What utter folly, what unheard-of treachery was this? Of the woman I knew nothing definitely beyond that she was betrothed to the new sovereign of the state. Yet from vague allusions dropped by Kalliboas--though Poyning was wrong in stating that Kalliboas had ever mentioned the woman's name in my hearing--I had gathered something regarding her status. There dwelt in the palaces, it seemed, several maidens of the ancient blood royal in its purest. By long tradition they were vowed to take no husband but the reigning prince, who chose from among their number on ascending the throne, and this, as we had seen, happened recently at the time of the abdication ceremony. The rest would now remain true to a vow of celibacy till a new prince succeeded. How the line was maintained, or what happened to these maidens with their advancing years I never discovered, though I suspect there was a mystery enshrouding them more amazing than any other in all this amazing land, and that by some wizard tampering with what we regard as nature's laws they preserved their youth far beyond the span given to mortal women. But now, with this woman newly betrothed, or it may have been wedded--the exact force of the union I didn't know--to the man we had called Philipson, and indulging a secret passion with Poyning--a mere adventurer like myself--I could see nothing ahead of us but certain destruction, from which it would be equally futile and monstrous to expect the Prince to save us. I was so staggered by what I had seen that I even forgot the need of concealment; and when, some minutes later, Poyning made his retreat by the way he had come, he almost fell on me. He recoiled in astonishment, and something he was carrying tinkled to the ground. 'Mirlees!' he gasped. 'What are you after here?' 'I ought to ask you that,' I retorted. 'Good God, man, d'you want to ruin the pair of us?' 'I see,' he almost sneered. 'My coming here is likely to run you into danger too. Is that the reason you thought it worth while to spy on me?' 'Not altogether,' I said, keeping my temper with difficulty. 'You were followed from the house by one of our servants. I followed him, to see what he was up to. I thought it was him I'd tracked here. Not until I got to the top of that wall did I see it was you. And I'd give a good deal _not_ to have seen what I've seen to-night.' 'Really? I don't understand how it concerns you.' 'Good God!' I cried hotly. 'I should have thought Philipson was worth a little better treatment than that. He's kept pretty much on the square with us--' 'Philipson? What's he to do with it?' '_What!_ If a man I'd thought my friend fooled around with _my_ wife--' 'Wife? You're mistaken, Mirlees. The lady I've just left is not Philipson's wife.' 'Huh! Affianced wife, then. What's the use in quibbling?' 'She is not even that.' 'D'you mean to tell me we didn't see him betrothed to her?'