me out and along the ledge on
the cliff. Into another cavern entrance she led me, to a smaller
chamber, where another fire burned, and another bench invited to its
warmth. She half pushed me to a seat, and busied herself in the next
adjoining chamber, rattling dishware, and now and again giving a sharp
exclamation as of extreme disgust.

I gathered I had been guilty of falling for the Zerv equivalent of a
vamp. How wrong I was in this deduction I was to learn. It was not the
woman's beauty that Nokomee feared, but something vastly more dangerous.
I was very ignorant then. The Zervs were an ancient people and their
ways were strange entirely. For the net-clad beauty had been a "Zoorph."
I asked Nokomee, as she repeated the word again.

"What is a Zoorph, that makes you so angry? I thought she was very
charming. I saw no harm in talking to her!"

Nokomee thrust her head out of the curtained doorway, from which the
smell of food told me I had not eaten since morning.

"A Zoorph dear _child_ of earth, is a creature not good for man or
beast! Only a Zerv would be fool enough to keep so dangerous an animal
about! If I told you, you would not believe it."

"Tell me anyway, Nokomee."

The girl came, bearing food on a tray. She squatted at my feet, putting
the tray on the bench, and holding a large graceful urn of some liquid
to replenish my cup. Very prettily she did this, yet I gathered that it
was something which would have overwhelmed me with the honor if I had
understood. I did appreciate her service, and I tried to say so, but she
silenced me.

"Never mind, one day you will understand how proud we are, that in our
own world and in our own society _you_ would be less than a worm. Yet I
serve you, who am more above you than a princess would be in your world.
Thus does the world change about one, and one adjusts. But do not think
of it. It must be, or some terrible thing like the Zoorph would seize
upon you here among us."

I laughed a little, for I was sure she was telling a lie, to warn me
against the "vamp" in the only words she could think of in the alien
tongue.

Her face flushed deep red at my laughter, and she half rose as if to
leave, but restrained her anger.

"A Zoorph is worse than a disease, it has enervated my people until they
have lost everything, and still they are among us. They are children
raised by a secret cult on my own world, trained into strange practices.
It is somewhat like a witch or