It was only at moments like these I had any time to reflect on mycircumstances or that giddy chance which had shot me into space in thisfashion, and, frankly, the opportunities, when they did come, brought suchan extraordinary de- pressing train of thought, I by no means invited them.

　　Even with the time available the occasion was always awry for suchreflection. These dainty triflers made sulking as impossible amongstthem as philosophy in a ballroom. When I stalked out like that from thelibrary in fine mood to moralise and apostrophise heaven in a way thatwould no doubt have looked fine upon these pages, one sprightly dam-sel,just as the gloomy rhetoric was bursting from my lips, thrust a flowerunder my nose whose scent brought on a violent attack of sneezing, hercompanions joining hands and dancing round me while they imitated myagony. Then, when I burst away from them and rushed down a nar-rowarcade of crumbling mansions, another stopped me in mid-career, andtaking the honey-stick she was sucking from her lips, put it to mine, like apretty, playful child. An- other asked me to dance, another to drink pinkoblivion with her, and so on. How could one lament amongst all thisirritating cheerfulness?

　　An might have helped me, for poor An was intelligent for a Martian,but she had disappeared, and the terrible vacu- ity of life in the planet wasforced upon me when I realised that possessing no cognomen, no fixedaddress, or rating, it would be the merest chance if I ever came across heragain.

　　Looking for my friendly guide and getting more and more at seaamongst a maze of comely but similar faces, I made chance acquaintancewith another of her kind who cheerfully drank my health at theGovernment's expense, and chatted on things Martian. She took me tosee a funeral by way of amusement, and I found these people floated theirdead off on flower-decked rafts instead of burying them, the send-offs alltaking place upon a certain swift-flowing stream, which carried the deadaway into the vast region of northern ice, but more exactly whither myinformant seemed to have no idea. The voyager on this occasion was old,  and this brought to my mind the curious fact that I had observed fewchildren in the city, and no elders, all, except perhaps Hath, being in a stateof sleek youthfulness. My new friend explained the peculiarity bydeclaring Mar- tians ripened with extraordinary rapidity from infancy tothe equivalent of about twenty-five years of age, with us, and thenremained at that period however long they might live; Only when theydied did their accumulated seasons come upon them; the girl turning pale,and wringing her pret- ty hands in sympathetic concern when I told herthere was a land where decrepitude was not so happily postponed. TheMartians, she said, arranged their calendar by the varying colours of theseasons, and loved blue as an antidote to the generally red and rustycharacter of their soil.

　　Discussing such things as these we lightly squandered the day away,and I know of nothing more to note until the evening was come again: thatwonderful purple evening which creeps over the outer worlds at sunset, aseductive darkness gemmed with ten thousand stars riding so low in theheaven they seem scarcely more than mast high. When that hour wascome my friend tiptoed again to my cheek, and then, pointing to the palaceand laughingly hoping fate would send me a bride "as soft as catkin and assweet as honey," slipped away into the darkness.

　　Then I remembered all on a sudden this was the con- nubial evening ofmy sprightly friends--the occasion when, as An had told me, theGovernment constituted itself into a gigantic matrimonial agency, and,with the cheerful care- lessness of the place, shuffled the matrimonial packanew, and dealt a fresh hand to all the players. Now I had no wish toavail myself of a sailor's privilege of a bride in every port, but surely thisgame would be interesting enough to see, even if I were but a disinterestedspectator. As a matter of fact I was something more than that, and hadbeen thinking a good deal of Heru during the day. I do not know whetherI actually aspired to her hand--that were a large order, even if there hadbeen no suspicion in my mind she was already bespoke in some vagueway by the invisible Hath, most abortive of princes. But she wasundeniably a lovely girl; the more one thought of her the more she grewupon the fancy, and then the preference she had shown myself was very  gratifying. Yes, I would certainly see this quaint ceremonial, even if Itook no leading part in it.

　　The great centre hall of the palace was full of a radiant light bringingup its ruined columns and intruding creepers to the best effect when Ientered. Dinner also was just being served, as they would say in another,and alas! very distant place, and the whole building thronged with folk.

