turostoneasarewardfortellinghimwhereIwas.”Medusapattedthegroundshewaslyingonandsaid，

    "That’shim!Oncehegedintostoneandcouldnolongermoveevenafinger，heregrettedhisrashrequest,butitwastoote．He’sbeenstrugglingeversitonoavail.”Exhaustedbyherlongspeech,Medusaanting．Sheysidewiseonthegrouedforawhileandtheon．

    "Beautyisnotasin，butitprovedtobemyundoingandbroughtmeonlymisfortuneanduedpunishment.Perhapsthegodswerejealousofmybeauty．Theseriesofeventsthathappeertheygedmeinton,allthosepeoplebeingturostoneordyingbecauseofme，werebeyondmytrol．Ifeltlikeapuppetonastring，withnopowerwhatsoeverovermylifeandwishes．Sedandpersecuted,IwasbeheadedbyPerseus．NowIamabouttodiebyyoursword．Butnomatter，Iamtiredoflifeanyway．Letmybloodwashawaymysins.”Sheidhercheeksonthegroulyruffledthelusciousgrasssaying，"’tyoufeeltheslightpalpitationsoftheheartbeatandthewarmthofthetemperatureoftheearth?Itisgentleandsoothing．Itmaybeablessingtoendmysinfullifeandlieasleephereforeveraerintotheeternaldreamnd!"

    AfterhearingMedusa’sstory,Dimitriwasfilledwithsympathy．Hewalkedowhereshewaslyingandstoopeddown,nolardingherasaobeexterminated．Forthefirsttime,helookedatherfacetofadwasshakeraordinarybeauty,whoseradiancewasundimmedbythefog,thewildernessandherseverewound．Herfasatingeyes,rgeandeloquent,werenowlusterlessandtired;andsheseemedtobestrugglingtokeepthemfromclosing．Hesaidgently,

    "YouareonlyavictimcheatedbyFate,Medusa．SoamI．Soiseveryofateotpredominateyourlife．Youhavetorealizethatnomatterwhatdirestraitsyouareforto,youstillhavesuffitstrengthandtrolwithwhichtoredirectyourlife．Thereareuntrolbleforces,butthereinisstillinyourownhands．Fewpeoplerealizethis;sowhenstruckwithadversity,theytendtodriftwiththetideaeandmisfortuakeoverthecourseoftheirliveswithoutastruggle．ButonceyouuandyourpositioweenFateay,youadjustittothemostdesirablepitdassumeand．Throughingeniousmaneuversyouregaintrolofyourowbygonesbebygones．Fromnowon，Iwanttohelpyoushakefreeoftheropesandsthatbindyouandbeginanewlife.”

    DimitriwasabouttopulloutthearrowandhelpMedusabindherwound,whenhewasstartledbyahoarse,lowvoiingfromthecave,saying，

    "I’msothirsty．Blood!Givemethevirgin’sblood!"Hewasatohealertagain．SwordinhaintothecaveandsawCyclopswithhandsafastenedbyironstothewallofthecave．OnseeingDimitri,heflewintoatempestue，shrieking，shoutingandrushingathim,onlytobepulledbackbythes．Fromoutsidethecave，Medusa’svoicecouldbeheardimpl，

    "Don’tkillhim!Heishelplessandi．Ifyoumustkill,killmeinstead!"Seeirugglingmonsteredandhelpless,Dimitrikcoulddonoharm;soheretreatedtoMedusa’ssideandasked，

    "Whoishe?Whydoyouwaosparehim?"ButMedusawassoweakthatshecouldhardlyspeakandytherepaleandpanting．

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    "Thestorywait”saidDimitri,"Wemusttreatyourwoundsfirst.”Takingholdofthearrow，hepulledatitwithhisrighthand．Thearrowcameoutwholeand，butbloodgushedoutofthewoundlikeanunstoppablestreaminspiteofhiseffortstostopit．WatgitflowonandonandseeingMedusagrowevenpaler,Dimitrididnotknowwhattodo．Hebenthisheadandkissedtheflesh，tornandmutitedbyhisarrow．Tohissurprise，th

turostoneasarewardfortellinghimwhereIwas.”Medusapattedthegroundshewaslyingonandsaid，

