Johnston's face as he looked through the wide plate-glass window.

"My gracious!" ejaculated the latter as he drew nearer. It was a
wondrous scene. The building in which they were imprisoned stood
on a gentle hill clad in luxuriant, smoothly-cut grass and
ornamented with beautiful flowers and plants; and below lay a
splendid city--a city built on undulating ground with innumerable
grand structures of white marble, with turrets, domes and
pinnacles of gold. Wide streets paved in polished stone and
bordered with lush-green grass interspersed with statues and beds
and mounds of strange plants and flowers stretched away in front
of them till they were lost in the dim, misty distance. Parks
filled with pavilions, pleasure-lakes, fountains and tortuous
drives and walks, dotted the landscape in all directions.

Thorndyke's breath had clouded the glass of the window, and he
rubbed it with his handkerchief. As he did so the sash slowly,
and without a particle of sound, slid to one side, disclosing a
narrow balcony outside. It had a graceful balustrade, made of
carved red-and-white mottled marble, and on the end of the
balcony facing the city sat a great gold and silver jug, ten
feet high, of rare design. The spout was formed by the body of a
dragon with wings extended; the handle was a serpent with
the extremity of its tail coiled around the neck of the jug.

The air that came in at the window was fresh and dewy, and laden
with the most entrancing odors. Thorndyke led the way out,
treading very gently at first. Johnston followed him, too much
surprised to make any comment. From this position, their view to
the left round the corner of the building was widened, and new