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Page 37
And then, against my protest, he took his departure.
The THIRTEENTH Chapter
The following morning, after leaving the hotel on some trifling errand,
I returned to find Arthur awaiting me. He stood by my table, and
occupied himself in turning the leaves of one of my books. He was
looking with much interest at a picture in a work on paleontology, a
book which by some chance had accompanied a few selected works that I
had brought with me from England. The picture that so interested him, I
saw as I drew nearer, represented the skeleton of a prehistoric mammoth
with a man standing by its side, the latter figure placed in the
picture, no doubt, for the purpose of showing relations of size. As I
stepped up close to Arthur's side, he turned a page in the book and
disclosed a still more startling representation, that of a reconstructed
mammoth, wool, long coarse hair, enormous tusks, and the rest. Arthur,
with his usual curiosity, wanted to be told "all about it," and I with
my usual desire to teach the searcher after knowledge even of little
things--though a mammoth is scarcely a "little thing"--briefly gave him
some insight of the subject, running over the differences between the
mastodontine and the elephantine mammoth; and then remarked to him,
incidentally, that an American _mastodon giganteus_, found not far from
where we stood, over in Missouri, a third of a century before, was now
in our British Museum, where I had seen it. Of course Arthur had many
questions to ask concerning the "gigantic-cus" which I had actually
seen. I gave him, from memory, the best description possible, telling
him that it was more than twenty feet in length, about ten feet high,
and so on. He seemed very thoughtful for several moments, whilst I sat
down to look at my morning paper. After somewhat of a pause, he asked
permission to speak--for with all Arthur's lack of cultivation he was
not wanting in a sense of propriety, which he usually displayed in his
relations with those whom he liked. I gave the desired permission, when
he said,
"I just wanted to say, sir, that I wish't you'd let me come up of an
evenin' and sit off in the corner there on that chair, and hear Doctor
Bainbridge tell about Pym and Peters. I know you've been mighty good to
tell me the most of it so far, but to-night he'll tell how that
beautiful female loves Pym, like you said early this morning he was
goin' to; and I'm awful anxious to hear soon. Something big's goin' to
happen, and I pity the natives if they rouse up that orang-outang
Peters. You said I would disturb the flowin' of Doctor Bainbridge's
retorick by goin' out and in. But I won't go out. I just won't go out;
if the Boss don't like it he can lump it--I can quit. Right down the
street I can rent a little shop-room, and a feller and me has been
talking of startin' a ice-cream saloon for the summer--yes, I can quit
if the Boss don't like it. I work all day, and half the night; I can't
keep up my system with a single drink without there's a kick a-coming;
and now if I can't have a little literature when it's right in the
house, it's a pity. No: I'll not interrup' the retorick."
Well, the end of it was, I gave my consent; and Arthur went off
delighted. I mention these facts in explanation of my position. It has
been said by one who ought to know, and the statement has been often
enough quoted to evidence some general belief in its truth, that
consistency is a jewel. I had said, that, during Doctor Bainbridge's
recitations of Dirk Peters' story, Arthur should not be present; and now
that he will be seen in a corner of my room evening after evening, I
desire that the reader shall know all the circumstances.
That afternoon I accompanied Bainbridge on his visit to the aged sailor.
I was pleased to see the old _lusus natur�_ sitting in a chair, and
seemingly quite strong. Bainbridge made himself agreeable, delivered to
Peters some small gifts of edibles, and then proceeded to ask a number
of questions--I presume, from their nature, concerning _minuti�_
relating to the adventures under consideration. Then we returned to
town, and separated.
Promptly at eight o'clock Bainbridge entered, and, as he took his
customary seat, cast a glance at Arthur, who sat on a chair in the
corner of the room.
"Well," began Bainbridge, after a moment's thought, "we were remarking
that within our own knowledge and experience, true love has been
exceedingly likely to meet with obstructions to its complete
fruition:--and Lilama and Pym met with a similar experience in far-away
Hili-li. Peters took a great interest in Pym's love affair; in fact, he
had grown almost to worship the young fellow whose life he had many
times preserved, and who in less than a year had, under his eye, grown
from a careless boy to a thoughtful man. Pym returned the liking of his
old companion and benefactor; but Peters' sentiment was one of
infatuation, such as only those persons who are 'close to nature' seem
capable of feeling in its fullest development. When the feeling of which
I speak exists in its most intense form, it includes a devotion equal to
that of the dog for its master: it is wholly instinctive, and not even
the certainty that death stalks in the path between can keep it from its
object.
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