a mistress of that delightful coquetry, which, when it offers the
finger-tips to any one, at the same time takes from him the power of
receiving them, the lovely little creature knew how to attract her
numerous visitors, as well as to restrain them within the bounds of the
strictest decorum.
None troubled themselves about the stranger, who had leisure enough to
observe all the actions of the fair one. But while he continued staring
more and more at the beautiful face, there awoke in the deepest
recesses of his mind a dark recollection, as if he had somewhere before
seen the Hollandress, although in other relations and in other attire,
and that he himself had at one time worn a very different form. In vain
he tormented himself to bring this recollection to any clearness, yet
still the idea of his having really seen the little creature before
became more and more determinate. The blood mounted into his face, when
at last some one gently jogged him, and whispered in his ear,--"The
lightning has struck you too, Mr. Philosopher, has it not?" It was his
neighbour of the ordinary, to whom he had asserted that the ecstasy
into which all had fallen was no better than madness, which would pass
away as quickly as it had arisen.
Pepusch observed, that while he had been gazing so fixedly on the
little-one, the hall had grown deserted. Now for the first time she
seemed to be aware of his presence, and greeted him with graceful
familiarity. From this time he could not get rid of her idea; he
tormented himself through a sleepless night, only to come upon the
trace of a recollection,--but in vain. The sight of the fair one, he
rightly thought, could alone bring him to it; and the next day, and all
the following days, he never omitted visiting the flea-tamer, and
staring two or three hours together at the beautiful Doertje Elverdink.
When a man cannot get rid of the idea of a beautiful woman, who has
riveted his attention, he has already made the first step towards love;
and thus it happened that, at the very time Pepusch fancied he was only
poring upon that faint recollection, he was already in love with the
fair Hollandress.
Who would now trouble himself about the fleas, over whom Alina had
gained so splendid a victory, attracting all within her own circle? The
master himself felt that he was playing a somewhat silly part with his
insects; he, therefore, locked up the whole troop for other times, and
with much dexterity gave to his play another form, in which his niece
played the principal character. He had hit upon the happy thought of
giving evening entertainments, at a tolerably high rate of
subscription, in which, after he had exhibited a few optical illusions,
the farther amusement of the company rested with his niece. Here the
social talents of the fair one shone in full measure, and she took
advantage of the least pause in the entertainment to give a new impulse
to the party by songs, which she herself accompanied on the guitar. Her
voice was not powerful; her manner was not imposing, often even against
rule; but the sweetness and clearness of tone completely answered to
her appearance; and when from her dark eyelashes she darted the soft
glances, like gentle moonbeams, amongst the spectators, every breast
heaved, and the censure of the most confirmed pedant was silenced.
Pepusch diligently prosecuted his studies in these evening
entertainments, that is, he stared for two hours together at the
Hollandress, and then left the hall with the rest of the company. Once
he stood nearer to her than usual, and distinctly heard her saying to a
young man,--"Tell me, who is that lifeless spectre, that every evening
stares at me for hours, and then disappears without a syllable?"
Pepusch was deeply hurt, and made such a clamour in his chamber, and
acted so wildly, that no friend could have recognized him in his mad
freaks. He swore, high and low, never again to see the malicious
Hollandress; but, for all that, did not fail appearing at Leuwenhock's
on the very next evening, at the usual hour, to stare at the lovely
Doertje more fixedly, if that were possible, than ever. It is true,
indeed, that even upon the steps he was mightily alarmed at finding
himself there, and in all haste adopted the wise resolution of keeping
quite at a distance from the fascinating creature. He even carried this
plan into effect by creeping into a corner of the hall; but the attempt
to cast down his eyes failed entirely, and, as before said, he gazed on
the Hollandress more determinedly than ever. Yet he did not know how it
happened that on a sudden Doertje Elverdink was standing in his corner
close beside him. With a voice that was melody itself, the fair one
said, "I do not remember, sir, having seen you anywhere before our
meeting here at Berlin; and yet I find in your features, in all your
manner, so much that seems familiar. Nay, it is as if in times long
past we had been very intimate, but in a distant country and in other
relations. I entreat you, free me from this uncertainty; and, if I am
not deceived by some resemblance, let us renew the friendship, which
floats in dim recollection like some delightful dream."
George Pepusch felt strangely at this address; his breast heaved, his
forehead glowed, and a shudder ran through all his limbs as if he had
lain in a violent fever. Though this might mean nothing else than that
he was over head and ears in love, yet there was another cause for this
perturbation, which robbed him of all speech, and almost of his senses.
