With a cry, Father Renaudin started to his feet, speechless; he shook his head at them, looking with terrified gaze from an ashen, livid face. Then he clasped his hands to his eyes. “Not this, oh, God, not this! Not Rondah, not Rondah, who has no strength!” His utterance was slow and stifled; he fell senseless upon the floor. Cold yet from horror, Regan raised him to the couch and, fearing the words of his return to consciousness, he sent Rondah into another apartment. When, after some time, Father Renaudin recovered, he looked where she had stood, and, finding her gone, said to Regan: “Never, never leave her! Watch! A doom is upon her! Oh, there are no prayers of mine, or deeds of yours which can avert it! Only do not leave her! To reveal more I am forbidden!” If it had not been that it was impossible, Regan would have killed him for those last words; but he knew it could not be done. Smothering his futile anger, he turned his dreadful eyes away, with curses of mad rage in his heart because his teacher was so fanatically given to mysteries and silence; he asked quietly: “Was it Gregg Dempster who stood on the cliff?” “No! Gregg Dempster has been removed to another sphere, years removed! His influence, too, is gone! We must hope for no further help from him! As humanity fights, we must fight out our own fate! No! It was not Gregg Dempster who stood on the cliff!” CHAPTER XVIII. THE SUN ISLAND. “If there be safety for Rondah anywhere, it is on that island! I must find means to reach it!” This was Regan’s final decision, the only salvation which he could imagine. Before the bird people slept he ordered the construction of a small, strong stone house, with two great cellars stored with fuel, food and oil. This was built as near the island as possible. The glow of brightness made continual day around it, but warmth hardly penetrated the impassable wall in the air. It was months before this was done; a faint twilight was the only day on the star; the breezes were cold and dry; the sea was partly frozen, many of the ravines snow-leveled. Hundreds of the bird people were already asleep. The winter’s fate might depend on a day’s time. Regan went to the house by the Sun Island to see if it were ready. Father Renaudin remained to protect Rondah. The doors were fastened and the windows chained, and the shutters had been almost all permanently locked for the winter. A few windows of triple glass were left uncovered for light. After Regan had gone, there came upon the terrace a strange, the same one whom Rondah had seen upon the cliffs, a grand and majestic man; his golden hair fell in curls about his shoulders; his face was like tinted alabaster, his eyes superb in beauty and brilliancy; his powerful, tall form was wrapped in a singular cloak of emerald and gold sheen.