The sixth drop gathered, and fell; already the seventh was like a seedling pearl in its place.

The dying wolf yanked affectionately at my hand, but I put her by and undid my tunic.

Big and bright that drop hung to the spout lip; another minute and it would fall.

A beautiful drop, I laughed, peering closely at it, many-coloured, prismatic, flushing red and pink, a tiny living ruby, hanging by a touch to the green rim above; enough! enough! The quiver of an eyelash would unhinge it now; and angry with the life I already felt was behind me, and turning in defiant expectation to the new to come, I rose, saw the red gleam of my sword jutting like a fiery spear from the cracking soil where I had planted it, then looked once more at the drop and glanced for the last time at the sullen red terror on the hill.
Were my eyes dazed, my senses reeling?
I said a space ago that the meteor stood exactly on the mountain-top and if it sunk a hair's breadth I should note it; and now, why, there WAS a flaw in its lower margin, a flattening of the great red foot that before had been round and perfect.

I turned my smarting eyes away a minute,--saw the seventh drop fall with a melodious tingle into the cup, then back again,--there was no mistake--the truant fire was a fraction less, it had shrunk a fraction behind the hill even since I looked, and thereon all my life ran back into its channels, the world danced before me, and "Heru!" I shouted hoarsely, reeling back towards the palace, "Heru, 'tis well; the worst is past!" But the little princess was unconscious, and at her feet was poor Si, quite dead, still reclining with her head in her hands just as I had left her.