Nevers

“ I can also reward you by making you a partaker of my popularity——" "You do not owe me any thing," replied the count; "and I request your highness to forget it, and to limit the reward to the mere observance of the promise you gave me: disperse this seditious mob, and treat them with the rigour such an infamous set deserve." Scarcely had the King of Navarre patience to attend to him. He cast on him a look of indignation and disdain. "Rash young man, dare you insult me?" These few words, which he pronounced with vehemence, drew the fury of the crowd upon the Count de Nevers. ”

“ They promise, they swear. Nevers has scarcely time to protest, and to sing that "among his ancestors were many soldiers, but never an assassin." He is arrested. The police and the aldermen rush forward and rapidly swear "to strike all at once". ”

“ Opposite the Palais de Justice is a fountain by Lequesne. Nevers: Faïence. In the Hôtel de Ville are the Library, the Picture Gallery, and an interesting collection of faïence, which has been manufactured at Nevers for eight centuries. Faïence is the French term for all descriptions of glazed earthenware, and corresponds nearly to the English word “crockery.” The manufacture of majolica or enamelled pottery was introduced into France by Catherine de Médicis and her kinsman Louis Gonzaga, who, by marriage with Henrietta of Clèves in 1565, became Duke of Nevers. ”

“ The count Gerard de Nevers of the story stakes his domains on the ddelity of his wife Euriant. Lisiard by calumniating Euriant wins the wager, but in the end the traitor is exposed, and, after many adventures, Euriant is reinstated. ”

“ I was by no means the only reader of books on board the Neversink. Several other sailors were diligent readers, though their studies did not lie in the way of belles-lettres. Their favourite authors were such as you may find at the book-stalls around Fulton Market; they were slightly physiological in their nature. ”

“ WE are at the end of our enquiry, but as often happens in the search after truth, if we have answered one question, we have raised many more; if we have followed one track home, we have had to pass by others that opened off it and led, or seemed to lead, to far other goals than the sacred grove at Nemi. ”

“ And All of Us, and many of this company, shared each other’s lives for one bright, sunny year, away Behind the Back of Beyond, in the Land of the Never-Never; in that elusive land with an elusive name—a land of dangers and hardships and privations yet loved as few lands are loved—a land that bewitches her people with strange spells and mysteries, until they call sweet bitter, and bitter sweet. ”

“ Tell me to perform some deed, that I may prove the ardor of my love; let me save you from the fearful doom that threatens you—'
"'Stop! Christian,' interrupted the maid; 'I have never seen your face before, and how can I trust a stranger? Go! or Nemyl shall punish you when he awakes. I can hear your words no longer.'
"'Think not that I fear your father,' answered Garstoff, 'though I stand in his house; yet I will no longer excite your anger by staying here.'
"He arose, and would have departed, had not the daughter of Nemyl placed herself in his way. ”

“ But the beauty of the evening—of this old earth, which takes no account of the perishing of men—and Nelly's warm life beside him, hanging upon his, perhaps already containing within it the mysterious promise of another life, had suddenly brought upon him a tremor of soul—an inward shudder. ”

“ A shadow in the mind, a thought of God,
A little fragment of the eternal order,
That postulates the whole.
If we could see
The universal Temple in which it stands
We, too, should bow our heads; for if this Form
Were shaped by Chance, it was the selfsame Chance
That gave us love and death. In this the fool
Descries a reason for denying all
To which our peasants kneel. The years to come [135]
(And you will speed them, Jean) will rather make
This dust the floor of heaven. ”

“ XXIV Ned knew what fear was, well enough, as he lay in the darkened chasm, staring up at the white line of the crevice above him. The old love of life welled back, sweeping his spirit as in a flood, and with it all the hopes and fears of which life is made. ”

“ As yet Nefra knew nothing of love, still Nature was at work in her, as it is in the smallest child, and she understood something of the meaning of this beautiful fable, and the dim thoughts that sprang from it warmed her sleeping soul. ”

