g, his friends were proposing a toast over the
Christmas punch bowl. The Chemist's voice floated in through the
doorway.

"To the Oroids--happiness to them." Then for an instant there was
silence as they drank the toast.

Aura met the Very Young Man's eyes and smiled a little wanly.
"Happiness--to them! I wonder. We who are so happy to-night--I wonder,
are they?"

The Very Young Man leaned towards her. "You are happy, Aura?"

The girl nodded, still staring wistfully into the fire.

"I want you to be," the Very Young Man added simply, and fell silent.

A blazing log in the fire twisted and rolled to one side; the crackling
flames leaped higher, bathing the girl's drooping little figure in their
golden light.

The Very Young Man after a time found himself murmuring familiar lines
of poetry. His memory leaped back. A boat sailing over a silent summer
lake--underneath the stars--the warmth of a girl's soft little body
touching his--her hair, twisted about his fingers--the thrill in his
heart; he felt it now as his lips formed the words:

"The stars would be your pearls upon a string,
The world a ruby for your finger-ring,
And you could have the sun and moon to wear,
If I were king."

"You remember, Aura, that night in the boat?"

Again the girl nodded. "I shall learn to read it--some day," she said
eagerly. "And all the others that you told me. I want to. They sing--so
beautifully."

A sleigh passed along the road outside; the jingle of its bells drifted
in to them. The Very Young Man reached over and gently touched the
girl's hand; her fingers closed over his with an answering pressure. His
heart was beating fast.

"Aura," he said earnestly. "I want to be King--for you--this first
Christmas and always. I want to give you--all there is in this life, of
happiness, that I can give--just for you."

The girl met his gaze with eyes that were melting with tenderness.

"I love you, Aura," he said softly.

"I love you, too, Jack," she whispered, and held her lips up to his.

***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GIRL IN THE GOLDEN ATOM***

******* This file should be named 21094.txt or 21094.zip *******

This and all associated files of various formats will be found in:
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/1/0/9/21094

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions
will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no
one owns a U