A House of Pomegranates

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Of all the rooms this was the brightest and the most beautiful.The walls were covered with a pink-flowered Lucca damask, patternedwith birds and dotted with dainty blossoms of silver; the furniturewas of massive silver, festooned with florid wreaths, and swingingCupids; in front of the two large fire-places stood great screensbroidered with parrots and peacocks, and the floor, which was ofsea-green onyx, seemed to stretch far away into the distance. Nor was he alone. Standing under the shadow of the doorway, at theextreme end of the room, he saw a little figure watching him. Hisheart trembled, a cry of joy broke from his lips, and he moved outinto the sunlight. As he did so, the figure moved out also, and he saw it plainly.

The Infanta! It was a monster, the most grotesque monster he hadever beheld. Not properly shaped, as all other people were, buthunchbacked, and crooked-limbed, with huge lolling head and mane ofblack hair. The little Dwarf frowned, and the monster frownedalso. He laughed, and it laughed with him, and held its hands toits sides, just as he himself was doing. He made it a mocking bow,and it returned him a low reverence. He went towards it, and it came to meet him, copying each step that he made, and stopping whenhe stopped himself.

He shouted with amusement, and ran forward,and reached out his hand, and the hand of the monster touched his,and it was as cold as ice. He grew afraid, and moved his handacross, and the monster's hand followed it quickly. He tried topress on, but something smooth and hard stopped him. The face ofthe monster was now close to his own, and seemed full of terror.He brushed his hair off his eyes. It imitated him. He struck atit, and it returned blow for blow. He loathed it, and it madehideous faces at him. He drew back, and it retreated.

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What is it? He thought for a moment, and looked round at the rest of the room. It was strange, but everything seemed to have itsdouble in this invisible wall of clear water. Yes, picture for picture was repeated, and couch for couch. The sleeping Faun thatlay in the alcove by the doorway had its twin brother thatslumbered, and the silver Venus that stood in the sunlight held outher arms to a Venus as lovely as herself.

Was it Echo? He had called to her once in the valley, and she hadanswered him word for word. Could she mock the eye, as she mockedthe voice? Could she make a mimic world just like the real world?

Could the shadows of things have colour and life and movement?

Could it be that - ?

He started, and taking from his breast the beautiful white rose, heturned round, and kissed it. The monster had a rose of its own,petal for petal the same! It kissed it with like kisses, and pressed it to its heart with horrible gestures.

When the truth dawned upon him, he gave a wild cry of despair, andfell sobbing to theground. So it was he who was misshapen andhunchbacked, foul to look at and grotesque. He himself was themonster, and it was at him that all the children had been laughing,and the little Princess who he had thought loved him - she too hadbeen merely mocking at his ugliness, and making merry over histwisted limbs. Why had they not left him in the forest, wherethere was no mirror to tell him how loathsome he was? Why had hisfather not killed him, rather than sell him to his shame? The hottears poured down his cheeks, and he tore the white rose to pieces.The sprawling monster did the same, and scattered the faint petalsin the air. It grovelled on the ground, and, when he looked at it,it watched him with a face drawn with. He crept away, lest heshould see it, and covered his eyes with his hands. He crawled,like some wounded thing, into the shadow, and lay there moaning.

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And at that moment the Infanta herself came in with her companionsthrough the open window, and when they saw the ugly little dwarflying on the ground and beating the floor with his clenched hands,in the most fantastic and exaggerated manner, they went off into
shouts of happy laughter, and stood all round him and watched him.'His dancing was funny,' said the Infanta; 'but his acting isfunnier still. Indeed he is almost as good as the puppets, only ofcourse not quite so natural.' And she fluttered her big fan, andapplauded.

But the little Dwarf never looked up, and his sobs grew fainter andfainter, and suddenly he gave a curious gasp, and clutched hisside. And then he fell back again, and lay quite still.

'That is capital,' said the Infanta, after a pause; 'but now you
must dance for me.'

'Yes,' cried all the children, 'you must get up and dance, for youare as clever as the Barbary apes, and much more ridiculous.' Butthe little Dwarf made no answer.

And the Infanta stamped her foot, and called out to her uncle, whowas walking on the terrace with the Chamberlain, reading somedespatches that had just arrived from Mexico, where the Holy Officehad recently been established. 'My funny little dwarf is sulking,'she cried, 'you must wake him up, and tell him to dance for me.'

They smiled at each other, and sauntered in, and Don Pedro stoopeddown, and slapped the Dwarf on the cheek with his embroideredglove. 'You must dance,' he said, 'PETIT MONSIRE. You must dance.

