With swift decision she twisted up her hair, threw a handkerchief over her head, and said:  “Then come with me; the moon is still up; it would not be safe to carry a lamp.  I will lead the way and you must keep behind me If only the kitchen is empty, we can reach the Viridarium unseen.  If the upper servants are still sitting in the court-yard the great door will be open, for several of them sleep in the house.  At any rate you must go through the vestibule; you cannot miss your way out of the viridarium.  But stay!  Beki generally lies in front of the tablinum—­the fierce dog from Herrionthis in Thebais; and he does not know you, for he never goes out of the house, but he will obey me.

“When I lift my hand, hang back a little.  He is quite quiet with his masters, and does not hurt a stranger if they are by.  Now, we must not utter another word.—­If we are discovered, I will confess the truth; if you alone are seen, you can say—­well, say you were waiting for Orion, to speak to him very early about the horse-fair at Niku.”

“A horse was off—­off—­offered me for sale this very day.”

“Good, very good; then you lingered in the vestibule to speak of that—­to ask the master about it before he should go out.  It must be daylight in a few hours.—­Now, come.”

Paula went down the stairs with a sure and rapid step.  At the bottom Hiram again took off his shoes, holding them in his hand, so as to lose no time in following his mistress.  They went on in silence through the darkness till they reached the kitchen.  Here Paula turned and said to the Syrian: 

“If there is any one here, I will say I came to fetch some water; if there is no one I will cough and you can follow.  At any rate I will leave the door open, and then you will hear what happens.  If I am obliged to return, do you hurry on before me back by the way we came.  In that case I will return to my room where you must wait outside till the side door is opened again, and if you are found there leave the explanation to me.—­Shrink back, quite into that corner.”

She softly opened the door into the kitchen; the roof was open to the light of the declining moon and myriad stars.  The room was quite empty:  only a cat lay on a bench by the wide hearth, and a few bats flitted to and fro on noiseless wings; a few live coals still glowed among the ashes under the spits, like the eyes of lurking beasts of prey.  Paula coughed gently, and immediately heard Hiram’s step behind her; then, with a beating heart and agonizing fears, she proceeded on her way.  First down a few steps, then through a dark passage, where the bats in their unswerving flight shot by close to her head.  At last they had to cross the large, open dining-hall.  This led into the viridarium, a spacious quadrangle, paved at the edges and planted in the middle, where a fountain played; round this square the Governor’s residence was built.  All was still and peaceful in this secluded space, vaulted over by the high heavens