When Doertje Elverdink spoke of her belief that she had known him long
before, it seemed to him as if another image was presented to his
inward mind as in a magic lantern, and he perceived a long removed
SELF, which lay far back in time. The idea, that by much meditation had
assumed a clear and firm shape, flashed up in this moment, and this was
nothing less than that Doertje Elverdink was the Princess Gamaheh,
daughter of King Sekakis, whom he had loved in a remote period, when he
flourished as the thistle, Zeherit. It was well that he did not
communicate this fancy to other folks, as he would most probably have
been reckoned mad, and confined as such; although the fixed idea of a
partial maniac may often, perhaps, be nothing more than the illusions
of a preceding existence.
"Good God! you seem dumb, sir!" said the little-one, touching George's
breast with the prettiest finger imaginable; and from the tip of it
shot an electric spark into his heart, and he awoke from his
stupefaction. He seized her hand in a perfect ecstasy, covered it with
burning kisses, and exclaimed, "Heavenly, angelic creature!" &c. &c.
&c. The kind reader will easily imagine all that George Pepusch would
exclaim in a such a moment. It is sufficient to say, that she received
his love-protests as kindly as could be wished; and that the fateful
moment, in the corner of Leuwenhock's hall, brought forth a love affair
that first raised the good George Pepusch up to heaven, and then again
plunged him into hell. As he happened to be of a melancholy
temperament, and withal pettish and suspicious, Doertje's conduct could
not fail of giving rise to many little jealousies. Now it was precisely
these jealousies that tickled Doertje's malicious humour; and it was her
delight to torment the poor George Pepusch in a variety of ways: but as
every thing can be carried only to a certain point, so at last the
long-smothered resentment of the lover blazed forth. He was speaking of
that wondrous time when he, as the thistle, Zeherit, had so dearly
loved the fair Hollandress, who was then the daughter of King Sekakis,
and was reminding her, with all the fire of love, that the circumstance
of his battle with the Leech-Prince had given him the most
incontestable right to her hand. On her part, she declared that she
well remembered it, and had already felt the foreboding of it, when
Pepusch gazed on her with the thistle-glance; she spoke, too, so
sweetly of these wonderful matters, seemed so inspired with love to the
thistle, Zeherit, who had been destined to study at Jena, and then
again find the Princess Gamaheh in Berlin, that George Pepusch fancied
himself in the Eldorado of all delight. The lovers stood at the window,
and the little-one suffered her enamoured friend to wind his arm about
her. In this familiar position they caressed each other, for to that at
last came the dreamy talk about the wonders in Famagusta, when it
chanced that a handsome officer of the guards passed by in a brand-new
uniform, and familiarly greeted the little-one, whom he knew from the
evening entertainments; Doertje had half closed her eyes and turned away
her head from the street, so that one would have thought it was
impossible for her to see the officer; but great is the magic of a fine
new uniform! The little-one,--roused, perhaps, by the clatter of the
sabre on the pavement,--opened her eyes broad and bright, twisted
herself from George's arm, flung open the window, threw a kiss to the
officer, and watched him till he had disappeared round the corner.
"Gamaheh!" shouted George Pepusch, quite beside himself--"Gamaheh! what
is this? Do you mock me? Is this the faith you have promised to your
Thistle?"
The little-one turned round upon her heel, burst into a loud laughter,
and exclaimed,--
"Go, go, George; if I am the daughter of the worthy old King Sekakis,
if you are the thistle, Zeherit, that dear officer is the genius,
Thetel, who, in fact, pleases me much better than the sad thorny
thistle."
With this she darted away through the door, while George Pepusch, as
might be expected, fell immediately into a fit of desperation, and
rushed down the steps as if he had been driven by a thousand devils.
Fate would have it, that he met a friend, in a post-chaise, who was
leaving Berlin; upon which he called out, "Halt! I go with you;"--flew
home, donned a great coat, put money in his purse, gave the key of his
room to the hostess, seated himself in the chaise, and posted off with
his friend.
Notwithstanding this hostile separation, his love to the fair
Hollandress was by no means extinguished; and just as little could he
resolve to give up the fair claims, which, as the thistle, Zeherit, he
thought he had to the hand and heart of Gamaheh. He renewed, therefore,
his pretensions, when some years afterwards he met with Leuwenhock
again at the Hague; and how zealously he followed her in Frankfort the
reader has learnt already.
