way, she whistled through the crack.

"Hide yourself, Lady," said Olfan.

Juanna retreated into the shadow behind the candle, and at that moment a
voice spoke through the open door, saying, "I am here, father."

"Now, speak," said Olfan, advancing the spear an inch nearer Nam's
heart.

"My son," said the priest, "go to the entrance by which the king
entered, where you will find three captains, generals of the king. Lead
them hither."

"And see that you speak to no one on the way," whispered Olfan in Nam's
ear.

"And see that you speak to no one on the way," repeated Nam.

"I hear you, father," replied the priest, and went.

Some ten minutes passed and the door opened again. "The captains are
here," whispered a voice.

"Let them enter," said Nam.

The order was obeyed, and three great men armed with spears stalked into
the narrow chamber. One of them was brother to the king, and the two
others were his chosen friends. Then the door closed.

"My brethren," said Olfan, "I have sent for you to acquaint you with a
mystery and to ask you to witness a rite. The goddess Aca, who this day
was hurled into the pool of the Snake, has returned to earth as a woman,
and is about to become my wife,"--here the captains started--"nay,
brethren, ask no questions; these things are so, it is enough. Now,
priest, play your part."

After that, for a while all seemed a dream to Juanna, a dream of which
she was never able to recover any exact memory. She could recollect
standing side by side with Olfan, while Nam muttered prayers and
invocations over them, administering to them terrible oaths, which they
took, calling upon the names of Aca and of Jal, and swearing by the
symbol of the Snake. Beyond that everything went blank. Indeed, her mind
flew back to another marriage ceremony, when she stood beside Leonard in
the slave camp, and the priest, Francisco, prayed over them and blessed
them. It was that scene which she saw, and not the one enacting
before her eyes, and with its visions were mixed up strange impersonal
reflections on the irony of fate, which had brought it about that she
should figure as the chief actor in two such dramas, the first of which
Leonard had gone through to save her, and the second of which she must
go through to save him.

At last it was done, and once more Olfan was bowing before her and
kissing her hand.

"Greeting, Shepherdess. Hail! Queen of the People of the Mist," he said,
and the captains r