CHAPTER V.

JITHOUT delay, seeking audience of the king, I begged leave of absence, on plea 'of argent busi- ness, for a week, to visit my estates. It was graciously granted. In haste, on horseback, with only a single attendant, I rode back to the only spot on the whole broad earth, which now seemed to link me to a past, whose claims upon me were ineffaceable, no matter what might be my condition or actions. Retiring to my labo- ratory, with orders that I should not be disturbed, I threw myself upon my divan. The struggle between the physical and the spiritual commenced.
" Clearly, without the dimming of a tone, or the slighting of a detail, came before me the
THREE SEVENS. 148
advantages of the connection. Over this deline- ation, the purely sensual did not fail to cast its lurid light. In contrast, was also presented the greater pleasure and purer joy, which gives the only happiness of this world. I fully perceived how much of satisfaction to the spirit lay in the consciousness of attainment, in the enlarging of the soul's powers, and its area of influence. I could not forget that which was promised me, and already within my reach. I could not barter off my spiritual birthright, for a mess of physical pottage.
" In my agony of indecision, my robe, which I always wore in my laboratory, had become disarranged at the neck. As I reached this last conclusion, my hand came in contact with the jewel that still hung about my neck. A thrill passed over me, followed by a sense of calmness and peace.
^^ I saw a man and woman standing together, he pledging to her, by an irrevocable oath, his
144 THREE SEVENS.
soul's devotion. As these recurring memories floated out of the unseen, Into my consciousness, my inner sense heard a calm, far-off voice which had so often been to me the sweetest melody. It said :
" * My brother ! She to whom you are pledged waits thee. To accept or reject, is not thy greatest trial. If thou canst take her with the mutual understanding of unviolated chastity, in all time to come, it is well. Thou shalt^soon enough, in the future, know of that which still remains. This is of thy Earma. Wojrds and oaths do not vanish as lightly as they are spoken, but go forth to the accomplishment of that whereuntothey are sent through all the ages.'
'^ The voice ceased. Little by little dawned upon my understanding, the trial now opening before me.
" She who was to be my bride,, was beautiful beyond comparison. All her outward physical attractions had been kissed into full maturity, in
THREE SEVENS. 145
all the lusty vigor of youth, by the fervid sun of the tropics. Unless the spirit controlled, the fire within might not only consume itself, but also all with whom it came in contact. When she should be mine under the law, owned in body by me, as completely as the beast is owned, who has no redress, obedience to the slightest caprice of my will her man-made law, what then? The unknown quantity was her own desire. The appeal to the lower conscious- ness of the physical, the blind, brutal instinct was as complete as concurring circumstances could make it.
^^ Should I, as a human being, with the tidal waves of Karmic conditions barely held in check, be able to live constantly in such an atmosphere, with such surroundings, and successfiiUy resist the seething torrents of emotion ? One could flee from temptation, and thus break its power, but to dwell in it constantly; to steel one's powers, voluntary and involuntary, against it
146 THREE SEVENS.
hour by hour, ever on the watch for the first fanning of the tiniest flame, by act, word or deed— did mortal ever accomplish such labor? It has been so said. Suppose, in some unguarded moment should come the rush of the ever watchful, never satisfied and keenly intense physical. If that physical, seeking ever through spiritual perception to enhance its own enjoy- ment, should bear away by its impetuosity all oaths, all teaching, and all knowledge, what then ?
" For reply, came the sound of words, vibrat- ing out of past ages, binding irrevocably her soul to mine in all cycles yet to come. Out of this, had come to me my present knowledge of this trial, and I must submit. Would she know ? Would she care ?
** The event was fixed beyond my power of choice. The acceptance, the struggle, the vic- tory ! Ah ! would I be so fortunate ? All lay in the misty realms of the unrolling. It had
THREE SEVENS. 147
|)een decreed in the past, by myself, as a Kannic condition.
^' Summoning an attendant, I found that it was the third day since I had entered my inner room. So bathing, and changing my apparel I spent the rest of the week in the affairs of my estate.
