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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter seven, Our first night in the underworld, and how
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  Speaker 1: it was followed by the first break of day, Bulgar's warning,
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  Speaker 1: and what it meant we fall in with an inhabitant
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  Speaker 1: of the world within a world his name, and calling
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  Speaker 1: mysterious return of night, the land of beds, And how
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  Speaker 1: our new friend provided one for us. So heavy with
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  Speaker 1: sleep did my eyelids become at last that I knew
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  Speaker 1: that it must be night in the outer world. And
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  Speaker 1: so we halted, and I stretched myself at full length
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  Speaker 1: on that marble floor, which, by the way, was pleasantly
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  Speaker 1: warm beneath us, and the air, too, was strangely comforting
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  Speaker 1: to the lungs, there being a complete absence of that
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  Speaker 1: smell of earth and odor of dampness so common in
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  Speaker 1: vast subterranean chambers. My sleep was long continued and most refreshing.
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  Speaker 1: Vulgar was already awake. However, when I sat up and
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  Speaker 1: tried to look about me, he began tugging at the
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  Speaker 1: string which I had fastened to his collar, as if
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  Speaker 1: he wanted to lead me somewhere. So I humored him
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  Speaker 1: and followed along. After, to my delight, he led me
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  Speaker 1: straight to a pool of deliciously sweet and cold water.
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  Speaker 1: Here we drank our fill, and, after a very frugal
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  Speaker 1: breakfast on some dried figs, set out again on our
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  Speaker 1: journey along the Marble Highway. Suddenly, to my more than joy,
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  Speaker 1: the faint and uncertain light of the place began to strengthen. Why,
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  Speaker 1: it seemed almost as if the day of the upper
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  Speaker 1: world were about to break, So delicate were the various
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  Speaker 1: hues in which the ever increasing light clothed itself. Then,
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  Speaker 1: as if a frightened at its own increasing glory, it
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  Speaker 1: would fade away again, almost a gloom. Ere many moments
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  Speaker 1: again this faint and mysterious glow would return, beginning with
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  Speaker 1: the softest yellow, then changing to a dozen different tints, and,
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  Speaker 1: like a fickle made uncertain which to wear, put all
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  Speaker 1: aside and down the lily's garb vulgar, and I wandered
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  Speaker 1: along the Marble Highway, almost afraid to break the stillness
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  Speaker 1: so deep that it seemed to me as if I
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  Speaker 1: could hear those sportive rays of light in their play
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  Speaker 1: against the many colored rocks arching this mighty corridor. Now,
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  Speaker 1: as the Marble Highway swept around in a graceful curve,
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  Speaker 1: a dazzling flood of light burst upon us. It was
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  Speaker 1: sunrise in the world within a world. Whence came this
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  Speaker 1: flood of dazzling light, which now caused the sides and
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  Speaker 1: arching roof to glow and sparkle, as if we had
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  Speaker 1: suddenly entered one of Nature's vast door houses of polished gems.
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  Speaker 1: Shading my eyes with my hand, I looked about me
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  Speaker 1: in order to try and solve the mystery. It did
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  Speaker 1: not take me long to understand at all. Know, then,
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  Speaker 1: dear friends, that the seedlings, domes, and arched rules of
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  Speaker 1: this underground world were fretted with a metal of greater
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  Speaker 1: hardness than any known to us children of sunshine. Its
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  Speaker 1: seams ran hither and thither like the veins of gignantic leaves,
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  Speaker 1: and at certain hours, currents of electricity from some vast
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  Speaker 1: internal reservoir of nature's own building streamed through these metal
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  Speaker 1: traceeries until they glowed with a heat so white as
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  Speaker 1: to give off the flood of dazzling light of which
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  Speaker 1: I have already spoken. The current never came with a
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  Speaker 1: sudden rush or burst, but began gently and timidly, so
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  Speaker 1: to speak, as if feeling its way along. Hence the
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  Speaker 1: beautiful tints that had always preceded sunrise in this lower world,
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  Speaker 1: and made it so much like the coming and going
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  Speaker 1: of our glorious sunshine. The marble highway now divided, and
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  Speaker 1: the two halves of the fork, curving away to the
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  Speaker 1: right and left, enclosed a small but exquisitely ornamented perk,
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  Speaker 1: or pleasure ground, I might call it, Provided with seats
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  Speaker 1: of some dark wood beautifully polished and carved, this park
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  Speaker 1: was ornamented with four fountains, each springing from a crystal
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  Speaker 1: basin and spreading out into a feathery spray that glistened
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  Speaker 1: like whirling snow in the dazzling white light. As Vulgar
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  Speaker 1: and I directed our steps toward one of the benches
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  Speaker 1: with the intention of taking a good rest, a low
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  Speaker 1: growl from him warned me to be on the alert.
