A TALE.

Tocab'

ra p2 1» mp) 1-cdv é

'

wo ufe v, amu 8a’

fwv.

! e nophon . Memorab il ia, l ib . i . c ap. iii. s . 7 .

IN THREE VOLUMES.

VOL. I I I .

LONDON! OHN MURRAY , ALBEMARLE-STREET .

CHAPTER I.

EVERY plant, said Kabkarra,

seeks its own soil, and possesses itspeculiar property ; every insect seeksits peculiar plant ; the wild beast roams

the forest ; the barren rocks are the

home of the vampyre . In the samemanner, and according to the same

law of nature, every country is peopledby invisible as well as visible inha

b itants ; some prone, like yourself, AdaReis

,to mischief and wickedness, and

others virtuous and benevolent . You

have the sense of sight, and you see,VOL. 1 1 1 . B

Q ADA REI S .

as you imagine , real obj ects but I seealso those, which you term spiritualobj ects ; and the sen se I possess is not

more wonderful than the one permittedto you . We are all under the agency ofthe good or the‘ evi l principle the one

i s continually exhorting u s to refrainfrom what is w rong, the other labouring to seduce u s into ev il . I serve thelatter. My mother w as the famouswitch Niagara, who , in her early youth;it i s said, allured an angel from Heaven by the sweetness of her song.

Certain it i s, that having crossed the

s eas, she bore a child amidst the flowery

o range groves of Syria ; and the youth

Zamohr, my half-brother, is that sonhe is the gentlest and most benevolentof beings ; weak , I have heard , attimes ; and loves to dwell in the sofi;moon-beam , and play with children,soothing, with gentle care, the d isap~

A‘

DA REIS . 3

po intrnents of love - sick maids and

youths. But, to return , Niagara, assh e continued her career, gave Way to

the violence of her passions, until they

e xceeded every l imit ; and her crimes

drew from the regions below a fiend to

visit her, in the shape of the condor of

the rock . After her return to her own

country I was the offspring of that

guilty flame . On the day of my birth

the moon came betwixt th e sun“

and

your world, so that it was dark upon

the summit ofthe Andes, where I stood

at the first instant of my breathing the

breath of life . As I grew in strength,my infant steps followed the track ofthe panther, and my eyes strained

themselves after the fl ight of the eagle

o f the sun . I climbed the lofty tops of

the palm-trees to gather their golden

fruit, and watched from behind theumbrageous leaves of the sycamore, to

B Q

4« ADA RE I S .

behold Niagara, as she howled in th e

moon-shine,and danced along the

banks of the great river,whilst the b a

sil isks and crocodiles gazed upon h e r.

in affright . She was a mistress of

charms and spells ; could hear, uninj ured, the groan of the mandrake, andsing the l ioness to sleep whil st she stole

away her cubs . I have known her bind:

u p the torrents with a w ord, and saddlethe black ostrich with the leopard’ssk in , then ride it, whilst it flappe d itswings, fl itting along like a night-marethrough the boundless Steppes, u ntil

she came to the valley of death there,where the palm , the cypress, and b anana sadly blend together their darkfoliage over the cemetery, there wouldshe dismount and sit down by the waters

of th e Orinoko, to watch the skeletons .She had learned a song to raise themu p they wou ld dance together in the

ADA REIS . i5

watery mists of night, playing like sha

dows amongst the vapo urs, shining'

w ith

phosphoric light, whilst she la u ghed orh owled to them

,and gathe red from

e ach the history of his stay on earth .

She nev er gave me suck, she never fedme when I was hungry ; but th e b irdo f the mountains 1 came down ' to me

and cherished me,shadowing me with

its mighty wings from the hot sun, orfanning me w ith them to repose : hiss ize was monstrous

,his strength match-

4»

l ess, his dark brilliant eye could gaz‘é

‘f

u pon the orb of the s u n and when he

arose from the peak of the Chimborazo he bore me w ith him,where I

cou ld cou nt the stars of the firmame nt,and see the meteoric stones fall hot and

whizzing through the air. Niagara’seye was black and penetrating, but the

condor’s eye w as’

more wild and terriblethan hers . The hair of he r head was

6 ADA RE IS.

white,as if time and care had bleachedit, but the snow on the top of the

Himalaya was more white and moredazzling as it shone in the distance,and thither I went to behold the easternhemisphere, and gather diamonds and

gold , and bathe in the waters of the

Ganges . I traversed the burning deserts of Africa u pon the back of th eswift dromedary, and the frozen moss

o n the l ighter-footed reindeer ; over

s eas I had sailed upon the dolphin’sback ; and the mammoth was my guide

and my defence in a strange land . I

became familiar with the Valkyriar ofthe north , and Mista, Sangrida, andHilda, wove for me a silver thread,which rendered me invulnerable . From

Egypt the sisters ofBehirre sent me the

w orm that never dies . I have spokenwith the ol d man , who was seen, at

sun-set, to c ome out from the great

ADA“ RE IS . 7

pyramid, after lying theremanyhu nd red years, and he knew every thing,

‘

and laugh ed at all that is, and all that

was, saying continually, A l lah ac bar ;

Ec lzed en la illa but his heart

had been turned to stone with grief"

forthe fate o f his son, a fate too horrible

to relate ; and Niagara wept when sheheard it,for she thought ofmy brotherZamohr; and I saw her weep at th ehour when from the minarets of Cairoeight hundred voices called aloud the

faithful to prayer. B u t perhaps I fa

tigue you w ith so mu ch detail ?”