^^ Returning to court, I announced to the king my desire to propose for the lady's hand. She was an orphan and the king's ward. In due time the lady signified her acceptance of my suit, and our betrothal took place. This was followed by the marriage ceremonies under the direction of the Holy Catholic Church, cele- brated with all the pomp and magnificence becoming the families of two of the peers of the realm, both related to the crown.
" As, over clasped hands, the vows of mutual allegiance were spoken, a full-blown oleander blossom formed between our hands^ and a single word, ^ Isa,' sounded clearly and distinctly above
148 THREE SEVENS.
all the rash of the surroanding ceremony. It thrilled all my pulses with indescribable joy. I glanced at my wife. A smile of recognition and content parted her lips, as her eye flashed one look at me. A recurring memory of being what I was not then, of the token of a pledge, which had now reached fulfillment, presented itself to my mind. When I came to myself the ceremony was finished. With the oleander blossom carefully preserved, by easy stages we made our journey to my ancestral home.
"The suite of rooms occupied by us were those formerly belonging to my parents, and the scene of the memorable * visit out of the body,' on the occasion of my father's death. They were in a wing of the chateau, and faced East, West, and South. They looked out upon the foot-hills of the Sierra de Guadarama, and upon the soft-flowing of one of the minor branches of the Tagus.
" My steward, a member of a family whose
THREE SEVENS. 149
sons and sons' sons had served ours as faith- fully and loyally as we had served the king, maintained the whole domain in a high degree of cultivation. Vineyards and orchards of pomegranates and figs extended away, even to the bare aclivities of the mountains.
^'The rooms were arranged as a common chamber, with two sleeping apartments and their accompanying dressing-rooms opening out of it. These, in compliance with my orders, had been renovated and refurnished for the occasion, thinking more of her pleasure than mine.
"When, as the twilight approached we met in the retiring room, and for the first time found ourselves alone together, I was charmed with her manners and gentleness. We sat side by side on a divan, and as we rested and chatted it seemed as if we had always known each other. Little by little it dawned upon me, from something she said, that my wife also possessed occult knowledge. Finally turning to her, I
150 THREE SEVENS.
asked a question which can be answered in set phrase only by a person 'who hath wisdom.' Beadily, and evidently with a full comprehen- sion of aH I sought to know, and glad, with a great joy, thus to giye me the assurance I desired, the correct answer came.
'^ I was so overwhelmed with this realization of hopes, which I had, apparently, no basis for cherishing, I could make no reply.
'^ After a few moment's silence, she continued: '^ ' My husband, I have been conscious of your struggle and its outcome. Until you had made your decision, I had no power to interfere, either to assist or retard. But now I may tell you. I, also, am a novitiate, seeking knowl- edge, and as two are stronger than one, together we may tread the path, and hope for accomplish- ment. I know, as you know, that they who dwell within the power of the Spirit have no sez. But that which we both seek can be reached in its highest only by unstained loyalty
THBEE SEVENS. 151
to one another, a friendship of which the lust- stained, material world has no conception.'
^^ ' Gari»mna mia ! * my thoughts came at last in a torrent of impetuous words : * Your avowal makes me happy beyond conception. Work that is shared by pure friendship, and a common interest, will bring far more than doubled result. We, acting in unity, complements of each other, having eliminated the disturbing elements of the lower planes, may reasonably expect far more development than we could possibly look for if struggling alone for that which we both desire, and are both seeking. May the Beloved Mas- ters guide us, and may both be willing to be guided !'
^^A feeling of peace, of blessing, of rest, beyond conception, as if all the harassing influ- ences of physical condition were quieted forever, enveloped me completely. From the expression on my wife's face, I saw that she, too, was in the same current of benediction.
152 THREE SEVENS.
" The worries and bewilderments of life are the result of man's weak thoughts, selfish desires and cross-purposes, poured into the thought- currents of the Universe, which, like the empty- ing of sewers into a clear, mountain stream, con- taminate and utterly defile the whole. In the radiance of the pure current of thought, which I recognized as flowing direct from the Brother- hood so dear to me, I looked at my wife and loved her as a man might love an angel.