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  Speaker 1: I gave a second look. A human being was seated
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  Speaker 1: on the bench beside myself. As I was with curiosity
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  Speaker 1: to come face to face with this inhabitant of the underworld,
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  Speaker 1: the first we had met, I made a halt, determined
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  Speaker 1: to ascertain, if possible, whether he was quite harmless before
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  Speaker 1: accosting him. He was small in stature and clad entirely
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  Speaker 1: in black, a sort of loose flowing robe, much like
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  Speaker 1: a Roman toga. His head was bare, and what I
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  Speaker 1: could see if it was a round, smooth and rosy,
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  Speaker 1: with about as much hair, or rather fuzz upon it
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  Speaker 1: as the head of an infant six weeks old. His
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  Speaker 1: face was hidden by a black fan, which he carried
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  Speaker 1: in his right hand, and the uses of which you
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  Speaker 1: will learn later on. His eyes were shielded from the
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  Speaker 1: intense glare of the light by a pair of colored
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  Speaker 1: glass gulls. As he raised his hand between me and
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  Speaker 1: the light, I couldn't help catching my breath. I could
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  Speaker 1: see right through it. The bones were as clear as amber.
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  Speaker 1: His head, too, was only a little less opaque. Suddenly,
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  Speaker 1: two words from Don Fum's men script flashed through my mind,
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  Speaker 1: and I exclaimed, joyously, vulgar, We're in the land of
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  Speaker 1: the transparent folk. At the sound of my voice, the
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  Speaker 1: little man arose and made a low bow, lowering his
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  Speaker 1: fan to his breast where he held it. His baby
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  Speaker 1: face was ludicrously sad and solemn. Yes, sir Stranger, said
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  Speaker 1: he in a low musical voice. Thou art indeed in
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  Speaker 1: the land of the micam and geese. Make a man
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  Speaker 1: in the land of the transparent folk, called also Goggleland.
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  Speaker 1: But if I should show THEE my heart, thou wouldst
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  Speaker 1: see that. I am deeply pained to think that I
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  Speaker 1: should have been the first to bid THEE welcome. For no, sir, stranger,
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  Speaker 1: that thou speakest with Master hold Soul, the court depressor,
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  Speaker 1: the saddest man in all goggle Land. And by the way, sir,
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  Speaker 1: permit me to offer THEE a pair of goggles for
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  Speaker 1: thyself and also a pair for thy four footed companion,
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  Speaker 1: for our intense white light would blind THEE both in
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  Speaker 1: a few days. I thanked Master Cold Soul very warmly
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  Speaker 1: for the goggles, and proceeded to set one peristrite my
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  Speaker 1: nose and to tie the other in front of Bulgar's eyes.
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  Speaker 1: I then, in most courteous manner, informed Master Cold Soul
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  Speaker 1: who I was, and begged him to explain the cause
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  Speaker 1: of his great sadness. Well thou must know, little Baron,
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  Speaker 1: said he, after I had taken his seat beside him
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  Speaker 1: on the bench, that we, the loving subjects of Queen Galaxa,
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  Speaker 1: whose royal heart is almost run down, excuse these tears.
