shading their eyes. The crowd below began to disperse in all
directions, so as to betake themselves to their coverts and to the
caverns, where they might live in the dark. Soon nearly all were gone
except the paupers at the foot of the pyramid, who were awaiting our
commands, and a crowd of Meleks and Athons at a distance. At a gesture
from me the few paupers near us descended and joined those below.

Almah and I were alone on the top of the pyramid.

I caught her in my arms in a rapture of joy. This revulsion from the
lowest despair--from darkness and from death back to hope and light
and life--was almost too much to endure. We both wept, but our tears
were those of happiness.

"You will be all my own now," said I, "and we can fly from this
hateful land. We can be united--we can be married--here before we
start--and you will not be cruel enough to refuse. You will consent,
will you not, to be my wife before we fly from the Kosekin?"

At this Almah's face became suffused with smiles and blushes. Her
arms were about me, and she did not draw away, but looked up in sweet
confusion and said,

"Why, as to that--I--I cannot be more your--your wife than I am."

"What do you mean?" I exclaimed, in wonder. "My wife!"

Her eyes dropped again, and she whispered:

"The ceremony of separation is with the Kosekin the most sacred form
of marriage. It is the religious form; the other is merely the civil
form."

This was unintelligible, nor did I try to understand it. It was enough
to hear this from her own sweet lips; but it was a strange feeling,
and I think I am the only man since Adam that ever was married without
knowing it.

"As to flight," continued Almah, who had quite adopted the Kosekin
fashion, which makes women take the lead--"as to flight, we need not
hurry. We are all-powerful now, and there is no more danger. We must
wait until we send embassies to my people, and when they are ready to
receive us, we will go. But now let us leave this, for our servants
are waiting for us, and the light is distressing to them. Let us go to
the nearest of our palaces and obtain rest and food."

Here Featherstone stopped, yawned, and laid down the manuscript.

"That's enough for to-day," said he; "I'm tired, and can't read any
more. It's time for supper."

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper
Cylinder, by James De Mille

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A STR