"Yes," he agreed. His staring eyes were trying to see her. "My Maida. You're--very beautiful--my Maida. I--wonder--you see, I'm taking advantage of you--I wonder if you'd say you--love me? I'd be so happy--just to hear you say it."
As I sat there behind them, I prayed then that she might say it.
"Oh," he whispered. "You _did_ say it! My Maida says that she loves me!" Happiness transfigured his livid face. But his smile was whimsical still. "You're--very kind to me. Please--say it again."
"Yes--that's how I always dreamed it would sound. I--love--you--Wolfgar."
His voice trailed away; a film was settling over his staring eyes. Then again his lips moved. "Maida says--'I love you, Wolfgar' ... I'm--so happy...."
Quite suddenly she realized that he was gone. Her pent-up emotion came with a sob.
"Wolfgar! My friend--my wonderful, loyal friend--don't die, Wolfgar! Don't die!"
Little Wolfgar was gone. It seemed at first very strange, unreal. It lay a shadow of grief upon our spirits, for many hours a deeper shadow than all those grave events impending upon which hung the fate of three worlds.
Tarrano ordered for Wolfgar a public burial of ceremony and honor in the waters of eternal peace--ordered it for that same evening. Once again Tarrano demonstrated the strangeness of his nature. His arrival to take possession of Venus had been made the occasion of a great festival. "The Water Festival," they called it, which was held only at times of universal public rejoicing. It was planned now to do honor to Tarrano--planned for this same evening. But he postponed it a night; tonight was for Wolfgar.
We were still captives in Tarrano's hands, as we had been on Earth in Venia. Yet here in the Great City of Venus a curious situation arose. Tarrano himself explained it to us that afternoon. An embarrassing situation for him, he termed it.
"Very embarrassing," he said, with eyes that smiled at us quizzically. "Just for your ears alone, you understand, I am willing to admit that I must handle these Great City people very carefully. You, Princess Maida--you are greatly beloved of your people."
He nodded. "For that reason they would not like to know you are virtually a captive. And you, Georg Brende--really, they are beginning to look on you as a savior--to save them from disease and death. It is rather unflattering to me----"