirit from the tomb. She stood forth, and fixed
her deep and glowing eyes upon Leo's eyes, and I saw his clenched fists
unclasp, and his set and quivering features relax beneath her gaze.
I saw his wonder and astonishment grow into admiration, and then into
fascination, and the more he struggled the more I saw the power of her
dread beauty fasten on him and take possession of his senses, drugging
them, and drawing the heart out of h