"I see that you guess the end. My ancestor was a great student of the sciences and had already thought of putting electricity to practical use. You are surprised? Yes, it has been applied to our purposes for two hundred years, while your people have understood its use such a short time.""Great heavens!" exclaimed the Englishman. "I see it all; the sun is an electric one!""Yes."
"And it runs mechanically over its great course as regularly as clock-work.""More accurately, I assure you, but there probably never was a greater mathematical problem than they solved in deciding on the size the sun should be and amount of light necessary to fill up all the recesses of the great vacancy. It was all very crude at the start; for years a great electric light was simply suspended in the centre of the cavern's roof and the light did not vary in color. A son of the first king suggested the plan of giving the sun diurnal movement and the changing light. The moon and stars were a later development. They found, too, that the light could not be made to reach certain recesses in the cavern where the roof approached the earth, so they finally built a great wall to keep the inhabitants within proscribed boundaries, and to prevent them from understanding the machinery of the heavens.""Wonderful!" exclaimed Thorndyke. "But the temperature of the atmosphere, how does that happen to be so delightful and beneficial?""I believe they do not themselves thoroughly comprehend that. The heat comes from the internal fires, and the fresh air from without in some mysterious way. At first, in a few places, the heat was too severe, but the scientific men among the first settlers obviated this difficulty by closing up the hottest of the fissures and opening others in the cooler parts of the cavern.""And the people, where did they come from?"
"From all parts of the earth. We had agents outside who selected such men and women that were willing to come, and who filled all the requirements, mentally and physically.""But why do they desire to live here instead of out in the world, when they have all the wealth that they need to assure every advantage.""They dread death, and it is undoubtedly true that life is prolonged here; our medical men declare that the longevity of every generation is improved.""Is it possible? But tell me about the sun, when it sets, what becomes of it?""It goes back to its place of rising through a great tunnel beneath us."Thorndyke sat in deep thought for a moment; then he looked so steadily and so admiringly into Bernardino's eyes that she grew red with confusion. "But you, yourself, are you thoroughly content here?""I know nothing else," she continued. "I have heard little about your world except that your people are discontented, weak and insane, and that your changeable weather and your careless laws regarding marriage and heredity produce perpetual and innumerable diseases; that your people are not well developed and beautiful;that you war with one another, and that one tears down what another builds. I have, too, always been happy, and since you came I am happier still. I don't know what it means. I have never been so much interested in any one before.""It is love on the part of both of us," replied the Englishman impulsively, taking her hand. "I never was content before. I went roving over the earth trying to end my life at sea or in balloon voyages, but now I only want to be with you. I have never dreamed that I could be so happy or that I would meet any one so beautiful as you are."Bernardino's delight showed itself in blushes on her face, and Thorndyke, unable to restrain himself, put his arm around her and drew her to his breast and kissed her.
She sprang up quickly and he saw that she was trembling and that all the color had fled from her face.
"What is the matter?" he asked, in alarm.
At first she did not answer, but only looked at him half-frightened, and then covered her face with her hands. He drew them from her face and compelled her to look at him.
"What is the matter?" he repeated, a strange fear at his heart.
"You have broken one of the most sacred laws of our country," she faltered, in great embarrassment; "my father would punish me very severely if he knew of it, and he would banish you; for, to treat me in that manner, as his daughter, is regarded as an insult to him.""I beg your pardon most humbly," said the contrite Englishman. "It was all on account of my ignorance of your customs and my impulsiveness. It shall never happen again, I promise you."Her face brightened a little and the color came back slowly. She sat down again, but not so near Thorndyke, and seemed desirous of changing the subject.
"And do you love the man my father has transported?" she questioned.
"Yes, he is a good, faithful fellow, and it is hard to die so far away from friends.""We must try to save him, but I cannot now think of a safe plan.
The police are very vigilant."
"Where was he taken?"
"Into the darkness behind the sun--beyond the wall of which Ispoke."
A flush of shame came into Thorndyke's face over the remembrance that he had made no effort to aid poor Johnston, and was sitting listening with delight to the conversation of Bernardino. He rose suddenly.