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  Speaker 1: Living as we do in this beautiful world, so unlike
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  Speaker 1: the one you inhabit, which our wise men tell us,
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  Speaker 1: is built strange, to say, on the very outside of
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  Speaker 1: the Earth's crust, where it is most exposed to the
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  Speaker 1: full sweep of blinding snow, freezing blast, pelting hail, drowning rain,
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  Speaker 1: and choking dust. Living as we do, I say, in
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  Speaker 1: this vast temple by nature's own hands, builded were disease
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  Speaker 1: is unknown, and where our hearts run down like clocks
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  Speaker 1: that may have but one winding, we are prone a
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  Speaker 1: last to be too happy, to laugh, too much, to
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  Speaker 1: spend too much time in idle gaiety, chattering the time
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  Speaker 1: away like thoughtless children, amused with baubles, delighted with tinsel nothings. Know, then,
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  Speaker 1: little Baron, that mine is the business to check this gaiety,
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  Speaker 1: to put an end to this childish believe, to depress
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  Speaker 1: our people's spirits lest they run too high. Hence my
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  Speaker 1: garb of inky hue, my rueful countenance, my frequent outflowing
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  Speaker 1: of tears, my voice ever a tuned to sadness. Excuse me,
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  Speaker 1: little Baron, my fans slipped, then, didst see through me?
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  Speaker 1: I would not have thee sea my heart to day
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  Speaker 1: for some way or other I cannot bring it to
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  Speaker 1: a slow pace. It is dreadfully unruly. I assured him
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  Speaker 1: that I had not seen through him as yet. And now,
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  Speaker 1: dear friends, I must explain that, by the laws of
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  Speaker 1: the Micamenkies, each man, woman and child must wear in
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  Speaker 1: their garments a heart shaped opening on their breast directly
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  Speaker 1: over their hearts, with a correspond in one at the back,
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  Speaker 1: so that, under certain conditions, when the law allows it,
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  Speaker 1: each may have the right to take a look at
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  Speaker 1: his neighbor's heart and see exactly how it is beating,
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  Speaker 1: whether faster or s law, whether throbbing or leaping, or
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  Speaker 1: whether pulsating naturally. But this privilege is only accorded, as
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  Speaker 1: I have said, under certain conditions. Hence, to shut off
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  Speaker 1: inquisitive glances, each my tamenki is allowed to carry a
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  Speaker 1: black fan with which to cover the heart shaped opening
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  Speaker 1: above described, and in this way conceal his or her
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  Speaker 1: feelings to a degree, I say, to a degree, for
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  Speaker 1: I may as well tell you right here that falsehood
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  Speaker 1: is unknown, or more correctly stated, impossible, in the land
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  Speaker 1: of the transparent ful, for the reason that so wondrously clear,
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  Speaker 1: limpid and crystal like are their eyes. The slightest attempt
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  Speaker 1: to say one thing while they are thinking another royals
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  Speaker 1: and clouds them as if a drop of milk had
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  Speaker 1: fallen into a glass of the purest water. As I
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  Speaker 1: sat gazing at this strange little being seated on the
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  Speaker 1: bench there beside me, I recalled the conversation which I
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  Speaker 1: had had with a learned Russian at slow Richagutsk, said he,
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  Speaker 1: speaking of his people, we are all born with light hair,
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  Speaker 1: brilliant eyes, and pale faces, for we have sprung up
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  Speaker 1: under the snow. And I thought to myself, how delighted,
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  Speaker 1: how entranced he would have been to look upon this
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  Speaker 1: curious being, borne not under the snow, but far under
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  Speaker 1: the surface of the earth. Were in these vast chambers
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  Speaker 1: of this world within the world, this strange folk had,
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  Speaker 1: like plants grown in a dark, deep cellar, gradually parted
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  Speaker 1: with all their coloring, until their eyes glowed like orbs
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  Speaker 1: of pure crystal, until their bones had been bleached to
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  Speaker 1: amber clearness, and their blood coursed colorless through colorless veins.
