the coming race-第22节

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ice　expires。　　This　practice　serves；　no　doubt；　to　render　the　notion　of　social　equality　familiar　and　agreeable；　and　if　it　may　be　said　that　all　the　children　form　a　democracy；　no　less　truly　it　may　be　said　that　all　the　adults　form　an　aristocracy。　　The　exquisite　politeness　and　refinement　of　manners　among　the　Vril…ya；　the　generosity　of　their　sentiments；　the　absolute　leisure　they　enjoy　for　following　out　their　own　private　pursuits；　the　amenities　of　their　domestic　intercourse；　in　which　they　seem　as　members　of　one　noble　order　that　can　have　no　distrust　of　each　other's　word　or　deed；　all　combine　to　make　the　Vril…ya　the　most　perfect　nobility　which　a　political　disciple　of　Plato　or　Sidney　could　conceive　for　the　ideal　of　an　aristocratic　republic。　102

Chapter　XX。


》From　the　date　of　the　expedition　with　Taee　which　I　have　just　narrated；　the　child　paid　me　frequent　visits。　　He　had　taken　a　liking　to　me；　which　I　cordially　returned。　　Indeed；　as　he　was　not　yet　twelve　years　old；　and　had　not　commenced　the　course　of　scientific　studies　with　which　childhood　closes　in　that　country；　my　intellect　was　less　inferior　to　his　than　to　that　of　the　elder　members　of　his　race；　especially　of　the　Gy…ei；　and　most　especially　of　the　accomplished　Zee。　　The　children　of　the　Vril…ya；　having　upon　their　minds　the　weight　of　so　many　active　duties　and　grave　responsibilities；　are　not　generally　mirthful；　but　Taee；　with　all　his　wisdom；　had　much　of　the　playful　good…humour　one　often　finds　the　characteristic　of　elderly　men　of　genius。　　He　felt　that　sort　of　pleasure　in　my　society　which　a　boy　of　a　similar　age　in　the　upper　world　has　in　the　company　of　a　pet　dog　or　monkey。　　It　amused　him　to　try　and　teach　me　the　ways　of　his　people；　as　it　amuses　a　nephew　of　mine　to　make　his　poodle　walk　on　his　hind　legs　or　jump　through　a　hoop。　　I　willingly　lent　myself　to　such　experiments；　but　I　never　achieved　the　success　of　the　poodle。　　I　was　very　much　interested　at　first　in　the　attempt　to　ply　the　wings　which　the　youngest　of　the　Vril…ya　use　as　nimbly　and　easily　as　ours　do　their　legs　and　arms；　but　my　efforts　were　attended　with　contusions　serious　enough　to　make　me　abandon　them　in　despair。

These　wings；　as　I　before　said；　are　very　large；　reaching　to　the　knee；　and　in　repose　thrown　back　so　as　to　form　a　very　graceful　mantle。　　They　are　composed　from　the　feathers　of　a　gigantic　bird　that　abounds　in　the　rocky　heights　of　the　country…　the　colour　mostly　white；　but　sometimes　with　reddish　streaks。　　They　are　fastened　round　the　shoulders　with　light　but　strong　springs　of　steel；　and；　when　expanded；　the　arms　slide　through　loops　for　that　purpose；　forming；　as　it　were；　a　stout　central　membrane。　　As　the　arms　are　raised；　a　tubular　lining　beneath　the　vest　or　103tunic　becomes；　by　mechanical　contrivance　inflated　with　air；　increased　or　diminished　at　will　by　the　movement　of　the　arms；　and　serving　to　buoy　the　whole　form　as　on　bladders。　　The　wings　and　the　balloon…like　apparatus　are　highly　charged　with　vril；　and　when　the　body　is　thus　wafted　upward；　it　seems　to　become　singularly　lightened　of　its　weight。　　I　found　it　easy　enough　to　soar　from　the　ground；　indeed；　when　the　wings　were　spread　it　was　scarcely　possible　not　to　soar；　but　then　came　the　difficulty　and　the　danger。　　I　utterly　failed　in　the　power　to　use　and　direct　the　pinions；　though　I　am　considered　among　my　own　race　unusually　alert　and　ready　in　bodily　exercises；　and　am　a　very　practiced　swimmer。　　I　could　only　make　the　most　confused　and　blundering　efforts　at　flight。　　I　was　the　servant　of　the　wings；　the　wings　were　not　my　servants…　they　were　beyond　my　control；　and　when　by　a　violent　strain　of　muscle；　and；　I　must　fairly　own；　in　that　abnormal　strength　which　is　given　by　excessive　fright；　I　curbed　their　gyrations　and　brought　them　near　to　the　body；　it　seemed　as　if　I　lost　the　sustaining　power　stored　in　them　and　the　connecting　bladders；　as　when　the　air　is　let　out　of　a　balloon；　and　found　myself　precipitated　again　to　the　earth；　saved；　indeed；　by　some　spasmodic　flutterings；　from　being　dashed　to　pieces；　but　not　saved　from　the　bruises　and　the　stun　of　a　heavy　fall。　　I　would；　however；　have　persevered　in　my　attempts；　but　for　the　advice　or　the　commands　of　the　scientific　Zee；　who　had　benevolently　accompanied　my　flutterings；　and；　indeed；　on　the　last　occasion；　flying　just　under　me；　received　my　form　as　it　fell　on　her　own　expanded　wings；　and　preserved　me　from　breaking　my　head　on　the　roof　of　the　pyramid　from　which　we　had　ascended。

