FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62  
63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   >>   >|  
mage I shape, that my making may live when time unmakes me and death dissevers me from the figure I make in this world of men." To this the King rather drily replied: "There is something in what you say. But that something is, I can assure you, not wisdom." So everyone was satisfied in Albania except Manuel, who declared that he was pleased but not contented by the image he had made in the likeness of King Helmas. "Besides," they told him, "you look as though your mind were troubling you about something." "In fact, I am puzzled to see a foolish person made wise in all his deeds and speeches by this wisdom being expected of him." "But that is a cause for rejoicing, and for applauding the might of your sorceries, Messire Manuel, whereas you are plainly thinking of vexatious matters." Manuel replied, "I think that it is not right to rob anybody of anything, and I reflect that wisdom weighs exactly the weight of a feather." Then Manuel went into King Helmas' chickenyard, and caught a goose, and plucked from its wing a feather. Manuel went glitteringly now, in brocaded hose, and with gold spurs on his heels: the figure which he had made in the likeness of King Helmas was packed in an expensive knapsack of ornamented leather, and tall shining Manuel rode on a tall dappled horse when he departed southward, for Manuel nowadays had money to spare. VIII The Halo of Holiness Now Manuel takes ship across the fretful Bay of Biscay, traveling always toward Provence and Alianora, whom people called the Unattainable Princess. Oriander the Swimmer followed this ship, they say, but he attempted to do Manuel no hurt, at least not for that turn. So Manuel of the high head comes into the country of wicked King Ferdinand; and, toward All-Hallows, they bring a stupendous florid young man to the King in the torture-chamber. King Ferdinand was not idle at the moment, and he looked up good-temperedly enough from his employment: but almost instantly his merry face was overcast. "Dear me!" says Ferdinand, as he dropped his white hot pincers sizzlingly into a jar of water, "and I had hoped you would not be bothering me for a good ten years!" "Now if I bother you at all it is against my will," declared Manuel, very politely, "nor do I willingly intrude upon you here, for, without criticizing anybody's domestic arrangements, there are one or two things that I do not fancy the looks of in this torture-chamber."
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62  
63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Manuel

 
Ferdinand
 

Helmas

 
wisdom
 

declared

 

likeness

 
torture
 

chamber

 

figure

 

replied


feather

 
stupendous
 

florid

 

Hallows

 

country

 

wicked

 

Oriander

 
Biscay
 

traveling

 

Provence


fretful

 

Holiness

 

Alianora

 

attempted

 

Swimmer

 
people
 
called
 

Unattainable

 
Princess
 

dropped


politely
 

willingly

 

intrude

 

bother

 
things
 

criticizing

 

domestic

 

arrangements

 
bothering
 

instantly


overcast

 
employment
 

moment

 

looked

 

temperedly

 
sizzlingly
 

pincers

 
glitteringly
 

troubling

 

pleased