^^ Thus in silence and content we sat. In a Uttle niche over the high-arched south window, a low-burning lamp, filled with perfumed oil, gave out a delicious fragrance, while below it, in the untapestried space, a great stream of silvery light, from the full moon, flooded the room.
" Unspeakably restful, I grew passive, and in the moonlight a vision shaped itself. A stately palace, standing in gardens of richest bloom, fanned by perfume-laden breezes. Within this, I see a man and a woman. As they come
THREE SEVENS. 153
distinctly to my perception, I hear words, which once uttered can never be recalled, but are sealed ap, a law unto ^he soul for generations, in the ages to come. The scene fades into the outer presence ; my eye falls upon the oleander blossom, given me out of the Silence, on the altar steps, which now stood in a little antique vase of water. It had, thus far, retained its freshness and beauty. As I looked at it, it moved with a shivering thrill. A sighing moan shaped itself into the words :
" ' The pledge is reclaimed.'
" A little heap of fine dust, scattered over the water, the vase and the table on which it stood, was all that remained of the token of four thou- sand years.
^^ As memory recurred to past-incarnations, I seemed to remember, as one recalls a far-off boyhood, a point in eternity, that I recognized as a duration of previous life. I then under- stood more clearly than ever, how the law of
164 THREE SEVENS.
Earma crystallized, by the yolontary consent of my own will and the force of spoken thought^ had again brought os together, not to reyel in tropical effeminacy, the slaves of. physical desire, but &r beyond, on the rising spirals of race progress. Taming to my wife, with a single touch of lip to forehead, I say gently :
^^ ^ Isa, dear, I am rejoiced beyond measure to know you again.'
^' ^ My lord remembers,' she replied in her soft-flowing, Castilian speech, ' He who keeps fidth loyally and wittingly, is mightier than the founder of cities, and shall receiye just recom- pense.'
^ seemed to have passed away. I loved my Isa, as a father a son, or as one brother another, with a fervor bom of reality, as the angels love In the unseen, we are told that all the accidents of the physical fiade away. But love, the inspir- ing element of the Divine nature, does not fiuie,
THBEE SEVENS. 15S
nor cease to be ; but purified of the rush and whirl; of the tingling blood; the panting breath; and the quickened heart-beats, this mighty force of tenderness, the only worthy motive for self-abnegation, lives forever. As the angels in heaven are neither married, nor given in marriage ; so we two dwelt together, as might two friends of the same sex, loving each other with a most tender and devoted love.
" Day by day we pursued our studies, contin- ually interested in each other's progress, and anxious for the utmost possible attainment. It was true also, that a much greater gain was possible from the operating of two as one, than from the efforts of the single individual; a quicker perception, a more intense persistence, and a larger potency, when required. I rejoiced in her accomplishments and perfection ; in her wisdom and friendship. Thus another year went by, and it became necessary for us to return to court for a season, to pay our respects to our
156 THREE SEVENS.
BOTereign, and then we should be at liberty, if we desired, to reside on our estate.
" It was the evening before our journey. We were sitting as at the first evening at home, in our common chamber, the whole interior flooded with the light of the full moon. We had been discussing the spirit's potency, and how far it might be able to reach into the future, and thus become certain knowledge. As our thoughts became more and more intense we had lapsed into silence. Suddenly, came the voice of the old-time Isa :
" ' My lord would like to see that which comes. Take the jewel thou wearest, in thy right hand. Place thy left hand in my right and look."
^' I did as she directed.
"A faint odor of the lotus difiused itself about me, growing stronger and stronger. The moonlight became more and more substantial, until, as when one looks over a broad landscape
THREE SEVENS. 157
ander a clear light, I saw an accident, fatal bat for interposing arms, a temptation and a terri- ble struggle, of which more bye-and-bye in its place. The end was not revealed to me, being cut off by the perturbation of my mental condi- tions. The disturbed harmony brought me again to full consciousness and an inner percep- tion of Isa's words, recalled afterwards under &r different circumstances :
*^ * Oh, my lord ! That which is to be must be. Be master of thyself and all will be well.'
