THE CHILDREN OF THE ZODIAC
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who was begging him to go away and leave her, and he was forced to comfort her all through the night. That night decided them both never to leave each other for an instant, and when they had come to this decision they looked back at the darkness of the House of Cancer high above their heads, and with their arms round each other's necks laughed, 'Ha! ha! hal' exactly as the children of men laughed. And that was the first time in their lives that they had ever laughed.
Next morning they returned to their proper home, and saw the flowers and the sacrifices that had been laid before their doors by the villagers of the hills. Leo stamped down the fire with his heel and the Girl flung the flower-wreaths out of sight, shuddering us she did so. When the villagers returned, as of custom, to see what had become of their offerings, they found neither roses nor burned flesh on the altars, but only a man and a woman, with frightened white faces, sitting hand in hand on the altar-steps.
'Are you not Virgo?' said a woman to the Girl. 'I sent you flowers yesterday.'
'Little sister, said the Girl, flushing to her forehead, 'do not send any more flowers, for I am only a woman like yourself' The man and the woman went away doubtfully.
'Now, what shall we do?' said Leo.
'We must try to be cheerful, 1 think,' said the Girl. 'We know the very worst that can happen to us, but we do not know the best that love can bring us. We have a great deal to be glad of.'
'The certainty of death,' said Leo.
'All the children of men have that certainty also;