CHAPTER VI
STRATEGY AND KISSES
"It was the morning of my third day in the castle," began the Chemistagain, "that I was taken by Lylda before the king. We found him seatedalone in a little anteroom, overlooking a large courtyard, which wecould see was crowded with an expectant, waiting throng. I must explainto you now, that I was considered by Lylda somewhat in the light of aMessiah, come to save her nation from the destruction that threatenedit.
"She believed me a supernatural being, which, indeed, if you come tothink of it, gentlemen, is exactly what I was. I tried to tell hersomething of myself and the world I had come from, but the difficultiesof language and her smiling insistence and faith in her own conceptionof me, soon caused me to desist. Thereafter I let her have her own way,and did not attempt any explanation again for some time.
"For several weeks before Lylda found me sleeping by the river's edge,she had made almost a daily pilgrimage to that vicinity. A maidenlypremonition, a feeling that had first come to her several years before,told her of my coming, and her father's knowledge and scientific beliefshad led her to the outer surface of the world as the direction in whichto look. A curious circumstance, gentlemen, lies in the fact that Lyldaclearly remembered the occasion when this first premonition came to her.And in the telling, she described graphically the scene in the cave,where I saw her through the microscope." The Chemist paused an instantand then resumed.
"When we entered the presence of the king, he greeted me quietly, andmade me sit by his side, while Lylda knelt on the floor at our feet. Theking impressed me as a man about fifty years of age. He wassmooth-shaven, with black, wavy hair, reaching his shoulders. He wasdressed in the usual tunic, the upper part of his body covered by aquite similar garment, ornamented with a variety of metal objects. Hisfeet were protected with a sort of buskin; at his side hung acrude-looking metal spear.
"The conversation that followed my entrance, lasted perhaps fifteenminutes. Lylda interpreted for us as well as she could, though I mustconfess we were all three at times completely at a loss. But Lylda'sbright, intelligent little face, and the resourcefulness of hergestures, always managed somehow to convey her meaning. The charm andgrace of her manner, all during the talk, her winsomeness, and thealmost spiritual kindness and tenderness that characterized her, made mefeel that she embodied all those qualities with which we of this earthidealize our own womanhood.
"I found myself falling steadily under the spell of her beauty,until--well, gentlemen, it's childish for me to enlarge upon this sideof my adventure, you know; but--Lylda means everything to me now, andI'm going back for her just as soon as I possibly can."
"Bully for you!" cried the Very Young Man. "Why didn't you bring herwith you this time?"
"Let him tell it his own way," remonstrated the Doctor. The Very YoungMan subsided with a sigh.
"During our talk," resumed the Chemist, "I learned from the king thatLylda had promised him my assistance in overcoming the enemies thatthreatened his country. He smilingly told me that our charming littleinterpreter had assured him I would be able to do this. Lylda's blushingface, as she conveyed this meaning to me, was so thoroughly captivating,that before I knew it, and quite without meaning to, I pulled her uptowards me and kissed her.
"The king was more surprised by far than Lylda, at this extraordinarybehavior. Obviously neither of them had understood what a kiss meant,although Lylda, by her manner evidently comprehended pretty thoroughly.
"I told them then, as simply as possible to enable Lylda to get mymeaning, that I could, and would gladly aid in their war. I explainedthen, that I had the power to change my stature, and could make myselfgrow very large or very small in a short space of time.
"This, as Lylda evidently told it to him, seemed quite beyond the king'sunderstanding. He comprehended finally, or at least he agreed to believemy statement.
"This led to the consideration of practical questions of how I was toproceed in their war. I had not considered any details before, but nowthey appeared of the utmost simplicity. All I had to do was to makemyself a hundred or two hundred feet high, walk out to the battle-lines,and scatter the opposing army like a set of small boys' playthings."
"What a quaint idea!" said the Banker. "A modern 'Gulliver.'"
The Chemist did not heed this interruption.
"Then like three children we plunged into a discussion of exactly how Iwas to perform these wonders, the king laughing heartily as we picturedthe attack on my tiny enemies.
"He then asked me how I expected to accomplish this change of size, andI very briefly told him of our larger world, and the manner in which Ihad come from it into his. Then I showed the drugs that I still carriedcarefully strapped to me. This seemed definitely to convince the king ofmy sincerity. He rose abruptly to his feet, and strode through a doorwayon to a small balcony overlooking the courtyard below.
"As he stepped out into the view of the people, a great cheer arose. Hewaited quietly for them to stop, and then raised his hand and beganspeaking. Lylda and I stood hand in hand in the shadow of the doorway,out of sight of the crowd, but with it and the entire courtyard plainlyin our view.
"It was a quadrangular enclosure, formed by the four sides of thepalace, perhaps three hundred feet across, packed solidly now withpeople of both sexes, the gleaming whiteness of the upper parts of theirbodies, and their upturned faces, making a striking picture.
"For perhaps ten minutes the king spoke steadily, save when he wasinterrupted by applause. Then he stopped abruptly and, turning, pulledLylda and me out upon the balcony. The enthusiasm of the crowd doubledat our appearance. I was pushed forward to the balcony rail, where Ibowed to the cheering throng.
"Just after I left the king's balcony, I met Lylda's father. He was akindly-faced old gentleman, and took a great interest in me and mystory. He it was who told me about the physical conformation of hisworld, and he seemed to comprehend my explanation of mine.
"That night it rained--a heavy, torrential downpour, such as we have inthe tropics. Lylda and I had been talking for some time, and, I mustconfess, I had been making love to her ardently. I broached now theprincipal object of my entrance into her world, and, with an eloquence Idid not believe I possessed, I pictured the wonders of our own greatearth above, begging her to come back with me and live out her life withmine.
"Much of what I said, she probably did not understand, but the mainfacts were intelligible without question. She listened quietly. When Ihad finished, and waited for her decision, she reached slowly out andclutched my shoulders, awkwardly making as if to kiss me. In an instantshe was in my arms, with a low, happy little cry."