n the center of
the court, as usual, when from out of the sarcophagus rose languidly a
form, shrouded in white. The form stretched its lovely arms, white as
alabaster, and presently the hands rubbed a pair of sleepy eyes. Then
the form sat down within the sarcophagus, laid its arms on the rim, and
wearily hid its face in them.

The watcher was the most dumfounded holy man in all India. For the
first time in his hypocritical life he found faith in himself, in his
puerile rites. He had conjured up yonder spirit, unaided, alone. He
rose, turned, and never a holy man ran faster. When he arrived,
panting and voiceless, at the village well, where natives were coming
and going with water in goatskins and jars and copper vessels, he fell
upon his face, rose to his knees, and poured hands full of dust upon
his head.

"Ai, ai!" he called. "It is almost done, my children. The first sign
has come from the gods. I have brought you in human form the ancient
priestess!" And he really believed he had. "O my children, my little
ones, my kids! I have brought her who will now attend to the sacred
fires; for these alone will restore the city as of old, the fat corn,
the plentitude of fruit. Since the coming of the lion two rains ago
the leopard and the striped one have forsaken their lairs. One bullock
a month is better than fire, together with the kids and the children.
Ai!" More dust.

Naturally the villagers set down their water skins and jars and copper
vessels and flocked about this exceptional holy man. They wanted to
believe him, but for years nothing had happened but the advent of the
lion, whence no one exactly knew, though the holy man had not been
backward in claiming it was due to his nearness to the god Vishnu.

They followed him eagerly to the temple. What they beheld transfixed
them. A woman with skin like the petals of the lotus and hair like
corn sat in the sacred sarcophagus and braided her hair, gazing the
while toward the bright sun.

The intake of many breaths produced a sound. Kathlyn turned instantly
toward this sound, for a moment expecting the return of the lion.
Immediately holy man and villagers threw themselves upon the ground,
striking their foreheads against the damp clay. The alien spirit still
ruled the substance; Kathlyn eyed them in mild astonishment, not at all
alarmed.

"Ai!" shrilled the holy man, springing to his feet. "Ai! She is our
ancient priestess, rising from her tom