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He was sitting quite still, in a perfectly composed attitude, a faint, derisive smile played on his lips, . . his profile, as it just then appeared, had the firmness and the pure soft outline of a delicately finished cameo, . . his splendid eyes now darkened, now lightened with passion, as he gazed at Lysia, who, all alone in the centre of the Shrine, held her ebony staff as perpendicularly erect as though it were a tree rooted fathoms deep in earth, keeping herself too as motionless as a figure of frozen snow.
While she pronounced these words, the golden grating ascended gradually inch by inch, with the steady clank as of the upward winding of a chain, and when she ceased, there came a mysterious, rustling, slippery sound, suggestive of some creeping thing forcing its way through wet and tangled grass, or over dead leaves, . . one instant more, and a huge Serpent a species of python some ten feet in length glided through the round aperture made by the lifted bars, and writhed itself slowly along the marble pavement straight to where Lysia stood.
Nir-jalis heeded him not. His eyes were fixed on Lysia, like the eyes of a tortured animal who vainly seeks for mercy at the hand of its destroyer.
At the sound of the jangling chime four negresses appeared goblin creatures that looked as though they had suddenly sprung from some sooty, subterranean region of gnomes and humbly prostrating themselves before Lysia, kissed the ground at her feet.
Fortunately no one appeared to notice Theos's deliberate non- observance of the homage due to her, no one except.. Lysia, herself.
For had not the crazed Prophet called Lysia an "unvirgined virgin and Queen- Courtesan"? ... and, according to Sah-luma's present explanation, nothing more dire and offensive in the way of open blasphemy could be uttered! Yet the question still remained , was Khosrul right or wrong?
His grief for her death had been a mere transient emotion, . . his stronger earthly passions re-asserted their tempestuous sway, and for sweet things perished and gone to heaven he had no further care. On Lysia, and on Lysia's living beauty alone, his eyes flamed their ardent glory.
To leave me forever, as she says, is out of her power, for I will demand her back at the hands of Lysia or the King, and no demand of mine has ever been refused. Moreover, with Lysia's aid, her hiding-place is soon and easily discovered!"
Lysia paid no further heed to his evident discomfiture; bidding Sah-luma and Theos follow her, she descended the few steps that led from the raised platform into the body of the brilliant hall; the rocky screen of amethyst closed behind her as noiselessly as it had opened, and in another moment she stood among her assembled guests, who at once surrounded her with eager salutations and gracefully worded flatteries.
Theos stared upon him amazed and bewildered, . . how came he there? Had he heard any of the conversation that had just passed between Lysia and himself? ... Apparently not, . . he seemed bound as by chains in a stirless lethargy.
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