diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/66349-0.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/66349-0.txt | 7222 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 7222 deletions
diff --git a/old/66349-0.txt b/old/66349-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 26a8304..0000000 --- a/old/66349-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7222 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Cosmic Courtship, by Julian Hawthorne - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Cosmic Courtship - -Author: Julian Hawthorne - -Release Date: September 22, 2021 [eBook #66349] -[Most recently updated: November 21, 2022] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Robert Allen Lupton, Michael Tierney, and P. Alexander by -way of Cirsova Publishing. - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COSMIC COURTSHIP *** - - The Cosmic Courtship - by - Julian Hawthorne - - -CHAPTER I -MIRIAM’S VISITOR - -THE twenty-second of June, of the year 2001, was Miriam Mayne’s -birthday—her twenty-first. She and her father, Terence Mayne, the -billionaire contractor, had arranged to meet at the Long Island house for -dinner. After an early breakfast, she kissed him good-by; he went -down-town to business, and she to her room, to put on her traveling dress. - -A glorious day it was! When the tall girl stepped from the window of her -room on to the balcony, the sun embraced her graceful figure as if it -loved her; the perfume of flowers rose up like incense; two humming-birds, -busy with the morning-glories, buzzed a welcome; the air was warm but -exhilarating. She mounted to the wide parapet of the balcony and stood -poised for a moment before starting on her journey. - -She was clad in a dove-colored suit of a tunic and trousers to the knee, -fitting snugly, but allowing freedom of movement. On her feet she wore a -pair of sandals, with appendages on the heel resembling the talaria of -Greek myth, ascribed to Iris and Mercury; but for the wings were -substituted triangular projections of a pliable metal with a silvery -sheen. Over her head was drawn a close-fitting cap, fastened securely -under the chin, and bearing wing-like excrescences similar to the -foot-gear. A wide belt or girdle encircled her waist; it was formed of -narrow vertical pieces connected together, and four buttons or small knobs -appeared on the front of it, where they could be readily reached by either -hand. In her right hand she carried a light staff. - -The art of personal flight was still a novelty at this period, though the -principle of it had been known for several years. Only persons of sound -physical and mental coordinations were apt to attempt it. Miriam had not -only passed the government tests, but was considered an expert. - -With an upward swing of the arms, she leaped into the air; the drop to the -pavement of the court below was some fifty feet; but she rose upward as if -she had no weight, and continued her ascent until she hovered at a height -of a couple of thousand feet above the far-extending city of New York. -There she paused, gazing hither and thither at the magnificent prospect. - -From the Battery to Harlem, the surface of Manhattan Island was covered -with handsome villas and mansions, of white or tinted marble, standing -each in an ample enclosure of green turf studded with trees and -flower-beds. Several miles to the south rose the superb turreted pile of -the new Madison Square Garden, like a fairy palace, of white marble set -off with pinnacles and trimmings of gold. It was Terence Mayne’s crowning -achievement, and was still unfinished. The East and North Rivers were -spanned by between three and four hundred bridges, lofty and wide, made of -a metallic substance that glittered and shone in the sun. The beds of the -rivers themselves were laid with white concrete, over which the water -flowed blue and transparent. Northward, beyond the island, the city proper -stretched for forty miles, following the course of the Hudson, but -extending westward over a breadth of five miles into New Jersey; the home -of nearly fifteen millions of people. From side to side, and from end to -end, no smoke fouled the clear air, and no sign of factories or of -business traffic was visible. But the entire area had been excavated to a -depth of a thousand feet, and here, layer beneath layer, were housed the -business activities of the metropolis. - -Miriam was not unfamiliar with these subterranean regions. Illuminated by -the electron light, and ventilated by the carbon process, and kept at an -even temperature of seventy degrees Fahrenheit, they were wholesome and -pleasant, and many thousands of the inhabitants never troubled themselves -to appear above-ground from year’s end to year’s end. Except for the -absence of sun, moon and stars, life in this artificial world was as -agreeable and convenient as on the surface. But sun, moon and stars, and -the fathomless depths of space, were indispensable to Miriam’s happiness. - -She now pointed her staff eastward, and began to move gently in that -direction. She was using the ten-mile-an-hour stop in her belt; she had no -present need for haste. She flew, leaning forward on the air, at an -inclination of about twenty degrees from the vertical, without movement of -her limbs. Few individual fliers were abroad, and they passed at a -distance. But three of the great Atlantic liners were setting their course -east and southeast; and high overhead, flocks of buses carrying business -men were sliding swiftly toward the lower part of the city. In spite of -its external transformation, New York, in some human respects, had not -changed much in the last hundred years. - -In crossing the Sound, a sea-gull flew past Miriam, and she, by a sudden -turn, swept so close by it that she was almost able to touch its wing. It -dodged and dived with a scream. Smiling to herself, she gave a supple -impulse to her body, which caused her to slant slightly downward across -the Sound toward the Long Island shore. Five hundred feet above the ground -she resumed a horizontal course, moving slowly across the green lawns and -parklike enclosures that surrounded the sumptuous county-seats of this -district. It was a fair sight; but the sun, now forty-five degrees above -the sea-line, dazzled her eyes; she turned her body with a leisurely and -luxurious motion until she lay with her face toward the western sky, where -a snowy flock of gossamer fine-weather clouds was strung across the blue. -She was now carried along as if reclining on a couch, and did not change -her posture until she heard the rhythm of the surf on the great eastern -beaches. Fetching herself upright again, she touched the -gravitation-control in her belt, and sank slowly, guiding herself with her -staff toward the left. In a few minutes she alighted buoyantly on the soft -turf of the great Mayne estate. - -Fifty yards before her rose a grassy mound, with a sort of summer-house on -its summit; the place was protected by a grove of tall pines, disposed in -a wide semicircle between the dwelling-house and the ocean. Entering the -pavilion, she quickly threw off her flying-suit, and running down the -steps to the beach, she plunged into the surf. So was Artemis, in the -seclusion of her temple precincts, wont to bathe on the Lydian shore of -the Ægean. Heading out beyond the breakers, Miriam swam and dived and -splashed up diamond spray in the thrilling coolness. At length she came -ashore, borne on the crest of a white-maned steed of the sea, and ran -back, a virgin shaft of glistening whiteness, to the pavilion. Thence, -after an interval, she reissued, robed in a flowing gown of purple wool, -lined with orange silk. She seated herself on a curved bench of marble -that stood on the seaward crest of the knoll, and spread out her black -hair, thick and long, to dry in the sun. Seated thus at ease, and secure -from all disturbance, Miriam fell into a reverie, which gradually became -profound. The intense but restricted sphere of personal consciousness -closed itself in the broad, steady luminousness of perception which -comprises and permeates the individual as does the ocean its waves. The -beautiful capacities of nature became transparent. - -A voice of agreeable quality was speaking to her “Miriam!” The call had -been repeated several times before she recognized her own name. No one was -within sight or hearing. She knew the methods by which, in late times, -science had overcome space for both ear and eye; but this voice was using -a method unknown to her. - -“Hold yourself still,” it now said, “and you will see me.” - -She imposed quiescence upon mind and body. A shadow flickered for a moment -before her, and vanished. It came again, less vague. Upon the empty air -between herself and the sea it gradually defined itself. A tall, grave -figure in a dark robe with a black silk cap on its head. The face was -pale, with large, black eyes under level brows, it expressed tranquility -and power. As she gazed, a blue star surrounded by a ring glimmered forth -over the figure’s left breast. The lips moved, and the quiet voice spoke -again. - -“I have observed you for a year. We are companions of the star. We can -help each other. Will you meet me?” - -“What star?” asked Miriam, though she did not speak aloud. - -“Saturn! The desire of your heart may be accomplished. I have found the -way, but can go no further without you. Will you meet me?” - -The eyes of the apparition, meeting hers gravely and almost sternly, -communicated confidence. The speaker was a woman. - -“I am willing!” said Miriam after a long look. - -The expression of the face softened. - -“You will receive a letter to-morrow. I have taken this method that you -might act freely. Without sympathy there could be no—” The voice died -away; the figure dimmed and a quivering passed through the air-drawn -scene. The next moment, nothing was visible but the sun-steeped sea and -shore. - -Miriam stayed where she was for a long time. The influence had not been -hypnotic, but had conveyed a strong sense of spiritual harmony and of -enlightenment. She recognized the value of spontaneity. Knowledge was not -acquisition, but revelation. Her visitor had understood her need. - -Miriam was a woman of her time. After acquiring political equality with -man, the other sex had soon turned from political activities to science. -Her more finely organized and fresher brain and her spiritual intuition -opened to her realms of conquest over nature and methods of achieving it -hitherto unimagined. The revolutionary investigations and discoveries of -later years had been woman’s work. Etheric heat, planetary motive-power, -electron light were gifts from woman’s hand. She had divined the -parallelism between material fact and spiritual truth. A lever so powerful -began to make the rock of human ignorance stir in its bed. The birthday of -the universal man seemed near. - -To Miriam, keeping abreast of progress, had come some time since the dream -of actual interplanetary communication, not by interchange of signals -merely, but by bodily transference from the earth to other worlds of our -system. She had never confided this ambition to any person, and her fantom -visitor had been the first to divine it—for such had seemed to be her -intimation. Her father, a man of a past age, never suspected it. All the -girl’s studies had had this ambition for their end, but hitherto her -progress had seemed small. But to-day for the first time she could feel, -with a tremulous joy, that her labor and self-discipline had fitted her -for what was to come. A powerful hand had grasped hers and a profound and -fearless intelligence would direct her course. It was an added joy to know -that her cooperation was needed even for her guide’s masterful -intelligence. - -The personal equation had begun to be recognized as the most important -agency of man’s rule over nature. It found its analogy in the inter-atomic -force. By solving the true nature of the isolation which the personal -equation implies, the way to its mastery was found to lie in the -compensating attraction of innate sympathies. Proper use of this vital -truth could result in achievements otherwise unattainable and seemingly -miraculous. - -Miriam’s mother, a lovely and intelligent woman, had died when the girl -was fifteen; her father, though a man of the old fashion, was in his way a -genius, of immense energy and ability; and the whole tide of his ardent -Celtic nature flowed into love for his daughter. He had the insight to -perceive that she must allowed great freedom of choice and action in order -to secure her best development; he let her make her own rules of conduct -and education, and merely supplied whatever means and facilities she -required; there was complete mutual love and confidence between them. She -came and went, studied and played, as she pleased, without supervision or -question; and as she grew up the visible results were fully satisfactory. -Her bodily strength and symmetry were united with supple grace; she was -trained in the great gymnasiums which the influence of the king had made -fashionable; she was expert in fencing, swimming, running and wrestling; -and, besides her aptness in flying, was a consummate horsewoman. Terence -Mayne never learned personal flight, and hardly liked to have his girl -“mix herself up with a lot of ducks and geese,” as he put it; but he was -always eager and proud to act as her cavalier on a ride, and they were -often seen cantering down the Long Drive side by side, he with his bushy -gray hair uncovered to the breeze, thumping up and down on his big hunter; -she undulating easily beside him on her fine-limbed Arab. The vision of -her beauty haunted the dreams of many an impassioned youth. But Miriam, -though always kind and frank, drew back from male intimacies. She was -wedded to science and desired no human husband. Her father forbore to urge -her. - -“A pretty gal is a good thing; let ’em stay so long as they will. The -woman in ’em will have her say in the long run; don’t let us be meddling!” -This was his rejoinder to the suggestions of sympathetic friends. - -On her side, she recognized his cordial and sociable temperament, and -never refused her cooperation in his great dinners and receptions—a -queenlike presence, with her black hair and sea-gray eyes, moving through -the glowing vistas of the great rooms. Side by side with her intellectual -proclivities, there was in her a deep emotional quality, which found -expression in forms of art, and which she used to give distinction to the -plans and details of her father’s social enterprises. - -But the greater part of her time was devoted to thoughts and effort far -removed from such matters; these had for her a sort of sanctity, due to -their exalted character. Science, in that age, had a spiritual soul which -lifted it toward the religious level. The solution of her problems was -connected with the future of mankind; it required courage to face even the -prevision of them. Transcendent moments visited her, mingled with a -sentiment of profound personal humility. She was conscious at times of an -appalling loneliness, chilling her to the finger-tips with delicious -terrors. But anon the warm blood flowed back to her heart, and she would -rise and pace her chamber, crowned with the hope of being forever known -and blessed as the giver to her race of unimagined benefits. - -Her spectral interview on the Long Island estate brought a new influence -to her. The next morning at breakfast she found the most -commonplace-looking letter imaginable beside her plate. The contents were -as follows: - - DEAR MIRIAM: - My laboratory is at Seven Hundred and Ninety-Sixth Street, near the - river. Come at three o’clock any day. Pardon the abrupt way I presented - myself yesterday. It was made possible by our saturnian affiliations. I - am still a little awkward about it—the interruption was caused by an - accident to the coordination. I hope to fulfil your expectations. I am - myself more than ever convinced that we shall achieve together something - that will modify the course of human history. - - Sincerely yours, MARY FAUST. - -Miriam looked across at her father, who was immersed in his business mail. -How near and dear to her he was, and yet how far removed! Distance is but -the relation of one mind to another; we may be closer to the Pleiades than -to the companion whose arm is linked in our own. But diameters of sidereal -systems cannot sever us from those we love. - -She said nothing to her father; but that afternoon she privately visited -Mme. Faust’s laboratory; and thus began a secret connection destined to -have important issues. - - -CHAPTER II -RACE FOR LOVE - -A LITTLE more than a year after Miriam became Mary Faust’s pupil and -partner, the new Madison Square Garden was opened with the annual -horse-show, which, for ages, had been a leading function of New York -society. - -The new building covered four city blocks, and was raised above the vast -plaza in the midst of which it stood by flights of ornamental steps. The -great central tower rose fifteen hundred feet above the pavement, and the -towers of less elevation stood at the four corners. Forests of delicate -columns supported the superstructure, which mounted height above height in -snowy elevations, finely touched with gold and color, till the central -tower leaped aloft like a fountain. So just were the proportions of the -whole that the edifice seemed rather to rise upward with an aspiring -impulse than to press upon the earth. - -The populace filled the plaza, thronged the steps, and streamed inward -through twenty broad doorways. The king and court were to attend the -ceremony of the opening, and the uniforms of the guards divided with their -bright lines the masses of the crowd. Air-boats, like great birds, chased -one another high overhead in sweeping circles, dropping small parachutes -carrying bags of sugar plums, which were caught by the crowd. The October -sun shone on the front of the marble edifice, kindling all into airy -splendor. - -A young man of modest demeanor but of striking aspect was slowly edging -his way through the throng. He was nobody in particular—an artist, Jack -Paladin by name. But he was tall, well formed and handsome; his fellow -students in the art class, a few years before, found a strong resemblance -between him and the statue of Hermes, ascribed to Praxiteles, and used to -get him to pose for them. Jack was good-natured and easy-going; but his -mind was not centered upon himself. It did not even dwell upon one or -another beautiful girl, with whom he could imagine himself in love. He -thought of and loved nothing but art: was a Galahad of art, in short. -Mankind and the universe were to him material for pictures: his constant -problem and delight was to make them serve art purposes. He had little -money, and only one living relative—his uncle, Sam Paladin, quite a -notable personage, who had been a great traveler and adventurer in all -parts of the world, a hero of daring escapades, a soldier of fortune; but -now, at a little less than fifty, had settled in New York, enjoying the -society of a few old friends and applying himself enthusiastically to -astronomy; as if, having exhausted the resources of this planet, he were -seeking further entertainment in other satellites of our sun. Jack had no -heartier backer and sympathizer than Uncle Sam, though art was an unknown -region to him. Though by no means a rich man, Uncle Sam devised all sorts -of pretexts for “tipping” him; and Jack was obliged to stipulate that his -uncle was not to buy any picture of him which had not already been sought -by some outside purchaser. Hitherto, the outside purchaser had seldom -brought the stipulation to the test. - -Jack was going to the horse-show because, if anything could share a place -in his heart with art, it was fine horses. He had almost been born on -horseback, and there were few better riders alive. Since horses had been -retired from utilitarian service, the art of breeding had been cultivated, -and magnificent animals were produced. - -As he reached the broad flight of steps at the front of the building, -bugles announced the approach of the royal party. The king and queen, -simple and unostentatious persons, drove up in a carriage-and-four of the -fashion of fifty years ago. The popularity of the monarch was attested by -the cordial greetings of the populace. The old man’s stately head was -uncovered, and he bowed with kindly smiles at the acclaim. On the platform -at the top of the steps a group of officials awaited him, foremost among -them Terence Mayne, with a tall black-haired woman by his side. Jack -happened to get himself within arm’s reach of this woman; she slowly -turned her head, and their eyes met. - -At first her smooth cheeks paled; then she lowered her eyes, and her face -was covered with a blush. At the same moment the music of ten thousand -silver bells sounded; the royal party reached their hosts and changes of -position occurred in the group, so that the black-haired girl disappeared. -But her image had entered Jack’s soul and banished all else except the -purpose to follow her forever! - -Availing himself, unobtrusively, of his great strength, he made his way to -the interior immediately in the wake of the royalties. The spectacle was -astonishing—an oval of blue and gold nine hundred feet in diameter -surrounding the dark red tan-bark of the arena. From above the seats, -which accommodated one hundred thousand spectators, arches rose to the -spring of the tower, meeting at the base of the golden dome, through whose -central aperture further heights were visible, with frostwork arabesques, -ascending into a misty vagueness of rainbow light. The royal box was in -the center of the middle circle of seats, and to the left of it Jack soon -identified the gray hair and stalwart figure of Terence Mayne chatting -with the Maharaja of Lucknow. But the girl of his soul was nowhere to be -seen. - -“Miriam Mayne is to ride in the ninth race, I hear,” said some one to some -one else at his elbow. Miriam! That must be she! How he worshipped the -name! - -At another bugle-blast, several hundred beautiful animals entered the ring -and began to move round it. Many of the riders were women. The usual -riding-costume for both sexes was a close-fitting silken tunic and -leggings: the hair of the women flowed loose from a fillet, or hung in -braids. As the procession passed him Jack noted in the ninth rank a rider -on a white Arab. Dense black hair streamed out from beneath her fillet; -the movements of her body were full of supple dignity, replying to those -of her horse; she rode without saddle or bridle; her dress was gray silk -embroidered with gold, and in her right hand she carried a red rose. -Miriam! - -Jack leaned far over the balustrade. Miriam Mayne, in the magic of a -moment, had thrown wide the gates of his heart and transformed the boy -dreamer into the lover full grown. She was blood to his heart and air to -his lungs. To be hers—to make her his! - -As she drew near she did not look toward him; but her Arab began to curvet -and dance, and she playfully struck him on his glossy neck with the rose. -Hereupon the beautiful creature reared erect; she flung her body forward, -and in the act the rose somehow escaped from her hand and fell into Jack’s -breast. She passed on. - -Had she meant it? Jack dared not believe so. He had never considered the -effect upon a woman of his commanding stature and noble bearing. Many a -fair woman had followed him with her eyes, in vain. - -But here was her rose, the most sacred object he had ever possessed! Did -it not create some ineffable understanding between them? - -The parade filed out, and on consulting the program Jack found that -Miriam’s race was two hours hence. He determined to visit the stalls -below. - -Among the noticeable horses was a roan, belonging to the maharaja, -seventeen hands, to be ridden in the ninth race by a Mohammedan groom as -big as Jack himself. Jack took a fancy to him, and, though warned by the -groom, entered his stall and petted him. He was a natural horse-tamer. -After a few moments the formidable creature responded to his advances, and -the groom stared. - -When he returned to the arena the royal party had withdrawn and the -spectators, freed from court etiquette, were visiting one another and -strolling about the lobbies. But Miriam was nowhere to be seen. However, -as he was ascending the tower on one of the escalators, he saw, through -the carved interstices, a party descending on the opposite side. An -exclamation broke from him. - -She was there, with her father and the maharaja. Her back was toward Jack. -But as they passed she turned slowly, and for the second time their eyes -met. Oh, the poignant delight to him of that moment! As she averted her -glance she seemed to notice the rose in his doublet, and he thought she -smiled. The next moment the relentless machinery of the escalators had -separated them and hope of overtaking her was vain. - -Returning to the arena he found Miriam absent from her father’s box; the -latter was talking animatedly with the prince, and near by stood the big -Mohammedan groom with a dejected air. It seemed that he had just stabbed -another attendant and was under arrest. The official was sorry, but an -assault with a deadly weapon could not be overlooked. As no one else could -ride the roan, the animal must be withdrawn from the race. The maharaja -smiled and bowed politely, shrugged his shoulders, and resigned himself to -the will of Allah; but gave the groom a glance that boded no good for his -near future. - -Jack had an inspiration; he flung a leg over the railing of the box and -strode up to its astonished occupants. “I’ll ride for you,” he said to the -maharaja, “I know your horse and can manage him.” His highness gazed at -him with an inscrutable Oriental smile. Mayne, his Celtic temper already -somewhat ruffled, growled out in the brogue that always more pronounced in -emotional junctures, “An’ who might you be, me frien’? Ye have yer nerve -wid ye, anyhow!” - -Before Jack could reply a long-legged, athletic figure came striding down -the aisle with a grin of amusement on his aquiline features. It was Uncle -Sam! - -“It’s all right, Terence!” he called out, a laugh in his deep voice. -“That’s only my nephew, Jack. How do, prince? Oh, the boy can ride, all -right. If you want to win that race, the youngster can come nearer doing -the trick for you than any other jockey on the track!” - -The atmosphere changed. None ventured to dispute Sam Paladin. Terence -smoothed his hostile front. The maharaja bowed with engaging grace. “My -horse has killed six men,” he observed in liquid tones, “but I see your -nephew is a big, brave man. I am content—Bismillah!” - -Jack lifted his head and his chest expanded; his eyes shone with joy. -“Thanks, uncle; thanks, prince!” he said. “I’ll fix it!” and he was off. -He remembered afterward that he ought to have said something nice to -Miriam’s father; but it was too late. - -There was a bare twenty minutes before the ninth race. Jack, the pacific, -plunging down to the basement, abruptly became the despot of the stables. -He stripped the roan of the cumbrous saddle, patted him, divested himself -of shoes and doublet, bound the broad blue sash of the maharaja round his -waist, fastened Miriam’s rose over his heart, vaulted at a bound astride -the great horse, and was ready for the ring five minutes ahead of the -bell. - -Some of the best horses and riders in the world faced the starter—seven of -them. The champions of England and of Australia; a black from Morocco, -carrying a Berber prince as black as he; a famous Chinese mare bestridden -by a mandarin’s daughter; a wiry brute from Russia backed by a Cossack. -But where was Miriam? - -Jack’s heart sank. Without her his presence was a farce. True, honor bound -him to defeat her if he could; but he believed her Arab was unbeatable. -The riders took their places, while a murmur of admiration from tens of -thousands of lips created a soft but thunderous vibration in the enclosed -space. The starter’s arm was uplifted! - -“Miriam, my soul, where art thou?” Had Jack spoken aloud? At all events, -as if in response to a summons, and to Jack’s unspeakable delight and -agitation, out she paced, quietly, from behind the barrier and moved to a -place directly at his side! - -She gave no sign, however, of recognizing his presence. She tossed back -over her shoulder a heavy strand of her hair, leaned forward and whispered -in her stallion’s ear, then straightened her limbs and lifted her body, -alert with life and vigor. At the second signal she crouched forward over -the withers and threw up one arm, keen for the signal. It came—the race -was on! - -Jack, with a hoarse shout of love and war, made himself one creature with -the roan, and they hurled forward. His blood thundered in his veins, the -frenzy of his pulse was answered by the leap of his steed. They flew -forward smoothly, and the ground swept beneath them like the fleeting of a -cataract. Hippomenes and Atalanta—a memory of that, read in a shadowy -corner of his father’s library, sped through Jack’s mind. Triumphant -power, mingled with the exquisite sense of Miriam’s companionship, made -him greater than himself. He knew, without looking, that she was still at -his side, riding with elastic ease. What a girl! What a rider! What a -queen of heart and soul, whom he with heart and soul was striving to -overcome! - -The first circuit was a free course; after that, obstacle succeeded -obstacle, each of increasing difficulty. Few would survive the finish! The -great ring seemed to speed round like the rush of a whirlpool. The riders -were trying out one another’s powers. As yet there was little change in -their relative positions. With the first obstacle, foresight and strategy -began to match themselves against mere swiftness. - -Jack suddenly felt that Miriam had changed her place, but at the jump a -waft of her hair touched his cheek and something like a great white bird -swept past him; she alighted just ahead of him, closely followed by the -mandarin’s daughter on her gray. The two girls had outmaneuvered him. - -Rapid vicissitudes followed. At the third fence the Englishman collided in -mid air with the Berber and both came down in a headlong ruin. As Jack -swung into the fourth circuit a tall, white fence with a ditch beyond it -rose before him; some one was at his shoulder; but Miriam and the Chinese -girl had already passed it. The roan leaped a thought too soon, and his -hind feet failed to reach the edge of the ditch; in regaining it he was -passed by the Cossack, with the Australian at his heels. Jack was last in -the race! - -But the roan was fresh as ever, and two circuits of the course remained. -Jack, moreover, knew by a sixth sense that he and Miriam would finish -together, with the rest nowhere. A glimpse of Miriam flashed before him, -leading the field by a scant head, her hair streaming out like a sable -oriflamme to lead him on. Like a bolt shot by Hercules, the roan answered -his call. The Cossack and the hardy Australian fell to the rear, but Jack -and the former swung around the corner nearly abreast; the two girls were -close in front; all four would take the final jump almost together! - -The spectators were on their feet and the air roared with the gigantic -diapason of their cheers. Jack’s nerves were steady as iron now and his -spirit dilated, till the whole desperate struggle seemed to be taking -place within himself, and the end foreordained. - -The last barrier was seven feet high, at the top of a slight incline. -Beyond was a six-hundred yard stretch to the tape. - -The mandarin’s daughter, riding superbly, but near the end of her physical -endurance, had the gray’s head at Miriam’s knee. Miriam, at the incline, -slightly abated her pace; the other shot forward at full stride, but her -mount, embarrassed by the incline, struck and snapped the top rail and -fell, with the near foreleg broken on the further side. Miriam, in -leaping, had to swerve to escape the sharp end of the broken rail and to -avoid landing on her rival. But the latter picked herself up unhurt; the -gray lay kicking on its side. - -Meanwhile the Cossack, relying on the lightness of his horse, took the -incline at top speed, grazing the roan’s shoulder as he went by, and he -and Miriam, in unison, but on converging lines, rose in the air. With Jack -between them, a catastrophe was imminent. A hush, followed by hissing of -breath drawn between the teeth, showed that the spectators realized the -peril. - -Jack, self-possessed in that crisis, knew what to do and had the power to -do it. Miriam’s white Arab cleared the bar first and unscathed; but the -kicking gray beneath caused him to stumble on alighting and he fell on his -right side. Miriam threw her right leg over his head as he fell and thus -avoided injury, but she was unseated and thrown heavily; unprotected from -the Cossack and from the hoofs of the struggling gray, she lay prostrate, -partly stunned. - -The Cossack leaped ruthlessly; but Jack leaped with him, at an angle which -hurled the Russian aside; the fence crashed and fell, the man pitched on -his shoulder, breaking his collar-bone; his horse, recovering, scurried -riderless down the course. - -Jack, descending, saw beneath him the pale, upturned face of Miriam, her -eyes half closed. To all in the house her instant death seemed inevitable; -in the horror-stricken interval shrieked out the voice of old Terence -Mayne: “My girl! My girl!” - -But as the roan with stiffened forelegs dropped earthward, Jack flung -himself far down on the left, holding on by arm and heel, Indian fashion; -and before those deadly hoofs touched the tan-bark, he gathered up the -unconscious girl with his right arm, regained his seat by an incredible -effort, and thundered on to the finish with Miriam across the roan’s -withers. - -A long-drawn roar of amazement and relief greeted them. Even in that age -of unmatched horsemanship, such a feat had never before been witnessed. -The roan was halted; Mayne, Sam Paladin and the maharaja were pressing -through the throng. Jack slid to earth with the girl he loved still in his -arm; and thanked God, humbly, in his heart. - - -CHAPTER III -LOST! - -TWO days after the horse-show opening Jack stood in front of an easel, in -the studio on the top floor of an up-town building. He had charcoaled on -the canvas a design of a girl on a horse. No model for either figure was -in sight; but the artist’s rapt expression suggested that his eyes were -opened to things invisible to common senses. The girl had long, black -hair, and the horse seemed to be a white Arab stallion. - -The only other person in the big, empty room was an undersized boy of -fifteen, who was short one leg. He had the aspect of a clever and -good-natured gnome. He was occupied in cleaning paint-brushes and was -whistling softly to himself. - -A soft, bell-like sound, thrice repeated, suddenly proceeded from a small -black box affixed to the wall. The artist, roused from his vision, -frowned. - -“Say I’m busy, Jim,” he muttered. “Only ten o’clock, too!” - -Jim hobbled to the box and shot back a panel, disclosing a mirror six -inches square, in which appeared a miniature but lively image of a -middle-aged man of athletic build and aquiline features. “It’s yer Uncle -Sam, boss,” he said. - -Jack sighed, laid down his palette, and strode over to the box. - -“Good morning, uncle,” he said, addressing the image. “What’s up?” - -“Get over here at once—very important—quick car!” the other replied, with -an urgent gesture. - -“Would this afternoon do, uncle? I’m awfully busy just now—” - -“Don’t lose a moment!” rejoined his uncle, beckoning imperiously. “That -girl of Mayne’s, you know—the old man is in a devil of a taking—come on!” - -Jack’s bearing changed, as if a million volts had passed through him. - -“In five minutes, uncle!” he exclaimed, slamming back the panel. “Stay -here till I call, Jim,” he added to the gnome. - -“Right! Here’s yer tile, boss,” the latter returned, extending a hat to -his master. “Cut it out!” exclaimed Jack, pushing it aside, with no -realization of what it was. He stepped on the lift in a recess of the wall -and vanished upward like a clay pigeon from the trap. Emerging on the -roof, he seated himself in the little air-boat stationed there, cast off -the moorings, seized the wheel, set the needle, and had the craft skimming -southwestward like a bullet. In four minutes he had traversed the twelve -miles to his uncle’s house and found Sam Paladin awaiting him on the -landing. While Jack was gasping out, “What has happened to her?” the elder -man cast an amused glance at the boy’s costume—an old velvet jacket, out -at the elbows and daubed with paint, knee breeches of the same period and -condition, red slippers and hair on end. “Come below and I’ll tell you,” -he said. “Too bad to take you away from your work!” - -Jack, following his uncle to his rooms, uttered inarticulate sounds and -trod upon the other’s heels. The seasoned adventurer pushed him into a -chair, sat down opposite him, handed the cigars, took and lit one himself. - -“Ordinarily,” he observed, “I’d be the last person to interrupt a man in -his professional business; but this thing is a bit out of the common. -Terence and I are old pals, and he has a notion fixed in that obstinate -noddle of his that you are the man for this job. The way you picked up -that girl at the show gave him a high conception of your general ability. -I must confess I don’t see how you managed it! I guess your back muscles -must be in good shape. If you can repeat the trick—not in just the same -way, to be sure—you might consider your fortune made. Terence, as you -probably know, has all sorts of money, and would think nothing of tipping -you a million or so, if you made good.” - -“Uncle—please! Is she hurt?” What—” - -“What are you breaking that cigar in pieces for? Was it a bad one? Take -another!” - -“Uncle, I—” - -“Oh, well, here’s the story. To-day is Wednesday. The show was on Monday. -Terence says all went as usual on Tuesday, up to six o’clock, afternoon. -At that hour the maharaja was to dine at his house tête-à-tête—no one else -but Miriam—that’s her name I believe. I have a suspicion that the maharaja -is rather hit by the young lady. And the prospect of becoming Rani of -Lucknow might appeal to her—but that’s another matter!” - -“Miriam marry that damned heathen!” shouted Jack, standing up and raising -his clenched fists. He could not get out another word, but his red face, -blazing eyes, and rumpled hair were eloquent and formidable. - -“I don’t know about the prince’s religion,” said Uncle Sam calmly; “but -he’s a good enough fellow: was educated at Oxford: has a fine palace at -Lucknow—I stayed with him there, once, for a fortnight. But all that is -aside from our present business. It seems Terence had made it a point with -Miriam to be present at this dinner, and she had promised; he says she -never failed to keep an appointment in her life. He got home from his -office at four o’clock Tuesday: Miriam not in: she was in the habit, he -believed (but he always left her to do what she liked) of being absent -most afternoons, and sometimes till late in the evening. By five-thirty he -was dressed for dinner; Miriam had not returned. At six sharp the maharaja -arrived; no Miriam. They waited for her an hour: no signs of her or -message from her. Maharaja very polite, but serious: Terence—well, you can -imagine his state by this time, and how pleasantly the dinner went off. -Nine o’clock—no news! The prince took leave, still very polite, but— -Terence, sending out searchers in all directions, and taking rapid leave -of his senses. Sleepless night: morning: No Miriam! No trace or vestige of -her. Terence called me up at nine-thirty: had a revelation from Heaven -that you are the man in the world who can find her: insisted on my taking -up the matter with you at once. Now, of course, the girl may be nothing to -you; but it’s my opinion that if you could find her, and were not -immutably set against matrimony, you’d stand a good chance against his -highness. So here we are!” - -While Jack was devouring this recital with one part of his mind, another -was recalling an episode in his career which had taken place within the -past thirty-six hours. In the first place, there had been a tremendous, -palpitating minute or two, after the rescue, when he had had an -opportunity to speak to Miriam in private. In that minute he had -desperately dared to tell her that he loved her, that heaven and earth -could not keep him from her, and had implored her with the most impetuous -and irresistible adjurations to grant him an interview the next day. The -girl, under the influence of these words and of the general situation, had -finally replied that if he would be at a certain spot at a certain hour -the following afternoon, he might have his wish. The rendezvous was, in -fact, in the avenue bordering the high wall which enclosed Mary Faust’s -grounds and laboratory. Suffice it that the tryst was kept; and from two -o’clock until near three things were said by the two young people to each -other, which, considering that both of them had been, until that time, -vowed to celibacy and to science and art, were sufficiently remarkable and -important. Miriam had also briefly indicated her relations with Mary -Faust, and her habit of daily study there. The lovers parted in delicious -agitation and happiness. And it now appeared, from his uncle’s chronology, -that Jack was the last person, except Mary Faust, to whom Miriam had -appeared in the flesh. The last, that is, unless she had left the -laboratory for the dinner at home, and had been lost on the way. Either -she was with Mary Faust at this moment, or she was lost—probably kidnaped. -Jack had the immense advantage over all other searchers of the possession -of this clue. As to the kidnaping hypothesis, he refused to entertain so -intolerable an idea, at least until he had proved that it was not Mary -Faust! - -Lovers are at once the most outspoken and the most secret persons in the -world. It might have seemed natural that Jack should confide his story to -his uncle, his only intimate friend. He did nothing of the kind—the matter -was too sacred. At the conclusion of Sam Paladin’s statement, the young -man adopted a reserved demeanor, intimated, vaguely, that he happened to -be in possession of some facts which might lead to something, promised to -undertake the task at once, and to communicate promptly whatever news he -might obtain, and forthwith rather hurriedly excused himself. Five minutes -later he was back in his studio, and with Jim’s expert assistance was -preparing himself for the adventure. At a little after eleven, the two -stood before the door of the Faust laboratory. - -Sam Paladin, meanwhile, after a half-hour’s meditation, during which he -sometimes smiled and sometimes looked grave, transferred himself to -Mayne’s habitation, and went into private session with that distracted -personage. - -“The boy is in love with the girl,” he told him, “and love is the best -sleuth in the world. He knows something—wouldn’t say what—he is on edge, -body and soul, and whatever is humanly possible, he will do to find her. -Of course, your girl may not care for him; but if she does, the problem -will be the easier. It wouldn’t surprise me if we got a message before -evening. Some accident has occurred, no doubt; but there’s no reason to -suppose it serious. In these times of occult researches very funny things -sometimes happen; but they commonly turn out all right. If I thought -otherwise, I should advise you to get drunk. As it is, take a cold shower -and a nap.” - -“Naps and cold showers for a father whose daughter is maybe murdered this -minute!” moaned Terence, whose appearance emphasized his words. “If that -lad of yours brings her back to me safe and sound, he may take all I’ve -got—except the girl! I’m ready to start in again carrying bricks up a -ladder, as I did thirty years ago; but the girl is the girl; there’s none -like her; and if I had the solar system in me pocket, I’d not swap her for -it—once I got her in me arms again. ‘Occult,’ d’ye say? ‘Funny things!’ If -ever I get me hands on the parties that’s handed me this deal, believe me, -I’ll occult ’em, and funny won’t be the word for their feelin’s, neither.” - -“If you hand over your property to Jack, I’ve no doubt he’d let you board -and lodge with him and his wife,” remarked Sam Paladin composedly. “But -this is all foolishness. You’ll hear from Jack before dinner time, and -good news, too!” - -“Dinner time? That’s seven hours off, and how will I kape living till -then?” demanded Terence, taking his head between his hands and planting -his elbows on his knees, like the effigies of despair in Dante’s Inferno. -“Ye’ll find the cruiskeen lawn in the cupboard, Sam, lad; take what ye -want, but stand by me till the end,” he added after a while, looking up -from the depths of his misery. “No, none for me!