IN the stillness and the darkness,
realization soon began to supplement
knowledge. The mere knowledge
of a fact is pale; but when you
come to REALIZE your fact, it
takes on color. It is all the
difference between hearing of
a man being stabbed to the heart,
and seeing it done. In the stillness
and the darkness, the knowledge
that I was in deadly danger took
to itself deeper and deeper meaning
all the time; a something which
was realization crept inch by
inch through my veins and turned
me cold.
But it is a blessed provision
of nature that at times like
these, as soon as a man's mercury
has got down to a certain point
there comes a revulsion, and
he rallies. Hope springs up,
and cheerfulness along with it,
and then he is in good shape
to do something for himself,
if anything can be done. When
my rally came, it came with a
bound. I said to myself that
my eclipse would be sure to save
me, and make me the greatest
man in the kingdom besides; and
straightway my mercury went up
to the top of the tube, and my
solicitudes all vanished. I was
as happy a man as there was in
the world. I was even impatient
for tomorrow to come, I so wanted
to gather in that great triumph
and be the center of all the
nation's wonder and reverence.
Besides, in a business way it
would be the making of me; I
knew that.
Meantime there
was one thing which had got
pushed into the
background of my mind. That was
the halfconviction that when
the nature of my proposed calamity
should be reported to those superstitious
people, it would have such an
effect that they would want to
compromise. So, by and by when
I heard footsteps coming, that
thought was recalled to me, and
I said to myself, "As sure as
anything, it's the compromise.
Well, if it is good, all right,
I will accept; but if it isn't,
I mean to stand my ground and
play my hand for all it is worth."
The door opened, and some men-at-arms
appeared. The leader said:
"The stake
is ready. Come!"
The stake! The strength went
out of me, and I almost fell
down. It is hard to get one's
breath at such a time, such lumps
come into one's throat, and such
gaspings; but as soon as I could
speak, I said:
"But this is
a mistake -- the execution
is tomorrow."
"Order changed;
been set forward a day. Haste
thee!"
I was lost. There was no help
for me. I was dazed, stupefied;
I had no command over myself,
I only wandered purposely about,
like one out of his mind; so
the soldiers took hold of me,
and pulled me along with them,
out of the cell and along the
maze of underground corridors,
and finally into the fierce glare
of daylight and the upper world.
As we stepped into the vast enclosed
court of the castle I got a shock;
for the first thing I saw was
the stake, standing in the center,
and near it the piled fagots
and a monk. On all four sides
of the court the seated multitudes
rose rank above rank, forming
sloping terraces that were rich
with color. The king and the
queen sat in their thrones, the
most conspicuous figures there,
of course.
To note all this, occupied
but a second. The next second
Clarence had slipped from some
place of concealment and was
pouring news into my ear, his
eyes beaming with triumph and
gladness. He said:
"'Tis through
ME the change was wrought!
And main hard have
I worked to do it, too. But when
I revealed to them the calamity
in store, and saw how mighty
was the terror it did engender,
then saw I also that this was
the time to strike! Wherefore
I diligently pretended, unto
this and that and the other one,
that your power against the sun
could not reach its full until
the morrow; and so if any would
save the sun and the world, you
must be slain to-day, while your
enchantments are but in the weaving
and lack potency. Odsbodikins,
it was but a dull lie, a most
indifferent invention, but you
should have seen them seize it
and swallow it, in the frenzy
of their fright, as it were salvation
sent from heaven; and all the
while was I laughing in my sleeve
the one moment, to see them so
cheaply deceived, and glorifying
God the next, that He was content
to let the meanest of His creatures
be His instrument to the saving
of thy life. Ah how happy has
the matter sped! You will not
need to do the sun a REAL hurt
-- ah, forget not that, on your
soul forget it not! Only make
a little darkness -- only the
littlest little darkness, mind,
and cease with that. It will
be sufficient. They will see
that I spoke falsely, -- being
ignorant, as they will fancy
-- and with the falling of the
first shadow of that darkness
you shall see them go mad with
fear; and they will set you free
and make you great! Go to thy
triumph, now! But remember --
ah, good friend, I implore thee
remember my supplication, and
do the blessed sun no hurt. For
MY sake, thy true friend."
I choked out some words through
my grief and misery; as much
as to say I would spare the sun;
for which the lad's eyes paid
me back with such deep and loving
gratitude that I had not the
heart to tell him his good-hearted
foolishness had ruined me and
sent me to my death.
As the soldiers assisted me
across the court the stillness
was so profound that if I had
been blindfold I should have
supposed I was in a solitude
instead of walled in by four
thousand people. There was not
a movement perceptible in those
masses of humanity; they were
as rigid as stone images, and
as pale; and dread sat upon every
countenance. This hush continued
while I was being chained to
the stake; it still continued
while the fagots were carefully
and tediously piled about my
ankles, my knees, my thighs,
my body. Then there was a pause,
and a deeper hush, if possible,
and a man knelt down at my feet
with a blazing torch; the multitude
strained forward, gazing, and
parting slightly from their seats
without knowing it; the monk
raised his hands above my head,
and his eyes toward the blue
sky, and began some words in
Latin; in this attitude he droned
on and on, a little while, and
then stopped. I waited two or
three moments; then looked up;
he was standing there petrified.
With a common impulse the multitude
rose slowly up and stared into
the sky. I followed their eyes,
as sure as guns, there was my
eclipse beginning! The life went
boiling through my veins; I was
a new man! The rim of black spread
slowly into the sun's disk, my
heart beat higher and higher,
and still the assemblage and
the priest stared into the sky,
motionless. I knew that this
gaze would be turned upon me,
next. When it was, l was ready.
