"Well, well!" said Jurgen, when he had taken off all that foolish
ironmongery, and had made himself comfortable in his shirt; "well,
beyond doubt, the situation is awkward. I was content enough in
Cocaigne, and it is unfair that I should be thus ousted. Still, a
sensible person will manage to be content anywhere. But whither,
pray, am I expected to go?"
"Into whatever land you may elect, my dear," said Anaïtis, fondly.
"That much at least I can manage for you: and the interpretation of
your legend can be arranged afterward."
"But I grow tired of all the countries I have ever seen, dear
Anaïtis, and in my time I have visited nearly all the lands that are
known to men."
"That too can be arranged: and you can go instead into one of the
countries which are desired by men. Indeed there are a number of
such realms which no man has ever visited except in dreams, so that
your choice is wide."
"But how am I to make a choice without having seen any of these
countries? It is not fair to be expecting me to do anything of the
sort."
"Why, I will show them to you," Anaïtis replied.
The two of them then went together into a small blue chamber, the
walls of which were ornamented with gold stars placed helter-skelter.
The room was entirely empty save for an hour-glass near twice the
height of a man.
"It is Time's own glass," said Anaïtis, "which was left in my
keeping when Time went to sleep."
Anaïtis opened a little door of carved crystal that was in the lower
half of the hour-glass, just above the fallen sands. With her
finger-tips she touched the sand that was in Time's hour-glass, and
in the sand she drew a triangle with equal sides, she who was
strangely gifted and perverse. Then she drew just such another
figure so that the tip of it penetrated the first triangle. The sand
began to smoulder there, and vapors rose into the upper part of the
hour-glass, and Jurgen saw that all the sand in Time's hour-glass
was kindled by a magic generated by the contact of these two
triangles. And in the vapors a picture formed.
"I see a land of woods and rivers, Anaïtis. A very old fellow,
regally crowned, lies asleep under an ash-tree, guarded by a
watchman who has more arms and hands than Jigsbyed."
"It is Atlantis you behold, and the sleeping of ancient Time--Time,
to whom this glass belongs,--while Briareus watches."
"Time sleeps quite naked, Anaïtis, and, though it is a delicate
matter to talk about, I notice he has met with a deplorable
accident."
"So that Time begets nothing any more, Jurgen, the while he brings
about old happenings over and over, and changes the name of what is
ancient, in order to persuade himself he has a new plaything. There
is really no more tedious and wearing old dotard anywhere, I can
assure you. But Atlantis is only the western province of Cocaigne.
Now do you look again, Jurgen!"
"Now I behold a flowering plain and three steep hills, with a castle
upon each hill. There are woods wherein the foliage is crimson:
shining birds with white bodies and purple heads feed upon the
clusters of golden berries that grow everywhere: and people go about
in green clothes, with gold chains about their necks, and with broad
bands of gold upon their arms, and all these people have untroubled
faces."
"That is Inislocha: and to the south is Inis Daleb, and to the north
Inis Ercandra. And there is sweet music to be listening to
eternally, could we but hear the birds of Rhiannon, and there is the
best of wine to drink, and there delight is common. For thither
comes nothing hard nor rough, and no grief, nor any regret, nor
sickness, nor age, nor death, for this is the Land of Women, a land
of many-colored hospitality."
"Why, then, it is no different from Cocaigne. And into no realm
where pleasure is endless will I ever venture again of my own free
will, for I find that I do not enjoy pleasure."
Then Anaïtis showed him Ogygia, and Tryphême, and Sudarsana, and the
Fortunate Islands, and Æaea, and Caer-Is, and Invallis, and the
Hesperides, and Meropis, and Planasia, and Uttarra, and Avalon, and
Tir-nam-Beo, and Thelême, and a number of other lands to enter which
men have desired: and Jurgen groaned.
"I am ashamed of my fellows," says he: "for it appears their notion
of felicity is to dwell eternally in a glorified brothel. I do not
think that as a self-respecting young Prince I would care to inhabit
any of these earthly paradises, for were there nothing else, I would
always be looking for an invasion by the police."
"There remains, then, but one other realm, which I have not shown
you, in part because it is an obscure little place, and in part
because, for a reason that I have, I shall not assist you to go
thither. Still, there is Leukê, where Queen Helen rules: and Leukê
it is that you behold."
"But Leukê seems like any other country in autumn, and appears to be
reasonably free from the fantastic animals and overgrown flowers
which made the other paradises look childish. Come now, there is an
attractive simplicity about Leukê. I might put up with Leukê if the
local by-laws allowed me a rational amount of discomfort."
