lady, her entrance into Lemmerhirt's room, up to her reception with Mr.
Swammer, who, when he had done, replied, "It seems to me, as if all,
that you have been pleased to relate, were nothing more than a
singular, yet very pleasant, dream. I will, however, let that be, and
request your friendship, which perhaps I may have much need of. Forget
my morose conduct, and let us be more intimate. Your father was a
shrewd man and my good friend, but in regard to science, depth of
understanding, mature judgment, and practiced insight into life, the
son goes before the father. You know not how much I esteem you, my
worthy Mr. Tyss."
"Now is the time!" whispered Master Flea, and in the same moment
Peregrine felt a slight passing pain in the pupil of his left eye. He
knew that Master Flea had placed the microscopic glass in his eye, but
he had not before had the slightest idea of its effects. Behind the
tunicle of Swammer's eyes he perceived strange nerves and branches, the
perplexed course of which he traced deep into the forehead, and could
perceive that they were Swammer's thoughts. They ran much in this
way;--"I did not expect to get off so easily here, without being better
questioned. If papa was an ignoramus, of whom I never thought any
thing, the son is still worse, with a greater infusion of childishness.
With the simplicity of an idiot, he tells me the whole adventure with
the Princess, not seeing that she must have already told me all, as my
behaviour to her of necessity presupposes an earlier intimacy. But
there is no help for it; I must speak him fair, because I want his
help. He is simple enough to believe all I say, and, in his stupid
good-nature, to make many a sacrifice to my interest, for which he will
reap no other thanks than that, when all is over, and Gamaheh mine
again, I shall laugh soundly at him behind his back."
"It seemed to me," said Swammer, coming close to Peregrine, "it seemed
to me, my dear Mr. Tyss, as if a flea were on your collar."
The thoughts ran thus:--"The deuce! that was, indeed, Master Flea! It
would be a queer piece of business if Gamaheh should be right after
all."
Peregrine stepped nimbly back, protesting that he had no dislike to
fleas.
"Then," replied Swammer, with a profound bow, "then for the present I
most respectfully take my leave, my dear Mr. Tyss."
The thoughts ran thus:--"I wish the blackwinged devil had you, idiot!"
Master Flea took the microscopic glass out of the eye of the astonished
Peregrine, and then said, "You have now, my dear sir, experienced the
wonderful effects of the glass, which has not its equal in the world,
and must perceive what a superiority it gives you over men, by laying
open before your eyes their inmost thoughts. But, if you were to use it
constantly, the perpetual knowledge of their real sentiments would
overwhelm you, for the bitter vexation, which you have just now
experienced, would be too often repeated. I will always be with you
when you leave your house, sitting either in your collar, or in some
convenient place, and if you wish to learn the thoughts of him who is
conversing with you, you have only to snap your fingers, and the glass
will be in your eye immediately."
Peregrine, seeing the manifest advantages of such a gift, was about to
pour out the warmest thanks, when two deputies from the council
entered, and announced to him that he was accused of a deep offence,
the consequence of which must be preliminary imprisonment and the
seizure of his papers.
Mr. Peregrine swore high and low that he was not conscious of the
slightest offence; but one of the deputies replied with a smile, that
perhaps in a few hours his innocence might be proved, till when,
however, he must submit to the orders of the magistrate. After this,
what was left to Mr. Tyss but to get into the coach, and suffer himself
to be carried off to prison? It may be supposed with what feelings he
passed Mr. Swammer's chamber.
Master Flea sate in the collar of the prisoner.
Fourth Adventure.
Unexpected meeting of two friends.--Love-despair of the Thistle,
Zeherit.--Optical duel of two magi.--Somnambulant condition of the
Princess Gamaheh.--The thoughts of the dream.--How Doertje Elverdink
almost speaks the truth, and the Thistle, Zeherit, runs off with the
Princess Gamaheh.
The mistake of the watchman in arresting Mr. George Pepusch for a thief
was soon explained. In the mean time, however, some informalities had
been discovered in his passport, and for this reason they required that
he should produce some resident citizen of Frankfort as his bail, till
when he must be contented with his present place in prison.
