Figures of Earth: A Comedy of Appearances

by James Branch Cabell

  XXXI

  Statecraft

  Now from the ship's gangway came seven trumpeters dressed in glisteningplaids: each led with a silver chain a grayhound, and each of the sevenhounds carried in his mouth an apple of gold. After these followed threeharp-players and three clergymen and three jesters, all bearing crestedstaves and wearing chaplets of roses. Then Miramon Lluagor, lord of thenine sleeps and prince of the seven madnesses, comes ashore. Anincredible company followed. But with him came his wife Gisele and theirlittle child Demetrios, thus named for the old Count of Arnaye: and itwas this boy that, they say, when yet in swaddling-bands, was appointedto be the slayer of his own father, wise Miramon Lluagor.

  Dame Niafer was wakened, and the two women went apart to compare anddiscuss their babies. They put the children in one cradle. A great whileafterward were these two again to lie together thus, and from thismating was the girl to get long sorrow, and the boy his death.

  Meanwhile the snub-nosed lord of the nine sleeps and the squinting Countof Poictesme sat down upon the river bank to talk about more seriousmatters than croup and teething. The sun was high by this time, so Kanand Muluc and Ix and Cauac came in haste from the corners of the world,and held up a blue canopy to shelter the conferring between their masterand Dom Manuel.

  "What is this," said Miramon Lluagor to Dom Manuel, first of all, "thatI hear of your alliance with Philistia, and of your dickerings with apeople who say that my finest designs are nothing but indigestion?"

  "I have lost Poictesme," says Manuel, "and the Philistines offer tosupport me in my pretensions."

  "But that will never do! I who design all dreams can never consent tothat, and no Philistine must ever enter Poictesme. Why did you not cometo me for help at the beginning, instead of wasting time upon kings andqueens?" demands the magician, fretfully. "And are you not ashamed to bemaking any alliance with Philistia, remembering how you used to followafter your own thinking and your own desire?"

  "Well," Manuel replies, "I have had as yet nothing save fair words fromPhilistia, and no alliance is concluded."

  "That is more than well. Only, let us be orderly about this. Imprimis,you desire Poictesme--"

  "No, not in particular, but appearances have to be preserved, and mywife thinks it would look better for me to redeem this country from theoppression of the heathen Northmen, and so provide her with a suitablehome."

  "Item, then I must obtain this country for you, because there is nosense in withstanding our wives in such matters."

  "I rejoice at your decision--"

  "Between ourselves, Manuel, I fancy you now begin to understand thereasons which prompted me to bring you the magic sword Flamberge at thebeginning of our acquaintance, and have learned who it is that wears thebreeches in most marriages."

  "No, that is not the way it is at all, Miramon, for my wife is thedearest and most dutiful of women, and never crosses my wishes inanything."

  Miramon nodded his approval. "You are quite right, for somebody might beoverhearing us. So, let us get on, and do you stop interrupting me.Item, you must hold Poictesme, and your heirs forever after must holdPoictesme, not in fee but by feudal tenure. Item, you shall hold theselands, not under any saint like Ferdinand, but under a quite differentsort of liege-lord."

  "I can see no objection to your terms, thus far. But who is to be myoverlord?"

  "A person whom you may remember," replied Miramon, and he beckonedtoward the rainbow throng of his followers.

  One of them at this signal came forward. He was a tall lean youngster,with ruddy cheeks, wide-set brown eyes, and a smallish head covered withcrisp, tightly-curling dark red hair: and Manuel recognized him at once,because Manuel had every reason to remember the queer talk he had heldwith this Horvendile just after Niafer had ridden away with Miramon'sdreadful half-brother.

  "But do you not think that this Horvendile is insane?" Dom Manuel askedthe magician, privately.

  "I confess he very often has that appearance."

  "Then why do you make him my overlord?"

  "I have my reasons, you may depend upon it, and if I do not talk aboutthem you may be sure that for this reticence also I have my reasons."

  "But is this Horvendile, then, one of the Leshy? Is he the Horvendilewhose great-toe is the morning star?"

  "I may tell you that it was he who summoned me to help you in distress,of which I had not heard upon Vraidex, but why should I tell you anymore, Dom Manuel? Come, is it not enough that am offering you a provinceand comparatively tranquil terms of living with your wife, that you musthave all my old secrets to boot?"

  "You are right," says Manuel, "and prospective benefactors must behumored." So he rested content with his ignorance, nor did he ever findout about Horvendile, though later Manuel must have had horriblesuspicions.

  Meanwhile, Dom Manuel affably shook hands with the red-headed boy, andspoke of their first meeting. "And I believe you were not talking utterfoolishness after all, my lad," says Manuel, laughing, "for I havelearned that the strange and dangerous thing which you told me is veryoften true."

  "Why, how should I know," quiet Horvendile replied, "when I am talkingfoolishness and when not?"

  Manuel said: "Still, I can understand your talking only in part. Well,but it is not right for us to understand our overlords, and, madman ornot, I prefer you to Queen Stultitia and her preposterous rose-coloredspectacles. So let us proceed in due form, and draw up the articles ofour agreement."

  This was done, and they formally subscribed the terms under which DomManuel and the descendants of Dom Manuel were to hold Poictesmeperpetually in fief to Horvendile. It was the most secret sort ofcompact, and to divulge its ten stipulations would even now be mostdisastrous. So the terms of this compact were not ever made public. Thusall men stayed at no larger liberty to criticize its provisos than hiscircumstances had granted to Dom Manuel, upon whom marrying had put theobligation to provide, in one way or another way, for his wife andchild.