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  Speaker 1: While sitting there, following out the strain of thought, the
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  Speaker 1: clear white light suddenly begun to flicker and to play
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  Speaker 1: fantastic tricks upon the walls by dancing in garbs of
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  Speaker 1: ever changing hues. Now brightest yellow, now palest green, now
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  Speaker 1: glorious purple, now deepest crimson. Ah little Baron exclaimed Master Coldsaw,
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  Speaker 1: that was an uncommonly short day. Rise, Please, I made
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  Speaker 1: haste to obey. Whereupon he touched a spring, and the
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  Speaker 1: bench opened in the center, disclosing two very comfortable beds.
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  Speaker 1: In a few moments, night will be upon us, continued
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  Speaker 1: the Mcamenkey. But how SEO is that we have not
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  Speaker 1: been taken by surprise? I should explain to thee little
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  Speaker 1: baron that, owing to the capricious manner on which our
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  Speaker 1: river of light is apt both to begin and to
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  Speaker 1: see slowing, we are never able to tell how long
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  Speaker 1: a day or a night will prove to be. This
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  Speaker 1: is what we call twilight in thy world. I suppose
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  Speaker 1: day goes out with a terrible bang. For our wise
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  Speaker 1: men tell us that nothing can be done in the
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  Speaker 1: upper world without making a noise. That your people really
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  Speaker 1: love noise, and that the man who makes the greatest
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  Speaker 1: noise is considered the greatest man. Owing to the fact,
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  Speaker 1: little Baron, that no and goggleland can tell how long
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  Speaker 1: the day will last, or how long it may be
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  Speaker 1: necessary to sleep. Our laws permit no one to set
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  Speaker 1: any exact time when a thing shall be done, or
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  Speaker 1: to exact any promise to do this or that on
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  Speaker 1: a certain day, for bless thy soul, that they may
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  Speaker 1: not be ten minutes long. Hence we say, if tomorrow
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  Speaker 1: be over five hours long, come to me at the
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  Speaker 1: beginning of the sixth hour. And we never wish each
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  Speaker 1: other a plain good night, but say good night as
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  Speaker 1: long as it lasts. What's more, little baron as Knight
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  Speaker 1: is apt to come upon us this way unawares. By law.
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  Speaker 1: All the beds belong to the state. No one is
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  Speaker 1: allowed to own his own bed, For when night overtakes him,
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  Speaker 1: he may be at the other end of the city,
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  Speaker 1: and some other subject of Queen Galaxa may be in
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  Speaker 1: front of his door. And no matter where night may
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  Speaker 1: overtake him micamemki, he is sure to find a bed.
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  Speaker 1: There are beds everywhere. By touching his spring, they dropped
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  Speaker 1: from the walls. They pull out like drawers. There are
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  Speaker 1: under the tables and the divans, in the perks, in
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  Speaker 1: the market place, by the roadside benches, bins, boxes, barrels,
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  Speaker 1: and barrels. By pressing his spring may in an instant
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  Speaker 1: be transformed into beds. It is the land of beds,
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  Speaker 1: little Baron, but ah, I behold the twilight goes to
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  Speaker 1: its end. Good night, as long as it lasts. And
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  Speaker 1: with this Master Coltzell stretched himself out and began to snore,
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  Speaker 1: having first carefully covered up the two holes in the
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  Speaker 1: front and back of his garment so that I shouldn't
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  Speaker 1: have a chance to take a peep through him in
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  Speaker 1: case I should wake up first. Bulger and I were
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  Speaker 1: right glad to lay our limbs on a reel bed,
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  Speaker 1: although from the way my four footed brother followed his
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  Speaker 1: tail around and around, I could see that he wasn't
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  Speaker 1: particularly delighted with the softness of the couch. End of
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  Speaker 1: Chapter seven