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13 - Baron Trump's Marvellous Underground Journey - Ingersoll Lockwood · Classic Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen, how I set to work to undo a
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  Speaker 1: wrong that had been done in the Kingdom of the Micamenkis,
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  Speaker 1: and how Bulgar helped Queen Galaxi's confession I am created
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  Speaker 1: Prime Minister as long as she lives. What took place
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  Speaker 1: in the throne room, my speech to the men of Goggleland,
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  Speaker 1: after which I showed them something worth seeing. How I
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  Speaker 1: was pulled in two different directions, and what came of it.
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  Speaker 1: The first thing I did, after the genuine Princess Cristelina
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  Speaker 1: had left me was to seek out doctor Nebulosis and
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  Speaker 1: learn from him the exact number of hours before the
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  Speaker 1: Queen's heart would run down. As he had just been
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  Speaker 1: making an examination, he was able to tell me the
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  Speaker 1: very minute. It was seventeen hours and thirteen minutes, rather
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  Speaker 1: a short time, you must confess, dear friends, in which
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  Speaker 1: to accomplish such an important piece of business as I
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  Speaker 1: had in mind. I then made my way directly to
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  Speaker 1: the Royal Palace and demanded a private audience with the
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  Speaker 1: Lady of the Crystal Throne. With the advice of Sir
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  Speaker 1: amber Opake and Lord Krncore. She firmly but graciously refused
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  Speaker 1: to receive me, giving as an excuse that the excitement
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  Speaker 1: that would be sure to follow an interview with the
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  Speaker 1: man of coal, so the Micamenkis had named me, would
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  Speaker 1: shorten her life at least thirteen minutes. But I was
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  Speaker 1: not to be put off in so unceremonious a manner.
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  Speaker 1: Sitting down, I seized a pen and wrote the following
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  Speaker 1: words upon a piece of glazed silk to Galaxa, Queen
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  Speaker 1: of the Macamenkis, Lady of the Crystal Throne. I Lord Bulgar,
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  Speaker 1: a Micamenkian, noble bearer of this who was the first
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  Speaker 1: to discover that the real princess was not sitting on
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  Speaker 1: the steps of the crystal throne, demanded an audience from
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  Speaker 1: man Master Baron Sebastian von Trump, commonly known as the
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  Speaker 1: Little Baron, and prompted by him, I ask, what are
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  Speaker 1: thirteen minutes of thy life, O, Queen Galaxa, to the
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  Speaker 1: long years of sorrow and disappointment in store for thy
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  Speaker 1: royal child. Taking this letter in his mouth, Bulgar sprang
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  Speaker 1: away with long and rapid bounds. In a few minutes
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  Speaker 1: he was in the presence of the Queen, for the
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  Speaker 1: guards had fallen back. Affrightened as they saw him draw near,
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  Speaker 1: with his dark eyes flashing indignation. Raising himself up on
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  Speaker 1: his hind feet, he laid the letter in Galax's hands.
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  Speaker 1: The moment she had read it, she fell into a swoon,
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  Speaker 1: and all was a stir and commotion in and round
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  Speaker 1: about the palace. I was hastily summoned, and the audience
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  Speaker 1: chamber cleared of every attendant save doctor Nebulosis, Sir amber Opake,
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  Speaker 1: Lord Corncore, Lord Bulgar, and me. Send for the Demoiselle Glowstone,
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  Speaker 1: commanded the Queen, And when she had appeared, to the
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  Speaker 1: amazement of all, saving Bulgar and me, Galax obeyed her
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  Speaker 1: mount the steps of the Crystal throne. Then, having embraced
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  Speaker 1: her most tenderly, the Queen spoke these words, oh faithful
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  Speaker 1: counselors and wise friends from the upper world, this is
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  Speaker 1: the real Princess Cristelina, whom I have for all these
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  Speaker 1: years wickedly and wrongfully kept from her high state and
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  Speaker 1: royal privileges. She born with a speck in her heart,
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  Speaker 1: and I feared that it would be useless to ask
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  Speaker 1: my people to accept her as my successor, Oh Lady
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  Speaker 1: of the Crystal Throne, exclaimed Lord cornericor thou hast wisely done,
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  Speaker 1: thy people would never have received her as Princess Cristelina,
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  Speaker 1: for being, by the laws of our land, denied the
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  Speaker 1: privilege to look for themselves. They never would have believed
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  Speaker 1: that this spot in the Princess's heart was but a
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  Speaker 1: tiny speck, like a single hair crystal, in the arm
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  Speaker 1: of thy magnificent throne. Therefore, o Queen, we counsel thee
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  Speaker 1: not to embitter thy last hours by differences with thy
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  Speaker 1: loving subjects. My Lord Corncore said I, with a low bow,
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  Speaker 1: I make bold to raise my voice against thine and
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  Speaker 1: crave permission from Queen Galaxa to parley with her people.