The Infanta of Spain and the Indies wishes to be amused.'But the little Dwarf never moved.

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'A whipping master should be sent for,' said Don Pedro wearily, andhe went back to the terrace. But the Chamberlain looked grave, andhe knelt beside the little dwarf, and put his hand upon his heart.

And after a few moments he shrugged his shoulders, and rose up, andhaving made a low bow to the Infanta, he said –

'MI BELLA PRINCESA, your funny little dwarf will never dance again.It is a pity, for he is so ugly that he might have made the Kingsmile.'

'But why will he not dance again?' asked the Infanta, laughing.

'Because his heart is broken,' answered the Chamberlain.

And the Infanta frowned, and her dainty rose-leaf lips curled inpretty disdain. 'For the future let those who come to play with mehave no hearts,' she cried, and she ran out into thegarden.

(END OF CHAPTER TWO)

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CHAPTER 3
THE FISHERMAN AND HIS SOUL

[TO H.S.H. ALICE, PRINCESS OF MONACO]

Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and threwhis nets into the water.

When the wind blew from the land he caught nothing, or but littleat best, for it was a bitter and black-winged wind, and rough wavesrose up to meet it. But when the wind blew to the shore, the fishcame in from the deep, and swam into the meshes of his nets, and hetook them to the market-place and sold them.

Every evening he went out upon the sea, and one evening the net wasso heavy that hardly could he draw it into the boat. And helaughed, and said to himself, 'Surely I have caught all the fishthat swim, or snared some dull monster that will be a marvel tomen, or something of horror that the great Queen will desire,' andputting forth all his strength, he tugged at the coarse ropes till,like lines of blue enamel round a vase of bronze, the long veinsrose up on his arms. He tugged at the thin ropes, and nearer andnearer came the circle of flat corks, and the net rose at last tothe top of the water.

But no fish at all was in it, nor any monster or thing of horror,but only a little Mermaid lying fast asleep.

Her hair was as a wet fleece of gold, and each separate hair as athread of fine gold in a cup of glass. Her body was as whiteivory, and her tail was of silver and pearl. Silver and pearl washer tail, and the green weeds of the sea coiled round it; and likesea-shells were her ears, and her lips were like sea-coral. Thecold waves dashed over her cold breasts, and the saltglistenedupon her eyelids.

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So beautiful was she that when the young Fisherman saw her he wasfilled with wonder, and he put out his hand and drew the net closeto him, and leaning over the side he clasped her in his arms. Andwhen he touched her, she gave a cry like a startled sea-gull, and woke, and looked at him in terror with her mauve-amethyst eyes, andstruggled that she might escape. But he held her tightly to him,and would not suffer her to depart.

And when she saw that she could in no way escape from him, shebegan to weep, and said, 'I pray thee let me go, for I am the only daughter of a King, and my father is aged and alone.'

But the young Fisherman answered, 'I will not let thee go save thou makest me a promise that whenever I call thee, thou wilt come and sing to me, for the fish delight to listen to the song of the Sea-folk, and so shall my nets be full.'

'Wilt thou in very truth let me go, if I promise thee this?' cried the Mermaid.

'In very truth I will let thee go,' said the young Fisherman.

So she made him the promise he desired, and swore it by the oath ofthe Sea-folk. And he loosened his arms from about her, and she sank down into the water, trembling with a strange fear.

Every evening the young Fisherman went out upon the sea, and called to the Mermaid, and she rose out of the water and sang to him.

Round and round her swam the dolphins, and the wild gulls wheeled above her head.

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And she sang a marvellous song. For she sang of the Sea-folk whodrive their flocks from cave to cave, and carry the little calveson their shoulders; of the Tritons who have long green beards, andhairy breasts, and blow through twisted conchs when the King passesby; of the palace of the King which is all of amber, with a roof ofclear emerald, and a pavement of bright pearl; and of the gardensof the sea where the great filigrane fans of coral wave all daylong, and the fish dart about like silver birds, and the anemonescling to the rocks, and the pinks bourgeon in the ribbed yellowsand. She sang of the big whales that come down from the northseas and have sharp icicles hanging to their fins; of the Sirenswho tell of such wonderful things that the merchants have to stoptheir ears with wax lest they should hear them, and leap into thewater and be drowned; of the sunken galleys with their tall masts, and the frozen sailors clinging to the rigging, and the mackerelswimming in and out of the open portholes; of the little barnacleswho are great travellers, and cling to the keels of the ships andgo round and round the world; and of the cuttlefish who live in thesides of the cliffs and stretch out their long black arms, and canmake night come when they will it. She sang of the nautilus whohas a boat of her own that is carved out of an opal and steeredwith a silken sail; of the happy Mermen who play upon harps and cancharm the great Kraken to sleep; of the little children who catchhold of the slippery porpoises and ride laughing upon their backs; of the Mermaids who lie in the white foam and hold out their armsto the mariners; and of the sea-lions with their curved tusks, andthe sea-horses with their floating manes.