George Pepusch was wandering through the streets at night, quite
inconsolable, when his attention was attracted by an unusually bright
light, that fell upon the street from a crevice in the window-shutter
in the lower room of a large house. He thought that there must be fire
in the chamber, and swung himself up by means of the iron-work to look
in. Boundless was his surprise at what he saw. A large fire blazed in
the chimney, which was opposite to the window, before which sate, or
rather lay, the little Hollandress in a broad old-fashioned armchair,
dressed out like an angel. She seemed to sleep, while a withered old
man knelt before the fire, and, with spectacles on his nose, peeped
into a kettle, in which he was probably brewing some potion. Pepusch
was trying to raise himself higher to get a better view of the group,
when he felt himself seized by the legs, and violently pulled down. A
harsh voice exclaimed--"Now only see the rascal! To the watch-house, my
master!" It was the watchman who had observed George climbing up the
window, and could not suppose otherwise than that he wanted to break
into the house. In spite of all protestations, George Pepusch was
dragged off by the watchman, to whose help the patrol had hastened; and
thus his nightly wandering ended merrily in the watch-house.
Third Adventure.
Appearance of a little monster.--Farther explanations respecting the
fate of the Princess Gamaheh.--Remarkable bond of friendship entered
into by Mr. Peregrine Tyss, and discovery of who the old gentleman is
that lodges in his house.--Very wonderful effects of a tolerably small
microscopic glass.--Unexpected arrest of the hero of the history.
He, who has experienced such things in one evening as Mr. Peregrine
Tyss, and who is consequently in such a state of mind, cannot possibly
sleep well. He rolled about restless on his bed, and, when he fell into
that sort of delirium which usually precedes sleep, he again held the
little creature in his arms, and felt warm glowing kisses on his lips.
Then he would start up and fancy, even when awake, that he heard the
sweet voice of Alina. He would burn with desire that she might not have
fled, and yet, again, would fear that she might return and snare him in
a net, from which he could not extricate himself. This war of contrary
feelings straightened his breast, and filled it at the same time with a
sweet pain, such as he had never felt before.
"Sleep not, Peregrine; sleep not, generous man: I must speak with you
directly,"--was lisped close by Peregrine, and still the voice went on
with "sleep not, sleep not," till at last he opened his eyes, which he
had closed only to see Alina more distinctly. By the light of the lamp
he perceived a little monster, scarce a span long, that sate upon the
white counterpane, and which at first terrified him, but in the next
moment he grasped boldly at it with his hand, to convince himself
whether he was or was not deceived by his fancy; but the little monster
had immediately disappeared without leaving a trace behind.
Though it was not requisite to give a minute description of the fair
Alina, Doertje Elverdink, or Princess Gamaheh,--for the reader has long
ago known that these were one and the same person apparently split into
three,--it is, on the contrary, quite requisite to narrowly portray the
little monster that sate upon the counterpane, and caused so much
terror to Mr. Peregrine Tyss.
As already mentioned, the creature was scarcely a span long. In his
bird-shaped head gleamed a pair of round sparkling eyes, and from his
sparrow-beak protruded a long sharp thing like a rapier, while two
horns came out from the forehead close below the beak. The neck began
close under the head also, in the manner of a bird, but grew thicker
and thicker, so that without any interruption the former grew to a
shapeless body, almost like a hazelnut, and seemed covered with
dark-brown scales like the armadillo. But the strangest part was the
formation of the arms and legs; the two former had joints, and were
rooted in the creature's cheeks, close by the beak; immediately under
these arms was a pair of legs, and still farther on another pair, both
double-jointed like the arms. These last feet appeared to be those on
which the creature really relied; for besides that they were longer and
stronger than the others, he wore upon them very handsome golden boots
with diamond spurs.
The little monster having so completely vanished upon Peregrine's
attempt to seize it, he would have taken the whole for an illusion of
his excited fancy, if directly afterwards a thin voice had not been
audible, exclaiming,--
"Good heavens! Mr. Peregine Tyss! have I really been mistaken in you?
Yesterday you acted so nobly towards me, and, now that I want to show
my gratitude, you grasp at me with a murderous hand! But perhaps my
form displeased you, and I did wrong in showing myself to you
microscopically, that you might be sure to see me, which, as you may
well suppose, is no such easy matter; in fact, I am still sitting upon
your white counterpane, and yet you cannot perceive me. Don't take it
amiss, Peregrine; but, in truth, your optical nerves are a little too
gross for my thin form. Only promise me, however, that I shall be safe
with you, and that you will not make any hostile attempts upon me, and
I will come close to you and tell you many things, which it would be as
well that you knew now."
"In the first place," replied Mr. Tyss to the voice, "tell me, my good
unknown friend, who you are; the rest will easily follow of itself. In
the meantime I can assure you beforehand, that any thing hostile is not
at all in my disposition, and that I will continue to act nobly towards
you, though at present I cannot comprehend in what way I have evinced
my nobleness. Keep, however, your incognito, for your appearance is not
the most agreeable."
