Part 20 (2/2)

They -up of soof sosad about the passing away of the old order Now to take this case for instance: Sir Henry Curtis is the best and kindest fellow and friend in the world, but he has never been quite the same since that little scene in the chapel

It is always Nyleptha this and Nyleptha that--Nyleptha, in short, froht in one way or another, either expressed or understood And as for the old friends--well, of course they have taken the place that old friends ought to take, and which ladies are as a rule very careful to see they do take when a man ry if anybody said so, but it is a fact for all that He is not quite the sa, but I think that she likes him to understand that she has married _him_, and not Quater? It is all very right and proper, as any , and I ah I hope I never show it

So Good and I went and ate in silence and then indulged in an extra fine flagon of old Zu-Vendian to keep our spirits up, and presently one of our attendants ca to think about

It may, perhaps, be reaas, Alphonse had gone off in an exceedingly ill temper to sulk over his scratches Well, it appears that he walked right past the Temple to the Sun, down the wide road on the further side of the slope it crowns, and thence on into the beautiful park, or pleasure gardens, which are laid out just beyond the outer wall After wandering about there for a little he started to return, but was ate by Sorais' train of chariots, which were galloping furiously along the great northern road When she caught sight of Alphonse, Sorais halted her train and called to hied into one of the chariots and carried off, 'crying out loudly', as our infore of him I can well believe

At first I was much puzzled to knohat object Sorais could have had in carrying off the poor little Frenchman She could hardly stoop so low as to try to wreak her fury on one whom she kneas only a servant At last, however, an idea occurred to me We three were, as I think I have said, e, both because ere the first strangers they had ever seen, and because ere supposed to be the possessors of alainst the 'foreign wolves'--or, to translate it o down very ith the nobles and the priests, it was not as we learnt, likely to be particularly effectual ast the bulk of the population The Zu-Vendi people, like the Athenians of old, are ever seeking for so, and just because ere so new our presence was on the whole acceptable to thenificent personal appearance reater love of beauty than any other I have ever been acquainted with Beauty may be prized in other countries, but in Zu-Vendis it is almost worshi+pped, as indeed the national love of statuary shows The people said openly in the market-places that there was not a man in the country to touch Curtis in personal appearance, as with the exception of Sorais there was no woman who could compete with Nyleptha, and that therefore it was meet that they should marry; and that he had been sent by the Sun as a husband for their Queen Now, froainst us was to a considerable extent fictitious, and nobody knew it better than Sorais herself Consequently it struck ht have occurred to her that down in the country and a the country people, it would be better to place the reason of her conflict with her sister upon other and er It would be easy in a land where there had been so many civil wars to rake out some old cry that would stir up the recollection of buried feuds, and, indeed, she soon found an effectual one This being so, it was of great iers with her whoreat Outlander, who had been so struck by the justice of her cause that he had elected to leave his companions and follow her standard

This, no doubt, was the cause of her anxiety to get a hold of Good, whom she would have used till he ceased to be of service and then cast off

But Good having drawn back she grasped at the opportunity of securing Alphonse, as not unlike hih s hiwan hiht that that was her plan, and his face was a sight to see--he was so horrified at the idea

'What,' he said, 'dress up that little wretch to represent et out of the country! My reputation will be ruined for ever'

I consoled him as well as I could, but it is not pleasant to be personated all over a strange country by an arrant little coward, and I can quite syht Good and Iverya friend instead of ood earnest The es and orders which had been despatched by Nyleptha two days before now began to take effect, andinto the city We saw, as ined, but very little of Nyleptha and not toothose next few days, but Good and I sat daily with the council of generals and loyal lords, drawing up plans of action, arranging commissariat matters, the distribution of cos Men ca to Milosis were spotted with the banners of lords arriving from their distant places to rally round Nyleptha

After the first few days it became clear that we should be able to take the field with about forty thousand infantry and twenty thousand cavalry, a very respectable force considering how short was the tiular army had elected to follow Sorais

But if our force was large, Sorais' was, according to the reports brought in day by day by our spies, er She had taken up her headquarters at a very strong town called M'Arstuna, situated, as I have said, to the north of Milosis, and all the countryside was flocking to her standard Nasta had poured down frohlands and was on his way to join her with no less than twenty-five thousand of his mountaineers, the most terrible soldiers to face in all Zu-Vendis

Another reat horse-breeding district, had come in with twelve thousand cavalry, and so on Indeed, what between one thing and another, it seeather a fully armed host of nearly one hundred thousandto break up her ca the country as she came

Thereon arose the question whether it would be best to ive her battle When our opinion was asked upon the subject, Good and I unhesitatingly gave it in favour of an advance If ere to shut ourselves up in the city and wait to be attacked, it seemed to us that our inaction would be set down to fear

It is so important, especially on an occasion of this sort, when a very little will suffice to turnso Ardour for a cause will soon evaporate if the cause does not move but sits down to conquer Therefore we cast our vote fortill ere drawn froer from a hole

Sir Henry's opinion coincided with ours, and so, needless to say, did that of Nyleptha, who, like a flint, was always ready to flash out fire

A great ht and spread out before her About thirty miles this side of M'Arstuna, where Sorais lay, and ninety odd miles from Milosis, the road ran over a neck of land some two and a half miles in width, and flanked on either side by forest-clad hills which, without being lofty, would, if the road were blocked, be quite ie-laden army to cross She looked earnestly at the map, and then, with a quickness of perception that in soer upon this neck of rising ground, and turning to her husband, said, with a proud air of confidence and a toss of the golden head--

'Here shalt thou meet Sorais' armies I know the spot, here shalt thou meet them, and drive them before thee like dust before the stor

CHAPTER XX THE BATTLE OF THE Pass

It was on the thirdafter this incident of the map that Sir Henry and I started With the exception of a sht before, leaving the Frowning City very silent and earrison with the exception of a personal guard for Nyleptha, and about a thousand men who from sickness or one cause or another were unable to proceed with the arnable, and as our enemy was in front of and not behind us, this did not so one on with the army, but Nyleptha acconificent white horse called Daylight, which was supposed to be the fleetest andani, but there were no tears in her eyes now, indeed she was bearing up bravely against what ate she reined in her horse and bade us farewell On the previous day she had reviewed and addressed the officers of the great ar so complete a confidence in their valour and in their ultimate victory, that she quite carried their hearts away, and as she rode froround shook And now today the same mood seemed to be on her

'Fare thee well, Macumazahn!' she said 'Remember, I trust to thy wits, which are as a needle to a spear-handle compared to those of my people, to save us from Sorais I know that thou wilt do thy duty'