August 17, 2025 • 9 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter twenty five. A sleepless night for Bulgar and me,
and what followed it interview with King Gilidas, my request
and his reply. What all took place when I learned
that the King and his counselors had decided not to
grant my request, strange tumult among the Coltiqerps, and how
his frigid majesty stilled it, and some other things. Not
(00:21):
only had I been unable to sleep, but by my
tossing about I had kept poor dear Bulgar awake, so
that when morning came, we both looked haggard enough. I
felt as if I had been through a fit of sickness,
and no doubt he did too. At any rate, I
had no appetite for the heavy meat diet of the Coltiqerps.
In seeing me refuse my breakfast, Bulgar did Likewise. I
(00:44):
had promised Schnebolet to come early to the palace, for
she had a number of questions which she wished to
ask me concerning the upper world. Good morning, little Baron,
she cried in her sweetest tones, as I entered the
throne room. Did sleep well last night on the new
pelt which Papa sent thee I was about to make
a reply when Schnebulay's hand coming in contact with mine,
(01:06):
for we had both removed our gloves in order to
shake hands. She uttered a piercing scream, and, drying back,
stood there, blowing her breath on her right palm as
she exclaimed again and again, firebrand, Firebrand. In an instant,
King Gelidus and a group of his counselors drew near, and,
pulling over their gloves, one after the other, laid his
(01:27):
hand in mine. Glowing coals, cried his frigid majesty. Tongue
of flame roared, frosty fez, Boiling water groaned glacier boy,
red hot hissed icicle. Thou must leave the palace at once,
half pleaded King Yeladus. It would simply be madness for
me to permit such a firebrand to remain within the
(01:48):
walls of the royal residence. The intense heat of thy
body would be sure to melt the hole in its wall.
Ere the sun goes down, the royal councilors again drew
off their gloves and laid hands upon or Bulgar. When
a second alarm, even wilder than the first, was sent up,
and we were hastily escorted back to our lodging house.
No doubt, dear friends, you will be somewhat mystified upon
(02:11):
reading these words, But the explanation is easy. Owing to
worriment and lack of sleep, Bulgar and I had awakened
in a highly feverish condition, and to the Colti corpse,
we had really seemed to be almost on fire. But
our fever left us toward night, during which King Gilidas
sent for us and did all in his power to
entertain us with song and dance, in both of which
(02:32):
Sneebulet was very skilled. Finding that his frigid Majesty was
in such a rosy humor, if I may be allowed
to speak that way of a person whose face was
almost as white as the alabaster lamps over his head,
I determined to ask him for permission to cleave asunder
the icy cell of the little man with the frozen smile,
and ascertain, if possible, from the collar, which made up
(02:54):
apparently of gold and silver coin, was clasped around his neck,
to whom he had belonged and where his home had been.
No sooner had I preferred my request than I noticed
that the white face of the Royal Galadus parted with
its smile and took on a terribly icy look. Methought
I could look through the tip of his nose as
though an icicle, And methought too that his ears shone
(03:17):
in the light of the alabaster lamps like sheets of
crystal ice, and that his voice as he spoke, puffed
into my face like the first flakes of a coming
snow storm. I quickly repented me of my rash action,
but it was too late, and I determined to stand
by it. Little Barren, spoke Royal Galadus, in icy tones,
(03:38):
never a heart beat, in a kingly breast that was
purer and colder than mine, freer from the warmth of selfishness,
with not a single hot corner for its ire or
anger to nestle in, or for weakness or folly to
make their hiding places. For thousands of years, my people
have inhabited this icy domain and breathed this pure cold air,
(03:59):
and never yet hath one desired to strike an apse
of flint into the walls of that crystal prison. However,
little Baron, there may be some warm corner in my heart,
wherein cold and limpid wisdom may not be at home. Therefore,
come to me to morrow for my answer. Meanwhile, I'll
take counsel with the coolest brains and coldest hearts about me.