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  Speaker 1: Forbid it, ry lady, cried Sir Amber Opaque savagely, at
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  Speaker 1: which Bulgar gave a low growl and showed his teeth.
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  Speaker 1: Queen Galaxa, I added gravely, A wrong confessed is half redressed.
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  Speaker 1: This fair princess tis true. Hath I speckon her heart,
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  Speaker 1: which ill accords with the name bestowed upon her by
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  Speaker 1: thy people. Bid me be master and tell thy heart
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  Speaker 1: run down and by the knighthood of all the trumps.
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  Speaker 1: I promised Thee that thou shalt have three hours of happiness.
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  Speaker 1: Ere thy royal heart as ceased to beat. Be it so,
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  Speaker 1: little Baron, exclaimed Galaxa joyfully, I proclaim thee Prime Minister
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  Speaker 1: for the rest of my life. At these words, Bulgar
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  Speaker 1: broke out into a series of glad barks, and, raising
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  Speaker 1: upon his hind legs, licked the Queen's hand in token
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  Speaker 1: of his gratitude, while the fair princess looked a love
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  Speaker 1: at me that was too deep to put into words.
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  Speaker 1: I had now but a few hours to act. The excitement,
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  Speaker 1: so doctor Nebulosis assured me, would shorten the Queen's life
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  Speaker 1: a full hour. It had always been my custom to
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  Speaker 1: carry about with me a small but excellent magnifying glass,
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  Speaker 1: a double convex lens, for the purpose of making examinations
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  Speaker 1: of minute objects, and also for reading inscriptions too thine
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  Speaker 1: to be seen with the naked eye. Hastily summon a
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  Speaker 1: skillful metal worker, I instructed him to set the lins
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  Speaker 1: in a short tube, and to enclose that tube within another,
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  Speaker 1: so that I could lengthen it at my pleasure. Then,
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  Speaker 1: having called together as many of the head men of
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  Speaker 1: the nation as the throne room would hold, I requested
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  Speaker 1: Lord Coroncor to inform them of the confession which Queen
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  Speaker 1: Glaxa had made, namely that in reality, Damoisel Glostone was
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  Speaker 1: Princess Cristelina, and Princess Cristelina was Damoisel Glowstone. They were
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  Speaker 1: stricken speechless by this piece of information. But when Lord
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  Speaker 1: Cornicor went on to tell the whole story and to
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  Speaker 1: explain to them why the Queen had practiced this deception
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  Speaker 1: upon them, they broke out into the wildest lamentation, rejecting
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  Speaker 1: it over and over again in piteous tones. A speck
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  Speaker 1: in her heart, A speck in her heart, O dire misfortune,
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  Speaker 1: a woeful day. She can never be our princess if
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  Speaker 1: she hath I speck in her heart. By this time
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  Speaker 1: my arrangements were complete. I had placed the Princess Cristallina
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  Speaker 1: just outside the door of the throne room, where she
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  Speaker 1: stood concealed behind the thick hangings, and near her I
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  Speaker 1: had stationed Doctor Nebulosis, with a large circular mirror of
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  Speaker 1: burnished silver in his hand, calling out in a loud
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  Speaker 1: voice for silence. I thus addressed the weeping subjects of
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  Speaker 1: Queen Galaxa. Oh Machamenk's, Men of Goggleland, transparent folk, I
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  Speaker 1: count myself most happy to be among you at this hour,
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  Speaker 1: and to be permitted by your gracious Queen to raise
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  Speaker 1: my voice in defense of the unfortunate princess with a
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  Speaker 1: speck in her heart. Being of noble birth and an
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  Speaker 1: inhabitant of another world, it was lawful for me to
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  Speaker 1: look through the sorrowing princess, and I have done it. Yes, Micamenk's,
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  Speaker 1: I have gazed upon her heart, I have seen the
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  Speaker 1: speck within it. Give ear, men of Goggleland, and you
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  Speaker 1: shall know how that speck came there. For it is not,
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  Speaker 1: as you doubtless think, a cold black spot within that
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  Speaker 1: faire and closure clearer than the columns of Galaxus throne.
