Part 18 (2/2)

The center of the cavern was a lake, taking up soht, and curiously srees for a hundred feet or so, but at its edge there was a perpendicular bank of rock fifteen or twenty feet in height

Near the ed at an equal distance from its center and from each other, were three--what shall I call theht feet across at their top, which rose high above the water

On top of each of these colue vat or urn, and froantic coluht, and it was little wonder we had thought it brilliant, since the flaht of thirty feet or more in the air

But that which left us speechless with profound a dwarfs, nor the black, ot these e followed the gaze of that terrifying audience and saw a sight that printed itself on my brain with a vividness which ti my eyes, I see it even now, and I shudder

Exactly in the center of the lake, in the midst of the coluely lustrous rock Prisms of a formation new to me--innulisten like an i the eye

The effect was indescribable The huge cavern was lined and dotted with the rays shot forth froht of this coluht toward the unseen doht of a hundred feet

It was cylindrical in shape, not h above the surface of the lake, surrounded by the ure of a wo, flowing strands of golden hair, shone and glistened strangely in the lurid, weird light

And of all the ten thousand reflections that shot at us froth of the colulow of her eyes

Her arms, upraised above her head, kept time with and served as a key to every lided across, back and forth, now this way, now that, to the very edge of the dizzy height, ild abandon, or slow,sweep of a panther

The thing was beauty incarnate--the very idea of beauty itself realized and perfected It was staggering, overwhel or a beautiful statue and felt a thrill--the thrill of perception--run through your body to the very tips of your fingers?

Well, iine that thrill multiplied a thousandfold and you will understand the sensation that overpowered ht, the nized it at once I had never seen it, but it had been minutely described to me--described by a beautiful and fa into the harbor of Callao

She had promised me then that she would dance it for me so besideat the swaying figure on the column in the most profound astonishment

He took his hand froht of recognition and hope and deepest joy slowly fill his eyes and spread over his face Then I realized the danger, and I endeavored once more to put my arm round his shoulder; but he shook me off with hot i, eluding ht into the circle of blazing light!

I followed, but too late At the edge of the lake he stopped, and, stretching forth his arms toward the dancer on the colu:

”Desiree! Desiree! Desiree!”

Chapter IX

BEFORE THE COURT

I expected I know not what result from Harry's hysterical rashness: confusion, pandemonium, instant death; but none of these followed

I had reached his side and stood by hie of the lake, where he had halted Desiree Le Mire stopped short in the midst of the mad sweep of the Dance of the Sun

For ten silent, tense seconds she looked down at us froerously near its edge Her forht; her white, superb body was distinctly outlined against the black background of the upper cavern

Then she stepped backward sloithout taking her eyes froazed she appeared to sink within the column itself and in another instant disappeared fro I know not Then I turned and faced our own danger It was time