—though never did I think -to see the day when Terence Mayne would turn his back on whisky! Wurra, -wurra!” - -“Try a draw of the pipe, anyway,” suggested, Sam; “I see the end of it -sticking out of your pocket. Here’s tobacco,” he said, proffering his -pouch. - -“The plug is better,” replied Terence, proceeding slowly to fill a -blackened old clay from the loose chippings in his pocket. He then drew a -match along his thigh and lit up. “A bit of old times!” he sighed; and as -the two friends puffed fragrant clouds at each other, the lines of anguish -on the Irishman’s visage were softened. - - -CHAPTER IV -MARY FAUST - -“HERE is where I saw Miss Mayne last,” said Jack, as he and Jim paused -before a massive door studded with iron nails, in the western end of a -high cement wall, on which the shadows of the trees bordering the avenue -were thrown by the noon sun. “It’s just twenty-one hours since that door -opened, and she went in.” - -“What opened it, boss?” inquired the gnome. “I don’t see no handle.” - -Jack thought a minute. “She pressed her thumb on one of those nails,” he -said. “I think it was this one,” and he laid a finger on the third nail -from the west edge of the door, four feet down from the top. Jim examined -the nail carefully. - -“Guess yer right, boss,” he muttered. “That ain’t no real nail, it’s the -top of a spring. Will I try a punch on it?” - -“Wait!” said Jack, arresting his hand. “As I remember, she pressed it in a -particular way—like this!” He pressed the nail-head, which yielded to the -impulse; then twice again, in rapid succession; then a fourth punch after -a moment’s interval. The door swung heavily inward, and the two companions -stepped quickly within. They found themselves in a spacious garden, -planted with flowers and ornamental bushes; a path led up to a house made -of gray stone, with an iron dome thirty feet in diameter projecting from -its roof. Jim, after a glance around, shut the door behind them, and -hobbled after Jack, who was advancing up the path. In a few moments they -reached a doorway on the east side of the building, at the top of a short -flight of steps. Jack laid a hand on the latch, which yielded, and the two -entered. They passed down a corridor, which brought them to a stairway. Up -the stairs they went, Jim’s crutch tapping on each step as they ascended. -The stair wound upward for a considerable distance; at length they emerged -on the landing, and saw another door, with a heavy blue curtain hanging -before it. As Jack stepped toward it, it was pushed aside from within, and -a tall figure in a dark robe stood before them. - -“Who are you? What do you want?” asked the figure. The voice, quiet and -deep, was evidently a woman’s. The face, pale, with regular features and -level, dark brows, might almost have been a man’s, such was the power and -firmness of its expression. - -Jack’s eyes met hers intently. He was sending the whole force of his -nature into the gaze, and she was conscious of it; they measured each -other. - -“Jack Paladin—a friend of Miriam Mayne’s,” he said after a moment. “I -parted from her at your door yesterday afternoon—you are Mme. Faust, I -suppose? She has not been seen since. Her father sent me here. Is she -here?” - -“Does her father think she is here?” - -“I alone know she comes here,” answered the young man. - -“Who is this?” inquired the other, indicating Jim, who was scrutinizing -her with great interest. - -“My trusty servant,” returned Jack. - -“The gen’leman saved me life, lady,” put in Jim. “Catch’d me in his arms, -fallin’ out of an air-boat. I bumped him good, and bruk me leg; an’ I’d go -to hell and back for him, any time, surest thing you know. That’s me!” - -“His is not the only life you have saved, I understand,” said Mary Faust, -continuing to fix her eyes on Jack’s face. He blushed red. “I am come for -Miriam Mayne,” was his rejoinder. She was silent for some time, seeming to -take counsel with herself. - -“Come with me,” she finally said, and turning, held back the curtain that -concealed the room beyond. Jack entered, Jim following; and she brought up -the rear. The room was large, with a high ceiling, which was pierced by -the shaft of a great sidereal telescope mounted beneath it on massive -piers which passed through the floor and were no doubt anchored in the -ground far below. A wide table, covered with diagrams and other papers -stood in a window on the north. Several machines of odd construction were -disposed here and there. Of these, the most noticeable was a structure of -black metal, shaped somewhat like a large chair or throne; the seat-room -was cushioned with blue silk; at the right side a hand-lever projected, -connected with a powerful system of geared wheels; in front was a -funnel-like projection formed of copper wire coiled in a spiral, the -diameter of the cone diminishing outward. On the sides of the structure -were clock-like disks, the hands pointing to astronomical signs. Above the -chair was suspended a large hollow hemisphere, highly polished, and -covered with flowing designs somewhat resembling Persian writing. The -chair was placed facing a broad open window opposite the eastern sky. The -whole contrivance may have weighed more than a ton, and, like the -telescope, rested on solid foundations passing through the floor. - -Jack gave all this a passing glance. He had no head for mechanics. Jim, on -the contrary, had a natural insight into machinery, and he examined this -strange object with a fascinated but perplexed expression. - -“I have doubted how best to make known what has happened here,” said Mary -Faust, “but your coming has forced me to a course which is, perhaps, the -best. Miriam Mayne was here on Tuesday afternoon—has been in the habit of -coming here for more than a year past, as my pupil and assistant. Together -we built this engine. It is psycho-physical; its function is to transport -persons from this earth to other planets of the solar system. But it was -not to be used until means had been perfected for their return hither.” - -“Gee! dat’s big stuff! How does yer work it, lady?” required Jim. - -“I shall explain it when Miriam’s father arrives—I have already sent for -him,” said she, addressing herself to Jack. “Meanwhile, if your nerves are -steady, I will show you something. But bear in mind that appearance -misleads; sleep resemble death, and trance still more. The spirit has no -relation to space.” - -Jack drew in a long breath; his heart was beating painfully. He felt as if -he stood on the brink of a fathomless abyss, from the depths of which -things unimagined were to arise. The woman took his hand and led him to a -large cabinet on the left. Her touch sent through him a strong vibration, -which seemed to calm his mind and fortify his resolution. The cabinet had -folding doors; she touched the knob, and they opened wide. The interior -was lined with blue satin, and was illuminated with a white light. The -figure of a young woman lay there, apparently deep asleep. Her hair flowed -beside her like a black river. On her left breast glimmered faintly a blue -star: it flickered like a flame. - -At the sight, Jack stiffened and trembled. His grasp tightened upon Mary -Faust’s hand. The serene, cool pressure of her fingers steadied him. -“Miriam—here!” he uttered in a husky whisper. - -“A part of her,” rejoined Mary Faust quietly. “The garment she wears on -this earth. Miriam is absent. The flickering of that star is the assurance -that she lives.” - -“Where is she, then?” demanded Jack, with dry lips. - -“She is on the planet Saturn,” replied Mary Faust. - - -CHAPTER V -“I’M GOING” - -THESE astounding words were so composedly and confidently spoken as to -make incredulity clash against conviction in a bewildering battle. Jack’s -knees relaxed, and there was a prickly sensation over his scalp. - -“Sattum!” muttered Jim. “Must be in Jersey. I never heard of it—not me!” - -“Things more startling have become commonplace by use,” remarked the -woman. She was about to say more, but the entrance of Terence Mayne, -accompanied by Sam Paladin, interrupted her. She closed the cabinet and -moved forward to receive them. - -The father was too much agitated and exhausted to express himself -conventionally; but the appeal of his eyes was poignant and pathetic. Sam -Paladin, as always, was master of himself, and he greeted Mary Faust with -urbane courtesy. - -“I am this boy’s uncle; I ventured to accompany my friend Mayne on the -chance that I might be of use. I hope you have good news of the young -lady?” - -“Your daughter is alive and well,” said Mary Faust, turning to Mayne. “But -she is gone on a long journey. I would have notified you at once, but -delayed in the hope of being able to fix the time of her return. That -however is still uncertain.” - -“Some little accident, I understand?” said Sam cheerfully. - -“I will outline what took place,” she replied. “This machine combines -material with spiritual forces in a way not hitherto attempted. It -separates these components in man, and directs the immaterial part to any -point selected; the physical body remains here, entranced, pending the -reunion. Other planets of our system may thus be visited at will.” - -Mayne probably understood nothing of this. Sam had followed her keenly. - -“I’ve been something of a traveler myself,” he remarked, “and after -bringing my explorations on this globe to an end, I adventured, through my -telescope, into other fields. I had looked forward to a time when we might -communicate intelligently with our planetary neighbors, but there is -novelty in your plan. But supposing you to have arrived at your -destination, divested of your mortal body, how would you make yourself -manifest in a practical way to the mortal people out there?” - -“A natural law, of which I am the discoverer, covers that difficulty,” the -scientist answered. “The spirit of an inhabitant of any earth, on reaching -another, is spontaneously clothed with a body proper to that globe, and, -of course, endowed with its language. This has long been known to me; but -only recently, and with your daughter’s assistance,” she added to Mayne, -“have we succeeded in effecting actual transference from one to another.” - -“How far away is my little gal gone, ma’am?” demanded Mayne, in a -faltering voice. - -“Whether the distance covered be a mile or millions of miles, the -principle is the same, and the distance is unimportant,” she replied. “The -planet Saturn, where she is now a guest, is between eight and nine hundred -million miles from where we stand.” - -Mayne dropped into a chair with a groan, and even Paladin arched his -eyebrows. Jim, for whom such figures had no significance, was busy -investigating the parts of the machine. Jack had sunk into a profound -meditation, and was perhaps as remote from the circle as Miriam herself. -His uncle was the first to speak. - -“From what you say, I infer that Miss Mayne’s physical part is here?” he -suggested. - -“What happened is this,” she returned. “After Miriam’s arrival here -yesterday, I was in another room for several minutes to fetch some -materials. When I returned, I found her sitting in this chair, -unconscious. The pointer indicated Saturn. She must have seated herself, -and inadvertently pressed the lever. I signaled Saturn and learned of her -safe arrival there; but neither I nor they had prepared means for her -return. Since then I have been occupied with this problem.” - -“Then—?” interjected Sam. - -“I have made this explanation in order to prepare Mr. Mayne for what he is -to see,” observed Mary Faust. “Do not attempt to touch her; she is -protected by forces whose disturbance might involve grave consequences -both for you and her.” - -She moved to the cabinet, followed by the two elder men; Jack remained in -his revery. - -When the doors were opened, Mayne, with a faint cry, staggered toward the -sleeping figure, but Paladin restrained him. The starlike light upon the -girl’s breast, flickered as before; at long intervals a slight movement -was perceptible in the chest and diaphragm, as she drew her breath. - -“Respiration in Saturn is slower than with us,” Mary Faust remarked. - -“What is the cause of that bluish light?” Sam inquired. - -“It is the Saturnian sign,” she replied. “It indicates the connection -between the spirit and its body here.” - -“Don’t deceive me, woman—is she alive?” burst out Mayne, hoarsely. He was -trembling like a man shaken with palsy. - -“Be assured of that!” was her grave answer. “On the spiritual plane, what -we call distance is but difference in mental states. Miriam is now -temporarily in the Saturnian phase. Her return will be as an awakening -from slumber.” - -“Waken her, then!” cried the old man, passionately. “Mother of God, is -there no way of undoing your devil’s work?” - -Jack had drawn near the others, and now laid a hand on Mayne’s shoulder. - -“Don’t be discouraged, Mr. Mayne,” he said quietly. “I’m going after her, -and I’ll bring her back.” - -This announcement, which the speaker’s countenance emphasized with a look -of serious resolve as unbending as natural law, caused all present, -including Mary Faust, to hold their breath for a moment. Then the croaking -voice of Jim broke the silence. - -“Dat’s de right stuff, boss! an’ I’m wid ye!” - - -CHAPTER VI -THE LEVER - -A GREAT resolve is magnetic: it transforms the bystanders. Jack, modest -and shy by nature, suddenly became the leading personage of the group. He -had not spoken rashly or without realizing what his purpose involved. A -journey of near nine hundred million miles, and back again, across the -void of space! Courage, faith, devotion, consciousness of resources -adequate to cope with the unknown, belief that love, the moving power of -the universe, was more than a match for all obstacles—these were his armor -and weapons. He would follow Miriam, find her, and bring her back! The -youth assumed, with the words he had uttered, the stature of a hero; and -the hearts of his hearers bowed before him. - -His uncle, in whose blood the hero strain was still warm, looked in the -boy’s eyes and stifled the remonstrance that sprang to his lips. It was an -enterprise in which any man might have been proud to perish. Old Terence -Mayne stared at him speechless: then, tottering forward, leaned his gray -head upon Jack’s shoulder and sobbed aloud. Finally, Mary Faust stepped up -to him and took both his hands in hers. - -“All power that is mine I give to you,” she said. “You are worthy of the -adventure. You are worthy of her you seek. You will find her: more, I -cannot promise. But you do not need more. The will of God be done!” She -drew his head down and kissed him on the lips. It was the accolade of the -new-made knight. - -Before taking his place on the machine, Jack stood for several minutes -looking down upon the form of Miriam, as if to draw into himself, through -the medium of that beautiful image, the perfume of the spirit he was to -pursue. - -He turned at length, his face cheerful and tranquil. He exchanged a mighty -grip with his uncle. To Mayne he said, as the latter grasped his other -hand: “When you see us again, sir, she will be my affianced wife.” - -“I love her more than life and all,” replied the old man stoutly; “but -when I see her yours, I’ll love her more yet!” - -Mary Faust now threw about his neck a gold chain with a pointing hand -attached to it, wrought out of a sapphire. “It is the mariner’s compass of -your voyage,” she said. - -‘Good-by, Jim,” said Jack, enclosing the little gnome’s fingers in his -large clutch. “Take care of Uncle Sam while I’m away. Did you finish -cleaning the paint brushes?” - -“Sure I done ’em, boss” answered the boy, in a piping tone, his black eyes -sparkling like diamonds. “Good luck and happy days to yer!” - -Jack stepped on the throne; as he did so, the hollow hemisphere above his -head glowed like molten metal, and zigzag flashes played to and fro within -it. An undertone of deep sound vibrated through the room. Jack, with a -farewell glance at the others, laid his right hand upon the lever. As he -was about to press it down, Jim, who had crept round to the left, made a -sudden spring with his crutch and landed across his knees. The lever -descended, and they were off! - - -CHAPTER VII -800,000,000 MILES - -“NOT a bit what I expected,” murmured Jack to himself: “not the least!” - -He looked around him, turning slowly this way and that. On every side -stretched out a plain—if it were a plain; but it had no horizons—no -curvature. In fact, though solid beneath the feet, it was not easily -distinguishable from the medium in which he stood, moved and breathed. It -was transparent, too, in all directions, below as well as above and -sidewise. It was as if he were walking on water—or in water, like a fish. -This medium, however, had a luminousness of its own: not sunlight or -moonlight, though sunlight itself was not so bright and clear. Moreover, -yonder was what looked like the sun—probably was the sun, indeed; it shone -like a white fire, and had no shadowed side, like the other spherical -objects that floated at various distances round about it, and which he now -surmised must be planets. Yes, planets of the solar system, evidently; and -that large one, somewhat below and to the right was our own earth; the -masses of north and south America, and part of western Europe, were -recognizable, lying lustrous on the dark oceans; and there was the moon, -just clear of it on the further side; they must be very far off—several -hundred thousand miles. Jupiter—that must be Jupiter, with the belts and -the red spot—looked much larger than the earth, although more remote. Jack -must have been traveling at a good pace during the few minutes since -pushing down that lever in Mme. Faust’s laboratory—if it were a few -minutes, and not a few days or years: there was no way of telling. Was he -stationary now, or still moving? That too was not easily decided. - -Jupiter?—where then was Saturn? His heart began to beat hard; was he on -the way? He gazed before, behind, to right and left; nothing that looked -like Saturn appeared. Not below him, either. Above, perhaps? Ah, yes, -there it was! It hung directly in his zenith, a lovely vision, the ring -clearly defined all round it; its hue was a delicate sapphire, not the -yellowish tinge that earth’s atmosphere gives it. It was very distant; its -apparent size had increased hardly at all. And yet, as Jack gazed at it, -it seemed suddenly to grow larger, as if it had been projected directly -toward him. But that could not be; rather, he had moved at an -inconceivable speed toward it. This was strange! - -At this juncture he was acutely surprised to hear a voice—a human voice, a -familiar voice, none other than Jim’s, in fact, addressing him in these -words: “Slow down a bit, boss: Gee, dat was a dandy jump you made! I ain’t -got me sea-leg yet: slow down!” - -Jack turned toward the apparent source of this appeal, but at first could -see nothing of his attendant, whose existence he had quite forgotten. -Presently he discerned a dot in the pathless void, immeasurably remote: -could that be Jim? He narrowed his eyes, and now became aware of a new -peculiarity in his environment: Jim, though still in seeming size no -bigger than a flea, became distinctly visible in his minutest details; -nay, he could even hear the tap of his crutch as he exerted himself to -bridge the gulf between them. The mere act of attention—a mental -process—could have the effect of abolishing space to the senses! - -“But the boy can never come that distance in a dozen years!” he murmured -half aloud. - -“Try anudder t’ink, boss.” replied Jim’s voice, close to his ear; “Watch -me!” - -While these words were uttering the flea enlarged to the dimensions of a -bee, and was still coming. What was it that Mary Faust had said about -space? “A difference in mental states?” In other words, thought, on the -mental plane was presence! - -As he meditated this discover, understanding began to flow in upon his -mind from various quarters, like the light of dawn through crevices in a -darkened room. He had left his material body on the earth; he was now all -mind—spirit, though he could perceive no change in his outward aspect; his -garments seemed the same; he was substantial as before; though there was -no air in space, he breathed and his heart beat as usual; though space was -absolute cold his body had the warmth of summer; though there was no blue -sky, the etheric light—if it were that—was intense as the electric flash -and iridescent as the rainbow. Upon distant objects it had the effect of a -lens of enormous power. - -“I’m what is called dead,” said Jack to himself, summing up his ideas. -“This is my spirit—my me itself. I’m not dead for good though—my body down -there is only asleep. To travel is to pass through a series of thoughts in -continuous succession with a fixed end always in view. I once read, ‘As a -man thinks, so is he.’ To be in Saturn, I must think myself into a Saturn -state of mind. Just how to do that isn’t clear; but I’ll see what wishing -myself there will do; wishes may be wings!” - -“Dat sort o’ dope is beyond me, boss,” said Jim; “but if hangin’ on to -your coattails is any good, count me in!” Jim had arrived. - -“You’re not scared, are you, Jim?” said Jack, smiling down on him. - -“Nix on scared!” was the reply. “I al’ays t’ought it would be a fine t’ing -getting out o’ N’York; but I never t’ought t’would be like this!” - -Jack now applied himself to concentrating his mind on his destination, -which he figured as Miriam, with a sapphire halo round her head. They were -moving through the solid, yet diaphanous medium at a speed which could be -estimated only in planetary terms; but with no sense of bodily exertion. -All at once Jim cried out: - -“Hully Gee! will yer lamp dat, boss!” - -Jack looked: the spectacle sent a shock through him, as when one suddenly -sees the red glare of an express train bearing close down upon him. A vast -red disk covered twenty degrees of the eastern firmament. The planet -Jupiter stood revealed in all its details. Raging whirlpools of fiery -storms tore its surface, diversified with dark streamings and appalling -abysses. Jack fancied he could feel the terrific heat radiating from it; -flames hundreds of miles long licked out toward him. Accompanying this -paralyzing sight was an awful humming sound, and a feeling as of being -drawn into the vortex of an inconceivable red-hot maelstrom. The gigantic -disk seemed nearer! - -“The sapphire hand!” spoke the quiet voice of Mary Faust, like a whisper -in his ear. Had she been observing his progress from her station on the -other side of the diameter of the solar system? - -He had forgotten the talisman that was to guide him across space: he -grasped it, and in the same moment felt the rush past him of an invisible -tide of forces; as, when one is being swept down the headlong torrent of a -flood, he catches at some stable object, and the wild waters tear at him -as they hurtle past. The sapphire hand barely stemmed the rush. As Jack -hung there, in doubt whether he were saved or doomed, he seemed to see -wild figures racing past him, snatching at him as they flew; fierce, -beautiful faces convulsed with passion; contorted bodies of giants; the -flaring out of fiery hair like streamers of the northern lights. They -gnashed their teeth, the glare of their eyes was as the flashing of -torches. But the sapphire hand was cool in his own, and its power -prevailed. - -“Dere was never no subway rush to beat dat!” was the manner in which Jim -expressed his feelings, as the tension abated. - -A powerful arm was thrown across Jack’s shoulders, drawing him out into -freedom, and a voice like the tones of a mighty harp exclaimed laughingly: - -“Those Jovian fellows are always on the lookout to catch people napping. -They must be disciplined. If you hadn’t thought of your compass when you -did, I should have had quite a struggle getting you free. You are from -Faust, are you not?” - -Jack nodded; he was panting from his exertions. Then he looked at his new -friend. - -A superb being he was, quite as tall as Jack, and with a body so -beautifully formed that the earth-man, a connoisseur in such matters, -could not restrain a cry of admiration; so might the god Apollo have -disclosed himself in vision to the sculptor who vainly strove to reproduce -him in the Belvedere. He glowed as with an inner light; his features -seemed divinity incarnate; his hair, thick and waving, of a golden hue, -flowed down upon his Olympian shoulders. There was no excess of muscular -development in trunk or limbs, but irresistible power declared itself in -every contour and movement. “Who are you?” Jack asked. - -“I am called Solarion,” the other replied; “I am stationed in the midway -here, to look after travelers from your earth, who are specially liable to -kidnaping by these Jovians, who make serfs of them. But, you,” he added, -scrutinizing Jack more closely, “belong to a new type: I have only met one -other—a girl, bound for Saturn. Our friend Mary Faust has been preparing -the route for some while past; but it was not thought that she had yet -completed her arrangements. A wise woman, that!” - -“You met a girl—who was she?” demanded Jack with devouring eagerness. - -“Miriam was her name—a lovely child— Ah, I see! you have come after her! -Well, you must expect difficulties; it is much easier to make the trip out -than to get back again. The Saturn folks are very agreeable people; but -you two are such an attractive pair that I fear they may want to keep -you.” He laughed good-humoredly as he spoke, sending a very keen look into -Jack’s eyes. “It’s taking a risk, you know,” he added. “I would help you -if I could, but my domain is restricted to these outlying regions. I am -assuming, of course, that you and she—or either of you—will care to -return. Saturn is a pleasant country.” - -“Little old N’York is good enough fer us, mister, and don’ you fergit it!” -put in Jim earnestly. “We was jest takin’ a look aroun’, dat’s all!” - -Solarion smiled amusedly. “You’ll have a good story to tell your friends,” -he observed. “Few of them will have traveled so far on one leg.” - -“My boss figgers we’se sperrits,” said Jim; “sperrits is angels, ain’t -dey? Wot I want to know is, is dere any odder angels wid one fin off, like -me?” - -“You are only partly a spirit as yet, Jim,” answered Solarion, patting the -urchin’s head. “When you cut loose altogether, you will find your leg in -its place again.” - -During this colloquy, a stupendous distance had been traversed; Jupiter -was now but of the apparent size of our moon; and Jack had latterly been -conscious of a new influence, gentle and soothing, accompanied by warbling -sounds resembling those of an æolian harp, which waxed and waned upon the -ear. The dazzling whiteness of the medium surrounding them had become -modified, and now took on a faint violet tinge. A delicate perfume, too, -like that of wild flowers, but with a peculiar aromatic quality pervading -it, was perceptible. - -“Do I imagine these things, or are they real?” he asked his guide. - -“Look!” was the reply. - -As he spoke, the position of all three underwent an alteration. Hitherto -they had been moving continually in the same course relative to the -station of the earth and sun, but now they insensibly turned, as an arrow -turns in the air after completing its outward flight. Immediately in front -of them rose a mighty arch, with another arch defining itself above the -first, and parallel with it. A minute more, and the first arch had become -a complete circle, with the other surrounding it. The color of the -interior sphere was a royal purple; the outer ring flashed with prismatic -hues of enchanting splendor. Scattered here and there in the void around -this apparition were five or six much smaller globes, each of a different -tint—red, blue, yellow, green, golden and silvery. The voyagers were -dropping swiftly down into the midst of this marvelous earth. It expanded -until its circumference covered the entire field of sight; rivers, -mountains, forests and plains were now discernible. A few breaths more, -and they would alight there! - -In the awe and wonder of this revelation, one thought and emotion filled -Jack’s soul: Miriam! As the downward rush continued, Solarion laid a hand -gently on his head; his senses swooned, a tender darkness closed his eyes; -the shouting of a myriad voices seemed to vibrate in his ears for a -moment, and was then hushed; and he knew nothing. - - -CHAPTER VIII -THE RED SPIDER - -JACK was lying on his back on the ground. In the beautiful sky overhead -hung what looked like a vast silvery simitar, the curved edge downward, -flashing in the sun, if it were not itself the source of light. The weapon -extended its arc from horizon to horizon: beautiful but menacing, it was -suspended over him like a cosmic sword of Damocles, and without any -visible support: were it to descend, it would not only cut Jack in twain, -but the planet on which he lay, and any others of our system which might -lie in its path. - -Jack’s attention was especially drawn, however, to a red, globular object, -at a great but incalculable height above him, and near the arch of the -simitar. It had the appearance to his eyes, which were still somewhat -dazed by recent events, of a huge red spider, with hostile designs upon -his welfare. As he stared at it, unable to move from his position, the -spider detached a scarlet thread from its body, with a tiny globule at the -end of it. It swung to and fro in immense curves, and constantly -lengthened its radius: it was dropping toward him with inconceivable -rapidity. The globule at the end of it now assumed the aspect of a living -creature or monster of some sort, clewed up there like an acrobat in an -aerial flight. Nearer and nearer it came: the swinging movement of the -thread to which it was attached had nearly ceased, and it was descending -straight downward. In another minute the acrobatic monster would reach the -ground. - -It plainly behoved Jack to stand on his guard. He was convinced that the -apparition meditated no good to himself. What he had done to provoke it he -could imagine as little as he knew what it was, or where in the universe -this event was taking place. But the proximity of danger stimulated his -faculties, and by an effort of will he summoned together all his energies. -He lifted himself to a sitting posture, and in another instant he was on -his feet. At the same time memory, and control of his nerves, sprang into -action. He remembered his flight through space: he must have landed on -Saturn: and here he was, having as yet hardly drawn his first Saturnian -breath, confronted by an adversary who apparently intended to prevent his -drawing many more! - -The red object now hung a few feet above the surface of the ground, and -not more than fifty paces from where he stood. It was a sort of vehicle of -hemispherical form, and out of it leaped a being in human shape, with red -mantle twisted about his body, shaggy black hair, and a dark and frowning -countenance. In his right hand he grasped a short truncheon. He advanced -straight upon Jack, who, wholly unarmed, put himself in an attitude of -defense. If it came to fist fighting or wrestling, he thought he might -stand a chance, though his antagonist was a man of superb proportions and -physical development. But Jack had a well-grounded confidence in his -ability to tackle any man on equal terms, and to give a good account of -himself. In many athletic trials and combats he had never yet met his -match; and unless his present opponent took some unfair advantage, he saw -no reason for doubting that he could put up a fight worth seeing. - -At five paces distance, the man in the red mantle halted and addressed -him. - -“I will give you your choice,” he said in a deep voice, “of either -becoming my slave or dying where you stand. I hold here”—he shook his -truncheon threateningly—“the means of blasting you to fragments in a -moment. I am Torpeon, Prince of Tor. Kneel down and do me homage!” - -Jack was somewhat relieved to find that the Prince of Tor spoke American, -or what seemed to be that famous language, though he afterward found -reason to think that special conditions may have misled him on that point. -An underlying sense of humor in him was also awakened by the grandiloquent -terms in which this remarkable person launched his challenge: they -reminded him of the defiance of medieval champions that he had read about -in books of romance. Being aware of no ground of enmity between them, he -thought it proper to make a statement on his own account. - -“I am Jack Paladin of New York,” he said. “I’ve just landed here, and I’m -not acquainted with any inhabitant of this planet, and therefore can have -no quarrel with any. I came here in search of a young lady, a friend and -countrywoman of my own, who arrived here a few days ago. When I find her, -I intend to take her back to New York. I’m not looking for trouble, and I -guess you have made a mistake in your man.” - -This placable speech, instead of soothing, had the effect or rousing the -other to even greater wrath. His features assumed a terrible expression. - -“Silence! or take the consequences,” he growled raising his truncheon. -“The woman you speak of, Miriam, is in my power: and I shall take her with -me to Tor and make her my wife. Once more I give you the choice of either -serving her and me as our slave, or of perishing on this spot. Kneel!” - -But the Prince’s allusion to Miriam had put Jack into another humor. He -became very grave and punctilious. - -“You are evidently a footpad of some sort, and I shall have pleasure, if -you insist upon it, in breaking your back across my knee. I’ll take my -chances against your revolver, or whatever you call that thing in your -hand: if you were not a coward and a rascal, you would throw it down and -meet me with bare hands, like a gentleman. What you say about the lady is -a lie, and if you don’t take it back immediately, of your own motion, I -will give you the most unpleasant quarter of an hour of your life in -making you swallow it. Now, then, if you’re ready, I am!” - -The prince grinned a dreadful smile, and pointed his weapon at Jack’s -head. The latter kept an eye fixed upon the hand that held it, prepared to -dodge and make a spring for him at the proper moment. - -In that moment of suspense he heard the quiet voice of Mary Faust -speaking. - -“The sapphire talisman will protect you from his lightnings,” she said. -“Put forth your strength, and do your best!” - -“Thanks: I will!” was the reply flashed back by his mind. He knew that she -would hear him across the gulf of space, as he had heard her. Meanwhile, -though he had been prepared for the worst, he felt decidedly encouraged by -the information about the truncheon. - -“Here is your end, then,” said Torpeon between his teeth. - -As he spoke, a red flash issued from the end of the truncheon, which was -leveled with true aim at Jack’s forehead. The result was surprising to the -Prince, and highly agreeable to his antagonist. - -The lightning bolt-bolt, if such it were, swerved from its course at an -inch or so from its mark, and slipped round Jack’s head as a jet of water -would be deflected round a glass sphere. The ozone whose scent hung in the -air had a reviving effect rather than otherwise. Torpeon, himself, -unbalanced by the shock of astonishment, did not have opportunity for a -second attempt. Jack had made his spring, catching the right wrist with -his left hand. He gave it a violent wrench, causing the truncheon to drop -from his grasp. The weight of Jack’s impact against Torpeon’s body caused -the latter to give ground, and the two men came to earth together, Jack -uppermost. - -Now began a struggle of heroic dimensions. Jack was not long in becoming -aware that the strength he had to contend against surpassed anything -heretofore experienced. Torpeon was a giant in power, and was fighting -with a fury and desperation more than tigerlike. Had he been as well -trained as was Jack in the science of wrestling, in the grips and shifts -which bring leverage to bear against muscle, in the surprises and swift -changes of that ancient and noble art, Jack would have had a labor of -Hercules indeed. But that practised skill was lacking: Torpeon secure in -his magical resources, had never been at the pains to prepare himself for -personal struggle. - -The grip of his great arms round Jack’s ribs was a sensation to be -remembered. Jack’s right arm had also been caught in the vise, but his -left was free, and he applied pressure beneath the other’s bearded chin, -forcing his head back slowly and surely, until the imminence of a broken -neck compelled the other to relax his hold. With both arms now liberated, -the champion of America, twisting his body like a serpent, got a knee -under Torpeon’s right elbow, and bore down upon the right forearm with a -weight and power that caused agony almost unendurable: and foam flew from -the prince’s lips. At the last extremity, however, he got his other arm -round Jack’s neck, and using it as a fulcrum, tore himself free and -staggered to his feet. But he was panting hard, and his right arm hung -temporarily useless at his side. Jack was also well-breathed, but in much -the better shape of the two. He had also fought himself into a good humor, -and was disposed to friendly parley. - -“There’s good material in you, if you’d taught yourself how to handle it -properly,” he said. “I’m a peaceable sort, and I don’t want to hurt you. I -have other things to attend to besides thrashing princes: and if you’re -willing, I’ll call this thing off, and we’ll both go about our business. -Or, if you’re not satisfied, I’ll try you out at sparring. But you’ll have -to look out for my left uppercut.” - -Torpeon, out of the corner of his eye, had caught sight of his truncheon -lying on the ground near by, and thought that if he could repossess -himself of it, he could make good the miss of the first discharge. He had -felt enough of the stamina of his adversary to prefer whatever advantage -he could command: and he was edging toward the weapon in the hope of -getting a chance to pick it up, covering his design with words. - -“You are a valiant warrior,” he said, compelling his features to assume an -amicable aspect. “I need men like you at my right hand in the government -of my kingdom. With you to help me, we can conquer the inhabitants of this -planet, who are pusillanimous and averse from battle, and become rulers of -all the globes that surround the sun.” - -“It’s a handsome offer,” replied Jack smiling; “but I was never addicted -to the business of ruling. The best thing you can do is run back home and -take a thorough course in athletics; and then, if you ever happen along -our way, I shall take pleasure in showing you over New York, and, if you -like, I’ll take you on either at boxing or wrestling for points before the -Royal Referee in the Madison Square Garden arena. We hold an amateur meet -every year. But first, if you please,” he added, in another tone, “I’ll -trouble you to take back what you said about a certain lady. You were -lying, were you not?” - -He made a step forward as he spoke. Torpeon, however, had by this time got -close enough to the truncheon to feel safe in making an effort for it. He -made a leap backward, at the same time stooping to snatch it up. But -neither of the combatants, preoccupied with each other, had noticed the -advent of a third party, who was now revealed. - -Taking advantage of the cover afforded by bushes and rocky projections, -this individual had gradually crawled nearer and nearer, until he was now -as close to the fallen truncheon as Torpeon himself. He anticipated -Torpeon’s movement by the fraction of a second, and seizing the weapon, he -rose to his feet, and presented it at the prince’s breast. - -“Han’s up, now, or I’ll blow de guts out of yer!” he cried out. “I hol’s -de winnin’ ace, and de boss an’ me, we scoops de pot. Han’s up!” - -Torpeon stared in amazement. His new antagonist, grotesque, one-legged and -dwarfish, appeared to have sprouted out of the ground. He was -supernatural: and he had him covered with a steady hand. The odds were too -great. - -“Drop that thing, Jim!” called out Jack. “We don’t need any machinery to -tackle this hound: what he wants is a kick!” - -So saying, and incensed at the prince’s attempted treachery, Jack stepped -forward with a foot prepared, as on the gridiron of former days, for -execution. But Torpeon’s red chariot still hung close at hand at the end -of its long thread. He made a spring for it, caught it by the rim, and -swung himself aboard. Immediately the cord began to diminish its length, -carrying the chariot up with it at a prodigious speed; in a few minutes it -had become a mere dot in the sky, ascending toward the red spider which -the prince had called his kingdom of Tor, and which, as Jack, with cleared -faculties, now recognized, was one of the ten moons which accompany the -great Saturnian world on its endless journey. - -“Well, he’s gone home, and I think he’ll stay there for the present,” said -Jack, with justifiable satisfaction. “If he’d been properly brought up, -though, he’d have made a good center rush on the team.” - -“Dat guy is no good for nottin’, believe me, boss,” said Jim. “He ain’t -got de right sperrit: he’s not a game sport! Dis here gun of his is a bum -model: I makes a bluff wid it, but I ain’t on to her workin’s. I wisht I’d -busted him wid her, anyhow!” - -“Better as it is,” Jack said. “So you landed here safe and sound! Have you -any notion whereabouts we are, or which way we should go to find Miss -Miriam?” - -“Yer kin search me, boss. Say, is dat big white t’ing up dere all right? -I’d not like to be roun’ when it’s her day fur droppin’ down!” - -“That is Saturn’s ring, Jim,” replied Jack wearing his new-found wisdom -lightly. “It’s perfectly safe: I could have shown it to you through -uncle’s telescope any time.” - -“Well, N’York was never like dis,” said Jim, dissatisfiedly. “I likes to -see plenty of folks aroun’, and here ain’t nobody ’cept you an’ me an’ de -guy what you give de hidin’ to: Say, boss, you polish him off great! Ef -you’d landed on his jaw, he’d be takin’ de count yet! Me, I was rootin’ -fur yer all de time!” - -Jack nodded appreciatively, and then cast a glance over the landscape. - -It was level and interminable: the horizon as distant as if from the top -of a mountain: the arc of the ring passed out of sight beneath it on -either hand. There were tracts of forest, the windings of a mighty river, -expanding here and there into gleaming lakes: in another direction a chain -of mountains sparkling as if formed of crystal. Flowers grew everywhere, -and the color on all sides was almost as bright as if objects emitted -rather than reflected light. But no sign of human life was visible: this -planet, many times the size of our earth seemed to be unchanged from its -primeval state. - -“Robinson Crusoe thought he was lonely on his desert island,” muttered -Jack. “What would he have said to a desert world! Eight hundred million -miles from home, and not so much as a red Indian in sight! And my darling -girl abandoned in such a place! Can it be possible that scoundrel really -met her? Surely Mary Faust would have guarded her as she did me! I must -find the trail at once!” - -Jim had been regarding him attentively. “Where did yer get de glad rags, -boss?” he inquired. “Seems like yer was togged out in fire!” - -Jack cast a glance over himself, and emitted a grunt of astonishment. His -whole body except for his hands, and presumably his face was attired in -little flickering flames, forming a complete suit or tunic and leggings, -of becoming hues of green and brown. The flames, not more than half an -inch in length, evidently proceeded from his flesh, though with no -unpleasant effects—quite the contrary. Nor was this all. The herbage on -which he stood was similarly on fire; the holes of the trees were alive -with inner flames, and their leaves were individual tongues of colored -fire. The very rocks that pushed up from the ground sparkled with an -interior glow: and yet, in this universal conflagration, nothing was -consumed, but only rendered brighter and more beautiful. Jim alone stood -there unchanged, in what looked to be the identical suit of threadbare -jacket and breeches he had worn in New York. - -“Of course, Jim,” said Jack after some thought, “we should expect things -to be different on a different planet. We know that physical life is a -sort of combustion, and here we can see it as well as know it—that’s all. -This is the way Saturnians dress, I suppose. But I wish we could see a few -of them!” - -“We’d best be humpin’ oursel’s, den,” Jim suggested. “What’s de course?” - -“Suppose we try going west?” - -This good young-American resolution was however delayed by the difficulty -that there was no apparent way of determining which direction west was. -The sun—where was the sun—too remote to be of avail; one could not say -even whether it were day or night. Saturn, with its rings, lighted itself! - -“Let’s go straight ahead,” decided Jack. - -“Sure,” assented Jim, and before they had gone a dozen paces, the gnome’s -sharp eyes had made a discovery. He pointed across the plain. - -“A guy is headin’ toward us, boss,” he said. “Let’s clear the decks fur -action, till we fin’s what he wants!” - - -CHAPTER IX -TORPEON’S MARK - -THE newcomer was a pleasant-looking young fellow, of about Jack’s age, and -similarly attired, though in different colors. He came swiftly forward, -with arm upraised in a friendly greeting. “Welcome, Jack!” exclaimed he. -He laid his right hand on Jack’s breast, over the heart—apparently the -Saturnian mode of accost. “And this must be Jim,” he added, smiling at the -urchin: “you are welcome, both. Lamara, our highest, sent me to find and -attend you. My name is Argon. I would have reached you sooner, but -Torpeon, the arch mischief-maker, deflected your course hither, so that -you landed far from the point where we were looking for you. Has he -annoyed you?” - -“We had a little argument,” replied Jack modestly. “But he made an -assertion as to a lady in whom I am interested, which gave me some -anxiety.” - -“Miriam: yes!” answered the other. “She arrived here safely a few days -ago, and Lamara assigned my sister Zarga to take care of her: Zarga is the -best-loved and most trusted handmaid of the Highest. But Torpeon seems to -have got information about her from some source yet undiscovered; there is -even reason to suspect treason, and an investigation is being made. At any -rate, he succeeded in gaining access to her at a moment when she was -alone, and though he inflicted no actual injury, he was able to put his -mark on her, which may suffice to put her to some inconvenience. Otherwise -she is well, and eager, I needn’t say, to meet her friend from New York.” - -“His mark!” repeated Jack, frowning. “What is that, and how does it affect -her?” - -“Torpeon is a skilful magician,” said Argon. “Magic, among us, is -condemned and forbidden as an evil; but we have learned to control nature -by studying and adapting her laws. But magic is dominant on Tor: the -Torides are an unruly and turbulent people, and for many generations they -have been hostile to us. We never make war but we have means of passive -resistance which are effective; so that though long ago the Torides used -to make raids on us occasionally, they have now mostly given them up. -Torpeon himself, however, sometimes comes here: and though he can do no -hurt to us Saturnians, he is always on the watch for some visitor from -another planet, who would be more subject to his arts. Miriam had come to -us unexpectedly, and he laid a plot to kidnap her, with the idea, I -presume, that she might be of use to him in his designs, which are very -ambitious.” - -While Argon thus discoursed, he was leading his friends in the direction -of a long, bright line upon the horizon, which might be the ocean. - -“But the mark!” repeated Jack insistently. - -“Torpeon carries with him a wand, which he uses for various purposes,” -said Argon, “and he succeeded in touching Miriam once with it on the -forehead. The effect it to put her, for an hour every day, into a sort of -trance, during which he can communicate with her. The rest of the time she -is herself, and her own mistress.” - -“And what is the hour?” demanded Jack. - -“That is as Torpeon pleases: it may be any hour: we cannot control it, -though our scientific men, under the guidance of Aunion, the chief, are -studying means of dissolving the spell. But it seems very difficult. - -Jack looked very gloomy. “I believe I know something of his wand,” he -remarked, indicating the truncheon which Jim still carried. “He fired a -shot at me with it, but thanks to Mary Faust, it went astray. I wish I’d -tried it on him.” - -“It would probably have been ineffective in any hands but his,” said Argon -taking the truncheon and examining it. “It is tuned to accord with the -person using it. Your capture of it is a remarkable feat; but he no doubt -has others. Mary Faust,” he added, “is well known and greatly honored -here. You are well protected.” - -“I’m not worrying about myself,” returned Jack, “but Miriam.” - -“I feel sure that with reasonable precautions that will turn out all -right,” said the other. “Lamara will talk with you about it, and of course -you will see Miriam. I hope you will like us and our world,” he continued -cordially. - -“It’s beautiful,” said Jack trying to throw off his preoccupation. “I -wonder it has so few inhabitants.” - -“Oh, there are plenty of us,” answered Argon with a smile; “but we have no -cities, as you do, and our habitations come and go as we need them: the -permanence of your dwelling and structures seems to us strange and -burdensome. My sister and I have made a special study of conditions on -your earth. But as to our population, if you’ll lift the visor of your -cap, you will see some of them.” - -Jack had not been aware of a cap: but on turning back the visor he was -startled to see that they were moving amid many groups of persons -scattered over the landscape. They were cheerfully engaged in various -occupations and amusements, and there was a number of pretty rustic -houses, simple but commodious: but some of these, even while he looked at -them, melted out of sight or disentangled themselves, as it were, from the -special forms imposed on them by human design, and returned to the forest -boughs, waving grass or other natural objects of which they had been -composed. - -“Is not this magic?” he exclaimed. - -“No: only honest science. We have some control of the ether, and have -solved a few other problems, so that our bodily needs are met with small -labor. You will soon become used to us. Our discovery of invisibility was -very welcome. It’s only a matter, as you see, of reversing the direction -of the flames, which are controlled by the cap. It put an end to the raids -of the Torides: they find nothing but an empty desert.” - -“What sort of a place is Tor?” Jack asked, with a view to possible future -adventures. - -“Different from this: parts of it savage and dangerous, none of it -beautiful. The greater part of the population is barbarous: the others, -though highly trained in certain ways, live under a severe despotism. I -have never been there myself; but it happens that my sister Zarga and I -are descendants of one of the Torides, who remained behind here after one -of their raids. That was many generations ago.” - -Jack’s mind listened, but his heart, which was perhaps the greater part of -him, was bent toward Miriam. He could find interest in nothing else. That -one hour of each day under Torpeon’s influence seemed to his lover’s -jealousy to lengthen itself into eternities. The passions of love and of -hate raged within him. - -Argon, perhaps divining his thoughts, said in a friendly manner, -“Saturnians believe that the secret of happiness and power is power over -one’s self—self-command in all things. That leads to control over both -matter and spirit. You, and Miriam also, are probably just now moved by -strong feelings and wishes—personal impulses. So far as you yield to them, -the influence of creatures like Torpeon finds access to you. Our wise men -say that war against evil and wrong is always right, but that war against -individuals who do wrong and evil is always a mistake: we must distinguish -between the man and the evil in him. Then, he cannot harm us: otherwise, -he may. It’s a simple rule, but it needs discipline to observe it.” - -“It isn’t so hard to bear trouble for one’s self,” said Jack, “but to bear -it when some one you care for is concerned is another matter. If ever I -get my hands on Torpeon again, I shall take a short way with him!” - -“After all, he is more his own enemy than you are,” replied Argon. “But I -must confess I sympathize with your feeling. We will prevent him somehow. -But—here we are!” - -By some means not evident to Jack at that time, they had covered a great -space of ground in a short while. They were now on a high, level space -near the borders of the sea; a few miles from shore appeared a wooded -island, with a tower showing above the trees: near at hand was an edifice -of noble proportions, in front of which was assembled a small group of -persons, foremost among them a tall young woman clothed in white. - -“That is our Highest, Lamara,” said Argon, in a reverential tone. - -“But I don’t see Miriam!” rejoined Jack, his face falling. - -Argon made no reply, and they went forward. - - -CHAPTER X -THE TRANCE - -LAMARA’S countenance was youthful, but luminous with intelligence, and her -stately grace gave an impression of dignity and superiority. She was -exceedingly lovely. She gave him the Saturnian greeting, together with a -look of such amity and understanding as made him feel as if she had known -him all his life. - -“I wish your Uncle Sam and Terence Mayne had come with you,” she -unexpectedly said. “Mary Faust is always near us. Miriam is within.” She -turned to a lofty man of middle age beside her: “This is our chief -councilor, Aunion: and this is my beloved Zarga, who lives close to my -heart: I have chosen her to be with Miriam.” - -The girl thus designated was slight, and of striking beauty, with -cobweb-fine hair of red gold hue, and dark eyes, which she had from the -first fixed steadfastly on Jack. She was clothed in amethyst flames, like -flickering violet petals. Jack, looking into those strange eyes, had a -sensation of insecurity: mystery and fascination were in their unknown -depths. But any misgivings as to Miriam’s picked companion must be -baseless. As her hand touched his breast, the light contact gave him the -feeling that it had left an imprint there. She said, in a voice -surprisingly deep, “I hope to make you happy!” and stepped back: but he -was still aware that she observed him. - -“You know too much of me not to know my errand here,” he said to Lamara. -“I hope your majesty will help me!” - -“With all my heart!” said she, smiling. “We should be glad to have you and -Miriam always with us: but your older friends need you. Argon will have -told you of Miriam’s mishap, which we hope is slight: we do not yet know -how it happened.” - -She glanced at Zarga as she spoke. The girl addressed him. - -“Miriam will tell you better than I: she had learned of your setting out -hither, and when I was preparing the pavilion for her, she must have gone -to the Planetary Mirror to get a glimpse of you. That exposed her, and -Torpeon was on the watch.” - -“This mark—is it painful?” Jack demanded. - -“It inflicts no physical pain,” said Aunion, answering him in a kindly -tone. “The chief effect, aside from the recurring periods of trance, lies -in its rendering her less secure against further attacks. The results of a -second act of indiscretion on her part might be serious. I found the mark -resists ordinary means used to eradicate it: but if you and she are -circumspect and patient, the spell will be overcome.” - -“We will go in,” said Lamara, taking Jack’s hand with a sympathizing look. -“Zarga, go before, and find whether Miriam is ready to receive us.” - -Zarga slipped through the doorway and disappeared: the others followed. -The room which they entered seemed large, but was so woven across with -shafts of iridescent light as to disguise its dimensions: the -semitransparent walls had the luster of mother-of-pearl. As they seated -themselves on a divan, the light-shafts became denser until the party -appeared to be enclosed in a pentagonal chamber of moderate size and great -beauty. Lamara, observing Jack’s bewilderment, laughed as might a child -who had pleasantly surprised a friend. - -“It’s the same natural process that makes flowers grow,” she said. “Add to -earth and light something human from yourself, and deserts may become -fertile and lovely. Such things as these, formed for the need of an hour, -return of themselves to what they came from when the need passes. Our -homes grow with us, never quite the same from one day to another. Science -married to love works wonders.” - -She was interrupted by a cry from within, and in a moment Zarga appeared, -her hair flying about her like a ruddy mist, and her eyes wide and -ominous. - -“The trance has come again!” was her announcement. - -Jack sprang to his feet; but Lamara laid a reassuring hand on his arm. - -“It is nothing,” she said quietly. “Torpeon cannot pass the bounds of his -license, though he may use it maliciously. He has chosen an hour close -upon the last, but it will be the longer before he can disturb us again. -Come, let us visit her.” - -She led the way to an interior apartment. In a room of oval shape, -permeated with golden light, the form of a woman lay on a cushioned -lounge, deep asleep. Her face was turned upward: her abundant black hair -lay beneath her: the soft flames which draped her were of the hue of moss -roses. In the center of her forehead was a small circular mark with a star -in it center, red as blood. Her face was pale. - -“Miriam!” Jack cried out, and was springing toward her: but Lamara -restrained him. - -“Do not touch her while she is in this state!” she said urgently. “For you -to do so would be especially dangerous, because the results might be -spiritual as well as physical. As you know, we have not yet solved the -nature of the spell. This may be a trick of the magician to tempt you to -involve her still deeper.” - -“But I love her! We love each other!” cried Jack; “Isn’t love strong -enough to overcome anything?” - -“Love is unconquerable because it is an immortal spirit: but passion is -mixed with earth, and seeks itself in the other. Power over evil is always -from above.” - -The look and voice of Lamara, more than the veiled purport of her words, -prevailed over the young lover. They carried conviction of truth. He -mastered himself, and stood gazing with longing eyes at the motionless -figure. He hated the material bonds that withheld him from communion with -her soul. - -“It is only for an hour!” said Lamara encouragingly. “When she wakens, we -will all take counsel together. You overcame Torpeon; it will be more -fruitful victory to overcome yourself.” - -“I must at least stay here beside her,” Jack returned. “He might attempt -something else: and it’s my right to defend her.” - -“I will trust you,” said Lamara, “because I perceive that there is more of -spirit than of earth in your love: but there is earth, too, and remember -that it is through earth that your enemy is strong! We will leave you here -for a while: there are many things to be done to clear the way for your -return to your world. Zarga will remain within call. Be faithful and -patient!” - -She withdrew, with Argon and Aunion. Zarga crouched beside the couch, her -strange eyes dwelling upon the face of the unconscious figure. The -beautiful features had the serenity and almost the pallor of death, but -the slight rise and fall of the bosom was evidence that she lived. Jack -cautiously bent over to scrutinize the mark on her brow. - -“It seems a slight thing to have so deep an effect!” he muttered. - -“All magic is pretense,” said Zarga looking up at him. “We may be deceived -in the efficiency of this spell. Torpeon may count on that!” - -“Can Lamara, you Highest, be deceived?” exclaimed Jack, surprised. - -“You heard her say that the nature of the spell had not been solved. She -is wise and prudent: but perhaps gives too much weight to Aunion’s -opinions. He, too, is wise, but age has made him timid. In their presence -it didn’t become me to speak.” - -“Do you know something they do not?” - -“The blood of the Torides is in my veins,” replied Zarga, “and it gives me -an understanding of their nature which a pure Saturnian could not have. It -led me, out of curiosity, to make a study of their magic, though secretly. -We hold it to be unlawful, and instead of mastering its methods, we -confine ourselves to seeking antidotes against it. I am foolish to have -told you this—but I believe you are too noble to denounce me. My only wish -is to serve you and Miriam, if I may. I think this mark could be easily -annulled. Your own intuition about it was truer than our science.” She met -his troubled gaze for a moment, and added, “You said that love is enough!” - -“Tell me all in your mind—you need have no fears!” - -“Give me your hand,” said Zarga. She took it between her own, pressing her -left palm against his, and continuing to look into his eyes. He was -conscious of a keen thrill or vibration that passed from her hand to his -heart, and again from his eyes to hers, establishing a circuit between -them. There was something sweet in it, but also perilous. He felt that -there had been a disclosure, which might better have been avoided; and yet -what could he apprehend from this girl? Lamara trusted her. - -“You are what I thought,” she said after a while, relinquishing his hand, -with an enigmatic smile. “I will tell you my belief, and you can weigh its -value in your own mind. Every moment that this mark remains on Miriam’s -forehead, its roots grow deeper, and the harder it will prove to take it -off. Before Aunion’s science can reach it, it will have become part of her -being, which it would be death to disturb. Each swoon into which she sinks -makes her more Torpeon’s, and less yours. No one but the man who loves her -can break the spell: and the time to break it is now! If the prince wins -her from you, you can never win her back. Even her love for you will be -destroyed!” - -“That cannot be true!” answered he drawing back. - -“Love is immortal: Lamara said it, and I know it!” - -“I know nothing of immortality,” Zarga replied, with a touch of scorn. -“But whatever it be, I would not, if I were a man, wish to give the woman -I loved to another during this life of earth!” - -Jack’s face flushed. “We can both die!” he said. - -“Love wants life, not death!” the girl exclaimed. “Love has a body as well -as a soul! Do you know that, while we sat here, Torpeon is with her? An -hour of trance is his hour of possession! And how long will a woman love a -man who stays inactive while she is in his rival’s arms? Women love the -possessor!” - -He stood up, tense and trembling. The thought of his promise to Lamara -fought with the passions that Zarga had aroused. But if Zarga’s view were -right, Lamara would withdraw her warning. What should he do? - -Zarga seemed to read his mind. “It’s not for a girl such as I to tell a -lover what to do to save the woman he loves,” she said. “But I warn you, -if you touch her, Torpeon will exert his whole power to keep her. And -don’t think you can baffle him again as you did once! He will come with -his legions behind him!” - -Love, jealousy, and the pride of a man’s valor against his foe, were -temptations too strong: and at that moment Miriam stirred in her trance, -her eyelids quivered and her lips moved. There came a muffled whisper. - -“Jack—beloved—drive him away—save me—take me!” - -She relapsed into immobility. - -He was strung to the high pitch now. With love and wrath at once tingling -through his nerves, he stooped to take Miriam in his arms: that mark—a -kiss would obliterate it! - -A shrill shout, which brought an incongruous image of Jim to mind, rang in -his ears. A swirl of dark vapor filled the air. It seemed to him, however, -that he held Miriam: he clasped her close. In the darkness, strange faces -glared out at him and vanished. The woman responded to his embrace: she -clung passionately to him. Yet there were both fire and ice in her -contact, and Miriam seemed lost. Soft, fiery lips touched his, and -fastened to them, they took his breath: he was buffeted, and staggered as -if in a whirlwind. In the obscurity he had glimpses of other figures, and -shafts of light, like swords, blindingly bright, struck through the dark. -There were howlings and fierce outcries, receding and growing fainter, and -a chilling gust dissipated the obscurity. The beautiful palace had -disappeared: the scene was bleak and desolate; gravel and sand were -underfoot and clumps of thorny bushes and stunted trees surrounded him. -But he still held the form of the woman in his arms: they had failed to -tear her from him; at least he so believed. - -But she pressed her hands against his breast and writhed like a serpent to -free herself. The cloud of hair that floated out from her in the wind was -ruddy like fire. This slender, subtle face with its wild dark eyes—this -was not Miriam! This was Zarga! - -His arms relaxed and fell to his sides. She leaped away from him, and -stood for a moment, throwing out her arms and screaming words which he -could not distinguish: then she turned and fled away like a fantom, -vanishing behind the thorny bushes. - -He was alone in the wilderness. He took a step forward, and fell heavily -on his face. - - -CHAPTER XI -THE ISLAND - -“IS Miriam safe?” asked Lamara. - -“She is safe for the present. But Zarga herself was the traitor,” replied -Aunion. - -“The fault was mine! She seemed so lovable that I left her too much to her -own unfolding. Why should she turn against us? And at such a time!” - -“A spirit undisciplined—in whom impulses of nature, blameless in -themselves, are prone under temptation to unite with the evil. Torpeon, as -we now know, working on the kinship between them, long since began his -appeals to her vanity and ambition; and the coming of these two strangers -was his opportunity to strike. Miriam for him; Jack, in exchange, for her; -and the stimulus of rivalry fired the inclination which she had already -conceived for him. But for the warning given us by that singular little -being, Jim, the plot would have succeeded; we arrived barely in season; -and much mischief was wrought, not easily to be repaired.” - -“Where is Jack?” - -“His transgression has isolated him; Argon is searching for him, with the -more zeal because of his sister’s treason. But we must face the facts: -Torpeon’s access to Miriam is easier than it was and more difficult for us -to trace and prevent. Zarga, of course, is in hiding, and must be -henceforth regarded as Torpeon’s chief fellow conspirator.” - -“The strangers have at least one safeguard—they truly love each other!” -said Lamara, after a silence. - -“Else there were no hope! But the youth is prone to outbursts of lawless -passion which the enemy will ever seek to provoke. We cannot -constrain—only try to lead him. The conflict must proceed, with the odds -on the Torides’s side. Impotent though they are against us, against these -two lovers, their arts and strategy are formidable.” - -“I believe Zarga can be redeemed!” said Lamara, meeting his eyes and -speaking firmly. Aunion sighed. “The constitution of our state is based on -love and faith, and for many ages past there has been no provision for -treason. Our strength is also our weakness. A thoughtless girl may sap the -corner pillar and undo the growth of centuries. ” “If the temple fall, it -is that God may build a better!” - -Aunion let his gaze wander over the scene around them. They were standing -on the rocky promontory of an island near the mainland; the sea was calm -and mirrored the great arch of the ring. Groups of heavy-foliaged trees -shadowed the soft turf; the music of their leaves mingled with birdsongs; -staglike animals moved here and there in the glades, and more rarely other -shapes, swift and graceful and semihuman, peeped shyly forth from shade to -light. Beyond, above the trees, rose the dome of a summer pavilion. Over -all the island passed breathings of wild-flower perfume like fairy music. - -“God indeed has enabled us to incarnate the substance of our minds,” -Aunion said musingly; “to shape them after our thought and to color them -with our emotions. Others painfully toil against the obduracy of things to -accomplish what we may do and undo with the flowing of a breath. Their -works, rude parodies of even the crude conceptions that inspired them, -crumble slowly back into unsightly dust. They have never called upon what -is above to interpret what is below; they exalt the slave into the despot, -and fight one another for monopoly of what closes life against them and -opens death. And yet these blind ones survive, while our Eden may be -blighted by the guile of a serpent and a girl’s folly!” - -“But these blind ones fight toward the light!” rejoined she, with a touch -of reproof in her tone. “Their serpent is ours too, and they, grappling -with it in blood and tears, bear our burdens as well as their own. God’s -meanings are manifested according to the measure of the eye that sees; but -He never misleads! He will not punish the misstep of a child by the -banishment of a people!” - -“I have perhaps lived too long,” said Aunion sadly. “The inspirations of -your heart are more trustworthy than the speculations of my brain. What do -you now intend?” - -“I shall stay by Miriam and incline her toward the deeper consciousness -where Torpeon cannot penetrate. Argon will inform me here of his fortune -in the search of Jack.” - -“I will hold myself in readiness to aid either of you,” said Aunion; and -with a reverent obeisance he parted from her. - -Lamara took a path to the pavilion. The island, and all on it, was the -place of private retreat for the young sovereign of Saturn, and was -guarded by influences framed to repel all unauthorized intruders; only the -initiates could enter. Thither, accordingly, Miriam had been conveyed from -the scene of the conflict between Jack and the powers swayed by Torpeon. -The prompt putting forth of exceptional resources had been required to -accomplish this without injury to her; for had her trance been broken -before the lapse of its period grave harm might have resulted. The -situation, as it now stood, was perplexing; but Lamara felt confident that -time and prudence would bring a happy solution. The conspirators had -failed of their main object; and it was not to be supposed that Zarga -would venture to cooperate in any further designs. Jack, though wofully -misled, was still strong in his unalterable fidelity, and he would find -redemption at last. - -It was the revelation of Zarga’s perfidy that wounded Lamara most. Some -rare quality in this girl’s soul had induced Lamara to give her her -fullest confidence; her faults had seemed trivial and superficial. A -certain adventurous independence of thought sometimes perceptible in her -had given Lamara no uneasiness; it was due, she fancied, to the abounding -in her of life too vivid to submit unquestioningly to the guidance of an -elder experience. There was in the somewhat tumultuous nature of her youth -the making of a great and noble character; and Lamara had often forborne -reproof in the belief that Zarga’s own afterthought would administer a -severer chiding. Yet now she stood convicted of an unpardonable crime. - -No human soul, however, could sin beyond the limits of Lamara’s -forgiveness. She might have harbored hopes even for Torpeon. And she would -not divest herself of the belief that her favorite Zarga would yet repent -and make amends. - -At the spot on which the pavilion stood a spring gushed out of the ground, -the abundant waters of which had been curiously led to run into -architectural surfaces and forms—a plastic crystal forever flowing away -with a pleasant murmur. The changing lights of day united with it to -create continually shifting hues, and the gentle coolness which always -reigned in its chambers aided to make it Lamara’s favorite place for rest -and meditation. - -Here, as being beyond all likelihood of disturbance, she had caused Miriam -to be conveyed; no invader from Tor would dare to set foot on any part of -the island, still less to violate the sanctities of the pavilion itself. -The hour during which the trance prevailed was now for some time passed; -but she had wished her visitor to awake alone in the translucent solitude, -and to recollect herself under its soothing influence. She had planned -that her own approach should take place at a moment when the girl should -begin to feel anxiety as to what had befallen her. - -Passing the threshold of the edifice she entered a small atrium, opening -at the other side into an enclosed court. In the center of this played a -fountain, whose upgush assumed successively various forms, treelike, -animal or human. Several chambers surrounded the court, and in the central -one of these Miriam had been laid. - -Stepping lightly and smiling with pleasant anticipation, Lamara advanced -to the door of this chamber and looked within. It was empty! - -She repressed her first impulse of surprise and uneasiness, telling -herself that Miriam must be somewhere in the pavilion; or might, at most, -have wandered out along the winding paths that threaded the surrounding -coppices and glades. She prosecuted her search with ever-increasing -misgiving. The pavilion was untenanted. She came out into the garden, -passing hastily through its lovely intricacies, but found no trace of the -fugitive. The birds flitted after her with their songs, the fawns gamboled -about her, and the shy little nature-people smiled and beckoned to her -from nooks and leafy recesses. All things loved Lamara, and she loved all; -but the beautiful earth-girl was nowhere to be seen. - -Only initiates of the mysteries could either enter or leave the island -unaccompanied. Only Aunion and herself had been there that day with -Miriam. Yet Miriam had vanished. - -What could have happened? - - -CHAPTER XII -THE SECRET EXIT - -MIRIAM’S trance was physical only; and the disjunction of spirit from body -was not so complete as to prevent occasional gleams of consciousness from -passing from one to the other. But normal cooperation was suspended. The -spirit, however, was beyond Torpeon’s reach, and his power over the body -was limited to reducing its functions to quiescence. A far greater effort -would be required to bring the living and conscious woman herself under -his control. Such an effort, in the Saturnian environment, must prove -futile; and all his art and ingenuity were therefore bent upon the -enterprise of transferring her to his own place. - -The plan of his attempt at the palace had been well and boldly laid, and -Zarga had played her part efficiently. But in failing to consider an -element in the problem so apparently humble as Jim they had committed a -radical error. His devotion to Jack and Miriam was single-hearted and -unreserved, and it had sharpened his insight into possible sources of -danger. Zarga had aroused his suspicions from the first; and the fact that -she was trusted so implicitly by the others served to render his own -watchfulness only the more keen. - -He had observed, while Lamara and her party were preparing for departure, -leaving Jack and Zarga alone with Miriam, that one of the attendants, at -Lamara’s direction, had transmitted a signal to the island through a -certain instrument attached to a pillar of the portico of the palace. His -fondness for mechanical devices had caused him to examine this contrivance -after they were gone, and though the principle on which it worked was -unlike anything he had seen on his own earth, he perceived readily enough -by what means it was operated. He now applied himself, without -compunction, to observing as well as he could what was going on between -Jack and Zarga in Miriam’s chamber; and what he saw and heard augmented -his suspicions of the girl’s good faith. He had almost made up his mind to -send a signal to the island, on the chance that it might bring assistance, -when, happening to glance upward, he saw the red planet Tor directly in -the zenith, and, detaching itself therefrom, an object bearing some -resemblance to a parachute, which sped toward Saturn with the swiftness of -a meteorite. He delayed no longer, but with all his force pushed in the -rod or plunger which had seen the attendant use. At the same time he gave -vent to the scream, which Jack had overheard. The next instant he was -bowled head over heels by what seemed to be a blast of fiery air; and he -did not recover his senses until after the ensuing conflict was over. - -We follow the movements of Zarga. Terrified and enraged at the miscarriage -of the attempt, and at the ruin involved to her personal hopes, she had -fled away, not heeding whither she went, until she was arrested by the -towering figure of Torpeon in her path. - -“Back to Tor, Prince!” she cried, “and take me with you. All is lost -here!” “No; now is our best chance for success!” he returned, with fierce -resolution. “The moment to strike home is when the enemy believes you -defeated. The youth shall be my care; do you follow the woman. She has -been take to the island, where they believe her secure; none can enter -there but the initiates; but you are of the inner circle, and your -privilege has not yet been canceled. Hear my instructions and follow them, -and every end we aimed at will be gained. Throw aside all scruples; your -career on Saturn is closed forever; you have nothing more to lose here. -But I will make you great on Tor, and the man you love shall be at your -feet. You are of my blood; be worthy of your lineage!” - -“I fear nothing, because I hope nothing,” replied the girl gloomily; “but -I am willing to make one trial more. He will never love me; but to part -him from the woman he loves will be some consolation. Tell me your plan.” - -“With beauty such as yours, and opportunity, no man can resist you,” said -Torpeon; “you will need no help from me; but in serving you I shall serve -myself. Listen to me and I will show you how fortune fights for those who -defy her!” - -After conferring together they separated, and Zarga made her way toward -the seashore. Torpeon, after some minutes of intense thought, betook -himself in another direction. - -Miriam, in the soft silence and seclusion of the pavilion, drew a long -breath and opened her eyes. Her first thought was of Jack, whom she had -been preparing to meet at the time the trance overtook her. But this room, -with its silvery gleams, was different from the one which she last -remembered. She turned her mind back over the sequence of events since her -arrival on Saturn. She recalled Zarga’s having told her of the planetary -mirror, in which distant events were reflected; it might show her her -lover, who was even then on his way to seek her. Unaware of the conditions -under which alone the mirror could be safely consulted, she had -unhesitatingly entered a small domed structure sunk in the solid rock -which Zarga had designated. There, in the darkness, she had first -discerned nothing; but presently she had seen, set in a metal frame, an -oval object having the appearance of a giant eye, mysteriously luminous, -the inner circle of the pupil black, and enlarging its diameter as she -gazed into it. In those depths there were indistinct movements, -evolutions, glimpse of things approaching and withdrawing, wide wastes of -space; and the shining out of stars; the waving of trees in the wind; the -foam of falling waters. Suddenly the circle of the pupil was filled with a -ruddy glare, and seemed to grow immense; she was looking on the surface of -a planet, wild chasms and pinnacles, the spouting of volcanoes, the rush -of boiling waters. The figure of a man with shaggy black hair and fierce -eyes appeared in the midst of it, sweeping toward her with -incomprehensible velocity, a scarlet mantle waving out from his herculean -shoulders. Now, apparently his actual self stood before her, his gaze -meeting hers; in his right hand he carried a short staff that glowed like -molten metal. He pointed it at her forehead; she felt a sensation like the -touch of flame; she had seemed to sink down, and knew no more. - -After an interval, of what duration she knew not, she had revived to see -faces bending over her—Lamara, Aunion, Zarga, Argon; Zarga wringing her -hands distressfully and speaking volubly; the others compassionate and -sympathetic. What had happened?—some inadvertent transgression, some -catastrophe; Torpeon’s Mark! She had put her fingers to her forehead and -felt the circle there. “It is not irreparable—it will pass away!” she -heard Lamara say, in her gentle, reassuring tones. - -After that a kaleidoscope of minor occurrences, ending with news of Jack’s -arrival, and his expected appearance at the palace. She was awaiting the -moment of meeting; Zarga had entered. “He is here; come!” She had joyfully -started up and had taken a step forward, when all at once blankness had -closed around her, and her next consciousness had been of this wakening in -the island pavilion. What had intervened? And Jack—where was he? She sat -up and looked about her. - -From her present position she could see the fountain in the court, the -singular movements of which concentrated her attention. - -The clear waters were molding themselves into the likeness of two human -figures, which appeared as if locked in a desperate struggle. They might -have been carved by a master-hand out of pure crystal, except for the -constant and lifelike contortions and writhings that they exhibited. At -first she had no thought of recognizing in these effigies any resemblance -to persons she had seen before; but as the struggle continued a -suggestion—a persuasion—possessed her mind that she knew them—they -represented Jack and that shaggy giant who had confronted her out of the -planetary mirror! They were engaged in a life-and-death battle; and it -seemed that the giant was gaining the advantage. - -No sooner had this impression become fixed than the two figures dissolved -into the natural flow of the fountain, which, for a time, appeared no -otherwise than an ordinary water-jet. But ere long it began to assume -another form, this time of a woman—a young girl, of lightsome and graceful -form who, with arms outthrown and floating hair, seemed to be dancing -joyously toward her. Surely this apparition too was familiar! It could be -no other than her friend Zarga! - -What caused these moldings and transformations, Miriam, of course, could -not conjecture, though she knew something of Saturnian powers; but the -second presentation relieved her somewhat of the forebodings stirred by -the first. She had never been made aware of any reason for distrusting -Zarga—quite the reverse; and it seemed probable that if these watery -creations bore any relation to real persons and event, Zarga’s -lighthearted mood portended some beneficent sequel to the menace of the -first scene. - -But, on the other hand, perhaps her imagination had altogether beguiled -her! And now the fountain relapsed once more into formlessness. - -A snatch of song echoed through the court, and Miriam turned to see Zarga -herself come tripping airily into view. - -“Come, come, come!” she sang; “all is ready, and I am sent to fetch you! -The boat is prepared; Jack is waiting for you to get aboard; the others -are assembled to bid you farewell. So fair a day might not come again in a -lifetime! But we must make haste! Come, come!” - -Miriam had involuntarily risen, and Zarga, taking her by the hand, was -drawing her toward the door of the pavilion. “We must make haste!” she -repeated. - -“But how did this happen?” she asked. “Does Lamara know?” - -“Lamara! Does she not know everything?” exclaimed the girl, laughing. “And -isn’t this a wonderful adventure! I wish you could have stayed with us -longer—or I wish I might go back with you to your earth! Would any man -there love me and marry me, do you think? Are there any men there like -your Jack?” - -“Many men might wish to marry you,” replied Miriam; “but there can never -be but one Jack! Is he well and happy?” - -“He will be happy when he sees you; just now he is very impatient!” -answered the other. They had left the pavilion and traversed a -deeply-shadowed path, while these remarks were passing, and were now -descending a slope which led to a flight of steps cut out of the rock. -These terminated in a cavern. - -“Why, we are underground!” exclaimed Miriam, drawing back. “Where are you -taking me? Can this be the right way?” - -“It is the shortest,” said Zarga, urging her forward. “They are awaiting -us at the other end.” - -The cavern was a natural excavation in the rock, winding to right and -left, now narrow and low, now high, expanding into great chambers columned -with stalactite and stalagmite, and sometimes resounding with noise of -subterranean waters. The rocks emitted a dim light, sufficient to dispel -the darkness and enable them to go forward rapidly. But Miriam could not -help a sensation of disquiet; this was a strange beginning of a journey -through space! She observed a feverish excitement in Zarga’s bearing. She -was about to remonstrate when the path, which had hitherto either -descended or proceeded on a level, took an upward inclination, and a draft -of warmer air set steadily against them. - -“We’re near the end,” said Zarga; and hollowing her hand before her mouth -she sent forth a long call. It was caught and reduplicated by innumerable -echoes, floating away, to be again and again renewed, as if prolonged by a -myriad vocalists. When it had finally died away there came an answering -note, deeper and stronger, falling upon the ear in rising and subsiding -cadences. Zarga glanced back over her shoulder. - -“Your lover answers us!” she said. - -The answer had not seemed to Miriam to have the quality of Jack’s voice; -but the echoes might have disguised it. The passage widened out, and the -unmistakable light of day flowed in. But as Miriam lifted her eyes the -first object that met them was the red globe of Tor suspended up yonder in -the sky. - -“Are you sure there is no danger?” she asked, halting. - -“Come, come!” cried Zarga, dragging her upward almost with violence. “We -are late already! There’s not a moment to lose! Come!” - -But a conviction that something was amiss suddenly came over Miriam. - -“I will go no further!” she said. - -But her determination came too late. They were now within a few paces of -the entrance; and there appeared before her the figure, not of Jack, or of -any of her other friends, but of him whom she could not fail to recognize -as Torpeon. He smiled as their eyes encountered, and extended toward her -the truncheon in his hand. She felt the mark on her forehead burn, and -power to resist forsook her. She was drawn forward in spite of herself. - -The aspect of the prince was stately and stern, intellect mingled with -passion in his imperious countenance. His expression softened as she drew -near, and conveyed a desire, the intensity of which made her tremble. - -But indignation at the ruse played upon her kindled her to defiance. - -“You may make my body obey you,” she said; “but not my soul!” - -“I know the limits of my power,” he replied. “I had no means but this. If -I fail to prove my right to you, I am too much a king to take what is not -given. Come to my kingdom, learn to know me, and decide.” - -“I can never love you; do not make me hate you,” said Miriam. - -His heavy brows quivered for a moment. - -“Love or hate—we will prove which is stronger; come!” - -Disdaining futile resistance she stepped into the car that awaited them; -he took his place beside her, and they rose in air, headed for the red -planet. Zarga, left below, gazed at them till they were out of sight; -then, with a mocking wave of her hand toward the island she went inland. - - -CHAPTER XIII -FALSE TRAILS - -JACK’S subjection to the power of mortification and despair did not last -long. He raised himself from the ground and stared about him. The first -thing he saw was Jim squatting before him. - -“We was sure up ag’in a tight squeeze dat time, boss,” remarked his -retainer. “Did yer hear de yell I let loose? Dat big guy in the red -sweater was a comin’ head-on! But our folks had heard de alarm, an’ before -I gits knocked out I seen ’em hot-footin’ up de trail. I guess dere was -some scrap; but which side gits de decision is more’n I knows. But say, -boss, I ain’t got much use fer dat yaller-haired kid. Looks ter me like -she double-crossed yer. Ain’t dat right?” - -“Jim,” said Jack, getting on his feet “what we must find out is, what -became of Miriam. Did you see anything of her?” - -“Not me, boss; I was takin’ de count.” - -“We’re worse off than we were before,” remarked Jack. ‘I suppose I behaved -like a fool; but things are puzzling here. If Argon, or somebody, would -help us out!” - -“Mebbe dat’s him now!” said Jim, pointing across the desert. - -Jack wheeled round and looked. Something was approaching and at a good -pace. It had the look of a vehicle of some sort. Jim, after eying it -intently, shook his head. - -“Dere ain’t a traffic-cop on Fif’ Av’noo would stan’ fer dat outfit!” he -declared. - -As it drew near its make-up was revealed. The vehicle somewhat resembled -the two-wheeled chariot of classic times: the driver stood in front; but -instead of a pair of horses the shafts were attached to a metal sphere -about four feet in diameter, which rolled and bounded onward, in obedience -to a motive-power apparently contained in the sphere itself. The vehicle -drew up beside them, and the driver, an odd-looking creature, with a big -head, staring eyes, and a copper-colored skin covered with course hair, -motioned to them to get aboard. - -“Say pal, where did yer blow in from?” Jim inquired. - -The driver shook his head and pointed to his mouth, which he opened -widely. There was no tongue in it. - -“The fellow is dumb!” ejaculated Jack. - -“It don’t look right ter me,” observed Jim. “Let’s side-step it!” - -“He is evidently sent to fetch us somewhere,” returned Jack. “We can’t be -more lost than we are; and who but Lamara can have sent it? We may as well -get in—there’s nothing else in sight.” - -“It’s up ter you, boss,” said Jim doubtingly, “but it sure is a phony rig! -I’d like ter know what dat there ball has inside it!” - -Jack had already climbed into the vehicle. He reached out a hand for Jim, -but the driver had set the contrivance going, and it was only by an active -leap that the little cripple succeeded in making the connection. They were -off at full speed. - -“Talk about speed-laws!” said Jim, after a moment; “dere ain’t no limit on -dis geezer! What you got dere, pal—a balloon?” - -“Something of that kind, I should say,” observed Jack quietly. In fact, -the car drawn by the metal sphere was actually rising from the ground. -They were soon several hundred feet aloft, and still on an up-grade. - -“No doubt it’s all right,” Jack added; “he’s getting his bearings like a -carrier pigeon; he’ll make a slant for home presently.” - -The driver, however, was not following a straight course, but was bearing -continually to the left. It soon became evident that they were mounting on -a spiral. The planet was fast dropping away beneath them. - -“What is the dumb beast doing?” muttered Jack in surprise. “Does he think -he lives in the air? He must come to earth sooner or later.” - -Jim had been taking observations on his own account. He now plucked Jack -by the arm and reached up to whisper in his ear: - -“Boss, dis slob ain’t comin’ down at all. D’yer know where he’s takin’ us? -He ain’t no Sattum guy whatever. He’s one of Torpy’s gang, and he’s -elopin’ wid us to where Torpy come from!” - -At this startling suggestion Jack looked upward and beheld the red moon -which was Torpeon’s habitation directly above them. He had been fooled -again; it was a plain case of kidnaping! Had he been aware that Miriam was -at the same moment being unwillingly borne in the same direction he would -probably have been content to let the flight proceed; as it was, he -thought it was time to take an active part in the transaction. - -He seized the driver by the shoulder with a powerful grasp. - -“Put about!” he shouted. “Get back to earth! Reverse your machine this -instant or I’ll throw you out!” - -The driver, however, was strong as a gorilla. He squirmed out of the grip -of Jack’s hand with comparative ease and gave a twist to the rod which -connected with the sphere and served him as reins, with the effect of -making the mysterious motor ascend more swiftly than ever. They were now -at least a mile about the surface. - -“Dis ain’t no healthy place for wrastlin’, boss,” Jim suggested. “Better -lay low a while and catch him when he ain’t watchin’ out.” - -But Jack’s blood was thoroughly up, and he was in no mood for -procrastination. The question in dispute should be settled then and there. - -“Hold on tight, boy,” he said to Jim; “I’m going to teach this gentleman -better manners. He may be a better man than either Torpeon or I, but he’ll -have to prove it.” - -Without further preface he sprang upon the copper-colored driver, and a -furious fight began. The creature struggled like a wild beast. All -limitations of civilized, and even of human warfare, were abandoned; if -his tongue were missing, his teeth were like those of a cave bear; and -both hands and feet were armed with nails that looked like the talons of a -griffin, and were used as such. He shrieked, bit and tore, leaped up and -down, threw himself into unimaginable positions, got his shoulder under -Jack’s thigh, and fought frantically to throw him on his back. Failing -this, he got him round the body with his gorilla arms and, disregarding -the tremendous blows which Jack dealt him, strove to fasten his fangs into -his throat. The car, meanwhile, swayed from side to side like a skiff in a -hurricane, and threatened to overturn every moment. Just then a swinging -blow, driven with all the power of Jack’s arm which might have felled an -ox, caught him fair on the jaw and broke it; and at the same time a -vigorous thrust from Jim’s crutch, which he had been watching his chance -to deliver, struck him in the left eye, and doubtless put it out of -service. - -With a hideous screech the monster relinquished his hold of his adversary -and flung himself out of the car. It looked like suicide; but that was not -the design of the gorilla from Tor. He came face down upon the metal -sphere, and gripping it fast between his knees, disconnected with his left -hand the guiding-rod from the car. The sphere, with the creature on it, -continued its ascent with added impetus, and was soon far away; while the -car containing Jack and Jim began a descent toward the planet beneath. - -The situation seemed serious. “I think we’re in for a bad tumble, Jim,” -Jack remarked, glancing over the edge of the car. “It’s some comfort to -have landed on that fellow’s jaw before he got away; and that punch you -gave him in the eye will help him remember us; but Saturn will hit us a -harder blow yet. If you should happen to come out alive tell Miriam we did -our best.” - -“Dat tumble we had from N’York was bigger dan dis, and didn’t hurt us -none,” Jim responded cheerfully. “Some o’ dem Sattum guys may be holdin’ a -blanket to catch us, like at a fire on the Bowery. Say, boss,” he added, -“here’s dat keepsake de lady give yer in de lab’ratory hangin’ down yer -back! What about it?” - -Jack had forgotten the sapphire talisman. If it had warded off the -lightning bolt launched at him by Torpeon it might have some further -occult virtue in reserve. The drop earthward continued with increasing -velocity, but there was still a good distance to go. He lost no time in -getting his hands on the talisman, and there it lay, sparkling in his -broad palm. But how was it to be used? - -“Look