　　Down the centre low tables with room for four hundred people wereranged, but they looked quaint enough since but two hundred were sittingthere, all brand-new bachelors about to be turned into brand newBenedicts, and taking it mightily calmly it seemed. Across the hall-topwas a raised table similarly arranged and ornamented; and entering intothe spirit of the thing, and little guessing how stern a reality was to comefrom the evening, I sat down in a vacant place near to the dais, and only afew paces from where the pale, ghost-eyed Hath was already seated.

　　Almost immediately afterwards music began to buzz all about the hall-music of the kind the people loved which always seemed to me as thoughit were exuding from the tables and benches, so disembodied and difficultit was to locate; all the sleepy gallants raised their flower-encircled headsat the same time, seizing their wine-cups, already filled to the brim, andthe door at the bottom of the hall opening, the ladies, preceded by onecarrying a mysterious vase covered with a glittering cloth, came in.

　　Now, being somewhat thirsty, I had already drunk half the wine in mybeaker, and whether it was that draught, drugged as all Martian wines are,or the sheer loveliness of the maids themselves, I cannot say, but as theprocession entered, and, dividing, circled round under the colonnades ofthe hall, a sensation of extraordinary felicity came over me--an emotion ofdivine contentment purged of all gross- ness--and I stared and stared at thecircling loveliness, gos- samer-clad, flower-girdled, tripping by me withvapid de- light. Either the wine was budding in my head, or there waslittle to choose from amongst them, for had any of those ladies sat down inthe vacant place beside me, I should certainly have accepted her as a giftfrom heaven, without question or cavil. But one after another theyslipped by, modestly taking their places in the shadows until at last camePrincess Heru, and at the sight of her my soul was stirred.

　　She came undulating over the white marble, the loveliness of her fairyperson dimmed but scarcely hidden by a robe of softest lawn in colour likerose-petals, her eyes aglitter with excitement and a charming blush uponher face.

　　She came straight up to me, and, resting a dainty hand upon myshoulder, whispered, "Are you come as a spectator only, dear Mr. Jones, ordo you join in our custom tonight?""I came only as a bystander, lady, but the fascination of theopportunity is deadly--""And have you any preference?"--this in the softest little voice fromsomewhere in the nape of my neck. "Strangers sometimes say there arefair women in Seth.""None--till you came; and now, as was said a long time ago, 'All isdross that is not Helen.' Dearest lady," I ran on, detaining her by thefingertips and gazing up into those shy and star-like eyes, "must I indeedput all the hopes your kindness has roused in me these last few days to ashuffle in yonder urn, taking my chance with all these lazy fellows? Inthat land whereof I was, we would not have had it so, we loaded our dicein these matters, a strong man there might have a willing maid though allheaven were set against him! But give me leave, sweet lady, and I willruffle with these fellows; give me a glance and I will barter my life foryour billet when it is drawn, but to stand idly by and see you won by acold chance, I cannot do it."That lady laughed a little and said, "Men make laws, dear Jones, forwomen to keep. It is the rule, and we must not break it." Then, gentlytugging at her imprisoned fingers and gathering up her skirts to go, sheadded, "But it might happen that wit here were better than sword." Thenshe hesitated, and freeing herself at last slipped from my side, yet beforeshe was quite gone half turned again and whispered so low that no one butI could hear it, "A golden pool, and a silver fish, and a line no thicker thana hair!" and before I could beg a meaning of her, had passed down the halland taken a place with the other expectant damsels.

　　"A golden pool," I said to myself, "a silver fish, and a line of hair."What could she mean? Yet that she meant something, and something  clearly of importance, I could not doubt. "A golden pool, and a silverfish--" I buried my chin in my chest and thought deeply but without effectwhile the preparations were made and the fateful urn, each maid havingslipped her name tablet within, was brought down to us, covered in abeautiful web of rose-coloured tissue, and commenced its round, passingslowly from hand to hand as each of those handsome, impassive, fawn-eyed gallants lifted a corner of the web in turn and helped themselves tofate.