(04:20):
If they see no harm in thy request, thou mayst
crack open the crystal gates that have for so many
centuries shut the manlike creature in his silent cell, and
take him forth in order to study the mystic words
graven on his collar. But upon the strict condition that,
in cleaving open his house of crystal, my quarrymen so
apply their wedges of flint as to break the block
(04:43):
into two equal pieces, that when thou hast read what
may be there, the two parts be closed upon the
little man again, edge fitting edge, like a perfect mold,
so exactly that to the eye no sign of line
or joint be visible. Dost promise little Baron that this
shell be as to our royal will it seems meet
(05:03):
that it should be. I promised most solemnly that the
crystal cell of the little man with the frozen smile
should be opened and closed exactly as his frigid majesty
had directed. It would be hard for me to tell you,
dear friends, how happy I went to rest that night
upon my icy divan, and how as the tiny flame
of my alabaster lamp shed its soft glow upon the
(05:26):
walls of ice. I lay there, turning over in my
mind the strange and mysterious pleasure which was soon to
fall to my lot, when the quarrymen of King Gelidus
should send their wedges of flint in this glorious block
of ice and cleave it asunder. Even Don Fum, master
of masters, had never dreamed of receiving a message from
the people who lived in the very childhood of the world.
(05:48):
And in anticipation already I enjoyed the splendid triumph which
would be mine when I came to lecture before to
learned societies, upon the mysterious lettering on the curious collar,
clasping the neck of the little with the frozen smile.
Imagine my anguish, then, dear friends, upon receiving a message
from King Gelidas the next day that his counselors had
with one voice decreed against the opening of the crystal
(06:11):
prison which stood in Schneeboulet's grotto, I was as if
smitten with some sudden and awful ailment I had never
felt until that moment, how keen the tooth of disappointment
could be. I shivered first with a chill that made
me brother to the Colti corps, And then I burned
with a fever so raging that a wild rumor spread
through Geladus's icy domain that I was setting fire to
(06:33):
the very walls and ruth. With wild outcries and faces
drawn with nameless dread, the subjects of his frigid majesty
rushed pell mell up the wide flights of stairs leading
to the Palace of Ice, and pleaded for the king
to show himself. In cold and frigid majesty, Gelidus walked
out upon the platform and listened to the prayers of
his people. We shall burn, they cried. Our beautiful homes
(06:56):
will fall about our egars. These crystal steps will melt
away and hold. These fair columns and arches, and statues
and pedestals will turn to water and empty themselves into
the lower caverns of the earth. The great window of
our sky will fall with awful crash upon our heads,
putting an end forever to this fair domain of crystal splendor.
(07:16):
Oh Galadus, haste thee haste thee ere it be too late.
Let the little baron have his way before bitter disappointment
transforms his body and limbs into tongues of flame to
lick up this magnificent palace in a single night, and
dash its thousand alabaster lamps to the ground a heap
of shards, no fragment matching its brother fragment, but all
(07:39):
a wretched mass of worthless matter. King Galadas and his
frosty counselors saw that it would be useless to attempt
to reason with the people, and therefore, turning toward them,
he coldly waved his chilly right hand, and with an
icy smile, spoke frostily as follows, Go, Colti corpse, do
(07:59):
your homes and be happy. What think you have? I
a heated brain, doth my heart steam with foolishness that
you should think me capable of wishing harm to the
tiniest colti corp that spins his top of ice in
my fair kingdom. Go to your homes, I say. The
little baron is already cooling off, for he hath my
full consent to cleave asunder the crystal prison of the
(08:21):
little man. With a frozen smile, there is nothing to
be frightened about my children. So eat hearty suppers and
sleep soundly to night. For my royal word for it.
By to morrow morning, the little baron will seize to
be the least bit dangerous to the peace and welfare
of our icy kingdom. A good cold night to you all.
(08:42):
In a short half hour, the panic stricken Colti corpse
were all back in their homes again. And when a
messenger came from King Dalidus to measure my temperature, he
found such a great improvement that he opened his chilly
heart and sent me a beautiful present from his treasure
house to wit, a small block of ice clearer than
any gem I had ever in the heart of which
lay a glorious red rose in fullest bloom. Each velvet
(09:06):
paddle opened out eagerly. Upon consulting my diary, I found
that it was just six months to a day since
I had left Castle Trump and the loved ones, sheltered
by its time worn tiles and cold as was the
covering of this thrish beautiful child of the upper world.
I clasped it to my breast and shed tears. And
(09:26):
this was the way it came about, dear friends, that
King Elidus and his frosty counselors were brought to give
their consent to my cleaving asunder the icy prison, wherein
lay the little man with the frozen smile. End of
Chapter twenty five.
