"You are married, of course." "No--certainly not." "Nor betrothed ?" "Nor betrothed." "Is it possible that no Gy has proposed to you ?" "In my country the Gy does not propose; the An speaks first." "What a strange reversal of the laws of nature!" said the maiden, "and what want of modesty in your sex! But have you never proposed, never loved one Gy more than another ?" I felt embarrassed by these ingenious questionings, and said, "Pardon me, but I think we are beginning to infringe upon Aph-Lin's injunction.
This much only will I answer, and then, I implore you, ask no more.

I did once feel the preference you speak of; I did propose, and the Gy would willingly have accepted me, but her parents refused their consent." "Parents! Do you mean seriously to tell me that parents can interfere with the choice of their daughters ?" "Indeed they can, and do very often." "I should not like to live in that country," said the Gy simply; "but I hope you will never go back to it." I bowed my head in silence.

The Gy gently raised my face with her right hand, and looked into it tenderly.

"Stay with us," she said; "stay with us, and be loved." What I might have answered, what dangers of becoming a cinder I might have encountered, I still trouble to think, when the light of the naphtha fountain was obscured by the shadow of wings; and Zee, flying though the open roof, alighted beside us.

She said not a word, but, taking my arm with her mighty hand, she drew me away, as a mother draws a naughty child, and led me through the apartments to one of the corridors, on which, by the mechanism they generally prefer to stairs, we ascended to my own room.