Arisuga rose on his elbow to look at her.
"What have I said to cause such sorrow?" he wondered. "Let me see. It was about your hands and voice and eyes."
"Yes!" cried mistress and maid together.
But it was the maid who went on:—
"And you must not, mighty lord. You must not find any beauty in my mistress's eyes and hands and voice. None anywhere. It is evil for both you and her!"
"Who said I found any beauty there?" smiled Arisuga, languidly.
"There is a secret, lord—" the maid went on in a frenzy.
But Star-Dream, suddenly grasping the place of her heart with both hands, cried out to the maid, as if she were desperately wounded:—
"Go, go, go, little foul beast! What do you do here? Who called you? Go!"
The maid disappeared like a spirit. Star-Dream found herself upon her feet, still gasping with ecstasy and terror together. Then she at last turned slowly toward the bed and smiled a sick mechanical smile.