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And as she sang, all the tunny-fish came in from the deep to listento her, and the young fisherman threw his nets round them andcaught them, and others he took with a spear. And when his boatwas well-laden, the Mermaid would sink down into the sea, smilingat him.

Yet would she never come near him that he might touch her.

Oftentimes he called to her and prayed of her, but she would not;and when he sought to seize her she dived into the water as a sealmight dive, nor did he see her again that day. And each day thesound of her voice became sweeter to his ears. So sweet was hervoice that he forgot his nets and his cunning, and had no care ofhis craft. Vermilion-finned and with eyes of bossy gold, thetunnies went by in shoals, but he heeded them not. His spear layby his side unused, and his baskets of plaited osier were empty.

With lips parted, and eyes dim with wonder, he sat idle in his boatand listened, listening till the sea-mists crept round him, and thewandering moon stained his brown limbs with silver.

And one evening he called to her, and said: 'Little Mermaid,little Mermaid, I love thee. Take me for thy bridegroom, for Ilove thee.'

But the Mermaid shook her head. 'Thou hast a human soul,' sheanswered. 'If only thou wouldst send away thy soul, then could Ilove thee.'

And the young Fisherman said to himself, 'Of what use is my soul tome? I cannot see it. I may not touch it. I do not know it.

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Surely I will send it away from me, and much gladness shall bemine.' And a cry of joy broke from his lips, and standing up inthe painted boat, he held out his arms to the Mermaid. 'I will send my soul away,' he cried, 'and you shall be my bride, and Iwill be thy bridegroom, and in the depth of the sea we will dwelltogether, and all that thou hast sung of thou shalt show me, andall that thou desirest I will do, nor shall our lives be divided.'

And the little Mermaid laughed for pleasure and hid her face in herhands.

'But how shall I send my soul from me?' cried the young Fisherman.

'Tell me how I may do it, and lo! it shall be done.'

'Alas! I know not,' said the little Mermaid: 'the Sea-folk haveno souls.' And she sank down into the deep, looking wistfully athim.
Now early on the next morning, before the sun was the span of aman's hand above the hill, the young Fisherman went to the house ofthe Priest and knocked three times at the door.

The novice looked out through the wicket, and when he saw who itwas, he drew back the latch and said to him, 'Enter.'

And the young Fisherman passed in, and knelt down on the sweet-smelling rushes of the floor, and cried to the Priest who wasreading out of the Holy Book and said to him, 'Father, I am in lovewith one of the Sea-folk, and my soul hindereth me from having my desire. Tell me how I can send my soul away from me, for in truth I have no need of it. Of what value is my soul to me? I cannot see it. I may not touch it. I do not know it.'

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And the Priest beat his breast, and answered, 'Alack, alack, thouart mad, or hast eaten ofsome poisonous herb, for the soul is the noblest part of man, and was given to us by God that we should nobly use it. There is nothing more precious than a human soul,nor any earthly thing that can be weighed with it. It is worth allthe gold that is in the world, and is more precious than the rubiesof the kings. Therefore, my son, think not any more of thismatter, for it is a sin that may not be forgiven. And as for theSea-folk, they are lost, and they who would traffic with them arelost also. They are as the beasts of the field that know not good from evil, and for them the Lord has not died.'

The young Fisherman's eyes filled with tears when he heard the bitter words of the Priest, and he rose up from his knees and saidto him, 'Father, the Fauns live in the forest and are glad, and onthe rocks sit the Mermen with their harps of red gold. Let me beas they are, I beseech thee, for their days are as the days offlowers. And as for my soul, what doth my soul profit me, if itstand between me and the thing that I love?'

'The love of the body is vile,' cried the Priest, knitting hisbrows, 'and vile and evil are the pagan things God suffers towander through His world. Accursed be the Fauns of the woodland,and accursed be the singers of the sea! I have heard them atnight-time, and they have sought to lure me from my beads. Theytap at the window, and laugh. They whisper into my ears the taleof their perilous joys. They tempt me with temptations, and when Iwould pray they make mouths at me. They are lost, I tell thee,they are lost. For them there is no heaven nor hell, and inneither shall they praise God's name.'