“ Sometimes, alone on the deck at night, Ned was close to the dearest reality, the most profound discovery that could possibly touch his life: that the dreadful spirit of God moved upon the face of these desolate waters, no less than, as is told in Genesis, at creation's dawn. ”

“ And yet many men behave about the Last Judgment precisely as those of Noe’s time behaved about the Deluge, passing their lives in frivolity, and fearing nothing. The very same thing which happened to these last will happen to them. The men of Noe’s time would not listen to his warnings: they scoffed at him and refused to believe in the judgment that was to overtake them. But when the Flood came, and certain destruction lay before them, they cursed their folly and frivolity, and bitterly envied Noe’s safety in the ark. So will it be with men when the Last Day comes. ”

“ Noah. 'But, you see, you built those cities in two worlds. It's pulled down in this world. But in the other world it's going on.'
'I don't understand,' said Philip.
'I thought you wouldn't,' said Mr. Noah; 'but it's true, for all that. Everything people make in that world goes on for ever.'
'But how was it that I got in?'
'Because you belong to both worlds. And you built the cities. So they were yours.'
'But Lucy got in.'
'She built up a corner of your city that the nurse had knocked down.'
'But you,' said Philip, more and more bewildered. 'You're here. ”

“ With starry grief, and men unborn shall sing
The mournful measure of the Ancient King!
50I’ll write an ode! (He stands for a moment, glorified with the thought.)
Great heart of Nero, strung
Harplike, endure till this last song be sung,
Then break—then break— (Turns and mounts the steps.)
Oh Fate, to be a bard!
The way is hard, the way is very hard! (A dim outburst of laughter from the revellers in the distance.) ”

“ Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God.
6:10. And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth.
6:11. And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity.
6:12. And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth) ,
6:13. He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth.
6:14. Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without. ”

“ Called the Never-Never, the Măluka loved to say, because they, who have lived in it and loved it Never-Never voluntarily leave it. Sadly enough, there are too many who Never-Never do leave it. Others—the unfitted—will tell you that it is so called because they who succeed in getting out of it swear they will Never-Never return to it. ”

“ But these suffering ones think never of Nehan; love's union, their supremest wish, may be reached, they fancy, through the pang of a single death. The fancies of all, indeed—as their poor letters show—are not the same. ”

“ In such a manner did the Refuge of Mankind talk to the daughter of Nemyl, until she gradually drew the veil of forgetfulness over past sorrows, and respected his sublime highness, if she did not love him. Taking the highest rank in the harem, no wish of hers remained unanswered; masters of every art were furnished as her instructors; subservient slaves were ever ready to do her bidding, and costly presents of every description rolled in upon the favorite, from those who had—axes to grind. ”

“ The potter’s face clouded deep and he went away to the window, where he turned his back on the lovers, and looked into the garden in silent reflection.
Martialis stepped to Neæra’s side, and so they remained without a word for some time. A struggle was proceeding in Masthlion’s breast, and his lips were moving as he communed with himself. ‘Shall she be told?’ he thought; ‘would she lose me, or still cling to me? We have reared and tended her—new ways beget new ideas—it is idle to say we will be thus and thus until the time try us. ”

“ You are sanguine and confident of the future; I am not. Hawks should pair only with hawks, and sparrows with sparrows. More words at present, however, would be spent to no purpose—the matter requires time and reflection.’
‘The child Neæra is not goods or chattels, husband—is she to have no word for herself?’ remarked his wife quietly.
‘Ay, truly, Tibia; thou hast ever a word in season,’ answered the potter to his delighted spouse. ‘The gods forgive me for a thoughtless blockhead. It would be a fine way of making a pot without first proving if the clay be fit. ”

“ The trouble with Ned's generation was that it was a godless generation: the same evil that razed Babylon to the dust. Ned and his kind had come to be sufficient unto themselves. They had lost the wonder and fear of life, and that meant nothing less than the loss of their wonder and fear of the great Author of life. To these, life had been a game that they thought they had mastered. They had laughed to scorn the philosophies that a hundred generations of nobler men had built up with wondering reverence. ”

