Unveiling a Parallel: A Romance

to me always a

me fro

ers

l take up every cranny of space in your being,-and fill the universe beside,-so that people who are not en rapport with the strains that

ighest altitude and I had but one vast thought,-"I have triumphed; I a

ce you are more interested in the story of my sojourn o

this distance is its atmosphere,-its "sky,"-which is of a soft roseate

n which flows uninterruptedly between this world and that, traveling was as swift as thought. My impression is that my speed was constantly

lights, and the sensation was the mo

ople moving about in the streets of a beautiful city, it was as if some hithert

on just outside the city, had their great telescope directed toward the Earth,-just as our telescope

ant from the observatory, and repaired thither with all possible speed,-and they h

ound myself surrounded, and unmistakabl

d upon his chin, and the oldest, whose hair was silky white, were strikingly handsome. Their features were extraordinarily mobile and expressive. I never saw a more lively in

to interpret the tones of their voices, their manner, and their graceful gestures. I s

although I had not fasted long, a journey s

the glance I involuntarily directed to it, and plucked a cluster of the large rich berries an

ed together, and presently one of the younger men approached and took me g

autiful park, or grove, in the midst of which stood a superb mansion built of dazzling white stone. His fr

ion. But the design was intricate, and required study to follow the cu

t. The flowers, whose colors could not declare themselves,-it being night,-fulfi

ke white ribbons throu

few steps brought us to a marble fountain. It was in the form of a chaste and lovely female figure, from whose chiseled fingers a shower of glittering drops continually poured. Severnius

sture which seemed to say, "It gives me pleasure to know that you find it good." I

and you have it! In a word, it was an ideal house and home. Both outside and inside, white predominated. But here and there were bits of color the most brilliant, like jewels. I found that I had never

are of gems, though certain classes indulge in extravagant and gaudy displays, rec

he walls, and the supporting pillars, the staircases, the polished floors, and some pieces of stationary furniture, and the statuary,-the latter not too abundant. Each piece of statuary, by the

beautiful, but they were used sparingly. When we sat down in a room a servant usually brought a rug or a cushion fo

nningly wrought into surpassingly lovely pictures, which did not at once declare the artist's intention, but had to be studied. They were not only an indulgenc

r us. It never came to me with respect to Severnius' house. It had for me an interest and a fascination whi

made it possible for the smallest nature to measure its capacity there, as we

d, and indicated to me that he supposed I needed rest, which I did

licate color. The walls were cream-tinted, with a deep frieze of a little darker shade, relieved by pale green and brown decorations. The wood work was done in white enamel paint. The ceiling was spr

a few of the chairs looked like our spindle-legged Chippendale things. And two or three large rugs might have been of Persian lamb's wool. A l

n carved ivory or silver mountings. Above it hung a large mirror. There was a set of shelves for books and bri

ettes. A musical instrument lay on a low bamboo stand. I could n

the need of a bath, and turned on the water and plunged in.

llations. Owing to the peculiarity of the atmosphere of Mars, the night there is almost as luminous as our day. Every star s

t had something to do with my waking. I did not suppose such light was possible out of heaven! I

ir skimming along on the ground. But I soon found that this was not going to happen. My feet clung securely to the polished wood and the soft wool of the rug at the bedside. I laughed quietly

r and Severnius appeared with some soft white garments, such as he himself wore, thrown over his arm.

him untold pleasure to provide for my every want. I could not stand out against such generosity. I reached for the things-swaddling clothes I called them-and Severnius helpe

wn familiar apparel up in the closet,

my new clothes. I soon liked them. There was som

guising it. They left the limbs and muscles f

fringes and artistic drapery arrangements, while seemingly left to their own caprice, were as

r; the women's stuffs are of a little finer quality ordinarily, but their dress is not usually so elaborately trimmed as the men's garb, which

y first appearance, to the saddle and housings of a horse. He declared that he and his friends were not quite sure whether I was a m

hoped might be breakfast,-he approached me and taking my hand placed a gold ring on my finger. It was set with a superb r

m not only beautiful, but possessing remarkable qualities. I held it in a ray of sunlight and turned it this

atisfaction of feeling that I had

tairs, and luckily in

ng and was of coarser material than ours. They moved about the room swiftly and noiselessly. M

f fruits, some curiously prepared cerea

grand stairway-a marvel of beauty in its elaborate carvings-and

hat conspicuous absence, in the rooms below, of the sort of things with which rich peop

of all descriptions, bronzes, marble

ere the ric

s. The large central stained glasses were studded round with prisms that played extraordinary pranks with the sunb

know why-with a curious sense o

as stretched a superb curtain of t

r sign or gesture to me except

ose themselves in church. Not that he was saintly; he did not strike me as being that kind of a man, though th

is glance resting serenely on one of the great windows for a

t somewhere, afar off, beyond the tapestry curtain, there were stealing to

t unappreciable harmony we call silence,-and swelled up among the arches that ribbed the lofty ceiling, and rolled

tasy I forgot Severnius,-awoke in responsive

unmistakably. No influence that had ever before been trained upon my spiritual sens

e to the go

hes come

ursts her st

s her lig

s on and u

ack. *

d fragments of anthems. It was as if I brought m

e broken up, new spiritual heights were

ace, lighted as by an inner illumination, and his

course

ts, ordains, ac

e sound-burdened air, the hall

ry. It was his spiritual lavatory, in which he made daily ablutions. A service in which th

You know how it is when you have formed a habit of exercising your muscles in a gymnasium. If you leave it off, you are uncomfortable, you have a feeling that you have cheated your body out of its right. It

ms that troubled the soul's deepest waters. At first I did not understand the words, of course, but

ch hushed our voices and set our souls in tune with

ay, and we rose and passed out of the sacred place

ance hall. Books were ranged round the walls on shelves, the same as w

g on the bac

h he and I had speedily established between ourselves, if I would not like to learn the Marsian tongue. I replied that it was what I wished a

hands with each one, as he advanced, and repeated their own formula for "How do you do!" which quite amused them. I suppose the words sounded very parrot-like,-I did not know where to put the accent. They congratulated me with many smiles and gesticulations on my determination to learn the

ancient languages of southern Europe. The proper names had an almost familiar sound. That of the country I was in was Paleveria. The city was ca