Chapter twenty five. A sleepless night for Bulgar and me,
and what followed it interview with King Gilidas, my request
and his reply. What all took place when I learned
that the King and his counselors had decided not to
grant my request, strange tumult among the Coltiqerps, and how
his frigid majesty stilled it, and some other things. Not
(00:21):
only had I been unable to sleep, but by my
tossing about I had kept poor dear Bulgar awake, so
that when morning came, we both looked haggard enough. I
felt as if I had been through a fit of sickness,
and no doubt he did too. At any rate, I
had no appetite for the heavy meat diet of the Coltiqerps.
In seeing me refuse my breakfast, Bulgar did Likewise. I
(00:44):
had promised Schnebolet to come early to the palace, for
she had a number of questions which she wished to
ask me concerning the upper world. Good morning, little Baron,
she cried in her sweetest tones, as I entered the
throne room. Did sleep well last night on the new
pelt which Papa sent thee I was about to make
a reply when Schnebulay's hand coming in contact with mine,
(01:06):
for we had both removed our gloves in order to
shake hands. She uttered a piercing scream, and, drying back,
stood there, blowing her breath on her right palm as
she exclaimed again and again, firebrand, Firebrand. In an instant,
King Gelidus and a group of his counselors drew near, and,
pulling over their gloves, one after the other, laid his
(01:27):
hand in mine. Glowing coals, cried his frigid majesty. Tongue
of flame roared, frosty fez, Boiling water groaned glacier boy,
red hot hissed icicle. Thou must leave the palace at once,
half pleaded King Yeladus. It would simply be madness for
me to permit such a firebrand to remain within the
(01:48):
walls of the royal residence. The intense heat of thy
body would be sure to melt the hole in its wall.
Ere the sun goes down, the royal councilors again drew
off their gloves and laid hands upon or Bulgar. When
a second alarm, even wilder than the first, was sent up,
and we were hastily escorted back to our lodging house.
No doubt, dear friends, you will be somewhat mystified upon
(02:11):
reading these words, But the explanation is easy. Owing to
worriment and lack of sleep, Bulgar and I had awakened
in a highly feverish condition, and to the Colti corpse,
we had really seemed to be almost on fire. But
our fever left us toward night, during which King Gilidas
sent for us and did all in his power to
entertain us with song and dance, in both of which
(02:32):
Sneebulet was very skilled. Finding that his frigid Majesty was
in such a rosy humor, if I may be allowed
to speak that way of a person whose face was
almost as white as the alabaster lamps over his head,
I determined to ask him for permission to cleave asunder
the icy cell of the little man with the frozen smile,
and ascertain, if possible, from the collar, which made up
(02:54):
apparently of gold and silver coin, was clasped around his neck,
to whom he had belonged and where his home had been.
No sooner had I preferred my request than I noticed
that the white face of the Royal Galadus parted with
its smile and took on a terribly icy look. Methought
I could look through the tip of his nose as
though an icicle, And methought too that his ears shone
(03:17):
in the light of the alabaster lamps like sheets of
crystal ice, and that his voice as he spoke, puffed
into my face like the first flakes of a coming
snow storm. I quickly repented me of my rash action,
but it was too late, and I determined to stand
by it. Little Barren, spoke Royal Galadus, in icy tones,
(03:38):
never a heart beat, in a kingly breast that was
purer and colder than mine, freer from the warmth of selfishness,
with not a single hot corner for its ire or
anger to nestle in, or for weakness or folly to
make their hiding places. For thousands of years, my people
have inhabited this icy domain and breathed this pure cold air,
(03:59):
and never yet hath one desired to strike an apse
of flint into the walls of that crystal prison. However,
little Baron, there may be some warm corner in my heart,
wherein cold and limpid wisdom may not be at home. Therefore,
come to me to morrow for my answer. Meanwhile, I'll
take counsel with the coolest brains and coldest hearts about me.