Here then sate Mr. George Pepusch in a very neat room, meditating on
whom he could find in Frankfort to be his bail. He had been away so
long that he feared he must be forgotten by those who had formerly
known him well; and, as to foreign recommendations, he possessed none
whatever. He began to look out of the window in a very melancholy mood,
and cursed his fate aloud, when a window was opened close by him, and a
voice exclaimed,--"What! do I see right? Is it you, George?" Mr. Pepusch
was not a little astonished on perceiving the friend, with whom he had
been most intimate during his residence at Madras. "The deuce!" he
exclaimed, "that I should be so forgetful, so utterly stupid! I knew
that you had got safely into harbour, and in Hamburg heard strange
things of your way of living, and, when I had got here, never thought
of paying you a visit. But he who has such wonderful things in his head
as I have--Well, it is lucky that accident brought you to me! You see I
am under arrest, but you can immediately set me free, by answering for
my being really the George Pepusch, whom you knew years ago, and not a
thief nor a robber."
"Why," replied Peregrine, "I should be an excellent bail, being myself
under arrest!"
He now related at large to his friend, how since his return to
Frankfort he had found himself deprived of both his parents, and
had from that time led, amidst all the bustle of a city, a lonely
joyless life, devoted to the memory of other days. To this George
replied morosely, "Oh yes, I have heard of it, I have heard of the
fools'-tricks you play, that you may waste life in a childish dream.
You would be a hero of innocence, of childishness; and for this despise
the just claims which society has upon you. You give imaginary family
feasts, and bestow upon the poor the costly viands, the dear wines,
which you have before served up to the dead. You give yourself
Christmas-boxes, and act as if you were a child, and then present to
poor children these gifts, which are of the sort usually wasted in rich
houses upon spoiled young ones. But you do not reflect that you are
doing a scurvy benefit to the poor in tickling their gums with
delicacies, that they may doubly feel their wretchedness, when
afterwards they are compelled, by pressing hunger, to eat the vile
bits that would be rejected by many a petted lap-dog. Ha! how this
alms-giving disgusts me, when I think that what you thus waste in a day
would be sufficient to support them for months in a moderate manner.
Then too you overload them with glittering gew-gaws, when a common toy,
presented by their fathers or mothers, gives them infinitely more
pleasure. They eat themselves sick with your infernal marchpane; and
with the knowledge of your splendid gifts, which in the end must be
denied to them, you sow in their young minds the seeds of discontent
and uneasiness. You are rich, full of youth, and yet withdraw yourself
from all society, and thus frustrate the approaches of well-meaning
minds. I will believe that the death of your parents may have shaken
you, but if every one, who has suffered a real loss, were to creep into
his shell, by heavens! the whole world would be like a house of
mourning, and I would not live in it. But, my friend! do you know that
you are under the influence of the most determined egotism that ever
lurked beneath a silly misanthropy?--Go, go, Peregrine, I can no longer
esteem you, no longer be your friend, if you do not change this way of
life, and give up your abominable system of house-keeping."
Peregrine snapped his fingers, and Master Flea instantly placed the
microscopic glass in his eye. The thoughts of the angry Pepusch ran
thus,--"Is it not a pity that such a kind, understanding man should
fall into these dangerous fancies, which at last will completely
unnerve him, and deprive him of his best powers? But it is evident that
his delicate mind, which is besides inclined to melancholy, could not
endure the blow inflicted on him by the death of his parents, and he
seeks for consolation in a mode of life which borders upon madness. He
is lost if I do not save him. The more I esteem him, the harder I will
attack him, and the stronger I will paint his folly."
In these thoughts Peregrine saw that he had found his old friend
unaltered; and, after Master Flea had taken the microscopic glass out
of his eye, he said, "George, I will not contend with you as to what
you say of my mode of life, for I know you mean it well with me; but I
must tell you that it gives me real delight when I can make a day of
festival to the poor, although in this I do not think of myself, a
detestable egotism, of which at least I feel unconscious. They are the
flowers in my life, which else seems to me like a wild melancholy field
of thistles."
