arrived, bringing letters to her father. She said there were visitors in the reception room waiting to see him. There was a letter for me from Ilaclatella, but not a word from Louva. This annoyed me much. On opening the letter, I found that it was very short, but extremely kind. Among other things, Ilaclatella congratulated me on my speedy recovery, and hoped that I would enjoy my stay in Tehana.
Yeyema now took his leave, and Vandalia remained with me. I asked her if she had yet heard of the monster expedition the doctor referred to.
"Yes, she had heard of it. They were fitting up the Dorondoro, one of their floating villages, for a trip to Scalascala, the city nearest the ice-fields, and in the volcanic territory. "However," she continued, "it would probably not leave Tehana till after the President's Ball, for there were seldom many important excursions before that event. I asked her if she were going to attend the ball. She said, yes, that she would be attending all the important gatherings in Neuroomia during the falls; that she usually went with her father, and expected that they would be kept going almost constantly, as it was believed there would be an unusually gay season this year. I was glad of
