The Second Macabre Megapack

by Various Writers

  “Jewel of my heart!” murmured the Vizier, removing, the veil, and stooping to kiss the fair, white brow; “more precious art thou to me than all my greatness. Yanina, beloved Yanina, thou hast shared the triumphs of this day with Riezzin; is it not so, my fairest?”

  “As the parched flower drinks in the dew that nourishes it, so has the triumph of Riezzin refreshed the heart of Yanina.”

  “I knew it dearest; and amid all the pomp and parade of power, I did not forget my rose of beauty. How fair thou art, Yanina; fairer, it seems to me, than when first thy charms awoke the thrill of love within my soul. Time has dealt gently with thee, loved one; he has not marred one dear lineament.”

  “The rose is withered by the unkind frost; but there has been no wintry chill within our bower. The suns of ten summers have risen and set since I was thine, and yet thou lovest me, Riezzin?”

  “Aye; as nature rejoices in the sun-beam; so does my spirit find its light in thee, Yanina.”

  “Dear Riezzin!” she murmured; and, rising, she stood before him in all the matured loveliness of female beauty. She was past the age when the women of the East are usually most attractive; but not one destroying trace of time was visible upon her countenance.

  “I would be alone, Yanina, for a little while. I need composure. In an hour I will rejoin thee, dearest.”

  She left the apartment; and the Vizier reseated himself at the open window. The events of the day again passed before him. Honor, power, wealth, love, all were his. Step by step he had ascended the eminence of fame, and now he could look down from the summit, and trace the various means that had aided him in the ascent. The past rose before him with its many colored hues; years gone by seemed but as yesterday; and as he retraced the path of existence he felt as if he must be still a boy, so vivid were the reminiscences of his early youth. While he yet pondered on these things, he turned, and beheld the outline of a figure shrouded in a filmy haze, yet sufficiently distinct to present the semblance of a man.

  “I have come to thee, my son,” said the spirit, “in thy hour of triumph; dost thou know me, Riezzin?”

  “Shade of Kabulneza! I welcome thee—though the chill of the tomb surrounds thee, and I tremble in thy presence, still, I welcome thee.”

  “Nay, stretch not out thy hand to grasp mine, Riezzin. The frame I once tenanted is mouldering in the dust; it is my spirit alone that is with thee now.”

  “What would’st thou, revered shade of him who was my best friend?”

  “I have been permitted to revisit these earthly scenes, that I might learn what has befallen those I loved since I quitted this vale of tears. Tell me, Riezzin, have my dying gifts been blessings to thy brothers, as well as to thyself?”

  “Alas! Kabulneza, they but betrayed my brothers to their destruction.”

  “I would know their fate, Riezzin, if thou may’st reveal the story of their lives.”

  “Thou knowest, father, that Elmana chose the purse. He was immediately surrounded by every luxury that wealth could procure. He denied himself nothing. He built palaces; he laid out gardens; he hired singing men and singing women; the costly wines of Shiraz sparkled at his board, and viands from distant realms were heaped upon his table. Gold was lavished among his dependents, as if it had been but the sand of the desert. He went to every extreme of indulgence; and injured his health, and enervated his frame by riot and excess. He lost the esteem of his friends, and consequently his self-respect. He sank lower and lower, until, one fatal evening, he fell asleep among his companions with the golden purse in his bosom. While he slept, it was stolen from him. To others, the purse was useless, excepting for the price its weight would bring; but to him it had become the alpha and omega of existence. He has sought it in vain for years; but, with an infatuation as vehement as it is fruitless, he still continues a wanderer on the face of the earth, expecting to recover his lost treasure. I have entreated him to resign the hope of finding it, and to begin a life of activity and usefulness; but those years of supineness and self-indulgence have prostrated his energies. With a body enfeebled by former excesses, and a mind unfitted for employment, he will probably pass the’ remainder of his days in pining after the enjoyments which he abused, and which he can never expect will be his again.”

  “It is as I feared—but Haladdin—what use did he make of his gift, the ruby heart?”

