CHAPTER XVIII
THE THIRD ORDEAL
An hour, two hours passed, while we strove to rest in our sleeping
place, but could not, for some influence disturbed us.
"Why does not Ayesha come?" asked Leo at length, pausing in his walk up
and down the room. "I want to see her again; I cannot bear to be apart
from her. I feel as though she were drawing me to her."
"How can I tell you? Ask Oros; he is outside the door."
So he went and asked him, but Oros only smiled, and answered that the
Hesea had not entered her chamber, so doubtless she must still remain in
the Sanctuary.
"Then I am going to look for her. Come, Oros, and you too, Horace."
Oros bowed, but declined, saying that he was bidden to bide at our door,
adding that we, "to whom all the paths were open," could return to the
Sanctuary if we thought well.
"I do think well," replied Leo sharply. "Will you come, Horace, or shall
I go without you?"
I hesitated. The Sanctuary was a public place, it is true, but Ayesha
had said that she desired to be alone there for awhile. Without more
words, however, Leo shrugged his shoulders and started.
"You will never find your way," I said, and followed him.
We went down the long passages that were dimly lighted with lamps and
came to the gallery. Here we found no lamps; still we groped our way
to the great wooden doors.
Pages:
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322