stallnightlongandnoonehaddiscoveredit!Beforetheirexcitedexcmationssubsided,DimitrihadquicklygrabbedMegginn’sarmandstrodefortheexit．Theywereliketwobrilliantshootingstars，spinningquicklyinahugearcacrossthesky,pastthemyriadoftwinklingstarsthatstoodbyinaweandadmirationuntiltheydisappearedfromview．

    Attheparkinglothewaterfront,thebeige-coloredoldCadilcarked．Discreetripplesslowlyrockedtheboatsmooredthere,likeamother’shalypushingthecradle．Iarandsofjazzmusicfloateddowtentlyfromthenearbysalooingadream-likeatmosphere．Apairofloverswasstrollingdowerfront．Megginnraisedhereyestolookathimandasked,

    "AreyoureallyDimitriJa,themysterioustrillionaire?I’tbelieveit!"

    14

    "Thestarsaremywitnesses"sworeDimitriinmockseriousness.

    "AfterIwentthroughaboxofyourpapers,Iwasreallyimpressedwithyourfinancialgenius．YoubecamemyheroandIprayedeverynightthatonedayIwouldmeetyou．Tonightthatdreamcametrue.”

    "Youmustbedisappoiofindthatyouridolhascyfeet,andIamonlyapoorhomelessperson.”

    "Ohyes!Ihadmeanttoaskyouwhyyouposedasahomelessperson?"

    "It’shardtoexpintoyouinafewwords．Lifetomeisbutagametobepyedatmypleasure,andthelifeofthehomelesshascertainattrasthatareirresistibletome．Theirlifeishardandnotmanypeoplestarialsandtributions,butdon’tyouthinkthehomelessarethefreestpeopleoh，unhamperedbyventionsandwhoseetricitiesattractlittleattention?"Megginnnoddedhalfprehendingly．"IwilltiolivemypresentmodeoflifeuntilIgoblind．Iwanttohavemystglimpseatthisworld,sobeautifulthatIotstandleavingit.”

    "Youwillgoblind?OhDimitri,othingbedone?"Dimitrilookedatthestars．

    "Itisthewillofheaven,ordainedfromonhighandotbeged.”Apregnantpausefollowed．

    "It’sok，Dimitri,”saidMeggily．"I’llwaysbewithyou．Iwillbeyoureyesandtakecareofyoufortherestofmylife.”

    Dimitriturnedhiseyestoheaveningratitudethatbeforethedreadeddayarrived,hewasabletomeetthisgealentedbeauty.Notonlywasherappearaiful,butmostimportantofall,shehadaki．HecouldentrustherwiththemaofhisKingdom．

    "Megginn，IhopeyouwillbeemberofmyKingdomofDreamsandbeeitsgeneralexecutiveadministrator.”

    14

    "YdomofDreams?Whatisthat?Isitfarfromhere?"

    "It’sfar,faraway，butI’msureyou’lllikeitthere．Itisprettierthanparadiseandisinhabitedbymanytalentedbeautieswhowouldbeentedtohaveyouastheirnewpanion．I’msureyou’llbegoodfriends.”

    "Istherereally?Oh，howwonderful!"Megginnjumpedforjoy．"Oh，takemethere，takemethere.”Thensherememberedheroldfriend,thecar.“ButIwillhavetomakearrasformycarfirst．I’tleavejustlikethat.”

    "Therearemanythingsiareiable,Megginn．Sometimesyouhavetomakepainfulchoidgiveupwhatyoumust．Onedayyouwillhavetoleaveevenyourfleshbody，nottosayyourcar..."Megginndidnotreply．Tolightenthemoodahesilence，Dimitrisaid，"I’msureyou’dloveitthereandI’llgdlytakeyou，butyoumightfindthingsunventional．Mypeoplebelieveinkeepinglifesimple，preservingthee,innodcarefreenature，sothebeautiesintheKingdomhaveallgonebaature,asitwere，regardingclothingassuperfluous，anencumbrahefleshbody.”Dimitrigherandsawshehadtake．Hereyesgrewroundinastonishmerit．