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  Speaker 1: Oh no, Micamenk's A thousand times no, it is a
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  Speaker 1: tiny blemish of reddish hue, a drop of princely blood
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  Speaker 1: from the upper world which I inhabit. And this drop,
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  Speaker 1: in all these countless centuries, has coursed through the veins
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  Speaker 1: of a thousand kings and still kept its rosy at glow,
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  Speaker 1: still remembered the glorious sunshine which called it into being.
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  Speaker 1: And now men of gaggleland. Lest you think that for
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  Speaker 1: some dark purpose of mine own I speak other than
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  Speaker 1: the pure and sober truth, Behold, I show you the
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  Speaker 1: fair Crystallini's heart in its very life, and being as
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  Speaker 1: it is, beating and throbbing with hope and fear commingled.
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  Speaker 1: Look and judge for yourselves. And with this I signaled
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  Speaker 1: to those on the outside of the palace to carry
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  Speaker 1: out my instructions. In an instant, the thick curtains were
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  Speaker 1: drawn and the throne room was wrapped in darkness. And
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  Speaker 1: at the same moment Doctor Nebulosis, with his mirror, caught
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  Speaker 1: the strong white rays of light and threw them upon
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  Speaker 1: Crystallina's body, while I, through an opening in the hangings,
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  Speaker 1: made haste to apply the tube to which the lens
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  Speaker 1: had been fitted, and, catching the reflected image of her heart,
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  Speaker 1: threw it up in plain and startling view upon the
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  Speaker 1: opposite wall of the throne room. Upon seeing how small
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  Speaker 1: the speck was and how truthfully I had described it,
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  Speaker 1: the Macamenkes fell a weeping for purest joy, and then,
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  Speaker 1: as if with one voice, they burst out, long Live
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  Speaker 1: the fair Princess Cristelina, with the ruby speck in her heart,
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  Speaker 1: and ten thousand blessings on the head of little Baron
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  Speaker 1: Trump and Lord Bulgar for saving our land from cruel dissensions.
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  Speaker 1: The people on the outside took up the cry, and
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  Speaker 1: in a few moments the whole city was thronged with
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  Speaker 1: bands of Queen galaxis subjects, singing and dancing and telling
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  Speaker 1: of their love for the fair princess with the ruby
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  Speaker 1: speck in her heart. I had kept my word, Queen Galaxa,
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  Speaker 1: would have at least three hours of complete happiness. Ere
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  Speaker 1: her heart ran down. But suddenly the river of light
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  Speaker 1: began to flicker and dim its flood of brilliant white rays.
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  Speaker 1: Night was coming noiselessly, as if by magic. The Micamenkes
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  Speaker 1: faded from my sight, stealing away in search of beds,
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  Speaker 1: And as the gloom crept into the great Throne room,
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  Speaker 1: some one plucked me gently by the hand, and a
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  Speaker 1: soft voice whispered, I love I love THEE. Oh, who
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  Speaker 1: other than I can tell how I love THEE? And
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  Speaker 1: then a grip stronger than the gentle hand seized me
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  Speaker 1: by the skirt of my coat and dragged me away,
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  Speaker 1: slowly but surely, away through the darkness, through the gloom,
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  Speaker 1: out into the silent streets, ever away, until at last
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  Speaker 1: that soft voice, choking with a sob, seized its pleading
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  Speaker 1: and gasps farewell, oh, farewell, I dare go no farther,
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  Speaker 1: and so Bulgar in his wisdom, led me on and
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  Speaker 1: ever on out of the city of the Mcamenkes, out
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  Speaker 1: upon the Marble Highway end of Chapter thirteen.