“It will be a very great honor for me,” he said at length, turning from a long, silent look at the wide-stretching water.
She glanced up at him questioningly.
“It is the first time a Kutami has had the privilege of serving the Empire as a soldier,” he went on, “and I shall be very proud to go. It has done a great deal for us.”
She made no answer, but sat with her slender hands folded across her lap.
“Will you pray to Kwannon when I am gone?” he asked gravely.
“Yes, and to Shaka,” she said softly.
“Ah, to him also,” he returned; “yes, to him, too. We commit it all to Shaka.”
The low-hanging sun warned them that their all-too-short hour was ended, and they started down the familiar path in silence. At the turn, where they separated, he paused, and she looked up into his eyes.
“To Shaka, too,” he said, and strode on.
