SÛR IMAR.
Although it may seem very wonderful to those who have never been in that
state, nevertheless it is quite true, that in this condition of my
feelings, the magnitude of no man was a question that concerned me. Let
him be taller than the son of Kish, or wiser than Solomon the son of
David, with supreme indifference I could scan the greatness of his body,
or even of his mind. If Shakespeare had marched up to me, at that
moment, with "Hamlet" in his right hand, and the "Tempest" in his left,
I should only have said to him--"My good sir, are you the father of
Dariel?"
But the beauty of goodness has some claim too, although more rarely
recognised, because so rarely visible. Sûr Imar's face invited love as
well as admiration, not only when his glance was resting on his gentle
daughter, but even when he had his eyes on me, who was longing all the
time to steal her. And I put on a manner whence he might conclude that
it had never occurred to me to look at her.
But Dariel was above all thoughts of that, as much as I wished him to
be.
She rose on her purple sandals, which I had not observed till then, and
kissed her dear father, as if she had not seen him for a month; but I
suppose it is their fashion, and he glanced at me as if he meant to
say--"Nature first; manners afterwards." Then he looked again with some
surprise; and her face, which could tell all the world without a word,
seemed to say to me--"Now be on your very best behaviour."
I was afraid she would use some foreign language, but her breeding was
too fine for that.
"Father, at last we have the pleasure to see and know the kind
gentleman who was so very brave, and who did us that great benefit. You
behold him; and his name is Mr. Cran-lee. Mr. Cran-lee, you behold Sûr
Imar."
Being still in the skies to a certain extent, I longed for a hat of
greater dignity, to make a better bow withal; but still I stood up as an
Englishman should, in the presence of the biggest foreigner, until he
knows more about him. I have thought sometimes that as every player at
chess, golf, or billiards, knows almost at the first contact when he has
met his better, so we (without any sense of rivalry, and without being
ever on the perk about ourselves) by some wave of Nature's hand along
the scale of her gifts to us, are aware, without a thought, when we come
into converse with a larger mind. Not of necessity a quicker one, not
peradventure a keener one, possibly one that we could outdo, in the game
of chuck-farthing, now the highest test we have.
This foreigner made me no bow at all, though I expected a very grand
one; he took me quietly by both hands, and said, "I am very glad to know
you. Will you do me the favour of coming to my room?"
The light of my eyes, and of his as well,--for that could be seen in
half a glance,--vanished with a smile; and I followed my host through a
narrow stone-passage to an ancient door, studded with nails and iron
fleurs-de-lis. That solid henchman was standing on guard, whom I had
seen before, and known as Stepan; and inside lay that other mighty dog,
of whom I had seen but little as yet, _Orla_, the son of _Kuban_. The
room was not large, but much loftier than the rooms of an old
dwelling-house would be, and the walls were not papered nor painted, but
partly covered with bright hangings, among which mirrored sconces were
fixed, with candles burning in some of them. Stepan soon set the rest
alight, so that the cheerful and pleasant aspect of the whole surprised
me. But against the walls were ranged on shelves, betwixt the coloured
hangings, metallic objects of a hundred shapes, tools, castings,
appliances, implements unknown to me, and pieces of mechanism, enough to
puzzle my brother Harold, or any other great inventor. But although
they were not in my line at all, I longed to know what they were meant
for.
"One of the great and peculiar features of the English nation," my host
said, with a friendly smile, and slow but clear pronunciation,
"according to my experience is, that they never show much curiosity
about things that do not concern them. A Frenchman, a German, an Italian
would scarcely have cast his eyes round this room, without eager desire
arising in his bosom to know what the use of all these things may be.
Even if he were too polite to enquire, he would contrive to fill me with
some conclusion of a duty to him--the duty of exposing to him my own
affairs. With you it is entirely different. You do not even entertain a
wish, you are free from all little desires to learn what could not in
any way be your own business."
All this he put not as a question, but a statement of facts long proven.
Whereas I was pricked internally with a very sharp curiosity. Could he
be chaffing me? I almost thought he must be, so far were his words from
describing my condition. But on the other hand it would be too absurd,
for a foreigner to attempt to chaff an Englishman in his own language,
and at the first conversation. So I tried to look as if I deserved the
whole of his compliments, and more. For I never like to think that a man
is chaffing me; not even one of my own nation, and of proper rank to do
it. Two bad turns of mind at once ensue, contempt of myself for being
slow, and anger with him for discovering it.
"That is all a trifle," continued Prince Imar; for so I felt inclined to
call him now, to console myself for having such a cut beyond me--"But I
did not bring you here for a trifle, Mr. Cranleigh. You Englishmen think
very little of yourselves. Not in comparison with foreigners, I mean;
for when it comes to that you have much self-respect. I mean with regard
to your own bodies. You detest what you call a fuss about them, such as
the gallant Frenchman makes. But, as this has happened to you on our
behalf, you will not deny my right to learn what it is. I am not a man
of medicine, but I have been present among many wounds. Will you do me
the favour of allowing me to see what has happened?"
It would not be right for any one to say that I had fallen under this
man's influence. No doubt I did that, when I came to know him better.
But as for any abject prostration of will, on the part of any healthy
and sane man to another, at first sight, and through some occult power,
some "odylic force," and so on--let the people believe in that, who can
do, or feel it. Nevertheless I showed him what had happened, because
that was common sense.