at what’s comin’ for us, boss!” squeaked Jim. - -Some disturbance had occurred in the atmosphere—a vortex movement, -reminding Jack of a Kansas tornado he had seen in his boyhood. It swooped -down upon the car with a long, whistling scream. The vertical line of -their descent was immediately modified, and they were driven off in a -circular direction, like a boat gyrating on the circumference of a -whirlpool. The little talisman blazed like a purple star. The car still -approached the earth, but was so buoyed up on the wings of the tornado as -greatly to counteract the attraction of gravitation, and the angle of -incidence was so much enlarged that they would strike the surface at but a -slight deviation from the parallel. Even this, however, might give them an -awkward jolt, for their speed was immense. - -“Hurray, boss, we’re saved!” called out Jim, with a gesture of triumph. -“We gits a bat’ an’ dat lets us out. Pipe de lake!” - -In fact, they were skimming toward a handsome sheet of water, with tall -trees grouped along its margins; at its further side rose a lofty butte -with perpendicular walls that gleamed like crystal. In another moment the -car struck the lake near its center, and was carried along by its impetus, -amidst showers of spray, at a pace which no electric launch could have -rivaled. Before the impetus had exhausted itself they had been brought -within a few rods of the shore; as the car came to rest Jack stepped out -midleg deep in the water, took Jim on his shoulder, and waded to dry land. -The tornado had vanished overhead. - -“Coney Island can’t beat it!” Jim observed as Jack set him down. - -“It won’t bear talking of,” said Jack gravely. He had passed through -emotions during the last few minutes, the effect of which he would never -lose. - -They looked about them. The crystal butte was close at hand, and almost in -its shadow stood a small cottage with white walls and wide-spreading -eaves. A vine bearing heavy clusters of yellow flowers climbed over its -porch; the door stood invitingly open; the casements were spread wide; and -on the clear air was spread a fragrance which caused Jim to assume the -attitude of a hound scenting quarry. His face was lifted, his nostrils -sniffed eagerly, and his little black eyes, half closed, gave to his -countenance an expression of dreamy voluptuousness. - -Jack, whose olfactories had been slower to awake than his companion’s, -looked at the urchin in astonishment. “What ails you, boy?” he demanded. - -“Oh, gee, lead me to it!” breathed Jim in an unctuous murmur. -“Delmonnikers never smelt like dat! Eats, boss, eats! Gimme two dozen hot -dogs an’ ten plunks wort’ o’ ham-and, an’ keep de change! Lead me to it!” - -By this time Jack had caught the odor, and he emitted a long-drawn -“Ah-h-h!” - -The perfume, rich and delicate, swam on the air and seduced the senses. -With it came the realization that not since leaving New York—it might be -days or years ago—had food passed his lips. No wonder if his heart had -sunk under the blows of fate! Not Hercules his labors, Archimedes his -inventions, or Terence Mayne his New Madison Square Building, could have -been accomplished on an empty stomach. His appetite, as the odor continued -to insinuate itself, dilated to heroic proportions. A kingdom for an ox -roasted whole! - -“Foller me, boss!” chanted Jim in gluttonous tones: “I’s on de trail!” - -He was hobbling incontinently toward the cottage, which bore a touching -likeness to the annex-bungalows of terrestrial summer hotels. From its -chimney climbed gently upward a column of bluish smoke, which was -dissipated about by languid air currents, winged with deliciousness. Jim -reached the door first. - -But with sublime self-restraint he halted there, poised on his crutch till -his master should enter. Jack caught him up under one arm, and the next -instant they found themselves staring at a table exquisitely arrayed in -white damask, porcelain dishes, sparkling flagons, and glistening silver. -Gracing these utensils was royal abundance of delectable soups, juicy -meats, fragrant vegetables, quivering jellies, mounded cakes and fruits, -the bubbling promise of vintage wines, and on a side table an urn of -incomparable coffee. Lucullus was outdone! - -The two adventurers seated themselves opposite each other, and Jack -proceeded to do the honors. “Clear turtle, Jim,” quoth he, ladling out the -golden liquid; Jim had already begun to fill his mouth with -hors-d’oeuvres. “Our appetites need no stimulus, but a sip of this -amontillado will spiritualize them. Turbot, I declare! I wish Uncle Sam -were with us! No, let us limit ourselves to one help—that pheasant must -have full justice! Perhaps the venison outdoes the sirloin, magnificent -though that looks; and the burgundy harmonizes with the noble stag. A -little of this jelly! Do you smoke, Jim? While we are breathing ourselves -for the pudding, we might try one of these cigarettes. Jim, you are -looking better!” - -“Dis is heaven, ain’t it boss?” Jim inquired. - -“A part of it, I hope. A glass of this champagne will fortify us for what -is yet to come. Sip it reverently—it is the apotheosis of the Widow! I -incline to the pie rather than to the pudding—unless you are adequate to -both. I am but a man—you, a boy! I envy you! After all, even a banquet so -transcendent as this serves but as preparation for the coffee and cigars. -What are you saying?” - -“De yaller-haired kid, boss!” Jim whispered. “She’s pipin’ us t’rough de -door!” - -Jack turned and beheld the smiling face of Zarga. - - -CHAPTER XIV -THE MAGICIAN’S HALL - -ZARGA did not wait for the banqueters to recover from their surprise, but -came forward at once with the air of a hostess conscious of having pleased -her guests. Her bearing seemed so artless that Jack, rendered genial by -the good fare, told himself that there must be something amiss in his -recollection of their last meeting. - -“I tried to make a dinner for you that would remind you of home,” she -said. “We Saturnians don’t use food of this kind. Are you satisfied?” - -Jack had risen, and could think on the spur of the moment of no better -answer than the polite banality, “Only your presence at the table could -have improved it!” while Jim seized the opportunity to stuff a couple of -red apples and some sugar-coated cakes into his pockets. - -“We ought to have waited to learn who our benefactress was,” Jack went on, -being somewhat embarrassed; “but I thought only how hungry I was, and how -providential—” - -“Providence lets us help it sometimes!” she interrupted, laughing. “One -must feel lonely in a strange country; but in their hearts all people are -alike.” - -Here Jim ventured an observation. - -“I guess, miss, my boss t’ought you an’ Miss Mir’am was some alike dat -time de blizzard hit us, back dere!” - -Jack turned red; but the girl merely looked amused. - -“I supposed it was one of your terrestrial customs,” she observed. “Oh, it -doesn’t matter a bit; your kisses were delightful!” - -This was putting the shoe on the other foot. Jack could not get the red -out of his face, but he was glad to absolve this friendly little creature -from the charge of unseemly boldness. After all, was it not he who had -made the mistake? - -“How did you know where we were?” he asked, to get the conversation on -less ticklish ground. - -“Oh, we know, when we want to,” she replied. “I remember Argon’s telling -me you have only five senses where you live. We have some others besides, -which we can use or not, as we like; just as we can either walk to a -place, or be there right off. I prefer to be there right off, as a rule,” -she added. - -“So would I, if I knew how!” rejoined Jack with emphasis. - -“There are two ways—the proper way and the magic way,” she said. “The -magic way is not proper; it’s fun, though, sometimes!” - -“I should think any way proper that got me to Miriam,” Jack affirmed. “I -was searching for her when I found the dinner!” - -“But you were glad of the dinner!” - -“You said it, miss!” put in Jim. “But now we’ve got it stowed, we’re hot -on de trail agin!” - -Zarga glanced from one to the other, and seemed to hesitate. - -“You haven’t heard, then?” she asked at length, in a tone of serious -concern. - -“Nothing. Have you any news?” - -Zarga, with an impulsive gesture, put out her hand and laid it on his. “Do -you love her very much?” she asked. - -“What has happened?” exclaimed he, pale enough now. - -“And she promised to love you always?” Zarga went on, looking him deep in -the eyes. - -“What is all this?” he demanded, a menace beginning to growl through his -tones. - -“Don’t be angry with me!” she entreated tremulously. “I wouldn’t hurt you -for the world! I’m sorry—I will say nothing more!” - -“I ask your pardon,” he said, controlling himself. “Please tell me all you -know. I had heard that Torpeon was pursuing her; she is to be my wife; you -can imagine my anxiety! The only glimpse I’ve had of her was when you—” - -“I understand! I thought perhaps Argon or Lamara would have told you. But -why did they not tell you? Why should they leave it to me?” - -“I haven’t seen them since they left the palace to go to the island. -Then—you know how it was; there was a sudden storm of fire and darkness, -and when I could see again, everything had disappeared, and—you were in my -arms!” - -“Yes, yes! Oh, I was frightened! The fire got into my brain. Yes, I ran -away, forgetting you wouldn’t know where to go. But Miriam was rescued by -Aunion and taken to Lamara’s island.” - -“She is safe, then?” cried Jack joyfully. - -“Now I shall have to hurt you,” she replied sadly. “She is there no -longer. Torpeon sent her a message; she met him, and they went off -together to Tor.” - -“Who told you this silly lie?” he demanded wrathfully. - -“I was there myself. I did all I could. I couldn’t prevent her.” - -Jack was silent; she glanced timidly at him, then hid her face in her -hands and began to sob. But Jim, who had been staring fixedly at Zarga, -now touched Jack on the elbow. - -“Don’t yer worry, boss,” he whispered. “De kid is stuffin’ yer. She’s -nutty on yer herself—dat’s what!” - -Jack, in the tumult of his emotions, neither heard nor paid attention; the -counsels of wisdom are often rejected because their source is humble. -Zarga moved slowly toward the door. - -“Don’t go!” said Jack huskily. “Torpeon is a clever conjurer; he deceived -you as well as Miriam, I suppose. To Tor, you say?” - -“Do you trust me?” she faltered. - -“I’m sorry if I was rude. In thinking of my enemy I forgot my friend. I -never needed friends more than now.” - -“It would be my happiness to make you happy,” she said, coming closer to -him. “But it’s best to know the truth. I can show them to you, if you -wish!” - -“Show them to me—in Tor?” - -“I must break our law to do it; but our laws don’t bind you, and I don’t -care for myself! I know the magic of the Torides; and if you are willing, -and have courage, I can make them appear before you as they are at this -moment. It’s for you to say!” - -“You can show me Miriam and Torpeon here and now?” - -She took him by the hand, led him to the door of the cottage, and pointed -to the great butte. - -“In that rock there is a secret chamber, made by a great magician, in the -times before the Saturnians abandoned magic. It has been sealed since his -day, but I know the way to enter it. There is danger, but for me only, not -for you! If you fear nothing, and do nothing violent, I think no harm will -happen.” - -“I don’t fear the truth; and there’s nothing else to fear,” said he. - -They went forward toward the foot of the huge cliff, which towered -thousands of feet straight upward; its smooth and massive front seemed -beyond mortal power no less to penetrate than to scale. Within arm’s reach -of it Zarga paused. - -“Only you and I may enter,” she said to Jack; “a third would be fatal to -us all.” - -“Jim can wait in the cottage,” said Jack, turning to the little cripple. -“You’ve had your dinner, Jim, and we’ll return before you’re hungry -again.” - -“Me stummick ain’t what’s troublin’ me, boss,” Jim replied; his misgivings -had by this time become acute. “I kin pass up de eats, ef de lady’d gimme -a ticket fer de gall’ry.” - -But his master shook his head with a kindly look, and the urchin, greatly -dejected, was fain to obey. He turned and hobbled back toward the cottage. - -Zarga laid her slender hand on the rock. No crevice had been apparent; but -as she pressed lightly against the surface, the crystal walls yawned -slowly apart, making an opening large enough to admit them. She motioned -Jack to enter; he stepped within unhesitatingly, and she followed. The -opening closed behind them, but Jack, who had already gone on, found -himself in a corridor, vaulted high, winding into the interior. Underfoot -was a smooth floor of sparkling, white sand. Light pervaded the place, -clear and mild, like that of the moon. Zarga was now beside him. He felt -her soft fingers close on his own. - -“Do not let go my hand till we reach the chamber,” she whispered. “The -guardians left by the old magician are here, and would try to mislead you -or to bar the way. None but I has been here since he departed. But they -know me, and I have the clue.” - -“Your hand is like fire,” murmured Jack; “what makes it so?” - -“There is fire in my heart; when we are together, it burns,” was her -reply. “Now be silent; we are nearly there.” - -While Jack was speculating as to the significance of her answer, the walls -swept apart, and he found himself in a circular hall about a hundred feet -in diameter, the domed roof of which was lost in the moonlight dimness. -Its perfect symmetry showed it to be human handiwork, though he could not -conceive by what means the adamantine hardness of the crystal had been -hollowed out, and the walls carved with devices so strange and so -exquisitely wrought. The light here had a faint bluish tinge, which -enhanced the solemn impressiveness of the monumental figures ranged at -regular intervals round the chamber, supporting the entablature of the -dome. Their faces were veiled and their heads bowed; in the molding of -their bodies the human flowed into the animal; but whether man were -descending into beast, or beast rising into man, could not be determined. -At times it seemed as if the flux were even now proceeding, with the issue -questionable. Between the figures were arched panels carved in intricate -designs, perhaps symbolical and mystic; here the hues of the crystal -varied prismatically through ruby, emerald, sapphire, chrysoprase and -topaz. The room was paved with yellow and purple slabs disposed in coiled -patterns that suggested the slow writhing of serpents; in the center stood -a pentagonal block of black stone, with a circular depression in its upper -surface, like a baptismal font. But it was filled not with water, but with -ashes. - -There was a crescent-shaped bench in front of the font, with a high back, -and arms fashioned like the heads of serpents. The seat was deep, and -fitted with cushions; the material was massive silver. Over one end of the -bench was flung a scarf of fine tissue, gray, like smoke, and almost as -diaphanous. After Jack, complying with Zarga’s indication, had seated -himself, she caught up the scarf and with a movement of her hand caused it -to revolve about the slender grace of her figure, as if emanating from the -violet flames that clothed her body. Her hair spread itself out on the air -as she began the steps of a slow dance, voluptuous and wild as that of the -antique Bacchanals. Had Jack’s mind been less painfully preoccupied, he -must have admitted that no vision so alluringly beautiful had ever floated -before his eyes. - -After thrice making the circuit of the font, Zarga stopped, and the scarf, -continuing its movement, wrapped itself lightly about her. She stooped, -and seemed to gather up from the pavement at the base of the font a double -handful of flakes or chips, which she placed in the hollow of the stone. -They at once kindled and smoldered, sending out an aromatic scent. A -column of thin blue vapor rose straight upward, till it impinged upon the -apex of the dome; and a deep but soft strain of music vibrated through the -hall. - -The incantation had begun to work. - - -CHAPTER XV -A FRIEND FROM THE STARS - -AFTER Jack and Zarga had disappeared into the butte, Jim wheeled and -hobbled back to the place where he had parted from them. It had been his -intention, in spite of orders to the contrary, to slip in after them, and -take a hand in whatever might be going to take place. His boss, though the -first of mankind in Jim’s estimation, was not qualified to take proper -care of himself. - -But he was confronted by the impenetrable face of the rock, with not a -crack in it large enough to admit the point of his crutch. Miracles did -not perplex Jim, but they sometimes annoyed him. After eying the rock -disgustedly for a few moments, he hit the great cliff a reproving tap, and -retired to a small boulder hard by and sat down upon it. If the persons in -whom he was interested came out by the same way that they had gone in, he -would be on hand to receive them. Meanwhile, as his dessert had been -interrupted by Zarga’s arrival, he took one of the apples from his pocket -and began to munch it appreciatively and philosophically. “Dat kid ain’t -straight, but she puts up a good feed,” was his judgement. - -Before the apple had been half consumed, a plashing noise from the -direction of the lake caused him to look around. Had he been Achilles or -Alexander the Great, instead of a one-legged New York newsboy, the sight -that met his eyes might have alarmed him. As it was, he was merely filled -with a wary but delighted curiosity. - -Jim had once upon a time visited the Museum of Natural History in New -York, and had there, in a large saloon, beheld a plaster model of an -amphibious animal which had lived, wallowed, and devoured eight million -years ago. It was seventy-five feet long, twenty-five feet at the -shoulder, and displayed the scaly terrors of a tail which was only less -fearsome than its neck and head. Jim wished at that time that he had been -born soon enough to have pursued the original of this model with a -repeating-rifle and a snickersnee. - -Here, now, was the animated and active grandfather of the comparatively -trivial and pygmy reptile which had been revealed to him in New York. It -was so big that it might have entered the category of geologic phenomena, -and held its own against a range of hills. The girth of its forelegs was -as that of a giant sycamore in a Southern swamp; the row of ridges down -its back might have served as a fence against a Hun invasion; its jaws -yawned as wide as the portals of the church of Saint John the Divine in -New York; each one of its double row of several hundred teeth was as tall -as a drum-major and as sharp as the blade of a Louisiana colonel’s bowie; -its tail was for the most part veiled by the lake, but the end of it was -stirring up whirlpools as far out in the water as a second basemen could -fling a ball. The whole creature was advancing upon Jim with the gladness -of a familiar friend; and though its gait was leisurely, it was able to -cover an acre of ground at a stride. - -It did not occur to the boy at first that the apparition was meant -especially for him; any more than he would have regarded the annual -procession of the New York police-force up Fifth Avenue as having been -organized with an eye to his capture. The disproportion was too -preposterous. Of what consequence could he be to it? A mosquito might as -reasonably have looked upon itself as an adequate meal for a crocodile. -But it did not take him long to modify this view. There was no viand other -than himself in sight, and he had seen a lizard engulf an ant with -apparent pleasure. He must stand upon his defense! - -The most feasible plan that occurred to him on the spur of the moment—a -spur, in this case, of exceptional urgency—was to take a sprint along the -animal’s tongue and reach the comparative safety of its gullet before it -could bring its teeth to bear upon him. But he was handicapped by his -one-leggedness; nor, should he win to the interior, had he so much as a -pen-knife to chop his way out again. Running away would be equally vain; -and to side-step the charge of a creature with such a tail was to invite -disaster. The two or three seconds which he devoted to these reflections -had sufficed to bring his antagonist so near that the next waddle would be -the final one, so far as Jim was concerned. - -Jim stood up, supporting himself against the boulder, and holding his -crutch at arm’s-length vertically before him. The crutch was a stout bit -of blackthorn, and sharp at one end. If he could contrive to thrust the -crutch between the animal’s jaws at the moment they closed upon him, it -might happen to pierce the roof of its mouth, and the prick thus -administered might give him a chance to slip out before being crushed to a -pulp. The stratagem did not promise very well, but it was the best he -could do. - -“It’s a good job the boss ain’t here!” was Jim’s last thought. He looked -down a glutinous abyss which seemed to extend to the bottomless pit -itself. “Come on, old sockdolager!” he shouted. - -A slender shaft, arrowlike, and bright as lightening, flashed before his -sight and struck the stupendous snake-lizard fair in the eyeball. There it -stood, buried to half its depth, quivering. With such a missile did -Olympian Jove quell the revolt of the Titans. - -The effect was not to be compassed by mortal senses. Jim was blown -backward by the foul expulsion of the creature’s breath, executing -involuntary catherine-wheels over a space of a dozen yards. He picked -himself up to witness a convulsion in which earthquake, tornado, and -waterspout seemed to outdo their utmost. It was accompanied by a scream -which made the roar of a volcano seem to Jim’s ears like the whistle of a -boy’s pipe. As the creature flounced and flung its hideous length, the -waters of the lake fled away, the solid earth groaned and was riven into -crevasses, and a boulder as big as a bungalow, caught in the coil of its -tail, was flung upward till it looked no larger than a pebble, and when it -fell again it was splintered into gravel. - -What followed was, if possible, more surprising. The contortions ceased as -suddenly as they had begun, and the animal lay flaccid and inert, a flood -of blackness, like liquid pitch, oozing out between its jaws. As this went -on, the bulk of the enormity shrunk rapidly, and the poisonous darkness of -its coloring faded to a pallid, brownish hue, like a crushed tarantula. It -shriveled, diminished, and disintegrated; and in a few moments all that -remained of it was a heap of brittle fragments dwindling into -formlessness. The lake flowed back over its bed and resumed its limpid -serenity; the trees stretched their boughs over the turf, and the birds -twittered and sang their tranquil music. It was difficult to believe that -the late terrific uproar had been more than an evil dream. - -Jim recovered his crutch, and then became aware of a personage standing a -few rods away on the right, leaning upon a spear, and thoughtfully -contemplating the scene of the late cataclysm. He was stately, strong, and -clean-limbed, and in the prime of his youth. There was such a brightness -in his aspect that it seemed to Jim that he cast a radiance around him. He -recognized him at once as Solarion, who had shown his prowess in the -battle with the Jovians. He hobbled toward him with an appreciative grin. - -“You is sure Johnnie-on-de-Spot, mister, an’ you fetches de goods!” he -exclaimed earnestly. “Dat big critter t’ought he had us locoed; an’ along -you comes, quietlike, and pastes him one in de eye, an’ where is he?” - -“You did the hardest part of the work yourself, Jim,” replied the other, -smiling. “A stout heart is the best help in any battle. But I happened to -have a dart in my hand, and I couldn’t resist letting it fly. What are you -doing here—and where is Jack?” - -Jim gave a terse account of their recent adventures. “So de boss is jugged -wid de skirt inside dat mountain,” he concluded; “an’ me, I’s waitin’ till -dey comes out to take a han’ in de game. I ain’t got no use for de -yaller-haired kid; all de same, dis strangle-hold she’s got on de boss is -mebbe a good t’ing. He ain’t got no prudence; an’ her keepin’ him in dere -keeps him out o’ trouble, wedder or not she means it. He’s al’ays set for -a scrap, my boss is; ef he’d been here, he’d ’a’ gone fer dat beast, sure, -and got hurted. Now he’s huntin’ Torpy, ter git Miss Mir’am away from him; -but what I wants is dis—an’ mebbe you kin give me a lift! While he’s safe -in de mountain, you puts me over on de red moon, ef dat’s where she is; -an’ I figgers I’d come near getting’ her free. But ef I slips up, an’ -Torpy gits me—all right! De boss comes right along an’ makes his spiel; -an’ at a straight show-down he kin knock Torpy over de ropes. But Torpy, -he has funny stunts ter burn, an’ he might git a fake decision ef de boss -ain’t put wise fust. An’ den, I arsks yer, where ’d Miss Mir’am git off?” - -“Your idea is, then,” said Solarion, “to take the risk of getting killed -first, in order that Jack, profiting by your experience, may have a better -chance of rescuing Miriam? But why should you run your head into danger -that brings you no reward, even if you win?” - -Jim bent upon his interlocutor a serious and reproving glance. - -”Say mister, youse ain’t playin’ up ter yer form! Lis’n here! My boss is -some man, ain’t he? I guess yes! An’ he’s mushy on Miss Mir’am, an’ she on -him; an’ dey’s goin’ ter do de orange-blossom an’ rice act fust t’ing dey -hits N’York. On de udder han’, what am I good fer? Do I know anyt’ing? Am -I a collidge guy, an’ play full-back on de team? Is dere any skirt campin’ -on my trail? G’wan! I’m tellin’ yer dis worl’ is goin’ ahead right smart -widout me! So what I says is, keep de boss here till me an’ Torpy has it -out togedder; an’ while he’s busy lammin’ me fer keeps, snake Miss Mir’am -out o’ dere and han’ her over to de boss. Dat’s all! Dat’s me! Dat’s -right, ain’t it? Are yer on?” - -Thus Jim spoke, with snapping eyes and graphic gestures; and as Solarion -listened he became brighter and brighter, until Jim’s small person cast a -long shadow behind him. - -“Your plan is good,” he said, “and I’d rather be in your shoes than in -Torpeon’s. We get what we are willing to pay for. May I have a look at -that crutch of yours?” - -“She ain’t so nifty to look at,” Jim remarked, handing it over; “but she -does me all right. My dad, he brings her from de ould sod!” - -Solarion examined the crutch with great attention. - -“I don’t think you know what a valuable stick this is,” he said at length, -returning it to the owner. “There are fairies in Ireland, you know; and -when they gave this blackthorn to your father, they endowed it with a -power to do wonderful things. It’s a fairy wand, and it will make itself -into anything you want—a sword, a horse, a pair of wings, or an air-ship, -for instance. All you have to do is rub one or another of these little -knobs, and make your wish. If you want to go to Tor, it can carry you -there easily; and then, if you find it necessary to fight Torpeon, I dare -say you could surprise him as much as I surprised that beast just now. -That’s what comes, you see, of having only one leg!” - -Jim looked at his old familiar staff with new respect. It appeared the -same as ever; but great gifts often go humbly clad. - -“Say, mister, dat’s goin’ some! Yer ain’t stringin’ me, is yer?” - -“We receive only what belongs to us,” returned Solarion, laying a hand on -the boy’s head. “You are among friends, and you’ve earned their -friendship. Good-by for the present, and good fortune!” - -The light grew brighter than ever; but when Jim looked up, he was alone. - - -CHAPTER XVI -THE LASSO - -LAMARA, having convinced herself that Miriam was no longer on the island -bethought herself of the subterranean passage. This was a secret way to -the mainland, and known to few; but one of those few was Zarga. There was -no escape, therefore, from the conclusion that the girl had taken this -means of continuing her treachery; but Lamara hastened to explore the -cavern, and found abundant traces of the passing of both Zarga and Miriam. -On the shore at the other side there were signs that sufficiently -indicated the rendezvous with Torpeon and the flight to Tor. - -Lamara’s intuitions, which were of the highest order, had given her a -knowledge of Miriam’s heart and character, which obviated any doubt that -Miriam must have been hoodwinked. But the problem of how to rescue her -from her unwilling thraldom remained. The traditional usages of Saturn -discountenanced aggressive action; but neither had any situation similar -to this been anticipated. Unprecedented needs require the exercise of -corresponding methods. Had the problem been simply the subjugation of -Torpeon, and of his kingdom with him, there were resources in Saturn -adequate to accomplish it; but to do so without involving Miriam in danger -would be far more difficult. Torpeon would hesitate at nothing, and if -driven to extremity would not scruple, Lamara feared, to sacrifice Miriam -rather than surrender her. Nor was this all. Lamara had reason to suspect -that he contemplated an enterprise which, were it successful, would carry -him and his abode beyond the limits of Saturnian influence. It was an -enterprise wild and desperate, and it might result in the annihilation of -Tor itself, not to speak of serious disorders in other planets of the -system. Lamara divined that his determination to keep Miriam might urge -him on to the immediate prosecution of this gigantic and reckless scheme; -and it behooved her to lose no time in taking measures to prevent it. -Aunion and others must be consulted; meanwhile she resorted to the -planetary mirror, which was in the neighborhood, to ascertain the actual -present condition of affairs. - -Upon entering the sunken dome, she pronounced the formula proper for her -purpose, and subdued her mind to observe what should transpire. - -For a few moments the eye was dark and vacant of images; then the blurred -traces of a rapidly moving object appeared; it was focused an instant -later, and Lamara saw Torpeon and Miriam on their way through space. The -prince glanced behind him at intervals, as if from a feeling of -insecurity. Miriam, her black hair flying behind her like a banner of -mourning, sat motionless. What could be the cause of Torpeon’s uneasiness? - -The fugitives were still within the outer confines of the Saturnian -atmosphere, and approaching the ring. The vast, shining curve of the -latter was in such a position that they were silhouetted against it, and -every detail of their aspect and surroundings was distinct. The ring -radiated sublimity; it was composed, as Lamara knew, of the crystallized -bodies of those who had passed to another life from Saturn; an -immeasurable mausoleum and memorial of the friends who had departed. -Billions of mortal forms, in which souls had once lived and loved, were -here spontaneously disposed in their innumerable ranks, enlightening the -world which they encircled in ever-augmenting myriads. Each atom of that -solemn army sparkled forever in its appointed place, and contributed in -its degree to the far-flung splendor. And in some eon too remote for -calculation the mighty circle would disintegrate to form a new and radiant -planet, on which would be born and flourish and fulfil its destiny another -and nobler race, to carry forward to another stage the majestic evolution -of humanity. - -Lamara sighed. For this divinely appointed scroll of death and life, made -to remind mortal existence of the immortal future that awaited it, was now -serving as the background to reveal the lawless act of a self-seeking and -finite ambition. The trail of carnal passions defiles the pure pavements -of the holy temple! - -Her meditation was interrupted by an unexpected episode. - -Into the field of vision was suddenly projected a long loop of azure -light, tenuous as a spider’s web, uncoiling itself like a lasso, aimed to -overtake and encircle the flying pair. Lamara immediately recognized it as -a thread of power thrown out by some Saturnian pursuer to arrest the -progress of the robber prince and his captive. - -“It is Argon!” she murmured the next moment, as the figure of the youth -swept into sight. “It is a gallant effort; but I fear he is too late. Even -did it succeed, the peril would be great!” - -Unless the feat could be accomplished before Torpeon could pass beyond the -Saturnian atmosphere, it would be useless to attempt it. The chase was now -nearing that boundary; and the risk to Miriam of a contest in mid air was -obvious. - -The first cast of the aerial lasso failed, passing ineffectively to one -side. Argon, who had unfolded the wings which every Saturnian may employ -at need, gathered up his shining line and prepared for another trial. - -But Torpeon had already become aware of his predicament. The car leaped -forward with redoubled impetus, causing it to sway dizzily from side to -side. Miriam, aroused from her apathy by the singing of the noose, had now -turned and realized what was going on. Her friends were trying to save -her. Far down in the void she had seen the pursuer; the distance seemed -enormous, but it was lessening. She took a breath or two to make up her -mind. - -Meanwhile, she controlled every expression of emotion. Torpeon, indeed, -had no suspicion of her intention. He was employing all his energies to -pass the pale of danger. From the corner of her eye Miriam saw the pursuer -swing his arm for another cast. Should this fail, she would act! - -Lamara, intently observing, discerned not the outward manifestations -merely, but the thoughts which produced them. She knew Argon’s activity, -courage, and address; but the hazard was too great. Yet to intervene now -was impossible. - -Keen like the note of a harp-string in the shrillest treble came again the -sound of the noose. It reached its highest pitch, and the noose itself -appeared above their heads, opening and descending. Every nerve in -Miriam’s body was drawn tense for the outcome. Down came the shining -circlet, carrying its message of defeat for Torpeon or of liberation for -her. So truly had Argon estimated the distance that it seemed certain they -would be taken. But Torpeon’s skill and foresight were not less than his. - -Just as the shining cord settled around them, Torpeon, by a titanic -effort, brought the car to a halt. It dropped straight downward, leaving -the slip-knot to close empty above them. By another wrench at the guiding -shaft he caused the vehicle to swerve violently to the left; then to start -forward once more. The snare had been evaded! - -The moment for Miriam’s attempt had come. She had been thrown on her knees -by the sudden turning of the car; she steadied herself, and then sprang to -her feet. The car staggered in its course; for an instant the sky seemed -to reel; the ring flashed before her eyes, dipped, and vanished; the vast -globe of Saturn impended above her head, and she caught a lightning -glimpse of Argon halting in his flight, and watching, appalled, for the -issue. She summoned all her energy, and leaped from the car. - -What might be the consequence, she had not cared to consider; there was -the chance that Argon might intercept her fall; there was the possibility -that she might join the silent army of the ring. It was even conceivable -that, at this immense distance from the planet, she might be borne away in -an orbit of her own, and journey forever in an endless spiral through the -fields of space. Anything would be preferable to enduring the dominion of -the prince of Tor. - -But Torpeon, though he had perhaps not anticipated a voluntary act on her -part, was not unprepared for the event, and was ready to meet it. With a -resolve as desperate as Miriam’s, he flung himself headlong after her as -she leaped. - -For the duration of a single pulse-beat, the twain hung in mid air, the -gravitational force of Saturn, diminished by the counterpull of Tor, -operating but feebly. Ere it could gather strength, he had thrown an arm -around her. She felt its grasp, and struggled fiercely against it, but in -vain. The car, dropping with them, was within reach of Torpeon’s other -hand. He caught it, and still holding her, dragged himself aboard. Once -more he sent it flying on its way. The bounds of Saturnian influence were -passed, and Argon’s pursuit had failed. - -Torpeon turned his head, his face so close to Miriam’s that his beard -brushed her cheek, and searched her eyes with a look that pierced like a -sword. In that glance was manifested the whole savage strength of the man. -The car sped on, and presently became a mere speck in the mirror. The -figure of Argon, descending, flashed into view, and Lamara left the dome -and went forth to meet him. - - -CHAPTER XVII -THE WINGED HORSE - -ARGON, on alighting, was encountered by Aunion, and the two were soon -joined by Lamara. Argon bowed before her with a mortified look. - -“I blundered from beginning to end,” he remarked. - -“You did your best,” she replied; “none can do more, but the spirit rules -the outcome. No just cause is lost through our effort to win it; it is -gained, though in ways beyond our comprehension. The good we try to do may -bless us even more through failure than success. It may be that to have -brought these two lovers together before the appointed time would have -delayed instead of hastening their final union.” - -“I hoped to compensate for the mischief done by my sister,” he said -dejectedly. - -“That child has beguiled us all,” said Aunion. “I could almost wish that -these visitors of ours had never come here. Strange influences create -strange conditions, which disturb our ancient peace.” - -“You are out of tune!” exclaimed Lamara. “If a new era awaits us, let us -accept it with faith and joy. The birth of all good is preceded by -travail. The destiny of the Saturnians cannot be separated from that of -any others in the universe. If there be evil anywhere, isolation cannot -heal it; it must be nursed back to health in the bosom of love. I do not -regret our visitors; I welcome them, bring what they may!” - -“Zarga has sinned beyond forgiveness,” declared Aunion sternly. - -“I have already said that I find myself much to blame for her error,” -returned Lamara quietly; “and judgement does not lie with us, old friend. -Already her sin brings its own punishment. Jack’s constancy is inviolable; -but we may remove him from her influence for both their sakes. Were you -able to trace him?” she asked Argon. - -“Torpeon and Zarga, working together, had made discovery difficult,” he -said; “but I was close upon them when Miriam’s danger drew me aside. I -believe I know where to find Jack and my sister. But the magician’s -chamber is well guarded.” - -“It is time those spells were broken,” said Aunion. - -“Is the little lad, Jim, with them?” Lamara asked. - -“I think not; I fear he has met with misfortune.” - -“That child is very near my heart,” Lamara said. “Every thought and -impulse in him is free from self. We must protect him with all our power. -His love and loyalty are without stain; they shine through his quaintness -like flame through a grotesque lantern.” - -“Jim will play his part,” Aunion affirmed, with a smile. “It is my -impression that he has found a powerful friend—Solarion himself!” - -Argon had a hand to his ear. “Isn’t that the piping of the Nature people?” -he exclaimed. “Yes—yonder they come! And Jim in the midst of them!” - -“You are right—they are leading him in triumph!” rejoined Lamara gladly. -“They feel the innocence and honesty of his soul; it is a high honor to -win their affection. His goodness has found him out! But what can be his -errand?” - -“We shall soon learn; the imp has the gift of tongue,” observed Aunion -amusedly. - -The festive group drew nearer. Jim’s stature was not great; but he loomed -large by contrast with his retinue. The little creatures came skipping and -gamboling around him, all in high spirits, and evidently much pleased with -their companion. Fauns and nymphs, hand in hand, danced and cut capers; -satyrs were piping heartily on their reeds, interrupting themselves now -and then to turn head-over-heels; the company had gathered flowers as they -came, with which they made wreaths to decorate their new friend and -themselves. Jim managed his crutch so deftly that the lack of a leg seemed -to be no handicap; he hopped and pirouetted almost as nimbly as the -others, and his jollity was as wholehearted as theirs. He greeted Lamara -and her friends from afar, grinning wide. - -“Hello, folks! What d’yer t’ink o’ dis bunch? But wait till I learns dem -pipers ter play ‘Yankee Doodle’!” - -“You find them good company?” asked Lamara smilingly. - -Jim did a comprehensive gesture. - -“Dis here hull joint is like de pantomimes down in de Bowery; when yer -t’inks yer’s up ag’in trouble, de ceilin’ busts t’rough an’ down swoops de -fairy wid de goods; or de stage splits up, an’ dey yanks down de vill’in -out o’ sight. An’ de elf kids hops out of de bushes an’ give yer de glad -hand. Yes, sir, yer has de game down fine! It’s sure some class, Sattum -is; but lil, ol’ N’York has yer beat, at dat!” - -While Jim thus expressed himself, his retinue withdrew a little, and -watched the tall human creatures with shy curiosity. - -Lamara stooped and gave the urchin a kiss. “And where are you going now?” -she asked. Jim reddened and glistened under the tribute; but recovered -himself. - -“Me? I’s out fer blood!” he announced. “I leaves de boss ter tackle de -yaller-haired kid, whilst I starts fer Torpy. I figgers you folks kin look -out fer dis end of de line; but Torpy, ’tends ter him meself!” - -“But how will you get to Tor” Argon asked. - -“Don’ let dat worry yer, young feller! I ain’t much ter look at; but I -meets up wid dat shiny gink—Sol Something he calls hisself—yer knows who I -mean—he comes along, frien’ly like, an’ swots de big lizzud I was arguin’ -wid; an’ after we’ve chinned fer a spell, he gives me crutch de once-over, -see, an’ allows dere’s a hull kit o’ tools in her, what de fairies put -dere; but I has a guess dat he done it hisself! Anyhow, she’s loaded fer -bear, an’ when me an’ Torpy gits inter de ring, dere’ll be somp’n doin’, -believe me!” - -“Is this possible?” Argon asked Aunion in an undertone. - -“I cannot interpret,” he replied, shaking his head. - -“We may trust Solarion—he is of a higher order,” said Lamara. “Still, -something disquiets me on the child’s account. But it is not for us to -hold him back.” - -“Well, folks, I’s on de war-pat’,” Jim said, handling his crutch in a -peculiar manner, “an’ now I’s goin’ ter giver yer a s’prise! Kin’ly turn -yer backs, all han’s, till I makes me prep-rations; an’ don’ look eroun’ -till I gives de word! No peepin’ now! Abbry-cadabbry! Presto change! As -yer was! What d’yer t’ink o’ dat?” - -The others had indulged his humor, and now faced about again. How it had -happened only Jim and perhaps the little Nature people could have told; -but there Jim sat on a superb black stallion, which tossed its head, shook -out its tail, and unfolded a pair of wings so wide and powerful that they -seemed capable of bearing him from one end of the solar system to the -other. The beautiful creature danced impatiently on its dainty hoofs, and -seemed eager to be off. - -“Well done, Jim! Good fortune! Safe return!” they cried; and the Nature -people set up a joyful shout. - -Jim settled himself in the saddle, and handled the reins with professional -assurance. “Keep yer eye on de boss!” were his last words. He waved his -hand, the horse gave a mighty sweep with his wings, and steed and rider -bounded splendidly into the air. - - -CHAPTER XVIII -THE BLACK MAGIC - -JACK, seated in a corner of the silver bench, kept his eyes upon the -column of blue vapor that rose upward from the smoldering fire in the -font. But his mind was filled with somber thoughts of Miriam, and he was -only superficially conscious either of the incantation or of Zarga. Of -Miriam’s faith he had no doubts; but as little could he question that -Torpeon had by some means contrived to convey her to his stronghold. He -could not think that Zarga would willfully mislead him upon that point, -though he had indignantly rejected her suggestion that Miriam had -consented to it; the idea that the Saturnian maiden was herself infatuated -with him could not find entrance into his straight-forward mind; his own -simple loyalty kept him from suspecting others. What the incantation might -reveal was a matter of conjecture, but he did not so much as allow himself -to imagine that it would present Miriam in any other light than as the -soul of love and faith. - -The music swept out in penetrating waves, the notes vibrating insistently -upon the ear with a sweet but almost intolerable monotony; but the -monotony gradually became a source of fascination. It seemed to enter into -his blood and control the pulsations of his heart; it had the effect of a -seductive but suffocating perfume, against the influence of which one -might struggle at first, but at last found an exotic delight in yielding. -It soothed the outward senses, but wrought a strange excitement within. -Zarga had resumed her mystic dance, and now he followed her movements with -dreamy intentness; she had ceased to be a distinct personality to him, but -was a part of the general scene, and represented in movement what the rest -imparted by color, form and sound. Her body and limbs, exquisite in their -supple eloquence, swayed and shifted like the waving of slender fronds in -tropic gardens, or the rhythm of fairy surf lapsing on coral beaches. She -seemed far away, yet thrillingly near; and her face, as it was recurrently -turned toward him in the turnings of the dance, had the spell of beauty -alternately revealed and withdrawn into the magic shadows of memory. He -felt the gaze of her dark eyes more poignantly in its absence than when -turned upon him. - -Once more the dancer halted suddenly, with arms uplifted, and the music -sang its insistent song no more. There came a volley of staccato sounds, -as of a startled nightingale, and the column of vapor was agitated and -broken into revolving wreaths. These twisted themselves together, forming -huge figures vaguely outlined, lit by fitful gleams from the embers in the -font. Zarga turned and ran swiftly toward Jack, crouching, and pressing -her fingers against her temples. “It is coming—it is coming!” she cried; -“put your strength round me—let me come inside your arm! I am afraid of -what I’ve done!” - -Jack, disconcerted, drew himself erect on the bench; but the vaporous -forms now shaping themselves above the font so commanded his attention -that he hardly noticed how Zarga nestled against him, warm, panting, and -tremulous, like a bird seeking refuge; how her head lay on his breast, and -the flexible fingers of her hand touched his face and wound themselves in -his hair. His arm was about her, and from an