my love i cannot love where i am � i must love where love itself calls he stood still staring at her he seemed to have lost the power of speech you have insulted me almost beyond pardon she went on your are all lies i love the king � but i am not the king s mistress i would no more be his mistress than i would be your wife slowly slowly his hand got at something in his pocket and clutched it almost unconsciously slowly slowly he raised that hand still clutching that something � and his lips parted in a breathless way showing the glimmer of white teeth within you love the king he said in deliberate accents and you dare you dare to tell me so she raised her golden head with a beautiful defiance and courage between two passions i love the king she said � and i dare to tell you so with a lightning quickness of movement the hand that had been groping after an unseen evil now came out into the light with a sudden sharp crash and flame of fire a faint cry tore the air ah � � oh � god and staggered back stunned � sick dizzy death death she thought wildly this is death and with a last desperate of her sinking force as every memory of her life swept over her brain in that supreme moment she sprang at her murderer and the weapon from his hand clutching it hard and fast in her own say say i did it � myself � she gasped in short quick sobs of pain tell the king � i did it myself � myself � save your own life � i forgive she and with a choking cry fell back heavily � dead her hair came with her fall and shook itself round her in a gold wave as though to hide the horror of the blood that from her lips and breast with a horrid sense of stared upon the evil he had done he gazed around him he listened for to come and explain to him what had happened but up in that remote there was no one to hear either a pistol shot or a cry there was only one thing to be understood and learnt by heart � tha t once living was now dead dead how came she dead that was what he could not determine the heat of his wild fury had passed � leaving him cold and passive as a stone he whispered the name horrible how she looked � with all that blood � all that golden hair tell the king i did it myself yes � the king would have to be told � something stooping he tried to the pistol from the lifeless hand but the fingers though still warm were on the weapon and he dared not them he was afraid he stood up power again and looked around him his glance fell on the knot of flowers he had noticed in the morning � the great roses � the � tied with their golden ribbon he took them hastily and them down beside her � then watched a little stream of blood running running towards one of the and purest of the roses it reached it stained it � and presently drowned it in a little pool he covered his eyes and staggered backward against the door the evening was growing dark � through the small high window he could see the stars beginning to shine as usual as usual � though was dead that seemed strange putting one hand behind him he cautiously opened the door still keeping his guarded gaze on that huddled heap of clothes and blood and glittering hair which had been i must get home he muttered i have business to attend to as to the city there is much to o much to do for the people the people my god and dead a kind of laughter threatened him he pressed his mouth hard with his hand to choke back this strange struggling passion is dead there she lies i know not who killed her no � no she has killed herself � she said so there she lies poor she will never speak to the people � never comfort them � � never teach them any more � never hold little in her arms and console them � never smile on the sorrowful or cheer the sick � never i love the king she said � and she died for saying it one should not love kings tell the king i did it myself yes � lie still � be at peace � the king shall know soon enough still muttering uneasily to himself he went out always moving backwards � and with a last look at that fallen breathless form of murdered woman shut the door stealthily behind him then stumbling down the stairs he wandered blind and half into the darkening night chapter sailing to the infinite great always come suddenly with the swiftness of lightning they descend upon the world often in the very midst of fancied peace and security � and the grinning of humanity for whom even the idea of a god has but furnished food for are scattered into terror stricken who are forced to for the first time in their lives that whether they believe in or no an evident law of justice exists which may not be outraged with sometimes this law works strangely � one might almost say it sweeps away persons whom we have judged as useful to the community and allows those to remain whom we consider unnecessary but we � all important we � are not allowed to long assert or maintain our petty opinions against this unknown force which makes of all our best and most carefully conceived arrangements for example we are not given any practical reason 