ed and throw our
light over Alpha." As he spoke the space about them broke into blinding
brightness and for a few moments they could only open their eyes for
an instant at a time. After a while Branasko opened the closet door and
they went up the stairs.

The first apartment they entered was most luxuriously furnished. Sofas,
couches and reclining-chairs were scattered here and there over the
elegant carpet, and statues of gold and marble stood in alcoves and
niches and strange stereopticon lanterns, hanging from the ceiling threw
ever-changing and life-like pictures on the walls. The light streamed in
from without through small circular windows. After they had walked about
the room for some minutes, the Alphian pointed to a half-open door and a
staircase at one side of the room.

"I think it leads to some sort of observatory on top," he said. "I have
heard that when the royal family makes this voyage they are fond of
looking out from it. Suppose we see." Johnston acquiesced, and Branasko
opened the door. From the increased brightness that came in they were
assured that the stairs led outward.

Ascending many flights of stairs and traversing a narrow winding gallery
which seemed to be gradually sloping upward, they finally reached the
outside, and found themselves on a platform about forty feet square
surrounded by iron balustrades. Above hung impenetrable blackness, below
curved a majestic sphere of white light.

Chapter XII.

The sunlight was fading into gray when the princess turned to leave
Thorndyke. Night was drawing near.

"Have they assigned you a chamber yet?" she paused to ask.

"No."

"Then they have overlooked it; I shall remind the king."

Her beautiful, lithe form was clearly outlined against the red glow of
the massive swinging lamp as she moved gracefully away, and Thorndyke's
heart bounded with admiration and hope as he thought of her growing
regard for him. He resumed his seat among the flowers, listening, as if
in a delightful dream, to the seductive music from bands in different
parts of the palace and the never-ceasing sound in the air which seemed
to him to be the concentrated echo of all the sounds in the strange
country rebounding from the vast cavern roof.

It grew darker. The gray outside had changed to purple. In the palace
the brilliant electric lights in prismatic globes refused to allow the
day to die. He was thinking of returning to the throne-room when a page
in silken at