"But are you then on the way to the Radiant City?"
"Certainly not," she cried, "I do not look like a pilgrim, do I?"
Amer looked at her. Her eyes were full of mocking merriment and her mouth was hard and satirical. He was at once aware that there was no mark of the King upon her brow.
"I want you to come back with me," she said, "surely you must be tired of your journey by this time, and we are tired of being without you. I miss you more than I thought I should."
Amer standing looking upon her felt his old love for her welling up in his heart. He had tried to put the thought of her away from him for long, as he found that whenever he indulged in idle dreamings the enemy took advantage of him, specially a very formidable enemy named Jealousy, whom he had met more than once. He had imagined that by this time Gabrielle had forgotten him, and he had done all he could to banish her from his thoughts. But now that she stood before him in her beauty, notwithstanding the new look in her eyes and a certain hardness about the mouth, he found his love for her was still as strong as ever.
"Come back, dear Amer," she said, holding out her hands to him, "give up the Radiant City."
"You ask an impossible thing," he answered looking at her steadily.
The very fact of his determination made her feel that he was all the more worth winning.
"Have you forgotten the day," she said softly, "when you told me that I should be your Radiant City?"
Amer turned pale.