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09 - Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey - Ingersoll Lockwood · Daily Classic Sci Fi Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine, Bulgar and I are presented to Queen Galaxa,
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  Speaker 1: the Lady of the Crystal Throne. How she received us
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  Speaker 1: her delight over Bulgar, who gives proof of his wonderful
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  Speaker 1: intelligence in many ways. How the Queen creates him, Lord Bulgar.
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  Speaker 1: All about the three wise men in whose care we
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  Speaker 1: are placed by Queen Galaxa. Owing to the soft air,
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  Speaker 1: the never varying temperature, and the absence of all noise
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  Speaker 1: and dust. The Micamenkis, although they die in the end
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  Speaker 1: like other folk, yet do they never seem to grow old.
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  Speaker 1: Their skin remains soft and free from wrinkles, and their
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  Speaker 1: eyes as clear and bright as the crystal of Queen
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  Speaker 1: Galaxi's throne. At the time of our arrival in the
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  Speaker 1: land of the Transparent Folk, Queen Galaxi's heart had almost
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  Speaker 1: run down. In about two weeks more, it would come
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  Speaker 1: quietly and gently to a stop. For, as I have
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  Speaker 1: already told you, dear friends, the heart of the Micamenki
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  Speaker 1: being perfectly visible when the dazzling white light in its
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  Speaker 1: full strength, was allowed to shine through his body. Why,
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  Speaker 1: it was a very easy matter for a physician to
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  Speaker 1: take a look at the organ of life and till
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  Speaker 1: almost to the hour when it would exhaust itself. In
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  Speaker 1: other words, run down galaxy looked every inch a real queen.
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  Speaker 1: As she half reclined upon her glorious crystal throne. She
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  Speaker 1: was clad in long, flowing silk garments of a right
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  Speaker 1: royal purple, and the gems which encircled her neck and
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  Speaker 1: wrists would have put to shame the crown jewels of
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  Speaker 1: any monarch of the upper world. Her garb had very
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  Speaker 1: much the cut and style of the ancient Greek costume,
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  Speaker 1: and the gold sandals worn by her added to the resemblance.
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  Speaker 1: But the one thing that excited my wonder more than
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  Speaker 1: all the others put together was her hair, so long,
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  Speaker 1: so fine and silk, and it was such a mass
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  Speaker 1: of it was there, and so dazzling white. Was it
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  Speaker 1: not the blue or yellow white that comes of age
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  Speaker 1: in our world, but a milk white, a cotton white.
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  Speaker 1: And as we drew near to Bulgars, but not to
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  Speaker 1: my amazement, her hair began to quiver and rustle and
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  Speaker 1: rise until it buried her whole throne completely out of sight.
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  Speaker 1: Of course, I knew that seated as she was upon
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  Speaker 1: a throne of glass, it was only necessary to send
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  Speaker 1: a gentle current of electricity through her, to make her
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  Speaker 1: wonderful head of hair stand up in this manner like
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  Speaker 1: the white and filmy tentacles of some gigantic creature of
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  Speaker 1: the sea, half plant, half animal. Rise, little baron, said
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  Speaker 1: Queen Galaxa, as I dropped upon my right knee on
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  Speaker 1: the lowest step of the throne, and be welcome to
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  Speaker 1: our kingdom. While thou may be pleased to tarry here,
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  Speaker 1: my people shall bestir themselves to show thee all that
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  Speaker 1: may seem wonderful in thine eyes. For although our wise
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  Speaker 1: men have often discussed to us of the upper world,
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  Speaker 1: yet art thou its first inhabitant to visit us, And
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  Speaker 1: thy wonderful companion is right welcome too. Can he talk
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  Speaker 1: that not exactly? Queen Galaxa, said I, with low obeisance.
