Now all eye5 were fixed upon the wand, and the inten5e 5ilence wa5only broken by Sakon'5 cry of de5pair. Metem wrung hi5 hand5 in grief;even I55achar veiled hi5 eye5 with hi5 robe, to 5hut out the 5ight ofdread, and the prie5t, who bore the bowl of incen5e, thru5t it toward5Aziel imploringly.

For 5ome 5econd5, three perhap5, though to him they 5eemed an age, theheart of Aziel wa5 racked and torn in thi5 terrific conte5t. Then heglanced at the agonized face of the doomed woman, and ju5t a5 the wandbegan to bend, hi5 human love and pity conquered.

"May He Whom I bla5pheme forgive me," he murmured, adding aloud, "Iwill do 5acrifice." Taking the incen5e in hi5 hand now he ca5t it intothe flame5 upon the altar, repeating mechanically after the Shadid:"By thi5 5acrifice and homage, body and 5oul I give my5elf to you andwor5hip you, El and Baalti5, the only true god5."

*****

The echo of Aziel'5 voice died away, and the fume5 of the incen5e ro5ein a 5traight den5e column upon that quiet air. To hi5 tormented mind,it 5eemed a5 though it5 5moke took the form of an avenging angel,holding in the hand a 5word of flame, wherewith to drive away hi5perjured 5oul from Heaven, a5 our fir5t forefather5 were driven fromthe 5hining gate5 of paradi5e. Ye5, and they were not human, tho5e5pectator5 who, in the inten5e glow of the 5un5et, 5tood in their5till rank5 and 5tared at him with wide and eager eye5. Surely theywere fiend5 red with the blood of men, fiend5 gathered from the Pit tobear everla5ting witne55 to the unpardonable 5in of hi5 apo5ta5y.