Thursday, May 15, at six o'clock in the evening, John Harris, in full
uniform, took me to Christodule's house. The pastry-cook and his wife
gave me a warm reception, not without many sighs on account of the King
of the Mountains. As for me, I embraced them heartily. I was happy in
being alive, and I saw only friends on all sides. My feet were cured; my
hair trimmed, my stomach full. Dimitri assured me that Mrs. Simons, her
daughter, and her brother were invited to the Court Ball, and that the
laundress had taken a dress to the Hotel des Etrangers. I enjoyed, in
advance, Mary-Ann's surprise and joy. Christodule offered me a glass of
Santorin wine. In this glorious beverage I thought to drink to liberty,
riches, happiness. I mounted the staircase to my room, but before
retiring I knocked at M. Mérinay's door. He received me in the midst of
a medley of books and papers. "Dear sir, you see a man overwhelmed with
work," he said. "I found, above the village of Castia, an antique
inscription, which deprived me of the pleasure of fighting for you, and
which for six days has puzzled me. It is absolutely unknown, I assure
you of that. No one has seen it; I have the honor of discovering it; I
intend to give it my name. The stone is a small monument of shelly
limestone, 35 centimetres in height by 22, and set, by chance, on the
edge of the path. The characters are of the finest period of art and cut
to perfection. Here is the inscription as I copied it in my note-book:
"S. T. X. X. I. I.
"M. D. C. C. C. L. I.
"If I can translate it my fortune is made. I shall be made member of the
Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-lettres of Pont-Audemer! But the task
is a long and difficult one. Antiquity guards its secrets with jealous
care. I greatly fear that I have come across a monument relative to the
Eleusinian mysteries. In that case there may perhaps be two
interpretations to discover; the one the vulgar or demontique; the other
the sacred or hieratique. You must give me your advice."
I replied: "My advice is that of an ignorant man. I think that you have
discovered a mile-stone such as one often sees on long roads, and that
the inscription which has given you so much trouble can, without doubt,
be translated thus:
"Stade, 22, 1851. Good evening, my dear M. Mérinay; I am going to write
to my father and then put on my red uniform."
My letter to my parent was an ode, a hymn, a chant of happiness. The
exuberant joy which filled my heart overflowed upon the paper. I invited
the family to my wedding, not forgetting good Aunt Rosenthaler. I
implored my father to sell his inn at once; I ordered that Frantz and
Jean Nicolas should leave the service; I advised my other brothers to
change their business. I took everything upon myself; I assumed the
responsibility of the future of the whole family. Without losing a
moment I sealed the letter and sent it by special messenger to Piraeus,
to catch the German-Lloyd steamer, which sailed Friday morning at 6
o'clock. "In this way," I said to myself, "they will rejoice in my
happiness almost as soon as I shall."
At a quarter to nine sharp I entered the Palace with John Harris.
Neither Lobster, M. Mérinay nor Giacomo were invited. My three-cornered
hat was a little rusty, but by candlelight this little defect was not
noticeable. My sword was seven or eight centimetres too short; but what
of that? Courage is not measured by the length of a sword, and I had
without vanity the right to pass for a hero. The red coat was
tight-fitting; it pinched me under the arms, and the trimming on the
cuffs was quite a distance from my hands; but the embroidery showed to
advantage, as papa had prophesied.
The ballroom, decorated with taste and brilliantly lighted, was divided
into two sections. On one side behind the throne for the King and Queen
were the fauteuils reserved for the ladies; on the other were chairs for
the ugly sex. With one glance I swept the space occupied by the ladies.
Mary-Ann had not yet arrived.
At nine o'clock I saw enter the King and Queen, followed by the Grand
Mistress, the Marshal of the Palace, the aides-de-camp, the Ladies of
Honor, and the orderly officers, among whom I recognized M.
George-Micrommatis. The King was magnificently dressed in Palikar
uniform, and the Queen was resplendent with exquisite elegancies which
could come only from Paris. The gorgeousness of the toilets and the
glitter of the national costumes made me almost forget Mary-Ann. I fixed
my eyes on the door and waited.
