Chapter 37: A Revelation

Alas for the brevity of earthly joys! The noble priests and priestesses had made a heroic effort to sustain Arjeels, but a month’s incessant labors had quite exhausted their powers, and the glorious island vanished, with all its ideal sweetness. As if to intensify our sadness, when we reached Egyplosis again, we found the high priest Hushnoly, impatiently awaiting our return to secretly report the proceedings of a late council of the king and government, held in the council chamber of Egyplosis.

I knew by the appearance of Hushnoly that something unusual had happened. He hesitated to unfold his secret until requested to do so by the goddess.

“It is a serious business,” said Hushnoly, “and I have been commissioned by his majesty to know the full meaning of the step both your holiness and his excellency are about to take, and see if there is no possibility of averting the terrible calamity, that overhangs Egyplosis.”

“Tell me,” said Lyone to the high priest, “what the council has been discussing, and what it has determined upon.”

“Your holiness,” said he, “I should inform you that Koshnili, as chief minister of Atvatabar, has received a report from his winged spies, charged with the duty of watching the movements of his excellency and retinue ever since their arrival in Atvatabar. His duty made it necessary to discover the real object of the illustrious strangers in visiting our country, and consequently their actions have been carefully watched and reported.”

“And of course,” said I, “my constant association with the supreme goddess, has led Koshnili to suspect me of designs inimical to the welfare of the kingdom?”

“Listen to the report made by Koshnili,” replied Hushnoly, who unrolled a document he held in his hand, and read as follows:

“To His Majesty, KING ALDEMEGRY BHOOLMAKAR, _of Atvatabar,

greeting_: Your faithful minister begs to report that his

private wayleals have followed his excellency, the alien

commander, Lexington White, and followers from their arrival

in Kioram until their reception at Egyplosis. The

illustrious strangers, after landing on our soil, travelled

by sacred locomotive from Kioram to Calnogor, and were there

the guests of your majesty, after which they attended a

feast of worship to the supreme goddess in the Bormidophia.

The illustrious strangers were then received by her holiness

in her palace of Tanje. While lingering here my wayleals,

from the ramparts of the palace, saw his excellency the

alien commander, in company with her holiness, enter the

silver pleasure boat. Their long-continued interview in the

palace garden testified that a mutual affinity had drawn the

illustrious personages together. From later observation my

faithful wayleals are convinced that in the palace garden of

Tanje was begun the awful possibility of a twin soul of our

deity, and the alien commander, and the consequent apostasy

of the supreme goddess, and her renunciation of Harikar.

“My faithful wayleals further report that while travelling

on the aerial ship from Calnogor to Egyplosis, they obtained

further evidence of the consummation of a deific and alien

twin soul. The principals sat apart from all others, on a

seat at the prow of the vessel, and the report of their

conversation will justify your majesty in believing that a

sacrilegious twin soul already exists in defiance of civil

and religious law, her holiness and the alien commander

being the illustrious components.

“Awaiting the further commands of your majesty, I remain,

with profound veneration,

“Your majesty’s faithful servant,

“KOSHNILI.”

I gasped for breath at hearing so brutal a dissection of our hearts. I was thunderstruck. I could only ask Hushnoly what he had to say on the situation.

“That you love each other, I need not ask,” said he; “that may be taken for granted. But I might ask, do you each of you fully recognize the position you stand in? Do you know that your conduct menaces the throne of the gods itself? I can understand the violence of love for a human soul in the breast of the goddess, but what of her renunciation of Harikar?”

“If not already convinced,” I said, “I think her holiness will soon see that all this monstrous system of hopeless love is tottering on its throne. It is an artificial society, that must in time, of its own accord, crumble to pieces.”