he said:

"So it was you who turned my Feronia to stone, to drag me here to you by
your spells, and then when you tire of me to turn me likewise into
stone?"

The woman recoiled from his murderous rage, crying out in a shocked
voice, a voice of virtue unjustly accused:

"Surely you don't think that I had anything to do with this? These men
are the curse an enemy has put upon me; and every creature that I ever
loved she has turned into stone soon or late and left me here alone
forever. There is no cruelty like the cruelty of Diana Triformis."

The rage passed slowly from Druga, and left him weak and glad that his
hands had not found their way to that glorious throat, as they had
seemed about to do. For here was a woman who had suffered the same loss
as he.

"Eos, we must take thought together, for it seems we have a common
enemy. My own Feronia, a woman such as was only created by the Gods once
in all Time, was turned into similar black stone before my eyes not long
ago. We have a common enemy, and we must find a remedy for this curse
she puts upon us. Else I will go through life as you have gone, with
everything pleasant removed from it."

The artful eyes of Eos softened, and that mystery living in their depths
lightened, her arms became soft pillars of the temple of her beauty as
she lowered herself into the big chair at the head of that gloomy
feasting board of death. Druga picked up the big body of one of the
stone figures, carried it lightly to the side of the hall, and set it
there on a bench. Then he took the vacant place at the board beside the
queen of the palace of the dead.

Druga related to Eos all the events that had transpired since the
lopping off of Dionaea's head. She surmised, as did he, that this deed
was the one that had led Diana to turn the spell of the black stone
loose upon Druga as upon Eos.

"There must be found a way of turning the spells of this Goddess into
harmless attempts," said Druga. "We cannot sit here and wait for her
cruelty to work us greater harm. What can we do?"

"I have had long long years to plan a revenge upon her, but nothing I
have been able to do has had any effect," Eos said.

* * * * *

The desire that Druga could no more help than he could help breathing,
looking upon the pole of all desire that shone its energies through the
flesh of Eos, now spoke, and Druga said with a tongue that was thick:

"Then, Eos, the very next time