Fantasy fiction; Science fiction; South America -- Fiction
"What did you dream of?" asked Leonard, who had entered in time to hear
the other's concluding words.
"That's the strange part of it," returned Templemore, looking perplexed
and somewhat sheepish. "I've had a most extraordinary dream of some
kind, or a vision or something--_that_ I know, yet I cannot remember
what it was. All I can now tell you is that it was something so
extremely pleasant that it has left the most agreeable sensations
behind it. My very blood seems in a warm, delicious glow from it. What
can it be?" he added, looking in a bewildered way from one to the other.
But Monella made no comment, and went away.
"It's been just the same with me," said Leonard, in a low voice, that
had an expression almost of awe in it. "Monella woke me about half an
hour ago and I felt much like what you have described."
"It's very odd," Templemore returned thoughtfully. "It must be the
drink he gave us. Do you remember what Harry Lorien said of him? That
he believed Monella was a magician? I begin to think him a wizard
myself. But, dear boy, how much better you look!"
"So do you, Jack; and he tells me Ulama is the same--and it's all his
doing, you know. He _is_ a wizard; and that's all there is to be said
about it."
"The question is," Jack went on, "what was it he gave us? Here it has
made us sleep nearly forty-eight hours; and it seems, has done us, in
that time, as much good as one would have thought would have taken
a week or two to accomplish, and yet it has left no dull, drowsy,
listless feeling, such as opiates generally do. I can't make it out."
And, shaking his head gravely, Templemore went to take his morning
plunge.
When they sought Monella, he bade Leonard give him the particulars of
all that had occurred to him. Leonard recounted them.
"It seemed very terrible to me," he said when he had finished, "at the
time; and truly I thought I should never get over it. Yet--now--it
seems such a long while ago--so far off."
"That is well, my son," returned Monella. "For it has been a sore
trial. I have heard about _you_," he continued, turning to Templemore,
"from the lady Zonella and from Ergalon."
"I owe a great debt to her--to him--to both," Templemore replied.
"Without their aid I fear things would have gone badly with Leonard,
and myself too."
"Yes, Coryon had ably laid his treacherous schemes, and we all have
reason to be thankful for their failure," said Monella solemnly.
"Things came to a crisis just then. I had just matured certain plans
that Sanaima and I had laid out; and only the day before my long-lost
memory returned to me, and I remembered, all in a flash, as it were,
the whole of my former life."
"That you were--that is--are----" Templemore began; but stopped and
looked confused.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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