THE PERFECT WORLD A ROMANCE OF STRANGE PEOPLE AND STRANGE PLACES BY ELLA SCRYMSOUR LONDON EVELEIGH NASH & GRAYSON LTD. 148 STRAND PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY THE NORTHUMBERLAND PRESS LTD., THORNTON STREET, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE To MY TWO DEAR ONES ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS BOOK I THE OLD WORLD (_Before the War_) CHAPTER PAGE I. STRANGERS COME TO MARSHFIELDEN 11 II. THE CURSE 20 III. THE LIGHT 33 IV. THE OUTLET 42 BOOK II THE UNDERWORLD I. A STRANGE MEETING 53 II. THE ORIGIN OF THE PEOPLE 65 III. RELATING TO HISTORY 79 IV. OUT INTO THE GREAT BEYOND 88 V. A FRIEND FROM THE ENEMY 95 VI. THE LAIR OF THE SERPENT 102 VII. ON THE WAY TO THE TOMB OF KORAH 109 VIII. THE TOMB OF KORAH 115 IX. THE PAPYRUS 122 X. THE ESCAPE 129 BOOK III EXIT THE WORLD (_After the War_) I. AT WALLA BALLA 139 II. HOME AGAIN 154 III. THE AIRSHIP 166 IV. THE END OF THE WORLD 173 BOOK IV THE PERFECT WORLD I. IN SPACE 187 II. ADRIFT IN THE SOLAR REGIONS 194 III. THE VISION OF A NEW WORLD 204 IV. JUPITER AND THE JOVIANS 211 V. DEATH IN JUPITER 223 VI. THE SACRAMENT OF SCHLERIK-ITATA 232 VII. HATRED ON KEEMAR 244 VIII. THE UNFORGIVEABLE KISS 256 IX. ALAN—THE KNIGHT ERRANT 265 X. THE CAVE OF WHISPERING MADNESS 270 XI. THE WRAITHS OF THE RORKAS 282 XII. THE FATE OF KULMERVAN 292 XIII. THE SENTENCE UPON ARRACK 296