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I had supposed thewould be the final one of the day, and the thought must have been reflected in ht, when the ht," Thea said "Someone will be sent to fetch you" Then she quoted a scrap of verse:

"Dine at dawn to open your eyes,

Dine at noon that you be strong

Dine at eve, and then talk long,

Dine by night, if you'd be wise"

"But now my servant Chuniald will take you to a place where you can rest for your journey"

The man, who had been silent until now, stood and said, "Come with me"

I told Thea, "I would speak with you, Chatelaine, e havethat concerns your schoolmate"

She saw that I was serious in what I said, and I saw that she had seen Then we followed Chuniald through the trees for a distance, I suppose, of a league or rassy bank beside a stream "Wait here," he said "Sleep if you can No one will come until after dark"

I asked, "What if ere to leave?"

"There are those all through this ho know our liege's will concerning you," he said, and turning on his heel, walked away

Then I told Jonas what I had seen beside the opened grave, just as I have written it here

"I see," he remarked when I was finished, "why you will join this Vodalus But you must realize that I am your friend, not his What I desire is to find the woo to Thrax and begin a new life in exile, and to wipe out the stain you say you have h I confess I don't understand how such a thing can be stained - and to find the woia while returning so we both know of to the wo by the tih you remind me of the old man's kestrel, that sat on a perch for twenty years and then flew off in all directions, I hope you achieve these things But I trust you realize that it is possible - just barely possible, perhaps, but possible - that one or two of theet in the way of four or five of the others"

"What you're saying is very true," I adh you won't credit it, I ath and as much of my attention as can be of any benefit to all of theht My divided ambitions have landed me in no better place than the shade of this tree, where I ale-minded pursuit of one all-powerful objectivelook where you are"

In such talk we passed the watches of late afternoon Birds twittered overhead, and it was very pleasant to have such a friend as Jonas, loyal, reasonable, tactful, and filled isdom, humor, and prudence At that time I had no hint of his history, but I sensed that he was being less than candid about his background, and I sought, without venturing direct questions, to draw hiht I did) that his father had been a craftsman; that he had been raised by both parents in what he called the usual way, though it is, in fact, rather rare; and that his home had been a seacoast town in the south, but that when he had last visited it he had found it so ed that he had no desire to remain

From his appearance, when I had first encountered him beside the Wall, I had supposed him to be about ten years my elder From what he said now (and to a lesser extent from some earlier talks we had had) I decided he ood deal of the chronicles of the past, and I was still too naive and unlettered iven e could have done so He had a slightly cynical detachreat deal of the world

We were still talking when I gli the trees soed Jonas, and we fell silent to watch her She was co seen us, so that shedirections At tiht fell upon her face, which, if it chanced to be in profile, suggested Thecla's so strongly that the sight of it seemed to tear at my chest She had Thecla's walk as well, the proud phororhacos stalk that should never have been caged

"It must be a truly ancient family," I whispered to Jonas "Look at her! Like a dryad It "

"Those ancient families are the newest of all," he answered "In ancient ti like theh to make out our words, but she seemed to hear his voice, and looked toward us We waved and she quickened her pace, not running yet coth of her stride We stood, then sat again when she had reached us and seated herself upon her scarf with her face toward the brook

"You said you had so to tell me about my sister?" Her voice made her seem less formidable, and seated she was hardly taller than we

"I was her last friend," I said "She told ive himself up to save her Did you know she was imprisoned?"

"Were you her servant?" Thea seeh me with her eyes "Yes, I heard they took her to that horrible place in the slums of Nessus, where I understand she died very quickly"

I thought of the ti outside Thecla's door before the scarlet thread of blood ca from under it, but I nodded "Hoas she arrested - do you know?"

Thecla had told ot the

"I see," Thea said, and was silent for awater "I haveabout those people and that business ofher with a tapestry - that's so very characteristic - calls up the reasons I left it"

"I think she missed it soreat deal But she told o back She spoke about the country house from which she took her title, and told ive dinners there for the leading persons of the region, and hunt"

Thea's face twisted in a bitter s now for ten lifetimes But when Vodalus is Autarch, I will be his consort Then I shall walk beside the Well of Orchids again, this tihters of fifty exultants in h of that; it is some months off at least For the present I have - what I have"

She looked so by a gesture that ere to re now of my half-sister That house you spoke of is h I can't claim it To recompense you, I warn you of the supper ill soon share You didn't see you Did you understand the, I shook my head