**A lovely day, even for sunny Spain, smiled upon our cavalcade next day as I looked back from the last point of view, upon the place so full of happy memories, unalloyed by a sin- gle cruel remembrance. Surely the world was not so bad a place as poet and painter had pic- tured it.
^^ I pass over the commonplace incidents of our journey and our cordial reception at court by both the king and queen, who had both con-
158 THREE SEVENS.
ceived a great liking for us. We located our establishment, conforming so far to the unwritten laws as not to excite remark, and yet so arrang- ing that our time should not be all consumed by ihe social Juggernaut, but might leave us some space to sow, in the quiet, astral fields, the seed for thoughts which wotdd bring to us as we might desire.
'^ It was our rule to meet all demands that were legitimate, but not to seek the inner circle of the whirl of gayety. After a few months the outside pressure lessened. We acquired a repu- tation for sedateness which served us well in protecting us from unreasonable demands from those who have no appreciation of the pearls of greatest price.
"The king, however, would not hear of my retirement from public life. So the hope of return to the privacy of my own domain was thereby frustrated, much to my annoyance. So two years went by. At the end of that time as
THREE SEVENS. 159
we sat together in the Silence, according to our daily custom, my wife said :
^^ ^ My lord, I am summonea to meet my Guru. I shall be gone three months. I hope it will be well with us both when we meet again.'
^^ It was the season when the court was rest- ing from its round of excitement, and she would not, therefore, be missed nor specially inquired for during so short an absence.
" I missed her sorely. Without the childish feeling of irreparable loss, there was stiH the % sensation of a lack in the power to attain my utmost potency, and a need of incentive to its use. Nerer until now, had I realized how large an integral part of myself my wife had become. It was a withdrawal of intent of potency, rather than of ability to act. It was a feeling of incom- pleteness, of being only part of myself. I found these feelings coming to me most strongly at the hours we were wont to spend together.
"As a consequence, I sought diversion by
160 THREE SEVENS.
actiye, physical exercise, horseback riding and snch other means of similar nature as were dose at hand. She had been absent two months when, restless and disturbed by the feeling of dissatisfaction in the accomplishment of my labors, I mounted my Arabian, and, as the shadows lengthened in the closing day, started for a ride.
"Giving rein to my horse, I rode without thought as to whither my course lay, being intent only on the fiict that I was riding. Reaching the outskirts of the suburbs, I still rode on for three or four miles, in that dazed condition in which one feels himself desirous of solving some important problem and yet, for inexplicable reasons, unable to grasp the key of the position.
" At last the restlessness of my horse brought me back to my normal condition. I perceived a rapidly rising cloud that betokened a coming gust of wind and rain, if not worse. Turning
THREE SEVENS. 161
homeward, the moan of the rising wind and the first scattering patter of the raindrops warned me to hasten.
"Putting my horse to a gallop, I had reached a little knoll bordered by large trees when there came a blinding flash, a roar and rush, as an immense cedar of Lebanon fell just opposite. In its falling the sweeping limbs dragged me from my rearing horse and left me insensible upon the earth, while my horse, rider- less, made the best of his way home.
" The chateau on the estate, where I had fallen, was but a short distance from the scene of the accident. It belonged to a young and beautiful widow whose husband, a wealthy and disagreeable old Don, had died soon after my return from the West.
" The fall of the tree by the bolt, and the galloping of a riderless horse, were noticed by some of the serving men. They came out as soon as the storm ceased, with torches^ to inves-
162 THREE SEVENS
tigate. Finding me still insensible and wet, they carried me on an improvised litter into the chateau. The major-domo had been in attend- ance upon the lady at court and knew me. He announced my unceremonious arrival to the widow.
'^ She ordered the best attendance in the house to be given me, and messengers were dispatched in hot haste for a physician.
^^ I was tenderly disrobed and put to bed in the room of the former master of the chateau. As I slowly came to my senses the surgeon arrived.
