Part 43 (1/2)
I looked at her doubtfully and answered:
”Women do not sleep for two hundred thousand years Women do not take dream journeys to the stars Woain before the watcher's eyes Their hair does not glileath of soul or eyes so wonderful, or loveliness so great”
These words appeared to distress her who, as it sees anxious to prove herself wo, Humphrey,” she cried ”As for the beauty, such as it is, it colitter of enerations have drunk of the Life-water My mother was lovelier than I, as was her mother, or so I have heard, since only the fairest were the wives of the Kings of the Children of Wisdoic, but froe which your people will acquire in days to come, that is, if Oro spares them Surely you above all should know that I athe little while that we have been together I have seen much which makes me doubt Even Bickley the sceptic doubts also”
”I will tell you, though I alanced about her as though she were frightened lest sohts Then she stretched out her hands and drawing my head towards her, put her lips to my ear and whispered:
”Because once you sawlife for life”
”I saw you die?” I gasped
She nodded, then continued to whisper in my ear, not in her own voice, but another's:
”Go where you seeo, far away Oh! the wonderful place in which you will findthat you have found me Good-bye for a little while; only for a little while, my own, my own!”
I knew the voice as I knew the words, and knowing, I think that I should have fallen to the ground, had she not supportedarms
”Who told you?” I stah neither of them heard those holy words”
”Not Bickley nor Bastin,” she answered, shaking her head, ”no, nor you yourself, awake or sleeping, though once, by the lake yonder, you said to , she bade you seek her elsewhere, for certainly you would find her Humphrey, I cannot say who told me those words because I do not know I think they are a memory, Humphrey!”
”That would mean that you, Yva, are the same as one as--not called Yva”
”The same as one as called Natalie, Humphrey,” she replied in solemn accents ”One whom you loved and whoain upon this earth?”
”Again and yet again, until the time comes for us to leave the earth for ever Of this, indeed, I ae was part of the secret wisdom of my people”
”But you were not dead You only slept”
”The sleep was a death-sleep which went by like a flash, yes, in an instant, or so it seemed Only the shell of the body re spirit and the light of life were poured into it again, it awoke But during this long death-sleep, that spirit ht h of these I re”
”Then that dream of our visit to a certain star may be no dreaht as much”
”In a way, yes, Yva But I could not believe and turned from what I held to be a phantasy”
”It was natural, Humphrey, that you should not believe Hearken! In this teo I showed you a picture of myself and of a man who loved me and whom I loved, and of his death at Oro's hands Did you note anything about that ht?”