y? I do not hate
you. I--I--" What was I about to say? I was very close to her as a
great light broke over me. Why had I never realized it before? The
truth accounted for a great many hitherto inexplicable moods that had
claimed me from time to time since first I had seen Victory.

"Why should I hate you?" she repeated. "Because Snider told me--he
told me that you had promised me to him, but he did not get me. I
killed him, as I should like to kill you!"

"Snider lied!" I cried. And then I seized her and held her in my arms,
and made her listen to me, though she struggled and fought like a young
lioness. "I love you, Victory. You must know that I love you--that I
have always loved you, and that I never could have made so base a
promise."

She ceased her struggles, just a trifle, but still tried to push me
from her. "You called me a barbarian!" she said.

Ah, so that was it! That still rankled. I crushed her to me.

"You could not love a barbarian," she went on, but she had ceased to
struggle.

"But I do love a barbarian, Victory!" I cried, "the dearest barbarian
in the world."

She raised her eyes to mine, and then her smooth, brown arms encircled
my neck and drew my lips down to hers.

"I love you--I have loved you always!" she said, and then she buried
her face upon my shoulder and sobbed. "I have been so unhappy," she
said, "but I could not die while I thought that you might live."

As we stood there, momentarily forgetful of all else than our new found
happiness, the ferocity of the bombardment increased until scarce
thirty seconds elapsed between the shells that rained about the palace.

To remain long would be to invite certain death. We could not escape
the way that we had entered the apartment, for not only was the
corridor now choked with debris, but beyond the corridor there were
doubtless many members of the emperor's household who would stop us.

Upon the opposite side of the room was another door, and toward this I
led the way. It opened into a third apartment with windows overlooking
an inner court. From one of these windows I surveyed the courtyard.
Apparently it was empty, and the rooms upon the opposite side were
unlighted.

Assisting Victory to the open, I followed, and together we crossed the
court, discovering upon the opposite side a number of wide, wooden
doors set in the wall of the palace, with small windows between. As we
stood close behind one of the doors, lis