“The peasants who came to your father in Moscow spoke Samavian and were big men. Do you remember them?'' he asked from outside.
“I know nothing,'' answered Marco.
“You are a young fool,'' the voice replied. “And I believe you know even more than we thought. Your father will be greatly troubled when you do not come home. I will come back to see you in a few hours, if it is possible. I will tell you, however, that I have had disturbing news which might make it necessary for us to leave the house in a hurry. I might not have time to come down here again before leaving.''
Marco stood with his back against a bit of wall and remained silent.
There was stillness for a few minutes, and then there was to be heard the sound of footsteps marching away.
When the last distant echo died all was quite silent, and Marco drew a long breath. Unbelievable as it may appear, it was in one sense almost a breath of relief. In the rush of strange feeling which had swept over him when he found himself facing the astounding situation up-stairs, it had not been easy to realize what his thoughts really were; there were so many of them and they came so fast. How could he quite believe the evidence of his eyes and ears? A few minutes, only a few minutes, had changed his prettily grateful and kindly acquaintance into a subtle and cunning creature whose love for Samavia had been part of a plot to harm it and to harm his father.
What did she and her companion want to do--what could they do if they knew the things they were trying to force him to tell?
Marco braced his back against the wall stoutly.
“What will it be best to think about first?''
This he said because one of the most absorbingly fascinating things he and his father talked about together was the power of the thoughts which human beings allow to pass through their minds--the strange strength of them. When they talked of this, Marco felt as if he were listening to some marvelous Eastern story of magic which was true. In Loristan's travels, he had visited the far Oriental countries, and he had seen and learned many things which seemed marvels, and they had taught him deep thinking. He had known, and reasoned through days with men who believed that when they desired a thing, clear and exalted thought would bring it to them. He had discovered why they believed this, and had learned to understand their profound arguments.
What he himself believed, he had taught Marco quite simply from his childhood. It was this: he himself--Marco, with the strong boy-body, the thick mat of black hair, and the patched clothes--was the magician. He held and waved his wand himself--and his wand was his own Thought. When special privation or anxiety beset them, it was their rule to say, “What will it be best to think about first?'' which was Marco's reason for saying it to himself now as he stood in the darkness which was like black velvet.
He waited a few minutes for the right thing to come to him.
“I will think of the very old hermit who lived on the ledge of the mountains in India and who let my father talk to him through all one night,'' he said at last. This had been a wonderful story and one of his favorites. Loristan had traveled far to see this ancient Buddhist, and what he had seen and heard during that one night had made changes in his life. The part of the story which came back to Marco now was these words:
“Let pass through thy mind, my son, only the image thou wouldst desire to see a truth. Meditate only upon the wish of thy heart, seeing first that it can injure no man and is not ignoble. Then will it take earthly form and draw near to thee. This is the law of that which creates.''
“I am not afraid,'' Marco said aloud. “I shall not be afraid.
In some way I shall get out.''
This was the image he wanted most to keep steadily in his mind --that nothing could make him afraid, and that in some way he would get out of the wine-cellar.
He thought of this for some minutes, and said the words over several times. He felt more like himself when he had done it.
“When my eyes are accustomed to the darkness, I shall see if there is any little glimmer of light anywhere,'' he said next.
He waited with patience, and it seemed for some time that he saw no glimmer at all. He put out his hands on either side of him, and found that, on the side of the wall against which he stood, there seemed to be no shelves. Perhaps the cellar had been used for other purposes than the storing of wine, and, if that was true, there might be somewhere some opening for ventilation. The air was not bad, but then the door had not been shut tightly when the man opened it.
“I am not afraid,'' he repeated. “I shall not be afraid. In some way I shall get out.''
He would not allow himself to stop and think about his father waiting for his return. He knew that would only rouse his emotions and weaken his courage. He began to feel his way carefully along the wall. It reached farther than he had thought it would.
The cellar was not so very small. He crept round it gradually, and, when he had crept round it, he made his way across it, keeping his hands extended before him and setting down each foot cautiously. Then he sat down on the stone floor and thought again, and what he thought was of the things the old Buddhist had told his father, and that there was a way out of this place for him, and he should somehow find it, and, before too long a time had passed, be walking in the street again.
