"It is enough to puzzle the
--Ahem!"
Making as little reply as possible to these observations, the Man of
Fancy preceded the company to another noble saloon, the pillars of
which were solid golden sunbeams taken out of the sky in the first
hour in the morning. Thus, as they retained all their living
lustre, the room was filled with the most cheerful radiance
imaginable, yet not too dazzling to be borne with comfort and
delight. The windows were beautifully adorned with curtains made of
the many-colored clouds of sunrise, all imbued with virgin light,
and hanging in magnificent festoons from the ceiling to the floor.
Moreover, there were fragments of rainbows scattered through the
room; so that the guests, astonished at one another, reciprocally
saw their heads made glorious by the seven primary hues; or, if they
chose,--as who would not?--they could grasp a rainbow in the air and
convert it to their own apparel and adornment. But the morning
light and scattered rainbows were only a type and symbol of the real
wonders of the apartment. By an influence akin to magic, yet
perfectly natural, whatever means and opportunities of joy are
neglected in the lower world had been carefully gathered up and
deposited in the saloon of morning sunshine. As may well be
conceived, therefore, there was material enough to supply, not
merely a joyous evening, but also a happy lifetime, to more than as
many people as that spacious apartment could contain.
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