CHAPTER V.
I MUST HAVE SLEPT VERY LONG, for when I arose and met Honnolumeek in the hall, he seemed angry with me for my tardiness, and said some very harsh things to me, which I answered as harshly, and he left me in anger. When I next saw him, which was at the dinner-table, he appeared better natured, and I showed him the card which the gentleman that I had met in the tirsh gave me.
“How!” cried he, “did you receive this from the old gentlemen you met in the tirsh?”
“Yes, and he requested me to call upon him,” I answered.
“Oh! had I known this before,” said he. “It is the man I wished most to see—Colorondo, the highest officer under the king. I ought to have paid my respects to him.”
Thus he went on, lamenting that he had not known him before, and striving to think of all the evil things he said to the old gentleman, while in the tirsh.
“He asked you to call?” he inquired.
I answered in the affirmative.
“We will go immediately,” said he, springing from his seat, and taking my arm within his, conducted me to the door, when perceiving a coach, he called it, and seating ourselves in it, we were soon on our way towards the gentleman’s house, to which Honnolumeek had directed the driver to convey us. We soon arrived at the house. Alighting from our carriage, we hastened up the broad staircase of the noble mansion. As we reached the top step, the door was opened by a servant who was so ludicrous in features and form, that, as he stood bowing and scraping his foot behind him, I could scarcely keep from laughing. It is scarcely possible that I shall be able to give such a description of him, that will make him appear as ridiculous as he did to me. He was exceedingly short. His lower extremities were shaped like a goat’s, and had no covering except the long, reddish-colored hair, with which nature had bountifully supplied them. His body was clothed in a beautiful crimson velvet jacket, and completely covered with precious stones. His head was shaped somewhat like a monkey’s, but the countenance was of a deep green color, his lips were long and extremely thin; his nose aquiline and far protruding, standing several inches from his face; his eyes deep set, and so small that were it not for the bright twinkle they occasionally shot forth, they could not be seen. The hair on his head stood up from his forehead to the height of nearly a foot, and to crown all, his speech was so broken that even Honnolumeek could scarcely understand him. He extended his hand, which was very small and well formed, for the card which Honnolumeek slipped into it, then, with a jerk of his head, he hastened to deliver the card to his master. Presently he returned with as sorrowful an expression of countenance as he could well put on, saying in longdrawn, measured syllables,
“My master is sick a-bed.”
Honnolumeek looked at me with a sly twinkle of his eye, and slipping a coin in the servant’s hand, said:
“Perhaps your master is well enough to see the foreign gentleman that he met in the tirsh not long since.”
“What!” cried the servant, “is this the strange gentleman that came from the moon? If he is, master has given me orders to admit him.”
So in we went, the servant conducting us, turning at almost every step, and looking upon me with curiois eyes, as though he saw something strange in my appearance. At length we arrived at a wide door that opened into a very large apartment. Our singular conductor bade us be seated, while he told his master of our arrival. The room was furnished sumptuously, and I was surprised to discover among the beautiful furniture of the Kailoo fashion,
several pieces that resembled that used on earth. Among them, I noticed an old mahogany sideboard, one like which I had not seen before in Kailoo. At the far end of the room, between the two large windows, was placed a musical instrument, as was evident from the silver key-board before it. While examining the curious and beautiful articles that were arranged tastefully around the room, a side door opened, and a young lady entered. She was the fairest creature I ever before beheld. Adopting the Kailooite costume, she did not follow the disfiguring habit of wearing the nose cord, but left her countenance in its original beauty. Her eye was dark, and as it fell upon me with a friendly glance, I felt that I could have loved her, were she not a Kailooite.
She seemed not to notice Honnolumeek, but passed him, I thought, with a scornful smile, and addressed herself to me:
“My father has sent me to bear you company until he comes, which will be presently. What shall I do to entertain you in the meantime?”
She spoke so kind and gentle, that I could almost have fallen at her feet and worshipped her. I entered into conversation with her. She did not appear to think the less of me because I had not a formal introduction to her. This was new to me, for had a lady of our country met a stranger in the same situation, she would have delivered the message with all the coldness deemed so essential to fashionable life. But here was a lady of the highest rank in Kailoo, addressing me, a total stranger, with such kind words, that it made my heart swell up and beat with tenfold vigor whenever she spoke. I felt the difference, and was rejoiced to discover that it was fashionable here to treat all with kindness, until it was discovered that the person was undeserving of such treatment. Why she did not speak to Honnolumeek I afterwards discovered. Meanwhile, as her father did not arrive, and being passionately fond of music, I besought her to perform upon the musical instrument I before spoke of. Without hesitating, she went to the instrument, and lightly pressed her delicate fingers upon the small silver keys. To give an idea of the sound, it will perhaps be better for me to describe the instrument, which she kindly opened for my inspection.