〃I　see；〃　she　said；　〃that　your　trials　are　in　vain；　not　from　the　fault　of　the　wings　and　their　appurtenances；　nor　from　any　imperfectness　and　malformation　of　your　own　corpuscular　system；　but　from　irremediable；　because　organic；　defect　in　your　power　of　volition。　　Learn　that　the　connection　between　the　will　and　the　agencies　of　that　fluid　which　has　been　subjected　to　the　control　104of　the　Vril…ya　was　never　established　by　the　first　discoverers；　never　achieved　by　a　single　generation；　it　has　gone　on　increasing；　like　other　properties　of　race；　in　proportion　as　it　has　been　uniformly　transmitted　from　parent　to　child；　so　that；　at　last；　it　has　become　an　instinct；　and　an　infant　An　of　our　race　wills　to　fly　as　intuitively　and　unconsciously　as　he　wills　to　walk。　　He　thus　plies　his　invented　or　artificial　wings　with　as　much　safety　as　a　bird　plies　those　with　which　it　is　born。　　I　did　not　think　sufficiently　of　this　when　I　allowed　you　to　try　an　experiment　which　allured　me；　for　I　have　longed　to　have　in　you　a　companion。　　I　shall　abandon　the　experiment　now。　　Your　life　is　becoming　dear　to　me。〃　Herewith　the　Gy's　voice　and　face　softened；　and　I　felt　more　seriously　alarmed　than　I　had　been　in　my　previous　flights。

Now　that　I　am　on　the　subject　of　wings；　I　ought　not　to　omit　mention　of　a　custom　among　the　Gy…ei　which　seems　to　me　very　pretty　and　tender　in　the　sentiment　it　implies。　　A　Gy　wears　wings　habitually　when　yet　a　virgin…　she　joins　the　Ana　in　their　aerial　sports…　she　adventures　alone　and　afar　into　the　wilder　regions　of　the　sunless　world：　in　the　boldness　and　height　of　her　soarings；　not　less　than　in　the　grace　of　her　movements；　she　excels　the　opposite　sex。　　But；　from　the　day　of　her　marriage　she　wears　wings　no　more；　she　suspends　them　with　her　own　willing　hand　over　the　nuptial　couch；　never　to　be　resumed　unless　the　marriage　tie　be　severed　by　divorce　or　death。

Now　when　Zee's　voice　and　eyes　thus　softened…　and　at　that　softening　I　prophetically　recoiled　and　shuddered…　Taee；　who　had　accompanied　us　in　our　flights；　but　who；　child…like；　had　been　much　more　amused　with　my　awkwardness；　than　sympathising　in　my　fears　or　aware　of　my　danger；　hovered　over　us；　poised　amidst　spread　wings；　and　hearing　the　endearing　words　of　the　young　Gy；　laughed　aloud。　　Said　he；　〃If　the　Tish　cannot　learn　the　use　of　wings；　you　may　still　be　his　companion；　Zee；　for　you　can　suspend　your　own。〃

105　Chapter　XXI。


I　had　for　some　time　observed　in　my　host's　highly　informed　and　powerfully　proportioned　daughter　that　kindly　and　protective　sentiment　which；　whether　above　the　earth　or　below　it；　an　all…wise　Providence　has　bestowed　upon　the　feminine　division　of　the　human　race。　　But　until　very　lately　I　had　ascribed　it　to　that　affection　for　'pets'　which　a　human　female　at　every　age　shares　with　a　human　child。　　I　now　became　painfully　aware　that　the　feeling　with　which　Zee　deigned　to　regard　me　was　different　from　that　which　I　had　inspired　in　Taee。　　But　this　conviction　gave　me　none　of　that　complacent　gratification　which　the　vanity　of　man　ordinarily　conceives　from　a　flattering　appreciation　of　his　personal　merits　on　the　part　of　the　fair　sex；　on　the　contrary；　it　inspired　me　with　fear。　　Yet　of　all　the　Gy…ei　in　the　community；　if　Zee　were　perhaps　the　wisest　and　the　strongest；　she　was；　by　common　repute；　the　gentlest；　and　she　was　certainly　the　most　popularly　beloved。　　The　desire　to　aid；　to　succour；　to　protect；　to　comfort；　to　bless；　seemed　to　pervade　her　whole　being。　　Though　the　complicated　miseries　that　originate　in　penury　and　guilt　are　unknown　to　the　social　system　of　the　Vril…ya；　still；　no　sage　had　yet　discovered　in　vril　an　agency　which　could　banish　sorrow　from　life；　and　wherever　amongst　her　people　sorrow　found　its　way；　there　Zee　followed　in　the　mission　of　comforter。　　Did　some　sister　Gy　fail　to　secure　the　love　she　sighed　for？　Zee　sought　her　out；　and　brought　all　the　resources　of　her　lore；　and　all　the　consolations　of　her　sympathy；　to　bear　upon　a　grief　that　so　needs　the　solace　of　a　confidant。　　In　the　rare　cases；　when　grave　illness　seized　upon　childhood　or　youth；　and　the　cases；　less　rare；　when；　in　the　hardy　and　adventurous　probation　of　infants；　some　accident；　attended　with　pain　and　injury　occurred；　Zee　forsook　her　studies　and　her　sports；　and　became　the　healer　and　nurse。　　Her　favourite　106flights　were　towards　the　extreme　boundaries　of　the　domain　where　children　were　stationed　on　guard　against　outbreaks　of　warring　forces　in　nature；　or　the　invasions　of　devouring　animals；　so　that　she　might　warn　them　of　any　peril　which　her　knowledge　detected　or　foresaw；　or　be　at　hand　if　any　harm　had　befallen。　　Nay；　even　in　the　exercise　of　her　scientific　acquirements　there　was　a　concurrent　benevolence　of　purpose　and　will。　　Did　she　learn　any　novelty　in　invention　that　would　be　useful　to　the　practitioner　of　some　special　art　or　craft？　she　hastened　to　communicate　and　explain　it。　　Was　some　veteran　sage　of　the　College　perplexed　and　we