^^ He examined me carefully and found that although no bones were broken, I had a severe contusion on the back of my head, which would doubtless have killed me if my fall had not in some mysterious manner been broken. My right limb also was severely wrenched, in being pulled violently from the stirrup. The shock and the wetting promised a fever. I felt as if I were a mass of aching heat.
THREE SEVENS. 168
'^ When the doctor had finished his examina- tion he sat a few moments in silence. Then, as he rose to go, fixing his piercing but kindly eyes upon mine and laying a hand, delightfully cool and soft, upon my forehead, he said :
you may sleep.*
^^ After directions to the attendants, he left me, promising to call on the morrow.
^^The intense pain in my head and limbs seemed to leave me at once. When the mes- senger returned with the potion, to all appear- ances I was sound asleep. But the fiEUSt really was this : My astral body had heard a far-dis- tant voice, and by permission (as in cases of delirium) had lifted itself beyond the consciops- ness of pain, resting quietly just above the unconscious body. As one, reclining upon the bank of a clear pool, studies its contents, so I, the real Ego, was obeying the direct' of that far-off voice :
164 THREE SEVENS.
'^ As I looked, I saw that the difference in the ultimate atoms, was, first, those which were alive or nourishing were capable of showing magnetic polarity at different tensions. The dead atoms had no such power. This was the difference between death and life. Manifested vitality was the result of susceptibility to elec- trical action. There was in the varying substance of the several organs, a difference in the power of tension, which changed the order of union^ so that each following its own law of structure, remained, as at the beginning, adapted to its own work. The liver was always hepatic in its substance; the lungs always parenchy- mous. The laws of polarity and tension gov- erned all. I saw also that the rapid and varying changes of polarity caused all the phenomena of mental action and nerve force. The slight movement discernible in this changing condition gave a false idea of vibration, which was not a
THREE SEVENS. 165
change of place, but a change of condition. This view made perfectly plain to me how thought acts in manifestation. I could see how a certain uniform change of polarity and tension would be regarded as a standard. If it went above this, sthenic diseases, or inflammations and fevers, would be the result. If they fell below, then the asthenic diseases of dissolution, inert- ness in manifestation, and death, would be the consequence.
" As I watched my servant the body, I could see the forces adjusting themselves to the normal stattis impressed thereto by the influence of a strong will potentially projected from an entity near at hand, aided and directed by another more powerful will, afar off. These acted, first upon my own will, thence, through that, seizing upon my mentality, the force was transmitted to the physical throughout all its atoms. This proved to me, that all physical change is under control of the directing spirit of each line of
166 THREE SEVENS.
organizauon^ and all subject to the immutable law of creatiye thought.
^^ No one can injure^ by occult means, the body of another, except through the soul force, to which that body belongs, and even to do this, the spirit must consent to its own dishonor. The potency of a strong will acting out of the silence, may move the spirit strongly, even against its own desires, for a little space. In that case, the person would be psychologized, or the unwilling consent of the spirit might for a little time be so misused, as to permit even a debasement of the body.
** Along with the formulation of these con- clusions in my mentality, a deep and harmonious peace began to envelop my whole being. Sleep, the unconsciousness that presages rest and healing, wrapped me in its blessed folds.
''When consciousness again came to me in awakening, pain and soreness had left my body, but strength, which can only be the
THREE SEVENS. 167
result of action in sequence, was still lacking.
'^ The morn of a day, such as can be known only in Spain, brought my attendants. I was able to rise and dress, and be removed to B,salan adjoining my sleeping apartment. Here I was visited by the surgeon, who announced his gratification at my rapid recovery, but evinced no surprise* He sat chatting with me a few minutes, and looking me full in the eye, he dropped, as if incidentally, two words. A flash of recognition passed from eye to eye.
" *I know of thee, my brother,* he said, *for I too am a student and seeker. Obligations not to be put aside, will prevent my advancement and attainment, as will be your privilege and right. So fiir, however, as I am permitted, I walk side by side with you. Always, no matter what may be our present relative positions, you can depend on my supporting sympathy. I shall rejoice when you are glad, and sorrow when you weep.