The main body was a square chest made of wood, beautifully polished. From the top of this chest there extended a long square box, or tube, which passed through the roof of the house, serving for the purpose of creating a strong draught of air, which, passing over a great number of wires of different sizes, produced the sound. The wires were placed somewhat in the same manner as in the pianoforte, save that instead of lying side by side, they were placed above each other, the largest cord at the bottom. Upon each wire there rested a down-covered muffler, that prevented its vibration, thus hindering any sound except when removed, which was effected by touching ‘the key. A pedal, acting upon a damper placed at the bottom of the instrument, served to govern the strength or softness of the sound required, by shutting off or increasing the draught of air, which, playing over the wires like over the strings of the Æolian harp, produced much the same sound, but with greatly-increased power. A set of tiny mufflers were so arranged that they lightly touched the exact centre of each wire, and so contrived that by pressing a smaller pedal, they ascend or descend, producing harmonical sounds or otherwise, at the option of the performer. While engaged in examining the instrument, her father entered the room. With a slight bow to Honnolumeek, he passed him, and grasping my hand within his, “My dear sir,” said he, “I am extremely happy to see you. Why did you not come before?”
Turning to his daughter, he continued :
“Fameta, I wish you to amuse our guest for a short time, while I transact a little business with the gentleman in the other room.”
I was somewhat surprised, but nevertheless gratified, to hear this, for I was just beginning to be entertaining to the young lady, who asked me if I was fond of painting. I of course assented, but, to tell the truth, I never saw but one, and that was the portrait of my mother, that hung in the little parlor at home. She conducted me into a long hall, the walls of which were covered with specimens of the artistical skill of the Kailooites. They were not painted in oil colors, as our paintings generally are, but were composed of minute particles of different-colored clay, inlaid somewhat like mosaic work, but so very small were the pieces, and so exquisitely arranged, that the colors blended so harmoniously that they were almost perfect copies of nature. They were mostly landscapes. One of them, a rural scene, I thought bore some resemblance to an oil painting, and upon closer examination found it to be one, and that a scene that must have been painted in my own dear world.
“Where,” cried I, “did that come from?”
She said it was an old picture that had long been in the family, and had been painted in her native country. She said no more, and to all my questions on the subject, would give no farther reply, as her father had forbade her doing so. We now heard her father calling us, and instantly re-entered the parlor, where we found the old gentleman rubbing his hands together in great apparent satisfaction.
“I got rid of him easy!” said he to me.
“What!” cried I, all amazement, “have you sent him away without informing me? Why, he was appointed to be my guide through the country.”
“Gammon!” said he, in English. I was all astonishment.
“But, my dear fellow,” he continued, using the same language, “this is all mystery to you; after dinner I will explain it, and I think that perhaps you will make a better bargain by remaining under my guidance, than that of such a rascal as Honnolumeek. I tell you he is a rascal; but come, let’s go to dinner. I will give you a regular old-fashioned earthly dinner, exactly one hour long, for I cannot live up to the times in this fast country. I dine three times in twelve days, according to their time. What a funny old codger I am. Ha! ha! ha! So come; you don’t bear me any ill will, do you?”
I was too much surprised to answer, and therefore giving Fameta my arm, we followed the old gentleman down stairs into the diningroom, where I was introduced to his wife, Mrs. Brown, “although,”said he, with a sly twinkle of his eye, “you must call her Madame Colorondo when in presence of these quick-minded Kailooites. When alone, however, never call her by any name save Mrs. Brown, which plain though it be, makes me think of good, old times.”
I had enjoyed but few social meals at home, and those few were so impressed in my memory that a tear of mingled joy and regret, in spite of my endeavors to the contrary, started to my eye. My good host perceived it, and a tear of sympathy glistened in his eye, as he, rising from his seat, grasped my hand; then falling back, gazed at me with fast-filling eyes.
“Hang it!” said he, “it does my old eyes good to see you.”
Our dinner was excellent, and for the first time since my arrival in the country, I really enjoyed myself. After dinner, Mr. Brown filled all our glasses, and then his own, with some real old Oporto, as he assured me.
“I never encourage drinking among young men, Mr. Joi,” said he, “but this wine has such a good old earthy taste, that I cannot forbid myself the pleasure of seeing you drink it. It will make you think of our mutual home—the earth—much better than this newfangled affair, where they are so much in favor of “progress” that they will scarcely allow a man sufficient time to eat or sleep. However ill the would-be philosophers, who reside on the earth, speak of it, let them by chance leave it and visit Kailoo, as we have, my boy, and I think they will change their minds. Therefore, join me in drinking to our much-loved earth.”
We drained our glasses, and after escorting the ladies to the parlor, my worthy friend taking my arm within his, conducted me to his office, where to my great joy I found books, both English and French, enough to form quite a large library. The names of their authors, and the places where they were published, were printed upon them, and as I read and re-read the familiar names of authors that I had seen before, I felt as though I was on earth again, and had walked into the office of a friend at home.
“You must,” said he, “be impatient to learn how I came to visit this outlandish place, and I wish to know how I have happened to have the pleasure of your company. I will tell you my adventures, and in return you must relate yours. Turn about is fair play, you know.”