Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-28
York.
CHAPTER XIII
The Cilded M


A FTER leaving sajipona. tina found her
"A self in an apartment small compared
with the spacious courts and chambers she
had seen elsewhere in the palace. This apart
,nent differed. also. In Its furnishings-a rev
uncompromsing stone benches along the
walls and nothing more--while the o,m nsn.
gave to everything a gloomy. uninvitins
character. But Una was in no mood 10
linger the queens words had filled her
with an anxiety that must be appeased at
once. Hurrying down the middle OF the long
room. she reached, at the further end. sort
OF staircase, or ramE. leading upward IN
long, sweeping sprals to a height that was
lost in intervening walls and clustered col
umns. Mounting thiA ramp. she noted with
pleasure that the ground floor receded
everything lightened. judging by the splen.
did upward curve Of the walls. she concluded
that she must be ascending gallery winding
around the great central dome OF the court
where, moment before. she had listened
with the others to Sajipona's account of the
mysteries Of the cave. On the inner side OF
the gallery. the side overhanging the court.
the wall was semitransparent. and through
II sparkled flashes Of the radium light Hood
ing the great chamber within.
Light came, also, from the opposite side.
filterng downward. apparently through an
other medium. from the central lumnary
above. The air grew warmer; there were
faint perfumes as Ii of essences distilled
from tropical flowers, that thrilled with
delightful drowsiness. Soft echoes from dis
tant music increased this feeling of restful-
ness Sound and fragrance were 80 subtly
united. they seemed so completely an irradia-
ton from the inner spirit brooding over the
place. that one accepted them as being ut
terly natural, utterly free from the start
ling or the marvellous.
Una could not guess the source of the
liquid. musical notes. They might have
come from the quaint instruments she had
seen SO deftly played upon by the cavemen
with AuitOO from the lyye that,
at Sajipona's touch, gave forth such plaintive
melodies But the music she listened to now
was not continuous it's lack Of formal mel
ody. unity of theme. gave it a quality differ
ent from anything she had ever heard. In
the outer world 1t might have been taken for
the wind song sweeping through tossed
branches of forest trees But here there was
neither wind nor forest. The air was notion
less, and had ever been so; the vast spaces
seemed filled with the unruffled sleep OF
centuries. Down below, in the great court.
and even in the palace garden. saturated
with light and beauty though both were, one
felt something of the chill mystery that
penetrates all underground places: Here
there was mystery. but it was a kind that
soothed rather than terrified. Tier by tier,
as Una passed along the slender white
columns inclosing the gallery up which she
was ascending, the sense Of gloom, forebod-
ing, that had weighed upon her until now
was weakened. She felt the magic of a
world OF romance anu ADVENTURE SHc
was at the Very heart of it's secret. Flashes
of color in paneled inches along the walls
paued her curiosity. Robes OF vivid scar
let hiding limbs OF sparkling whiteness. 1t
might be, hung just beyond her reach. Fur
ther on these inches were filled with glitter
ing masses of gold. heaped high In barbaric
scorn of art fitness Rudely fashioned
crowns massive enough to have burdened
their wearers with more than the traditional
care that goes with royalty; armlets. breast
plates, tiaras heavy with emera!ds-ih deep
recesses, row on row. from story to story.
these witnesses of the pomp and pride of
fallen nations were thrown together in
careless profusOn possible only In an Alad-
din's palace Of marvels.
AS Una hurried past she realized with a
thrill that she was In the ancient treasure
house of once mighty empire. The fruit of
the earths richest mines brought here by
tho labor and cunning of centuries, lay at
her ha nd II seemed impossible that all this.
ieweled splendor could have escaped the fire
Of war and crime that had kindled within
the breasts Of millions who had sacrificed
their lives merely to grasp some small per-
tion of It, Fascinating baublee now were
these relics of past greatness. dainty or rude.
mea eaningless, or eloquent OF forgotten faiths
and legends. Innocent of harm they SEEM
sd a passing feast for the eye. trophies to
csisbrste and adorn feminine loveliness. bat
M longer a madness In the bones of men.
Thus. vaguely, did this vision OF ancient
riches appear to Una. Gold and jewels robes
and ornaments wrought by an art that had
haen lost long since-the rich color the gilt
Ter Of all these things delighted her
They seemed a part-the vSible part-of
the music and fragrance with which the
windins gallery Of marves was hlled. II
anneared to her that she was on the
threshold of some great awakening experi-
snce. She knew that II was David whom
.hs would see: and this knowledge started
strange conflict of emotions. The memory
cf his lack of faith. the incomprehsnsible
manner In which he had turned from her
hrousht humiliation. anger. But the hrst
hitterness that went with all this had lost its
corrosive power. The spell Of the ancient
indian race whose secrets she was exploring
vas upon her. Her senses were soothed by
| The myterious beauty of these enchanted COR
ridorss Here she would see David-and the
| thought was indefinitely satisfying. shs AID
moi know whsthsr she could forgive him.
whether she could become rsconciled to . dis
| loyalty that had 20 easily svervee him from
| ~ n,oat sacrso ~ yovs, ppts asteeI A. a
n