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The Lost Continent-Part26_C.J.Cutcliffe Hyne(1865-1944)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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hard on Ylga unless she forces me, but I will have no woman in this

kingdom treat you with undue civility."



"And how am I to act," said I, falling in with her mood, "when

I see and hear all the men of Atlantis making their protestations



before you? By your own confession they all love you as ardently

as they seem to have loved you hopelessly."



"Ah, now," she said, "you must not ask me to do

impossibilities. I am powerful if you will. But I have no force



which will govern the hearts of these poor fellows on matters such

as that. But if you choose, you make proclamation that I am given



now body and inwards to you, and if they continue to offend your

pride in this matter, you may take your culprits, and give them



over to the tormentors. Indeed, Deucalion, I think it would be a

pretty attention to me if you did arrange some such ceremony. It



seems to me a present," she added with a frown, "that the jealousy

is too much on one side."



"You must not expect that a man who has been divorced from

love for all of a busy life can learn all its niceties in an



instant. Myself, I was feeling proud of my progress. With any

other schoolmistress than you, Phorenice, I should not be near so



forward. In fact (if one may judge by my past record), I should

not have begun to learn at all."



"I suppose you think I should be satisfied with that? Well,

I am not. I can be finelygreedy over some matters."



The banquet this night did not extend to inordinate length.

Phorenice had gone through much since last she slept, and though



she had declared herself Goddess in the meantime, it seemed that

her body remained mortal as heretofore. The black rings of



weariness had grown under her wondrous eyes, and she lay back

amongst the cushions of the divan with her limbs slackened and



listless. When the dancers came and postured before us, she threw

them a jewel and bade them begone before they had given a half of



their performance, and the poet, a silly swelling fellow who came

to sing the deeds of the day, she would not hear at all.



"To-morrow," she said wearily, "but for now grant me peace.

My Lord Deucalion has given me much food for thought this day, and



presently I go to my chamber to muse over the future policies of

this State throughout the night. To-morrow come to me again, and



if your poetry is good and short, I will pay you surprisingly. But

see to it that you are not long-winded. If there are superfluous



words, I will pay you for those with the stick."

She rose to her feet then, and when the banqueters had made



their salutation to us, I led her away from the banqueting-hall and

down the passages with their secret doors which led to her private



chambers. She clung on my arm, and once when we halted whilst a

great stone block swung slowly ajar to let us pass, she drooped her



head against my shoulder. Her breath came warm against my cheek,

and the loveliness of her face so close at hand surpasses the



description of words. I think it was in her mind that I should

kiss the red lips which were held so near to mine, but willing



though I was to play the part appointed, I could not bring myself

to that. So when the stone block had swung, she drew away with a



sigh, and we went on without further speech.

"May the High Gods treat you tenderly," I said, when we came



to the door of her bed-chamber.

"I am my own God," said she, "in all things but one. By my



face! you are a tardy wooer, Deucalion. Where do you go now?"

"To my own chamber."



"Oh, go then, go."

"Is there anything more I could do?"



"Nothing that your wit or your will would prompt you to. Yes,

indeed, you are finely decorous, Deucalion, in your old-fashioned



way, but you are a mighty poor wooer. Don't you know, my man, that

a woman esteems some things the more highly if they are taken from



her by rude force?"

"It seems I know little enough about women."



"You never said a truer word. Bah! And I believe your

coldness brings you more benefit in a certain matter than any show



of passion could earn. There, get you gone, if the atmosphere of

a maiden's bed-chamber hurts your rusticmodesty, and your Gods



keep you, Deucalion, if that's the phrase, and if you think They

can do it. Get you gone, man, and leave me solitary."



I had taken the plan of the pyramid out of the archives before




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