involuntary protecting -impulse he patted her shoulder; but he was absorbed in the scene before -him. - -The smoke-figures, condensing, appeared no longer gigantic, but assumed -the stature of life. Two human apparitions were together, a man and a -woman. More than their sex could not at first be determined; they sat -facing each other in a deep alcove, disclosed by a semblance of draperies -that hung on either side. The coloring of life, faint in the beginning, -gained depth, as if an artist were adding to his gray outline more vivid -touches from his palette. The living picture acquired each moment greater -definition; from point to point the outlines and contours settled into -certainty; and Jack’s lips grew dry as he recognized more and more -unmistakably the proportions and movements of the woman he loved. For the -other figure he had as yet no eyes, but he knew it could represent no -other than Torpeon. His beloved, and his enemy, seated there face to face -and hands in hands! - -“It is false!” a voice spoke thus in the remote recesses of his soul; “a -false profanation of what is sacred!” But the terrible persuasiveness of -the vision overwhelmed him. The testimony of the sight, fallacious though -it so constantly be, dominates the nobler assurances of the spirit; and -the very struggle against the illusion causes it to take on outlines more -convincing. Miriam’s face was latest to be revealed. The look it wore was -the look of love in its passion; and it was lavished not on him, but on -another! - -Torpeon had taken both her hands in his, and was speaking with imperious -urgency. Unconsciously, Jack strained Zarga’s hand in his, and his heart -beat tumultuously against hers. Miriam’s eyelids fell as Torpeon pressed -his appeal; her deep bosom rose and subsided in irregular breathings; by -an effort, she partly turned herself away; but it was the last struggle of -resistance, and her lover would not be denied. Slowly she faced him again -and lifted her eyes to him; Jack ground his teeth as he saw that look. Her -body relaxed and was inclined toward the pleader, with the loveliness of -yielding in her smile. With a proud gesture his arms went around her, and -he drew her to him; his bearded mouth met her parted lips. Jack sank back -in his seat with a groan. Clouds drifted in before the picture, and it -faded out and was gone. The vapors melted away, and the black font’s -embers dulled into grayness. Zarga, her arms round Jack, had drawn herself -up, so that her smooth cheek rested on his, and her breath touched his -lips. - -“Noblest and dearest,” she whispered, “I would have saved you from this -grief and shame; but her wickedness must be seen to be believed. It is -better to know than to doubt; she is not worth your grieving; she was -never worthy of you; she would have betrayed you, whether for Torpeon, or -another. But if you will see what love is, forget her, and look at me!” - -Jack’s brain slowly awoke to the meaning of these words, as if he returned -from a long and dreary journey. “What has happened to the world!” he -muttered. - -He raised himself deliberately, like a man who regains consciousness after -a swoon. He took her wrists in his hands, and detached her arms from their -embrace. He held her off and looked at her, sadly and searchingly. - -“It is all illusion,” he said; “this and the other!” - -“There is no illusion in my love!” answered the girl, in a deep murmur. “I -loved you from the first moment. Had her love held true, I would had died -and kept silence. But she betrayed you and I have shown you the secret -that is myself! Yes, look at me! Am I not beautiful? What happiness is -there that I cannot give you? Take me—know me—love me! In this world there -are a thousand joys that are not dreamed of on your earth! And our years -are not few, like yours, nor can age dull and enfeeble us. My power is -great; I will lead you through endless delights, blooming one after -another, like roses from one stem of love. Or if you long for daring -deeds, mighty works, or strange adventures, fame and worship, I can launch -you on such a career as no tales of heroes tell! You are made for the -highest things; do not let yourself sink down before the treason of one -woman! Let us live and love together, and we need not wait for death to -show us immortality, for our every moment shall be immortal!” - -“I know nothing of all this,” he said, in heavy tones. “What you think of -me is all amiss. I’m a very ordinary creature. I love Miriam, and she -loves me—that is the whole of my world and my life. We can have only one -sorrow—to be separated from each other; and we want no other happiness -than to be together. These visions that we have been seeing—they oppressed -me for a moment; but they are gone, and they are nothing. Love is once and -for all; after that, there can be no changing or choosing. It has taken -what I am and given it to Miriam, and what she is, is in me. I could as -soon become another man, as love another woman; I can see that you are -beautiful, Zarga; but beauty is nothing to me, except as Miriam’s beauty -is a part of Miriam; and I love it as a part of her. And what are endless -delights? For her and me there is only one delight—our love—and that is -endless; we want no other. Works, adventures, fame? My love makes me a -man; and no other adventure or achievement compares with that. Miriam’s -safety and happiness are my work and adventure; and for that I am here. -Don’t imagine such an insanity as that you can love me, or I, you! If you -will be my friend, set me on my way to save Miriam from the trouble that -has befallen her; neither you nor I are foolish enough to be deceived by a -smoke-wreath, no matter what images some magic-lantern may throw on it!” - -Zarga faced him with clenched hands and burning eyes. “I tell you once -more, she does not love you; she does not even love Torpeon; she yields to -him only because he has made her believe that he can make her queen of all -the planets. Her heart is as cold as a burned-out cinder; will you, with -your heart of molten gold, waste yourself on her?” - -A frown began to gather on Jack’s brow. - -“You must not say these things,” he told her, sternly. “They are not true, -and I don’t think you yourself believe them. I’ve been here too long; I -will stay no longer. If you will help me to find Miriam, I will be very -grateful; if not, let us part now!” - -“No; you and I will never part,” she replied, in a changed voice. “I have -offered you myself, and I will never let you go forth to boast of it, or -to find another woman. I have brought you to the center of this rock; none -but I knows how to enter it, and none can pass out from it but by my -leave. Here you shall stay until you die; and I will stay with you. You -say I cannot love you; I love you, and hate you, enough for that! When the -end of the world comes, and the graves are rent asunder, they will find -our bones here, intertwined like lovers. Let Miriam make what she can of -that!” - -“You have not the power to do what you say,” answered Jack. She stood -between him and the entrance to the hall; he put her aside with his arms, -and went forward. - -But before he had advanced three paces, darkness sudden and absolute -descended upon the cavern. It was like no other darkness; it was as if he -had been all at once closed about by some black substance that molded -itself to him like the matrix to which it holds. All sense of direction -was lost; it even seemed as if he knew no longer which was below and which -was above. There were whisperings in his ears; soft, mocking laughter, the -padding of naked feet, long soughings of drafts through unseen crevices. -He attempted to go on in the way he had started; but a few steps, -carefully taken and measured, brought him up against the solid wall of the -crystal rock. He set out to circumvent the chamber, remembering its -circular form, and keeping one hand in touch with the wall; but after -journeying for a thousand paces, more than enough to account for more than -ten times the circumference of the chamber, he had arrived at nothing; -there had been no interruption in the adamantine smoothness; for aught he -could tell, indeed, he might have passed into some passage leading yet -deeper into the heart of the butte. Again he tried to cross from one side -to the other, in the hope of finding the black font, from which he might -take a fresh departure; but after many minutes, with every precaution not -to deviate from a straight line, he had come to no end; he might have been -traveling across an empty and lightless desert. The sounds which he had at -first heard had now died away, and an appalling silence had descended, -like another darkness; and yet, dogging his footsteps, close behind him, -invisible and inaudible, but felt something following him relentlessly; -something hostile and formless. What was it? Starvation? Madness? Death? -Once he wheeled suddenly and leaped with outstretched arms to grasp it. -Nothing! - -At length he ceased his futile efforts and stood still, with folded arms. -He gathered up the forces of his will, and quieted the throbbing of his -heart, which had become vehement and irregular. There was no escape; he -would face that fact and accept it. Famine and death; but there should not -be madness! The light of the body was gone; but the light of the mind -should endure. No fear, or longing, or despair should banish from his -thoughts the image of Miriam and his faith in their love. He had bought -these at a great price, and he would never give them up. This was the end -of his great adventure; he would meet it with the constancy of a true man. - -Hark! A sound like the rising of a mighty wind; a rending and shuddering -as of the throes of earthquake! The cavern rocked; the foundations of the -mountain were shaken. A flicker of light divided the blackness, and at the -same moment soft arms were thrown round him, and a bosom, palpitating with -terror, pressed against his own. Zarga’s bosom, and her arms! - -Before he could free himself, she uttered a wild cry and staggered back, -pressing her hands over her heart. She stared at him in amazement and -dismay; was that blood upon her fingers? The sapphire talisman still hung -round Jack’s neck, and it sparkled vividly, sending forth rays like keen -arrows. - -Zarga sank down, and huddled with her face upon the floor. The butte was -split in twain from summit to foundation, and tumbled in awful ruin to -right and left. In the ragged jaws of the cleft stood the snow white -figure of Lamara. - - -CHAPTER XIX -HOME THOUGHTS - -THE genius of the Torides had qualities which more affiliated them with -the people of our own earth than did that of the Saturnians. Their desire -for power had stimulated them to develop the material sciences, and to -experiment with a view to the physical control of nature for personal -ends; whereas the Saturnians sought knowledge for the sake of its inherent -goodness and beauty, and therefore aimed to obliterate self as far as they -might, in order to thus remove the obstruction to influx and render -themselves obedient channels of the omnipotent force. They used no -writing, because such records of the past as were spiritually useful were -spontaneously present with them in each passing hour, and the source of -their wisdom constantly supplied them to the limits of their capacity; -they built no enduring structures, because they could immediately fashion -their natural surroundings into the form of their thoughts; they gave no -labor to food and protection, because the substances necessary to their -bodily nourishment passed into them in measure as waste created the -demand, on a principle analogous to the flow of vegetable sap; and for -defense, should that be required, they could so modify the vibrations of -reflected light as to render themselves invisible. They were wholly -occupied with the concerns of the moment; and they were independent of -space, by reason of their ability not only to appear and to act at a -distance mentally, but also to effect almost immediate bodily -transference. The general result of all this was, not a complicated but an -extremely simple manner of existence on the physical plane, interrupted on -special occasions only for some exceptional purpose; their ordinary life -was as artless and naïve as that of children; and they enriched their -environment not otherwise than by establishing an increasing harmony -between it and themselves. To this harmony was due the extension of their -physical life to periods vastly beyond any imaginable limits of ours, -accompanied throughout by a perfection of vigor and freshness which we -ascribe to the prime of youth alone. - -Widely alien from this, and more consonant with ours, were the methods and -ambitions of the Torides, a self-centered and arrogant race, eager to -amaze and subdue by arbitrary force, and far more conversant than are we -not only with the more legitimate processes of science, but with those -devices to effect illusion of sense and mental bewilderment and subjection -which were practised to a limited degree by the necromancers and adepts of -former ages. They were of a turbulent and restless temper, capable of -daring and arduous enterprises, but always unsatisfied and unruly. Their -present ruler exercised a sway over them more absolute and severe than any -they had known for a long time; he possessed in the fullest degree the -qualities of the Torides nature, supplemented by an intellectual training -and accomplishment rivaled by no other. By means at his disposal he had -acquainted himself with many details of the nature and civilization of -most of the inhabitants of the planets of our system, and of our own earth -especially; with the ultimate object, never yet avowed but intensely -fostered, of obtaining supreme domination over them all. He had long been -collecting the materials for achieving this stupendous project; and at the -time of Miriam’s arrival on the scene he conceived himself to be nearly -ready to attempt it. The passion for possession of her which had seized -upon him appeared to him to be something far above the limitations of a -personal desire to enjoy her love and beauty; he imagined that a union -with her would greatly enhance his chances of success in his cosmic -adventure. Working together for that end, each would multiply the other’s -powers; and his actual contact with her, brief though it had been, and -hostile outwardly, had confirmed his confidence in the final outcome. - -Among his many studies he had not neglected research into the nature of -woman, and fancied himself no tyro in that far-reaching and ramifying -mystery. Miriam’s unexampled exile from her home and people would render -her, he reflected, tenderly susceptible to influences that should seem to -conciliate that estrangement, and to make her forget the violence and -extraordinary circumstances of her seizure, and he took his measures -accordingly. - -After conducting her into the castle he waved aside the guards and -attendants who assembled to do them honor, and led her through several -halls and antechambers, massively built and furnished with austere -dignity, to an upper floor where a corridor opened before them wainscoted -with light-tinted and polished woods, the upper walls and ceilings colored -in cheerful hues, with designs gracefully and tastefully conceived. At the -end of the passage he flung open a door, and stood aside, with an -obeisance, for her to enter. - -Upon crossing the threshold she found herself in the outermost of a suite -of rooms, the first glimpse of which almost betrayed her into an -exclamation of astonishment. He was watching her closely and he smiled. - -“Anything you wish is at your service here,” he said quietly. “There are -women at your call to wait upon you. You are mistress of this place and of -this planet. If you should be disposed to see me I will come; otherwise -your privacy will be inviolate.” - -The door closed and she heard his tread departing down the passage. - -After standing for a few moments, looking interestedly about her, while -the stern expression of her face gradually softened with pleased surprise, -she walked slowly through the five or six rooms of the apartment. At every -step some new object aroused her wonder and gratification. If this were -magic it was admirable employed! - -The site was a replica, apparently exact, of her own rooms in her father’s -house on the Long Island shore. Had skilled architects and upholsterers -employed months in executing a careful reproduction their success could -not have been greater than had been here achieved, as it seemed, -instantaneously. It was home itself! Even familiar trifles—an inlaid -hand-mirror, an ivory fan from Burma, a silver flask of Damascus perfume, -a color photograph of her father—were in their accustomed places. The rugs -on the inlaid floors were of her own selection; the embroidery on the -silken bed-covering was of her own design. Entering the room on the left -of the bedchamber, which she had had fitted up as a study and laboratory, -she found all her paraphernalia apparently as she had left them when going -on her last visit to Mary Faust. This discovery aroused in her something -more than surprise. She examined various articles minutely; then, throwing -herself into the study chair, she spent some time in grave meditation. If -this apparatus were as genuine as it looked, Torpeon had, no doubt, -unwittingly put in her hands potent means for defeating his own plans. -Before leaving her earth she had nearly completed an invention, based upon -atomic disintegration, which was capable of being applied in a manner to -give unexpected significance to his statement that she was “mistress of -Tor.” If the result of her experiments answered their promise the words -would become something more than an empty compliment. - -“At any rate,” she told herself, “science is science, in one part of the -universe as much as in another. But, of course, all this wonderful -reproduction is a clever device to put me off my guard—an expansion of the -same principle used by Hindu jugglers to beguile the senses. I seem to be -at home again, but I am a prisoner here, nevertheless; and probably under -constant observation. If there were only some one here whom I could -trust!” - -As she uttered the wish an incongruous thought of the grotesque little -cripple, Jim, slipped into her mind. It was one of those unaccountable -vagaries which characterize memory. She had never given more than passing -attention to him. The impression was probably due to the prevailing, if -sometimes subconscious, presence of Jack in her reflections; the one would -suggest the other. Jack! Where was he? What was he doing or planning? -Doubtless he would attempt to follow her. Aided by the Saturnians—but -would they aid him? And must not Torpeon have prepared for all such -contingencies? Did not the very liberality with which he treated her -indicate his conviction that he was safe from attack? Yes; she must not -depend upon outside assistance. She must fight for herself! - -But, once more, that impression of the cripple returned to her. She half -resented it. But she dismissed that feeling; the poor little creature -could not be responsible for the notion. It was odd how clearly he was -presented before her mind’s eye. She must have taken more exact note of -him than she had supposed. Jim was the only one of the three who had -undergone no outward alteration on his arrival on Saturn; the flame -garments which she and Jack had assumed had not replaced, for him, the -quaint, terrestrial jacket and trousers which he had worn in New York. Jim -was too elementary in his simplicity to undergo change. And yet the soul -of him, which was loyal, honest and affectionate, must be capable, like -all true and loving souls of indefinite development. But he would always -be Jim! Miriam smiled and sighed. Then she rose, with an impatient -impulse, and returned to the bedroom. - -Yonder was her dressing-table in the corner, with the cheval-glass -standing beside it, inclined at the angle she had last given it. She -walked up to it with a feminine curiosity, to see how she looked in -Saturnian costume. - -She was frankly startled when the reflection given back to her showed her -to be wearing the same dove-colored flying-suit that was her usual dress -when visiting the Long Island estate. The degree of pleasure which this -gave her was perhaps not logically justifiable. It seemed to bring her -real home nearer than had any of the other features of the production of -her familiar surroundings—reproduction, illusion, or whatever it might be. -Here she stood, as she was accustomed to see herself! It restored her -self-possession. And she yielded to a genuine emotion of gratitude to -Torpeon, whose foresight must have been something more than -self-interested to inspire him to such a thought. It implied real interest -in her. - -“The creature does really care for me!” she said to herself. She seated -herself in the chair before the dressing-table, and by the mere force of -habit touched the bell-punch in the panel, by which she was wont to summon -her personal maid, Jenny. Jenny was a New England girl, daughter of a -farmer, who had been a chum of Terence Mayne before they emigrated to -America. Old Mike, dying a widower in narrow circumstances, had left his -daughter an orphan, and Terence, for old sake’s sake, had brought her to -New York to be Miriam’s confidential attendant. - -“Dear little Jenny!” murmured Miriam, as she sent the signal along the -wire. “I wonder if she misses me! What kind of substitute will I get, do -you suppose?” - -The door leading into the servant’s quarters opened quietly, and a light -step was audible approaching from behind; that was how Jenny used to come -in, and the rhythm of the steps was like hers. In a moment Jenny herself -stood before her mistress and dropped a curtsy with her warm Hibernian -smile. - -“Did you ring, miss?” The well remembered lilt of the Cork brogue—Jenny -was born in Old Kinsale! - -“Bring me a cup of tea, Jenny,” said Miriam. But this was mere reflex -action, she had been too much amazed to express her amazement. - -“Sure I will, miss, with pleasure,” Jenny relied; and turned briskly and -walked out. There had been no illusion about it, no reproduction. -Inanimate things might be imitated, but not a human being in flesh and -blood. - -Miriam had leisure before Jenny returned with the tea-things on the tray -to recover her breath and to turn the matter over in her mind. But the -only result of her reflections was an increased admiration for Torpeon: a -being who could do this was not to be despised. It showed something more -and better than control of hidden agencies; there was a grace, a delicacy, -in the achievement—a manifestation of the heart—which carried still -further the kindly sentiment which she had begun to feel for him, in spite -of her resolve to bring his purposes to naught. - -Now she heard the clink of the tea-things on the tray, and here was Jenny -again, bearing the smoking teapot, the sugar, the sliced lemon, the thin -slices of brown bread and butter, and the Japanese porcelain teacup and -saucer. - - -CHAPTER XX -REBELLION - -TORPEON, sitting alone in his official chamber, leaned his elbow on the -table, his chin supported on his clenched fist, and bent his thoughts upon -the problems before him. - -His rule, despotic though it was, had never been free from difficulties. -There were two parties among the Torides—one occupying the savage portion -of the globe; the other the enlightened or civilized regions. Among the -former were many outlaws—men who had either committed crimes against the -state and had escaped from punishment; and also persons who had sacrificed -such comforts as civilization afforded by reason of their dissatisfaction -with the restrictions of a tyrannous government. Not a few of these were -men of powerful and trained minds, resentful of interference with their -freedom, and only needing an acknowledged leader and trustworthy -organization to revolt. But they were jealous of one another, and the bulk -of the population around them was hardly more amenable to discipline than -so many wild beasts; the fugitive criminals, because of their innate and -incorrigible wickedness, and the rest, because of their ignorance and -semi-bestial condition. On our own planet spaces of thousands of centuries -separate the cave men from the educated; but on Tor, the two lived side by -side. - -The physical environment on the dark side of Tor was terrific. The -satellite, like our own moon, turned but one face to the sun, and though -light was more diffused than with us, a twilight gloom reigned on the -further side, alleviated only by outbursts of volcanic fires and by the -electrical phenomena of gigantic storms. The surface was rocky, gashed -with abysses and jagged with huge crags; caldrons of molten lava -alternated with steaming or frozen lakes; and torrents of scalding water, -hurled upward through subterranean passages in the crust of the globe, -fell in headlong cascades, and fled away in boiling rivers through -mountain ravines. Vegetation was scant and harsh: thorny trailers as thick -as a man’s leg crawled and twisted to vast distances from the crevices of -the rocks, carrying poison in their thorns; and the dark leaves and juices -of other plants were hostile to life and health. The only approach to a -domestic animal was a genus of goats, fierce and agile, with menacing -horns and bristly hides, which were snared and tethered, but not tamed, by -the human inhabitants, for the sake of their milk and skins. Their flesh -was boiled or steamed for food. Serpents, lizards and amorphous reptiles -unknown to our fossil deposits inhabited the caves and clambered over the -cliffs and gullies, shunning such dim light as there was, but lying in -wait for incautious travelers. A kind of tiger, covered with shaggy red -hair, and another beast kindred to the hyena, but as large as a horse and -of a ghastly white hue, were the chief representatives of the feline and -protelidae families. The hunting of these creatures, with blow-pipes and -slings hurling sharp-cornered lumps of poisonous stone, was the main -occupation of the more savage cave-dwellers. Their fur was plaited into a -sort of garment. - -People of this type were indigenous to the dark regions, and were under -some degree of subjection to the outlaws of the civilized side. But no -systematic effort to improve them had ever been made—they were the -unwilling slaves of unloving masters. The more thoughtful of the latter -had, indeed, sometimes considered the possibility of forming them into -some sort of army, to attack Torpeon’s domains; but the obstacles had -proved insurmountable. Yet Torpeon had never felt secure. - -His portion of the planet faced Saturn and the sun, and received a species -of magnetic currents from the ring. Its topography was rugged and -moderately fertile; five rivers from the Dark Mountains flowed down into -an inland sea of bitter waters. The pastures were browsed by deerlike -animals with smooth, straight horns. The most valuable domestic animals -were a species of aquatic bird of the duck type, but larger than our -condors; they existed in immense flocks and were very prolific. A -leguminous plant was cultivated, allied to our beans, but of the size of a -potato, and having the taste and some of the qualities of meat; when -immature they could be ground into flour from which a rich and succulent -bread was made. But to these staples science had added many viands -concocted from inorganic substances, which could be rendered attractive to -taste and sight by arts of the magical order. - -The women of the Torides were taller and heavier than the men, but -indolent and of inferior mentality; they were of domestic utility, but did -not form a part of society; when mated, they would give birth to not more -than two children each; there were no marriage laws, but a woman who had -lived with a man might not afterward take another partner. As the sexes -were about equally divided, the population remained stationary, and the -relations were practically monogamic. Girls were bred to household -employments; boys were drastically disciplined and educated by the state, -both physically and mentally, and those who showed aptitude were initiated -in science and magic. - -Torpeon had assumed the chieftainship of this people by hereditary right; -but he had soon manifested more than hereditary ability and force. He was -profound in the lore of the masters, daring in speculation, arbitrary and -resolute in will. He reduced his subjects to a uniform political level; -there were no gradations between him and them. He made use, as he saw fit, -of the brains and of the bodies of all, but shared his secrets with none. -He had no commerce with women; but his vision extended far, and he knew of -Miriam’s journey and enough of her own character and quality to make him -resolve upon their union. With and through her his dreams might be -realized, and she might be safely admitted to his inmost aims and -counsels. - -Having succeeded in transporting her to his own abode, he meant to lose no -time in putting his great scheme into operation. Some details of it were -still unsettled; but there were reasons why a degree of risk must be faced -in order to avoid other contingencies. Moreover, his wooing of Miriam—if -it could be so termed—might prosper better after his main undertaking had -been launched. The astounding achievement which he contemplated, by -capturing her imagination, might lead the way to the surrender of her -heart. She could not but love unexampled daring and irresistible power, -even were there nothing else in him to attract her. - -The most learned and efficient scientists in his kingdom had all been set -to work to prepare the preliminaries for his grand coup; but to none had -been confided the scope of the plan in its entirety—which was thus -rendered secure from treasonable checks and interference. Cooperation in -carrying out the various parts of the program was indispensable; but he -alone—and, should it seem at the last moment desirable, Miriam—could know -the end aimed at, and the manner in which it was to be attained. - -There was the possibility of failure—that he realized; it would involve -consequences so appalling, not only to Tor and its inhabitants, but to the -solar system as a whole, that even Torpeon could not estimate them. On the -other hand, there was the probability of success: he chose to fix his mind -on that, and the thought exalted him almost to the level of deityship. The -hazard was worth taking! - -On the panel in front of him was a pentagonal plate of metal, furnished -with figures and signs, arranged in a certain mutual relation and order, -by means of which he was able to communicate with each of his scientific -departments, and to determine, at a glance, how the work at any point was -progressing. The hands on a score or more of small dials, arranged along -the outer margins of the plate, registered the approximations of the -several laboratory workers toward the completion of their assignments. All -seemed to be proceeding smoothly—or all but one, Number Five, which was a -trifle tardy and irregular in its movements. After observing this dial for -awhile Torpeon put himself in touch with the operator. - -“You are behind your schedule—why?” - -A voice from the annunciator replied: “A counter current from Saturn; -another from a source I have not determined. I am investigating.” - -“Report if interruptions continue; but make no attempt to prevent them -without consulting me. If they abate, continue as before.” - -“Understand!” came the reply, and Torpeon leaned back in his chair. - -“Number Five!” he muttered. He took a diagram from the table and studied -it closely. “If Lamara suspects she would be more apt to attack Seven, or -Nineteen. As for the ‘other’ source, that may be merely an echo. Or there -may be some local disturbance; if so, it would prove temporary.” He -glanced again at the dial. “Ah, he has resumed! A false alarm. I will have -a test made, nevertheless.” - -The matter did not seem urgent, however, and he put it aside for the -moment. He rose and paced up and down the room with folded arms. - -“What a voyage!” he said to himself, with the secret enthusiasm of a great -adventurer. “There have been other conquerors; but none before me has -conceived a campaign such as this! There have been mighty war-chariots, -but none like mine! There have been wise men, but none till now has dared -to loosen the anchors that hold the globes to their stations! All have -been slaves to the laws assumed to be immutable. I have solved the secret -of these invisible tethers and woven new ones of my own. I shall show that -a man may be master of the universe. Day and night, heat and cold, seed -time and harvest, shall come and go as I will. The sun himself shall do my -bidding; and the vapors out of which worlds are made shall congeal or -disperse at my pleasure. There have been heroes and kings; but I shall be -the first of men to be acknowledged as a god and to breathe the air of -immortality! - -“But my victory would be barren,” he continued, halting in his walk and -stretching out his arms, “if it had to be enjoyed alone! For this reason -have I till now only played with the great idea, instead of putting it to -the proof. An Everlasting of loneliness would have been a dungeon of -intolerable light! I saw it and I shrank from it. Seeking through the -worlds I found none fit to share an adventure with me till now! But she is -my companion of eternity; fate and circumstance, the dead drag of matter, -could not keep us apart. And it was no blind chance that united us. The -sources of the rivers of her being and mine were remote from each other, -small and feeble; but within them was the hidden force which turned their -flow to the point of meeting; they gathered strength as they proceeded; -their tide was irresistible; they penetrated the mountains, they flooded -the gulfs, space could not stay them; even the illusions of false -persuasions fought against them in vain; and she is here! And her coming -is the symbol and assurance that the circle shall be completed, and that I -have not dreamed and wrought in vain! - -“Miriam, my mate! Be proud and reluctant as you will; I love you but the -more, and the fire of your love will burn only the clearer and more -intensely when the error that confuses you has been burned away. You and I -shall sit at our ease and smile at each other as we behold the -phantasmagory of Creation pass in review at our feet! The great stars -shall wither and crumble into dust, and we will arise in the freshness of -our youth and summon others to bloom before us in the glory of their -prime. The comets, as they pass, shall bring us tidings from afar, and -bear our commands to regions yet unborn. Hand in hand we will pace through -the avenues of infinity and determine the epochs of eternity with a kiss!” - -In the midst of the room a small sphere of white light appeared and passed -successively into yellow, green, rose, and purple. It disappeared slowly. - -“Already, Miriam!” he exclaimed with a proud and joyful look; and catching -up a scarlet mantle he opened the door and passed out. - - -CHAPTER XXI -CAVE MEN - -KROTOX and Asgar had killed a goat and were eating it. They squatted at -the entrance of their habitation, with the skinned carcass between them, -and cut strips of flesh from it with their sharp stone knives. These they -toasted over the red flames that flickered up from a crevice in the rocky -platform which was their feeding place. Their cave was half-way up the -side of a crag, at whose foot, several hundred feet below, ran a hot river -from the lake that filled the basin further up the gorge. The path to the -cave was a narrow footway formed partly by zigzag cracks in the face of -the cliff, and partly of steps or holes made by hand. It was secure even -from the big serpents and lizards, but not convenient for ordinary -household purposes. - -“You forgot the salt. It was your turn to get it,” remarked Krotox. - -“I had enough to do, killing the goat,” returned Asgar. “You were down in -the gorge and might have fetched up salt enough for a month from the -pocket beside the basin. You’d like to doze here and let me run about and -wait on you, I suppose!” - -Krotox cracked a marrowbone between his jaws. “I had important business,” -he said. “You remember Yolgu? Well, he came over from the other side -to-day.” - -“I didn’t think he had the spirit for it,” remarked Asgar. “Of course, -he’s planning to raise and army and capture Torpeon!” he added with a -sneer. - -“I didn’t ask him. But he brought news.” - -The conversation was interrupted by a deep rumbling noise which caused the -solid cliff to vibrate and the flame to leap up in the aperture. It was -followed by an explosion in the group of mountains over against that on -which they were, and a column of smoke and fire climbed heavily into the -sky, spread out fountain-wise, and subsided, sending fragments of molten -stone and cinders in all directions, some of them falling close to the -entrance of the cave, into which Krotox and Asgar had withdrawn. They now -resumed their places and their meal, letting the incident, which was far -from being a novelty, pass without comment. - -“News, eh?” grunted Asgar. “Another raid on Saturn, probably?” - -“I said news!” retorted the other. “He has taken a woman!” - -“Who? Yolgu?” - -“No; Torpeon!” - -“Torpeon! I wish I could believe it! When Torpeon takes a woman honest men -may hope for their rights! But Yolgu was always a liar.” - -“And Asgar will never cease being a fool. Torpeon has taken a woman, and -he got her from the little planet down beyond Jupiter.” - -Asgar chuckled contemptuously. “Did she bring her little planet with her?” - -“She was visiting Lamara,” Krotox continued composedly. “There were -details, but nothing of importance. Torpeon got her away, and she is now -with him at the castle. Yolgu saw her just before he came here. She’s not -like our kind, or the Saturnians either.” - -Asgar meditated for a while. “Even if the story were true,” he said at -last, “I don’t see how it would help us.” - -“I was waiting for you to say that!” observed Krotox with a sardonic -glance. “In the first place, she’s a woman; next, she has new magic; -thirdly, she came unwillingly. The result is certain! But not so certain -as that you are going to ask me how?” - -“I question only persons capable of intelligent answers,” rejoined the -other. “You spoke of the details of her coming as being unimportant; to my -mind they are quite as important as her arrival itself. Whether she came -alone; if not, who were her companions; whether she gained access to -Saturn through Lamara’s help or independently; what object had she -proposed to herself: points such as these might enable us to judge whether -the situation warranted our concerning ourselves about the matter. But—” - -At this juncture there was another interruption. Though by no means as -outrageous and cataclysmic as the other, it produced a much more startling -effect on the two troglodytes. They threw themselves flat on their -stomachs and peered cautiously over the edge of the rocky shelf. The sound -had come from below. The custom of social visiting had never been in vogue -on the dark side of Tor, and any invasion of privacy was likely to suggest -a hostile intent. “Where are the poison-stones?” whispered Asgar. - -“I have three here,” replied Krotox, “but I won’t waste them on you—you -couldn’t hit the earth from the top of a pock tree! I see nothing; it must -have been a tiger.” - -“It was more like a hyena—hark!” - -A peculiar call again sounded from below. “Coo-ee!” - -The men exchanged an uneasy look, but remained silent. The gorge was deep, -and wreaths of smoke from the volcano, yellow and sluggish, were coiling -through it.” - -“Hello, you dubs!” presently came a shrill voice out of the abyss. “Ain’t -yer got no elevator in dis joint? Does yer haul yer patrons up wid a rope? -Well, I’s a comin’, anyway; so stick de ham-an’-eggs inter de saucepan an’ -a go uv lager on de side! I’s bringin’ me hunger wid me!” - -“I see it now!” whispered Asgar; “give me a stone—ah, you missed it! What -is it—a goblin? It climbs like a beetle!” - -Krotox hurled another stone. - -“You guys ain’t even in de class uv de bush-leaguers,” remarked the voice, -sounding nearer than before, and in no way discouraged by this reception. -“Never seen my spit-ball, did yer? Say, she curves roun’ de batter’s nut -and swats him in de off eye! Ef dat’s yer best yer goes back to de bench. -Git me?” - -“It’s coming straight up the cliff!” exclaimed Krotox in dismay. “It must -be a goblin! I never saw one before; we must pretend we’re glad to see -it!” - -“Get if off its guard and then leave it to me,” muttered Asgar. “It’ll go -down faster than it came up!” - -This hospitable purpose had no sooner been formulated than the visitor’s -head appeared above the level of the ledge, and the next moment he was -standing beside the remnants of the goat; a one-legged apparition, -supported under his left shoulder by a black crutch. His involuntary hosts -regarded him with grimaces of feigned welcome, which ill disguised their -fear and amazement. They were crouching on their hams at the mouth of the -cavern. - -“Home-sweet-home!” called out the apparition cheerfully; he was not even -winded by his extraordinary feat. “Git up an’ hustle now, you ginks; yer -ain’t in de habit uv meetin’ toffs like me—I kin see dat! So dis is de -roof-gard’n; eh? Don’ bodder wid de cabbyrat stuff—my time’s wort’ about -ten plunks an inch, an’ dirt cheap at dat! I’s de One-Legged Avenger, an’ -I’s campin’ on de trail uv ol’ Torpy! Has eeder o’ you ducks seen him—dat -fuzzy-haired geezer wid de red sweater looped round him? Cough up!” - -Jim’s dialect was doubtless modified to Toridian ears by planetary -conditions; but it was Krotox, who was bony, aquiline, and quicker of -apprehension than his lethargic and unwieldy companion, who was first able -to decipher the code: for “Torpy” read “Torpeon.” - -“The person you mention, worshipful stranger,” he said in his most sugary -accents, “does not rule over this side of our planet, and is never seen -here. To find him, you must travel east, passing those two ranges of -mountains, by way of that volcano which is just now beginning an eruption. -Beyond that is a lake, which—” - -“Yer kin bite it off right dere, ol’ pal,” interposed Jim; “I ain’t in de -g’ography class dis trip. Git me headed right an’ I’m dere—see? Me an’ -Torpy has a bone to pick togedder, an’ I’m treatin’ some ginks ter a feed -at Delmonniker’s at eight-t’irty, an’ me wid about a billion miles ter -cover between dis and dat; so I ain’t loafin’ on me job. I’ll mebbe be -back later an’ give t’ings here de once-over. Looks like dere might be a -boom in real-estate in dese parts. Got a ticker inside? What’s de quotin’s -on city lots in dis block? Gimme de inside an’ den some? I ain’t no -piker!” - -Krotox and Asgar looked at each other in manifest perplexity. Though not -unfamiliar with trouble, some of our modern afflictions were still unknown -to them. But they were interested in the allusions to Torpeon; if this -supernatural creature had hostile designs against the common enemy the -opportunity should be improved. - -“Powerful being,” said Asgar, “we are poor exiles and know nothing of the -things you speak of, whether they be animals or vegetables. But Torpeon is -the author of our misfortunes, and if he has also wronged you, we may be -of use to one another.” - -“Now yer talkin’, an’ we gits down to brass tacks,” Jim replied with -animation. “Dis geezer has swiped de gal uv a frien’ o’ mine; an’ me, I’s -figgerin’ to counter on his jaw an’ do de reskoo stunt—see? Ef you ducks -has de inside track mapped out, gimme de tip; an’ when I lan’s de goods, I -take de gal, an’ what’s left yer stuffs in yer jeans an’ dey won’ be no -come-back on it. Mebbe,” he added thoughtfully, “me line o’ talk is some -too illegint fer de likes o’ you poor hoboes; but I’s doin’ me best!” - -“If your grace condescends to extend protection over us, we are the slaves -of your will,” rejoined Asgar, after he and Krotox had conferred for a few -moments. “It is known to us that the sinful Torpeon has done this crowning -outrage, and plans others, unless prevented. If you will graciously kill -him you shall be king of all our country, and we, your ministers, will lay -its spoils and its inhabitants at your feet.” - -“Lil ol’ N’York is good enough for me, but I reco’nizes yer obligin’ -sperrit,” said Jim agreeably. “We plays de Evans’s gambit, an’ I figgers -to checkmate de black king in four moves. Dere’ll be glory enough fer all, -an’ yer takes de rinsin’s a free gift. Ef dat’s a go, put it dere!” - -He extended his hand, which Asgar and Krotox in succession humbly touched -to their foreheads. - -“Now kids,” Jim proceeded, “yer sees dis here kyar!” He exhibited his -crutch, patting it caressingly as if it were a beautiful vehicle of the -most luxurious and costly description. “We gets aboard, an’ we steers due -east till we sights de stronghold uv de inimy. Nobody don’t see us—’cause -why?—I turns de peg here in de neck an’ crack!—we vanishes like blowin’ -out de gas in de hotel room-wid-bat’. I mounts de secret back stairs, an’ -fust t’ing yer knows yer sees Torpy flyin’ out de top-story winder an’ -lightin’ on his nut. Dat’s the signal fer startin’ ‘Hail to der Chief,’ -an’ me and de lady appears on de battlemints, an’ waves our han’s gracious -to der applaudin’ t’ousands. Dere’s mebbe some t’ings I’s left out o’ de -yarn; but yer gits me drift! All you gotta do is yank off yer shirt an’ -holler yer heads off, while me and de lady sings ‘Good-by, proud worl’, -we’s goin’ home,’ de lights shets off an’ we sinks below de verge ter show -music. Are yer on?” - -“Mighty emperor, dispose of us as you will!” grunted Asgar and Krotox, -bewildered into hypnosis by this rousing exhortation. - -“Git astride de stick an’ come on!” Jim ordered; and the monstrous ravines -and peaks of Tor sank beneath them. - - -CHAPTER XXII -MIRIAM - -“SURE, miss,” Jenny allowed herself to say, as she set down the tea-tray -before her mistress, “’tis a sight for sore eyes ye are! You seeming so -natural-like, after all the signs and wonders. And the rooms and all just -the same! However did it happen I don’t know. Up till you touched the -bell, I says to meself, ‘Jenny, ye’re dreaming!’” - -“A great poet said, ‘The earth hath bubbles, as the water hath, and these -are of them,’” replied Miriam. “Nobody really knows the difference between -what seems and what is. We may be content if they seem as we would wish to -have them. But I suppose you know how you got here?” - -“’Deed, miss, and I don’t, then! I’d been sorrowing that ye weren’t at -home these last days, and the poor master taking on so; and last evening, -I think it was, I was saying me prayers, and, of a sudden, ‘What’s that?’ -I says. Whether I saw it or I heard it, I couldn’t rightly tell, miss, but -somebody was in the room; and what did I do but shut my eyes so as I’d see -better—if ye understand how I mean, miss. And there was a lady there—fine -and stately she was, but not the blessed Mary, for she had on black in -place of white, and no glory round her head; but oh, ’twas the face of -somebody great and good, I’ll go bail for that! And whether she spoke or -not I don’t know; but seems like I knew what was in her mind—all calmness -and kindness, and ‘Don’t be afeared, Jenny, ye’re in friendly hands’—it -came to me like that. And it seemed like I wasn’t to open my eyes, but -leave it all to her; a kind of lullaby like, miss, the way my mother—God -rest her soul—would sing me asleep when I was a wee colleen, back in the -ould sod. - -“‘Sure,’ says I to meself, ‘it’s dying I am,’ I says; it was a sort of -drawing out through the top of me head, but soft and gentle, and me not a -bit frighted, but easy and pleased like never before in all me life; and -the next minute what did I see but meself sitting there in the rocker, and -meself standing beside her—if you understand me, miss. ‘If I’m dead,’ I -says, ‘however would I be alive?’ I says; and with that I looks round and -sees you your own self, miss, but oh, ever and ever so far off—standing -here by the table, you were, and a thoughtful and sad look on the sweet -face of ye. ‘Sure, ’tis going to her I’ll be,’ I says, forgetting the -distance; but the wish in me was like wings, and me like outside meself. -Howandever, going I was, not like flying, but what was before me one -minute was behind me in another, with me standing still all the time and -the things moving past me. ‘Sure,’ I says to meself, ‘Jenny,’ I says, -‘ye’ll never see yourself again,’ I says, thinking of meself sitting there -in the rocker. But I’ll be talking too much miss,” said Jenny, -interrupting herself and handing her mistress the napkin. - -Jenny’s voice had the flow and modulations of bubbling waters and singing -birds, and it was no hardship to listen to her even on ordinary topics. - -“It’s a wonderful story, Jenny,” Miriam said. “Wishes, after all, are the -greatest power in the world; they are in science and art and deeds, like -the soul in the body. But time and space, like veils, keep us from -recognizing the miracle of it. But sometimes the veils may be lifted, and -then we see. I’m glad you are here.” - -“So am I, miss,” returned Jenny. “But how will we be getting back again?” - -“By wishing, perhaps,” said Miriam, with a smile. “But we’ll have to help -ourselves a little, too, I think. So it was Mary Faust, after all,” she -said to herself; “but she must have somehow cooperated with Torpeon. -Lamara, also, perhaps. Oh, I hope Jack does nothing rash! But I must do my -part! Is any one beside yourself here, Jenny?” - -“’Tis that puzzles me, miss,” answered the girl. “Times I’ll be wanting -something, and looks round; there it sits, like it had been there all the -time, but never a body have I seen to bring it. ’Tis a queer place -entirely! More like dreams than any living place I know of. Sure I’m -wondering, now and again, will I wake up of a sudden and find meself -asleep!” - -“I have felt that in other places before this,” said Miriam. “But if you -can get what you want by wanting it, perhaps I can do the same. You may -take back the things; the tea tasted very good.” - -“I found the tea in the caddy, miss, but I made it meself,” said Jenny, -showing her milk-white teeth between her red lips; and she departed with -the tray. - -Miriam leaned her head on her hand and remained quiescent for a while. -Presently she loosened the fastenings of her hair, and let the magnificent -flood of it tumble down past her shoulders to her flanks. She took a brush -and began to brush it with long, sweeping movements. As the delicate -silken filaments responded to the treatment with increased softness and -luster, her mind became composed, and her thoughts clear and orderly. In -times past she had solved many a problem with a hair-brush. - -She looped the great, black strands round her wrist, and by some feminine -sleight of hand caused it to coil itself upon her head; her supple fingers -pierced the mounded mass with fairy poniards and lightly patted it into -symmetry. She contemplated the effect in the glass with approval; but the -red mark of Torpeon caused a frown to flit over her brow. - -The suggestion conveyed by Jenny’s story that Mary Faust might have had -some share at least in the preparation of her present surroundings had -opened the way to fresh thoughts and hopes. It somewhat modified her view -of Torpeon’s chivalric initiative, though she could still concede him -whatever credit was due to his accepting a happy proposal. It was out of -the question, of course, that he and Mary Faust could have in view the -same ultimate objects; but Mary’s was the deeper nature, and doubtless the -profounder science, and she might have led him to play unawares into her -hands. She rose and went into the laboratory. - -Miriam selected from the instruments on the table a small machine with a -four-sided crystal cup at one end and a retort at the other; these were -connected by metal parts which included two balls a third of an inch in -diameter, which ran up and down in grooves that were tipped rhythmically -to right and left by the action of fine-toothed gear; a closely coiled -gold wire connected the cup and the retort, and yielded to the stress -applied and relaxed by the seesaw movement of the grooved shafts. The -whole contrivance was embraced in a magnetic field created by a bar of -iron alloyed with another metal isolated by Miriam herself, bent into the -form of a horseshoe. - -She uncorked a vial containing a transparent but very heavy liquid, -colorless and sparling, and carefully counted seventeen drops of it into -the crystal cup. As it fell, it had the peculiar consistency of -quicksilver; but the drops immediately resolved themselves into a -homogeneous mass. She next armed herself with a delicate pair of pincers, -and with them picked out a grain of what looked like black powder from a -box partly filled with them. She dropped this grain into the cup of -liquid. - -For a moment it lay of the surface, causing a slight depression to appear -beneath it, a miniature dimple. Then it seemed to be attacked by the -liquid, which was seen to gyrate around it from left to right, and this -movement spread until the entire surface was agitated. The black particle -first became red, like heated iron, and finally burned with a clear flame -until it was wholly consumed; the liquid meanwhile becoming clouded, but -finally assumed a brilliant blue color. At the same time, there appeared -in the retort two small globes of fire, intensely bright, which revolved -round each other with gradually increasing speed. - -When the rapidity of their motion had caused them to take the aspect of a -ring, Miriam nodded to herself with murmur of satisfaction, lifted back -the magnet, and the flames vanished, the gyration of the liquid ceased, -and the experiment was over. - -“Everything seems right,” she said to herself. “I have only to reverse the -circuit, and it is done! But Torpeon must be either very ignorant or very -confident to allow me access to these things. Or he may imagine they are -mere toys that I amuse myself with. He is himself planning something—I -feel sure of that! Perhaps, after all,” she went on after a pause, “Mary -Faust has more control over him than he suspects. She certainly knows my -predicament. Why did she send no message by Jenny? Perhaps she thought her -too simple to risk in these intrigues. But I need some one—some one that I -can trust. Suppose Torpeon should put me where I could not get to my -laboratory! If he were certain I would never yield to him, he might do -anything! If I cannot find an assistant, I must devise some way of acting -from a distance—and that might miscarry! Terrible, either way! But I must -do my best! What if I should do it now!” she suddenly exclaimed aloud, -rising to her feet, her cheeks paling and her eyes dark under the -influence of a powerful emotion. Her hand crept toward the instrument and -laid hold of the magnet. “This may be my last opportunity! Jack—Jack, my -own darling, you will know I could never love any one but you!” - -She had begun to turn the magnet back to its original position when she -felt three light touches on her breast. Mary Faust’s warning once more! - -She had nerved herself to a desperate act, and the reaction caused by this -admonition, with its reassuring implication, shook her to the soul. She -sank down in her chair, buried her face in her hands, and sobbed -uncontrollably. - -The paroxysm did not last long. She mastered herself with a feeling of -self-contempt and sat up, wiping her eyes and pressing her cold hands -against her hot cheeks. - -“Yes, it was wicked and cowardly—God forgive me!” she said. “I am not -brave; I must be prevented and led, like a spoiled child! Jack, I’m not -worthy of you!” - -She walked up and down the room, calming herself, her courage revived. She -had not been abandoned; there would be some way out. The irrevocable deed -she had contemplated could be at least postponed. Wiser and stronger -spirits than hers were aware of her extremity, and were working for her. - -“I will see Torpeon,” she decided. “He must understand that, in spite of -appearances, we are on equal ground.” - -She passed into the adjoining room, and was about to press the bell to -summon Jenny, when that rosy-cheeked young woman knocked and opened the -door. - -“If you please, miss, a young man outside would like to speak with ye. -He’s a funny kind of young man, miss, if ye please,” she added, breaking -into a smile. - -“How so, Jenny?” demanded Miriam. “Who sent him here?” - -“He’s from New York, miss, and I think he come of himself.” - -“From New York? Come of himself: Consider what you are saying, Jenny!” -Then the thought of her lover leaped up in her. She seized the girl by the -shoulders. “You don’t mean—not Mr. Jack Paladin?” - -Jenny was frightened by the passion in her look and voice. - -“Oh, no, miss! I’m sorry, miss. It isn’t that sort of gentlemen—just a -young man, and he hasn’t only one leg!” - -Miriam dropped her arms with a heavy sigh. “Oh—Jim!” The intonation was -not complimentary. Yet her face lightened up a little as Jim, with his -indomitable grin, hobbled briskly into the room. - - -CHAPTER XXIII -TRUTH - -LAMARA sat on a bench in the island garden, her hands folded in her lap. -The bench was carved out of a piece of chalcedony, with soft orange-veins -running through it, and bearing figures in high relief of little children -tossing balls from one to another. The color was so adapted as to give the -figures the hues of life; and if glanced at sidelong, one could fancy they -had the movement and diversity of living beings. The bench was -overshadowed by the level boughs of a tree, amid the dark, whispering -leaves of which appeared globes of fruit that glowed and brightened as if -by some innate quality; they were hidden intermittently as the breeze -passed among them, and reappeared as buds, which blossomed and became -fruit again. Wherever Lamara was, the fire of life seemed to be stimulated -by the combined intensity and calm of her own being. - -Up and down in the short pathway before her, Jack paced to and fro, -restless as a high-strung horse galled by his tether. Lamara observed him -with sympathy tinged with grave amusement. - -He stooped before her at length, and resumed the conversation in which -they had been engaged. “If it concerned only myself, it would be easy to -be patient,” he expostulated. “But when a man loves a woman, and she is in -danger, you might as well expect him to be dead and alive at the same -moment! If I could only so much as see her—but how can I tell what may be -happening to her at this moment, and me good for nothing here! There can -be no possible use for me in the world except to protect her. You have the -means, and you won’t give them to me! Why, even on my own earth I could -use wings and weapons—and I ask nothing better! Argon is ready to help me -if you give the word! But I don’t want to interfere with your laws or -customs; let me go alone, as I am, and meet this robber with my bare -hands. I’m not a Saturnian, and you wouldn’t be discredited by what I did. -You got me out of that cave. Why should you stop there? Men where I come -from have their own way of settling their quarrels, and I know no other! -You’ve been kind to me, and I know how good and great you are; but it’s -cruelty to keep me here! If you would speak the word, I know I could be on -Tor in a moment! What right have you to refuse it?” - -“My poor boy, it is you, not I, that prevents all you wish,” said Lamara -gently. - -“That’s hardest of all to hear!” he exclaimed. “I’d die to save her! Could -I do more? And you tell me I prevent myself!” - -“You can do more than die—you can live and be yourself,” she answered. -“Sit beside me here for a little, Jack, and try to hear me.” - -He fetched a deep breath, took his place on the bench, folded his arms, -and compressed his lips. She patted his broad shoulder in a sisterly -fashion and went on: - -“There is a sort of rite here, come down to us from old times. We didn’t -make it—it was given to us. When one of us has won the great victory, a -halo appears over his head. It is the sign that he has entered into -himself, and nothing can harm him afterward; and all nature is open to him -and serves him.” - -“The great victory? Over what? Let me try! I ask no better!” - -“No evil can prevail over one who has overcome the ally of evil in -himself,” said Lamara. “Dear Jack, no one, of himself, can really do -anything. We see paradise before us, but we are kept from it by a wall, -and we say we are shut out by some higher power. But the wall is -ourselves, and we built it and placed it there. And not even the Spirit -Himself, but only we ourselves, who raised it, can level it again and -enter the divine garden.” - -“But you said we, of ourselves, can do nothing.” - -“Yes, and that is the truth! And yet it is the truth that we can do this, -and when it is done we need do no more. All else is given to us freely.” - -Jack gazed perplexedly at her. - -“If you look at the sun, you will see darkness; but it is light,” she -continued. - -He shook his head despondently. “It’s too deep for me!” - -“There is nothing else deeper,” she answered. “You know there is one God, -and that He is life; and yet you see what you call life all round us—in -these flowers and birds and the very earth, and in yourself; but if life -be God, how can these things be alive, unless they are God? And you know -they are not!” - -“Can you tell me how?” he asked. - -“I can tell you only that these things, you and I, are creatures which -live and move by a life which is in them, and yet is not their own. And to -be free to enter paradise, we must think life is our own, and act as if it -were, and yet know that it is not. It is that knowing that is the great -secret. For by that knowing, what is ourself is conquered and disappears, -and the infinite self enters and fills its place. There are no more -barriers or failures after that!” - -“But that would mean that we are mere puppets, without freedom!” - -“That is what wise men say,” said Lamara, with a friendly smile; “but -children know it is otherwise. They know the difference between puppets -and creatures.” - -“I’m neither a child nor a wise man,” said Jack unhappily. - -“Perhaps you are nearer a child than you suspect,” she rejoined. “You -stand before the Third Gate, which is high and strong; but it opens at the -right touch! If you were given power to overcome Torpeon, and to have -Miriam for your own all your lives, but were told you must pay for it by -seeing her a little less high and pure and happy than before, would you -still take the power that was offered?” - -After a pause: “No!” he said. - -“Violence is evil, and evil in ourselves is the enemy’s hold upon us,” she -rejoined. - -“But Miriam has no thought of violence!” - -“Have you not said that you and she were one? But come with me!” She rose, -and he followed her along the winding path to the pavilion, which they -entered by a side door. It was the first time he had seen the interior. -Nothing, however, was changed except for the fountain, which, instead of -presenting a succession of figures, as before, now fell in a wide sheet of -pure water, with a smooth and even surface. A slab of black marble, behind -it, gave a deep tone to the water, like that of a dark, still pool. A -white effervescence of foam, creating a pleasant murmur, was formed by the -impact of the fall in the basin. Lamara motioned to her companion to take -his place beside her on the seat in front of the fall. - -“I come here to hold communication with our people,” she remarked, “and -sometimes with what lies beyond our own borders. Our planet is large, and -has many inhabitants of many kinds, though all agree together; but they -are divided, not into nations, as with you, but into societies, small or -large, each composed of persons specially suited to one another. The -societies, too, have their positions relative to one another, according to -their functions and enlightenment, so that they can cooperate at need, as -do the parts of our individual bodies. At such times they become mutually -self-conscious; but in general, they are secluded in their proper -boundaries or protected—even smaller groups or separate persons, if -desired—by the veil of invisibility, which is our common heritage.” - -Jack had observed the apparent scantiness of population on this vast -globe, which was now explained. “I wouldn’t like to trust our people with -such a faculty,” he said frankly. “Nobody would feel safe!” - -“Your people are traveling another route than ours,” replied Lamara. “But -they will reach and perhaps pass the degree in which we are. Among all the -myriad myriads of worlds, no two are alike. You bear the burdens of many!” - -“What an irresistible army you could raise!” he muttered. “You could -conquer all the earths that surround the sun!” - -Lamara laughed. “It would make me happier to help one man of another earth -to conquer himself!” she answered. “But you may see an event which will -show you, better than any words of mine, the fruit of such attempts and -ambitions. But I didn’t bring you here for that!” - -She was silent, and Jack was obscurely conscious of a tension in the -atmosphere, more subtle than that of electricity, which strung his mental -faculties to a high pitch. His attention was involuntarily drawn to the -fountain. - -“You have been deceived by a false mirror,” said Lamara; “now you shall be -instructed by a true one. There is no magic here; the bending of the rays -obeys a natural law. You will see the reflection of a reality which is -taking place at this moment. But do not speak while it passes.” - -As she ceased, the darkness of the mirror became light, and there was -painted upon it a fleeting stream of strange sights which Jack’s eyes -could not clearly interpret; the effect was as if they had leaped into -space, and were passing through it with the speed of light. In a moment -there had flashed across the surface the vision of an unimagined and -formidable earth, ruddy and sinister; it was gone, and now appeared the -interior of a room of severe but pleasing proportions, fitted with the -tables and shelves of a laboratory. A woman sat at the table, with an -instrument before her. She was in an attitude of deep meditation. Her -face, as she sat thus, was fully revealed; but Jack had known her at the -first glance. He made a sudden movement; but Lamara’s hand on his arm -reminded him of the injunction, and he was mute. - -Through the silent mediumship of Lamara, however, he was able to read the -thoughts that were passing through Miriam’s mind as easily as he could -discern her figure. He realized the potency of the machine, and followed -the successive movements of her brain until her sudden resolve to reverse -the magnet and precipitate the catastrophe. Her appeal to him at the -supreme moment seemed to ring in his ears. He forgot everything except the -overpowering impulse to arrest her hand, and he leaped to his feet with a -passionate cry: - -“No, no, beloved! Not that! Oh, God, protect her!” - -The water mirror quivered, and was dissolved into broken strands of -glittering spray. He staggered as he stood, staring wildly about him. - -“The prayer was heard,” spoke Lamara’s tranquil voice. “But let her peril -keep you mindful of your own! It is better for you as well as for her to -trust in God than to the impious suggestion of your own heart!” - -“A moment more and the whole globe on which she stood would have been -shattered to atoms!” he groaned. “Oh, Miriam—Miriam!” - -“Love is the greatest thing in the world,” said Lamara; “but if, for the -sake of that supreme good, you work evil against another fellow -creature—if you summon the demon to save the angel—the demon triumphs and -the angel is withdrawn.” - -“But to stand here helpless!” he groaned again, clenching his fists. - -“No one is alone in the world; it may happen that a pygmy may succor a -giant,” she replied. But she did not interpret the apolog. - - -CHAPTER XXIV -THE HIGH COURT - -AT a high point of the seacoast there lay a great amphitheater, the period -of whose construction was known to none living; it had stood there for -more than a thousand Saturnian generations; and there was a general belief -that it was substantially a natural phenomenon, shaped out by unknown -forces before the dawn of man, and added to or modified by human -architects to adapt it more completely for its function. It possessed a -mountainous grandeur and dignity, such as mortal hands might enhance, but -not create. - -The land sloped sharply toward the sea, and the amphitheater was delved -out of the eastern face of the declivity. Its form was a complete oval; -the benches, rank after rank, following the curve, only the eastward or -seaward end of the vast sweep being left open. At the focus of the ellipse -at this end was the raised level space used for a stage. The longer -diameter of the structure may have been a thousand yards, and there was -ample accommodation for a million persons. Dimensions so vast would have -rendered the place useless for practical purposes on our planet, but -offered no hindrance to the sight or hearing of a people endowed with the -superior senses of the Saturnians. - -It was the meeting-place of the people, who were summoned thither on -occasions both of affairs of state and of entertainment or instruction. No -one was barred from these sessions; but, as a rule, the population was -present by deputies from each society. High courts of judgment were held -here, but these had become rare, because social order was spontaneous and -almost invariable in a community which had solved the problem of combining -universal cooperation with gradations of rank. - -At noon of the day following Lamara’s interview with Jack, the -amphitheater stood apparently empty. Row after row of vacant benches -mounted skyward, the light and shadow making them look like finely etched -lines in an innumerable series, divided by radiating divisions at right -angles to the curve, defining to each society its appointed section. On -the stage, facing the auditorium, were placed twelve chairs or thrones, -one of which stood somewhat behind and above the others, which formed a -semicircle. At the sides of the stage were several seats, to be occupied -by persons having some subordinate share in the proceedings. Directly -opposite the thrones was a single chair assigned to the individual to be -tried; for this was to be a day of judgment. Between this chair and the -judges stood an altar of black marble on which rested a piece of crystal -fashioned into the shape of a heart. - -A few minutes before noon Argon entered the theater at the stage end, -accompanied by Jack. The young Saturnian led his friend to the chairs on -the right, and they sat down. Jack cast a marveling look over the enormous -interior, silent and tenantless; above bent the heavens, crossed by the -arch of the ring, and with the moons set like gleaming jewels in the -expanse. To the left, through the wide aperture of the entrance, lay the -sea. The sun was near the zenith. - -“Won’t it take a long time to fill this space?” asked Jack. “We are the -first here, and I saw no one in the neighborhood as we were on our way.” - -Argon, who was wearing a very grave look, roused himself and smiled. - -“Our people are usually punctual, especially on such an occasion as this,” -he said. “You will see that we won’t be kept waiting. I never thought,” he -added with a sigh, “to have come here on this errand! I’ve seen only -joyful spectacles until now.” - -“You haven’t told me what is to be done here,” Jack observed. “Is it a -criminal case? What penalties does your law inflict?” - -“No Saturnian can inflict punishment on another!” answered Argon in -surprise. “Our high courts do not convene for that purpose.” - -Jack was equally astonished. “What is their purpose, then?” - -“To hear the charge and the answer of the accused.” - -“And is nothing done to the accused if found guilty?” - -“Isn’t it enough that the guilt should be fixed?” - -“But what is to deter him from committing other crimes?” - -“Such a thing never has been known,” said Argon. “Could anything deter him -more than to have his crime proved before the assembly of the people—to -sit there with all eyes upon him and to go forth burdened by that shame? -Those whom I have seen arraigned—and there have been very few in my -lifetime—have become afterward more diligent and devoted than others in -serving the common good. They have given no thought to their own comfort -and welfare, but have made every sacrifice and effort to win back the -approval of the community. Yes,” he continued, “I remember learning that -it is different with you. But with you there are sickness and struggle, -and some, I’ve been told, are actually without means to live—though how -that can be, when many of you have more than they need, I couldn’t -understand—and perhaps the statement was untrue. But, at any rate, you -have temptations which we know nothing of here. All of us have more than -all we need; there is no envy or hatred; each is content in the degree to -which he belongs; each works at what he loves best to do, and does best, -and he knows that the state needs him in his place, and that in any other -he would be useless. So the temptation to do evil seldom is felt. Perhaps, -if we had your troubles, we should have your crimes—and your punishments!” - -There was a sound of trumpets; and Jack saw, in the center of the arena, -three men who raised long, slender instruments to their lips and blew. As -the sound died away, an amazing sight was revealed. - -As if created by the musical notes, the entire array of benches lining the -auditorium was filled from floor to parapet with men and women. A million -human beings had suddenly sprung to life where, a moment before, there had -seemed to be stark emptiness. Each of the innumerable societies, in its -place, glittered in its flame-garments, tinted according to its quality -and function in the state; and these were ranged in such a manner that -their several characters, and even the individual variations of the -persons composing them, could be perceived at a glance. The white -societies occupied the benches immediately above the stage on each side; -the gold were next to them; the rose, the azure, and the violet followed -in their order; and whether because of the brightness of the light -everywhere diffused, or the translucency of the atmosphere, or because his -eyes had acquired a power of vision hitherto unknown, Jack found himself -able to discern with entire distinctness the forms and features of even -the most distant members of that immeasurable assemblage. What beauty of -women, what nobility of men, what grace and simplicity of demeanor, what -frank and kindly looks! The true brotherhood of man was revealed in the -splendor of its loveliness. - -As he gazed, delighted and yet appalled, a recollection passed through his -mind of the last great popular gathering that he had witnessed in his own -world. How similar, and yet, in comparison, how paltry, confused, and -obscure; and above all, how inferior in the spiritual influence that -proceeded from it! There, there had been a heterogeneous multitude of -individuals, each self-centered and scant in sympathy; here, the -millionfold audience was like one incomparably gifted being—one mind, -heart, and soul incarnated in innumerable male and female forms, various, -inexhaustible, harmonious; mighty, powerful, beneficent. What might not -such an organization, working for good, accomplish! And this audience was -but a deputation from a race many thousand times as numerous and strong, -and not less pledged to unity. - -“You are right,” Jack said to Argon, after contemplating the gathering. -“No criminal would dare to face such a court more than once. But when -shall we see the judges themselves and the accused?” - -He had already perceived that the apparent simultaneous filling of the -amphitheater had been due to the principle of voluntary invisibility and -visibility which Lamara had explained to him. The spectators had probably -been assembling for hours, but had waited to unveil until the trumpet -sounded. - -“We shall not have to wait long,” replied his friend. - -“Are you acquainted with the accused?” he asked. - -“Yes—and you know her, also,” Argon replied in a burdened voice. - -“It’s a woman, then?” exclaimed Jack, startled; but further words were -prevented by the sounding of another signal by the trumpeters. - -The silvery cadences filled the great oval cup with stately melody, and -floated lingeringly away in the upper air. - -“Look!” whispered Argon. - -Beginning at either end of the arc of eleven thrones, the judges were, one -after one, revealed in their places. Composed and serious they were as -graven images of justice; but of a justice in which mercy bore an equal -part. There was neither severity nor indifference in the expression of -their countenances, but a meditative sadness, as if each were searching -his own heart to detect there some trace of mortal frailty which should -admonish him of his brotherhood with the most sinful. - -The central figure, immediately below the higher throne, was Aunion. There -was an expectant hush, and, like the slow dawning of a white light, the -gracious form of Lamara appeared in her station above. Immediately the -whole body of the audience rose in its places, and all silently lifted -their right hands. She responded with a gesture of the arm, full of gentle -majesty, which seemed to invoke love upon all. - -The high court was open. Aunion was the first to speak. - -“We are met,” he said, “to hear the cause of one of us who has been -charged with betraying a trust. The accused is a woman—young, as we -measure age, and therefore to be thought of with the tenderness and -indulgence which the inexperience of youth and the impulsiveness of -girlhood may claim, and yet removed far enough from childhood to have lost -something of the divine innocence and wisdom which children bring with -them from the source of good. Had she been further advanced in the -practise of self-government, we may believe that she would not stand -accountant for this sin. It is likewise to be urged in her behalf that -there flows in her veins blood of another strain than ours, which, even -after the lapse of some ages, may abate her strength when and where it -were most needed.” - -“On the other hand,” he went on, “you are to know that the accused has -been brought up in a position of exceptional advantage; she has been loved -by our highest, and been admitted to the inner degrees of illumination. -Moreover, her attempt was leveled not against one of ourselves, but -against one of a race unfamiliar with our customs, and perhaps supplied -with means less adequate than ours to offer resistance. The attempt -failed, and you are to consider whether this fact relieves the accused in -any degree from the odium of her purpose. - -“To make an end, I say, that if any here can find nothing in his memory of -his own secret life that would prompt him to show mercy to this girl, let -him withdraw from our assembly, for that person is either more or less -than human, and therefore not qualified to judge.” - -He ceased, and Lamara said: “Let the accused appear!” At the word the -chair, hitherto the only one vacant in the amphitheater, was occupied by a -slender figure, crouched forward, whose long golden hair, drawn before her -face by her hands, confirmed the painful anticipation which Jack had -already formed. After a moment the hands fell, and the face of Zarga was -revealed. Jack was about to utter some protest, but Argon restrained him. - -“Who accuses this girl?” asked Lamara. - -Argon rose and stepped forward. - -“I accuse her!” said he. - - -CHAPTER XXV -JUDGEMENT - -PROBABLY none of the myriads who leaned forward to observe the -proceedings, except Jack, were surprised at these words. He had not -fathomed the nature of the Saturnians. He might have looked for the -brother of the culprit to appear as her defender. But as her -accuser—incredible! - -Indeed, the entire conduct of the court thus far had been unimaginable, in -his ideas of legal procedure. The chief judge had begun by stating in -outline the crime of the accused, preceding it by what amounted to a plea -for mercy. No counsel had been assigned her; she had not been questioned -in her own defense; the case had been prejudged before it started; and now -a child of the same parents that brought her into the world announced -voluntarily that he was prepared to furnish grounds for the indictment! - -Her own brother! If there had been any impression on his mind made clearer -than another since his arrival on the planet, it had been that the mutual -love and fraternal sympathy and helpfulness of those extraordinary people. -And yet now, at the first practical test, he saw the man who had been -suckled at the same breast with Zarga turn against her. His instincts -revolted at the spectacle. Was Argon seizing this opportunity to pay off -some secret grudge upon his sister? But surely, in that case, the court -would have intervened to prevent such an outrage on even justice. So far -from that, the eleven judges and Lamara herself bore every appearance of -accepting the situation as a matter of course. Nor did any wave of -indignation ripple through the audience. Oh, New York, with all its sins -and its corruptions, would not have tolerated this! The ties of blood were -sacred. But here, one might think, they granted license to attack and -destroy. - -Amid the mental and moral chaos into which the situation had plunged Jack, -one purpose stood out clear: at the first opportunity available, at -whatever risk of offending the court and defying the customs of their law, -he would insist upon the demand that he himself, the party supposedly -injured, should be given the right to defend this forlorn and abandoned -victim. It was a right, if he chose to take it, incontestable even here. -And he was ready to go to the limits of strict truth, and even a step -beyond if necessary, in order to alleviate her plight. Chivalry enjoined -it, and he would not be found wanting! - -Meanwhile, Argon was beginning his arraignment; and it occurred to Jack -that when the time came for witnesses to be called, the opportunity he -awaited would arrive. He must indubitably be a witness; in fact, what -other witness than himself could there be? Jim, possibly, but Jim had -vanished; and though Jack would always have a warm feeling in his heart -for the faithful little imp, he would sooner never set eyes on him than -hear him bear hostile testimony in this matter. For the time being, he -bent his attention closely on what Argon was saying. - -“I thank our highest and this court,” were his opening words, “for their -permission to prove, before the people of Saturn, my faithful and tender -love for my poor sister. Love between a brother and a sister there must -always be; but the tie between Zarga and myself may perhaps be closer than -common, because, as Aunion has told you, we are, though not ourselves -alien among you, yet of alien linage, and thereby doubly united. You had -received and trusted us as of your own community; and the joyful -obligation lay upon us so to live and act among you as to justify your -hospitality, and to prove that even the unruly blood of the Torides can be -subdued to harmony with yours.” - -“Is this hypocrisy?” muttered Jack. “Can any one be deceived by it?” - -He turned to fix his eyes upon Zarga. She sat there, drooping, like a -lovely flower torn from its stalk; the glow and brilliance of the beauty -that had been so vivid in the hall of crystal had faded as if beaten upon -by storms, but she was only the more appealing to him for that reason. She -did not return his look; she seemed unconscious of his presence, though -she must have known he was there; but she was gazing at Argon with an -expression of affection which seemed to Jack incomprehensible in the -circumstances. There must be in her nature a sweetness and nobility far -greater than he had hitherto imagined if she could not only forgive the -attack her brother was about to make, but appear to be grateful for it! - -“It is no palliation of her offense,” Argon went on, “that he whom she -sought to beguile was a stranger newly arrived among us; rather should -that have been for her a precious opportunity to show a kindness and -forbearance beyond the strict obligations of fellowship. Moreover, as you -all know, and as she knew, he was already betrothed to another woman who -had arrived here but a short while before him. But she was not restrained -by these circumstances. She was only the more stimulated by them to pursue -her course. And now I must reveal certain grievous facts which to many of -you have been unsuspected.” - -His voice became husky, and he paused to recover himself. Zarga’s face was -pale and expressionless; she trembled uncontrollably, as if under a -freezing wind. - -“During a part of the last circuit,” the speaker resumed, “she had been a -pupil with me in a study of the earth from which these two strangers came. -By chance, she was attracted to a youth there”—he indicated Jack—“and, -through the medium of the planetary mirror used in our school, was able to -follow his career closely. At first she often spoke to me of him, but -latterly had seemed indifferent, her apparent change dating from the time -when Miriam, our other guest, unexpectedly reached us. In truth, she had -divined, by means available to initiates, that the youth was to follow, so -enabling her to meet him personally; and this discovery caused what had -till then been a merely fanciful and imaginative interest to kindle to a -wayward and unruly passion. In spite of her knowledge of another’s prior -claim, she resolved, in the secrecy of her heart, to take him for -herself!” - -A low murmur passed through the assembly. Argon’s face became stern as he -manned himself for the sequel. - -“My sister’s relations with our highest, who loved and trusted her, gave -her facilities for carrying out her project. I need not enlarge on these; -but she also accepted aid from a source not only unlawful, but -treasonable. She entered into a conspiracy with our hostile neighbor, the -Prince of Tor, to render mutual services. He, by methods of his own, had -somewhat familiarized himself with the planet of our guests, and had -resolved to attempt the capture of Miriam. Zarga gave him information and -aid which enabled him to succeed—after several failures—in his effort, and -thus removed from her path the rival whom she feared. She was left free to -practise upon the youth she pursued arts both native and magical, and by -false illusions sought to persuade him that she whom he loved had betrayed -him. Fortunately for all—even for her—his resistance proved invincible. -Guided by intimations received from a wise friend who has long since held -communication with us, we overcame the magical obstacles put in our way, -and found her in the crisis of her iniquity.” - -The audience had listened to this narration with an interest manifestly -intense. Argon, perhaps, had more to say; but he cast an imploring look at -Lamara, who replied with an acquiescing and compassionate gesture which -permitted him to sink back, overwrought, in his chair. Jack restrained -himself for the present, perceiving that Lamara was about to speak. Would -she justify Argon’s cruel exposure? - -Her eyes traveled over the audience, and at length rested with tenderness -upon Zarga. Then she seemed, for a few moments to commune with herself. - -“Evil is a false friend,” she said. “Man is born asleep, and dreams in his -sleep that evil is good. Only when he wakes does he recognize evil as his -enemy. He begins to live when he learns that he and evil are twain. Then -those twain join battle, and until the last day the issue is in doubt. The -power of the enemy lies in this—that he never ceases to wear the guise of -the dearest and most intimate companion, to oppose whom is to destroy life -itself. And in order to win the struggle, man must plunge his sword into -his inmost heart. Nothing less than that can set his true self free. - -“Knowing how desperate is our own battle, we sympathize with the battle of -a fellow creature. We help him by reminding him of the lie that wears the -mask of truth, the hate that smiles like love, the death that calls itself -life. We warn him of the treachery that stabs while it kisses. To him, in -the confusion of the conflict, our succor seems like cruelty, and the -draft of life to which we invite him like poison. But we are in the way of -our duty, and must not falter. Until he surrenders all he held dear, his -enemy is not defeated. Then the spirit enters in, and he is at peace. - -“Beware of calling him who does evil, criminal! Not he, but the enemy, -commits the crime. Do not condemn—defend him! Strengthen the armor of his -weakness; put true weapons in his feeble hands. Love all men, but him most -who most needs love. Has he harmed you? It was not he! Harm not yourself -by disowning brotherhood with him! - -“The sinner is poor; give him of your abundance. He has lost his way; -light your lamp to guide him. He is in prison; make him welcome in your -house. He has robbed you of your treasure; give him the greater treasure -of your forgiveness. He will find himself at last, and so reward you with -the greatest treasure of all! - -“Here, now, is our sister sorely beset,” she went on, extending both her -hands toward Zarga, with the light of love in her eyes. “We have suffered -shame through her deed; but is not our heedlessness more in fault than -she? She dwelt close to our heart, yet we failed to perceive her need. She -lacked strength, yet we opened the gates of danger to her. We relaxed her -with ease when she should have been strung to effort. She fell into the -snare that our blindness helped to spread for her. We ask her forgiveness. - -“Little sister,” she continued, now addressing Zarga directly, “you are -fortunate in this, that the false good you aimed at is lost to you—could -never have been yours. But that is the least of your losses, and you -alone, trusting to the spirit, can retrieve the rest. Take counsel with -your own soul how to set about the work. All the power of our realm, which -these who now look upon you represent, is yours to call upon; but a -greater power stands ready to your aid, if you find humility and wisdom to -accept it. Go forth with hope and courage, and be glad that all know your -burden and will rejoice in your success.” - -In the silence that followed, Zarga went with unsteady steps to the altar -and fell upon her knees there, laying hold upon it with her hands. The sun -had now touched the highest point of its course, and its light fell -directly upon the crystal heart. It was a spiritual test observed among -Saturnians by immemorial tradition, and accounted holy. All watched -breathlessly for the outcome—Argon so shaken with emotion that he could -barely support himself in his seat; Jack, awe-stricken and wondering. - -After a moment the crystal slowly brightened; soon it had become so bright -that the eye could hardly endure the dazzle of it. A sparkling vapor arose -from it; living tongues of pure flame flickered up and increased; the -stone was now a blaze of fire. At last none save Lamara could sustain the -luster of it. The vast assemblage lifted up its voice in a majestic sound -of recognition and acceptance of the judgment. As the flame vanished, the -spectators assumed their veils, and the enormous auditorium appeared -empty. The high court was dissolved. Zarga was no longer to be seen. - -Lamara descended from her throne, and was joined by Aunion. She beckoned -to Jack and Argon, and the four passed out of the amphitheater together. - - -CHAPTER XXVI -THE ELIXIR - -JACK was so much dazed by what he had seen and heard that he could find -nothing to say to Lamara, or to Aunion either. The slope from the -amphitheater led down to the beach, where a boat was in waiting. Lamara, -who had been conversing apart with Aunion, now addressed Jack. - -“I must leave you in Argon’s care. We shall soon meet again. We, no more -than you, know what is to come. We cannot promise that what you wish will -come to pass; but we sometimes live to be thankful for hopes unfulfilled. -The spirit always gives us what we need. You have friends; have patience!” - -The ominous purport which Jack was prone to put upon her words was -somewhat counteracted by the smile which accompanied the touch of her -finger-tips in farewell. She and her minister boarded the craft, and Jack -and Argon were alone. - -“I don’t know that I shall ever be wise enough to comprehend all this,” -Jack remarked; “but I shall never be quite the same fool that I was -before. I feel, without knowing why, that what seemed cruel in your speech -was love and mercy. As for Lamara, she lives and speaks in a world and a -language beyond me. And yet I believe that something in me deeper than my -mind understands her. Perhaps I’ve never known myself, and that is why I -know nothing.” - -“The best generally comes last,” said Argon. “I’ve lived twenty times as -long as you, but what small light I have comes from others, and with -difficulty. What I said to-day was born of the thinking of men wiser and -better than I shall ever be. What I wanted was to take that poor child in -my arms and comfort her. But, thanks to the spirit, and to Lamara, and to -the societies, I was able to rise to a higher love of her than that!” -“What will Zarga do?” Jack inquired. - -“I think the shock she got from that sapphire charm of yours began a vital -alteration in her, which events happening afterward confirmed and gave -direction to,” said his friend. “She had been in a morbid state. I doubt -if she really cared for you—in that way—at all. Your adventure in coming -here stirred