CHAPTER XXXVII.
A REVELATION.
Alas for the brevity of earthly joys! The noble priests andpriestesses had made a heroic effort to sustain Arjeels, but a month'sincessant labors had quite exhausted their powers, and the gloriousisland vanished, with all its ideal sweetness. As if to intensify oursadness, when we reached Egyplosis again, we found the high priestHushnoly, impatiently awaiting our return to secretly report theproceedings of a late council of the king and government, held in thecouncil chamber of Egyplosis.
I knew by the appearance of Hushnoly that something unusual hadhappened. He hesitated to unfold his secret until requested to do soby the goddess.
"It is a serious business," said Hushnoly, "and I have beencommissioned by his majesty to know the full meaning of the step bothyour holiness and his excellency are about to take, and see if thereis no possibility of averting the terrible calamity, that overhangsEgyplosis."
"Tell me," said Lyone to the high priest, "what the council has beendiscussing, and what it has determined upon."
"Your holiness," said he, "I should inform you that Koshnili, as chiefminister of Atvatabar, has received a report from his winged spies,charged with the duty of watching the movements of his excellency andretinue ever since their arrival in Atvatabar. His duty made itnecessary to discover the real object of the illustrious strangers invisiting our country, and consequently their actions have beencarefully watched and reported."
"And of course," said I, "my constant association with the supremegoddess, has led Koshnili to suspect me of designs inimical to thewelfare of the kingdom?"
"Listen to the report made by Koshnili," replied Hushnoly, whounrolled 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. Iwas thunderstruck. I could only ask Hushnoly what he had to say on thesituation.
"That you love each other, I need not ask," said he; "that may betaken for granted. But I might ask, do you each of you fully recognizethe position you stand in? Do you know that your conduct menaces thethrone of the gods itself? I can understand the violence of love for ahuman soul in the breast of the goddess, but what of her renunciationof Harikar?"
"If not already convinced," I said, "I think her holiness will soonsee that all this monstrous system of hopeless love is tottering onits throne. It is an artificial society, that must in time, of its ownaccord, crumble to pieces."
"His majesty," said the high priest, "has departed with his retinue toCalnogor, and has called a council of the government to consider thesituation. He held that the rank of the individuals who have offendedagainst the sacred code of Atvatabar, and the monstrous impiety of theoffence itself, constitutes a subject worthy of the most seriousconsideration of the government. His majesty was extremely angry onhearing the report of Koshnili. He characterized your excellency'sconduct as unworthy of the hospitality you had received, and asinvolving the ruin of both the supreme goddess and yourself."
"What did Koshnili say when presenting the report?" I inquired.
"Koshnili said that the affections of their beloved goddess had beenwithdrawn from their only legitimate object, Harikar himself, and hadbeen appropriated not even by a holy priest of the temple, not even byan ordinary citizen, but worse than all, by an infidel, a heathen, anadventurer and a stranger, emanating from some _terra incognita_ thatmight, owing to the fatal discovery of Atvatabar, one day send itshordes to ravage the country with fire and sword. The council," hecontinued, "knew the penalty for such treachery and abuse ofhospitality on the part of a desperate and fanatical stranger, as wellas such apostasy on the part of the goddess. He demanded the immediatearrest of the guilty parties. The king had sufficient evidence toconvict and execute both individuals by reason of their high treasonagainst both the government and faith of Atvatabar."
"Did the king approve of Koshnili's demand?" I inquired.
"His majesty," said Hushnoly, "said that a matter of such importancerequired the greatest circumspection. Her holiness was known to be themost pious and popular supreme goddess that had ever sat on the throneof the gods, and although it was evident she had insulted Harikar,still if the quiet expulsion of the strangers from Atvatabar soilwould prevent further disgrace of their faith and country, he wouldprefer to issue a decree of expulsion, rather than a decree for thearrest of both commander and goddess. To reduce the possible calamitynow overhanging the nation to the least possible proportions, it wouldbe necessary to act at once, rather than to await the development ofmore complete evidence of affection between the guilty parties."
Admiral Jolar deprecated the violent measures advocated by Koshnili,and supported the idea of the king, to quietly expel the strangers. Hesaid that if the decree of expulsion were intrusted to him, he wouldsee that it was carried into effect without delay. The council couldrely on the royal fleet doing its duty.
Koshnili was angry at his idea of immediate arrest not being actedupon. "Suppose these strangers," he said, "refuse to leave, and beingwarned by your royal mandate so fortify themselves by stirring up aninsurrection in favor of her holiness, that might possibly defeat theroyal arms, and, in the end, we ourselves be sacrificed by our presenttimid vacillation. The crisis is a serious one and demands a desperateremedy."
"The Governor Ladalmir," said Hushnoly, "rebutted the arguments ofKoshnili. He pointed out that the laws of hospitality demanded thatthe strangers should receive consideration at the hands of the king,even if guilty. They might receive fair warning to depart, afterwhich, if the commander prove contumacious, more stringent measurescould be taken. Should the commander, in defiance of the royalmandate, endeavor to consolidate his affection for her holiness, doingfurther sacrilege to our faith, ecclesiastical law has the remedy ofdeath for those who would dare dethrone our faith, and lead ourbeloved goddess to take the irrevocable step of abandonment of hersupreme office. After considerable discussion, it was decided to acton the suggestion of his majesty the king, that without bringing thematter before the Borodemy, a decree of expulsion be handed AdmiralJolar, for execution on the parties to be expelled from the kingdom.The decree is alread
y in the hands of Admiral Jolar for delivery toyour excellency."