fancies about cities, or immense hives of human beings, and other things
equally frightful to contemplate, and its absolute vacancy concerning
ordinary matters of knowledge, to the grave accident you met with in the
hills. Doubtless in falling your head was struck and injured by a stone.
Let us hope that you will soon recover possession of your memory and
other faculties. And now let us repair to the eating-room, for it is
best to refresh the body first, and the mind afterwards."






Chapter 3

We ascended the steps, and passing through the portico went into the
hall by what seemed to me a doorless way. It was not really so, as I
discovered later; the doors, of which there were several, some of
colored glass, others of some other material, were simply thrust back
into receptacles within the wall itself, which was five or six feet
thick. The hall was the noblest I had ever seen; it had a stone and
bronze fireplace some twenty or thirty feet long on one side, and
several tall arched doorways on the other. The spaces between the doors
were covered with sculpture, its material being a blue-gray stone
combined or inlaid with a yellow metal, the effect being indescribably
rich. The floor was mosaic of many dark colors, but with no definite
pattern, and the concave roof was deep red in color. Though beautiful,
it was somewhat somber, as the light was not strong. At all events, that
is how it struck me at first on coming in from the bright sunlight. Nor,
it appeared, was I alone in experiencing such a feeling. As soon as we