"Discomfort you would have full measure. For the heart of no man
remains untroubled after he has once viewed Queen Helen and the
beauty that is hers. It is for that reason, Jurgen, I shall not help
you to go into Leukê: for in Leukê you would forget me, having seen
Queen Helen."
"Why, what nonsense you are talking, my darling! I will wager she
cannot hold a candle to you."
"See for yourself!" said Anaïtis, sadly.
Now through the rolling vapors came confusedly a gleaming and a
surging glitter of all the loveliest colors of heaven and earth:
and these took order presently, and Jurgen saw before him in the
hour-glass that young Dorothy who was not Heitman Michael's wife.
And long and wistfully he looked at her, and the blinding tears
came to his eyes for no reason at all, and for the while he could
not speak.
Then Jurgen yawned, and said, "But certainly this is not the Helen
who was famed for beauty."
"I can assure you that it is," said Anaïtis: "and that it is she who
rules in Leukê, whither I do not intend you shall go."
"Why, but, my darling! this is preposterous. The girl is nothing to
look at twice, one way or the other. She is not actually ugly, I
suppose, if one happens to admire that washed-out blonde type, as of
course some people do. But to call her beautiful is out of reason;
and that I must protest in simple justice."
"Do you really think so?" says Anaïtis, brightening.
"I most assuredly do. Why, you remember what Calpurnius Bassus says
about all blondes?"
"No, I believe not. What did he say, dear?"
"I would only spoil the splendid passage by quoting it inaccurately
from memory. But he was quite right, and his opinion is mine in
every particular. So if that is the best Leukê can offer, I heartily
agree with you I had best go into some other country."
"I suppose you already have your eyes upon some minx or other?"
"Well, my love, those girls in the Hesperides were strikingly like
you, with even more wonderful hair than yours: and the girl Aillê
whom we saw in Tir-nam-Beo likewise resembled you remarkably, except
that I thought she had the better figure. So I believe in either of
those countries I could be content enough, after a while. Since part
from you I must," said Jurgen, tenderly, "I intend, in common
fairness to myself, to find a companion as like you as possible. You
conceive I can pretend it is you at first: and then as I grow fonder
of her for her own sake, you will gradually be put out of my mind
without my incurring any intolerable anguish."
Anaïtis was not pleased. "So you are already hankering after those
huzzies! And you think them better looking than I am! And you tell
me so to my face!"
"My darling, you cannot deny we have been married all of three whole
months: and nobody can maintain an infatuation for any woman that
long, in the teeth of having nothing refused him. Infatuation is
largely a matter of curiosity, and both of these emotions die when
they are fed."
"Jurgen," said Anaïtis, with conviction, "you are lying to me about
something. I can see it in your eyes."
"There is no deceiving a woman's intuition. Yes, I was not speaking
quite honestly when I pretended I had as lief go into the Hesperides
as to Tir-nam-Beo: it was wrong of me, and I ask your pardon. I
thought that by affecting indifference I could manage you better.
But you saw through me at once, and very rightly became angry. So I
fling my cards upon the table, I no longer beat about the bushes of
equivocation. It is Aillê, the daughter of Cormac, whom I love, and
who can blame me? Did you ever in your life behold a more enticing
figure, Anaïtis?--certainly I never did. Besides, I noticed--but
never mind about that! Still I could not help seeing them. And then
such eyes! twin beacons that light my way to comfort for my not
inconsiderable regret at losing you, my darling. Oh, yes, assuredly
it is to Tir-nam-Beo I elect to go."
"Whither you go, my fine fellow, is a matter in which I have the
choice, not you. And you are going to Leukê."
"My love, now do be reasonable! We both agreed that Leukê was not a
bit suitable. Why, were there nothing else, in Leukê there are no
attractive women."
"Have you no sense except book-sense! It is for that reason I am
sending you to Leukê."
And thus speaking, Anaïtis set about a strong magic that hastened
the coming of the Equinox. In the midst of her charming she wept a
little, for she was fond of Jurgen.
And Jurgen preserved a hurt and angry face as well as he could: for
at the sight of Queen Helen, who was so like young Dorothy la
Désirée, he had ceased to care for Queen Anaïtis and her diverting
ways, or to care for aught else in the world save only Queen Helen,
the delight of gods and men. But Jurgen had learned that Anaïtis
required management.
"For her own good," as he put it, "and in simple justice to the many
admirable qualities which she possesses."
27.