The Image of Sesphra by James Branch Cabell

by Monte Herridge

  I am worshiped as a god. For I love, you, my Sesphra as Sesphra talked of matters not to be creator, who gave life to me, and you love me recorded.

  more than aught else, and it is not right that

  “Now then let us go into the house,”

  we be parted.”

  said Sesphra, presently, “and write droll letters

  “I can not go on any journey, just now,

  to King Hoel and King Ferdinand and Duke

  Romance

  6

  Sigurd, in reply to the fine offers they have become of the woman and the child whom I

  been making you.”

  leave behind me unfriended?”

  “That is true,” Sesphra replied; “there

  WHEN they had come into the disordered

  will be nobody to look out for them, and they banquet-hall, Manuel cleared away the silver will perish miserably. That is not important, plates from one corner of the table, and he but perhaps upon the whole it would be better took pen and ink and he wrote as Sesphra

  for you to kill them before we depart from dictated.

  Sargyll.”

  “But these are very insulting replies,”

  “Very well, then,” said Manuel. “I will

  observed Dom Manuel, “and they will make

  do that, but you must come up into the room their recipients furious. These princes, with me, for I cannot bear to lose sight of Sesphra, are my good friends, and they are you.”

  powerful friends, upon whose favor I am Sesphra said—

  dependent.”

  “I shall not ever leave you now.”

  “Yes, but how beautifully these replies

  They went up-stairs together into the

  are worded! See now, dear Manuel, how room where Manuel’s wife Niafer lay asleep.

  divertingly you have described King Hoel’s Manuel drew his dagger. Niafer turned in her hideous nose in your letter to King Hoel; and sleep, so that she seemed to offer her round in your letter to the pious Duke Sigurd that small throat to the raised knife. Manuel saw which you say about the absurdity of religion that on the other side of the golden bed sat here is a masterpiece of paradox and very Queen Freydis, making a rich glow of color exquisite prose. So I must see to it that these there, and in her lap was the naked new-born replies are sent, to make people admire you child.

  everywhere. But you and I will not bother Freydis rose how, holding the child to

  about these stupid princes any more, nor will her breast and smiling. A devil might smile you need any friends save me, for we will go thus upon contriving some new torment for to this and that remote strange place, and our lost souls, but Manuel had not known a fair manner of living will be such and such, and woman’s face could be so cruel.

  we will do so and so. And we will not ever be Then this evil joy passed from the face

  parted until you die.”

  of Freydis. She dipped her fingers into the

  “What will you do then, dear bowl of water with which she had been Sesphra?”

  bathing the child, and with her fingertips she

  “I shall survive you, as all gods outlive made upon the child’s forehead the sign of a their creators. And I must depute the building cross.

  of your monument to men of feeble minds

  Said

  Freydis—

  which have been properly impaired by futile

  “Melicent, I baptize thee in the name

  studies and senility. That is the way in which of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy”

  all gods are doomed to deal with their Ghost.”

  creators; but that need not trouble us as yet.”

  Sesphra passed wildly toward the

  “No,” Manuel said, “I can not go with

  fireplace, crying—

  you.”

  “A penny, a penny, twopence, a penny

  The hand of Sesphra closed on the

  and a half, and a half-penny!”

  hand of Manuel caressingly.

  At his call the fire shot forth tall

  Manuel

  said:

  flames, and Sesphra entered these flames as a

  “I will go with you. But what will

  man goes between parted curtains, and

  The Image of Sesphra

  7

  instantly the fire collapsed and was as it had then have to give, either to your fellows or to been.

  the image or to me. So you amused yourself Already the hands of Freydis were by making Sesphra and me that which we are moving deftly in the sleep charm, so that today.”

  Niafer did not move. Freydis today was

  Now again showed subtly evil

  resplendently robed in flame-colored silk, and thoughts in the bright-colored, shrewd face of about her dark hair was a circlet of burnished Freydis, and Dom Manuel of a sudden was

  copper.

  frightened. It occurred to him for the first time Manuel had dropped his dagger so that

  that he and his loved wife and child were in the point of it pierced the floor, and the this sorcerous place at the mercy of the whims weapon stood erect and quivering. But Manuel and the unwholesome servitors of this not very was shaken more horribly than shook the friendly looking witch-woman. Dom Manuel dagger, with horror and self-loathing. So he thought of that discomfortable night-porter waited, looking at his dear wife Niafer, who and of the madness that had smitten King

  slept untroubled, and at fiery-colored Freydis, Raymond’s men and of the clattering, vicious who was smiling rather queerly.

  little hoofs of the shrill dwarfs, and this room

  “Come now,” said Freydis. “I must tell

  seemed chilly.

  you that Sesphra is pagan, and can not thrive except among those whose love is given to the SO MANUEL said, with jovial laughter: “You unchristened. Thus he could not come to speak as if you had not grown more adorable Sargyll until the arrival of this little heathen each year, dear Freydis, and as if I would not whom I have just made Christian. Now we

  be vastly flattered to think I had any hand in have only Christian terrors here, and your fate the improvement. You should not fish thus again is in my hands.”

  unblushingly for compliments. Yet much of Dom Manuel groaned.

  what you assert is true, for I would that I had

  “Freydis,” he said, “you have rescued

  not ever meddled in this mischancy business me from unspeakable wickedness. A moment

  of creating things I can not manage.”

  more and I would have slain my wife and

  Queen Freydis moved in shimmering

  child because of Sesphra’s resistless magic.”

  splendor toward the fireplace, and she paused Said Freydis, still smiling a queer there, considerately looking down at the small secret smile:

  contention of flames.

