The Secret Power - Page 202/209

"What should there be of me except the dream come true?" she responded, smiling--"You know my plans,--you also know my destiny, for I have told you everything! You will be the controller of all my wealth, entrusted to carry out all my wishes, till it is time either for you to come where I am, or for me to return hither. We never know how or when that may be. But it has all seemed plain sailing for me since I saw the city called 'Brazen' but which WE know is Golden!--and when I found that you belonged to it, and were only stationed here for a short time, I knew I could give you my entire confidence. It is not as if we were of the passing world or its ways--we are of the New Race, and time does not count with us."

"Quite true," he said--"But for these persons in whom you are interested, time is still considered--and for the girl it will be long!"

"Not with such love as hers!" replied Morgana. "Each moment, each hour will be filled with hope and prayer and constant vigilance. Love makes all things easy! It is useless to contend with a fate which both the man and woman have made for themselves. He is--I should say he was a scientist, who discovered the means of annihilating any section of humanity at his own wish and will--he played with the fires of God and brought annihilation on himself. MY discovery--the force that moves my air-ship--the force that is the vital element of all who live in the Golden City--is the same as his!--but I use it for health and movement, progress and power--not for the destruction of any living soul! By one single false step he has caused the death and misery of hundreds of helpless human creatures--and this terror has recoiled on his own head. The girl Manella has no evil thought in her--she simply loves!--her love is ill placed, but she also has brought her own destiny on herself. You have worked--and so have I--WITH the universal force, not as the world does, AGAINST it,--and we have made OURSELVES what we are and what we SHALL BE. There is no other way either forward or backward,--you know there is not!" Here she rose from her knees and confronted him, a light aerial creature of glowing radiance and elfin loveliness--"And you must fulfil her wish--and mine!"

He rose also and stood erect, a noble figure of a man with a dignified beauty of mien and feature that seemed to belong to the classic age rather than ours.