“Forgive me, King,” said the priest. “I had but your interest at heart and thought only of you when I spoke; but I could not suspicion you of fostering such thoughts unless encouraged by some one. And I could not suspicion any of our people, for they have too great a reverence for our holy laws to ever speak on such subjects. Then, who could I think of but they of the fair skin? But I was wrong, forgive me.”
“No, it has been nature itself, this strong vital power which permeates my being, which has prompted the thoughts. I cannot be held responsible for these thoughts, but only for nurturing them, and allowing them to influence me in doing wrong. It has not reached this point yet and it never shall. If I am weak in the body I am strong here,” and Onrai tapped his forehead.
“Now, you are the Onrai I have known since a boy,” said the priest. “But Onrai be careful; guard against temptation, as our sacred writing commands us to do. Come to me and tell me if you are again tempted; I have never had such thoughts as yours and I can better counsel and advise you. And if others should hear you vent such thoughts, the whole populace would soon know it and the end would be death. Let me again admonish you, my King, to fortify your mind against such temptations. If certain ones create such thoughts, go not near them,” and the priest, with this advice, left him.
Onrai walked down the main hall of the Temple, his mind trying to throw from it the gloomy thoughts which the priest’s negative assertion had raised. So the hope, which sprung into being when he saw Enola’s innocence, could not be cherished; the fulfilment of it could never be realized. The thought was maddening and Onrai groaned aloud in his fearful agony.
“God help me in this struggle,” he cried, “is it sin, can it be sin, this longing to be like other men, be allowed to take unto myself a wife? I cannot believe that it is, but the law says “No,” and I, with every impulse fighting against it, must comply.”
He now left the Temple and walked down the broad avenue. Word had gone forth that the King would speak at the large open square, and crowds who had seen the King come to the city had now, with their friends gathered and were waiting with those same wonder-depicting countenances, for the King to come and tell them why the strange storm had come and ruined the Land of On. Walking straight to the fountain, Onrai mounted the dais and glancing about him for a moment at the hushed, bewildered Onians, said:
“It has pleased our great God to give us a warning; this warning admonishes us to be careful, watchful and diligent. If any among you have sinned or are sinning, this fearful storm tells you to turn from the evil of your ways; if you have intentions of sinning, it speaks to you a warning, but I cannot believe that my people are sinning. I look among you to-day and see not one guilty face. You are bewildered, in wonderment, but this is not guilt. It can be a warning to us of some disastrous event which may visit our fair land. It may be that it will all be revealed to us later, but let us not be worried, but obeying the laws, go on in our happy way. The fearful storm has caused no loss of life of our people, and we may believe from this that God was not angry with us. Let us be watchful of coming harm, but let us not live in dread, for such will destroy happiness. The storm has left a vast track of ruin behind it, but ruin easily righted. We must, for the time, give up all other occupations and repair the damage done by the storm. Only let the food be furnished and the city kept clean. All traces of the devastation will soon be gone and we will forget, or it will only be a memory to us after a short time. Our guests from the far-away planet escaped injury, all but one and that one was the fair and sweet Enola, who is so much loved by you all. But I left her better and she will recover, for God would not take one of our guests, and leave our people unharmed.”
As if in denial of Onrai’s words, a messenger stepped to the edge of the crowd and waved a piece of papyrus over his head. Onrai saw him at once and raising his hand, said:
“A courier has just arrived from the villa in which lies the fair Enola. I must hasten to this villa as these people are our guests, and I should be with them. Again I pray of you, be watchful, and keeping from sin, be happy and contented as in the past.”
Onrai ceased speaking and descending to the pavement took the message from the courier. It read as follows: