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"'Fool he who heeds a woman's tears, to woman's tongue replies; Fool she who braves man's hand but when was man or woman wise?" Here Zulve came to the door and made a sign to her husband. Waiting courteously to ascertain that I had finished speaking, and until his son had somewhat ceremoniously taken leave of me, he led me to the door of a chamber next to that I had hitherto occupied.
"Before you enter on that subject," interposed Zulve timidly for it is most unusual for a lady to interfere in her husband's conversation, much more to offer a suggestion or correction but yet earnestly, "let me say, on my own part, what I am sure you must have said already on yours.
I scarcely remember anything, till a chest of gold, bearing the cipher which though seldom seen I knew so well, was placed in my hands. I turned to Zulve, and to Ergimo, who stood beside her. "Have you need of me?" I said. "If I can serve her house I will remain willingly, and as long as I can help or comfort." "No," replied Ergimo; for Zulve could not speak.
Then bending so as to avert her face, she unclasped her embroidered sandal and gave it into my hand; "and this is what, I suppose, you would call its sanction." "There is more to be said for the sandal than I supposed, bambina, if it have helped to make you what you are. But you may tell Zulve that its work and hers are done."
"He is no brother of theirs," said Zulve, the mistress of the house. "You would hardly find in any family like ours a child with so irritable a temper or a disposition so selfish, and nowhere a creature so hardly treated by Nature in body as well as mind." "Indeed," I said, hardly understanding her answer. "No," said my host.
However, a silence of surprise was it of reluctance? followed, and then Zulve bent over her daughter and looked into her half-averted face, while Esmo answered "What you should ask I promised to give; what you have asked I give, in so far as it is mine to give, in willing fulfilment of my pledge. But, of course, what I can give is but my free permission to my daughter to answer for herself.
"The household of Clavelta are safe and honoured henceforth as no other in the land. Something we must ask of him who is, at any rate for the present, the head of this household, and the representative of the Founder's lineage. But the Order cannot remain headless." Here Zulve, approaching, gave into my hand the Signet unclasped from her husband's arm ere the coffer was closed upon his form.
Utilitarianism has extinguished in Mars the use of compliment and circumlocution; and until I concluded, their looks of mild perplexity showed that neither Zulve nor her husband caught my purpose. I fancied for, not daring to look them in the face, I had turned my downcast glance on Eveena that she had perhaps somewhat sooner divined the object of my thoughts.
Esmo, at this alarming incident, displayed his usual calm resolve. He ordered that carriages sufficient to convey some twenty-four of the brethren should be instantly collected, and announced his resolve to escort us at once to the Astronaut. Before five minutes had elapsed from the destruction of the balloon, Zulve and the rest of the family had taken leave of Eveena and myself.
Zulve then looked up, for Eveena had hidden her face in her mother's robe, and said "If my child will not speak for herself I must speak for her, and in my own name and in hers I fulfil her father's promise.
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