(04:20):
If they see no harm in thy request, thou mayst
crack open the crystal gates that have for so many
centuries shut the manlike creature in his silent cell, and
take him forth in order to study the mystic words
graven on his collar. But upon the strict condition that,
in cleaving open his house of crystal, my quarrymen so
apply their wedges of flint as to break the block
(04:43):
into two equal pieces, that when thou hast read what
may be there, the two parts be closed upon the
little man again, edge fitting edge, like a perfect mold,
so exactly that to the eye no sign of line
or joint be visible. Dost promise little Baron that this
shell be as to our royal will it seems meet
(05:03):
that it should be. I promised most solemnly that the
crystal cell of the little man with the frozen smile
should be opened and closed exactly as his frigid majesty
had directed. It would be hard for me to tell you,
dear friends, how happy I went to rest that night
upon my icy divan, and how as the tiny flame
of my alabaster lamp shed its soft glow upon the
(05:26):
walls of ice. I lay there, turning over in my
mind the strange and mysterious pleasure which was soon to
fall to my lot, when the quarrymen of King Gelidus
should send their wedges of flint in this glorious block
of ice and cleave it asunder. Even Don Fum, master
of masters, had never dreamed of receiving a message from
the people who lived in the very childhood of the world.
(05:48):
And in anticipation already I enjoyed the splendid triumph which
would be mine when I came to lecture before to
learned societies, upon the mysterious lettering on the curious collar,
clasping the neck of the little with the frozen smile.
Imagine my anguish, then, dear friends, upon receiving a message
from King Gelidas the next day that his counselors had
with one voice decreed against the opening of the crystal
(06:11):
prison which stood in Schneeboulet's grotto, I was as if
smitten with some sudden and awful ailment I had never
felt until that moment, how keen the tooth of disappointment
could be. I shivered first with a chill that made
me brother to the Colti corps, And then I burned
with a fever so raging that a wild rumor spread
through Geladus's icy domain that I was setting fire to
(06:33):
the very walls and ruth. With wild outcries and faces
drawn with nameless dread, the subjects of his frigid majesty
rushed pell mell up the wide flights of stairs leading
to the Palace of Ice, and pleaded for the king
to show himself. In cold and frigid majesty, Gelidus walked
out upon the platform and listened to the prayers of
his people. We shall burn, they cried. Our beautiful homes
(06:56):
will fall about our egars. These crystal steps will melt
away and hold. These fair columns and arches, and statues
and pedestals will turn to water and empty themselves into
the lower caverns of the earth. The great window of
our sky will fall with awful crash upon our heads,
putting an end forever to this fair domain of crystal splendor.
(07:16):
Oh Galadus, haste thee haste thee ere it be too late.
Let the little baron have his way before bitter disappointment
transforms his body and limbs into tongues of flame to
lick up this magnificent palace in a single night, and
dash its thousand alabaster lamps to the ground a heap
of shards, no fragment matching its brother fragment, but all
(07:39):
a wretched mass of worthless matter. King Galadas and his
frosty counselors saw that it would be useless to attempt
to reason with the people, and therefore, turning toward them,
he coldly waved his chilly right hand, and with an
icy smile, spoke frostily as follows, Go, Colti corpse, do
(07:59):
your homes and be happy. What think you have? I
a heated brain, doth my heart steam with foolishness that
you should think me capable of wishing harm to the
tiniest colti corp that spins his top of ice in
my fair kingdom. Go to your homes, I say. The
little baron is already cooling off, for he hath my
full consent to cleave asunder the crystal prison of the
(08:21):
little man. With a frozen smile, there is nothing to
be frightened about my children. So eat hearty suppers and
sleep soundly to night. For my royal word for it.
By to morrow morning, the little baron will seize to
be the least bit dangerous to the peace and welfare
of our icy kingdom. A good cold night to you all.
(08:42):
In a short half hour, the panic stricken Colti corpse
were all back in their homes again. And when a
messenger came from King Dalidus to measure my temperature, he
found such a great improvement that he opened his chilly
heart and sent me a beautiful present from his treasure
house to wit, a small block of ice clearer than
any gem I had ever in the heart of which
lay a glorious red rose in fullest bloom. Each velvet
(09:06):
paddle opened out eagerly. Upon consulting my diary, I found
that it was just six months to a day since
I had left Castle Trump and the loved ones, sheltered
by its time worn tiles and cold as was the
covering of this thrish beautiful child of the upper world.
I clasped it to my breast and shed tears. And
(09:26):
this was the way it came about, dear friends, that
King Elidus and his frosty counselors were brought to give
their consent to my cleaving asunder the icy prison, wherein
lay the little man with the frozen smile. End of
Chapter twenty five.
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