Latest / Classic Adventure Books Collection / 13 - Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey
Transcript
- Chapter thirteen, how I set to work to undo a wrong that had been done in the Kingdom of the Micamenkis, and how Bulgar helped Queen Galaxi's confession I am created Prime Minister as long as she lives. What took place in the throne room, my speech to the men of Goggleland, after which I showed them something worth seeing. How I was pulled in two different directions, and what came of it. The first thing I did, after the genuine Princess Cristelina had left me was to seek out doctor Nebulosis and learn from him the exact number of hours before the Queen's heart would run down. As he had just been making an examination, he was able to tell me the very minute. It was seventeen hours and thirteen minutes, rather a short time, you must confess, dear friends, in which to accomplish such an important piece of business as I had in mind. I then made my way directly to the Royal Palace and demanded a private audience with the Lady of the Crystal Throne. With the advice of Sir amber Opake and Lord Krncore. She firmly but graciously refused to receive me, giving as an excuse that the excitement that would be sure to follow an interview with the man of coal, so the Micamenkis had named me, would shorten her life at least thirteen minutes. But I was not to be put off in so unceremonious a manner. Sitting down, I seized a pen and wrote the following words upon a piece of glazed silk to Galaxa, Queen of the Macamenkis, Lady of the Crystal Throne. I Lord Bulgar, a Micamenkian, noble bearer of this who was the first to discover that the real princess was not sitting on the steps of the crystal throne, demanded an audience from man Master Baron Sebastian von Trump, commonly known as the Little Baron, and prompted by him, I ask, what are thirteen minutes of thy life, O, Queen Galaxa, to the long years of sorrow and disappointment in store for thy royal child. Taking this letter in his mouth, Bulgar sprang away with long and rapid bounds. In a few minutes he was in the presence of the Queen, for the guards had fallen back. Affrightened as they saw him draw near, with his dark eyes flashing indignation. Raising himself up on his hind feet, he laid the letter in Galax's hands. The moment she had read it, she fell into a swoon, and all was a stir and commotion in and round about the palace. I was hastily summoned, and the audience chamber cleared of every attendant save doctor Nebulosis, Sir amber Opake, Lord Corncore, Lord Bulgar, and me. Send for the Demoiselle Glowstone, commanded the Queen, And when she had appeared, to the amazement of all, saving Bulgar and me, Galax obeyed her mount the steps of the Crystal throne. Then, having embraced her most tenderly, the Queen spoke these words, oh faithful counselors and wise friends from the upper world, this is the real Princess Cristelina, whom I have for all these years wickedly and wrongfully kept from her high state and royal privileges. She born with a speck in her heart, and I feared that it would be useless to ask my people to accept her as my successor, Oh Lady of the Crystal Throne, exclaimed Lord cornericor thou hast wisely done, thy people would never have received her as Princess Cristelina, for being, by the laws of our land, denied the privilege to look for themselves. They never would have believed that this spot in the Princess's heart was but a tiny speck, like a single hair crystal, in the arm of thy magnificent throne. Therefore, o Queen, we counsel thee not to embitter thy last hours by differences with thy loving subjects. My Lord Corncore said I, with a low bow, I make bold to raise my voice against thine and crave permission from Queen Galaxa to parley with her people. Forbid it, ry lady, cried Sir Amber Opaque savagely, at which Bulgar gave a low growl and showed his teeth. Queen Galaxa, I added gravely, A wrong confessed is half redressed. This fair princess tis true. Hath I speckon her heart, which ill accords with the name bestowed upon her by thy people. Bid me be master and tell thy heart run down and by the knighthood of all the trumps. I promised Thee that thou shalt have three hours of happiness. Ere thy royal heart as ceased to beat. Be it so, little Baron, exclaimed Galaxa joyfully, I proclaim thee Prime Minister for the rest of my life. At these words, Bulgar broke out into a series of glad barks, and, raising upon his hind legs, licked the Queen's hand in token of his gratitude, while the fair princess looked a love at me that was too deep to put into words. I had now but a few hours to act. The excitement, so doctor Nebulosis assured me, would shorten the Queen's life a full hour. It had always been my custom to carry about with me a small but excellent magnifying glass, a double