, the rebels who
had taken him replied: 'Omnipotence, you cannot throw away your
knees.' To claim kinship with those Above and at the same time to
extend towards them a hand obviously inured to probing among the stony
earth would be to invite the averted face of recognition."

"Let recognition be extended in other directions and the task of
returning to a forfeited inheritance will be lightened materially,"
remarked a significant voice.

"Estimable mother," exclaimed Tian, "this opportune stranger is my
venerated father, whose continuous absence has been an overhanging
cloud above my gladness, but now happily revealed and restored to our
domestic altar."

"Alas!" interposed Ning, "the opening of this enterprise forecasts a
questionable omen. Before this person stands the one who enticed him
into the beginning of all his evil; how then--"

"Let the word remain unspoken," interrupted Hia. "Women do not entice
men--though they admittedly accompany them, with an extreme absence of
reluctance, in any direction. In her youth this person's feet
undoubtedly bore her occasionally along a light and fantastic path,
for in the nature of spring a leaf is green and pliable, and in the
nature of autumn it is brown and austere, and through changeless ages
thus and thus. But, as it is truly said: 'Milk by repeated agitation
turns to butter,' and for many years it has been this one's ceaseless
study of the Arts whereby she might avert that which she helped to
bring about in her unstable youth."

"The intention is a commendable one, though expressed with unnecessary
verbiage," replied Ning. "To what solution did your incantations
trend?"

"Concealed somewhere within the walled city of Ti-foo are the sacred
nail-sheaths on which your power so essentially depends, sent thither
by Sun Wei at the crafty instance of the demon Leou, who hopes at a
convenient time to secure them for himself. To discover these and bear
them forth will be the part allotted to Tian, and to this end has the
training of his youth been bent. By what means he shall strive to the
accomplishment of the project the unrolling curtain of the future
shall disclose."

"It is as the destinies shall decide and as the omens may direct,"
said Tian. "In the meanwhile this person's face is inexorably fixed in
the direction of Ti-foo."

"Proceed with all possible discretion," advised Ning. "In so critical
an undertaking you cannot be too cautious, but at the same time do