  “Indeed, there is no telling into what

  “Did you not, though, again create

  folly and misery Sesphra would not have led much misery when for your pleasure you gave you. For you fashioned his legs unevenly, and life to this girl child? Certainly you must he has not ever pardoned you his lameness.”

  know that there will be in her life—if life

  “The thing is a devil,” Manuel groaned

  indeed be long spared to her,” said Freydis again. “Oh, I have loosed among mankind a reflectively—“far less of joy than of sorrow, blighting misery which I can not control at for that is the way it is with the life of all!”.

  everybody. But all this likewise is out of your

  “The thing is you as you were once,

  hands, for in Sesphra and in the child and in gray Manuel. You had comeliness and wit and me you have lightly created that which you youth and courage, and these you gave the can not control. No, it is I who control the image, shaping it boldly to your proud youth’s outcome.”

  will and in your proud youth’s likenes
s. But

  “Why, to be sure,” says Manuel

  human pity and any constant love you did not heartily, but in a cold sweat, “and I am sure,

  Romance

  8

  too, that nobody is better qualified to handle whom I loved in a Summer that is gone be

  it. Come now, Freydis. Just as you say, this is nowadays as perished as that Summer’s gay a serious situation, and something really ought leaves, it is certain a woman’s folly does not to be done about this situation. Come now, ever perish.”

  dear friend, in what way can we take back the

  “Indeed, I did not merit that you

  life we gave this lovely fiend?”

  should care for me,” said Manuel unhappily.

  “And would I be wanting to kill my

  But internally he felt much more

  husband?” Queen Freydis asked, and she cheerful, for it appeared that Freydis was not smiled wonderfully. “Why, but yes, this fair going to do anything violent and irreparable lame child of yours is my husband today, and and such as her better nature would afterward I love him, for Sesphra is all that you were regret.

  when I loved you, Manuel. No, Manuel,

  Queen Freydis went to the window and

  Sesphra must live for a great while, long after lifted the scarlet curtain figured, with ramping you have been turned to graveyard-dust; and gold dragons.

  he will limp about wherever pagans are to be

  “Look you now, that ship which shows

  found, and he will always win much love from at the river-bend, with lions and castles the highhearted pagans because of his painted on her brown sails, is King comeliness and his unfading jaunty youth. Ferdinand’s ship, which he has sent to fetch And whether he will do any good anywhere is you from Sargyll; and all your troubles are doubtful, but it is certain he will do harm, and over, for Ferdinand will give you new wealth it is equally certain that already he weighs my and forts and meadowlands. So I may now

  happiness as carelessly as you once weighed depart, to look for Sesphra, and for my

  it.”

  pardon, if I can get it.”

  “Well, Freydis, but, to be sure, this

  “But whither do you go, dear

  puts a new complexion upon matters, and not Freydis?”

  for worlds would I be coming between

  “What does that matter,” she

  husband and wife——”

  answered, looking long and queerly at him, Queen Freydis looked up from the “now that Count Manuel has no further need flames toward Dom Manuel, very sadly. of me?”

  Freydis shrugged, flinging out her hands.

  Then Freydis looked at Niafer, lying

  “And at the last I can not do that,

  there in a charmed sleep.

  either. So do you two dreary unimportant

  “I neither love nor entirely hate you,

  well-mated people remain unhurt, now that I ugly and lean and fretful Niafer, but assuredly go to seek my husband, and now I endeavor to I do not envy you. You are welcome to your win my pardon for not letting him torment fidgeting gray husband. My husband does not you. Eh, I was tempted, gray Manuel, to let grow old and tenderhearted and subservient to my masterful, fine husband have his pleasure me, and he never will.”

  of you, and of this lean, ugly woman and her Thereafter Freydis bent down, and she

  brat, too, as formerly you had your pleasure of kissed the child she had christened.

  me.

  “Some day you will be a woman,

  “But women are so queerly fashioned

  Melicent, and then you will be loving some that at the last I can not consent to harm this man or another man. I could hope that you gray, staid, tedious fellow or any of his will then love the man who will make you chattels. For all passes in this world save one happy, but that sort of man has not yet been thing only; and though the young Manuel found.”

  The Image of Sesphra

  9

  small creature gingerly with a strong comely THEN Freydis went away, and her castle went hand, from which his wedding ring was

  with her as a smoke passes. Manuel was thus missing. That would require explanation.

  left sitting out-of-doors in a reaped field, alone So Manuel devoted this brief waiting

  with his wife and child, while Ferdinand’s in a reaped field to wondering just how much ship came about.

  about the past he might judiciously tell his Niafer slept. But now the child awoke

  wife when she awoke to question him. This to regard the world into which she had been problem, they relate, was set Dom Manuel in summoned willy-nilly, and the child began to the old days, and they say, too, that it remains whimper.

  unsolved.

  Dom Manuel patted this intimidating