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  Speaker 1: Yet he can understand me and I him. He is
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  Speaker 1: quite harmless, is he not, asked the Queen. You may
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  Speaker 1: try to imagine how I felt, dear friends, when, as
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  Speaker 1: I was about to say perfectly so, royal Lady, to
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  Speaker 1: my amazement, I saw Bulgar advance and sniff at the
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  Speaker 1: Princess Cristelina, and then draw back and show his teeth.
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  Speaker 1: As she stretch out her hand to caress him. Bending
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  Speaker 1: over him, I reproved him in a whisper, and bade
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  Speaker 1: him kneel before the Queen. This he proceeded to do,
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  Speaker 1: saluting her with three very stately bows, at which everyone
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  Speaker 1: laughed heartily. I would have him come nearer, said the Queen,
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  Speaker 1: so that I may lay my hand upon him. At
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  Speaker 1: a sign from me, Bulgar began to lick his fore
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  Speaker 1: paws very carefully, and then, having wiped them on the rug,
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  Speaker 1: sprang up the steps of the throne and placed his
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  Speaker 1: front feet upon Queen Galaxa's lap. The fair ruler of
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  Speaker 1: the Mickama was delighted with this sample of Bulgar's fine manners,
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  Speaker 1: and in order to amuse her still further, I proceeded
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  Speaker 1: to put Bulgar through many of his quaint tricks and
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  Speaker 1: curious feats, bidding him say his prayers faint death, weep
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  Speaker 1: for his sweetheart, count ten, walk upright, go lame, and
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  Speaker 1: cry to tell how it hurts. Scarcely had he gone
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  Speaker 1: half around the circle feigning lameness, when the Damoiselle Glowstone
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  Speaker 1: began to weep herself, and, stooping down, commenced to caress
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  Speaker 1: Bulgar and to kiss his lame foot caresses, which, to
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  Speaker 1: my more than surprise, Bulgar was not slow in returning.
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  Speaker 1: And later two when I bade him choose the maiden
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  Speaker 1: he loved best and kiss her hand, he bounded straight
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  Speaker 1: toward Glowstone and bestowed not one, but twenty kisses upon
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  Speaker 1: her outstretched hand, while the Princess Cristelina shrank away in
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  Speaker 1: fear and disgust from the ugly beast as she turned him.
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  Speaker 1: Bid him bring my handkerchief to me, little Baron, cried Galaxa,
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  Speaker 1: throwing it on the floor. I did, as a squeam demanded,
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  Speaker 1: But Bulgar refused to obey. Thou, seest Queen, Galaxa, said I,
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  Speaker 1: with a low bow. He refuses to lift the handkerchief
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  Speaker 1: without a command from thy royal self, Which delicate compliment
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  Speaker 1: pleased the lady mightily. How comes it, little Baron? She
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  Speaker 1: asked that thou shouldst be of noble lineage in thy brother,
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  Speaker 1: as thou callest him, Plain Bulgar, it comes, royal Lady,
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  Speaker 1: said I right humbly, as it often comes in the
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  Speaker 1: world which I inhabit, that honors go to them that
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  Speaker 1: least deserve them. Well, then, little Baron, cried Galaxa gaily.
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  Speaker 1: Though I be but a petty sovereign compared with thine,
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  Speaker 1: Yet may small rulers do acts of great justice. Bid
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  Speaker 1: thy four footed brother kneel before us. At a word
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  Speaker 1: from me, Bulgar prostrated himself on the steps of Galaxa's
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  Speaker 1: crystal throne and laid his head at her very feet.
