The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-04-02
(Continued.i

| "Perchance thou wilt seek another helper, Maiden, and perchance thou shalt find another to guard and com fort thee. Follow thy heart, obey thy heart and remember the last words or Nya-that no harm shall come to thee. | Nay-if I know it. I may tell thee no | more, thou who, couldst not hear what the drums said to me but now. Fare | we'll" and turning round she made sign to certain dwarf-mutes who were gathered behind her as though they I awaited her commands.
 | Hast thou no last word for me, 1 Mother?" asked Noie 1 Ave Child" she answered. Thy
 heart is very bold, and thou also must
 follow it. Though thy sin should be | great, perchance thy greater love may
 pay it's price. At least thou art put an | arrow set upon the string, and that | which must be, will be. I think that
 we shall meet again ere long. Come | hither and kneel at my side" { Noie obeyed, and for little space | Nya whispered in her ear, while as | she listened Rachel saw strange lights | shining in Noie's eyes. lights or terror
 and of pride. lights of hope and or ' despair.
 | What did she say to you. Noie?" l asked Rachel presently.
 1 "I may not tell Zoola," she answer
 ed. Question me no more.
 Now the mutes brought forward | slight litter woven of boughs on which l the withered leaves still hung, boughs
 from Nya's fallen tree. In this litter | l CT walk, and lifted it on to their
 shoulders. For one moment she bade | them halt, and calling Rachel and Noie
 to her. kissed them upon the brow. | holding up her thin chiidlike hands | over them in blessing. Then followed by them both, the bearers went for | ward with their burden. taking the road that ran up the hill towards the sacred tree. As the sun set they pass- | ed within the Fence. and laying down
 the litter without word by the bole | of the tree. turned and departed | The darkness fell, and through 1t
 Rachel and Noie heard Nya singing for little while. The song ceased,
 and they descended the hill to the cave
 for there they feared to stay lest the
 Tree should draw them also. They ate
 little food whilst the two women 1 mutes who had sat on each side or Nya when she showed her magic. stared, now at them and now into the bowls of dew that were set before | them, wherein they seemed to find something that interested them much | Noie prayed Rachel to sleep. and she | hour after hour she tossed and turned. ana at length sat up, saying to Nofe: T have fought against it, and can
 stay here no longer. Noie. am being drawn from this place out into the forest and I must go."
 What draws thee, SiSter? asked Noie. 'Ts it Eddo?"
 "No. think not. nothing to do with
 Eddo. Oh! Noie, Noie, it is the spirit of Richard Darrien. He is dead, but for days and weeks his spirit has been with my spirit, and now it draws me into the forest to die and find him." Then that is an evil Journey thou wouldst take, ZOola?
 Not so, Noie, it is the best and hap piest of journeys. The thought of it fills me with joy. What said Nya? Follow thy heart. So follow it. Noie. farewell. for must go away. Nay answered Noie. eff thou goest go, who also was bidden to
 follow my heart that is sister to thy heart"
 Rachel reasoned with her. but she would not listen. The end of it was
 that the two. of them rose and threw on their cloaks: also Rachel took the great Umkulu spear which she had used as stan on her journey from the desert to the forest. All this while the dwarf-women watched her, but did nothing, only watched.
 They left the cave and walked to the mouth of the zig-zag slit in the great wall which was open.
 Perhaps the mutes will kill us in the heart of the wall" said Noie. eff so the end will be soon ana swift" answered Rachel.
 Now they were in the cleft, following it's slopes and windings- Above them they could hear the movements Of the guardians of the wall who sat amongst the rough stones. but these did not try
 to stop them: indeed once or tw;ce
  to turn in the darkness, little hands took hold of RachePs cloak and guided her. So they passed through the wall in safety. Outside of it Rachel paused a. moment, looking this way and that. Then of a sudden she turned. and walked swiftly towards the south. It was dark. densely dark in the for est yet she never seemed to lose her path. Holding Noie by the hand she wound in and out between the tree
 trunks without stumbling or even
 striking her foot against root For
 an hour or more they walked on this.
 the strangest of strange journeys, till l. at length Rachel whispered:
 something tells me to stay here"
 and she leaned against tree and
 stayed, while Noie, who was tired sat down between the jutting roots of the tree.
 1t was dead tree, and the top of it
 had been torn off in some hurricane so that they could see the sky above them. and by the grey hue of it knew that it was drawing near to dawn The sun rose. and it's arrows. that even at midday could never pass the
 canopy of foliage. shot straight and
 vivid between the tall bare trunks.
 Oh! Rachel knew the place. It was that place which she had dreamed of
 as a child in the island of the flooded
 river. Just so had the light of the
 rising sun fallen on the boles of the
 great trees. and on her white cloak
 and out-spread hair, fallen on her and
 on another. She strained here eyeG inA
 to the gloom. Now, those rays pierced it also. and now by them she saw the
 yellow-bearded. half-naked man of
 that long-dead dream leaning against
 the tree. His eyes were shut, without
 doubt he was dead. this was but
 vision of him who had drawn her hith- CT to share his death- It was the spirit of Richard Darrieni She drew a little nearer, and the eyes opened, gazing at her. Also from that
 form of his was cast long shadow
 there it lay upon the dead leaves. How
 came it, she wondered. that spirit
 could throw a shadow. and why was
 a spirit bound to tree. as now she perceived he was? He saw her. and
 in those grey eyes of his there came wonderful look. He spoke You have drawn me from far Ra- cl1el, but I have never seen all of you
 before only your face floating in the
 air before me. although others saw