"It were a righteous act to thrust her in a grave," they murmured to one another at the last,—and paused.
"Ay, truly," they agreed. "Otherwise she may break the bonds of the tomb, and rise again, and haunt us always: who can say? But the gold——"
And then they paused again.
"It were a sin," one murmured,—"it were a sin to bury the pure good gold in darkness. Even if it came from hell——"
"The priests will bless it for us," answered the other twain.
Against the reddening skies the lark was singing.
The three reapers waited a little, still afraid, then hastily, as men slaughter a thing they dread may rise against them, they stripped the white robes from her and drew off the anklets of gold from her feet, and the chains of gold that were riven about her breast and limbs. When they had stripped her body bare, they were stricken with a terror of the dead whom they thus violated with their theft; and, being consumed with apprehension lest any, as the day grew lighter, should pass by there and see what they had done, they went out in trembling haste, and together dug deep down into the wet sands, where the reeds grew, and dragged her still warm body unshrouded to the air, and thrust it down there into its nameless grave, and covered it, and left it to the rising of the tide.
Then with the gold they hurried to their homes.
The waters rose and washed smooth the displaced soil, and rippled in a sheet of silver as the sun rose over the place, and effaced all traces of their work, so that no man knew this thing which they had done.
In her death, as in her life, she was friendless and alone; and none avenged her.