her imagination, and the impulse of rivalry with Miriam -roused her vanity and ambition. Then, no doubt, Torpeon led her on. -Probably, too, some indiscretions on your part and Miriam’s helped the -conspirators. But nothing irrevocable, so far as I know, has happened -yet.” - -Having none of the vanity of amorous conquest, Jack was relieved to learn -that Zarga’s infatuation might be unsubstantial. But he returned to his -question. - -“No one can foretell her plans,” was Argon’s answer. “But I’m sure she’ll -never be content with anything less than trying her utmost to undo the -mischief she has done. And in spite of her light manner, she really is a -girl of remarkable qualities. Lamara, as you heard, gives her her full -confidence and unrestricted liberty. I dare say she is at work already. -For that matter, there’s no time to lose; and we must realize that the -situation is serious. Torpeon will go all lengths!” - -“I hope I needn’t tell you that I had sense enough to understand from what -Lamara said to-day, that forgiveness of the enemy is not only your belief, -but your practise. That implies that I ought to forgive Torpeon. But if -evil be our only enemy, then it is his as well as mine; and if I can take -a hand in preventing the evil he intends, I shall be doing him a friendly -service. Of course, it won’t be easy to bear in mind the distinction -between his evil and himself; but I’ll promise to try my best! I won’t try -to kill him; I’ll go no further than to use every means possible to get -Miriam away from him; and then, if he puts his evil away, I’ll forgive him -with all my heart! It seems to me Lamara herself shouldn’t ask more! And I -don’t see that I can ask less.” - -The candor of this plea tempted Argon to smile; but he put a hand -affectionately on Jack’s shoulder and replied: “I agree with you!” - -“That’s a comfort!” rejoined the other. “Now, as it seems plain I can do -nothing here, can’t you give me a lift over to Tor?” - -“That is not for me to decide,” Argon answered. “I know only in part the -present state of things; but I know that several forces are working -together in behalf of Miriam and you. They are powerful forces; humanly -speaking, they could hardly be more so. On the other hand, Torpeon is -putting forth his whole strength, which is very formidable, and no -scruples will restrain him. But neither you nor I know the plan of -campaign on either side; so that if we were to break in on our own -account, we might happen to do more harm than good. Just as a parallel -example, suppose Miriam had carried out that experiment a while ago!” - -Jack reddened. “A woman in extremity has a right to the protection of -death.” - -“That lies between her and the spirit,” said Argon. - -“May not the spirit work through me?” - -Argon was silent. - -“I don’t know what other plans there may be,” Jack resumed. “My plan is to -be with her, to save her if I can; if not, to die with her. Who else is so -much concerned as I?” - -He was speaking with the utmost energy, but with self-control. Argon was -conscious of an increase of moral stature in him; he felt the contagion of -his mood and the justice of his argument. But yonder swung the red planet, -beyond the reach of either of them. The young Saturnian had no power at -his personal disposal to bridge the distance. Such adventures could be -undertaken only by cooperation of larger means. He recalled Lamara’s words -at parting, “The spirit gives us what we need!” With all his heart, at -that moment, he shared his friend’s longing for light and aid. - -They were standing but a few rods from the entrance of the amphitheater. -Argon, whose eyes were turned in that direction, saw some one emerge from -the portal who did not at once move toward them, or seem to be aware of -their propinquity. He appeared to be contemplating the great structure, -and thoughtfully estimating its architectural qualities and proportions. -He rested a hand upon one of the huge pillars of the entrance, and -examined a design wrought upon it by the unknown artist who had taken part -in the erection of the only building in Saturn which was permanent. Argon -himself had often studied this design, executed in low relief and -representing a flowering rose-bush growing out of a skull. The stranger -traced the outlines with his finger. Argon had never fathomed the meaning -of the symbol, which belonged to an era removed immeasurably from the -present. Who could this stranger be who interested himself in Saturnian -problems of archeology? He was not a Saturnian; his dress was unfamiliar, -and he bore the insignia of none of the great societies. - -The man now turned his face seaward, and perceived the others. He made a -courteous gesture of salutation, but remained where he was. Jack, who now -observed him for the first time, was seize with an unaccountable curiosity -or interest. The aspect of the unknown was so cordial and inviting that -the two youths were insensibly drawn toward him. - -He was of commanding stature, with a light and lofty carriage of head and -shoulders, and a grace of posture and movement which indicated the vigor -of manhood in its prime. He wore an undergarment of a lustrous tissue -woven of gold and white threads, reaching half-way down his thigh, and a -short, white cloak with a deep-violet hem. Sandals were on his feet; his -head was uncovered, except by the wavy curls of his yellow hair. The smile -in his eyes stirred also the corners of his lips, and his whole -countenance conveyed an impression of good fellowship, intelligence, and -effectiveness such as made impossibilities seem easy and discouragement -absurd. Life, in his companionship, would be uninterrupted achievement and -delight; and this was so obvious at the first glance that he immediately -wore the guise of a tried and familiar friend, though neither Jack nor -Argon could recall having ever before seen him. - -“You have an admirable building here,” he remarked, “and I’m glad to see -it is still in use. It belongs to a date when the earth and man used to -work together in a way rather different from now. You have made -improvements since then, and yet some interesting secrets have been -forgotten. This carving now—can either of you young men explain its use -and significance?” - -He looked from one to another with an expression so bright and pregnant as -to have the effect of an overflowing fountain of wisdom, ready to irrigate -and render fruitful all the world’s deserts of ignorance. Jack offered no -reply, though he was possessed by the conviction that he and this -wonderful stranger could not have met for no purpose, so profoundly -intimate and kindly was his regard, and so great withal was his moral and -intellectual ascendancy. He was a king of men, but democratic and simple -as a boon comrade. - -“I have puzzled over it many times,” Argon answered; “but neither I nor -our wise ones could solve it. The secret was lost, as you say, many -thousands of lives ago.” - -“Nothing truly done or thought is ever lost, however,” rejoined the -stranger. “The secret waits in its place till the need for it returns. As -for this particular enigma, I happened to know the sculptor who wrought it -well; and he and I helped each other in turn to place this section of the -shaft. Apparently it’s never been opened since!” - -“You!” exclaimed Argon in a reverential tone. “You are an immortal, then!” - -The other glanced up with a laugh. “Why, so are we all! But I’m one of the -travelers. When I was a little fellow I used to stare up in the sky at -night, and tell myself that some time I’d visit those bright places up -there and make friends with the folks that lived in them. Well, there are -a good many of them, and I’m still in the early stages of my journey; but -there are persons worth knowing in all of them, and my circle of friends -is enlarging! One of these days, if you like,” he added, turning to Jack, -“I’ll take you about a little and introduce you. But as to this design: it -stands, of course, for a word in the universal language, but you would -probably be more interested in seeing the thing that it covers. Let’s try -if these old joints and hinges are still in working order.” - -The pillar was a massive monolith, of a diameter twice the height of a -man. He laid hold of it, seizing it in both arms, and put forth his -strength to drag it toward the left. The broad muscles of his chest and -arms rounded out under the skin, but for a moment the column did not -yield. Jack was about to offer his aid, though the enterprise seemed -utterly impossible; but just then the great shaft started, and slid -smoothly and noiselessly on its base, disclosing an aperture in the plinth -below. The whole column had been swung aside. - -The stranger stepped back, turning a pleased smile upon the onlookers, -like a boy successful in a feat of strength or skill. - -“We were pretty fair workmen in those days,” he observed; “our rule and -square were true! Now, what do you say—shall we have a look inside?” - -Jack started forward, his heart on fire with anticipation of some good -event, he knew not what. Argon followed. In the cavity of the plinth there -was the shining of a box finely wrought in gold; it was covered with work -in high relief, but of what design could not be discerned in the obscurity -of the receptacle. The stranger grasped the box by the corners and lifted -it out into the clear daylight. - -It was foursquare, about a cubit in height, and half as much on the side. -The lid was pyramidal, with a winged figure on the apex. The entire -surface of the object was carved over with a representation of a -clambering rose-vine, amid the interstices of which were numerous little -golden skeletons, some of them caught in the snare, other forcing their -way actively between the branches. There was enough conventionalism in the -treatment to preserve its dignity. The effect was grotesque, but grave. - -The stranger now turned back the lid on its hinge, revealing a tall -beaker, with panels of clear crystal set in gold and enriched with -precious stones. He took it out of the box and set it down on a corner of -the plinth. It bore a cover, and was half filled with some transparent -liquid which sparkled like melted diamonds. - -“There is a draft which few living men would venture to swallow,” the -stranger remarked with an enigmatic smile. “The recipe for its making has -been sought by many since then, but was never recovered. It is said to -possess the property of enabling the drinker to win the desire of his -heart; but if there be any doubt or falsehood in him, it will destroy him -forever. Would you care to taste of it?” - -His eyes were upon Jack as he spoke. There was a challenge in them, and -yet warning. As Jack met the look, he knew who the stranger was. Solarion -was come to offer him all he loved and longed for in life, but at the -risk, should he prove unworthy, of death. It was the choice which, in some -form, is submitted to every human creature at some epoch in his career. -Jack laid a hand on the handle of the beaker, but paused. - -“There’s no doubt in me of my love for her,” he said, addressing this -mysterious messenger with a certain stateliness of manner not customary -with him, but befitting the solemnity of the occasion. “But I’m a man, and -no angel. There are things I’ve thought and done which I wish had been -otherwise. Tell me this: if I fail, what will become of her?” - -“I cannot answer,” replied Solarion. “But God deals with us all alike.” - -Jack turned the words over in his mind. “I’m content!” he said at length. - -He uncovered the beaker, from which rose immediately a marvelous fragrance -that dispensed itself in the air about them. He had a glimpse of the -troubled face of Argon, and exchanged a mute farewell with him. - -The last thing he saw was Solarion, who stood in a meditative posture, one -hand resting on the golden box, and his eyes fixed unswervingly upon him. -Then, with the image of Miriam filling his soul, he raised the cup to his -lips and drank. - - -CHAPTER XXVII -DISASTER - -TORPEON, after receiving the signal that Miriam wished to speak with him, -was on his way down the main staircase of the castle when he met a servant -hurrying in the opposite direction. The man, at the sight of him, stopped -and made his obeisance. He was panting and evidently frightened. - -“Well,” said Torpeon, with a note of stern interrogation. - -“Gracious prince,” faltered the man, “it has fallen into the river!” - -Torpeon was silent for a moment, frowning upon the messenger. “What is -this?” - -“No. 19, Supreme One! The bank fell in and the laboratory went with it!” - -It may be observed that the castle stood on a high point of ground on the -broad delta between the two largest rivers that emptied into the Bitter -Sea. On streets radiating from it were the houses of the capital city of -Tor; they were of uniform design and moderate size; each enclosed a -central court, in which the inhabitants spent their days and pursued their -occupations; the rooms were used for sleeping only. All the dwellings were -connected by a system of vibratory transmitters, centering in a -receiving-station in the basement of the castle, enabling Torpeon to issue -orders to any household or to obtain information of its activities when he -pleased. Beyond the circumference of the city proper, which was of no -great area, were the laboratories, twenty-seven in number, constructed -along the banks of the two rivers, and isolated from the approach of any -person not employed in them. They were carefully guarded, and the nature -of the industries carried on in them was never allowed to transpire. The -precautions taken made any intrusion upon the workers, or interference -with their operations, practically impossible. So, at least, Torpeon had -believed. - -Of these laboratories No. 19 was at this time engaged in an important part -of the complicated scheme which Torpeon was prosecuting. Outwardly, it had -the aspect of a dome, or hemisphere, of steel, with foundations in the -solid rock. Such strength was required, not so much for protection against -attack from without, as to secure it against disturbance from the -experiments carried on within. Some of these would have shaken to pieces -any building of ordinary design and materials. - -“You know the penalty for false reports?” said Torpeon quietly. - -The man’s teeth chattered. The form of torture referred to was searching -enough to deter the most reckless liar. But he stuck to his story. - -“It is truth, Mightiness,” he quavered. “The rock was undermined, and—” - -“Come with me,” Torpeon interrupted. “Speak to no one. If you are -confirmed, I will promote you; if not—” He made a gesture sufficiently -explanatory. - -He led the way back to his private chamber, postponing for the time his -conference with Miriam. A glance at the pentagonal plate as he entered the -room was enough to show him that the report had been no flight of -imagination. He seated himself at the table and concentrated all his -faculties upon the situation. - -The indicator for No. 19 was wavering loosely back and forth, and -responded to no efforts to extract information. He tested No. 20. After a -short interval the sign of attention was received. “Has anything unusual -occurred?” he asked, in a tone which he divested of any emotion. - -Rapidly and confusedly the message was poured into his ear from the -annunciator: - -“Assistant on the way with full details. The collapse was sudden and -complete. No. 19; also a shock in No. 7 and instruments displaced. Does -not appear to be seismic. Sheer cleavage of rock between us and No. 19. -Building overset in bed of river. Operators drowned. No explosive sounds. -Guards report no one seen in neighborhood. Selections of stations -indicates design. Circuit interrupted. Fear further disturbances. No. 5—” -There was a break, and then, faintly and agitatedly, “Your presence seems -urgent.” - -Torpeon rose from the table. He moved a lever, which disconnected the -plate and closed the annunciator. His bearing was composed, and he smiled -nonchalantly upon the trembling servant who had been standing beside the -doorway. - -“You were partly correct,” he said adjusting his mantle and taking up a -short truncheon from a shelf beside the table. He detached from it a metal -ring, stamped with the device of a triangle within a square. “Take this to -the captain of the guard—it is your warrant of authority—and tell him to -hold a hundred men in readiness. The matter is of slight importance, but -we may have to enforce a little discipline. After delivering the order, -return here, and keep watch outside this door till I come back. If any one -attempts to enter, put him under arrest. If he resists, kill him. Give no -information and answer no questions. Have you understood me?” - -“Yes, gracious prince!” - -Motioning the man to precede him, he closed the door behind them; the -messenger hurried away on his errand, and Torpeon departed with a -leisurely step down the corridor. - -Never before, however, had the Prince of Tor felt such consternation as -now. He was being attacked by an enemy who seemed to be cognizant of his -plans, and who was able to overcome his precautions and produce -inexplicable results. He could not doubt that Lamara must be the unseen -power behind the attack, and that she meant to defeat his great -enterprise. How she had divined his purpose he could only conjecture; and -he was amazed that she had so far departed from traditional Saturnian -custom as to undertake offensive operations. He had not counted upon such -an innovation, and could not estimate her resources. That they might prove -superior to his own seemed not improbable. She had already annulled the -painfully devised measures by which he had believed his undertaking could -be secretly carried out, and he be beyond reach of pursuit or hindrance -before it was discovered. - -Nevertheless he would not admit failure. If he were prevented from -prosecuting his first plan, there was yet a desperate alternative left. -Nor would he surrender Miriam. If the end of all things earthly were to -come for him, she would perish with him. And perhaps, with her as a -hostage, he might be able to parley with the enemy, and obtain terms which -his unaided power was inadequate to secure. But, at best, the outlook was -dark. - -He left the castle by a private way, and was conveyed by an instantaneous -subterranean route to the scene of the disaster to the laboratories. The -spectacle was even more sinister than he anticipated. - -The volume of water rushing down the river-bed was much greater than ever -before, dark in color, and sweeping with it huge masses of drift and -wreckage. Whirlpools had been formed at various points, which sucked in -and again tossed aloft fragments of buildings and bodies of animals, some -human ones among them. The ruins of No. 19 formed a sort of island in the -midst of the headlong stream, against which it raged like a snarling wild -beast, gnawing at it with its foaming fangs, and ever and anon tearing -shreds of it away. The rocky headland on which No. 20 stood had been -partly undermined, and the structure was held at a slant, threatening -momentarily to subside altogether. Nos. 7 and 5 were out of sight round a -bend of the river, but there was no reason to suppose that their plight -was better than the others. The long-sought results of Toridian science -were brought to naught. - -The wild-looking figure of a man appeared round the headland of No. 20, -and came running in Torpeon’s direction, tossing up his arms and shouting -insanely. He was half naked, bony and hairy, and swung a sling in his -hand. On catching sight of Torpeon he halted, and at first turned to flee; -but, taking courage, faced about again, and snatching a sharp-cornered -stone from his girdle sent it whizzing at the prince from his sling. -Torpeon raised the truncheon that he carried, and the stone was deflected -from its course and fell harmlessly. The man started to escape, but the -truncheon, pointed at him, took the power from his legs, and he fell to -the ground. - -Torpeon went up to him as he lay groveling, and turned him over with his -foot. - -“So this is my friend, Krotox!” he said with a low chuckle. “It’s a -pleasure to meet with you again so soon!” - -“Sublime prince, spare me!” whimpered the creature. “I have done nothing. -I will reveal all I know!” - -“I should be sorry to give you that trouble,” Torpeon replied. “But I am -looking for reports from No. 19; I will send you to hasten them.” - -He took up the wriggling wretch by a leg and arm and carried him to the -brink of the torrent. Krotox shrieked and chattered like a hyena. The -prince swung him to and fro and far out into the turmoil of waters. The -current snatched him, and in a moment dashed his head against an abutment -of the steel dome. Torpeon watched the dead body drift downward, revolve -in an eddy, and pass out of sight. - -“Can it be Lamara who uses such instruments?” he muttered. “If this be a -mere insurrection of the exiles, there is more hope than I feared.” - -He turned and strode away toward No. 20. - - -CHAPTER XXVIII -BATTLE - -JIM ducked his head in a delighted greeting to Miriam and performed a wave -of salutation with his crutch. “Dey can’t lose us, miss,” he remarked. - -Miriam regarded him with increasing pleasure and cordiality. Here was a -creature, absolutely trustworthy and highly intelligent, come to her at a -moment when she was most in need of precisely such a person. “Did you come -alone?” was her instinctive question. - -“Don’t let dat worry yer, miss,” was his reply. “I’s John de Baptis’, -hollerin’ in der wilderness; de rest of de bunch mebbe don’ know where -deir goin’, but dey’s on de way! We’s goin’ to clean up dis here back -yard, an’ den we’ll prepare de chamber for de bridegroom! As fer -honeymoon, how’d N’York suit yer? Dere’s more moons ’n honey round dese -diggin’s!” - -“But what news of Jack? Any message? Is he well?” - -“Say, miss; wait till yer lamps him! De boss is fine—he’s out er sight! -’Bout de las’ I seen uv him he was feedin’ his face wid de best roast -p’easant ’tween dis an’ Delmonniker’s, an’ washin’ her down wid de right -juice, believe me! Sure, he’d a message all fixed up fer yer, pink goods, -an’ smellin’ like a Fif’ Av’noo drug-joint; but me, I meets up on a -suddint wid dat dere shiny gink—you knows him, de front name uv him is -Sol—an’ he stakes me for de trip dat quick I didn’t git no time fer ter -grab de billydux. Mebbe yer’ll have it by der reg’lar post!” - -Having thus avouched his fitness for diplomatic interludes, Jim cast an -approving look around him, and congratulated the lady on the homelike -aspect of her surroundings. “Dis here come-an’-go stuff gits my goat,” he -observed with feeling, “I dassent go fer to sit on a chair fer fear some -guy’ll t’ink it away from me! An’ de scenery dey rings in on yer—say, don’ -it swat yer between de peepers? De sky gits too busy wid itself, what wid -moons an’ rings an’ truck like dat! No, miss, Broadway was never like dis! -An’ de gals—well, not presumin’ ter speak uv yerself, miss, dat Jenny -ain’t no half-tone—she’s de stuff!” - -After reassuring her visitor as to the stability of her chairs, Miriam -seated herself opposite to him, and begged him to disclose his plans. - -“Fust off, I’ll put yer wise to meself,” he began, dropping his voice to a -confidential undertone. “Dis here Sol geezer, he’s a dead-game sport an’ -no come-back; he sizes up what I’s goin’ ag’inst, an’ he dolls me up wid a -new suit o’ interplex, an’ manipperlates me ol’ hobble-stick inter a -Paggysis an’ de Empire State Limited, an’ I dunno what nex’; but when I -needs it, I has it! Wid dis stick in me han’, ol’ Torpy’s got nuttin’ on -us, miss, an’ I gives yer dat straight!” - -Miriam had already noticed signs of peculiar animation in the crutch, and -she lent an interested ear to what was to follow. - -“Lissen here, miss,” Jim continued, hitching his chair nearer. “Torpy, he -ain’t no back-number, at dat; an’ he fixes up a play dat would beat us -sure, on’y fer de Sol outfit an’ anudder t’ing or two. I’s been romancin’ -roun’ dis ranch, quiet like, as me nater is, an’ I’m onter his curves. -Dere’s just one trouble wid you, miss, speakin’ as frien’s, you’s too much -of a good-looker, an’ you sure gits Torpy dat nutty on yer he’d bust up de -hull universe sooner’n lose yer; an’ me, I ain’t sayin’ yer ain’t wort’ -it!” - -“Jim, your compliments are wonderful,” said Miriam; “but please—” - -“In course, miss. It’s like dis—Torpy’s figgerin’ to slip de hawser o’ dis -here dinky lil moon o’ his, an’ go cavortin’ roun’ de solar system, -unhitchin’ all de odder eart’s as he sails by, an’ fetchin’ up at de sun. -He changes cars dere—de sun ’d be some too hot fer my tastes, but likely -he takes a cooler along—an heads de process’un fer O’Brien’s belt an’ de -milky way! A sort o’ Cook’s tour, puss-nel conducted, see? An’ you along, -eatin’ ice cream an’ chattin’ sociable like: ‘Gimme a new batch o’ stars -ter-morrer, Torpy,’ you says; ‘dis lot is some tarnished, an’ outer -fashion, anyway,’ you tells him. ‘Right-o!’ he comes back. Down goes de -clutch, an’ ho, fer de boun’-less main! Dat’s Torpy!” - -Miriam shook her head and smiled sadly. “I’ve seen something of what magic -and do, Jim,” she said; “but I think you have been deceived. After all, -there is such a thing as reality!” - -“Magic, nuttin’!” retorted Jim; “dis here game is sci’ntific! Torpy’s been -coachin’ up on de gravitation stunt; he’s had his sci’nce sharps workin’ -overtime dese five years on de job to fix up a counter to it; an’ dey gets -de hull t’ing ready ter touch off at sunup ter-morrer! Ain’t I been -t’rough de lab’ratories an’ seen ’em at it!” - -“If such a thing were possible,” began Miriam. But she reflected that the -discussion was unprofitable, whether or not the possibility existed. “What -we must think of,” she said, “is whether anything can be done to escape. I -have a plan of my own, but only for the last resort.” She hesitated, but -resolved to trust the gnome with her secret. “In that room,” she went on, -“is an instrument for atomic disintegration, which I have adjusted so that -by merely reversing the magnetic field, Tor would be exploded into dust. I -tell you this, Jim, because should there be no other hope, and I be unable -to reach the machine myself, I should ask you to act in my place!” - -Jim eyed her admiringly. “Say, miss, speakin’ o’ game sports, you’s a -top-liner! Le’s take a slant at de outfit.” She led the way to the -laboratory, and found no difficulty in explaining the mechanism of the -machine, Jim, as has been noted, having a natural aptitude for all -mechanical contrivances. He handled the magnet with a touch suggestive of -the innate longing of the unregenerate small boy to unleash the elements -of destruction. But he virtuously mastered the inclination. “She’s a -sure-enough peach, miss,” he said, stepping back with a sigh; “but we’s -ain’t needin’ her. An’ anudder t’ing, Torpy’s a slob, all right; but he’s -up ag’in a stiff game, an’ you’s de stakes he’s playin’ fer; an’ I puts it -to you straight, kin yer blame him? Ef he’d got de strangle clutch on yer, -it ’ud be all right to pull de gun on him, ’cause we’s bound ter win, -anyway; but we’s got him beat, dough he don’t know it yit; an’ what I says -is, when he does know it, dat’s punishment enough fer him, an’ we kin let -it go at dat! Let him keep his ol’ moon, an’ spen’ his declinin’ years -sorrerin’ over de error uv his ways an’ de loss uv all he helt mos’ dear! -Say, a’ter I’s had me chin wid him, yer ’ll see him takin’ water like an -ol’ boozer de mornin’ a’ter a wet night—d’ yer git me! I’s goin’ ter han’ -him some home trut’s—dat’s me! An’ when you an’ me starts our slide fer -home-base, yer’ll see Torpy a gazin’ at us in a wild su’mize, like dat -dago gink in Cent’al America musin’ on de ruins o’ Cart’age!” - -In spite of the radiant self-confidence thus poetically expressed, Miriam -could not help feeling a little uneasy. She had no desire to annihilate -Torpeon if she might escape on any terms less tragic; but was Jim as well -equipped as he imagined for the undertaking? What could he or she know of -Torpeon’s resources? - -“You spoke of seeing his laboratories,” she said. “What if the work they -are doing should be accomplished before we can act? And what prevented -Jack, or some of the Saturnians, from coming here with you?” - -Jim had no objection to treating facts with the imaginative coloring -proper to his temperament, but he recognized the prudence of -discrimination in this case. Miriam must not be led to suppose that Jack -had neglected her; and yet, if she learned of the complication with Zarga, -she might feel some distress. - -“Dis here is de age uv splittin’ jobs, miss,” he explained. “Me an’ Sol is -tendin’ dis end, an’ de boss an’ de Sattum gang is busy fixin’ up t’ings -fer de getaway when we’s t’rough here. De lab-ratories,” he hastened on, -“has got deirs befo’ I seen yer. I can’t tell no lies; I chops ’em down -wid me lil crutchet, like de fader uv his country! I picks up a bunch o’ -bums here an’ dere as I comes roun’, an’ gives ’em de tip to fire de -pop’lar heart an’ work a French revolution stunt on Torpy to distrac’ his -min’; an’ by the rumpus dey’s raisin’,” he added, breaking off as a noise -of tumult made itself audible outside the castle, “I figgers me orders is -bein’ obeyed!” - -The door opened and Jenny, her pink cheeks streaked with pallor and her -eyes round with consternation, ran into the room with a tale of terror: - -“Oh, if your please, miss, the mob is broke loose and we’ll all be -murthered in our beds! They’ve fetched ladders and torches, for all the -world like the history-books, and the garrison is parleying with the -ringleaders, and us without our traveling-dresses! Oh, wurra-wurra! -Whatever will become of us?” - -Miriam was not inaccessible to imaginative fears; but anything like a -menace of actual danger restored her composure. She silenced Jenny with a -contemptuous gesture and walked to the window. - -A disorderly crowd of strange-looking people, constantly increasing in -numbers, was collecting in front of the castle. They evidently meant -mischief; but Miriam recognized at once that only the treason of those who -composed the defenders could involve any immediate peril. She had no -reason to doubt that Torpeon was competent to impose order, in any case; -and, assuming that he was still in the castle, she expected him to appear. -But he was nowhere to be seen. She recalled that she had been expecting -him to visit her at the moment when Jim entered. She was now aware, of -course, how he had been prevented. - -A shower of stones hurled by the mob smashed some windows in the lower -part of the castle. The garrison made no counter-demonstration; and there -were signs which might indicate that Jenny’s statement about a parley was -not all fancy. - -Jim, at Miriam’s side, was contemplating the scene with grunts and -chuckles of manifest satisfaction. But he did not lose his critical -acumen. - -“Dese here guys don’t know de ropes,” he remarked. “What’s brickbats an’ -hollerin’ in a play like dis? Dinnermite’s de stuff! But I figgers Torpy’s -cornered de supply! He’ll show his han’ befor’ long!” - -“Will I be after makin’ a rope of the bedclothes to let down the back -winder, miss?” suggested Jenny, still palpitating. - -“Jim is the captain of the watch,” Miriam replied with a smile. - -“We’s neutral, miss, in dis here scrimmage,” Jim informed her, assuming -the gravity of a commander. “De more Torpy an’ dat bunch lams de life out -o’ each odder, de more us gives ’em de merry ha-ha! When dey gits t’rough, -we deals wid de remains; we rides the whirlwin’ an’ direcks de storm! -Dere’s one o’ my boys now!” he exclaimed—“dat fat duck wid his pants -gone—Asgar—dat’s him! He’s hoopin’ it up to beat de band! What’s gone -wrong wid Krotox? Mebbe he’s fell by de wayside!” - -“Oh, if Jack were here!” thought Miriam, as a fresh volley of stones -crashed against the walls. “No!” she added in the same breath; “thank God -he isn’t!” - -The next moment she faced about with a violent start and a leap of the -heart. Had she heard Jack’s voice speak her name, close to her ear? But no -one was there! - -She was about to call out his name—to shriek it out; but she silenced it -on her lips. Was it not, rather, as if a hand—his hand—touched her mouth -in warning? Assuredly he was here. She could not be mistaken in the sense -of his neighborhood. Never, even in his more physical presence, had she -been more convinced of it. And yet, save for Jim and Jenny, who were -absorbed in the scene outside the window, the room was empty. What did -this mean? - -It was, somehow, different from the physical invisibility of the -Saturnians. The influence was not like that; it was a spiritual vibration. -Was Jack dead, then? - -She felt, on the contrary, that he had never been more alive. - - -CHAPTER XXIX -PARADISE POSTPONED - -SOLARION caught the crystal cup as it dropped from Jack’s hand, and with -his other arm supported his body as it fell. Argon uttered a cry of -dismay. But meeting the other’s eyes, which were now filled with a soft -but almost insupportable light, he recognized the benign significance -behind the apparent calamity. - -“We will let the body rest in the plinth,” Solarion said, lifting it as he -spoke into the cavity, and replacing the cup and its golden receptacle. -“He is honest and brave, all will go well with him. Tell Lamara he stood -the test, and that I will meet her here on the hour appointed.” - -The light grew brighter and Argon, perforce, closed his eyelids. When he -looked again the column of the portal occupied its former position, and he -was alone. - -Of these things Jack knew nothing. - -The reaching out of his spirit toward Miriam, at the moment of swallowing -the elixir, had dominated all other thoughts and impulses, and by -operation of spiritual law, his immaterial entity, disembarrassed from the -physical, at once was swept in her direction. Distances between persons, -on the spiritual plane, where nothing operates to delay the inclinations -of the mind, are necessarily and immediately determined by sympathies or -repulsions, as the case may be, existing between them; and, as the -separation from each other of the poles of the sidereal universe hardly -suffices to indicate the gulf that yawns between incompatible natures and -temperaments, so, between those who love each other, a handbreadth is -still too far apart. Nothing else is possible in a sphere where all things -live and the inertia of lifeless matter is not. - -Jack, accordingly, soon became aware that he was in Miriam’s vicinity; but -he was at first perplexed by an unconsidered circumstance of their mutual -conditions. - -The physical eye is fashioned to perceive material objects only; it is -powerless to discern the forms of thoughts or the color of emotions. And -in the spiritual plane, emotion and thought constitute, respectively, the -substance and the shape of things seen. On the other hand, the spiritual -eye is not less unable to have cognizance of material things; and the two -worlds are thus effectively disjoined one from the other. Of course, the -spirit incarnate is none the less in constant relations with the spirit -disincarnate; but both alike are insensible, normally, to that fact. - -Jack, during his journey from our earth to Saturn, had already experienced -disincarnation; but inasmuch as his environment had then been also -spiritual, he had felt no discrepancy between it and himself. Now, -however, he, a spirit, was confronted with material surroundings, and must -depend on methods of communication more subtle than those of spiritual -sight and touch in order to make his presence felt, or himself to -establish consciousness of the medium in which he sought to operate. - -How was he to bring the world in which he was into practical relations -with that which she occupied, since neither could she see nor touch him, -nor he, her? This seemed like to prove an awkward obstacle in the way of -what he aimed to accomplish. - -But must not Solarion have foreseen this difficulty? And would he have -deliberately mocked him, through the agency of the elixir, with a useless -gift? The idea was preposterous! There must be some way of solving the -problem. - -He stood motionless, like a man in the darkness of an unfamiliar place, -and set himself to the task of withdrawing from his outward sphere of -consciousness. He was presently rewarded by the perception of the gradual -emergence of an inner consciousness; it was as if the pupils of the eyes -of the man in the dark place, slowly expanding, were becoming sensitive to -rays of light before unperceived. - -A path of communication between the two worlds did, then, exist. It was -not normally accessible, because its existence was unsuspected; but when -intelligently sought, it might be found. And Jack realized that if it were -accessible to him, from his side, it must also be accessible to Miriam -from hers. The inner consciousness, in her and in him, was a sort of -common ground between them, in which they could meet and have intercourse. -It was neither spiritual wholly, nor wholly material, but an intermediate -region. Nor was there anything radically strange in this; had he not, in -the earthly life, often felt aware of her proximity before his corporeal -senses informed him of it, and had he been blindfolded, would not the -touch of her hand have exerted an influence distinguishable from the touch -of any other? If he were alive to such intuitions, much more should she, -with her finer organization, be so. - -Greatly encouraged by his discovery, Jack proceeded to put it to the -trial. - -Without having intelligently traced his course, he had been brought to the -suite of rooms which Miriam occupied. They appeared to him in shadowy -form, much like the reflection of objects seen in a plate of glass, and -not so distant as in a mirror. But as he grew more accustomed to the -situation, the distinctness increased. - -He was at first puzzled by the similarity of the rooms to those seen on -his own earth; and he wondered for a moment whether Miriam could have -returned to their planet during the interval of their separation. But a -more concentrated scrutiny soon revealed the magical character of the -appearance. Whether the magic were black or white he did not pause to -determine. Here, at all events, was a laboratory, and he recognized it as -the one which he had already seen in Lamara’s water-mirror. It was perhaps -because of the intense emotional stress which Miriam had undergone here -that he had been first led to it. But she was not here now. He glanced at -the apparatus on the table and comprehended the method of its operation. -He could even discern the electrons in the atom in their revolution around -one another, and form an estimate of the stupendous force which would be -liberated by their dissociation. But matters more urgent claimed his -attention. - -He passed through the doorway into the adjoining chamber; the door had -been left ajar, and he was careful to go through the opening, which was -somewhat narrow for his bulk, and to keep his feet to the level of the -floor. He felt that he could not push the door farther open, and he did -not know that he could have passed through the substance of it; it seemed -to him proper to observe, so far as possible, the natural limitations amid -which he found himself. It aided his recognition of them. - -Upon entering the chamber he saw Miriam, with two others, standing near -the window. He paid no heed to the others, nor did he see them with nearly -the distinctness with which the woman he loved appeared to him. Was it -her, or her spirit, that he saw? At moments it seemed to be the one, then -the other. From one standpoint, indeed, they were identical. Yet there was -a difference; but it was she! - -A powerful irradiation of joy streamed forth from him. It was both visible -and invisible to Jack himself. As a spiritual emanation, it welled out -toward her and enveloped her, so that he fancied she must be aware of -it—the roseate glory of it, shot through with golden quiverings. Then, -remembering that the natural eye could not discern it, he was surprised to -see her move slightly, as if some faint sound or remembered scent had -caught her attention. But in a moment she again turned her gaze out of the -window. - -He approached the group. What—Jim! Undoubtedly it was Jim, but something -in the presentation perplexed him—two quite distinguishable Jims, though -the same; but one was the grotesque little urchin he knew, the other—he -had known nothing of this wonderful brightness, as if the boy were full of -light; and surely there were two complete and well-formed legs! That -crutch, too; was it a crutch—or was it—what was it? Jim was speaking; it -was the familiar street-gamin lingo; but within it, or above it, was -another language, which Jack understood with his spiritual hearing, which -conveyed beautiful things—affection, loyalty, courage, resource—qualities -which the terrestrial Jim would stare even to hear mentioned. Yet they -belonged to him as much as did his own patter—far more so, indeed. - -The young woman who made the third of the group was manifested but dimly, -for Jack had never made Jenny’s acquaintance, and perceived no more than -an agreeable something of feminine purport. In truth, it had been with the -side-glance only of his mind that he had observed these persons; it was -Miriam who filled and overflowed the central scope of his vision. How -beautiful and adorable she was! He had loved and adored her previously to -the poor extent of his mortal compass; but now he saw loveliness and -splendor—an harmonious interfusing of soul and flesh—an illumination of -the transient with the deathless—such as made him blush with a kind of -divine embarrassment, as if he had no right to such a revelation. Was it -possible that a creature so transcendent loved him? - -“Miriam, Miriam!” he muttered. - -Ah! She had heard him! What a start she gave; and as she turned, the -marvelous glory of her aura flashed out and mingled with him. He felt the -beating of her heart as if it were his own, and her nerves thrilling in -rime with his. She was about to utter his name, but something prompted him -to make a gesture of silence. This was not the moment to make known their -secret. Gazing at her, he saw the misgiving of his death shudder through -her, and spontaneously there surged from him a response so tumultuous with -inexhaustible life that she was at once reassured. She did not yet -understand, but she knew! - -He had learned much concerning his own state and powers in the few moments -of his sojourn here, but Miriam’s initiation was almost instantaneous. -Love opened all gates and shone through all windows; and her incarnate -self took him by the hand and gave him full consciousness on the earthly -plane, while retaining his spiritual powers. She, on her side, combined -with her natural senses the perception of what was above the natural, and -saw him and what belonged to his state as he saw her and hers. Such a -fulness of communion was ineffable. Their auras blended and kindled into -new exaltations, brimming with speech and vision. The pages of their -memories lay open before them as living pictures of the events recorded, -to be comprehended at a glance; and words spoken in the spirit conveyed -significances which no eloquent volubility of earthly tongues could rival. -Nevertheless, this boundless speech, descending from its superior degree -into the lower, took on there the outward form of mortal utterances, as -the endlessness of productivity is enclosed in the simple seed sown in the -soil. Conversing together in what, to earthly ears, would seem the -simplest terms, they could impart to each other kingdoms of meanings -intelligible to the imperial soul. - -He and Miriam now stood side by side at the window, and he found himself -able to look freely through her material eyes. The swaying and struggling -of the mob and its confused uproar were visible and audible to him. A -sorry spectacle! But though immeasurably remote from him, and unimportant, -he realized that Miriam was still in the toils of it. And he had come -hither to rescue her! - -Her thought spoke to him. “Dearest, will you not take me where you are? -You are free from earth; why may not I be so, also?” The death of the -body, the deliverance of the spirit, and immortality of love unhindered -for them! A touch on the instrument in the next room could compass it!” - -“La, miss, it’s gone that hot, all of a sudden!” remarked Jenny, pushing -back the hair from her moist forehead; “like them July days on the beach -last summer! Whatever ails me I don’t know!” She was enveloped in the -fervent sphere of the lovers’ hearts. - -“Dere he comes! Pipe ol’ Torpy over dere!” cried Jim, pointing excitedly -to the outskirts of the crowd. “Good t’ing de boss ain’t here; he’d be -runnin’ out and git his nut busted! Don’t yer worry, miss; I’ll pertect -yer!” - -Jack had been exquisitely sensitive to the temptation which Miriam -suggested. One stroke for freedom, and all these crudities and absurdities -would pass away from them forever! But the roseate atmosphere that -surrounded them chilled and darkened a trifle as the impulse knocked at -his heart; and the words of the two unconscious mortals made him pause. -What would become of them? Had they not the right to live out their -earthly lives to the end? Clear perception came to him, also, on the -instant, of the greatness of Jim’s devotion and self-abnegation. He felt -humbled before him! - -Miriam perused his mind and saw his answer to her plea. She sighed, and -fortified herself to postpone paradise. The thought of her father -strengthened her. - -“Yes, love, we will not slight God’s gift,” was her response. The luminous -gold and rose brightened and deepened again, and the delicate filaments -were interwoven in a warp and woof of lovely figures, dancing lightly -through the aerial fabric, keeping time to the measure of their hearts. -They drew nearer. - -Contemplating with spiritual sight the scene without, they beheld these -bewildered souls groping pitifully in darkness and ignorance, seeking -through evil and unknown good. Driven helplessly hither and thither by -monstrous spirits of hatred, greed, and terror, they fought and yelled and -reeled in blind frenzies, lost to love and sanity. - -And yonder loomed Torpeon, a dark shape of wrath and tyranny, like the -black twist of a tornado reddened with lightnings. He, too, was driven -helpless by accursed powers he knew not, most a slave when he deemed -himself most dominant. He struck vengefully to right and left, laughing -terribly as his victims tumbled, blasted, at his feet, blind to the souls -thus freed who hurtled up unseen to assail him. At times the whole scene -assumed the appearance of a writhing mass of poisonous serpents stinging -one another to death, and the great serpent in the midst, venom oozing -from his bloody jaws, burying his fangs in his own swollen coils. And -Jack, an hour since, had longed to add his strength to make this horror -yet more horrible! He groaned in humiliation. - -“They are our fellow creatures; let us go out and save them!” said Miriam. - -“You!” he exclaimed, disturbed. “Remember Torpeon’s mark! I will go!” - -She smiled into his eyes. “I no longer fear it, or him; and you cannot -prevail alone.” - -Jenny and Jim were absorbed in the excitement of the battle. Neither saw -Miriam turn from the window and pass out of the room, apparently alone. - - -CHAPTER XXX -ZARGA MAKES AMENDS - -ZARGA had met her mistress, alone and unseen, immediately after the -breaking up of the high court of justice. The place was on the island, at -the spot where the pavilion had stood; but the pavilion was gone, and the -island was rocky and barren. The change reflected too clearly to be -disregarded the alteration which had been wrought in the girl’s ambitions -and hopes. Lamara was standing beside a thorn-tree. The birds and the -Nature people had departed. Zarga approached with lagging steps. A spring, -which had formerly been the fountain in the inner court, bubbled up from a -cavity in the rock and trickled away along a stony channel toward the sea. - -“There is no labor more blessed than to bring back beauty and happiness -from banishment, and make them bloom and be fragrant again,” Lamara said -in a tender voice. “You can do work that will more than make good the -mischief; and out of all that might undertake it, I shall entrust it to -you.” - -“You trust me still?” said the girl. “I don’t trust myself!” - -“We learn self-trust by being trusted by others,” Lamara returned. “The -welfare of all our people is in your hands. It lies with you, also, to -give back happiness to the strangers whom you wronged, and perhaps to save -from destruction the planet from which your own ancestors came hither!” - -The girl looked frightened and doubtful. “I loved him!” she muttered. - -Lamara shook her head. “You were misled by a fantom shaped out of your own -vanity and curiosity, by an agent who sought thus to use you for purposes -of his own. When your wisdom reawakes you will recognize the trick. Call -upon the good and truth that I have always seen in you—I see them now, -struggling to be free again!