"Neither are we," I told her. "Eh? Not dead?" She came closer. "Let me see your eyes. No, they do not look like dead eyes; but they say that Skor has found some foul way in which to put a false light of life into dead eyes." "We are not dead," I insisted. "Then what are you doing in Kormor? I thought that I knew all of the living men and women here, and I do not know you. Are the women alive too?" "Yes, we are all alive." I thought quickly. I wondered if I might trust her with our secret and seek her aid. She evidently hated Skor, and we were already in her power if she wished to denounce us. I felt that we could not be much worse off in any event. "We were prisoners of Skor. We escaped. We want to get out of the city. We are at your mercy. Will you help us?--or will you turn us over to Skor?" "I won't turn you over to Skor," she snapped. "I wouldn't turn a dead mistal over to that fiend; but I don't know how I can help you. You can't get out of Kormor. The dead sentries along the wall never sleep." "I got into Kormor without being seen by a sentry," I said. "If I could only find the house I could get out again." "What house?" she demanded. "The house at the end of the tunnel that runs under Gerlat kum Rov to Havatoo." "A tunnel to Havatoo! I never heard of such a thing. Are you sure?" "I came through it last night." She shook her head. "None of us ever heard of it--and if we who live here cannot find it, how could you, a stranger, hope to? But I'll help as much as I can. At least I can hide you and give you food. We always help one another here in Kormor, we who are alive." "There are other living people in Kormor?" I asked. "A few," she replied. "Skor has not succeeded in hunting us all down yet. We live a mean life, always hiding; but it is life. If he found us he would make us like those others." The old woman came closer. "I cannot believe that you are alive," she said. "Perhaps you are tricking me." She touched my face, and then ran her palms over the upper part of my body. "You are warm," she said, and then she felt my pulse. "Yes, you are alive." Similarly she examined Duare and Nalte, and at last she was convinced that we had told her the truth. "Come," she said, "I will take you to a better place than this. You will be more comfortable. I do not use this house very often." She led us down stairs and out into a yard at the rear of which stood another house. It was a mean house, poorly furnished. She took us into a back room and told us to remain there. "I suppose you want food," she said. "And water," added Nalte. "I have had none since yesterday evening." "You poor thing," said the old woman. "I'll get it for you. How young and pretty you are. Once I was young and pretty too." "Why have you aged?" I asked. "I thought that all the people of Amtor held the secret of longevity."