. We had reached our journey's end. My
work was about to begin--upon my own efforts now depended the salvation of
that great world I had left behind. What difficulties, what dangers, would
I have to face, here among the people of this strange planet? I thrilled
with awe at the thought of it; and I prayed God then to hold me firm and
steadfast to my purpose.

Miela must have divined my thoughts, for she said simply: "You will have
great power here, Alan; and it is in my heart that you will succeed."

We slid back one of the heavy metallic curtains and looked out through the
thick glass of the window. It was daylight--a diffused daylight like that
of a cloudy midday on my own earth. An utterly barren waste met my gaze.
We seemed to have landed in a narrow valley. Huge cliffs rose on both
sides to a height of a thousand feet or more.

These cliffs, as well as the floor of the valley itself, shone with a
brilliant glare, even in the half light of the sunless day. They were not
covered with soil, but seemed rather to be almost entirely metallic,
copper in color. The whole visible landscape was devoid of any sign of
vegetation, nor was there a single living thing in sight.

I shuddered at the inhospitable bleakness of it.

"Where are we, Miela?"

She smiled at my tone. It was my first sight of Mercury except vague,
distant glimpses of its surface through the mist coming down.

"You do not like my world?"

She was standing close beside me, and at her smiling words raised one of
her glorious red wings and spread it behind me as though for protection.
Then, becoming serious once more, she answered my question.

"We are fortunate, Alan. It is the Valley of the Sun, in the Light
Country. I know it well. We are very close to the Great City."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll leave it all to you, little wife. Shall we start at once?"

Her hand pressed mine.

"I shall lead you now," she said. "But afterward--_you_ it will be who
leads _me_--who leads us all."

She crossed to the door fastenings. As she loosed them I remember I heard
a slight hissing sound. Before I could reach her she slid back the door. A
great wave of air rushed in upon us, sweeping us back against the wall. I
clutched at something for support, but the sweep of wind stopped almost at
once.

I had stumbled to my knees. "Miela!" I cried in terror.

She was beside me in an instant, wide-eyed with fear, which even then I
could see was fear only fo