On the third morning after our visit to the school of the ninyetas, the pr?tor and the tribune teachers with Correliana and her mother called at the quarters of the corps, to escort M. Hollydorf to the pr?torial colonnades, as the husband elect of Luocuratia, for the fulfillment of his probationary term. After receiving the congratulations of adoption from the Heracleans, all joined in the matin song of thanksgiving in the lower fora. While the pr?tor and his wife were absent, aiding Luocuratia in her valedictory salutations, M. Hollydorf was entertained by Correliana and the Doschessa. In order that he might perfectly understand the premeditated process of transfer, and security achieved, Correliana stated: “The Dosch had auramentally learned your determination to make Heraclea your home three months ago, and suggested the apt adoption of your peculiarities to her disposition; but until convinced of your constancy to our customs he advised the course we have pursued. The result of your trial has proved of happier import than we anticipated, as well as of Luocuratia’s ready infilmentary adaptation for the unity of impression; but now you can rest assured that her thoughts have already become interwoven in desire with your own, so that your example will be held paramount to ours. After the bewildering maze your presence caused was dispelled, her thoughts were directed for the shadowy investment of your image with her own as a prelude for more perfect realization, 393with a success which imparted a trust free from doubt or fear in question of its fulfillment; in this mood I left her, promising to visit her in the evening. In keeping with my appointment, I found her awaiting my coming in the garden, in full confidence that, with my aid, whatever there might be of mystery to her veiled comprehension would be cleared for her perception’s perfect understanding. With an endearing caress, fluttering with the timidity of a newborn joy, her eyes drooping in tremulous expectation, were filled to fullness with happy anticipations, as she leaned her head upon my shoulder, invoking with attentive silence my aid for the full interpretation of her waking vision. That she might taste the cup of my own realized joy, without tantalizing prelude, I rehearsed your confided doubts and fears as the counterpart of her own, the while encircling her waist with my arm, in support of her head’s nestling repose, that the body’s medium of a sister’s affection might more fully open to her the gates of revelation; then to the trama of her love I interwove, through the shuttled impulses of her ear, the vibrating threads of your affection, until they became involved with the stamina of your stronger nature; then the rustling sigh of relief bespoke the double investment complete in the unity of confiding reciprocation. This accomplished, inasmuch as the agency of my influence could represent the responsive source of sexual alliance, for the embodiment of affection, she became so deeply absorbed with sweet meditative reflection that she was unconscious of my departure. This ingraft of affection, in surety so propitious, should engender solicitude, on your part, in behalf of your race; for enjoyment ever lacks full maturity, when we feel that there are others with the prestige of purity and goodness, who are denied our privilege from the want of kindly direction.”
To which supplication, M. Hollydorf replied:—“Truly 394thankful for your pleading consideration, however little my faults merit your lenity, I must ask your continued forbearance; as you can scarcely imagine from the purity of your associations, the depth of insincerity that must ever oppress and haunt me with the bitterness of reflection for my unworthiness, in accepting the boon of an alliance that so far exceeds my present capacity for just appreciation. But if the neglected germ of good intention, brambled by evil example, can be redeemed to offer an equivalent worthy of your acceptance, it shall be my constant study to withhold your memory from the past, which is beyond the reach of extenuation, by the integrity of an exampled affection.”
Correliana. “That you may feel to the full extent the confidence bestowed with Luocuratia, my father has left his written salutation for presentation, which with your permission, I will read, that it may convey to you the living warmth of a personal address.
“‘To M. Hollydorf, Director of the Heraclean Deliverers:—
“Carrissimus, acting upon the information received with advice from the Dosch and his advisers, and your own confidence imparted to my step-daughter, Correliana Adinope, affording verification of our own observations, that there exists a unity of attachment between you and her twin sister Luocuratia, we offer you with unspeakable gladness our joyful congratulations, with the sum of our united affection. In bestowing our fullest sanction, we are truly happy in being able to contribute, from our Heraclean resources, the means of perfecting our ties of grateful reciprocation, and rejoice that we have achieved the privilege of calling you by the endearing name of son, as you were in anticipation wedded to our affection. In accepting our daughter for the cultivation and solace of mutual affection, you will have our assurance of her enduring devotion, which no mischance 395can abate; for with her the animus of goodness exceeds in thoughtful intention the power of expression. In her affection you will find an allied support all-sufficient for happy sustenance, and in its overplus an index of the homage outflowing in reciprocation from every Heraclean. In conformity with the happy experience of our ancestors, we herewith, in addition to our verbal invitation, proffer the formality of script, with the desire that you will become a member of our household, in domiciliation, during the three months allotted for probationary exemplification of congeniality in habits necessary for unity in affectionate reciprocation. Luocuratia will return to gladden our colonnades at the approach of noontide, then with your presence our joy will overflow in thanksgiving to the Source of direction, that devised the achievement of our deliverance through your instrumentality.