    "That’shim!Oncehegedintostoneandcouldnolongermoveevenafinger，heregrettedhisrashrequest,butitwastoote．He’sbeenstrugglingeversitonoavail.”Exhaustedbyherlongspeech,Medusaanting．Sheysidewiseonthegrouedforawhileandtheon．

    "Beautyisnotasin，butitprovedtobemyundoingandbroughtmeonlymisfortuneanduedpunishment.Perhapsthegodswerejealousofmybeauty．Theseriesofeventsthathappeertheygedmeinton,allthosepeoplebeingturostoneordyingbecauseofme，werebeyondmytrol．Ifeltlikeapuppetonastring，withnopowerwhatsoeverovermylifeandwishes．Sedandpersecuted,IwasbeheadedbyPerseus．NowIamabouttodiebyyoursword．Butnomatter，Iamtiredoflifeanyway．Letmybloodwashawaymysins.”Sheidhercheeksonthegroulyruffledthelusciousgrasssaying，"’tyoufeeltheslightpalpitationsoftheheartbeatandthewarmthofthetemperatureoftheearth?Itisgentleandsoothing．Itmaybeablessingtoendmysinfullifeandlieasleephereforeveraerintotheeternaldreamnd!"

    AfterhearingMedusa’sstory,Dimitriwasfilledwithsympathy．Hewalkedowhereshewaslyingandstoopeddown,nolardingherasaobeexterminated．Forthefirsttime,helookedatherfacetofadwasshakeraordinarybeauty,whoseradiancewasundimmedbythefog,thewildernessandherseverewound．Herfasatingeyes,rgeandeloquent,werenowlusterlessandtired;andsheseemedtobestrugglingtokeepthemfromclosing．Hesaidgently,

    "YouareonlyavictimcheatedbyFate,Medusa．SoamI．Soiseveryofateotpredominateyourlife．Youhavetorealizethatnomatterwhatdirestraitsyouareforto,youstillhavesuffitstrengthandtrolwithwhichtoredirectyourlife．Thereareuntrolbleforces,butthereinisstillinyourownhands．Fewpeoplerealizethis;sowhenstruckwithadversity,theytendtodriftwiththetideaeandmisfortuakeoverthecourseoftheirliveswithoutastruggle．ButonceyouuandyourpositioweenFateay,youadjustittothemostdesirablepitdassumeand．Throughingeniousmaneuversyouregaintrolofyourowbygonesbebygones．Fromnowon，Iwanttohelpyoushakefreeoftheropesandsthatbindyouandbeginanewlife.”

    DimitriwasabouttopulloutthearrowandhelpMedusabindherwound,whenhewasstartledbyahoarse,lowvoiingfromthecave,saying，

    "I’msothirsty．Blood!Givemethevirgin’sblood!"Hewasatohealertagain．SwordinhaintothecaveandsawCyclopswithhandsafastenedbyironstothewallofthecave．OnseeingDimitri,heflewintoatempestue，shrieking，shoutingandrushingathim,onlytobepulledbackbythes．Fromoutsidethecave，Medusa’svoicecouldbeheardimpl，

    "Don’tkillhim!Heishelplessandi．Ifyoumustkill,killmeinstead!"Seeirugglingmonsteredandhelpless,Dimitrikcoulddonoharm;soheretreatedtoMedusa’ssideandasked，

    "Whoishe?Whydoyouwaosparehim?"ButMedusawassoweakthatshecouldhardlyspeakandytherepaleandpanting．

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    "Thestorywait”saidDimitri,"Wemusttreatyourwoundsfirst.”Takingholdofthearrow，hepulledatitwithhisrighthand．Thearrowcameoutwholeand，butbloodgushedoutofthewoundlikeanunstoppablestreaminspiteofhiseffortstostopit．WatgitflowonandonandseeingMedusagrowevenpaler,Dimitrididnotknowwhattodo．Hebenthisheadandkissedtheflesh，tornandmutitedbyhisarrow．Tohissurprise，th