love. But Stellara was a woman, and women live on love. In the village of Paraht she saw the girls openly avowing their love to men, but she was still bound by the customs of Korsar and it would have been impossible for her to bring herself to tell a man that she loved him until he had avowed his love. And so hearing no word of love from Tanar, she was content with his friendship. Perhaps she, too, had given no more thought to the matter of love than he.
But there was another who did harbor thoughts of love. It was Doval, the Adonis of Paraht. In all Amiocap there was no handsomer youth than Doval. Many were the girls who had avowed their love to him, but his heart had been unmoved until he looked upon Stellara.
Doval came often to the house of Fedol the chief. He brought presents of skin and ivory and bone to Stellara and they were much together. Tanar saw and he was troubled, but why he was troubled he did not know.
The people of Paraht had eaten and slept many times since the coming of Tanar and Stellara and as yet no word had come from Zural, or the village of Lar, in answer to the message that Fedol had sent, but now, at last, there entered the village a party of warriors from Lar, and Fedol, sitting upon the chief's chair, received them in the tiled living room of his home.
'Welcome, men of Lar,' said the chief. 'Fedol welcomes you to the village of Paraht and awaits with impatience the message that you bring him from his friend, Zural the chief.'
'We come from Zural and the people of Lar,' said the spokesman, 'with a message of friendship for Fedol and Paraht. Zural, our chief, has commanded us to express to you his deep sorrow for the unintentional wrong that he did your daughter and the warrior from Sari. He is convinced that Stellara is your daughter and that the man is no Korsar if you are convinced of these facts, and he has sent presents to them and to you and with these presents an invitation for you to visit the village of Lar and bring Stellara and Tanar with you that Zural and his people may make amends for the wrong that they unwittingly did them.'
Fedol and Tanar and Stellara accepted the proffered friendship of Zural and his people, and a feast was prepared in honor of the visitors.
While these preparations were in progress a girl entered the village from the jungle. She was a dark-haired girl of extraordinary beauty. Her soft skin was scratched and soiled as from a long journey. Her hair was disheveled, but her eyes were bright with happiness and her teeth gleamed from between lips that were parted in a smile of triumph and expectation.
She made her way directly through the village to the house of Fedol and when the warriors of Lar descried her they exclaimed with astonishment.
'Letari!' cried one of them. 'Where did you come from? What are you doing in the village of Paraht ?'
But Letari did not answer. Instead she walked directly to where Tanar stood and halted before him.
'I have come to you,' she said. 'I have died many a death from loneliness and sorrow since you ran away from the village of Lar , and when the warriors returned and said that you were safe in the village of Paraht , I determined to come here. And so when Zural sent these warriors to bear his message to Fedol I followed them. The way has been hard and though I kept close behind them there were many times when wild beasts menaced me and I feared that I should never reach you, but at last I am here.'
'But why have you come?' demanded Tanar.
'Because I love you,' replied Letari. 'Before the men of Lar and all the people of Paraht I proclaim my love.'
Tanar flushed. In all his life he had never been in so embarrassing a position. All eyes were turned upon him and among them were the eyes of Stellara.
'Well?' demanded Fedol, looking at Tanar.
'The girl is mad,' said the Sarian. 'She cannot love me for she scarcely knows me. She never spoke to me but once before and that was when she brought food to Stellara and me when we were prisoners in the village of Lar .'
'I am not mad,' said Letari. 'I love you.'
'Will you have her?' asked Fedol.
'I do not love her,' said Tanar.
'We will take her back to the village of Lar with us when we go,' said one of the warriors.
'I shall not go,' cried Letari. 'I love him and I shall stay here forever.'
The girl's declaration of love for Tanar seemed not to surprise any one but the Sarian. It aroused little comment and no ridicule. The Amiocapians, with the possible exception of Stellara, took it as a matter of course. It was the most natural thing in the world for the people of this island of love to declare themselves publicly in matters pertaining to their hearts or to their passions.
That the general effect of such a policy was not nor never had been detrimental to the people as a race was evident by their high intelligence, the perfection of their physique, their great beauty and their unquestioned courage. Perhaps the opposite custom, which has prevailed among most of the people of the outer crust for so many ages, is responsible for the unnumbered millions of unhappy human beings who are warped or twisted mentally, morally or physically.
But with such matters the mind of Letari was not concerned. It was not troubled by any consideration of posterity. All she thought of was that she loved the handsome stranger from Sari and that she wanted to be near him. She came close to him and looked up into his face.
'Why do you not love me?' she asked. 'Am I not beautiful?'
'Yes, you are very beautiful,' he said; 'but no one can explain love, least of all I. Perhaps there are qualities of mind and character—things that we can neither see nor feel nor hear—that draw one heart forever to another.'
'But I am drawn to you,' said the girl. 'Why are not you attracted to me?'
Tanar shook his head for he did not know. He wished that the girl would go away and leave him alone for she made him feel uneasy and restless and entirely uncomfortable, but Letari had no idea of leaving him alone. She was near him and there she intended to stay until they dragged her away and took her back to Lar, if they were successful in so doing, but she had determined in her little head that she should run away from them at the first opportunity and hide in the jungle until she could return to Paraht and Tanar.
'Will you talk to me?' she asked. 'Perhaps if you talk to me you will love me.'
'I will talk to you,' said Tanar, 'but I shall not love you.'
'Let us walk a little way from these people where we may talk,' she said.
'Very well,' said Tanar. He was only too anxious himself to get away where he might hide his embarrassment.
Letari led the way down the village street, her soft arm brushing his. 'I should be a good mate,' she said, 'for I should love only you, and if, after a while, you did not like me you could send me away for that is one of the customs of Amiocap—that when one of two people ceases to love they shall no longer be mates.'
'But they do not become mates unless they both love,' insisted Tanar.
'That is true,' admitted Letari, 'but presently you shall love me. I know that, for all men love me. I could have for my mate any man in Lar that I choose.'
'You do not feel unkindly toward yourself,' said Tanar, with a grin.
'Why should I?' asked Letari. 'Am I not beautiful and young?'
Stellara watched Tanar and Letari walking down the village street. She saw how close together they walked and it seemed that Tanar was very much interested in what Letari had to say to him. Doval was standing at her side. She turned to him.
'It is noisy here,' she said. 'There are too many people. Walk with me to the end of the village.'
It was the first time that Stellara had ever indicated a desire to be alone with him and Doval felt a strange thrill of elation. 'I will walk with you to the end of the village, Stellara, or to the end of Pellucidar, forever, because I love you,' he said.
The girl sighed and shook her head. 'Do not talk about love,' she begged. 'I merely wish to walk and there is no one else here to walk with me.'
'Why will you not love me?' asked Doval, as they left the house of the chief and entered the main street of the village. 'Is it because you love another?'
'No,' cried Stellara, vehemently. 'I love no one. I hate all men.'
Doval shook his head in perplexity. 'I cannot understand you,' he said. 'Many girls have told me that they
