Geos himself had been one of these.  “The council of Rhamdas went into special session, my lord, immediately after your materialisation, and has been sitting almost continually since.  And now that you are revived, they are waiting in person for you to show yourself.

“They accept you.  They do not know who you are, my lord; none of us has guessed even a part of the truth.  The entire council awaits!”

But Chick wanted more.  Besides, he looked at his clothing.

“I would have my own garments, Geos; also, whatever else was found on my person.”

For Watson was thinking of a small but powerful pistol, an automatic, that he had carried on the night when he fell through the Blind Spot.  This question of materiality was still a puzzle; if he himself had survived there was a chance that the firearm had done the same.  It might and it might not preclude the occult.  Anyway, he treasured the thought of that automatic; with it in his possession he would not be bare-handed in case of emergency.

They returned to the room in which Chick had awakened.  The Rhamda left him.  A few moments later he came back with a squad of men.  Chick noted their discipline, movement, and uniforms, and classed them as soldiers.  Two men were stationed outside the door—­one, a stout, dark individual in a blue uniform; and the other a lithe, athletic chap, blond and blue-eyed, wearing a bright crimson dress.  Chick instinctively preferred both man and garb in crimson; there was a touch of honour, of lightness and strength that just suited him.  The other was dark, heavy and sinister.

Both wore sandals, and upon their heads curious shakos, made of the finest down, not fur.  Both displayed a heavy silken braid looped from one shoulder.  Each carried a spear-like weapon, of some shining black material, straight-tapered to a needle-point; but no other arms.

Watson pointed to the two uniforms.

“What is the significance, Geos?”

“One is from the queen, my lord; the other from Bar Senestro.  The blue is the cloth of the Bars; the red, that of the queens.  The Bar and the queen send this bodyguard with their respective compliments.”

Chick took the bundle that Geos had brought, and proceeded to don his own clothes, finding deep satisfaction in the fact that they had arrived as intact as he.  He felt carefully in his hip pocket; the automatic was still there, likewise the extra magazine of cartridges that he had carried about with him on that night.

In his other pockets he found two packets of cigarettes, a pouch of tobacco, some papers, a few coins, a little money and two photographs, one of Bertha and the other of her father.  Not a thing had been disturbed.

He announced himself ready.

The Rhamda conducted him down the corridor, which he found to be lined with guards; red on one side, blue on the other.  These men fell in behind in two parallel files, one of the one colour and one of the other.