—and you will win a victory that will wipe out -your shame and bring you love and honor!” - -“What is it I must do?” asked the girl, paling and flushing by turns with -the conflict in her heart. - -“Your kinsman, Torpeon, applying his deep penetration into the hidden -places of nature to ill ends, to satisfy and insane lust for power, has -for a long time past used every resource of science to devise a means to -unloose the ties that bind his planet to its orbit, and to set out upon a -career of universal conquest and dominion. He led himself to believe that -he would be able to control its course among other worlds, and to steer it -to other systems, and finally to draw in his train such a retinue of -subject planets as would empower him to create and control the fate of -starry organisms mighty as Orion and the Pleiades. - -“His spiritual blindness, which is as great as his insight into material -conditions, prevented him from realizing that the laws which hold the -stars are only outwardly physical, and that their spiritual causes are -beyond human power to originate or modify. Yet power to destroy is given -to man; and so far as the first steps of his plan are concerned, he might -have succeeded had not agencies been found so humble as not to be -suspected which suddenly upset his preparations. - -“This reverse took place but yesterday. But Torpeon had reserved a -desperate alternative, which he will now seek to put in operations. Rather -than surrender to her lawful betrothed husband the woman whom he stole -from him, he will violently tear apart his earth, with all its -inhabitants, from its moorings, and hurl it headlong and unguided through -space to what destiny he cares not; but its speedy annihilation is -certain, and may possibly involve others in its ruin. This monstrous -crime, unless a power greater than his can avert it, he has the means to -perpetrate. That greater power must be wielded by ourselves, and I have -chosen you, my trusted and loved companion, to arouse and set it in -motion.” - -Zarga’s eyes began to sparkle, her bosom rose, and she lifted her body -erect. Lamara, steadfastly observing her, continued: - -“You have studied with me the constitution of our realm, and know by what -methods we can, by united efforts, achieve results beyond the reach of any -individual compass, how exalted soever. Our present task is formidable; -perhaps none more arduous could be imposed upon us; and every member of -every society on our globe must cooperate in it. To insure this result, I -now appoint you, Zarga, my ambassador to our people. No function more -honorable is in my power to bestow; for, to discharge it involves energy -and faithfulness beyond the limits and development of all but few. Ask -your own soul whether you shall accept or decline it! It is an -opportunity, not a command.” - -“Such forgiveness as yours is worthy of the heart that conceived it; I -pray the spirit that it may create in me power to fulfil the trust,” said -Zarga after a pause. “I see in my soul only ashes; but if you can believe -that in may bloom again, I will believe it, too. At least I will spend -what life I have in the attempt. What am I to say to the people?” - -“Tell them that, at the signal of the ring, which will be visible to all -at once, each head is to marshal his society in the supreme Saturnian -order. The will of all is to be made one will, in harmony with the -recorded will of the spirit. Tell them that the strain will be great, but -constancy will prevail. Tell them that the hands of the little children -are to be laid, above all, upon the uniting cord; for innocence and love -hold the universe together. Let this be done, and Tor shall not be -unseated from its place.” - -Lamara spoke with solemn emphasis, lifting up her arms and her face, as if -addressing not so much Zarga in person as the divine qualities of -helpfulness and devotion which were to be exemplified in her. Zarga knelt -before her, and the arms slowly descended with the gesture of benediction. -There was an interval of silence, and then the girl arose and turned to -begin her long pilgrimage. Lamara gazed thoughtfully after her, and smiled -to observe that violets and wood anemones unfolded their petals in the -path of her footsteps; a thrush broke into song, and one or two of the -small Nature people peeped out timidly from crevices of the rock. - -That day there was the sound of a voice traveling over Saturn, from east -to west and from south to north. None had heard its like before, but its -meaning was comprehended by all; and the messenger, though unseen, was -recognized as the emissary of the highest. Men and women, youths and -maidens, and little children, lambent in snow-white flames, came forth -from their dwellings, and from the shadows of the groves; up from the -murmuring watercourses they came, and from the coolness of the moss-draped -ravines; they left their works and enjoyments, their meditations and their -worshiping; they stood upon the mountain-tops, and gathered upon the -seashore, and gazed skyward, listening and mute, while the flying voice -passed over them, leaving its words of warning and exhortation behind. The -songs of the birds were hushed as it went by, lest their careless music -cause the message to be missed; the animals stole into their coverts, and -the Nature people scurried in and out of the forest glades and caverns, -awed and excited, they knew not why. - -As the voice swept on, region after region of the mighty planet, with -their multitudinous communities, caught the call to duty, and gathered in -their places, to be ranged by their leaders into rhythmical cohorts and -battalions, to subdue their myriad impulses into one impulse, to turn -their innumerable thoughts into one thought, to communicate through the -linked hands and measured footfalls, through long inter-weavings and -choral chantings, the gathering strength of one will welded of all wills -into a single flawless and irresistible chain. - -And still the warning voice swept on, searching out the farthest valleys, -arresting the wayfarers across the plains, overtaking the voyagers upon -the boundless lakes, pausing not for tropic heats or arctic colds, never -pausing or faltering, resolute to bear the tidings to every creature, and -to keep faith to the last. Many there were that marveled who the messenger -might be, but there was no answer. Zarga’s face was veiled; she performed -her mission unknown and unsuspected; only her voice announced her. And -only her secret heart knew whence came the strength that enabled her to -persevere to the very end. - -But when the long day was done she found herself among the sublime and icy -silences of the virgin north. No creature lived here; no plant grew; -enormous snowfields extended in smooth undulations; immemorial glaciers -sloped silently from the mountainsides; frozen peaks glittered aloft, -pointing to the unmoving stars. She alighted near the mouth of a great ice -cavern, very weary but content. The duty laid upon her had been -accomplished. - -With the last strength remaining to her she crept into the cavern; to her -failing eyes it bore a likeness to the chamber in the crystal mountain -which her art had adorned for the festival of love, never to be -consummated. A dark splendor of colors glowed within, receding into -beautiful mysteries of gloom. Zarga dragged herself to the center of the -cavern, and lay down, pillowing her golden head on a lump of ice. She -might rest, at last! - -“It was for him I did it!” she said to herself; “He will live and be happy -with her, and I, too, am happy. He will never know that I died for him; -but Lamara will understand, and she and the spirit will forgive me much, -because I did my best to make amends.” Her eyes closed, and there was -silence, never to be broken. - - -CHAPTER XXXI -TORPEON - -TORPEON now fought single-handed against the maddened thousands of his -subjects. He laughed as he fought. He cleared a space around him, and at -every wave of his truncheon a man fell. But they still came on, for they -were desperate. They knew that, so long as Torpeon survived, misery, -torture, and death would be their portion. The gage of battle having been -thrown down, there could be no truce or quarter until he was slain; and if -he were to be victorious, so much the more reason for them to fight to the -death. They hated him more than they loved their own lives. They had -served him in fear, and groaned in their servitude. Now the hour had come -for liberty or annihilation. - -“Snatch his truncheon from him,” they shouted to one another. “Tear him to -pieces!” - -Torpeon smiled, and death leapt out from his hand. But they still drove in -upon him, for they were very many, and the fight was to the finish. - -A gigantic creature, half ape, hairy and hideous, nurtured in the caverns -and gorges of the dark mountains, came toward him from behind, crouching -low behind the others, crawling between their legs, his lips drawn back -from his grinning fangs, snarling in his throat, gripping in one hand a -flint with a jagged edge. The flint had been soaked in the venom of -crushed serpents. Asgar, realizing the opportunity, roused those in front -to a fiercer attack, so that the prince’s attention might be diverted from -the true point of danger. He tossed his thick arms frantically, and his -gross body shook as he shrieked out his orders. Torpeon caught sight of -him over the heads of the nearer fighters; he lifted his staff and pointed -it at him. The invisible bolt flew to its mark. With a screech of rage and -agony, Asgar sprang in the air and fell dead, the top of his skull blown -off and his brains spattering the heads and faces of those behind him. - -“Good old Asgar!” said Torpeon, chuckling in his beard. “Who next?” - -But, an instant after, there rose from the crowd such a yell of horrible -triumph and bloodthirsty frenzy as made the previous uproar seem tame by -comparison. - -The man-ape, seizing his chance, burst through the foremost ranks of those -who hemmed the prince in from the rear, and made his spring. He alighted -on Torpeon’s back, his short legs gripping him round the body, while his -left arm, powerful as a bar of iron, encircled his throat, and with his -right hand, armed with the poisoned flint, he strove to dash death into -his face. Torpeon, overbalanced by the immense weight of the grisly -creature, and half throttled by the squeeze of the hairy arm, staggered -back and nearly fell, striving all the while to bring to bear the -truncheon; but his antagonist warded it off with his upthrown shoulder; -and now a headlong rush by those in front threw the prince off his feet, -and he would have fallen had he not been held up by a simultaneous rush by -those behind. By a titanic effort of strength he wrenched himself free -from the strangler, and, twisting about, laid him dead with his staff; but -not before the other, with a final blow of his armed fist, had succeeded -in wounding him on the forehead with his envenomed stone. - -At that juncture the gates of the castle were thrown open, and Miriam -appeared on the threshold. Those who first caught sight of her uttered -shrill cries of amazement and alarm, which turned the attention of others -from their enemy; and in a moment the whole mob was facing toward her. -None of them had ever seen her before, nor any creature resembling her; -and the unknown terrified them. Her beauty and dignity struck them as a -menace. She could have come for no other reason than to succor Torpeon, -and therefore to attack them. They hesitated, wavering back and forth, not -knowing with what powers she might be armed, or in what form the new -assault would be made. But the masses in the rear, heartened by their -advantage over the prince, forced forward those in front, and the space -between her and them grew narrower. Miriam, on her side, after casting a -comprehensive glance over the tumult, stepped out from the gateway and -advanced straight toward the storm-tossed multitude. She seemed alone, for -the companion who walked at her side was invisible to their eyes. - -Torpeon, meanwhile, had gained a respite; but he was aware of his wound -and of the deadly peril it involved. Already he felt the first chill of -the poison congealing the current of his blood. For the time being, -however, by the use of the charm against such dangers which he possessed, -he was able to ward off the effects in some measure; but what aided yet -more to restore him was the apparition at such a moment of Miriam. - -It kindled a wild fire in him; for he could interpret her presence only as -designed to aid him or to share his fate. She loved him, then! At that -thought so fierce a tempest of emotions burst out in his heart that he -shivered like a tower in earthquake; all else was lost, but she was won, -and of what value beside that was any other victory or defeat! He threw -himself toward her, slipping in blood, stumbling over corpses; if he could -but gain the castle with her, and force his way to that guarded crypt -below where was hidden the engine prepared against the last emergency, -lurking there like a monstrous jinnee, biding its time to defy God and -nature, he could wrench asunder the invisible cables that bound his globe -to a hated obedience, and soar with her untrammeled into cosmic freedom. -There would be leisure, then, to heal him of his wound; or, if death must -come, it would find him in her arms. His brain began to reel; moments of -blankness drifted across his mind; but he staggered onward. - -To Jack the spirits of the slain were more conspicuous than were the still -incarnate, and he perceived that they swarmed round the prince, -bewildering his brain, urging him to insane thoughts, causing him to step -amiss, and distracting his attention from the assaults of the mob. They -constituted a peril more immediate than from the latter. He saw, too, that -he could himself exercise more control over these dead than over the -living. They saw and feared him, whereas the others divided their menace -between Torpeon and Miriam. - -The spirit of the hairy monster, reeking from his own corpse, and -incomparably more hideous and infuriated than before, was especially -active against his slayer. At this instant, seconded by the rampant -specter of Asgar, he swerved Torpeon from his course, so that he tripped -over Asgar’s body and fell headlong. The shock of the fall caused the -truncheon to fly from his hand and left him defenseless. The mob made a -rush for him. - -No wrath or hatred against any living creature dwelt in Jack’s soul; his -insight had now become too penetrating and comprehensive for that. He had -no desire but to save the prince. With a gesture he drove back the -murderous ghosts from their prey, but he could influence only indirectly -the savage hosts of the earth-bound; and that would not suffice! - -Miriam, however, hesitated not a moment. Unarmed and unshielded, she -sprang to the rescue. The mob, lacking a leader either dead or living, -gave back in transient panic before her, not knowing what magic weapon -might be at her command. Torpeon struggled to his feet once more. But he -was no longer fully conscious of what he did. Miriam said to Jack: - -“Guide him to the castle, where he will be safe; leave these poor -creatures to me.” - -But a new element entered into the fray. - -Jim, who had not noticed Miriam’s absence from the upper window, where he -and Jenny had been observing the conflict below, had been greatly startled -to behold her emerge from the gateway, apparently unaccompanied. Whatever -had been his original plan of campaign, the turn of affairs had seemed so -well calculated to forward his main object, that he had been satisfied to -let it continue; a free fight, too, is always a captivating spectacle for -a boy. But Miriam’s unexpected participation in the battle threatened -total disaster to all his projects; and the necessity of protecting her -swept all other considerations from his mind. - -Disregarding the lamentations of poor Jenny, he seized his crutch and made -off incontinently for the stricken field. He had not stopped to consider -what form his intervention should take; he thought of himself not at all, -except as an instrument of use for persons he loved; but he had full -confidence in the efficacy of Solarion’s gift. - -Selfless love for others is the soul of the faith that works what we -regard as miracles. Things may happen in our daily walk and pass -unobserved that are in their essence more marvelous than the -transformation of a blackthorn stick into a battle-charger. - -Be that as it may, it was a mounted cavalier who issued forth from the -castle just as Miriam helped the dazed and moribund Prince of Tor to his -feet and assigned him to Jack’s care while she faced the mob. She faced -them, but made no demonstration. They were intimidated, but it would not -be for long. The sight of Torpeon making his escape into the castle set -fire to their rage anew. They were gathering courage for an onset. - -Jim, as he rode forth, marked Torpeon entering in, but he had no -consciousness of his guide. He had no misgiving but that his boss was many -thousands of miles distant from this debatable ground. And if he could -furnish the means of getting him and the woman he loved together, the -chief end of his existence, as he saw it, would be achieved. To what else -might happen he was royally indifferent. - -“De boss an’ de missis is de real goods,” he told himself complacently; -“not’in’ else ain’t in dere class; de on’y t’ing ails dem is, dey ain’t -got no caution! Any guy what makes good in de ring has to be wise to -side-steppin’; foot-work is de cheese; but dese here folks o’ mine, dey -rushes in head down an’ wide open. De odder guy lands his uppercut, an’ ef -de time-keeper ain’t on de job wid de bell, dey’s counted out! Well, I’s -de timekeeper for dis roun’, an’ I figgers ter make a reckud!” - -As he rode up to Miriam he hailed her cheerfully. - -“Here yer are, miss! Las’ call ter lunch! Forw’d cyar on yer right! Hop -right aboard while de hoppin’s good! On’y line what issers free passes ter -N’York! Step lively an’ avoid de rush! All clear ahead, no sidin’s nor -interference!” He had dismounted and taken his place on the left, with his -hand ready to assist her in mounting. “Put yer foot here, miss, an’ up yer -goes! Are yer on? Firs’ stop, Sattum, an’ de boss waitin’ fer yer on de -platform. So-long!” - -“But you must ride behind me, Jim!” said Miriam, holding out a hand to -help him to the crupper. The creatures were closing round them. - -Jim recoiled with an air of injured dignity. “Say, miss, fer de sake o’ -Mike, git busy wid yerself! What, me? Is I de sort ter take de boss’s -place, I arsks yer? Me, I takes me time, see! Jes’ you leave dese here -slumgullions ter me! Say, cleanin’ up a bunch like dat is me middle name! -An’ I’ll lan’ in N’York befo’ you does, at dat!” - -Miriam felt that there was no leisure to parley. She stooped down quickly -and caught the little anatomy round the body. But even as she lifted him -to the saddle, a heavy stone, hurled with deadly aim and tremendous force, -struck the boy just over the heart. He gave a gasp, and lay limp across -her saddle-bow. The horse bounded into the air. - -A blaze of light, spanning the heavens from east to west, arched across -overhead—Lamara’s sign of the ring to the Saturnians. The whole stupendous -circle had burst into dazzling flame. That appalling splendor sent its -rays throughout the firmament. Simultaneously, Miriam saw the solid globe -from whose surface she had just risen rock and lurch like a balloon -straining at its moorings. It seemed to be endowed with a terrible life; -it yawed and plunged this way and that; groanings broke from it; the peaks -and crags were overthrown in ruin; the boiling rivers were tossed from -their channels and emptied into the belching craters of the volcanoes; and -the Bitter Sea, rushing from its bed, poured its flood over the city and -its people. It whirled around the castle, deep down in whose rock-quarried -crypt the crazed desperado had set in motion the huge wheels of his -impious engine. The waters beat upon the walls and towers; they tottered -and crumbled, and, whirling as they fell, buried their builder beneath a -pyramid of shattered stone. - -But, as Miriam still rose aloft, she saw the vast sphere of Saturn -outspread beneath her. Upon its surface, revealed in the intense light of -the blazing arch, the myriads of the Saturnians performed in concert the -evolutions of their mystic rite. They covered the face of the sphere like -a network of many colored strands, ceaselessly shifting and reforming in -harmonious figures; a living web, through whose threads coursed the single -will and impulse to master disorder with order, darkness with light, hate -with love. The great globe was clothed with a lovely iridescence, the -mingling hues of which united in white shafts of light, bearing in their -bosom the invisible rays of spiritual energy which should counteract and -overcome the profane forces of dissolution. Slowly but irresistibly the -gigantic struggle issued in the victory of law and peace, and the infernal -armies of rebellion and chaos gave way before the might of their -opponents. Miriam saw the throes and heavings of tortured Tor gradually -subside, and the planet resumed the steadfast track of its orbit. The -embassy of Zarga, faithfully fulfilled, had not failed of its object. - -A hand was at her bridle rein, though invisible to her sight; but she -yielded with confidence to its guidance. - -“Dearest,” she said, “must that draft which you accepted for my sake from -Solarion part us on earth henceforth, or may we be fully reunited here?” - -“I took the risk, beloved,” he replied. “What will be the outcome I cannot -tell. We love each other, and love’s gains must always be greater than its -sacrifices, for any sacrifice in that cause can but give each of us to the -other the more. But it seems to me that the halo of which Lamara told me -must be the reward of a soul so loyal, loving, and magnanimous as to give -all for the sole happiness of giving. No other gift is pure enough to be -divine.” - -Tears gushed to Miriam’s eyes; and she bent down and kissed the forehead -of the little gnome who lay lifeless across her saddle. - -The flames of the ring subsided as they dropped in wide circlings toward -Saturn. The choral dance had ceased, and the people had retired to their -places. But the planet bloomed with a fresh, unprecedented beauty; the air -rang with birdsongs, and was rich with flower-fragrance. When Miriam -alighted on the turf in front of the amphitheater, a deputation of the -little Nature people were awaiting her. They took Jim’s body and laid it -on a bier which they had brought, made of green boughs woven together and -covered with flowers, and bore it away, to the music of quaint chantings, -just as Lamara and some others came up the slope from the sea. - - -CHAPTER XXXII -DIVIDED - -LAMARA took Miriam in her arms and kissed her. The caress revived the -girl’s drooping strength and sent currents of joyous sunshine rippling -through her veins. A glorious light invested Lamara herself, as if from a -divine baptism. - -“Saturn will bless you forever,” Lamara said. “You have brought us a new -era. We were relaxed in a dangerous ease, too well content with what we -were, and too little mindful that what we receive loses its virtue if it -be not passed on to others. Tor was a lesson never to be forgotten. The -worst fate was barely averted; and it will be our happy task to create -there a state of life less gloomy and cruel than they have known till now. -Torpeon is gone; but we pray for his forgiveness; for much of the sin of -his transgression lies at our door. Zarga—we hope for her return, but she -is long absent.” - -“Zarga is at peace,” said Solarion, who had joined the group unobserved. -“The wound she received in the cavern, which she never disclosed, bled -inwardly. It could never have been healed in this world. She made amends; -and love will find her out.” - -Miriam gazed hopefully from one to another face of those who surrounded -her. But the face her soul longed for was not visible, nor was the sense -of his presence any longer felt as before. She had not courage to ask the -question that trembled on her lips. But all looked tenderly upon her. -Argon, whose cheeks were wet with the tears shed for his sister, took her -hand and kissed it. Aunion’s eyes dwelt upon her with deep benignity; but -there was silence till Solarion addressed her. - -“The mystery of life and death is never solved on earth, little sister,” -he said; “nor can it be known when or why one will be taken and another -left. But lovers who know love have believed that what seems parting may -be the means of a dearer union; because they found that kisses of mortal -lips foretold more than they could fulfill.” - -“It is not that I would call him back, if he is gone,” she replied -tremulously, “but that I might follow where he is.” - -Solarion smiled and said: “It is not far to go.” - -“But you will return to your home again,” added Lamara, putting an arm -around her. “Your father has need of you; and Mary Faust would speak with -you. You have seen and known things they will be glad to hear. You will -find all prepared for your reception. Come, now, and let us spend a -farewell hour together.” - -But Miriam bent her head upon Lamara’s bosom and wept. - -“I have no strength for more farewells,” she said. “I can have faith that -there may be happiness for me; but it shines so far away, and the path to -it seems so lonely, and I am so weary of journeying, and fear of myself is -so heavy upon me, that I wish to be put upon my way at once. If I delayed -here, my heart would still seek for my beloved, and I could find no rest. - -“I know”—she looked sadly at Solarion—“that, after all is done, I may not -find him; but there is comfort in the seeking; to pause and turn aside -even among you, friends who are so dear, would breed shadows in me which -would throw their darkness over you. Your world is too bright and great -for me. My mind cannot compass it; my nature is not formed to its measure; -its joys are all too sublime, its thoughts too profound. Had you not—as I -feel you have—screened its full splendors from my senses, I could not have -endured them. - -“God, I think, fashions each of us to fit the world to which we are born, -and has made the spaces that separate them so vast as an admonition to us -to hold to our own. I can bring to my home people no message wiser than -this. They are restless and ambitious and reach out after remote and -hidden things; they create wealth and torture Nature to make her reveal -her secrets; in their anxiety to miss no gain and lose no pleasure, they -hurry to and fro, and perish in pursuit of a fantom whose substance was -all the while beside them. I have shared their errors; but among you I -have gathered some truth. - -“The only knowledge that enriches comes from within; all that is -immortally loveable comes to us as spontaneously and simply as the songs -of birds and the perfume and colors of flowers. You have taught me much; -but he from whom I have learned most is the one whom I had least regarded -till near the end; the little being whose only self was his loyalty to -others, who made the great voyage from no motive but to serve those he -loved; and, when his end was gained, died with a smile on his lips in the -act of resigning his last chance of life to insure their safety. Your -Nature people have taken his body; I pray God that I may have become -worthy, when I die, to be near the place where God keeps his soul!” - -Solarion and Lamara exchanged a glance. - -“The flowers on Jim’s grave,” Solarion said, “will draw their perfume and -beauty from the pure devotion which the rough rind of his nature -concealed. Death discloses the loveliness in him which was disguised while -he lived by the veil of his humility. He is a word of the spirit, spoken -through the letter of a humble and mutilated body, which being now -interpreted, will sweeten and enlighten the world.” - -“Nevertheless,” observed Lamara—and something in her tone caused a secret -hope to stir in Miriam’s heart—“not every flower owes its bloom and -fragrance to a grave!” - -With Aunion preceding, the friends now entered the amphitheater, whose -august interior was first revealed to Miriam. But it was no longer filled -with countless thousands of human creatures, nor did the judges sit upon -their thrones. Instead, the enormous crater of the auditorium was thronged -from base to summit with roses of all tints; the vines clambered -luxuriantly from bench to bench, peeped from every aperture, blushed and -blanched from side to side of the sun-steeped bowl, and tossed their -joyful faces toward the sky from the topmost parapets. From the fervent -gold of their hearts was dispensed an incense that seemed to find its way -into the very soul of the beholder and to feed the inmost springs of life -with sumptuous delight. The soft yet imperial splendor of each blossom -added its gracious potency to its neighbors, till the whole arena -palpitated in an apotheosis of the flower-queen—the rapturous triumph of -the immortal rose. To breathe was ecstasy; and the eye drank unappeasable -drafts of delicate intoxication. As Miriam moved forward, her spirit -subdued to a harmonious tranquility, the rich notes of nightingales welled -out upon her ear, transmuting by their alchemy the realms of color and -perfume into song. - -And now, bestowed by what hand she knew not, she felt the clustering of -roses on her head; their petals caressed her cheeks; the heavy blooms -mantled her shoulders and trailed even to her feet; no bride prepared for -her nuptials was ever so attired. She was drawing near to a bower erected -in the center of the arena—a structure woven of roses, white as a virgin’s -soul without, within rose red as the pure passion of her heart. Into that -glow she entered, and found a golden altar, before which she knelt and -closed her eyes. - -Ah, if the bridegroom would come! - - -CHAPTER XXXIII -JIM’S REWARD - -AN East Indian reclining chair, eased with soft pillows and placed in the -embrasure of a western window, took the rays of the sinking sun, and was -breathed upon by the light evening air. The window was open, and across a -breadth of green park enclosure was visible the broad gleam of the Hudson, -flowing seaward beneath its parapets of brown rock. Miriam, as she lay in -the chair, had just opened her eyes upon this familiar scene; and not less -familiar was the spacious room which she knew she could see by turning her -head; she had often sat there on summer evenings like this, holding -discourse with Mary Faust on matters, deep or trifling, of heaven and -earth. There was a wonderful scent of roses in the room, and when she -lifted a hand indolently to her head she was surprised to find herself -wearing a crown of roses; roses, too, trailed along the sides of the chair -and hung down to the floor, as if she were lying upon a bed of them. -Magnificent flowers they were, and not of any species that she remembered. -Where had they come from? - -As she idly debated this question in her mind, she was conscious of a sort -of gentle puzzlement in her thoughts; the continuity of events seemed -broken; she could not recall what had preceded her coming to this room. -Had she fallen asleep, and had Mary caused her to be conveyed hither in -that condition? She was not wont to take naps at this hour. Had she been -ill? That seemed still more unlikely; illness and she were strangers. Had -Mary, for some undisclosed purpose, thrown her into a trance? Least -probable of all! - -What had they been doing that day? She had arrived early; she had found -Mary absorbed in mathematical calculations of the transcendent order; they -had exchanged a few words, and then Miriam had gone alone into the -laboratory. There she had paced up and down for a while, revolving the -great enterprise which they had so long been working on together. Would -it, after all, prove actually practicable? Theoretically, there seemed to -be no opening for doubt; and yet— Finally, the better to pursue her -meditations, she remembered seating herself in the chair of the -psycho-physical engine; and her hand—her right hand—had rested on the head -of the great lever. Would anything really happen were she to press it -down? - -She recalled the flitting of that thought through her brain. The lever was -so nicely adjusted as to move at a very slight impulse; and then— - -She uttered a sharp cry—a cry of terror. She huddled down in the chair, -half raising her hands as if to ward off a blow. She panted as from a -race. Her feeling was that a world was falling down upon her to crush her. -After a few moments she pressed her hands over her eyes and quick moans -broke from her. She felt a hand laid gently on her head—a cool, soothing -hand. By and by she sat up and stared fearfully about her. - -“Oh, Mary, what happened?” she muttered. “Was it true?” - -“Take your time, dear,” Mary replied. “You got back safe. It’s all right. -Shall I tell Jenny to bring you a cup of tea?” - -“Jenny! But she was—we were taken up in a moment. Oh, my poor Jenny!” - -“Jenny was my affair,” said Mary Faust, with her grave smile. “I furnished -her, and of course I provided for her return. She is none the worse for -the trip.” - -Miriam had not yet recovered her spiritual footing. “Saturn!” she -murmured. “Lamara—Zarga! Torpeon!” - -Suddenly she snatched at the right sleeve of her dress, and tore it -across, exposing the shoulder. She scrutinized it eagerly. The mark was -still there, but instead of red it now appeared as a white scar. Mary -Faust eyed it with interest. - -“He must have stamped it deep!” she observed. “It has survived your -Saturnian incarnation. But its power is gone; it’s only a memento now.” - -“I was there!” said Miriam wonderingly; “and this is our own earth again!” - -“It was a trying experience,” said her friend in a matter-of-fact tone; -“but our science is vindicated, and we need never repeat the experiment. -We’ll talk it over at our leisure some other time. What lovely roses you -brought back with you! The place looked like a conservatory! We understand -the principle, of course; but it was exquisitely done! I wish I could have -been with you; but I kept in touch as well as I could.” - -“They know and honor you there; and Solarion!” “Yes, I have much to thank -him for. But don’t be agitated, dear; things will take their proper places -by degrees. The world will be under a great obligation to you. Your -departure was a little premature, but after all it was better so. There -was only one sad thing about it; and that, too, has beauty and -consolation. Dear little Jim!” - -Miriam turned and bent upon her friend a long and poignant look. She tried -to command herself, but her lips quivered and tears ran down her face. - -“So may worlds,” she faltered, “and death in all of them! Jim was a hero, -and he died for me; but why must the other be taken, and I be left? -Without him, what use am I? I had begun to know what love is; and now I am -alone! Mary, his spirit was with me in that last terrible scene; I could -even see him and hear his voice. Why couldn’t he stay with me, if only as -a spirit? God has all power, in heaven and on earth!” - -“The scope of science does not include such problems,” said Mary Faust -composedly. “But I should suppose that any conscious intercourse between -the two planes of life must be exceptional and transient—in our present -stage of development, at any rate. Spirit consorts with spirit, and flesh -with flesh; that is normal and wholesome. To overstep the boundaries is -dangerous and leads to confusions. Neither side can be of use in its place -if it is continually trespassing upon the other. If I had a lover, and -knew that he was still alive and loved me, why should I mourn because his -senses and mine function for a while under different conditions, and are -themselves of a different order? If he had ceased to be, or loved me no -more, that might be a cause for mourning.” - -“You are wise and reasonable,” said Miriam, with a sigh; “but it seems to -me to be cause for mourning, too, that a warm, loving, beating human heart -must survive in the ice of your logic, with only a memory and a hope—which -may become frozen, too.” - -“Matters may turn out better than you think,” was Mary Faust’s reply. -“Meanwhile, your father is waiting in the next room. Will you go to him?” - -“Dearest father!” exclaimed Miriam rising. “Yes, there are more loves than -one.” - -She wiped the tears from her cheeks, and with the rose-wreaths still -clinging about her, followed her friend into the shadowy spaces of the -laboratory. - -From the gloom the sturdy figure of the white-headed old contractor -started forward, grasped his daughter by the shoulders with trembling -hands, and gazed into her face with a devouring look. - -“Me own colleen!” he cried in a breaking voice. “Come back safe and alive -to her old daddy! Glory be to God and all the blessed saints! Oh, honey, -honey, don’t ye never be doin’ the likes again. Sure, the heart was most -bruck in me!” He held her to him with an almost desperate clutch. “Take -all ye want in this world—marry any man ye like—but, stay where the old -daddy that loves ye can feast his eyes on ye.” - -“Darling daddy!” murmured she; “You’re all I have left; thank God for -you.” - -“Long live Oireland!” rejoined the old man fervently but incoherently. - -Two tall figures stood in the background; one of them began to come -forward, not quickly, but with an inevitableness like the drawing of -planet to planet. The other, with a cigar between his fingers, watched the -scene with an amused but genuine interest. - -Miriam did not observe the newcomer till he was close upon her. Without -directly looking at him, she involuntarily drew back a little, with a -feeling that no outsider should intrude upon this meeting. At this moment -Mary Faust touched a button, and the room was filled with light. - -Miriam’s arms fell to her sides, nor was there strength in her to lift a -finger. Nor had her lips power to form themselves into a smile; but the -soul within her rushed into her widely opened eyes with such a radiance of -speechless joy that the others turned aside and retired noiselessly into a -remote part of the great chamber, realizing that the place of these two -was holy ground. He came forward another step; but not yet did she believe -that this was more than a return of that blessed vision which had been -granted her on the other side of space. Oh, was not this happiness enough! - -She seemed to herself to be floating in a shining void of heaven, with the -glow of a great warmth suffusing her. How real, how near seemed his face. -Or was it that she herself had unawares been borne to paradise, and they -were met to part no more! - -“I cannot bear it, love!” she whispered. “It seems too real. And then to -have you go again.” - -But now she felt a touch; his arms, firm and strong, were round her; his -lips were upon her lips, and no illusion or magic prevented them. Her cry -sprang forth like the warbling of a bird—joy, passion, and music in one: - -“Oh, Jack; my darling, my love, my own! It’s you; it’s you, you, your own -blessed self! Jack, it’s forever!” Her hands caught at him, gripped him -hard, his arms, his shoulders, his face; her fingers plunged in his hair. -“Oh, love, you were dead, and are alive again!” - -Twilight had entered into night when the lovers compelled themselves to -issue from their paradise, and join the others where they sat at a table -near an open window in the laboratory. The window was wide and high, and -commanded a large view of the heavens in that quarter. A great star hung -midway aloft, giving out a serene light. The lights in the room had been -lowered, as if not to detract from its radiance. Miriam’s hold upon her -lover’s arm tightened: - -“Jack, we were there” - -“Eight hundred million miles!” said he. - -“And you went there for me!” - -“I would go to Sirius for you; the universe is not large enough to keep me -from you. Nothing is too far for love.” - -The tall man who had been Jack’s companion rose from the table, and came -forward with a jolly bow and smile. Miriam recognized Sam Paladin. - -“I’m very glad to see you home again, Miss Mayne,” he said, grasping her -hand. “I used to fancy I’d done some trotting about, but I shall sit at -your feet henceforth. As for that boy Jack, he deserves less credit. Who -wouldn’t do as much for such an object?” - -“Sure and I’d have gone meself, if they’d let me,” said Terence Mayne. - -Jenny brought the tea, curtsying happily to her mistress and looking more -natural than ever. - -After some chat about some business and politics, chiefly between Terence -and Sam, Mary Faust suddenly excused herself and went out. She returned -after a few minutes. - -“I have had a message from our friends,” she said, addressing Miriam and -Jack more especially, and with as much simplicity as if the message were -from down-town. “Lamara and the judges have conferred, and she wishes you -to know the result. Will you follow me—all of you?” - -They got up, and she led them to a part of the laboratory partitioned off -from the main room, and fitted up somewhat after the manner of an oratory. -Neither the lovers nor the other two had any notion of what was to happen. - -There was an oval window looking to the south and east, through which the -rays of the planet Saturn fell and rested upon a couch, draped with a robe -of white samite, bordered with blue. Mary Faust, with a reverent gesture, -turned back this coverlet, and the body of Jim was revealed, with his -crutch beside him. There was no other illumination in the place than what -proceeded from the planet: but as the eyes of the spectators grew -accustomed to the dimness, the face of the little gnome was distinctly -visible. There was a trace of the good-humored grin on his lips, with -which he had met all the vagaries of fortune; but also an innocent -lovableness which his indomitable spirit had disguised during his earthly -life. All gazed upon this spectacle with affectionate sympathy. - -“Lamara told me,” said Mary Faust, breaking the silence, “that the highest -honor among Saturnians is indicated by a halo, symbolizing the perfect -love that has no thought of self. It is bestowed by the ruler of the -planet, sitting in counsel with the wisest of the realm; but the gift does -not come from them, but from the Source of life and love, who communicates -it to them as almoners. And she asked me to bring you here for witness.” - -As they stood about the couch, Miriam’s hand in Jack’s, Sam and Terence -gravely attentive, the faint, diffused light gathered more definitely upon -the dead urchin’s head. At length it seemed as if the light emanated -therefrom, rather than from the distant globe. Still it brightened, and -now assumed the form of a ring of purest radiance, shining above his -forehead; if a circle of pearls could be fire, they would appear thus. It -was visible for several minutes; and whether it then vanished, or whether -the eyes of the onlookers were unable any longer to discern it, was -doubtful. Perhaps it was a thing which only persons of good will and pure -heats could have seen at all. - -They went out in silence; but the meaning of the halo sank deep into the -lovers’ souls, and its light guided their life. - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE COSMIC COURTSHIP *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as creation -of derivative works, reports, performances and research. Project -Gutenberg eBooks may be modified and printed and given away--you may -do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks not protected -by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the trademark -license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country other than the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where - you are located before using this eBook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm website -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that: - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the manager of -the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the Foundation as set -forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non-profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, -Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up -to date contact information can be found at the Foundation's website -and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without -widespread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine-readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our website which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This website includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |