imb
almost to the shoulder--he poured out a defiant speech against Apleon,
adding "I have challenged! I wait for my challenge to be accepted."

A sudden, awesome silence fell upon all the gathered, listening
thousands. They had not long to wait, for in that same instant a
fierce crimson light shone in the dark heavens above them, and looking
up they saw a fiery ruby scroll like flame rushing downwards through
the sky.

An instant later the fiery scroll resolved itself into the characters
of the "Covenant Sign" ("The Mark of the Beast.") With a swoop, like
that of some crimson Albatross, the thing descended until it seemed
almost to touch the platform where the challenger "Conrad" stood.
Then, to the amaze and delight of the vast audience in "The Fan," out
from convolutions of the central sign of the "Mark," Apleon stepped on
to the platform.

His aerial chair (on this occasion made in the form of his own "number
and sign") rose swiftly again and hovered mid-air.

The false Christ was as white of face as his robe. He visibly cowered
and shrank before the coming of the giant figure of the World's
Dictator, as the latter strode in three long strides across the
platform.

For one brief second, amid the hush and silence of the absolute awe
that rested on the mighty audience, challenger and challenged stood
facing each other. Then Apleon's voice was heard, as with a sweep of
his hand he uttered the one word:

"PERISH, thou Fool!"

As his hand swept the air in the direction of the false Prophet, a wide
sheet of flame leaped out of space, enveloped the white-robed figure,
and it was instantly consumed. As at the burning of the sacrificial
lamb at the dedication of the temple at Jerusalem, so now, the flame
that had consumed the challenging imposter floated a yard or two over
the spot where he had stood, and slowly resolved itself into "The Sign
of the Covenant" ("Mark of the Beast,") in pure ruby flame.

"_He doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven
on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the
earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do._"

Apleon turned towards the mighty gathering, and said triumphantly: "So
perish all impostors!"

A thunder of cheers rose from three quarters of a million throats!
Instantly followed by the chorus of the Apleon ode!

"Hail! Hail! Hail Man of Men!
World's Deliverer!
APLEON!"

Like a living