Chapter VIII: The Palimpsest

In Milan, in the Ambrosian library there, Among Pinellian writings seared with age, I found a prophet's palimpsest--a scroll That Angelo Maio had brought to light. And on the margin of this scroll, I found Mysterious signs which baffled me at first. After a full week's search I chanced to find The mongrel dialect of which they were. I thus translated: _Gihon is the Nile. A perfect soul may find long life and gold._ Surely, I thought, Veera the maid is pure. Her life's blue sky has not one cloud of sin. If her feet press the soil where Eve first trod, I can but follow and attain. So I Back to Vienna came and found Veera. To her I made my double purpose plain, And prayed her to go with me in my search. She smiled assent. To be near me, she said, Had brought her to Vienna; this indeed Detained her from her kinsmen. Her heart's book Lay open to me, and I read her love. So we were wed, and both lives ran to one.