CHAPTER XXIV
LYLDA ACTS
"She'll do it," the Very Young Man murmured, staring at the doorwaythrough which Lylda had disappeared. "She can do anything."
The Chemist rose to his feet. "I'll send Oteo. Will you wait heregentlemen? And will you have some of the drugs ready for Lylda? You havethem with you?" The men nodded.
"How about Lylda carrying the drugs?" asked the Very Young Man. "Andwhat about her clothes?"
"I have already made a belt for Lylda and for myself--some time ago,"the Chemist answered. "During the first year I was here I made severalexperiments with the drugs. I found that almost anything within theimmediate--shall I say influence of the body, will contract with it.Almost any garment, even a loose robe will change size. You found thatto be so to some extent. Those belts you wore down--"
"That's true," agreed the Doctor, "there seems to be considerablelatitude----"
"I decided," the Chemist went on, "that immediately after your arrivalwe should all wear the drugs constantly. You can use the armpit pouchesif you wish; Lylda and I will wear these belts I have made."
Oteo, the Chemist's personal servant, a slim youth with a bright,intelligent face, listened carefully to his master's directions and thenleft the house hurriedly, running up the street towards the center ofthe city. Once or twice he stopped and spoke to passers-by for a moment,gathering a crowd around him each time.
The Chemist rejoined his friends on the balcony. "There will be athousand people here in half an hour," he said quietly. "I have sent amessage to the men in charge of the government workshops; they will havetheir people cease work to come here."
Lylda appeared in a few moments more. She was dressed as the Chemist hadseen her first through the microscope--in a short, grey skirt reachingfrom waist to knees. Only now she wore also two circular metal discsstrapped over her breasts. Her hair was unbound and fell in massesforward over her shoulders. Around her waist was a broad girdle ofgolden cloth with small pouches for holding the chemicals. She took herplace among the men quietly.
"See, I am ready," she said with a smile. "Oteo, you have sent him?" TheChemist nodded.
Lylda turned to the Doctor. "You will tell me, what is to do with thedrugs?"
They explained in a few words. By now a considerable crowd had gatheredbefore the house, and up the street many others were hurrying down.Directly across from the entrance to Lylda's garden, back of the bluffat the lake front, was a large open space with a fringe of trees at itsback. In this open space the crowd was collecting.
The Chemist rose after a moment and from the roof-top spoke a few wordsto the people in the street below. They answered him with shouts ofapplause mingled with a hum of murmured anger underneath. The Chemistwent back to his friends, his face set and serious.
As he dropped in his chair Lylda knelt on the floor before him, layingher arms on his knees. "I go to do for our people the best I can," shesaid softly, looking up into his face. "Now I go, but to you I will comeback soon." The Chemist tenderly put his hand upon the glossy smoothnessof her hair.
"I go--now," she repeated, and reached for one of the vials under herarm. Holding it in her hand, she stared at it a moment, silently, inawe. Then she shuddered like a frightened child and buried her face inthe Chemist's lap, huddling her little body up close against his legs asif for protection.
The Chemist did not move nor speak, but sat quiet with his hand gentlystroking her hair. In a moment she again raised her face to his. Herlong lashes were wet with tears, but her lips were smiling.
"I am ready--now," she said gently. She brushed her tears from her eyesand rose to her feet. Drawing herself to her full height, she tossedback her head and flung out her arms before her.
"No one can know I am afraid--but you," she said. "And I--shall forget."She dropped her arms and stood passive.
"I go now to take the drug--there in the little garden behind, where noone can notice. You will come down?"
The Big Business Man cleared his throat. When he spoke his voice wastremulous with emotion.
"How long will you be gone--Lylda?" he asked.
The woman turned to him with a smile. "Soon will I return, so Ibelieve," she answered. "I go to Orlog, to Raito, and to Tele. But nevershall I wait, nor speak long, and fast will I walk.... Before the timeof sleep has descended upon us, I shall be here."
In the little garden behind the house, out of sight of the crowd on theother side, Lylda prepared to take the drug. She was standing there,with the four men, when Loto burst upon them, throwing himself into hismother's arms.
"Oh, _mamita_, _mamita_," he cried, clinging to her. "There in thestreet outside, they say such terrible things----of you _mamita_. 'Themaster's woman' I heard one say, 'She has the evil magic.' And anotherspoke of Targo. And they say he must not die, or there will be death forthose who kill him."
Lylda held the boy close as he poured out his breathless frightenedwords.
"No matter, little son," she said tenderly. "To _mamita_ no harm cancome--you shall see. Did my father teach you well to-day?"
