tire approached from the direction of the king's quarters.

"To your chambers, master," he announced, bowing respectfully.

Thorndyke arose and followed him to an elevator near by. They ascended
to the highest balcony of the great rotunda. Here they alighted and
turned to the right, the page leading the way, a key in his hand.
Presently the page stopped at a door and unlocked it and preceded
the Englishman into the room. As they entered an electric light in a
chandelier flashed up automatically.

It was a sumptuous apartment, and adjoining it were several connecting
rooms all elegantly furnished. The page crossed the room and opened a
door to a little stairway.

"It leads to the roof," he said. "The princess told me to call your
attention to it, that you might go out and view the starlight."

When the page had retired, Thorndyke, feeling lonely, ascended the
stairs to the roof. It was perfectly flat save for the great dome which
stood in the centre and the numerous pinnacles and cupolas on every
hand, and was very spacious. The Englishman's loneliness increased, for
no matter in what direction he looked, there was not a living soul in
sight. Far in front of him he saw a stone parapet. He went to this and
looked down on the city. The electric lights were vari-colored, and
arranged so that when seen from a distance or from a great height they
assumed artistic designs that were beautiful to behold.

The regular streets and rows of buildings stretched away till the light
in the farthest distance seemed an ocean of blending colors. Overhead
the vault was black, and only here and there shone a star; but as he
looked upward they began to flash into being, and so rapidly that the
sky seemed a vast battlefield of electricity.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" he ejaculated enthusiastically, when the black
dome was filled with twinkling stars. He leaned for a long time against
the parapet, listening to the music from the streets below, and watching
the flying-machines with their vari-colored lights rise from the little
parks at the intersection of the streets and dart away over the roofs
like big fireflies. Then he began to feel sleepy, and, going back to his
chambers, he retired.

When he awoke the next morning, the rosy glow of the sun was shining
in at his windows. On rising he was surprised to find a delectable
breakfast spread on a table in his sitting-room.

"Treating me like a lord, any way," he said drily. "I can't say I