convex lens, for the purpose of making examinations of minute objects, and also for reading inscriptions too thine to be seen with the naked eye. Hastily summon a skillful metal worker, I instructed him to set the lins in a short tube, and to enclose that tube within another, so that I could lengthen it at my pleasure. Then, having called together as many of the head men of the nation as the throne room would hold, I requested Lord Coroncor to inform them of the confession which Queen Glaxa had made, namely that in reality, Damoisel Glostone was Princess Cristelina, and Princess Cristelina was Damoisel Glowstone. They were stricken speechless by this piece of information. But when Lord Cornicor went on to tell the whole story and to explain to them why the Queen had practiced this deception upon them, they broke out into the wildest lamentation, rejecting it over and over again in piteous tones. A speck in her heart, A speck in her heart, O dire misfortune, a woeful day. She can never be our princess if she hath I speck in her heart. By this time my arrangements were complete. I had placed the Princess Cristallina just outside the door of the throne room, where she stood concealed behind the thick hangings, and near her I had stationed Doctor Nebulosis, with a large circular mirror of burnished silver in his hand, calling out in a loud voice for silence. I thus addressed the weeping subjects of Queen Galaxa. Oh Machamenk's, Men of Goggleland, transparent folk, I count myself most happy to be among you at this hour, and to be permitted by your gracious Queen to raise my voice in defense of the unfortunate princess with a speck in her heart. Being of noble birth and an inhabitant of another world, it was lawful for me to look through the sorrowing princess, and I have done it. Yes, Micamenk's, I have gazed upon her heart, I have seen the speck within it. Give ear, men of Goggleland, and you shall know how that speck came there. For it is not, as you doubtless think, a cold black spot within that faire and closure clearer than the columns of Galaxus throne. Oh no, Micamenk's A thousand times no, it is a tiny blemish of reddish hue, a drop of princely blood from the upper world which I inhabit. And this drop, in all these countless centuries, has coursed through the veins of a thousand kings and still kept its rosy at glow, still remembered the glorious sunshine which called it into being. And now men of gaggleland. Lest you think that for some dark purpose of mine own I speak other than the pure and sober truth, Behold, I show you the fair Crystallini's heart in its very life, and being as it is, beating and throbbing with hope and fear commingled. Look and judge for yourselves. And with this I signaled to those on the outside of the palace to carry out my instructions. In an instant, the thick curtains were drawn and the throne room was wrapped in darkness. And at the same moment Doctor Nebulosis, with his mirror, caught the strong white rays of light and threw them upon Crystallina's body, while I, through an opening in the hangings, made haste to apply the tube to which the lens had been fitted, and, catching the reflected image of her heart, threw it up in plain and startling view upon the opposite wall of the throne room. Upon seeing how small the speck was and how truthfully I had described it, the Macamenkes fell a weeping for purest joy, and then, as if with one voice, they burst out, long Live the fair Princess Cristelina, with the ruby speck in her heart, and ten thousand blessings on the head of little Baron Trump and Lord Bulgar for saving our land from cruel dissensions. The people on the outside took up the cry, and in a few moments the whole city was thronged with bands of Queen galaxis subjects, singing and dancing and telling of their love for the fair princess with the ruby speck in her heart. I had kept my word, Queen Galaxa, would have at least three hours of complete happiness. Ere her heart ran down. But suddenly the river of light began to flicker and dim its flood of brilliant white rays. Night was coming noiselessly, as if by magic. The Micamenkes faded from my sight, stealing away in search of beds, And as the gloom crept into the great Throne room, some one plucked me gently by the hand, and a soft voice whispered, I love I love THEE. Oh, who other than I can tell how I love THEE? And then a grip stronger than the gentle hand seized me by the skirt of my coat and dragged me away, slowly but surely, away through the darkness, through the gloom, out into the silent streets, ever away, until at last that soft voice, choking with a sob, seized its pleading and gasps farewell, oh, farewell, I dare go no farther, and so Bulgar in his wisdom, led me on and ever on out of the city of the Mcamenkes, out upon the Marble Highway end of Chapter thirteen.