168 THREE SEVENS.
" * You have one more true friend in Spain.' " Thus speaking, he arose to go, and placed his right hand on my forehead. It was a small, shapely, pleasant hand. On the little finger was an antique ring, holding a sapphire of most intense color. The effect of the soft touch was most marvelous. An accession of strength seemed to flow naturally through my vdns. It was not an evanescent sensation, as when one takes a stimulating draught, but rather the strength of perfected healing. In wishing me good morning, he said his services were no longer necessary.
^^ After he had left me, I sat quietly in the reclining position in which my attendants had placed me. Directly before me was an open doorway, and a broad verandah. Through this the delicious breath of the morning brought inspiring vigor. In ftiU view, beyond, lay the winding river, and plains, and vineyards of fair Spain.
THREE SEVENS. 169
^^ Looking upon all this, I floated aloug on a great cnrrent of content.
'^ Without warning, there came a little shock. An unexplainable feeling of unrest and disquiet touched me. Nothing in the relative bearing of the visible had changed, it could not come from the outer. As this faint ripple in the harmoni- ous flow of the thought current forced itself upon my notice, a servant entered, bearing a little perfumed note from the hostess.
" * Would it be the Senor's convenience, to permit the Senora to wait upon him in person, and congratulate him upon the fortunate out- come of his terrible accident?' So ran the lines of the dainty, brief message.
"Of course, I consented, eagerly perhaps, my mood seeking relief. But as I held the note in my hand, I had occasion afterward to remember, that the emanations from it were pungent and sharp. To my inner vision came plainly a view of the temple in the mountains of the far-
170 THREE SEVENS.
off West. I heard once more the grave, tender words of our Elder Brother : * We have given you the theorems, are you willing to undertake the demonstration ? ' What did it all mean ? It was not long before I knelr«
^^ A scarcely perceptible, soundless movement, and through the hangings of an inner door, a little to my left, in plain view to my half- dreamy vision, came the Senora and her duenna.
^^ A subtle fragrance floated about and pre- ceded her, captivating the senses even before the whole exquisite picture was perceived. The archway was heavily curtained with crimson hangings from Damascus. Her tiny, slippered feet, just peeping from her draperies, were nestled in an African tiger's skin, spread before the doorway. As the curtain dropped, she stood squarely, a most winsome figure, a little above the medium height. Her form, perfect in proportions, and most exquisitely rounded, was set off enchantingly by the half-concealment of
THREE SEVENS. 171
her white, gauzy apparelling. Her hair and eyes black as the gathered intensity of a tornado ; her lips red as the sea-washed coral ; and her small, ezqaisitely-formed hands, all told of the cultured sequence in family descent. On her cheeks, the dusky blaze, never quite eztinct, betrayed the hot blood of the tropics, roused, as when it sees that which it desires to possess, within its reach.
"Her magnetic beauty was the first over- whelming impression. It was worthy of im- perial palaces. Behind this, a lurid fire surged, in thought, through my long-repressed nature, then a blank. It was like the prairie fires, consuming, with their long, red tongues, at one swoop, the dry, rank herbage, leaving behind only blackened refuse.
" It was a life-time in an instant. Recover- ing myself, I heard her gracious words in the softest Gastilian, as she said :
" * Is the Senor recovering from his accident V
172 THREE SEVENS.
^' ' Thanks, Senora, one could hardly refirain from recovering rapidly, when attended by so much kindness and beauly. Please be seated/
^^At a sign from her mistress the duenna drew up a low, cushioned seat to my side, which my hostess occupied herself, while her com- panion discreetly betook herself out upon the verandah, and waited for farther orders.