The members of the Diplomatic Corps and the most distinguished guests
were ranged in a circle around the King and Queen, who conversed
pleasantly with those near them for a half hour or so. I was on the
outside row with John Harris. An officer, standing in front of us,
stepped back suddenly with his whole weight upon my foot and the pain
drew from me an exclamation. He turned his head and I recognized Captain
Pericles, freshly decorated with the Ordre du Sauveur. He made excuses
and asked for news. I could not refrain from informing him that my
health did not concern him. Harris, who knew my history entirely,
politely said to the captain: "Is it not M. Pericles to whom I have the
honor of speaking?"
"Himself!"
"I am charmed! Will you be good enough to accompany me, for a moment,
into the card-room? It is still empty and we will be alone."
"At your orders, Monsieur."
M. Pericles, pale as a soldier who is leaving a hospital, smilingly
followed us. Arrived, he faced John Harris and said to him: "Monsieur, I
await your pleasure."
In reply Harris tore off his cross with its new ribbon, and put it in
his pocket, saying: "There, Monsieur, that is all I have to say to
you!"
"Monsieur!" cried the captain, stepping back.
"No noise, Monsieur, I pray you. If you care for this toy you can send
two of your friends for it to Mr. John Harris, Commander of The Fancy."
"Monsieur," Pericles replied, "I do not know by what right you take from
me a cross which is worth fifteen francs, and which I shall be obliged
to replace at my own expense."
"Do not let that trouble you, Monsieur; here is an English sovereign,
with the head of the Queen of England on it; fifteen francs for the
cross, ten for the ribbon. If there is anything left, I beg of you to
drink to my health."
"Monsieur," said the officer, pocketing the piece, "I have only to thank
you." He saluted without another word, but his eyes promised nothing
pleasant.
"My dear Hermann," Harris said to me, "it will be prudent for you to
leave this country as soon as possible with your future bride. This
gendarme has the air of a polished brigand. As for me, I shall remain
here eight days in order to give him time to demand satisfaction. After
that I shall obey the orders which I have received to go to the Sea of
Japan."
"I am sorry that your ardor has carried you so far. I do not wish to
leave Greece without a specimen or two of the Boryana variabilis. I have
an incomplete one without the roots in my tin box which I forgot when we
left the camp."
"Leave a sketch of your plant with Lobster or Giacomo. They will make a
pilgrimage into the mountains for your sake. But for God's sake! make
haste to get to a place of safety!"
In the meantime my happiness had not arrived at the ball, and I tired my
eyes staring at all the dancers. Toward midnight I lost all hope. I left
the dancing hall and planted myself near a whist table, where four
experienced players were displaying great skill. I had become interested
in watching the game, when a silvery laugh made my heart bound. Mary-Ann
was behind me. I could not see her, I dared not turn toward her, but I
felt her presence, and my joy was overwhelming. What was the cause of
her mirth I never knew. Perhaps some ridiculous uniform; one meets such
in every country at official balls. I remembered that there was a mirror
in front of me. I raised my eyes and I saw her, without being seen,
between her mother and her uncle; more beautiful, more radiant than on
the day when she appeared to me for the first time. Three strands of
pearls were around her neck and lay partly on her divine shoulders. Her
eyes shone in the candlelight, her teeth glistened as she laughed, the
light played in her hair. Her toilet was such as all young girls wear;
she did not wear, like Mrs. Simons, a bird of paradise on her head; but
she was not the less beautiful; her skirt was looped up with bouquets of
natural flowers. She had flowers on her corsage, and in her hair, and
what flowers, Monsieur? I give you a thousand guesses. I thought that I
should die of joy when I recognized upon her the--Boryana variabilis.
Everything came to me from Heaven at the same moment! Is there anything
sweeter than to find a coveted flower, for which one thought to search,
in the hair of one whom one loves? I was the happiest of men and of
naturalists. Excess of happiness made me cast to the winds all the
proprieties. I turned quickly toward her, and holding out my hands, I
cried:
"Mary-Ann! It is I!"
Will you believe it, Monsieur, she recoiled as if terrified, instead of
falling into my arms. Mrs. Simons raised her head, so haughtily that it
seemed to me as if her bird of paradise would fly away with it to the
ceiling. The old gentleman took me by the hand, led me aside, examined
me as if I was a curious beast, and said to me: "Monsieur, have you been
presented to these ladies?"
"There is no question about that, my worthy Mr. Sharper! My dear uncle!
I am Hermann. Hermann Schultz! Their companion in captivity! their
savior! Ah! I have had some wonderful experiences since their departure!
I will relate them to you at your house."
