st house of the village.
The condition under which he was allowed to stay in peace, even for a
brief time, was that he should not wander beyond the limits of the town.

It was useless to excite resentment without reason, and he was about to
turn and retrace his steps, when a slight rustling of the undergrowth,
which marked the boundary of the forest on the south caused him to turn
his head, stop, and hold his rifle ready for danger.

His old habit of caution came back the instant peril seemed to threaten.

While he debated whether to advance and force the stranger to reveal
himself, the outlines of a form were distinguished and a slight figure
stepped forth in the moonlight.

Ashman's heart seemed to stop beating and life itself hang in suspense,
when he recognized the very being that had taken such full possession
of his thoughts.

Ay, Ariel, daughter of King Haffgo, stood before him.

For a moment, neither spoke or moved. It was not strange perhaps that
she was the first to recover the power of utterance.

Advancing timidly, she said in a tremulous voice and with an accent
just broken enough to make it all the sweeter:

"You are in danger and I could not help coming to tell you."

"Heaven bless you!" he exclaimed, taking a step toward her, but still
observing a respectful distance. "You have braved danger yourself to
give me the warning."

"I left my home and waited for a chance to speak to you; I dared not go
to the door of Ziffak's house for I would have been seen. Then, while
I was wondering what to do, I saw you come forth and walk toward the
river. I thought you would go to the end of the village, so I hurried
on and hid among the bushes until I could speak to you without any one
seeing me."

Ashman's head was in a swirl. He was trembling in every limb, while
she seemed to be devoid of any agitation whatever.

"Your father King Haffgo was angry this afternoon, because I looked at
you; but," added the lover, "I could not have helped doing it, if I
knew my life would have paid for the act. Ziffak told me about you, so
you see I did not feel that you were a stranger, even though I then saw
you for the first time and never heard the music of your voice until
now."

"The king is angry," said she, withdrawing a little as the happy fellow
took another step; "he says you shall be killed, but Ziffak persuaded
him to say your life should be spared if you went away to-night."

Ashman felt another deli