^^ Here, seated where her flashing eyes could look into my own, she beguiled my loneliness. She made me tell her of my adventures while with De Soto, meantime filling my whole organ- ism with her peerless and ripened magnetism, until the bonds of ascetic training loosened somewhat, and faint flushes called my attention to the fact that the law of sequence had again builded walls of clay out of warm Southern blood. The first impulse was : Never mind this once, let me float on the current, and enjoy as other men enjoy. Then came the memory of the words of obligation, spoken before witnesses,
THREE SEVENS. 17^
in that far-off Hall, and also of my companion, friend and helper, my wife.
" Still, the witchery of the perfect physical beside me increased in its intensity. The sudden rebellion of my own lower self grew more arro- gant and assertive. Cool enough, as yet, to be master of the situation, I called to my relief the forces who, were bound to help in any emergency, and thus maintained my composure. I made no outer sign, but the mental effort of will power brought into my face a strained expression. The lady's quick eye noticed this.
" * Ah, Senor ! But I am tiring you. You have made me very happy until I forgot you were an - invalid. Tour descriptions are so charming. May I see you again to-morrow V
" *Senora, it will be a pleasure,' I replied. Galling her duenna, she vanished like a dream, and I was again alone with myself.
" Strange as it may seem, the strength flow- ing from her had brought healthful energy and
174 THREE SEVENS.
physical heaUng. I felt better in body for the interview. Bat, as I reviewed the situation, I was far less self-confident than I might have been under contrary circumstances.
^^ It is needless to recall in detail the incidents of that week of rest from labor, nor of the Senora's daily visits, nor of the shaping of her purpose to bring me to respond to her partiality becoming every day more and more openly expressed. But the end of all human conditions comes sooner or later. On the morrow I was to return to the city as well and strong as ever.
^^ I have said that my apartments were those of the old Don. I had retired early, sleeping soundly for the first three hours, when I awoke with a start and that full sense of wide- awakeness which is the result of astral warning. My face was so turned that the partition separ- ating the Senora's apartments was in full view, and plainly visible by the light from the shaded lamp left burning through the night. Just
THREE SEVENS. 175
opposite me was a fiill length portrait of herself, by one of the most celebrated artists of the time.
^^ As I lay looking at it, it seemed to move. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Noise- lessly as the shifting of the curtain of night, it had moved up, leaving the frame undisturbed. Just within it, clad in her elegant robes de nvit^ fresh and charming as Venus rising from the sea, stood the original of the portrait. With a smile, in which desire, tenderness and anxiety were blended, she advanced to my bedside, and seated herself thereon.
^' It was ia moment of moments. An ascetic of years' standing faces his conquered lower self, roused into active revolt by the last few days of companionship with this woman, as it had not been since in ungovernable rage he had stained his hands in the blood of a fellow creature.
" On the other hand, this widow, fair beyond compare, would hear nothing but the accom- plishment of her own caprice ; could understand
176 THREE SEVENS.
nothing but the satisfying of her own desiieB. Mature, elegant, refined, even in the hight of her passion, appealing to me first with caresses and finally in tears. My refusal was not bom of nnsostained mortal strength, bat of the firm- ness of purpose gained in the mountains, and the help of the Brotherhood. With eyes suf- fused with tears, at last she said :
^^ 'Senor, I have offered you all that a woman can give. Am I, indeed, so repellant to you, that you must refuse 7 I am entirely at your mercy. I hope, at the least, you will keep my secret.*
" ' Senora,* I replied, * if you knew how bit- terly I should wound and offend by doing this thing, my consent would turn your love to contempt. I am a Spanish gentleman. A gen- tleman always keeps a lady's secrets.'
^^ She turned and left me, never once looking back. The portrait slid noiselessly back to its place. It was done. I was alone. I lay
THREE SEVENS. 177
quietly. The passion that had boiled within me changed to a pitying tenderness for her who had become for all the rest of her present life my bitterest enemy.
" The Senora, under the plea of sudden ill- ness, did not appear, on the morrow, to bid me farewell when I made my departure, but all was courtesy and politeness as I rode forth to my own home, with my attendants.
