I have never spent such long and bitter hours as those while I was awaiting the return of Ero Shan. Never before had I felt so helpless and hopeless in the face of an emergency. Had these been ordinary men with whom I had to deal, I might have seen somewhere a ray of hope, but there was none here. Their uprightness precluded the possibility that I might influence even a minor guard by bribery; they could not be moved by an appeal to sentiment; the cold, hard logic of their reasoning left their minds impregnable fortresses of conviction that it was useless to assail. I have said that I was hopeless, but that was not entirely true. Upon what my hope fed I do not know, but it seemed so impossible to believe that Duare was to be destroyed that my mind must in some slight measure have been stunned. * * * * * It was dark before Ero Shan returned. I could read neither hope nor despair in his expression as he entered the room where I had finally gone to await him. He appeared very serious and very tired. "Well?" I demanded. "What is the verdict?" "I had a hard time of it," he said. "I had to go all the way up to the Sanjong, but at last I got permission for you to visit her." "Where is she? When may I see her?" "I will take you to her now," he replied. After we entered his car I asked him how he had accomplished it. "I finally took Nalte with me," he replied. "She knew more about you and all that you and Duare have passed through together than any one else in Havatoo. For a while I almost thought that she was going to persuade the Sanjong to reverse the verdict against Duare, and it was solely through her appeal that they at last gave their consent to this last meeting. "I learned a great deal about you and Duare from Nalte, much more than you have ever told me; and I learned something else." "What was that?" I asked as he paused. "I learned that I love Nalte," he replied. "And did you learn that she loves you?" "Yes. Were it not for your unhappiness I should be quite the happiest man in Havatoo to-night. But what made you think that Nalte loved me?" "She told me so." "And you did not tell me?" he asked reproachfully. "I could not," I replied, "until after I knew that you loved her." "I suppose not. She told me that you were planning on taking her back to Andoo; but now that won't be necessary--she seems quite content to remain in Havatoo." We had been driving along the Korgan Lat toward the stadium, and now Ero Shan turned into a side street and stopped before a small house. "Here we are," he said. "This is the house of Hara Es, in whose charge Duare has been placed. Hara Es is expecting you. I shall wait out here. You are to be allowed to remain with Duare for five vir." Five vir are a little over twenty minutes of earth time. It seemed all too short, but it was better than nothing. I went to the door of the house, and in answer to my summons Hara Es admitted me.