heaven they seem scarcely more than mast high. When that hour was come
my friend tiptoed again to my cheek, and then, pointing to the palace
and laughingly hoping fate would send me a bride "as soft as catkin and
as sweet as honey," slipped away into the darkness.

Then I remembered all on a sudden this was the connubial evening of my
sprightly friends--the occasion when, as An had told me, the Government
constituted itself into a gigantic matrimonial agency, and, with the
cheerful carelessness of the place, shuffled the matrimonial pack anew,
and dealt a fresh hand to all the players. Now I had no wish to avail
myself of a sailor's privilege of a bride in every port, but surely
this game would be interesting enough to see, even if I were but a
disinterested spectator. As a matter of fact I was something more than
that, and had been thinking a good deal of Heru during the day. I do
not know whether I actually aspired to her hand--that were a large order,
even if there had been no suspicion in my mind she was already bespoke in
some vague way by the invisible Hath, most abortive of princes. But she
was undeniably a lovely girl; the more one thought of her the more she
grew upon the fancy, and then the preference she had shown myself was
very gratifying. Yes, I would certainly see this quaint ceremonial,
even if I took no leading part in it.

The great centre hall of the palace was full of a radiant light bringing
up its ruined columns and intruding creepers to the best effect when I
entered. 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 were ranged,
but they looked quaint enough since but two hundred were sitting there,
all brand-new bachelors about to be turned into brand new Benedicts, and
taking it mightily calmly it seemed. Across the hall-top was a raised