ttle inclined toward silence, soon grew as
noisily merry as the others, drawing deep enjoyment from the moment.

And at the portals of the King's Palace, reached after four hours in
the saddle, followed by thirty minutes on foot, they stood hushed with
wonder. High upon the southern slope of Mt. Temple they had come
abruptly into the unexpected. Here a rugged plateau had caught and
held through the ages the soil which had weathered down from the cliffs
above; here were trees to replace the weary gray brush, shade instead
of glare, birds as welcome substitutes for droning insects, water and
flowers to make the canons doubly cool and fragrant for him who had
ascended from the dry reaches of sand below the talus.

"It's just like fairy-land!" cried the ecstatic Florrie. "Roddy
Norton, I think you're real mean not to have brought me here ages ago!"

"Ages ago, my dear miss," laughed Norton, "you were too little to
appreciate it. You should thank me for bringing you now."

Down through the middle of the plateau from its hidden source ran the
purling stream which was destined to yield to sun and thirsty earth
long before it twisted down the lower slopes of the hills. Along its
edges the grass was thick and rich, shot through everywhere with little
blue blossoms and the golden gleam of the starflowers. Further promise
of yellow beauty was given by the stalks of the evening-primrose
scattered on every hand, the flowers furled now, sleeping. In the
groves were pines, small cedars, and a sprinkling of sturdy dwarf oaks.
And from their shelter came the welcome sound of a bird's twitter.

"It's always about as you see it," Norton explained. "Too hard to get
to, too small when one makes the climb to afford enough pasturage for
sheep. And now the Palace itself."

Straight ahead the cliffs overhung the farther rim of the plateau. And
there, under the out-jutting roof of rock, an ancient people had
fashioned themselves a home which stood now as when their hands
laboriously set it there. The protected ledge which afforded eternal
foundation was slightly above the plateau's level, to be reached by a
series of "steps" in the rock, steps which were holes worn deep,
perhaps five hundred years ago. The climb was steep, hazardous unless
one went with due precaution, but the four holiday-makers hurried to
begin it.

So close to the edge of the rock ledge did the walls of the ruin stand
that there was barely room to edge alon