Part 26 (1/2)
”Every father is a God to his daughter, or should be; also in my day millions named me a God because I saw further and struck harder than they could As for the rest, it came to me in a vision Oh! Bickley, if you iser than you think you are, you would know that all things to coht from stars
Sole ift which cannot be commanded, even by me Also I did not know that you would come I knew only that we should awaken and by the help of men, for if none had been present at that destined hour we must have died for lack of warmth and sustenance”
”I deny your hypothesis in toto,” exclaimed Bickley, but nobody paid any attention to hi before hirace, ”I have noted your commands But do you per of our past?”
”Yes, yes,” he said ”It will save ue that is difficult tothem here no more without h in the upper world, let him come tomorrow to teach me, and afterwards if so I desire Or if he wills, he can sleep here”
”I think I would rather not,” said Bastin hurriedly ”Iparticular, but this place does not appeal to rees in the pleasures of solitude and, in short, I will not disturb your privacy at night”
Oro waved his hand and we departed down that awful and most dreary hall
”I hope you will spend a pleasant ti back from the doorway at its cold, illuminated vastness
”I don't expect to,” he answered, ”but duty is duty, and if I can drag that old sinner back fro Only I havefamily resemblance to Beelzebub, and he's a bad coh the portico, Yva leading us, and passed the fountain of Life-water, of which she cautioned us to drink no ed Toered under the pretence ofa further exa into his pocket the contents of a corked bottle of quinine tabloids which he always carried with hiuessed very well that his object was to procure a sample of this water for future analysis Of course I said nothing, and Yva and Bastin took no note of what he was doing
When ere clear of the palace, of which we had only seen one hall, alked across an open space etation or other sign of life, towards a huge building of glorious proportions that was constructed of black stone or htful solemnity of this doomed edifice, for as I think I have said, it alone had a roof, standing there in theand most unnatural illumination which came from nowhere and yet was everywhere
Thus, when one lifted a foot, there it was between the sole of the boot and the floor, or to express it better, the boot threw no shadow
I think this absence of shadoas perhaps thecircuht Through it alked on to the temple We passed three courts, pillared all of theer than St Paul's in London We entered through huge doors which still stood open, and presently found ourselves beneath the towering dome There were no hy should there be in a place that was full of light? There was no ornaeneral effect was race
”In this place,” said Yva, and her sweet voice hispering round the walls and the arching dos of the Sons of Wisdom They lie beneath, each in his sepulchre Its entrance is yonder,” and she pointed to what seeht
”Would you wish to see them?”
”Somehow I don't care to,” said Bastin ”The place is dreary enough as it is without the cos”
”I should like to dissect one of them, but I suppose that would not be allowed,” said Bickley
”No,” she answered ”I think that the Lord Oro would not wish you to cut up his forefathers”
”When you and he went to sleep, why did you not choose the family vault?” asked Bastin
”Would you have found us there?” she queried by way of answer Then, understanding that the invitation was refused by general consent, though personally I should have liked to accept it, and have never ceased regretting that I did not, she moved towards a colossal object which stood beneath the centre of the dome
On a stepped base, not very different froure, draped in a cloak on which was graved a number of stars, doubtless to sy of the cloak was shaped like the crescent ure's feet was fashi+oned to suggest the orb of the sun This was of gold or sohtness in all that teure were ht folds hid its outlines Nor did the head tell us, for the hair also was hidden beneath the ht have been that of either man or woman It was terrible in its solemnity and calm, and its expression was as remote and mystic as that of Buddha, only more stern Also without doubt it was blind; it was i orbs Across the knees lay a naked sword and beneath the cloak the ar was ure of the size of life One was an old and withered man with death stamped upon his face; the other was a beautiful, naked woman, her hands clasped in the attitude of prayer and with vague terror written on her vivid features
Such was this glorious group of which thecould not bethe constellations as his garment, armed with the sword of Destiny and worshi+pped by Life and Death This interpretation I set out to the others
Yva knelt before the statue for a little while, bowing her head in prayer, and really I felt inclined to follow her exah in the end I co off my hat, which, like the others, I still wore froh in this place none were needed Only Bastin remained covered
”Behold the God of my people,” said Yva ”Have you no reverence for it, O Bastin?”