And he took it strictly as a thing of common sense. "You have done the
very best that could be done," he said, after looking at it carefully;
"it is a bad rent, even worse than I expected, and there will always be
a long scar there. But it will not lessen the power of the arm, if there
is no other mischief. One thing is very important to know. Of the two
dogs, which inflicted that wound?"
I told him that I could not pretend to say, having been in the thick of
it between the two. And it had not occurred to me to think it out since
then. But remembering all I could of the ups and downs, I thought it
more likely that his dog had done it, having been so much more up in the
air, while the bull-dog fought low, and was striving to grip upward.
Probably _Kuban_ was making a rush at his foe, while I tried to get him
by the neck.
"I hope with all my heart that it was so," my host replied very
cheerfully; "for then we need have no fear of any bad effects. There is
no venom in the teeth of our noble mountain breed. But you will leave
yourself to me."
This I did with the utmost confidence, and while he was using various
applications carefully and with extraordinary skill, I ventured to ask
in a careless tone--"Of what mountain race is _Kuban_?"
"Is it possible that you do not know? He is of the noblest race of dogs
from the noblest mountains of the earth. A wolfhound of the Caucasus."
Sûr Imar's voice was very sad, as he dropped for a moment the herb he
was using, and fixed his calm dark eyes on mine. For the first time then
I became aware that the general expression of his face was not that of a
happy man, but of one with a sorrow deeply stored, though not always at
interest in the soul. He was very unlikely, in his proud quiet way, to
enlarge upon that; but of the common grief he spoke, with less heat and
much greater resignation, than we feel about a railway overcharge.
"I am banished from the land where I was born. Of that I have no
complaint to make. If I had been on the victorious side, perhaps I
should have done the like to those who fought against me. Perhaps I
should have been obliged to do so, whether it was just or otherwise.
That question cannot have any interest for you; and I owe you an apology
for speaking of it. But I am so grateful to the hospitable land which
receives me as if I belonged to it, and allows me to go anywhere without
a passport, that I wish every Englishman to understand that I shall
never make mean of their benefit. Will you do me the favour of tasting
this? You have borne much pain without a sign. It is Kahiti, the choice
wine of the Caucasus, made within sight of Kazbek."
Where Kazbek was, or what Kazbek might be, I had not the least idea
then, though I came to know too well afterwards; but in fear of hurting
his feelings, and perhaps his opinion of myself, I looked as if I knew
all about it. And as he began to pour out a pinkish liquid from an old
black bottle, with a fine smile sparkling in his quiet eyes, I could not
help saying to myself--"He deserves to be an Englishman." He was worthy
also of that crown of bliss, and came uncommonly near to it, when he
praised his liquor, as a good host does, with geniality conquering
modesty.
"If you could only make this in England!" he exclaimed, after drinking
my health most kindly; and I answered, "Ah, if we only could!" with a
smack of my lips, which meant--"I hope we never should."
"Is this scratch likely to require further treatment? Or can I manage it
myself now?" My question recalled him from some delightful vision,
perhaps of grapes blushing on the slopes of some great mountain, perhaps
of the sun making a sonnet of beauty, perhaps of his own honeymoon among
them, with the lovely mother of Dariel. It was rude of me to disturb
him; but why, if he wanted true politeness, why not send for a certain
nymph to taste her native Helicon?
"_Orla_, come and show your teeth," he said; "now, Mr. Cranleigh, his
teeth are the very similarity of his father's. That is the one that
inflicted the wound, the right canine; quite different would have been
that of the bull-dog. You need have no alarm. Shall I give you a--what
call you it--written testimony, to set your family at ease? What? Have
you never told them? Ah, but you take things with composure. It is
therefore all the more necessary for me to administer the proper
measures. I shall require to see you in three days from this, and then
at least once a week for the following two months."
Oh, what a chance, what a glorious chance of improving my acquaintance
with Dariel! Of course I could not expect to meet her every time, still
now and then--and as for that big Stepan, I warrant he knows what a
crown-piece is, as well as little Allai. With admirable self-denial, I
contended that such visits never could be needful, and that it was out
of the question to spare so much time, etc., etc. But the great
Caucasian stopped all that, by declaring that unless I trusted him
entirely, and obeyed him implicitly, he should consider it his duty to
inform my friends, that they might place me under strict medical
treatment. Thereupon, what could I do but consent to everything he
required? Till with many directions as to my own conduct, he led me as
far as the door of _Little Guinib_, as he playfully called his snug
retreat, and showed me before closing it behind me, how to obtain
entrance at any time by pressing my hand against an upper panel, and he
gave me leave to do so, as he said "Good-night."
"No stranger would dare to enter thus, with _Kuban_ and _Orla_ loose
inside, but you have made them both your faithful slaves. Good-night,
and the Lord be with you."
Now, though a Briton may be, and generally is, a very loose-seated
Christian, only gripping on his steed when he is being taught to ride,
or when he has to turn him into Pegasus, he is able to stand up in his
stirrups high enough to look down upon every other pilgrim. When the
Prince opened that bottle of wine, I said in my heart, "Hurrah, this
great father of Dariel cannot be a thoroughgoing Islamite;" and now
when he committed me to the Lord, instead of any Anti-British Allah, a
strong warmth of the true faith--which had been languishing, until I
should know what Dariel's was--set me quite firmly on my legs again.
Thus I went upon my way rejoicing, and the beautiful ideas that flowed
into my mind were such as come to no man, except when deep in love, and
such as no man out of it deserves or cares to hear of.