  “He soon succeeded in winning the affections of his first love, the beautiful Kezia. For a time, I thought my brother the happiest of mortals; he lived but in her smile, and serenity and bliss seemed to wait upon his steps. But, true to the fickleness of his nature, he soon wearied of one who had charmed him only by her beauty, and while her whole soul was devoted to him, he cruelly neglected her. Her very attachment to him tended to strengthen his growing dislike; but she was bound to him by that fatal spell, and the cast off leman only found repose in an early grave. Haladdin gave himself up to the worship of woman; and in that idolatry of the heart he wasted all the noble and high-toned energies of his nature. He could influence the love of the fairest with that ruby gift; and at last, it became the instrument of his destruction. He saw by stealth the flower of his sovereign’s harem. To see, was to love—to love, was to obtain. By stratagems, their stolen meetings remained long unsuspected; but Haladdin became careless and confident, and his deluded victim could not know the fearful danger of her position. A spy of the Shah’s household betrayed them; and the bow-string was the punishment of both.”

  “Alas! he was a youth of promise; unfortunately, wavering in his principles; yet I trusted that he would not have abused the gift he chose. But Hazif, the proud, the noble Hazif—what of him, Riezzin?”

  “He did nobly, father, at first. He used the wand to advance himself in the councils of his country. He exerted his power for the benefit of others, and made himself a name and a reputation that outvied the great ones of our land. All bent before his talents; and his eloquence was like the breeze of heaven, bringing freshness and purity to the soul. His career was glorious, and would have been happy, but ambition gradually twined her fetters around him, and whispered, at length, accents of treason in his ear. I warned him; I entreated him to be content with the love and admiration of a people. I told him to beware how he stepped upon the paw of the sleeping lion. Reason availed not, when ambition lured; and I saw at length, with heart-felt sorrow, that the favorite of the Shah was suspected as a traitor. He was too popular to be destroyed at once, but he was banished from the land of his birth. He now finds a home on the confines of Arabia; and still possesses, I hear, the magic influence given him by the silver wand.”

  “He may retrieve the past, Riezzin; it is not yet too late. But tell me now, my son, the story of thy life.”

  “Behold thy gift, my father. The magic glass ever rests upon my bosom, and is guarded by a massive chain. When I first received it from thee I did not prize it, for I was disappointed in the allotment of thy gifts. I saw my brothers enter at once, without effort, into the possession of what each had sighed for; while I was left to toil and struggle in the world. I envied Elmana the wealth in which he revelled; I coveted the love of beauty; I yearned for the possession of power. I felt within me the aspirations of a proud and ambitious soul, but discontent of mind impaired my happiness. I was not willing to make use of the necessary means to advance my fortune, but wished that what I desired might come at my bidding as by the touch of an enchanter’s wand. Envy of my brothers made me miserable, and in pining after some undiscovered good, I lost the precious amulet of content. The dark temptations of Eblis beset my path, until life became a burthen almost too grievous for me to bear. In despondence of soul, I invoked the angel of death to summon my spirit to his home; but Azrael was deaf to my entreaties, and I lived on during many moons a prey to vain regrets. But at length, O Kabulneza, I visited thy tomb, and as my tears fell upon the costly shrine, I remembered thy gift. Thy words arose to my memory, and I sought in haste the magic glass. After thy death, I grieve to say, it had been th
rown aside in the disappointment of the moment, and for hours I searched for it in vain; but at last, amid a heap of rubbish, I found it. It was tarnished by neglect, and the glass was soiled and dim. However, I cleansed it; and then, invoking thy blessing, I looked through it. I beheld letters of gold, but they sparkled like the diamond with such dazzling brilliancy, that my eye could not at first bear the lustrous splendor, and around these letters streamed beams of light, that seemed to radiate until their outer circle reached the heavens. By degrees I was enabled to decypher the shining characters, which, as I read, were engraved upon my memory with magic power; and this, Kabulneza, was the transcript of that luminous and enchanted page—

