have been more than
twenty years old. She possessed a charming presence and a clear and
musical voice. Her eyes were large and blue, and her finely-formed
lips, like blood-red anemones, contrasted finely with the pale golden
hue of her complexion.

Her features combined the witchery of a houri with the strength of
intellect. They were sculptured and illuminated by a grandly-developed
soul.

The odor of a high and steadfast virtue surrounded her. It was not the
virtue of the ascetic, but rather that strength of soul that could
triumph over temptation, that loved fair lights, fine raiment, sweet
colors, and all the gladness and beauty of life.

In her soft right hand she bore a rod of divination, the spiritual
sceptre of Atvatabar. On either side of her stood a twin soul in fond
embrace as a guard of love.

The audience chamber was in itself a dream of grandeur and beauty.
From the rose-tinted glass of the dome overhead a light soft and warm
bathed all beneath with a peculiar sweetness. The lower part of the
walls resembled the cloisters of a mosque. Behind pillars of solid
silver a corridor ran all around the chamber. Here an artistic group
of singers, clad in classic robes in soft colors, perambulated,
singing as they went a refrain of penetrating sweetness. The audience
listened with the deepest respect to the singing and to our
conversation with the goddess. In the assembly were all the notables
of the kingdom, poets, artists, musicians, inventors, sculptors, etc.,
as well as royal and sacerdotal officers.

The singing of the choir, that moved like an apparition of spirits in
the dim cloisters, seemed to embody our thoughts and feelings. For
myself the divine song was a draught of joy. It was a breath of
verdure, of flowers and fruits, of a warm and serene atmosphere made
perfect by the presence of a peerless incarnation of man's universal
soul.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE GODDESS LEARNS THE STORY OF THE OUTER WORLD.

Her holiness was pleased to say how honored she was by receiving us.
Our advent in Atvatabar had created a profound impression upon the
people, and she was no less curious to see us and learn from our own
lips the story of the outer world. She was greatly interested in
comparing the stalwart figures of our sailors with the less vigorous
frames of the Atvatabarese. It could not be expected that men who
handled objects and carried themselves in a land where gravity was
reduced to a minimum cou