Land of the Changing Sun

by Will N. Harben

  Chapter VI.

  "Rise!" commanded the king, in a deep, well-modulated voice, and whenthey had arisen he inspected them critically, his eyes lingering onThorndyke.

  "You look as if you take life easily; you have a jovial countenance," hesaid cordially.

  Thorndyke returned his smile and at once felt at ease.

  "There is no use in taking it any other way," he said; "it doesn'tamount to much at best."

  "You are wrong," returned the king, playing with the jewels on his robe,"that is because you have been reared as you have--in your unsystematicworld. Here we make life a serious study. It is our object to assistnature in all things. The efforts of your people amount to nothingbecause they are not carried far enough. Your scientists are dreamingidiots. They are continually groping after the ideal and doing nothingwith the positive. It was for us to carry out everything to perfection.Show me where we can make a single improvement and you shall become aprince."

  "If my life depended on that, my head would be off this instant," wasthe quick-witted reply of the Englishman.

  This so pleased the king that he laughed till he shook. "Well said," hesmiled; "so you like our country?"

  "Absolutely charmed; my friend (Thorndyke was determined to bring hiscompanion into favor, if possible) and I have been in raptures eversince we rose this morning."

  A flush of pleasure crossed the face of the king. "You have not seenhalf of our wonders yet. I confess that I am pleased with you, sir. Themajority of people who are brought here are so frightened that they growmorbid and desirous to return to their own countries as soon as theylearn that such a thing is out of the question."

  Thorndyke's stout heart suffered a sudden pang at the words, but hedid not change countenance in the slightest, for the king was closelywatching the effect of his announcement.

  "Of course," went on the ruler, gratified by the indifference of theEnglishman, "of course, it could not be done. No one, outside of a fewof the royal family and our trusted agents, has ever left us."

  "I can't see how any one could be so unappreciative as to want to go,"answered Thorndyke, with a coolness that surprised even Johnston."I have travelled in all countries under the sun--the sun I was bornunder--and got so bored with them that my friend and myself took toballooning for diversion; but here, there is a delightful surprise atevery turn."

  "I was told you were aeronauts," returned the ruler, deigning to casta glance at the silent Johnston, who stood with eyes downcast, "and Iconfess that it interested me in you."

  At that juncture a most beautiful girl glided through the curtains atthe back of the throne and came impulsively toward the king. Her brownhair fell in rich masses on her bare shoulders; her eyes were large,deep and brown, and her skin was exquisitely fine in texture and color;her dress was artistic and well suited to her lithe figure. She held aninstrument resembling a lute in her hands, and stopped suddenly when shenoticed that the king was engaged.

  "It is my daughter, the Princess Bernardino," explained the king, ashe heard her light step and turned toward her; "she shall sing for you,and, yes (nodding to her) you shall dance also."

  As she took her position on a great rug in front of the throne, she kepther eyes on the handsome Englishman as if fascinated by his appearance.Thorndyke's heart beat quickly; the blood mantled his face and he stoodentranced as she touched the resonant strings with her white fingers andbegan to play and sing. An innocent, artless smile parted her lips fromher matchless teeth, and her face glowed with inspiration. Far above inthe nooks and crannies of the vast dome, with its divergent corridorsand arcades, the faint echoes of her voice seemed to reply to her duringthe pauses in her song. Then she ceased singing and to the far-away andyet distinct accompaniment of some stringed instrument in the orchestra,she began to dance. Holding her instrument in a graceful fashion againsther shoulder as one holds a violin, and with her flowing white gowncaught in the other hand, she bowed and smiled and instantly seemedtransformed. From the statuesque and dreamy singer she became a marvelof graceful motion. To and fro she swept from end to end of the greatrug, her tiny feet and slim ankles tripping so lightly that she seemedto move without support through the air.

  Thorndyke stood as if spell-bound, for, at every turn, as if seeking hisapproval, she glanced at him inquiringly. When she finished she stoodfor a moment in the centre of the rug panting, her beautiful bosom,beneath its filmy covering of lace, gently rising and falling. Then,asking her father's consent with a mute glance, she ran forwardimpulsively, and, kneeling at Thorndyke's feet, she took his hand andpressed it to her lips. And rising, suffused with blushes, she trippedfrom the dais and disappeared behind the curtain.

  The king frowned as he looked after her. "It is a mark of preference,"he said coldly. "It is one of our customs for a dancer or singer tofavor some one of her spectators in that way. My daughter evidentlymistook you for an ambassador from one of my provinces, but it does notmatter."

  "She is wonderfully beautiful," replied the tactful Englishman,pretending not to be flattered by the notice of the princess.

  "Do you think our people fine looking as a rule?" asked the king, tochange the subject.

  "Decidedly; I never imagined such a race existed."

  Again the king was pleased. "That is one of the objects of our system.Generation after generation we improve mentally and physically. We arethe only people who have ever attempted to thoroughly study the scienceof living. Your medical men may be numbered by the million; yourremedies for your ills change daily; what you say is good for the healthto-day is to-morrow believed to be poison; to-day you try to make bloodto give strength, and half a century ago you believed in taking it fromthe weakest of your patients. With all this fuss over health, you willthink nothing of allowing the son of a man who died with a loathsomehereditary disease to marry a woman whose family has never had a taintof blood. Here no such thing is thought of. To begin with, no person whois not thoroughly sound can remain with us. Every heart-beat is heard byour medical men and every vein is transparent. You see evidences ofthe benefit of our system in the men and women around you. All ourconveniences, the excellence of our products, our great inventions arethe result."

  "I have been wondering about the size of your country," venturedThorndyke cautiously.

  The king smiled. "That will be one of the things for you to discoverlater," he returned. "But this, the City of Moron, is the capital; ourprovinces, farming lands, smaller cities, towns and hamlets lie aroundus. Come with me and I will show you something."

  He waved his hand and dismissed a number of courtiers who were waitingto be called, and rose from the throne and led the two captives into alarge apartment adjoining the throne-room. Here they found six men inblue uniforms looking into a large circular mirror on a table. They allbowed and moved aside as the king approached.

  "These men are the municipal police," explained the king, resting hishand on the gold frame of the glass; "they are watching the city." Andwhen the strangers drew nearer they were surprised to see reflected,in the deeply concave glass, the entire city in miniature; its streets,parks, public buildings, and moving populace. And what seemed to be themost remarkable feature of the invention was, that the instant the eyerested on any particular portion of the whole that part was at oncemagnified so that every detail of it was clearly observable.

  "This is an improvement on your police system," continued the king. "Nosooner does anything go wrong than a red signal is given on the spot ofthe trouble and the attention of these officers is immediately calledto it. A flying machine is sent out and the offender is brought to thepolice station; but trouble of any nature rarely occurs, and the dutiesof our police are merely nominal; my people live in thorough harmony.Now, come with me and I will give you an idea of the surroundingcountry."

  As the king spoke he led them into a circular room, the roof of whichwas of white glass, and the walls were lined with large mirrors.

  "This is our general observatory from which every part of Alpha
can beseen," said the king with a touch of pride in his tone. "Look at themirror in front of you."

  They did as he requested, and at first saw nothing; but, as he went to astone table in the centre of the room and touched an electric button,a grand view of green fields, forests, streams, lakes and farm-housesflashed upon the mirror. The king laughed at their surprise and touchedanother button. As he did so the scene shifted gradually; the landscapesran by like a panorama. A pretty village came into sight, and passed;then a larger town and still a larger; then fields, hills and valleysand forests of giant trees.

  "It is that way all over my kingdom," said the king; "in an hour I caninspect it all."

  "But how is it done?" asked Thorndyke, forgetting himself in wonder.

  "Through a telescopic invention, aided by electricity and the clearnessof our atmosphere," replied the king. "It would take too long to gointo the details. The views, however, are reflected to this pointfrom various observatories throughout the land. Such a system would beimpossible in any other country on account of the clouds and atmosphericchanges; but here we control everything."

  "I noticed," returned the Englishman, "that green fields lie besideripening ones and those in which the grain is being harvested."

  "We have no change of seasons," answered the king. "Change of seasonsmay be according to nature, but it is in the province of man's intellectto improve on nature. But I must leave you now; I shall summon you againwhen I have the leisure to continue our conversation."

  "Well, what do you think of it?" asked Johnston, as the king disappearedbehind a curtain in the direction of the audience chamber.

  "I give it up; I only know that the old fellow's daughter, the PrincessBernardino is the most beautiful, the most bewitching creature that everbreathed. Did you notice her eyes and form? Great heavens! was thereever such a vision of human loveliness? Her grace, her voice, herglances drove me wild with delight."

  "You are dead gone," grumbled the American despondently; "we'll neverget away from here in the world. I can see that."

  "I gave up all hope in that direction some time ago," said Thorndyke;"and why should we care? We were awfully bored with life before we came;for my part I'd as soon end mine up here as anywhere else. Besides,didn't his majesty say that they live longer under his system than wedo?"

  "I don't take stock in all he says," growled the American; "he talkslike a Chicago real estate agent who wants to sell a lot. Why doesn't hechop off our heads and be done with it?"

  Thorndyke burst into a jovial laugh. "You are coming round all right;that is the first joke you have got off since we came here; his royalNibs may need a court-jester and give you a job."

  "There goes that blamed sunlight again," exclaimed Johnston, graspinghis companion's arm, "don't you see it changing?"

  "Yes, and this time it is white, like old Sol's natural smile; but isn'tit clear? It seems to me that I could see to the end of the earth inthat light. I want to know how he does it."

  "How who does it?"

  "Why, the king, of course, it is his work--some sort of invention; butwe must keep civil tongues in our heads when we are dealing with a manwho can color the very light of the sun."

  They were walking back toward the great rotunda, and, as they enteredthe conservatory, the crowds of men and women stared at them curiously.They had paused to inspect the statue of a massive stone dragon when ayoung officer in glittering uniform approached and addressed Johnston.

  "Follow me," he said simply; "it is the king's command."

  The American started and looked at Thorndyke apprehensively.

  "Go," said the latter; "don't hesitate an instant."

  Poor Johnston had turned white. He held out his hand to Thorndyke,"Shake," he said in a whisper, not intended for the ears of the officer,"I don't believe that we shall meet again. I felt that we were to beparted ever since that medical examination."

  Thorndyke's face had altered; an angry flush came in his face and hiseyes flashed, but with an effort he controlled himself.

  "Tut, tut, don't be silly. I shall wait for you round here; if there isany foul play I shall make some one suffer for it. You can depend on meto the end; we are hand in hand in this adventure, old man."