“ It is plain that a careful study of the masterpieces of classical literature, and of the places to which they refer, has necessarily preceded the writing of ‘Neæra.’ One of the best scenes in the book is the final appearance of all the characters before Tiberius, who is to decide whether Neæra is or is not the long-lost granddaughter of the Senator, and whether the villain is guilty or not of the blackest crimes.... The style is for the most part good. ”

“ That night, when she was dressing for Nevins's supper, she noticed that there was a faint flush in her cheeks and her hands were hot.
"We lead such a quiet life," she said, laughing, "that a very little thing excites me." ”

“ In her inexperience she had fancied at first that the poet's arm would leave its trace, as it were, on her waist, and that the poet would seize the first opportunity to present himself before her, exacting and impassioned, betraying himself and compromising her. But the day passed by, [pg 174] serene and without incident, and Nieves experienced the inevitable impatience of the woman who waits in vain for the appearance of the man who occupies her thoughts. At last she remembered the ball. Segundo would certainly be there. ”

“ In her vertigo, she saw the river roaring menacingly below, the sharp rocks waiting to receive her and mangle her flesh, and she already felt the chill air of the abyss. A hand clutched her by her gown, by her flesh, perhaps; held her up and drew her back to safety. She dropped her head on Segundo's shoulder and the latter, for the first time, felt Nieves' heart beat under his hand. And how quickly it beat! It beat with fear. The poet bent over her, and on her very lips breathed this question:
"Do you love me? tell me, do you love me?" ”

“ Nightly is the blessed cross, whereon the hands of his holiness have been laid, deposited with my missal and rosary in our place of concealment. And as for Neebin, fear not to trust her. She is as jealous of her treasure as could be thou or I. But leave me not until you receive tidings from the heretics. These ill-omened reports I like not. They may, indeed, be idle, yet it is only, prudence to wait."
"I care not for them, yet, to pleasure thee, would I do more. I will remain, according to thy wish, and, meanwhile, to-night, seek Sassacus, who soon returns to his distant tribe." ”

“ Masthlion, these arguments will be vain, so use them not. I ask you to give me your daughter Neæra, in betrothal.’
The potter did not reply straightway, but, smoothing the trembling girl’s head ceaselessly with his hand, he stood with his brow contracted in painful thought, and his eyes bent on the ground.
‘In good faith, Centurion,’ he said, after an uneasy silence, ‘you rend my heart between doubt and anxiety, and a desire [pg 15] to act generously as well as prudently. Can I deliver up my child to a stranger? ”

“ Think of all the time that’s before you.’
‘Time,’ said the Phoenix, ‘is, as you are probably aware, merely a convenient fiction. There is no such thing as time. I have lived in these two months at a pace which generously counterbalances 500 years of life in the desert. I am old, I am weary. I feel as if I ought to lay my egg, and lay me down to my fiery sleep. ”

“ Neæra glided to him, and hid her face in his shoulder.
Martialis folded his arms and watched them. The potter had unconsciously dealt a deathblow to his own cause, if it needed one at all. Their eyes met at that moment. The acute perception, or instinct, of the artisan interpreted too well the calm, resolute light of the young man’s glance, so warm with the picture of the fair girl before him, and he groaned inwardly as he restlessly stroked his daughter’s glossy locks. ”

“ Only the mighty powers of nature were in dominion here: the lashing snows of winter, the bitter cold, the wind that wept by unheard by human ears. Ned was closer to the heart of nature, and thus to the heart of life, than he had ever been before. ”

“ And he told me how the last of the great family had gone away none knew whither. And the tales I heard in the town—how the great man had not gone, but lived here in hiding—— It is not possible. There is the silence of death in this house. ”

“ Nieves objected a little at first, not wishing to appear credulous or superstitious.
"But what has put such an idea into your head?"
"Mamma, when Segundo says that the pines sing, they sing, mamma, there is not a doubt of it."
"But you don't know," said Nieves, bestowing on the poet a smile in which there was more sugar than salt—"that Segundo writes poetry, and that people who write poetry are permitted to—to invent—a little?"
"No, Señora," cried Segundo. "Do not teach your child what is not true. Do not deceive her. ”