The Uncrowned King Read online

  AND THE THIRD VOICE WAS THE VOICE OF THE NIGHT

  And the Third Voice wasThe Voice of the Night (see king008.png)]

  It was full night when the Pilgrim turned again to seek his couch.

  Without the Temple it was very still--dark and still. Very still was itwithin The Quiet Room, and the darkness that came stealing through theopen window was a thick and heavy darkness. The Pilgrim lay upon hiscouch staring with blank, unseeing eyes into a blackness wherein therewas not even a spot of gray to show where the window was.

  And after a little there came out of the heavy darkness the sad, sadVoice of the Night.

  Said the Voice: "To thee, O Hadji, I come from the Limitless Realm ofthe Past that begins this moment and reaches back even beyond the day ofall beginnings. I speak from the Deeps Above. I tell of the Great ThatWas. I also am a Voice of Life, and mine it is to tell you yet more ofThe Tale of The Uncrowned King."

  And this is the part of the Tale that was told by the Voice of theNight.

  Now it happened, as things sometime so happen, that Really-Is lingeredover long, saying good-bye to his friends in the City Sometime in theLand of Yettocome; and that when he had lingered long with his friendshe stayed yet longer with the beautiful princess, Imagination.

  So it was that, while the prince was promising many promises andreceiving in turn promises as many, his brother, Seemsto-Be, mounted andwas well started on his journey before the heir to the throne ofAllthetime was in the saddle. With the last good-bye spoken to his royalfriends, the last promise promised to the fair princess, and the lastfarewell waved to the charming people, Really-Is urged his horse fastand faster, thinking thus to overtake his brother. But very soonReally-Is found that, fast as he rode his good horse Reality, Seemsto-Beon Appearance rode faster. Greater and greater grew the distance betweenthe two princes--farther and farther ahead rode Seemsto-Be; until atlast, when the distance between them was such that he could, no longersee his brother, Really-Is, the rightful heir to the throne ofAllthetime, understood that Seemsto-Be was riding to win the Crown.

  "For you must not forget, O Hadji," said the sad Voice of the Night,"that no one in Daybyday could tell the twins, Really-Is and Seemsto-Be,one from the other, and therefore, you see, the prince who first reachedthe Royal City would surely be proclaimed king."

  Hard and fast, fast and hard, rode the two who raced for the Crown ofAllthetime. But always Appearance the horse of Seemsto-Be, proved fasterthan Reality, the horse of Really-Is, and so the prince who was firstborn rode far behind.

  Now just this side of the river that marks the end of the Land ofAllthetime the road divides, the way to the left leading to the BrazenGate called Chance, and the other, to the right, going straight to theGolden Gate, Opportunity. And just here it is, at the parting of theways, that Wisdom lives in his little house beside the road.

  When Really-Is in turn arrived at this place, he dismounted from histired horse, and approaching the little house, asked of Wisdom if he hadseen one pass that way riding in great haste.

  "Aye, that I have," replied Wisdom with a smile, "that I have, youngsir, and many would say that it was yourself who rode so hard."

  "It was my brother, good sir," replied the prince. "May I ask which wayhe went and how far he rides ahead?"

  The old man, pointing, answered: "He took the road to the left there andhe rides so far ahead that you cannot now overtake him this side thecity walls."

  "At least I must try to overtake him," answered the prince, and,thanking the old man, he turned quickly to mount his horse again.

  But Wisdom cried, "Why so fast? Why so fast? Is not your brother's nameSeemsto-Be? And are not you, Really-Is, the rightful heir to the throneof Allthetime?"

  "It is indeed so, sir," replied the young man sadly. "I am Really-Is. Iwas born before my brother, Seemsto-Be, and am, therefore, the rightfulheir to the Crown. Our father, King What-Soever-Youthink, is dead, and Imust hasten or my brother will be crowned king, for as you see, thepeople cannot tell us one from the other."

  Then said Wisdom: "But you will gain nothing by haste, ohReally-Is,--nothing but time, and there is much of greater value thantime to a King of Allthetime. Even now is Seemsto-Be entering the city.Even now is he by the people being hailed King. Therefore, tarry a whilebefore you act and listen to my words."

  So it was that Really-Is paused on his journey to sit awhile with Wisdomin the little house by the side of the road.

  Then did Wisdom take from his shelves many a ponderous, time worn volumeand read to the prince History, Prophecy and Law, revealing to him thusthe Secret of the Magic of the Crown of Allthetime.

  And from the last volume, that which Wisdom read to Really-Is was this:"Be it known, O whosoever readeth, that if any prince of the royalfamily Everyone enter the city Daybyday through the Brazen Gate calledChance, he shall be forever held unworthy of the throne and crown. Inthe sacred Law of All the Ages it is written that a King of Allthetimemay enter the Royal City only through the Golden Gate Opportunity."

  (see king009.png)]

  Wisdom closed the book and returned this volume also to its place.

  Really-Is arose to go.

  "And what now is your mind, young sir?" asked Wisdom kindly.

  Then Really-Is answered royally: "This you have taught me, OWisdom--this is my mind: _The Crown is not the kingdom, nor is one Kingbecause he wears a crown_."

  Then did Wisdom with bowed head salute the True King. "And your will,Sire; may I know your Majesty's will?"

  King Really-Is replied: "My will is this: that I myself obey the sacredLaw of The Ages."

  "And your brother, Sire, your brother, Seemsto-Be?"

  "I will pity Seemsto-Be," replied The King in sorrow, "I will have muchpity for that poor, foolish one."

  "And peace will dwell in thy heart, O King of Allthetime," said Wisdom,"true peace and understanding."

  Then Really-Is, alone and unattended, rode slowly on his way.

  And Seemsto-Be, who rode so fast and so far ahead of Really-Is, and whopaused not at the house of Wisdom, entered the city Daybyday through theBrazen Gate called Chance, and was received by the people of many races,languages, names and religions as their king.

  With great tumult and shouting, with grand processions and ceremonies,the false prince ascended the throne of Allthetime and was crowned withthe Magic Crown--the Crown of which no one then knew its magic, but knewonly that its magic was.

  Then began such times as were never before nor since seen in Daybyday;with holiday after holiday for the people, with festivals and parades,with carnivals and games, with feasting and dancing; until the chiefoccupation of the people was forgotten--until their many temples wereempty, their many gods neglected; until with a fete extraordinary,Seemsto-Be decreed that there should be from henceforth and forever, inDaybyday, one temple only--one temple sacred to one god, the godThings-Are-Good-Enough.

  "And this, O Hadji," said the sad Voice of the Night, "is all The Taleof The Uncrowned King that is given me to tell."

  The Voice in the darkness ceased. The Pilgrim, rising, groped his way tothe window.

  Without, all was dark with a thick darkness--all was still with a heavystillness. Only the stars were in the Deeps Above. The stars so old, soever new--only the stars. Lifting his face, the Pilgrim looked at thestars, and lo! as he looked, those whirling worlds of light shapedthemselves into mighty letters, and the letters shaped themselves intowords, until in the heavens the Pilgrim read the truth that Wisdom hadgiven to Really-Is in the little house beside the road. "_The Crown isnot the kingdom, nor is one King because he wears a crown._"

  Then even as he stood the Pilgrim saw the sad Night preparing to depart.Far away beyond the stars the first faint light of the morning touchedthe sky. Slowly the world began to awake. Slowly the message in thestars was lost in the dawning greater light of A New Day.

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