  

stallnightlongandnoonehaddiscoveredit!Beforetheirexcitedexcmationssubsided,DimitrihadquicklygrabbedMegginn’sarmandstrodefortheexit．Theywereliketwobrilliantshootingstars，spinningquicklyinahugearcacrossthesky,pastthemyriadoftwinklingstarsthatstoodbyinaweandadmirationuntiltheydisappearedfromview．

    Attheparkinglothewaterfront,thebeige-coloredoldCadilcarked．Discreetripplesslowlyrockedtheboatsmooredthere,likeamother’shalypushingthecradle．Iarandsofjazzmusicfloateddowtentlyfromthenearbysalooingadream-likeatmosphere．Apairofloverswasstrollingdowerfront．Megginnraisedhereyestolookathimandasked,

    "AreyoureallyDimitriJa,themysterioustrillionaire?I’tbelieveit!"

    14

    "Thestarsaremywitnesses"sworeDimitriinmockseriousness.

    "AfterIwentthroughaboxofyourpapers,Iwasreallyimpressedwithyourfinancialgenius．YoubecamemyheroandIprayedeverynightthatonedayIwouldmeetyou．Tonightthatdreamcametrue.”

    "Youmustbedisappoiofindthatyouridolhascyfeet,andIamonlyapoorhomelessperson.”

    "Ohyes!Ihadmeanttoaskyouwhyyouposedasahomelessperson?"

    "It’shardtoexpintoyouinafewwords．Lifetomeisbutagametobepyedatmypleasure,andthelifeofthehomelesshascertainattrasthatareirresistibletome．Theirlifeishardandnotmanypeoplestarialsandtributions,butdon’tyouthinkthehomelessarethefreestpeopleoh，unhamperedbyventionsandwhoseetricitiesattractlittleattention?"Megginnnoddedhalfprehendingly．"IwilltiolivemypresentmodeoflifeuntilIgoblind．Iwanttohavemystglimpseatthisworld,sobeautifulthatIotstandleavingit.”

    "Youwillgoblind?OhDimitri,othingbedone?"Dimitrilookedatthestars．

    "Itisthewillofheaven,ordainedfromonhighandotbeged.”Apregnantpausefollowed．

    "It’sok，Dimitri,”saidMeggily．"I’llwaysbewithyou．Iwillbeyoureyesandtakecareofyoufortherestofmylife.”

    Dimitriturnedhiseyestoheaveningratitudethatbeforethedreadeddayarrived,hewasabletomeetthisgealentedbeauty.Notonlywasherappearaiful,butmostimportantofall,shehadaki．HecouldentrustherwiththemaofhisKingdom．

    "Megginn，IhopeyouwillbeemberofmyKingdomofDreamsandbeeitsgeneralexecutiveadministrator.”

    14

    "YdomofDreams?Whatisthat?Isitfarfromhere?"

    "It’sfar,faraway，butI’msureyou’lllikeitthere．Itisprettierthanparadiseandisinhabitedbymanytalentedbeautieswhowouldbeentedtohaveyouastheirnewpanion．I’msureyou’llbegoodfriends.”

    "Istherereally?Oh，howwonderful!"Megginnjumpedforjoy．"Oh，takemethere，takemethere.”Thensherememberedheroldfriend,thecar.“ButIwillhavetomakearrasformycarfirst．I’tleavejustlikethat.”

    "Therearemanythingsiareiable,Megginn．Sometimesyouhavetomakepainfulchoidgiveupwhatyoumust．Onedayyouwillhavetoleaveevenyourfleshbody，nottosayyourcar..."Megginndidnotreply．Tolightenthemoodahesilence，Dimitrisaid，"I’msureyou’dloveitthereandI’llgdlytakeyou，butyoumightfindthingsunventional．Mypeoplebelieveinkeepinglifesimple，preservingthee,innodcarefreenature，sothebeautiesintheKingdomhaveallgonebaature,asitwere，regardingclothingassuperfluous，anencumbrahefleshbody.”Dimitrigherandsawshehadtake．Hereyesgrewroundinastonishmerit．