the morning, by reason of the white granite obelisk that lifted
itself sheer up against the sky, undwarfed by any of the
surrounding buildings.

This gigantic monument was the most prominent object in sight,
with the exception of the sacred temple, which Sah-luma presently
pointed out,--a round, fortress-like piece of architecture
ornamented with twelve gilded towers from which bells were now
clashing and jangling in a storm of melodious persistency. The hum
of the city's traffic and pleasure surged on the air like the
noise made by swarming bees, while every now and then the sweet,
shrill tones of some more than usually clear girl's voice, crying
out the sale of fruit or flowers, soared up song-wise through the
luminous, semi-transparent vapor that half-veiled the clustering
house-tops, tapering spires and cupolas in a delicate, nebulous
film.

Completely fascinated by the wizard-like beauty of the scene,
Theos felt as though he could never look upon it long enough to
master all its charms, but his eyes ached with the radiance in
which everything seemed drenched as with flame, and turning his
gaze once more toward the sun, he saw that it had nearly
disappeared. Only a blood-red rim peered spectrally above the gold
and green horizon-and immediately overhead, a silver rift in the
sky had widened slowly in the centre and narrowed at its end, thus
taking the shape of a great outstretched sword that pointed
directly downward at the busy, murmuring, glittering city beneath.
It was a strange effect, and made on the mind of Theos a strange
impression,--he was about to call Sah-luma's attention to it, when
an uncomfortable consciousness that they were no longer alone came