　　"A golden pool," I muttered, "and a silver fish"--so ab- sorbed in myown thoughts I hardly noticed the great cup begin its journey, but when ithad gone three or four places the glitter of the lights upon it caught my eye.

　　It was of pure gold, round-brimmed, and circled about with a string of theblue convolvulus, which implies delight to these people. Ay! and eachman was plunging his hand into the dark and taking in his turn a smallnotch-edged mother-of- pearl billet from it that flashed soft and silvery ashe turned it in his hand to read the name engraved in unknown charactersthereon. "Why," I said, with a start, "surely THIS might be the goldenpool and these the silver fish-- but the hair-fine line? And again Imeditated deeply, with all my senses on the watch.

　　Slowly the urn crept round, and as each man took a ticket from it, andpassed it, smiling, to the seneschal behind him, that official read out thename upon it, and a blushing damsel slipped from the crowd above,crossing over to the side of the man with whom chance had thus lightlylinked her for the brief Martian year, and putting her hands in his theykissed before all the company, and sat down to their places at the table ascalmly as country folk might choose partners at a village fair in hay-time.

　　But not so with me. Each time a name was called I started and staredat the drawer in a way which should have filled him with alarm had alarmbeen possible to the peace-soaked triflers, then turned to glance to where,amongst the women, my tender little princess was leaning against a pillar,with drooping head, slowly pulling a con- volvulus bud to pieces. Nonedrew, though all were thinking of her, as I could tell in my fingertips.

　　Keener and keener grew the suspense as name after name was told andeach slim white damsel skipped to the place allotted her. And all the time  I kept muttering to myself about that "golden pool," wondering andwondering until the urn had passed half round the tables and was onlysome three men up from me--and then an idea flashed across my mind.

　　dipped my fingers in the scented water-basin on the table, drying themcarefully on a napkin, and waiting, outwardly as calm as any, yet inwardlywrung by those tremors which beset all male creation in suchcircumstances.

　　And now at last it was my turn. The great urn, blazing golden,through its rosy covering, was in front, and all eyes on me. I clapped asunburnt hand upon its top as though I would take all remaining in it tomyself and stared round at that company--only her herself I durst not lookat! Then, with a beating heart, I lifted a corner of the web and slippedmy hand into the dark inside, muttering to myself as I did so, "A goldenpool, and a silver fish, and a line no thicker than a hair." I touched inturn twenty perplexing tablets and was no whit the wiser, and felt aboutthe sides yet came to nothing, groping here and there with a rising despair,until as my fingers, still damp and fine of touch, went round the sides asecond time, yes! there was some- thing, something in the hollow of thefluting, a thought, a thread, and yet enough. I took it unseen, lifting itwith in- finite forbearance, and the end was weighted, the other tabletsslipped and rattled as from their midst, hanging to that one fine virgin hair,up came a pearly billet. I doubted no longer, but snapped the thread, andshowed the tablet, heard Heru's name, read from it amongst the softapplause of that luxurious company with all the unconcern I could muster.

　　There she was in a moment, lip to lip with me, before them all, hereyes more than ever like planets from her native skies, and only the quickheave of her bosom, slowly subsiding like a ground swell after a storm,remaining to tell that even Martian blood could sometimes beat quickerthan usual! She sat down in her place by me in the simplest way, andsoon everything was as merry as could be. The main meal came on now,and as far as I could see those Martian gallants had extremely goodappetites, though they drank at first but little, wisely remembering thestrength of their wines. As for me, I ate of fishes that never swam inearthly seas, and of strange fowl that never flapped a way through thick  terrestrial air, ate and drank as happy as a king, and falling each momentmore and more in love with the wonderfully beautiful girl at my side whowas a real woman of flesh and blood I knew, yet somehow so dainty, sopink and white, so unlike other girls in the smoothness of her outlines, inthe subtle grace of each unthinking attitude, that again and again I lookedat her over the rim of my tankard half fearing she might dissolve intonothing, being the half-fairy which she was.