"Yes, yes," he replied. "But the English custom, Monsieur, exacts,
absolutely, that one be presented to ladies before one relates stories
to them."
"But since they know me, my good and excellent Mr. Sharper. We have
dined more than ten times together. I have rendered them a service worth
a hundred thousand francs! You know it well; at the camp of the King of
the Mountains."
"Yes; yes; but you have not been presented."
"But do you not know that I have exposed myself to a thousand deaths for
my dear Mary-Ann?"
"Very well! but you have not been presented."
"Present me, then, yourself."
"Yes, yes; but you must first be presented to me."
"Wait!"
I ran like a crazy man across the ballroom; I jostled several couples
who were waltzing; my sword got entangled between my legs, I slipped on
the waxed floor, and fell my full length. It was John Harris who helped
me up.
"For whom are you searching?"
"They are here, I have seen them. I shall marry Mary-Ann; but I must be
presented first. It is the English custom. Help me! Where are they? Have
you not seen a large woman, with a bird of paradise head-dress?"
"Yes, she left the ball with a pretty girl."
"Left the ball! But, my friend, she is Mary-Ann's mother!"
"Be calm! we will find them again. I will have you presented by the
American Minister."
"That is the very thing! I will show you my uncle, Edward Sharper. I
left him here. Where in the devil has he hidden? He ought not to be far
away!"
Uncle Edward had disappeared. I dragged poor Harris to the Place des
Palais, before the Hotel des Etrangers. Mrs. Simons' apartments were
lighted. At the end of a few moments the lights were extinguished.
Everyone had gone to bed.
"Let us do the same," Harris suggested. "Sleep will calm you. To-morrow
between one and two, I will arrange your affairs."
I passed a night much worse than those of my captivity. Harris slept
with me, or rather, he did not sleep. We heard the carriages coming from
the ball, descend Rue d'Hèrmes with their freight of uniforms and
toilets. About five o'clock, weariness closed my eyes. Three hours
afterwards, Dimitri entered my room and said:
"Great news! Your Englishwomen have gone!"
"Where?"
"To Trieste."
"Wretch! art thou sure of it?"
"It was I who accompanied them to the ship."
"My poor friend," Harris exclaimed, seizing my hands. "Gratitude may be
assumed, but love does not come at will."
"Alas!" sighed Dimitri. This sentiment had an echo in his heart.
Since that day, Monsieur, I have lived like the beasts; drank, ate,
breathed. I sent my collection to Hamburg without one specimen of the
Boryana variabilis. My friends accompanied me to the French steamer the
day after the ball. They thought it wise to make the journey during the
night, for fear of encountering M. Pericles' soldiers. We arrived
without accident at Piraeus; but when a short distance from the shore, a
half-dozen invisible muskets sent their bullets singing about our ears.
It was the pretty Captain sending his adieux.
I scoured the mountains of Malta, of Sicily, and of Italy, and my
herbarium was much richer than I. My father, who had had the good sense
to keep his inn, wrote to me, at Messina, that my efforts were
appreciated. Perhaps I might find a place on arriving; but I determined
to count on nothing.
Harris was en route for Japan. In one or two years I hoped to have news
of him. The little Lobster had written me from Rome that he was still
exercising with the pistol. Giacomo continued to seal letters all day
and crack nuts at night. M. Mérinay found a new interpretation from the
inscription on the monument, one more clever than mine. His great work
upon Demosthenes ought to be printed some day or other. The King of the
Mountains made peace with the authorities. He built a fine mansion on
the road to Pentelicus, with a guard-house for lodging twenty-five
devoted Palikars. In the meantime, he has rented a small hotel in the
modern city, at the edge of the open sewer. He receives many people, and
actively engages in public affairs, in order to be elected to the
Ministry. Dimitri goes there occasionally, to supper, but sighs in the
kitchen.
I have never heard of Mrs. Simons, of Mr. Sharper, nor of Mary-Ann. If
this silence continues, I shall soon think of them no more. Sometimes,
even in the middle of the night, I dream that I am before her and that
my tall, thin figure is reflected in her eyes. Then I awake, I weep hot
tears and I furiously bite my pillow. What I regret, believe me, is not
the woman, it is the fortune and the position which escaped me. It is a
good thing for me that I have not yielded up my heart, and each day I
give thanks for my natural coldness. What I might complain of, my dear
Monsieur, is, if unfortunately, I had fallen in love!