and heard the music of her
voice, and drunk in the bitter wisdom of her words, would willingly give
up the sight for a whole sea of placid joys. How much more, then, was
this likely to be so when, as in Leo's case, to put myself out of the
question, this extraordinary creature declared her utter and absolute
devotion, and gave what appeared to be proofs of its having lasted for
some two thousand years?

No doubt she was a wicked person, and no doubt she had murdered Ustane
when she stood in her path, but then she was very faithful, and by a
law of nature man is apt to think but lightly of a woman's crimes,
especially if that woman be beautiful, and the crime be committed for
the love of him.

And then, for the rest, when had such a chance ever come to a man before
as that which now lay in Leo's hand? True, in uniting himself to this
dread woman, he would place his life under the influence of a mysterious
creature of evil tendencies,[*] but then that would be likely enough to
happen to him in any ordinary marriage. On the other hand, however, no
ordinary marriage could bring him such awful beauty--for awful is the
only word that can describe it--such divine devotion, such wisdom, and
command over the secrets of nature, and the place and power that they
must win, or, lastly, the royal crown of unending youth, if indeed she
could give that. No, on the whole, it is not wonderful that, though Leo
was plunged in bitter shame and grief, such as any gentleman would have
felt under the circumstances, he was not ready to entertain the idea of
running away from his extraordinary fortune.

[*] After some months of consideration of this statement I
am bound to confess that I am not quite satisfied of its
truth. It is perfectly true that Ayesha committed a murder,
but I shrewdly suspect that, were we endowed with the same
absolute power, and if we had the same tremendous interest
at stake, we would be very apt to do likewise under parallel
circumstances. Also, it must be remembered that she looked
on it as an execution for disobedience under a system which
made the slightest disobedience punishable by death. Putting
aside this question of the murder, her evil-doing resolves
itself into the expression of views and the acknowledgment
of motives which are contrary to our preaching if not to our
practice. Now at first sight this might be fairly taken as a
proof of