ng girl.

"In an instant, however, his headlong progress was checked as Lal Lu,
with a superb gesture, raised the gleaming dagger above her head and
cried, encouraged by the lowering eyes of the evilly-expectant
waiting-woman: 'With thee--never! I will die first!'

"As the prince recoiled a step at sight of the flashing blade, Lal Lu,
with contemptuous emphasis, exclaimed: 'Be not afraid, Prince Otondo,
this is not for thee. Advance but a step and it will be but an empty
casket that awaits thee!'

"Never had Lal Lu appeared so desirable in the eyes of this royal rogue,
and never had he been more resolute to possess her.

"With misleading quiet, therefore, he gazed upon the upraised hand which
menaced the one unattained object of his desire. Quickly he measured
the distance between them. Slowly he removed one foot behind the other.
Lightly he pressed the slipper's point upon the tessellated floor, and
then with a leap of incredible quickness, he darted forward, caught the
descending arm of Lal Lu in his grasp, and, with his disengaged hand,
wrenched the dagger from her and threw it away from him into the center
of the apartment.

"But as rapidly as he had moved, the prince had not been able to prevent
the incision which the dagger's point made in his wrist and from which a
thin stream of blood issued.

"'Ah, ha, my beauty!' he cried as he released the struggling girl and
retreated a step, the better to enjoy her discomfiture; 'ah, ha! I like
thy spirit. I would not have thee mar the lovely casket which contains
it. Here!' he called to the waiting-woman, who had witnessed the episode
and into whose quick eyes, which had detected the slight wound upon the
wrist of the prince, there crept a strange, inexplicable expression of
leering triumph, 'here, guard this maiden for a space. Your life shall
pay the penalty if aught befalls her in my absence.

"'I shall return presently with the help I need to overcome such
elevated objection'; and turning abruptly, the prince hastened toward
the doorway, pausing a second to regain possession of the dagger which
he had cast from him during the brief struggle.

"'Alas!' cried the unhappy girl, 'what shall I do? He has gone to get
some of his creatures to help him in his evil purposes.'

"For a moment a tense silence prevailed.

"The next instant, with eerie, jubilant interruption, the waiting-woman
made the very air shudder with a laugh of such shrill exultation and
riotous a