“Sweeten as thy appetite dictates,” he continued, as he handed the cup to his visitor. “And may the Father of All Mysteries attend thy ventures in the future.” Yermah arranged his disordered locks, and then nestled down beside Akaza in a caressing boyish fashion. It was plain that he had something on his mind. Finally, with considerable hesitation, he broke the silence by asking: “Will the unbridled license of my tongue to-day count against me with the Brotherhood?” His open countenance clearly showed what he feared. “Only emotional natures make acceptable bearers of the Light,” responded Akaza. “A mean, starved love nature is never an acceptable sacrifice, nor can such an one be an ideal for other men.” A troubled, hunted look overspread Akaza’s face, but Yermah’s gaze was bent on the horoscope, under the full glare of the lamp, and he did not notice it. He sighed contentedly when Akaza finished speaking, and for several minutes he tried to discern the meaning of the map. “The portent of thy words concerning our fatherland lingers with me. Was it thy purpose to share thy knowledge with me?” He looked up with a winning smile, and caught Akaza’s eyes fixed upon him in undisguised admiration. The lamplight brought out the sheen of his yellow hair, lying damp and wavy upon his shoulders, and the pointed beard was short enough to show his muscular white throat where the purple robe fell away, minus its jeweled gorget. A strawberry cleverly imitated in enamel, suspended from a gold chain around his neck had slipped out from the folds of his robe and dangled toward the table at which both were seated. Akaza pointed to it with a smile. He instinctively refrained from touching it, thinking it might be a cherished memento. As it lay on the palm of Yermah’s hand, he took note of the inscription: _With all my heart._ Yermah saw it too, and pressing the words to his lips, slipped the trinket into his bosom. “Now,” said Akaza, mindful of the movement, “lend thy attention, and I shall tell thee what the stars indicate is in store for our beloved country. First, let me make plain the signification of these figures,” he continued, using the ivory caduceus as a pointer. “The great band, or circle, of the zodiac represents the circumference of the universe, which contains the essence of creation. It is the cosmic egg, holding the germ within itself. The center of the zodiacal ring is the sun, the former representing the casket, the latter the jewel. “So is it with the physical form,” continued the hierophant. “It is not the mind, but that which contains it. Suppose we consider the motion of this dot within the circle when Desire has energized its movement. First a ray will shoot out in one direction, and another in an opposite direction, forming four angles constituting the four elements—hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen.”