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Updated: June 9, 2025
Haguna followed some unseen waymarks with sure step, still tacitly compelling Anthrops to follow her without inquiry. As she sped lightly over the turf, she began to hum a little song: Singing thus, she descended a little hill, and, gliding round its base, disappeared under a thick grape-vine that swung across it from two lofty elms on either side.
The labors of a lifetime were concentrated on a few dazzling results: the long tedium of the means, the painful training, the hard mathematical preparation, the brain-sickness and heart-sickness of these years of solitude were quietly ignored. But it was round Haguna that he plied the most subtle enchantments, to her he exhibited the most glittering decoys of Knowledge.
And had Haguna stepped into a cloud, that so great a change had come over her?
And so that contemplation is pure happiness." Haguna laughed a little, and a little wondered what he meant; then observed, lightly, "You must value yourself very modestly, to consider your greatest happiness to consist in losing your self-consciousness, unless, indeed, like Polycrates, you hope to insure future prosperity by sacrificing your most valuable possession."
So they strayed on and on, in the endless mazes of the forest, till they became entirely separated from their companions, and lost all clue for recovering the path. Anthrops looked in some perplexity at Haguna, to see if she were alarmed at this position of affairs. He was rather surprised to find, that, far from being discouraged, she seemed highly to enjoy the dilemma.
The innate hunger for sacrifice was gratified, with only the definite prospect of suffering from loss of complexion; a concrete living shape was given to the vague longing that possessed her; and she cheerfully marched on, strong in the hope of the love and reverence she was sure her devotion would gain. Ah, sweet Haguna, Haguna! Sweating enough and toil enough already!
"Willingly! willingly!" cried Haguna, impetuously, and pulled a pair of scissors from her pocket to immediately make the beautiful offering. The reluctant philosopher arrested her hand. "Rash girl! consider yet a moment. You are exchanging a treasure whose value you know for you know not what. You will bitterly repent." But Haguna, would not consider.
"I will refer you," said his old instructor, "to my accomplished pupil"; then raising his voice, "Haguna!" Anthrops, startled at hearing her name in such a connection, awaited her entrance with anxious curiosity. She speedily came in obedience to the summons, bowed with an air of grave abstraction to Anthrops, and, seating herself, composedly awaited the commands of her master.
"Dear me!" exclaimed Anthrops; "are souls no bigger than that?" "How do you know how large they are?" laughed Haguna, beginning to weave her hair into a curiously intricate braid. "These are but the vital germs of souls; but I hold them bound as surely by imprisoning these." "But surely every soul is not so weak; all cannot be so cruelly imprisoned." Again she laughed, that strange laugh.
Doubtless, had the waltz been less enticing, or the youth less handsome, or the little anteroom less secluded, Haguna would have rejected the odd assistance. But, as it was, she accepted the jewelled toy, and in a few minutes had dexterously hidden the tiny blade with the thick coils of hair, just leaving the curiously carved face on the hilt to emerge from its shadowy nestling-place.
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