ssoming maid, youth and oldster, all the pageant of humanity within
the great walls were now but lines within the stone. According to their
different lights, it came to me, there had been in Ruszark no greater
number of the wicked than one could find in any great city of our own
civilization.

From Norhala, of course, I looked for no perception of any of this. But
from Ruth--

My reaction grew; the pity long withheld racing through me linked with
a burning anger, a hatred for this woman who had been the directing soul
of that catastrophe.

My gaze fell again upon the red brand. I saw that it was a deep
indentation as though a thong had been twisted around Ventnor's head
biting the bone. There was dried blood on the edges, a double ring of
swollen white flesh rimming the cincture. It was the mark of--torture!

"Martin," I cried. "That ring? What did they do to you?"

"They waked me with that," he answered quietly. "I suppose I ought to be
grateful--although their intentions were not exactly--therapeutic--"

"They tortured him," Ruth's voice was tense, bitter; she spoke in
Persian--for Norhala's benefit I thought then, not guessing a deeper
reason. "They tortured him. They gave him agony until he--returned. And
they promised him other agonies that would make him pray long for death.

"And me--me"--she raised little clenched hands--"me they stripped like a
slave. They led me through the city and the people mocked me. They
took me before that swine Norhala has punished--and stripped me
before him--like a slave. Before my eyes they tortured my brother.
Norhala--they were evil, all evil! Norhala--you did well to slay them!"

She caught the woman's hands, pressed close to her. Norhala gazed at her
from great gray eyes in which the wrath was dying, into which the old
tranquillity, the old serenity was flowing. And when she spoke the
golden voice held more than returning echoes of the far-away, faint
chimings.

"It is done," she said. "And it was well done--sister. Now you and I
shall dwell together in peace--sister. Or if there be those in the world
from which you came that you would have slain, then you and I shall go
forth with our companies and stamp them out--even as I did these."

My heart stopped beating--for from the depths of Ruth's eyes shining
shadows were rising, wraiths answering Norhala's calling; and, as they
rose, steadily they drew life from the clear radiance summoning--drew
closer to the semblance o