I was in one of the most grand
attitudes I ever struck, with
my arm stretched up pointing
to the sun. It was a noble effect.
You could SEE the shudder sweep
the mass like a wave. Two shouts
rang out, one close upon the
heels of the other:
"Apply the
torch!"
"I forbid it!"
The one was from Merlin, the
other from the king. Merlin started
from his place -- to apply the
torch himself, I judged. I said:
"Stay where
you are. If any man moves --
even the king --
before I give him leave, I will
blast him with thunder, I will
consume him with lightnings!"
The multitude sank meekly into
their seats, and I was just expecting
they would. Merlin hesitated
a moment or two, and I was on
pins and needles during that
little while. Then he sat down,
and I took a good breath; for
I knew I was master of the situation
now. The king said:
"Be merciful,
fair sir, and essay no further
in this perilous
matter, lest disaster follow.
It was reported to us that your
powers could not attain unto
their full strength until the
morrow; but --"
"Your Majesty
thinks the report may have
been a lie? It WAS a
lie."
That made an immense effect;
up went appealing hands everywhere,
and the king was assailed with
a storm of supplications that
I might be bought off at any
price, and the calamity stayed.
The king was eager to comply.
He said:
"Name any terms,
reverend sir, even to the halving
of my kingdom;
but banish this calamity, spare
the sun!"
My fortune was made. I would
have taken him up in a minute,
but I couldn't stop an eclipse;
the thing was out of the question.
So I asked time to consider.
The king said:
"How long --
ah, how long, good sir? Be
merciful; look,
it groweth darker, moment by
moment. Prithee how long?"
"Not long.
Half an hour -- maybe an hour."
There were a thousand pathetic
protests, but I couldn't shorten
up any, for I couldn't remember
how long a total eclipse lasts.
I was in a puzzled condition,
anyway, and wanted to think.
Something was wrong about that
eclipse, and the fact was very
unsettling. If this wasn't the
one I was after, how was I to
tell whether this was the sixth
century, or nothing but a dream?
Dear me, if I could only prove
it was the latter! Here was a
glad new hope. If the boy was
right about the date, and this
was surely the 20th, it WASN'T
the sixth century. I reached
for the monk's sleeve, in considerable
excitement, and asked him what
day of the month it was.
Hang him, he said it was the
TWENTY-FIRST! It made me turn
cold to hear him. I begged him
not to make any mistake about
it; but he was sure; he knew
it was the 21st. So, that feather-headed
boy had botched things again!
The time of the day was right
for the eclipse; I had seen that
for myself, in the beginning,
by the dial that was near by.
Yes, I was in King Arthur's court,
and I might as well make the
most out of it I could.
The darkness was steadily growing,
the people becoming more and
more distressed. I now said:
"I have reflected,
Sir King. For a lesson, I will
let this
darkness proceed, and spread
night in the world; but whether
I blot out the sun for good,
or restore it, shall rest with
you. These are the terms, to
wit: You shall remain king over
all your dominions, and receive
all the glories and honors that
belong to the kingship; but you
shall appoint me your perpetual
minister and executive, and give
me for my services one per cent.
of such actual increase of revenue
over and above its present amount
as I may succeed in creating
for the state. If I can't live
on that, I sha'n't ask anybody
to give me a lift. Is it satisfactory?"
There was a prodigious roar
of applause, and out of the midst
of it the king's voice rose,
saying:
"Away with
his bonds, and set him free!
and do him homage,
high and low, rich and poor,
for he is become the king's right
hand, is clothed with power and
authority, and his seat is upon
the highest step of the throne!
Now sweep away this creeping
night, and bring the light and
cheer again, that all the world
may bless thee."
But I said:
"That a common
man should be shamed before
the world, is nothing;
but it were dishonor to the KING
if any that saw his minister
naked should not also see him
delivered from his shame. If
I might ask that my clothes be
brought again --"
"They are not meet," the king
broke in. "Fetch raiment of another
sort; clothe him like a prince!"
My idea worked. I wanted to
keep things as they were till
the eclipse was total, otherwise
they would be trying again to
get me to dismiss the darkness,
and of course I couldn't do it.
Sending for the clothes gained
some delay, but not enough. So
I had to make another excuse.
I said it would be but natural
if the king should change his
mind and repent to some extent
of what he had done under excitement;
therefore I would let the darkness
grow a while, and if at the end
of a reasonable time the king
had kept his mind the same, the
darkness should be dismissed.
Neither the king nor anybody
else was satisfied with that
arrangement, but I had to stick
to my point.
It grew darker and darker and
blacker and blacker, while I
struggled with those awkward
sixth-century clothes. It got
to be pitch dark, at last, and
the multitude groaned with horror
to feel the cold uncanny night
breezes fan through the place
and see the stars come out and
twinkle in the sky. At last the
eclipse was total, and I was
very glad of it, but everybody
else was in misery; which was
quite natural. I said:
"The king, by his silence,
still stands to the terms." Then
I lifted up my hands -- stood
just so a moment -- then I said,
with the most awful solemnity: "Let
the enchantment dissolve and
pass harmless away!"
There was no response, for
a moment, in that deep darkness
and that graveyard hush. But
when the silver rim of the sun
pushed itself out, a moment or
two later, the assemblage broke
loose with a vast shout and came
pouring down like a deluge to
smother me with blessings and
gratitude; and Clarence was not
the last of the wash, to be sure. |