"What do you say of thistles?" interrupted George Pepusch hastily; "why
do you despise thistles, and place them in opposition to flowers? Are
you so little versed in natural history as not to know that the most
wonderful blossom in the world is that of the thistle, I mean the
_Cactus grandiflorus_. And again, is not the thistle, Zeherit, the most
beautiful Cactus under the sun? Peregrine, I have so long kept it from
you, or rather was forced to keep it from you, because I myself had not
the full conviction of it; but now learn, that I myself am the thistle,
Zeherit, and will never give up my claims to the hand of the daughter
of the worthy king, Sekakis, the heavenly Princess Gamaheh. I had found
her, but in the same moment the diabolical watchmen seized me, and
dragged me to prison."
"How!" cried Peregrine, half petrified with astonishment, "are you too
involved in the strangest of all histories?"
"What history?" asked Pepusch.
Peregrine did not hesitate to tell his friend, as he had before told
Mr. Swammer, all that had happened at the bookbinder's, and afterwards
at his own house. He did not even conceal the appearance of Master
Flea, although, as may be easily supposed, he kept to himself the
secret of his possessing the microscopic glass.
George's eyes burnt, he bit his lips, struck his forehead, and, when
Peregrine had ended, cried out like a maniac, "The false one! the
traitress!" Greedy, in the self-pangs of despairing love, to drain the
last drop from the poison-cup, which Peregrine had unconsciously
proffered him, he made him repeat every little trait of Doertje's
behaviour, interrupting him with murmurs of--"In the arms! on the
breast! glowing kisses!" Then again he started away from the window,
and ran about the room with the gestures of a madman. In vain Peregrine
cried out to him to hear the rest, exclaiming that he had much that was
consolatory to say--Pepusch did not the more leave off his raving.
The door was opened, and an officer of the council announced to
Peregrine that no sufficient cause had been found for his longer
imprisonment, and he might return home.
The first use Peregrine made of his regained freedom was to offer
himself as bail for George Pepusch, testifying that he was really
George Pepusch, with whom he had lived in intimacy at Madras, and who
was known to him for a man of fortune and respectability.
Master Flea exhausted himself in very philosophic and instructive
reflections, which amounted to this, that the Thistle, Zeherit, in
spite of his rough exterior, was very kind and reasonable, but a little
too overbearing, and, fairly considered, was quite correct in his
censure of Mr. Peregrine's way of life, though somewhat too harsh
perhaps in his expressions. He too,--that is, Master Flea,--would
really advise Mr. Peregrine henceforth to go abroad in the world.
"Believe me," he said, "it will bring you many advantages to leave your
solitude. You need no longer fear seeming shy and confused, as, with
the mysterious glass in your eye, you command the thoughts of men, and
it is, therefore, impossible that you should not always maintain the
right tact. How firmly and calmly may you stand before the highest,
while their inward souls lie open to your eyes. Therefore, move freely
in the world; your blood will circulate more lightly, all melancholy
brooding will cease, and, which is the best of all, motley ideas and
thoughts will arise in your brain, the image of the fair Gamaheh will
lose its brightness, and you will soon be better able to keep your word
with me."
Peregrine felt that both George Pepusch and Master Flea meant him well,
and he resolved to follow their wise advice. But when he heard the
sweet voice of his beautiful beloved, he could not think how it was
possible for him to leave the house, which had become a paradise to
him.
At length he brought himself to visit a public promenade. Master Flea
had fixed the glass in his eye, and taken up a place in his collar,
where he gently rocked himself to and fro at his ease.
"Have I at last the pleasure of seeing my good friend Mr. Tyss again?
You make yourself scarce, my dear sir, and we have all been longing for
you. Let us go into a coffeehouse, and take a glass of wine together. I
am truly rejoiced to see you."
It was thus that he was addressed by a young man, whom he had seen
scarcely two or three times. The thoughts ran thus;--"Is the stupid
misanthrope visible again? But I must flatter him, that I may soon
borrow money of him. He'll not surely be possessed by the devil, and
accept my invitation; I have not a halfpenny in my pocket, and no
innkeeper will trust me any longer."
Two well-dressed girls now crossed him. They were sisters, distantly
related to him.
"Ah, cousin!" cried one of them, laughing, "do we meet you at last? It
is not well done to lock yourself up so that one can never get a sight
of you. You do not know how fond mamma is of you, because you are such
a sensible man. Promise me to come soon. There, kiss my hand." The
thoughts ran thus;--"How! what is this? what has come to our cousin? I
wanted to make him blush and stammer, and formerly he used to run away
from every girl; but now he stands and eyes me so strangely, and kisses
my hand without the least shyness. If he should be in love with me?
