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And now the men of the tribe, and the women, and the children, came running, and with shrieks to Morven's house, crying: "Behold the river has burst upon us! Save us, O ruler of the stars!" Then the sudden thought broke upon Morven and he resolved to risk his fate upon one desperate scheme.
And Morven built altars in the temple, and was the first who, in the North, sacrificed the beast and the bird, and afterwards human flesh, upon the altars. And he drew auguries from the entrails of the victim, and made schools for the science of the prophet; and Morven's piety was the wonder of the tribe, in that he refused to be a king.
Grey, gaunt and worn, as some mighty bones that are dug at times from the bosom of the earth a relic of the strength of old. And the king said, faintly, and with a ghastly laugh: "The men of my years fare ill. What avails my strength? Better had I been born a cripple like thee, so should I have had nothing to lament in growing old." The red flash passed over Morven's brow; but he bent humbly
"He taketh from me the affection of my people," said Siror, "and blindeth them with lies. And since he hath made me king, what if he take my kingdom from me? Verily, a new tale of the stars might undo the old." And the king had ordered her to keep watch on Morven's secrecy, and to see whether truth was in him when he boasted of his commune with the Powers of Night.
"Behold," cried Morven in a loud voice, "behold your king!" "Hail, all hail the king!" shouted the people. "All hail the chosen of the stars!" Then Morven lifted his right hand, and the hawk left the prince, and alighted on Morven's shoulder. "Bird of the gods!" said he, reverently, "hast thou not a secret message for my ear?"
This was done out of favour to the young count, who did not wish to have his family name tainted by a public execution, or their being confined like convicts. The count and countess quitted Hungary, and settled in Italy, where they lived upon the remains of the Count of Morven's property, shorn of all their splendour but enough to keep them from being compelled to do any menial office.
Now, in his latter years, there arose OTHER prophets; for the world had grown wiser even by Morven's wisdom, and some did say unto themselves: "Behold Morven, the herdsman's son, is a king of kings: this did the stars for their servant; shall we not, therefore, be also servants to the star?" And they wore black garments like Morven, and went about prophesying of what the stars foretold them.
"Gated?" echoed the girl an evident newcomer to the realm of showdom. "Yes, Miss," expounded the groom. "'Gated' means 'shown the gate. Some judges thins out a class that way, by sending the poorest dogs out of the ring first. Then again, some judges " "Oh, I'm glad I wore this dress!" sighed the girl. "It goes so well with Morven's color. Perhaps the judge "
Why did I follow Ossian over Morven's battle-fields, exulting in the vulture-screams of the blind scald over his fallen enemies? Still later, why did the newspapers furnish me with subjects for hero-worship in the half-demented Sir Gregor McGregor, and Ypsilanti at the head of his knavish Greeks?
And going out of Darvan's chamber, he returned to his wife, and bade her hair, and go at the dawn of day to the king, her brother, and complain bitterly of Morven's treatment, and pluck the black schemes from the breast of the king. "For surely," said he, "Darvan hath lied to thy brother, and some evil awaits me that I would fain know."
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