loved so well that he could not go back over the river.
"'Tis not possible to go back over the river when one's best-loved is standing by herself in green shallows.
"Then along the bank from the direction of the date palms came Auden Spoon-bill, he who had gone to Delilah's heart. Likewise he was good to see—not from the handsomeness of his feathers or his eyes, but from the strength of his physical being. Though, too, his eyes were of amethyst.
"Auden Spoon-bill went along parallel to the shore of the river until he saw Delilah standing in the pale green water. Then he crossed over and came toward her.
"'There are lotus flowers blooming down below where the steep cataract breaks over stones,' said he. 'Delilah, will you come with me to eat some?'