That would be a fine thing! My mother says that he is somewhat stupid,
but what does that signify? I will have him: a stupid man, when he is
rich, as my cousin is, is the very best." The sister had merely lisped,
with downcast eyes and blushing cheeks, "Come to us shortly, dear
cousin." The thoughts ran thus:--"Our cousin is a very handsome man,
and I do not understand why mamma calls him silly, and can't endure
him. If he should come to our house, he will fall in love with me, for
I am the prettiest girl in all Frankfort. I will have him, because I
want a rich man, that I may sleep till twelve o'clock in the day, and
wear dearer shawls than my sister."
A physician, in passing, perceived Peregrine, stopped his carriage, and
called out, "Good morning, my dear sir; you look uncommonly well;
heaven keep you so! But, if any thing should happen, think of me, the
old friend of your late father: such sound constitutions as yours I can
soon set to rights. Adieu." The thoughts ran thus:--"I believe the
fellow is constantly well out of pure avarice; but he looks tolerably
pale now, and seems at last to have something the matter with him.
Well; only let him once come under my hands, and he shall not soon get
up from his bed again; he shall undergo a sound penance for his
obstinate health."
Immediately after this, an old merchant cried out to him, "My best
greetings to you, worthy Mr. Tyss; see how I am forced to run and
bustle, and plague myself with business. You have done wisely in
withdrawing from it, though with your quicksightedness you could not
fail of doubling your father's fortune." The thoughts were thus:--"If
the fool would only meddle with business, he would speculate away his
whole fortune in a short time, and that would be a real delight. His
old papa, whose joy was in ruining other people that wished to help
themselves by a little bankruptcy, would turn himself about in his
grave."
Many more such cutting contrasts between words and thoughts occurred to
Peregrine. He always directed his answers rather by what people meant
than by what they said, and, as he penetrated into their inmost
intents, they themselves were puzzled what to think of him. At last he
felt wearied, snapped his fingers, and immediately the glass vanished
from the pupil of his left eye.
On returning to his house he was surprised by a strange spectacle. A
man stood in the middle of the passage, looking steadfastly through a
strangely-formed glass at Mr. Swammer's door. Upon this door sun-bright
circles played in rainbow colours, and then met in one fiery point,
that seemed to pierce through the wood. As this took place a deep
sighing was heard, broken by cries of pain, which came, as it appeared,
from the room. To his horror, Peregrine fancied that he distinguished
Gamaheh's voice.
"What do you want? what are you doing here?" he exclaimed to the man,
who really seemed to be practising diabolic arts, the rainbow circles
growing with every moment quicker and brighter, the centre-point
piercing more keenly, and the cries sounding more painfully from the
chamber.
"Oh!" exclaimed the stranger, closing his glass, and hastily putting it
into his pocket,--"Oh! the landlord. Your pardon, my dear sir, that I
am operating here without your permission; I did indeed pay you a visit
to request it, but Alina told me you had gone out, and the business
here would admit of no delay."
"What business?" said Peregrine, pretty harshly; "what business is it
that will admit of no delay?"
"Don't you know," replied the stranger with an odious grin, "don't you
know that my ill-advised niece, Doertje Elverdink, has run away? You
were arrested, though with great injustice, as her seducer, on which
score I will with great pleasure testify your perfect innocence, if it
should be requisite. It is not to you, but to Swammerdamm, once my
friend, and now my enemy, that the faithless Doertje has fled. She is in
that chamber--I know it--and alone, since Swammerdamm has gone out. I
cannot get in, as the door is barred and bolted, and I am too mild to
employ force; but I have taken the liberty to torment her a little with
my optical glass, that she may know I am her lord and master in spite
of her imaginary princess-ship."
"You are the devil!" exclaimed Peregrine, in the highest
indignation,--"you are the devil! but not lord and master of the
beautiful Gamaheh. Out of my house! Practise your devil's tricks where
you will, but here you will fail with them, I can promise you."