  “Pause, Riezzin—the rose of youth is on thy cheek, thy hand is strong, and thy frame vigorous. Life spreads itself before thee; thou art but on its threshold, its many paths are round thee, which to choose; but in supineness and regret thou art wasting thy strength in mourning after the shadow when thou mightst possess thyself of the substance. Wealth, love, power, confer not happiness, excepting as the mind is disciplined to make a good use of them; and the vicissitudes of life are intended for that discipline. Naught but sunshine will wither and blight the garden flowers; they must have clouds, and rain, and tearful dews. Youth is the season for effort. Employ then thy talents with all the energy of thy nature, and the bread that is earned by thy daily toil will taste sweeter to thee than the luscious viands which are heaped upon the table of Elmana. Win, by the consistency of thy principles and the purity of thy life, the respect of thy fellow men; and power, honorably acquired and nobly retained, may crown thy brow with greener laurels than Hazif will ever wear. Place the affections of thy manhood where they will meet with a pure return, for even in the harem’s casket there may be found a precious pearl: yet, enervate not thy soul by the worship of beauty that may perish in an hour, and the rose of thy garden may bloom when that of Haladdin shall have passed away. Go forth then, to toil, to strive, to overcome, to endure. The warrior wins not the victory without the battle; the poet wears not the wreath without having won the prize. The world is man’s battleground, worthy of his destiny. Coward he, who faints ere the conflict is begun; and traitor to himself, if, when the first blow is struck, he dare not strike again. On! on! Riezzin; stay not to ponder, the angel of life weeps over every wasted hour.

  “The golden characters disappeared, the dazzling light faded; and as I pressed thy gift to my lips, I felt that a veil had been lifted from my moral vision. I saw life for the first time through a true medium; but a partial glimpse, it is true, yet enough to point the stepping stone of my career. I waited only for the morrow’s dawn’; and, resuming the occupation of my father, I determined to excel as an artisan, and leave to destiny the shaping of my fortune. A load was lifted from my heart; my prostrate energies revived, my drooping hopes seemed to bud and blossom beneath the refreshing influence of high resolves, and in the useful exercise of my faculties, I found my nature invigorated and improved. I had no time for repining; and when at night I sought the restoring comfort of repose, my sleep was sweet, and undisturbed by the wild dreams of ambition. Once, the, throb of envy and regret returned, when I beheld Elmana showering dinars of gold among the multitude thronging round him; but, looking through my glass, I read these words; ‘Better is poverty with honor, than wealth with degradation.’ I turned, and recoiled as I marked the reeling, staggering form of Elmana, and returning to my employment, I felt, in the approval of my own heart, a sense of happiness hitherto unknown.

  “I need not dwell, Kabulneza, upon my rising fortunes. In the pursuit of my calling my wealth increased, and the warnings of the magic glass prevented my placing undue value upon worldly treasures. As the stream of time flowed on, the lessons thy gift imparted, added the weight of truth to my decisions, and before one gray hair had tinged these locks, the name of Riezzin was known throughout Persia. They said that the wisdom of Kabulneza had descended to me, and from the poor artisan, I became the wealthy, influential counsellor of princes. Success would have been my ruin; but with every accession to my wealth, or fame, I took thy gift from my bosom, and from it, I learned to be prosperous without exultation, and to be great. It showed me that life was never a state of perfect happiness, or of unalleviated misery, and that contentment was the key that would open the secret treasure-house of earth. It reminded me that the great and the mighty must sleep at last with the lowly, and that none of the world’s glittering baubles could be carried with us to the tomb. Thou seest, oh! Kabulneza, upon what an eminence I stand; dare I hope to sway with judgment and integrity the mighty destinies of this land. I tremble, lest, having attained the summit of my loftiest ambition, I should forget myself.”

  “The glass, the glass, Riezzin,” murmured the departing shade; “it will warn and guide thee to the end of thy pilgrimage.”

  With reverential awe, the Vizier gazed once more through the enchanted glass, and these were the characters of light reflected from its surface.