　　Presently she asked, "Did that deed of mine, the hair in the urn, offendyou, stranger?""Offend me, lady!" I laughed. "Why, had it been the blackest crimethat ever came out of a perverse imagination it would have brought itsown pardon with it; I, least of all in this room, have least cause to beoffended.""I risked much for you and broke our rules.""Why, no doubt that was so, but 'tis the privilege of your kind to havesome say in this little matter of giving and taking in marriage. I onlymarvel that your countrywomen submit so tamely to the quaintest game ofchance I ever played at.

　　"Ay, and it is women's nature no doubt to keep the laws which othersmake, as you have said yourself. Yet this rule, lady, is one broken withmore credit than kept, and if you have offended no one more than me,your penance is easily done.""But I have offended some one," she said, laying her hand on minewith gentle nervousness in its touch, "one who has the power to hurt, andenough energy to resent. Hath, up there at the cross-table, have Ioffended deeply tonight, for he hoped to have me, and would havecompelled any other man to barter me for the maid chance assigned to him;but of you, somehow, he is afraid--I have seen him staring at you, andchanging colour as though he knew something no one else knows--""Briefly, charming girl," I said, for the wine was be- ginning to sing inmy head, and my eyes were blinking stupidly--"briefly, Hath hath thee not,and there's an end of it. I would spit a score of Haths, as these figs arespit on this golden skewer, before I would relinquish a hair of your head tohim, or to any man," and as everything about the great hall began to look  gauzy and unreal through the gathering fumes of my confusion, I smiledon that gracious lady, and began to whisper I know not what to her, andwhisper and doze, and doze-I know not how long afterwards it was, whether a minute or an hour,but when I lifted my head suddenly from the lady's shoulder all the placewas in confusion, every one upon their feet, the talk and the drinkingceased, and all eyes turned to the far doorway where the curtains were justdropping again as I looked, while in front of them were standing threemen.

　　These newcomers were utterly unlike any others--a fright- ful vision ofugly strength amidst the lolling loveliness all about. Low of stature,broad of shoulder, hairy, deep-chest- ed, with sharp, twinkling eyes, set farback under bushy eyebrows, retreating foreheads, and flat noses in facestan-ned to a dusky copper hue by exposure to every kind of weather thatracks the extreme Martian climate they were so opposite to all about me,so quaint and grim amongst those mild, fair-skinned folk, that at first Ithought they were but a disordered creation of my fancy.

　　I rubbed my eyes and stared and blinked, but no! they were real men,of flesh and blood, and now they had come down with as much statelinessas their bandy legs would admit of, into the full glare of the lights to thecentre table where Hath sat. I saw their splendid apparel, the greatstrings of rudely polished gems hung round their hairy necks and wrists,the cunningly dyed skins of soft-furred animals, green and red and black,wherewith their limbs were swathed, and then I heard some one by mewhisper in a frightened tone, "The envoys from over seas.""Oh," I thought sleepily to myself, "so these are the ape-men of thewestern woods, are they? Those who long ago vanquished my white-skinned friends and yearly come to claim their tribute. Jove, what haythey must have made of them! How those peach-skinned girls must havescreamed and the downy striplings by them felt their dimpled knees knocktogether, as the mad flood of barbarians came pour- ing over from theforest, and long ago stormed their cit-adels like a stream of red lava, asdeadly, as irresistible, as remorseless!" And I lay asprawl upon my armson the table watching them with the stupid indifference I thought I could  so well afford.

　　Meanwhile Hath was on foot, pale and obsequious like others in thepresence of those dread ambassadors, but more collected, I thought.

