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第16章

gulliver of mars-第16章

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at sigh thrilled through the empty spaces of the illimitable: it breathed the breath of promise over the frozen hills of the outside planets where the night…frost had lasted without beginning: and the waters of ten thousand nameless oceans; girding nameless planets; were stirred; trembling into their depth。  It crossed the il… limitable spaces where the herding aerolites swirl forever through space in the wake of careering world; and all their whistling wings answered to it。  It reverberated through the grey wastes of vacuity; and crossed the dark oceans of the Outside; even to the black shores of the eternal night beyond。

〃And hardly had echo of that breath died away in the hollow of the heavens and the empty wombs of a million barren worlds; when the light brightened again; and draw… ing in upon itself became definite and took form; and therefrom; at the moment of primitive conception; there came〃

And just then; as she had read so far as that; when all my faculties were aching to know what came next whether this were but the idle scribbling of a vacuous fool; or something elsethere rose the sound of soft flutes and tinkling bells in the corridors; as seneschals wandered pip… ing round the palace to call folk to meals; a smell of roast meat and grilling fish as that procession lifted the curtains between the halls; and

〃Dinner!〃 shouted my sweet Martian; slapping the cov… ers of The Secret of the Gods together and pushing the stately tome headlong from the table。  〃Dinner!  'Tis worth a hundred thousand planets to the hungry!〃

Nothing I could say would keep her; and; scarcely know… ing whether to laugh or to be angry at so unseemly an interruption; but both being purposeless I dug my hands into my pockets; and somewhat sulkily refusing Heru's invita… tion to luncheon in the corridor (Navy rations had not fitted my stomach for these constant debauches of gos… samer food); strolled into the town again in no very pleasant frame of mind。




CHAPTER VII

It was only at moments like these I had any time to reflect on my circumstances or that giddy chance which had shot me into space in this fashion; and; frankly; the opportunities; when they did come; brought such an extraordinary de… pressing train of thought; I by no means invited them。 Even with the time available the occasion was always awry for such reflection。  These dainty triflers made sulking as impossible amongst them as philosophy in a ballroom。  When I stalked out like that from the library in fine mood to moralise and apostrophise heaven in a way that would no doubt have looked fine upon these pages; one sprightly dam… sel; just as the gloomy rhetoric was bursting from my lips; thrust a flower under my nose whose scent brought on a violent attack of sneezing; her companions joining hands and dancing round me while they imitated my agony。  Then; when I burst away from them and rushed down a nar… row arcade of crumbling mansions; another stopped me in mid…career; and taking the honey…stick she was sucking from her lips; put it to mine; like a pretty; playful child。  An… other asked me to dance; another to drink pink oblivion with her; and so on。  How could one lament amongst all this irritating cheerfulness?

An might have helped me; for poor An was intelligent for a Martian; but she had disappeared; and the terrible vacu… ity of life in the planet was forced upon me when I realised that possessing no cognomen; no fixed address; or rating; it would be the merest chance if I ever came across her again。

Looking for my friendly guide and getting more and more at sea amongst a maze of comely but similar faces; I made chance acquaintance with another of her kind who cheerfully drank my health at the Government's expense; and chatted on things Martian。  She took me to see a funeral by way of amusement; and I found these people floated their dead off on flower…decked rafts instead of burying them; the send…offs all taking place upon a certain swift…flowing stream; which carried the dead away into the vast region of northern ice; but more exactly whither my informant seemed to have no idea。  The voyager on this occasion was old; and this brought to my mind the curious fact that I had observed few children in the city; and no elders; all; except perhaps Hath; being in a state of sleek youthfulness。 My new friend explained the peculiarity by declaring Mar… tians ripened with extraordinary rapidity from infancy to the equivalent of about twenty…five years of age; with us; and then remained at that period however long they might live; Only when they died did their accumulated seasons come upon them; the girl turning pale; and wringing her pret… ty hands in sympathetic concern when I told her there was a land where decrepitude was not so happily postponed。  The Martians; she said; arranged their calendar by the varying colours of the seasons; and loved blue as an antidote to the generally red and rusty character of their soil。

Discussing such things as these we lightly squandered the day away; and I know of nothing more to note until the evening was come again: that wonderful purple evening which creeps over the outer worlds at sunset; a seductive darkness gemmed with ten thousand stars riding so low in the heaven they seem scarcely more than mast high。  When that hour was come my friend tiptoed again to my cheek; and then; pointing to the palace and laughingly hoping fate would send me a bride 〃as soft as catkin and as sweet as honey;〃 slipped away into the darkness。

Then I remembered all on a sudden this was the con… nubial evening of my sprightly friendsthe occasion when; as An had told me; the Government constituted itself into a gigantic matrimonial agency; and; with the cheerful care… lessness of the place; shuffled the matrimonial pack anew; and dealt a fresh hand to all the players。  Now I had no wish to avail myself of a sailor's privilege of a bride in every port; but surely this game would be interesting enough to see; even if I were but a disinterested spectator。  As a matter of fact I was something more than that; and had been thinking a good deal of Heru during the day。  I do not know whether I actually aspired to her handthat were a large order; even if there had been no suspicion in my mind she was already bespoke in some vague way by the invisible Hath; most abortive of princes。  But she was undeniably a lovely girl; the more one thought of her the more she grew upon the fancy; and then the preference she had shown myself was very gratifying。  Yes; I would certainly see this quaint ceremonial; even if I took no leading part in it。

The great centre hall of the palace was full of a radiant light bringing up its ruined columns and intruding creepers to the best effect when I entered。  Dinner also was just being served; as they would say in another; and alas! very distant place; and the whole building thronged with folk。 Down the centre low tables with room for four hundred people were ranged; but they looked quaint enough since but two hundred were sitting there; all brand…new bachelors about to be turned into brand new Benedicts; and taking it mightily calmly it seemed。  Across the hall…top was a raised table similarly arranged and ornamented; and entering into the spirit of the thing; and little guessing how stern a reality was to come from the evening; I sat down in a vacant place near to the dais; and only a few paces from where the pale; ghost…eyed Hath was already seated。

Almost immediately afterwards music began to buzz all about the hallmusic of the kind the people loved which always seemed to me as though it were exuding from the tables and benches; so disembodied and difficult it was to locate; all the sleepy gallants raised their flower…encircled heads at the same time; seizing their wine…cups; already filled to the brim; and the door at the bottom of the hall opening; the ladies; preceded by one carrying a mysterious vase covered with a glittering cloth; came in。

Now; being somewhat thirsty; I had already drunk half the wine in my beaker; and whether it was that draught; drugged as all Martian wines are; or the sheer loveliness of the maids themselves; I cannot say; but as the procession entered; and; dividing; circled round u

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