of love upon this Kallikrates, and, wrapping him in her spells--for
then as now she practised witcheries--caused him to break his oaths and
fly with her, as thou sawest written in the flame. Thou, Atene, wast
that Amenartas.

"Lastly there lived a certain Arabian, named Ayesha, a wise and lovely
woman, who, in the emptiness of her heart, and the sorrow of much
knowledge, had sought refuge in the service of the universal Mother,
thinking there to win the true wisdom which ever fled from her. That
Ayesha, as thou sawest also, the goddess visited in a dream, bidding her
to follow those faithless ones, and work Heaven's vengeance on them,
and promising her in reward victory over death upon the earth and beauty
such as had not been known in woman.

"She followed far; she awaited them where they wandered. Guided by a
sage named Noot, one who from the beginning had been appointed to her
service and that of another--thou, O Holly, wast that man--she found
the essence in which to bathe is to outlive Generations, Faiths, and
Empires, saying--"'I will slay these guilty ones. I will slay them
presently, as I am commanded.'

"Yet Ayesha slew not, for now their sin was her sin, since she who had
never loved came to desire this man. She led them to the Place of Life,
purposing there to clothe him and herself with immortality, and let the
woman die. But it was not so fated, for then the goddess smote. The
life was Ayesha's as had been sworn, but in its first hour, blinded with
jealous rage because he shrank from her unveiled glory to the mortal
woman at his side, this Ayesha brought him to his death, and alas! alas!
left herself undying.

"Thus did the angry goddess work woe upon her faithless ministers,
giving to the priest swift doom, to the priestess Ayesha, long remorse
and misery, and to the royal Amenartas jealousy more bitter than life
or death, and the fate of unending effort to win back that love which,
defying Heaven, she had dared to steal, but to be bereft thereof again.

"Lo! now the ages pass, and, at the time appointed, to that undying
Ayesha who, whilst awaiting his re-birth, from century to century
mourned his loss, and did bitter penance for her sins, came back the
man, her heart's desire. Then, whilst all went well for her and him,
again the goddess smote and robbed her of her reward. Before her lover's
living eyes, sunk in utter shame and misery, the beautiful became
hideous, the undying seemed to die.

"Yet