Daybreak: A Romance of an Old World

severe strain, but now the velocity of the wind was such that there was great danger of our breaking away. The moon was not a very hospitable place, to be s

and seek for other shelter. We could not decide which course to take. Both

us the least chance of escape from our desperate plight, it is astonishing to me that we did not give up all hope and lie down and die at once. It only shows what the human

rocks, even above the tumult of our spirits, there came to us the strains of more than earthly music. Whether it was from voice or instrument we could not tell, and in its sweetness and power it was absolutely indescribable. At fi

about us, when there was revealed to us a vision of beauty which filled and satisfied

oon discovered it was not for herself that she was anxious, but for us; for when she observed that she had attracted our attention she smiled and turned to go back the way she had come, beckoning us with hand and eye to f

e doctor. "Where

n instant, but ans

her to the end of the moon if necessary, though the

a desperate case as that, I'll ha

do. The sirens were not to be mentioned in comparison. Twenty thousand hurricanes coul

ds of the singer seemed to take on a joyous meaning, and we could almost distinguish her invitation to follow her to a place where the wind did not blow and where our present troubles would be over

m of the crater. We supposed she did this just to give us protection from the wind, and we were very much sheltered, but she did not stop here. Entering one of the many fissures in the rocks, she led us into a narrow passage whose floor descended

say, and we were content to follow blin

NG FORTH HER VOICE IN

ing; but I distinctly remember that we began, after a time, to find, to our great joy, that the air was becoming denser and we c

s, and even these, although they showed signs of a former grandeur, were sadly in need of care. Not a creature of any kind was stirring, and in our hasty review the whole place looked as if it might have been deserted by its inhabitants for a hundred years. There was one spot, however, so retired as to

so, that her manners were as captivating as her other personal qualities. At intervals, all through our long walk, her song had ceased and we expected she would make some attempt to speak to us; but being disappointed in this, it struck me after we had entered the house that I ought to

ooking square in her eyes an

eprived me of what little wit remained, and

verything in the world unsaid, I could not think of one word to say. The doctor soon saw my predicament and hastened to assist me, and the remark which he sele

ur home, I suppose, away down here in the middle of the moon? It is very kind of you to b

ddenly began to wish the doctor had been blown off the top of the moon. It was a wicked thought and I put it away from me as quickly as pos

table well supplied with plain but substantial food. She soon made us feel quite at home, just by her easy and agreeable ways. We did not once hear her voice in ordinary speech, and at length we began to suspect, wha

o remark to me quietly that as she could not tell us her name just yet he proposed to call her Mona {Footnote: Mona is old Saxon for

ay in our present abode might be a prolonged one, he told me he would try to teach Mona to converse with us. I could not object, although I secretly wished I could have taken the place of ins

his thoughts. As our studies progressed day after day it began to dawn on me that Mona, in spite of the disadvantage of not knowing our spoken language, was learning faster than I was. I was somewhat chagrined at this at first, but it finally turned out to my advantage, for the doctor announced one day that Mona had acquired all he knew and could thenceforth teac

uestions about herself and her history. The doctor, being less under the spell of her c

the other members

eaning as soon as the motions were repea

nds to come hom

d her of our sorrow and sympathy better

ouses! Surely they

inmates are all gone. I a

ast of her race. Our method of conversation was not free enough to allow her to tell us how she had discovered the truth of thi

uch pleasure with her easy, unembarrassed manner and piquant ways. And she not only jabbered away with hands and face in the manner we had taught her, but she did not c

our surroundings, excusing myself from bearing him company on the ground that I did not think it safe to leave Mona alone. Or if Mona wanted to go out I would suggest to the doctor

hought not, for I did not suppose he was ever so deeply in love as I was.

id not seem to understand my feeling exactly, although I tried in every way to show her my heart. She was not coquettish, but perfectly unaffected, and simply did not realize my meaning. For once the sign language did not prove adequate; and so, as my feelings would not be controlled, I was fain to resort

t affected in the manner I was looking for. And still, "I love you, I love you," was repeated in her ears a thousand times. The fact

t with a beaming countenance which set my heart to thumping, and then she burst forth in a strain so sweet that it thrilled my whole being and roused in me again that jealous fear that Mona was learning to care more for the doctor than

I was able to think, too. It occurred to me that perhaps Mona was merely a parrot, repeating, with no perception of their meaning, words which she had so often heard f

was something in her behavior which I could not comprehend, and it was evident that she had not yet acquired any particular fondness for me, but these were not sufficient reasons to make me cease to care for her. My love was too strong to give her

in Mona's words, which was so vital a point to me, but the fact that she could make use of any words of our language. The possibilities which this fact opened up to him were of the greatest moment. If Mona could learn to talk freely she would be

aught her those

eplied, "but I assure you I did not i

beside the knowledge that Mona has begun to learn our spee

espair of success. I should have to take time and approach the citadel of her untutored heart with more caution. In the pleasant task of teaching her the intricacies of the English language I anticipated many delightful opportunities

ossible. He had no objections to make, and we began a task which proved to be much simpler than we had imagined. Mona had heard us talk so much that she had half-learned a great many words and expression

she wanted to employ she turned it into verse on the instant and chanted it forth in perfect melody. So spontaneous was every expression that her very thoughts seemed to be framed in harmony. Her voice was not obtrusive nor monotonous and general

e employ them, are inadequate to express our enjoyment of Mona's song, when to its

de of the globe became too inhospitable to longer support life. The interior had cooled and contracted, and as the solid crust was rigid enough to keep its place, great, sublunar caverns had been formed. Into these rushed the water and th

nt of the population of the globe were all gathered in the little village where we were now living. Here the process still went on, and year after year saw a constantly diminishing number. A few years before our arrival Mona's last com

I was as glad to find you

you know we were out there, nearly

I began to have a feeling that I must hold on to all my movable possessions, to keep them from getting away. After this unaccountable state of things had existed for a while, there came, one day, a terrible shock, which threatened to crack the moon's skull and rattle its fragments down upon my head. This was followed at intervals by similar or lighter shocks, and it was all so exceedingly unusual that I became very curious to know what was happenin

it gives a feeble idea of the beauty of her poetic expressions, c

her disjointed world, expressing our gratitude also f