en she swung
her body around to face Tydomin squarely, and said aloud, "I killed
him."

Tydomin's words by this time were ringing in Maskull's head like an
actual physical sound. There was no question of being able to ignore
them; he had to make an open confession of his act, whatever the
consequences might be. Quietly taking Oceaxe by the shoulder and putting
her behind him, he said in a low, but perfectly distinct voice, "It was
I that killed Crimtyphon."

Oceaxe looked both haughty and frightened. "Maskull says that so as to
shield me, as he thinks. I require no shield, Maskull. I killed him,
Tydomin."

"I believe you, Oceaxe. You did murder him. Not with your own strength,
for you brought this man along for the purpose."

Maskull took a couple of steps toward Tydomin. "It's of little
consequence who killed him, for he's better dead than alive, in my
opinion. Still, I did it. Oceaxe had no hand in the affair."

Tydomin appeared not to hear him--she looked beyond him at Oceaxe
musingly. "When you murdered him, didn't it occur to you that I would
come here, to find out?"

"I never once thought of you," replied Oceaxe, with an angry laugh. "Do
you really imagine that I carry your image with me wherever I go?"

"If someone were to murder your lover here, what would you do?"

"Lying hypocrite!" Oceaxe spat out. "You never were in love with
Crimtyphon. You always hated me, and now you think it an excellent
opportunity to make it good... now that Crimtyphon's gone.... For we
both know he would have made a footstool of you, if I had asked him. He
worshiped me, but he laughed at you. He thought you ugly."

Tydomin flashed a quick, gentle smile at Maskull. "Is it necessary for
you to listen to all this?"

Without question, and feeling it the right thing to do, he walked away
out of earshot.

Tydomin approached Oceaxe. "Perhaps because my beauty fades and I'm no
longer young, I needed him all the more."

Oceaxe gave a kind of snarl. "Well, he's dead, and that's the end of it.
What are you going to do now, Tydomin?"

The other woman smiled faintly and rather pathetically. "There's
nothing left to do, except mourn the dead. You won't grudge me that last
office?"

"Do you want to stay here?" demanded Oceaxe suspiciously.

"Yes, Oceaxe dear, I wish to be alone."

"Then what is to become of us?"

"I thought that you and your lover--what is his name?"

"Maskull."

"I thought that perhaps you two would go to