"Don't put yourself in a passion," replied Leuwenhock; "don't put
yourself in a passion, my dear Mr. Tyss; I am an innocent man, who mean
nothing but good. It is a little monster, a little basilisk, that sits
in yonder room, in the shape of a lovely woman. If the abode with my
insignificance displeased her, she might have fled; but the traitress
should not have robbed me of my most precious treasure, the best friend
of my soul, without whom I am nothing. She should not have run away
with Master Flea. You will not understand what I mean, worthy sir,
but----"
Here Master Flea, who had planted himself in a secure place, could not
refrain from bursting out into a fine mocking laugh.
"Ha!" cried Leuwenhock, struck with a sudden terror, "ha! what was
that? Can it be possible? Here, on this spot? Permit me, my dear sir--"
Thus saying, Leuwenhock stretched out his hand, and snatched at
Peregrine's collar, who dexterously avoided his grasp, and, seizing him
with a strong arm, dragged him towards the door, to fling him out
without farther ado. But just as he had reached the door, it was opened
from without, and in rushed George Pepusch, followed by Swammerdamm.
No sooner did Leuwenhock perceive his enemy Swammerdamm, than he burst
from Peregrine with the utmost exertion of his last strength, and
planted himself with his back against the door of the mysterious
chamber, where the fair one was imprisoned. Swammerdamm, seeing this,
took a little telescope from his pocket, drew it out at full length,
and fell upon his adversary, exclaiming, "Draw, scoundrel, if you have
courage!"
Leuwenhock had quickly a similar instrument in his hand, drew it out as
the other had done, and cried, "Come on; I am ready, and you shall soon
feel my prowess."
Each now put his glass to his eye, and fell furiously upon the other
with sharp, murderous glances, now lengthening and now shortening his
weapon by drawing the tubes in and out. There were feints, parries,
thrusts, in short, all the tricks of the fencing-school, and with every
moment they seemed to grow more angry. Whenever one was hit he cried
out aloud, sprang into the air, cut the most wonderful capers, made the
most beautiful entrechats, and turned pirouettes, as well as the best
pas-de-seul dancer on the Parisian stage, till his adversary fixed him
fast with the shortened telescope. When the other was hit he did
precisely the same, and in this way they went on interchangeably with
the most violent springs, the maddest gestures, and the most furious
cries. The perspiration dropped from their brows, the blood-red eyes
seemed starting from their heads, and as there appeared no other cause
for their St. Vitus' dance than their looking at each other through
their glasses, they might have been taken for maniacs, just escaped
from the mad-house. For the rest, it was a very pretty sight.
Swammerdamm at last succeeded in driving Leuwenhock from his post by
the door,--which he had maintained with obstinate bravery,--and thus
carrying on the war in the remoter parts of the ground. George Pepusch
saw the opportunity, pressed against the unoccupied door, that was
neither barred nor bolted, and slipped into the chamber, but in the
next moment he rushed out, exclaiming, "She has fled!--fled!" and then
hurried out of the house with the rapidity of lightning.
Both Leuwenhock and Swammerdamm were seriously wounded, for both hopped
and danced about after a mad fashion, and with their howlings and
cryings made a music to it that seemed like the shrieks of the damned
in hell. Peregrine knew not how to set about separating them, and thus
ending a contest, which was as ludicrous as it was terrific. At last
the combatants perceived that the door stood wide open, forgot their
duel and their pains, put their destructive weapons into their pockets,
and rushed into the chamber.
Mr. Tyss took it grievously to heart that the fair one had fled from
his house, and wished the abominable Leuwenhock at the devil, when the
voice of Alina was heard upon the stairs. She was laughing aloud, and
muttered between, "What strange things one does see! Wonderful!
incredible!"
"What?" cried Peregrine dejectedly, "what wonder has happened now?"
"Oh, my dear Mr. Tyss!" exclaimed the old woman, "only come up stairs
directly, and go into your chamber."
And she opened the room-door with a cunning titter. On entering, O
wonder! O joy! the little Doertje Elverdink tripped up to him, in her
dress of tissue, as he had before seen her at Mr. Swammer's.
"At length I see you again!" lisped the little one, and contrived to
nestle up so closely to Peregrine, that he could not help embracing her
most tenderly in spite of all his good resolutions. His senses seemed
ecstacied by love and joy.