  “Success is the test of greatness. The moth is overpowered by the light of a taper; the eagle can gaze into the sun. If thou art truly great, Riezzin, thou wilt feel that pomp and power can never elevate the soul; it soars or sinks, as it is true or false to the nobler impulses of its nature. Thy position will have for thee no dangers, if thou wilt value rightly the elevation it bestows, and guard thy spirit from the treacherous whisperings of pride.”

  The Vizier turned to address the shade of Kabulneza, but it had disappeared, and the veiled form of the beloved Yanina again stood by his side.

  THE GALLOWS MAN, by Baron Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué

  Translation from the German

  On a lovely evening, there came to Venice a young merchant, called Richard; he was a bold and cheerful fellow. The Thirty Years’ War had been unfortunate for many in Germany; amongst these was our young merchant. who, a dear lover of pleasure, rejoiced that his business called him at this time to Italy, where there was no war, where he had heard there were the finest fruits, the most delicious wines, to say nothing of the beautiful women, of whom he was a most devoted admirer; nor were his expectations disappointed. He plunged at once into every species of dissipation, and soon by his lavish extravagance, and that of his mistresses, he found his money melting away. Amongst the open, joyful faces he saw in a gaming-house which he frequented, his attention was most attracted by that of a Spanish Captain, who though mingling in their wildest revels, seldom spoke and always looked unhappy—yet on account of his rank and his health, he was gladly received—and he not unfrequently defrayed the expenses of a whole evening. As Richard’s money vanished, he lost his happy spirits, he thought with dismay of the time, now rapidly approaching, when his present happy life must cease with his fast failing purse. This was perceived by the Spaniard, who one evening, with an unexpected show of friendship, took him aside and led him to an unfrequented part of the town. The good young man would have been alarmed, but he recollected the Spaniard knew the empty condition of his purse, and for his life, to take that, he must risk his own, far too costly a stake to be lightly ventured.

  The Captain seated himself on the ruins of an old wall, placed the young man opposite to him, and spoke thus “I think my noble young friend, you are suffering from the want of money; that, and many other fine gifts, I will bestow on you for a small price.”

  “How,” asked Richard, “can you want money, if you have such fine gifts to bestow?”

  “I will explain it to you,” said the Captain, “I do not know whether you have ever heard of small creatures called ‘gallows men;’ they are little black devils, inclosed in small glass flasks, and whoever possesses one of them, may receive from it untold gold, and every pleasure he can desire in this life, on the condition, that the ‘gallows man’ receives for his Lord the soul of his possessor at his death, unless he can before that time transfer the ‘gallows man’ to other hands. This can only be done by a sale, and one must secure for it a smaller sum than he gave: mine cost me ten ducats,
give me nine for it and it is yours.” Whilst Richard was thinking what he should do, the Spaniard spoke again:

  “I could deceive any one with it as I myself was deceived by a Godless salesman, but I do not mean to burden my conscience any farther, but openly and honorably offer it to you for sale; you are yet young, full of life and spirits; it will win you many pleasures before it becomes the burden to you it this day is to me.”

  “Dear sir, take it not amiss, but suffer me to complain to you of how often in this city I have been taken in.”

  “Ah! you foolish young fellow,” angrily exclaimed the Spaniard, “remember my feast yesterday and think whether I should resort to deception to obtain your pitiful nine ducats.”

  “Who spends much needs much,” modestly answered the young merchant. “If you spent your last ducat yesterday, might you not need my nine today?”

  “That I do not strike you dead, you owe to my hope that you will yet relieve me of my ‘gallows man’, and to my resolution to do penance, whatever way is most bitter and painful.”

  “May I not make a trial of this thing,” said the young man thoughtfully.

  “I before told you right plainly that whoever takes him, he remains with and helps.”

  The gloom of the deserted spot made Richard feel sadly, though he had nothing to fear, as the Captain had already assured him he would do nothing to injure him. As all the pleasures the possession of the gallows man would afford him rose before his eyes, he resolved to spend half his remaining cash upon him, if he could not obtain it at a less price.