　　With the deepest bows he welcomed them, handing them drink in a goldenState cup, and when they had drunk (I heard the liquor running down theirgreat throats, in the frightened hush, like water in a runnel on a wet day),they wiped their fierce lips upon their furry sleeves, and the leader beganreciting the tribute for the year. So much corn, so much wine--and verymuch it was--so many thousands ells of cloth and webbing, and so muchhammered gold, and sinah and lar, precious metal of which I knew nothingas yet; and ever as he went growl- ing through the list in his harsh animalvoice, he refreshed his memory with a coloured stick whereon a notch wasmade for every item, the woodmen not having come as yet, apparently, tothe gentler art of written signs and symbols. Longer and longer thatcaravan of unearned wealth stretched out before my fancy, but at last itwas done, or all but done, and the head envoy, passing the painted stick toa man behind, folded his bare, sinewy arms, upon which the red fellbristles as it does upon a gorilla's, across his ample chest, and, includingus all in one general scowl, turned to Hath as he said-"All this for Ar-hap, the wood-king, my master and yours; all this, andthe most beautiful woman here tonight at your tables!""An item," I smiled stupidly to myself, for indeed I was very sleepyand had no nice perception of things, "which shows his majesty with thetwo-pronged name is a jolly fellow after all, and knows wealth isincomplete without the crown and priming of all riches. I wonder howthe Martian boys will like this postscript," and chin on hand, and eyes thatwould hardly stay open, I watched to see what would happen next. Therewas a little conversation between the prince and the ape-man; then I sawHath the traitor point in my direction and say-"Since you ask and will be advised, then, mighty sir, there can be nodoubt of it, the most beautiful woman here tonight is undoubtedly she whosits yonder by him in blue.""A very pretty compliment!" I thought, too dull to see what wascoming quickly, "and handsome of Hath, all things considered."And so I dozed and dozed, and then started, and stared! Was I in mysenses? Was I mad, or dreaming? The drunk- enness dropped from melike a mantle; with a single, smothered cry I came to myself and saw that itwas all too true. The savage envoy had come down the hall at Hath'svindictive prompting, had lifted my fair girl to her feet, and there, even asI looked, had drawn her, white as death, into the red circle of his arm, andwith one hand under her chin had raised her sweet face to within an inchof his, and was staring at her with small, ugly eyes.

　　"Yes," said the enjoy, more interestedly than he had spoken yet, "it willdo; the tribute is accepted--for Ar- hap, my master!" And takingshrinking Heru by the wrist, and laying a heavy hand upon her shoulder,he was about to lead her up the hall.

　　I was sober enough then. I was on foot in an instant, and before allthe glittering company, before those simpering girls and pale Martianyouths, who sat mumbling their fingers, too frightened to lift their eyesfrom off their half-finished dinners, I sprang at the envoy. I struck himwith my clenched fist on the side of his bullet head, and he let go of Heru,who slipped insensible from his hairy chest like a white cloud slippingdown the slopes of a hill at sunrise, and turned on me with a snort of rage.

　　We stared at each other for a minute, and then I felt the wine fumesroaring in my head; I rushed at him and closed. It was like embracing amoun- tain bull, and he responded with a hug that made my ribs crackle.

　　For a minute we were locked together like that, swinging here and there,and then getting a hand loose, I belaboured him so unmercifully that heput his head down, and that was what I wanted. I got a new hold of himas we staggered and plunged, roaring the while like the wild beasts wewere, the teeth chattering in the Martian heads as they watched us, andthen, exerting all my strength, lifted him fairly from his feet and withsupreme effort swung him up, shoulder high, and with a mighty heavehurled him across the tables, flung that ambassador, whom no Martiandared look upon, crashing and sprawling through the gold and silver of thefeast, whirled him round with such a splendid send that bench and trestle,tankards and flagons, chairs and cloths and candelabras all went down intothundering chaos with him, and the envoy only stayed when his sacred  person came to harbour amongst the westral odds and ends, the soiledlinen, and dirty platters of our wedding feast.

　　I remember seeing him there on hands and knees, and then the liquor Ihad had would not be denied. In vain I drew my hands across mydrooping eyelids, in vain I tried to master my knees that knocked together.

　　The spell of the love-drink that Heru, blushing, had held to my lips was onme. Its soft, overwhelming influence rose like a prismatic fog betweenme and my enemy, everything again became hazy and dreamlike, andfeebly calling on Heru, my chin dropped upon my chest, my limbs relaxed,and I slipped down in drowsy oblivion before my rival.