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  Speaker 1: Leaning forward, she touched him lightly with her golden wand
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  Speaker 1: and exclaimed, rise, Lord Bulgar Rise. Queen Galaxa, seated on
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  Speaker 1: her crystal throne, bids Lord Bulgar rise. In an instant,
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  Speaker 1: Bulgar raised himself up on his hind feet and laid
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  Speaker 1: his head in the Queen's lap, while the whole room
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  Speaker 1: rang with loud huzzahs, and every lady gently clapped her
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  Speaker 1: frail and glass like hands, save the Princess Cristallina, who
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  Speaker 1: feigned to be asleep. Queen Galaxa now undid a string
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  Speaker 1: of pearls from her neck and tied them with her
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  Speaker 1: own hands around Lord Bulger's. And so it was that
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  Speaker 1: my four footed brother ceased to be plain Bulgar. Then,
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  Speaker 1: turning to her counselor's of state, Queen Galaxa bade them
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  Speaker 1: assign a royal apartment to Lord Bulgar and Me, and
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  Speaker 1: gave strict orders that the severest punishment be at once
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  Speaker 1: visited upon any Macamechi who should dare to laugh at
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  Speaker 1: us or to make disrespectful remarks concerning our dark eyes
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  Speaker 1: and skins and weather beaten appearance. For as the royal
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  Speaker 1: Lady said to her people, ye might look worse than
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  Speaker 1: they who were ye compelled to live on the outside
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  Speaker 1: instead of the inside of the world, exposed to biting blasts,
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  Speaker 1: piercing cold, and clouds of suffocating dust. By the Queen's orders,
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  Speaker 1: three of the wisest of the Macamenkes were selected to
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  Speaker 1: attend Bulger and me look after our wants, explain everything
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  Speaker 1: to us. In a word, do all in their power
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  Speaker 1: to make our stay in Goggleland as pleasant as possible.
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  Speaker 1: Their names, as nearly as I can translate them, were
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  Speaker 1: Doctor Nebulosis, Sir Amber Opaik, and Lord Corncore. I should
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  Speaker 1: explain to you, dear friends, the meaning of these names,
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  Speaker 1: for you might be inclined to think that doctor somewhat Cloudy,
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  Speaker 1: Sir clear as Amber, and Lord Heart of Horn might
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  Speaker 1: indicate that they were more or less muddled in their intellects.
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  Speaker 1: Far from it. I have already stated to you they
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  Speaker 1: were three of the very wisest men in the land
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  Speaker 1: of the transparent folk, and the lack of clearness indicated
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  Speaker 1: by their names had referenced solely to their eyes. Now,
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  Speaker 1: as you know, the learned men of our upper world
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  Speaker 1: have a different look from ordinary folk. They are stoop shouldered,
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  Speaker 1: shag eyebrowed, long haired, purse lipped, near sighted, shambling gated. Well,
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  Speaker 1: the only effect that long years of deep study had
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  Speaker 1: upon the Micamenkees was to rob their beautiful, crystal like
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  Speaker 1: eyes of more or less their clearness. Now I think
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  Speaker 1: you'll understand why these three learned Micamenkees were named as
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  Speaker 1: they were. At any rate, they were, in spite of
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  Speaker 1: their strange names, three most charming gentlemen. And no matter
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  Speaker 1: how many times I might ask the same question over again,
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  Speaker 1: they were always ready with an answer quite as polite
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  Speaker 1: as the one first given me. They did everything that
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  Speaker 1: I had a right possibly to expect them to do. Indeed,
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  Speaker 1: there was but one single thing which I would have
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  Speaker 1: fain had them do, and that was to let me
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  Speaker 1: look through them. This they most carefully avoided doing. And
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  Speaker 1: no matter how warmed up, they might become in their descriptions.
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  Speaker 1: And no matter how on the alert I was to
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  Speaker 1: catch the coveted peep, the inevitable black fan was always
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  Speaker 1: in the way. Naturally, not only they, but all the
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  Speaker 1: transparent felt a repugnance to have it. Perfect stranger look
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  Speaker 1: through them, and I couldn't blame them for it either.
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  Speaker 1: I despaired of ever giving a chance of seeing a
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  Speaker 1: human heart beating away for dear life for all the world,
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  Speaker 1: just like the swinging of a pendulum or the vibration
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  Speaker 1: of a balance wheel. End of Chapter nine