tand Taboo. But they will soon be wiser. They mean very well,
but they do not know. Behold, he gives her this divine shining ornament
from the sun as a present!" And, taking it in his hand, he held it up for
a moment to public admiration. Then he passed on the trinket
ostentatiously to the bride, who, smiling and delighted, hung it low on
her breast among her other decorations.

The whole party seemed so surprised and gratified at this proof of
condescension on the part of the divine stranger that they crowded round
Felix once more, praising and thanking him volubly. Muriel, anxious to
remove the bad impression she had created by touching the bride's dress,
hastily withdrew her own little brooch and offered it in turn to the
Shadow as an additional present. But Toko, shaking his head vigorously,
pointed with his forefinger many times to Mali. "Toko say him no can take
it," Mali explained hastily, in her broken English. "Him no your Shadow;
me your Shadow; me do everything for you; me give it to the lady." And,
taking the brooch in her hand, she passed it over in turn amid loud cries
of delight and shouts of approval.

Thereupon, the ceremony began all over again. They seemed by their
intervention to have interrupted some set formula. At its close the women
crowded around Muriel and took her hand in theirs, kissing it many times
over, with tears in their eyes, and betraying an immense amount of
genuine feeling. One phrase in Polynesian they repeated again and again;
a phrase that made Felix's cheek turn white, as he leaned over the poor
English girl with a profound emotion.

"What does it mean that they say?" Muriel asked at last, perceiving it
was all one phrase, many times repeated.

Felix was about to give some evasive explanation, when Mali interposed
with her simple, unthinking translation. "Them say, Missy Queenie very
good and kind. Make them sad to think. Make them cry to see her. Make
them cry to see Missy Queenie Korong. Too good. Too pretty."

"Why so?" Muriel exclaimed, drawing back with some faint presentiment of
unspeakable horror.

Felix tried to stop her; but the girl would not be stopped. "Because,
when Korong time up," she answered, blurting it out, "Korong must--"

Felix clapped his hand to her mouth in wild haste, and silenced her. He
knew the worst now. He had divined the truth. But Muriel, at least, must
be spared that knowledge.

CHAPTER IX.

SOWING THE WIND.

Vaguely and indefini