Angels and Women (1924)

82 ANGELS AND WOMEN
Allimades had parted from his brother the
Prophet, and I beheld with the fresh delight
of a child of the wilderness, the magnificent
city and valley of Balonia, seat of the empire
of Satanas.
Its marble towers and palaces glittered
with gold; statues and fountains gleamed
white among fern-palms, spice-groves, and
gardens, where falling waters sparkled even
in the fading light. Along its paved streets,
throngs of people and carriages were moving,
and a confused hum mingled with the
fragrance ascending from grove and garden.
Through the midst of the city flowed a broad
river, and upon its bosom boats with silken
sails were gliding, while myriads of unseen
bells, fitfully shaken by the evening breeze,
filled the air with sounds more musical and
soothing than can be described.
Upon the mountain top was a lofty building
from which all the surrounding country
could be overlooked. This, I afterward
learned, is called the Tower of Satanas, the