Adestus.”
Correliana, while reading her father’s script welcome, watched with keen interest its effect, and was recompensed to an extent exceeding her expectations, by the warmth made manifest from the grateful emotions of the respondent. Fully satisfied with his relief from the sensitive reproaches of his disposition, for thoughtful diversion from his waiting suspense, she appealed to the Doschessa for encouragement in behalf of her meditated mission for the colonistic establishment of schools for the educational intuition of self-legislation, among the civilized Giga races. “Have you, in your auramental experience, which enables you to reach and advise the thoughts of Giga women, found them all so abjectly subservient to the trammels of society and its fashionable tyrannies?”
Doschessa. “The exceptions are simply modified, all worship at the same shrine of thoughtless fatuity, with a heedless tendency for the utter extinction of purity and goodness.”
396Correliana. “Alieu, woe is with our hopes, if to such a depth of desecration the animus of purity has befallen with our sex! Surely, she must still retain the germ of her affectionate inheritance; and with the lead of our example it must revive with the nourishing warmth of a mother’s love.”
Doschessa. “In truth, we have never failed to discover in women, when free from the actual vices of corruption, the latent spark of goodness that with exampled cultivation may be revived for truthful reciprocation. Dependent as we have been upon auramentation for the invocation of purity in thought, the impressions are as transient as the conjurations of a dream, which give place to the more tangible waking visions of sense. If the current of their superficial conversation could be stayed, for the silent inception of thought, your mission would be rendered easy. Perhaps the irresistible impression of your own and companion’s beauty, will surprise from envious covetousness sufficient thought for the detection of an inceptive source, with the desire for its privileged bequeathment to their children? For often in selfish lamentation we have heard Giga women supplicate in prayer for the abatement of their own scandalous dispositions. One of their formulistic invocations to the ‘throne of grace,’ offered as an oblation for the “contrite heart,” I will repeat:—
“‘Purge from me hypocrisy, ere I from life depart,
And all deceptions, that belong to the lying art.
Then purify love, from thoughts of material sense,
And make me feel that goodness responds to future tense.’”
This accusative conviction is by no means rare, and the purity of your personal appearance, in consonance with exampled goodness, might attract thoughtful consideration from its contrast to the degrading attrition of selfishness subject to the material influence of gold. Your example might lead them in train to adopt our dress, which is light and ‘elegant,’ subserving 397all the requirements of bodily freedom, and purity in protection; if so fortunate you would remove the embargo of oppression from their bodies, and the curse of talkative frivolity from their tongues.”
Here the Doschessa was interrupted by the sound of light footsteps, quickly followed by the voices and presence of Cleorita and Oviata, who with an escort of Kyronese maidens came bounding into the triclinium with the joyful announcement, “He’s coming!” Pale and breathless, Correliana, without waiting for farther words of explanation, sped forth, her feet with dainty touch kissing the earth with gladness, passing with the swiftness of an arrow in its flight those already hastening down the avenue of the latifundium, apprised of the near approach of Captain Greenwood. First, she passed Mr. Welson and Dr. Baāhar, then with graceful ease Mr. Dow, whose lank form and longer strides had distanced his associates; even the mayorong, inured to an active mountain life, and long journeys on foot, now fledged with the grateful remembrance of his people’s preservation, was left behind. Then as Captain Greenwood, urging his mule to its utmost speed, caught her view as he entered the cinctus gate, the earth seemed to respond with elasticity to the touch of her feet, and before he could dismount from his quadrupedal conveyance, he was clasped in the frank embrace of her arms, and had received her kiss of welcome, while her face, eloquent with smiles and tears of joy, became radiant with beauty in contentful expression. Her hushed silence, from the fullness of happy enjoyment, was aroused from selfish indulgence, by the salutation of her father to his already adopted step-son. Still in half embrace, as if loth to relinquish the body temple animated with the shrine of her devotion, she was not forgetful of the affectionate relation she held foreign to self. Her parents and sister, who had followed 398with equal steps, but had held anxious desire aloof, until the fullness of her first emotions of gladness had subsided, were first made known to each other with affectionate designations, newly fledged from the English idiom. In turn the captain received embraces of welcome from each, which unloosed his tongue from its accustomed reticent caution, Correliana’s still encircling arm causing the grateful current of speech to flow in accord with her own emotions.
The family scene closed, M. Hollydorf, in freedom from rival jealousy, gave his cordial salutations of welcome, which were followed by the other members of the corps. Then the Heracleans and Kyronese claime............