It is a place of ancient things, my friend; it is the heart of
Ancient Mexico."
The heart of Ancient Mexico! Without her words he would have known,
would have felt. For old influences held on and the atmosphere of the
time of the Montezumas still pervaded the place. He forgot even
Zoraida as he stepped forward and stopped again, marveling.
Here was a chamber of colossal proportions and more than a chamber in
that it gave the impression of being without walls or roof. And in a
way the impression was correct for straight overhead Kendric saw a
ragged section of the heavens, bright with stars, and at first he
failed to see the remote walls because of the shrubbery everywhere.
Here was a strange underground garden that might have been the
courtyard to an oriental monarch's palace, a region of spraying
fountains, of heavily scented flowers, of berry-bearing shrubs, of
birds of brilliant plumage. It was night; the stars cast small light
down here into the depths of earth; and yet it was some moments before
the startled Kendric asked himself the question: "Where does the full
light come from?" And it was still other moments before he located the
first of the countless lamps, lamps with green shades lost behind
foliage, lamps set in recesses, lamps everywhere but cunningly placed
so that one was bathed in their light without having the source of the
illumination thrust into notice.
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