lutched my shoulders, awkwardly making as if to kiss me. In an instant
she was in my arms, with a low, happy little cry."

CHAPTER VII

A MODERN GULLIVER

"The clattering fall of rain brought us to ourselves. Rising to her
feet, Lylda pulled me over to the window-opening, and together we stood
and looked out into the night. The scene before us was beautiful, with a
weirdness almost impossible to describe. It was as bright as I had ever
seen this world, for even though heavy clouds hung overhead, the light
from the stars was never more than a negligible quantity.

"We were facing the lake--a shining expanse of silver radiation, its
surface shifting and crawling, as though a great undulating blanket of
silver mist lay upon it. And coming down to meet it from the sky were
innumerable lines of silver--a vast curtain of silver cords that broke
apart into great strings of pearls when I followed their downward
course.

"And then, as I turned to Lylda, I was struck with the extraordinary
weirdness of her beauty as never before. The reflected light from the
rain had something the quality of our moonlight. Shining on Lylda's
body, it tremendously enhanced the iridescence of her skin. And her
face, upturned to mine, bore an expression of radiant happiness and
peace such as I had never seen before on a woman's countenance."

The Chemist paused, his voice dying away into silence as he sat lost in
thought. Then he pulled himself together with a start. "It was a sight,
gentlemen, the memory of which I shall cherish all my life.

"The next day was that set for my entrance into the war. Lylda and I had
talked nearly all night, and had decided that she was to return with me
to my world. By morning the rain had stopped, and we sat together in the
window-opening, silenced with the thrill of the wonderful new joy that
had come into our hearts.

"The country before us, under the cloudless, starry sky, stretched
gray-blue and beautiful into the quivering obscurity of the distance. At
our feet lay the city, just awakening into life. Beyond, over the
rolling meadows and fields, wound the road that led out to the
battle-front, and coming back over it now, we could see an endless line
of vehicles. These, as they passed through the street beneath our
window, I found were loaded with soldiers, wounded and dying. I
shuddered at the sight of one cart in particular, and Lylda pressed
close to me, pleading with her eyes for my help for