The voice, after a little hemming and coughing, continued,--"You are, I
repeat it with pleasure, a noble man, Mr. Peregrine; but not
particularly deep in science, and, above all, a little inexperienced,
or you would have recognised me at the first glance. I might boast a
little and say, that I am one of the mightiest of kings, and rule over
many, many millions; but from a natural modesty, and because, after
all, the expression, king, is not exactly correct, I will pass it
over. Amongst the people, at whose head I have the honour to be, a
republican constitution prevails. A senate, which at most can consist
of forty-five thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine members, for the
greater facility of voting, holds the place of regent; and he, who
presides over this senate, has the name of master, because, in all the
affairs of life, he must really be a master. Without farther
circumlocution, I will now confess to you that I, who now speak to you
without your seeing me, am no other than this Master Flea. That you
know my people I do not make the least doubt; for, most assuredly,
worthy sir, you have already nourished many of them with your own
blood. Hence you must needs be aware that they are animated by an
untameable love of freedom, and indeed are a set of springalds, who are
inclined to keep off any thing like solidity of form by a continual
leaping and skipping. You will easily perceive what talents must be
requisite to govern such a people, and will, therefore, feel for me a
becoming respect. Assure me of that, Mr. Peregrine, before I proceed
any farther."
For some moments it seemed to Mr. Tyss as if a great mill-wheel were
turning round in his head; but he soon became more composed, and began
to think that the appearance of the strange lady at the bookbinder's
was just as wonderful as the present one, which was, perhaps, after
all, nothing more than a natural continuation of the singular history
in which he had become involved. He therefore declared to Master Flea,
that he respected him prodigiously for his uncommon talents; and was
the more anxious to know him better, as his voice sounded very sweetly,
and there was a certain delicacy in his speech which betrayed a
delicate form of body, whereat Master Flea continued:
"I thank you much, my best Mr. Tyss, for your favourable opinion, and
hope soon to convince you that you are not mistaken in me. In the
meantime, that you may learn what service you have rendered me, it is
requisite that I should impart to you my whole history. Know, then,
that my father was the renowned----yet stay; it just occurs to me, that
the beautiful gift of patience has become remarkably rare of late
amongst readers and auditors, and that copious memoirs, once so much
admired, are now detestable: I will therefore touch lightly and
episodically that part only which is more immediately connected with my
abode with you. In knowing that I am really Master Flea, you must know
me for a man of the most extensive learning, of the most profound
experience in all branches of knowledge. But hold! You cannot measure
the degree of my information by your scale, since you are ignorant of
the wonderful world in which I and my people live. How would you feel
astonished if your mind could be opened to that world! it would seem to
you a realm of the strangest and most incomprehensible wonders, and
hence you must not feel surprised, if all which originates from that
world should seem to you like a confused fairy-tale, invented by an
idle brain. Do not, therefore, allow yourself to be confounded, but
trust my words.--See; in many things my people are far superior to you
men; for example--in all that regards the penetrating into the
mysteries of nature, in strength, dexterity,--spiritual and corporeal
dexterity. But we, too, have our passions; and with us, as with you,
these are often the sources of great disquietudes, sometimes even of
total destruction. Loved, nay adored, as I was, by my people, my
mastery might have placed me upon the pinnacle of happiness, had I not
been blinded by an unfortunate passion for a person who completely
governed me, though she never could be my wife. But our race is in
general reproached with a passion for the fair sex, that oversteps the
bounds of decorum. Supposing, however, this reproach to be true, yet,
on the other hand, every one knows----but hold--without more
circumlocution--I saw the daughter of King Sekakis, the beautiful
Gamaheh, and on the instant became so desperately enamoured of her,
that I forgot my people, myself, and lived only in the delight of
skipping about the fairest neck, the fairest bosom, and tickling the
beauty with kisses. She often caught at me with her rosy fingers,
without ever being able to seize me, and this I took for the toying of
affection. But how silly is any one in love, even when that one is
Master Flea. Suffice it to say, that the odious Leech-Prince fell upon
the poor Gamaheh, whom he kissed to death; but still I should have
succeeded in saving my beloved, if a silly boaster and an awkward ideot
had not interfered without being asked, and spoilt all. The boaster was
the Thistle, Zeherit, and the ideot was the Genius, Thetel. When,
however, the Genius rose in the air with the sleeping princess, I clung
fast to the lace about her bosom, and thus was Gamaheh's faithful
fellow-traveller, without being perceived by him. It happened that we
flew over two magi, who were observing the stars from a lofty tower.
One of them directed his glass so sharply at me, that I was almost
blinded by the shine of the magic instrument. A violent giddiness
seized me; in vain I sought to hold fast; I tumbled down helplessly
from the monstrous height, fell plump upon the nose of one of the magi,
and only my lightness, my extraordinary activity, could have saved me.