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"Ah, now," said Sarthia to herself resolutely, at this point

turning away from the vision, "now I understand it all," and with

a feeling of amaze at her newly-attained clairvoyance she fell

into a deep and refreshing sleep.

CHAPTER II.

IN THE PRESENCE OF THE HIEROPHANT.

With the first waking moments a sharp pang recalled to Sarthia

the vision and its revealments of the previous night. But her

mind had fully recovered its philosophic tone and she proceeded

about her customary routine of duties, calm and firm, and, as is

often the case, in view of some inevitable and stupendous

catastrophy close at hand, life only seemed larger, more

intensely real. So, when later in the day she received summons to

meet the great Hierophant and High Priest, what, at any other

time, would have seemed a most momentous event, appeared now only

in the light of the expected and necessary.