great effort Julia checked her sobs, and rose to her feet.

'Thank you,' she answered. 'My heart grows lighter as you say that! I
know you will try to keep your word and to stay away from the forest.
But--the power of the Yara is very strong, and the sound of her voice is
apt to make men forget everything else in the world. Oh, I have seen it,
and more than one betrothed maiden lives alone, broken-hearted. If ever
you should return to the pool where you first heard the voice, promise
me that you will at least take this with you.' And opening a curiously
carved box, she took out a sea-shell shot with many colours, and sang a
song softly into it. 'The moment you hear the Yara's voice,' said she,
'put this to your ear, and you will hear my song instead. Perhaps--I do
not know for certain--but perhaps, I may be stronger than the Yara.'

It was late that night when Alonzo returned home. The moon was shining
on the distant river, which looked cool and inviting, and the trees of
the forest seemed to stretch out their arms and beckon him near. But the
young man steadily turned his face in the other direction, and went home
to bed.

The struggle had been hard, but Alonzo had his reward next day in the
joy and relief with which Julia greeted him. He assured her that having
overcome the temptation once the danger was now over; but she, knowing
better than he did the magic of the Yara's face and voice, did not fail
to make him repeat his promise when he went away.

For three nights Alonzo kept his word, not because he believed in the
Yara, for he thought that the tales about her were all nonsense, but
because he could not bear the tears with which he knew that Julia would
greet him, if he confessed that he had returned to the forest. But, in
spite of this, the song rang in his ears, and daily grew louder.

On the fourth night the attraction of the forest grew so strong that
neither the thought of Julia nor the promises he had made her could hold
him back. At eleven o'clock he plunged into the cool darkness of the
trees, and took the path that led straight to the river. Yet, for the
first time, he found that Julia's warnings, though he had laughed at her
at the moment, had remained in his memory, and he glanced at the bushes
with a certain sense of fear which was quite new to him.

When he reached the river he paused and looked round for a moment to
make sure that the strange feeling of some one watching him was fancy,
and he