"But _mamita_, one man who saw me standing, called me an evil name andspoke of you, my mother Lylda. And a woman looked with a look I neversaw before. I am afraid, _mamita_."
With quivering lips that smiled, Lylda kissed the little boy tenderlyand gently loosening his hold pushed him towards his father.
"The Master's son, Loto, never can he be afraid," she said with gentlereproof. "That must you remember--always."
The little group in the garden close up against the house stood silentas Lylda took a few grains of the drug. The noise and shouts of thecrowd in front were now plainly audible. One voice was raised above theothers, as though someone were making a speech.
Loto stood beside his father, and the Chemist laid his arm across theboy's shoulder. As Lylda began visibly to increase in size, the boyuttered a startled cry. Meeting his mother's steady gaze he shut hislips tight, and stood rigid, watching her with wide, horrified eyes.
Lylda had grown nearly twice her normal size before she spoke. Then,smiling down at the men, she said evenly, "From the roof, perhaps, youwill watch."
"You know what to do if you grow too large," the Doctor said huskily.
"I know, my friend. I thank you all. And good-bye." She met theChemist's glance an instant. Then abruptly she faced about and walkingclose to the house, stood at its further corner facing the lake.
After a moment's hesitation the Chemist led his friends to the roof. Asthey appeared at the edge of the parapet a great shout rolled up fromthe crowd below. Nearly a thousand people had gathered. The street wascrowded and in the open space beyond they stood in little groups. On aslight eminence near the lake bluff, a man stood haranguing those aroundhim. He was a short, very thickset little man, with very long arms--asquat, apelike figure. He talked loudly and indignantly; around himperhaps a hundred people stood listening, applauding at intervals.
When the Chemist appeared this man stopped with a final phrase ofvituperation and a wave of his fist towards the house.
The Chemist stood silent, looking out over the throng. "How large is shenow?" he asked the Very Young Man softly. The Very Young Man ran acrossthe roof to its farther corner and was back in an instant.
"They'll see her soon--look there." His friends turned at his words. Atthe corner of the house they could just see the top of Lylda's headabove the edge of the parapet. As they watched she grew still taller andin another moment her forehead appeared. She turned her head, and hergreat eyes smiled softly at them across the roof-top. In a few momentsmore (she had evidently stopped growing) with a farewell glance at herhusband, she stepped around the corner of the house into full view ofthe crowd--a woman over sixty feet tall, standing quietly in the gardenwith one hand resting upon the roof of the house behind her.
A cry of terror rose from the people as she appeared. Most of those inthe street ran in fright back into the field behind. Then, seeing herstanding motionless with a gentle smile on her
face, they stopped,irresolute. A few held their ground, frankly curious and unafraid.Others stood sullen and defiant.
When the people had quieted a little Lylda raised her arms in greetingand spoke, softly, yet with a voice that carried far away over thefield. As she talked the people seemed to recover their composurerapidly. Her tremendous size no longer seemed to horrify them. Those whoobviously at first were friendly appeared now quite at ease; the others,with their lessening terror, were visibly more hostile.
Once Lylda mentioned the name of Targo. A scattered shout came up fromthe crowd; the apelike man shouted out something to those near him, andthen, leaving his knoll disappeared.
As Lylda continued, the hostile element in the crowd grew moreinsistent. They did not listen to her now but shouted back, in derisionand defiance. Then suddenly a stone was thrown; it struck Lylda on thebreast, hitting her metal breastplate with a thud and dropping at herfeet.
As though at a signal a hail of stones flew up from the crowd, most ofthem striking Lylda like tiny pebbles, a few of the larger ones boundingagainst the house, or landing on its roof.
At this attack Lylda abruptly stopped speaking and took a step forwardmenacingly. The hail of stones continued. Then she turned towards theroof-top, where the men and the little boy stood behind the parapet,sheltering themselves from the flying stones.
"Only one way there is," said Lylda sadly, in a soft whisper that theyplainly heard above the noise of the crowd. "I am sorry, my husband--butI must."
A stone struck her shoulder. She faced the crowd again; a gentle look ofsorrow was in her eyes, but her mouth was stern. In the street below atthe edge of the field the squat little man had reappeared. It was fromhere that most of the stones seemed to come.
"That man there--by the road----" The Chemist pointed. "One ofTargo's----"
In three swift steps Lylda was across the garden, with one foot over thewall into the street. Reaching down she caught the man between her hugefingers, and held him high over her head an instant so that all mightsee.
The big crowd was silent with terror; the man high in the air over theirheads screamed horribly. Lylda hesitated only a moment more; then shethrew back her arm and, with a great great sweep, flung her screamingvictim far out into the lake.