Page:Harold Lamb--The House of the Falcon.djvu/163

 A shadow passed quickly over the balcony. The black bird had flown above them, circling idly. The man noticed it, as he did everything. On first coming to the balcony he had scanned the valley with the interest of one who looks for other details than scenery.

"What do you think of this?" His hand swept along the valley, much in the gesture used by Iskander. Edith surveyed the lake seriously, chin on hand, perched on the balcony rail.

"It is quiet. It is so shut in by the mountains. I think I have never seen anything quite so wonderful."

"Would you think so. Miss Rand, if you knew that this Arcadia was in reality a kind of garden of Hesperides?"

"A hidden garden? Or do you hint at forbidden fruit?" "Both, Miss Rand. The Sayaks guard the location of Yakka Arik with blind zeal. The less you know about the valley, the better for you"

The fragrance of flowers clung to the balcony. Edith could see the delicate blossoms of the wild rose in the open meadows. Jasmine and acacia were growing near the house. The whole vista was a garden of some sort wherein life was warm. But the Overhanging snow peaks seemed to mock the brightness of the lake—as if the garden spot were flowering only for a brief interval, and soon to be again in the grip of winter.

Edith nodded, dwelling on Donovan's words. She could hear the murmur of hidden cascades and the purring of millstones in the village near by.

"The Sayaks believe that Allah—God—put the warm springs here for their use. They bathe in