^^ Arriving at my palace, my attention was engrossed with many things. In my hours of meditation, I did not feel that I had aught to congratulate myself for, except the very narrow margin of escape. I felt humbled to think I had not risen so far above all temptation, as to be able to put it entirely aside, without the con- senting thereto and insurrection of the whole physical self.
"The days wore by, and my wife returned. When we were alone together, she remarked :
" ' My lord, your trial must needs come. It
178 THREE SEVENS.
is nothing yon willingly sought nor desired. I feel honored, that in all the conflict there was no thought of faithlessness in your promise to me, nor any yielding of the real, higher self to the onward rush of all physical life. You are not to feel condemned because the animal tugs at the leash. That is a part of the manifesta- tion of the law of vitality. It was held within bounds by the unaided desire of your own spirit, which thus attracted to yourself the forces needed for such accomplishment. You have oome out conqueror. Be wise and circumspect, and all shall be weU.'
" For the next few years my time went rap- idly and uneventfully. Three months before the expiration of the seven years from the day I left the great temple, I was sitting in my private apartment alone, with bolted doors.
^^ Bousing from a reverie, into which I had fidlen, I looked up, and there standing in my presence as when I last saw him, was my Guru.
THREE SEVENS, 179
Rising, overcome with a transport of joy, I flung myself at his feet
" * Arise, my brother/ said the far-off, well- known voice. ' As thou earnest once, so have I now come hither. I bring thee tidings. Within ten days, the king will delegate to thee a diffi- cult and delicate mission, which shall bring thee to us. The mission is prompted by those who hate thee, but it is for thy good. Make no pause, but hasten to obey the mandate of thy sovereign. Thy wife will safely await thee here. Make thy preparations, take thy instruc- tions, and sail at once for the port from which thou earnest.
" * On the night after thy arrival, go to the spot where seven years ago thou didst leave thy horse and thou shalt find him waiting for thee. Mount, and give him rein.
^^^The king's business shall have attention. But thou needst not give thy mind to it, nor be uneasy about it, for it will be in safe hands.
180 THBEE SEVENS.
The Brotherhood have called thee on thy obliga- tion. Oome !*
^^ Happy beyond measure, I looked up to thank him, but he had gone.
^^ On the third day thereafter, I was bidden to an audience with the king. After some consul- tation on various trivial matters, he said:
" * Senor, you know something of our domin- ions in the "New World.*' ' I bowed assent. ' We need a trusty messenger to our cousin, who has charge of our Southern Empire. We know your loyalty and bravery. Will you undertake it for us Y
" ' My lord, the king,' I replied, * It has been a proud memory of our family, that to hear the king's voice was to desire the king's wish. I, certainly, shall not be first to change the reading.'
" 'It is well said, Senor. You will make your preparations at once. One of the royal galleons, in commission lies in harbor, waiting for thee. Your instructions will be handed you
THREE SEVENS. 181
sealed, to be opened when you are ten days at sea. The galleon, also, sails under orders. A prosperous voy^e, Senor.' And the audience was ended.
" Had I been in any way dependent upon the king's good will, I should most certainly have been disturbed by the undercurrent of the inter-* view, for I perceived that my enemy, the widow, had so far influenced the king, as to compel him to believe that, owing to my relationship to the throne, I was a dangerous rival, and rivals are less harmful when banished than when present. As no pretext could be devised for open disgrace, it was deemed best that diplomatically I was to be buried in the savagery of the New World.
" My ready acquiescence surprised the king, whose heart misgave him, with the feeling that he had over-reached himself. Also, the sealed instructions were revealed to me, which were to seek Mexico, and there, as special envoy, to strengthen the Spanish cause, which, I could
182
THREE SEVENS.
perceive, was fast waning, founded, as it was, upon craeltj and blood.
^^ But all this was nothing to me, for my orders were from those of whom the king, sitting on the throne, was but the puppet ; and with all my old-time energy, I prepared to obey 'them.
" Bidding my affectionate wife good-bye, with the earnest wish that the thoughts from her should be for the strength and will to obey and accomplish, I found myself on the Spanish ship^ with all sails set, moving toward the place of all places where I most desired to be.