“ Oh ! no,” said Ada Reis, “ go on

it is not unnatural that a being, wh o

has seen so many and such strangethings, as you say you have, should

prose a little .”

Well, then, resumed Kabkarra,

From th e Koran God is gre at and I

witne ss there i s b u t one God .

8 ADA REIS. .

Allah Achar,’

I faintly repeated, as

soaring above I looked upon that landof plenty, and sighed to think of thepride and presumption ofmen . Fare

well to Egypt, to th e Nil e and theDelta ; to her rich fruits and flowers ; toher citron and orange groves . Farewell

to India, to the New, and to the OldWorld . Farewel l to Niagara,

’I said,

as upon the wings of the condor I cutthe air, for my mother

’s call was vainshe could do all that spells and mysticpower can do—she cou ld do morebut she could not fix the roving heartof her son .

’

Whilst Kabkarra thus spoke, the marimo ndas, the birds , the crocodiles, al lapproached the mouth of the cave, asif li stening to him ; whilst the musk-ox,with his long horns, and the vicuna,stood and stared from the heights withstupid tameness. The waters of the

ADA Rms. . 9

c ataract rolled with ceaseless violencetheir eternal course, and the bat circled,from time to time, across and around

the mouth of the cave .What are revolving years What

reckoning can there be of time,” said

the spirit, when existence is pro

longed to eternity ? -All that was or

will b e—all that appears to pass beforeus, i s a mere illusion of our senses .

When we speak to those who may n o t

understand us, in what manner can we

address ourselves to them When th e

language of congenial fe e l ings is denied,h ow can we make ourselves intelligible ?What are worlds—what is life—whatis night—day—and,more than all,whatis man Yet even mortal mind has de

,te c te d the ill usion of colour and matter,saying, as he truly may, that nothingreally is then , wherefore doubt that

the re’

are still greater wonders, and still

1 0 ADA REI S .

gre ater illusions . The world has circled

around its sun three thousand years

since first I quitted my native land ; i t

w as in the ardour and rashness of vain

youth , that I then attempted to possess

myself of mysteries unmeet for even a

spirit’s ear. I gave my heart up to thedominion of passion . I lived and I

enj oyed every good thing that this fair

earth could offer ; but my love w as l ike

a searching flame, and destroyed itsobj ect . My adoration rendered it hate

ful , and disfigured it. My hate , l ike

the lightning, blasted my victims .—In

war,in danger

,in the agony of despair

,

in the hour of vengeance, I was ever

present— ever foremost, amid st the

c rash o f ruin , the w ar-cry of rebell ion ,and the bloody festival of triumph . Itwas I who taught the people o f these

countries their savage customs ; I. de

c e iv ed their credulous spirits ; I but.

ADA REIS . 1 1

t hered their children u pon the altars of

false deities ; and when they were e n

slaved by tyrants, I assisted in thework,and excited against them the bloody demons ofpride

,cruelty, and superstition .

Zamohr I chased away to purer andcolder regions : for me, I loved the dark

nations—child of the sun , I basked inhis rays . The universe was before me .Bright shone the dawn of life, and I

hailed it with the rapturous feelings of

exuberant and overbearing youth . Why

need I recount to you the means I used

to undeceive myself ? Why need I tell

to him who feels it too well, what dis

appointment waits upon hope, and how

unsatisfactory are the researches of

science Better sit upon the promon

tory, and sing with my kinswoman , the

spirit of the storm 2, whilst the clouds

gather and the ocean rolls beneath h erfeet ; b e tte r

'

ride with her in th e simoon,

ADA REIS.

or the siroc, or in the whirlwind of hotsand, whilst men and animals faint and

expire beneath her fury. Better do

this than live to be deluded by hope .

For however we may dream away theearly hour of life

,in pleasure , in sloth,

or in study, we must awaken at last toosoon for happiness, too late for amendment ; ignorance cannot learn , and

man is both ignorant and pre su mptuous . Ada Reis, you sigh .

—Shall I proc e e d ? Ah ! wherefore seek to knowthat which for wise purposes is hiddenfrom your understanding ? The roadwas plain before yo u , your duty w as

prescribed ; you have wandered far,and there i s no return ; for the idlebubbles which played before you, yo uhave lost yourself. Whilst I, seekingfor pleasure in liberty, and for light in

the brilliantmeteor as it flashed along,when sc arce midway in my course lost

ADA RE IS . 1 3

myself in the labyrinth of error, and

sunk down into the valley of despair ;there

,where death stands sentinel, and

he I may not name waits to receive the

fallen . Yet if you will hear the rest,mark me.

When the"

condor,my more than

father, first carried me into that mourn

ful abode , its monarch sprung forwardeagerly to receive me, and all that i sevil and terrific upon a sudden burstupon my view . I am thy sire ,

’h e

cried : ‘ it is I, the friend, the parent ofNiagara, whom thou shalt serve .

’

In

vain I shrunk with horror from all I

th ere beheld : the shrieks ofdespair, th ewailing of the miserable, afl

'

righte d me

with their continual din . Niagara pasther remaining years, inconsolable for

my absence, in deeds of darkness andof crime till time had taken from her

every enjoyment : then turn ing for o ne

I4: ADA REI S .

to pity her, long, long she sought forme ; her cry was heard in the desert,and her shriek from the top of theChimborazo . At length , disappointed

in all hope, she forsook the lands whi ch

reminded her of her children ; j ourney

ing northward back to her own coun

try, she stood a lone and widowed being

upon its mountains, until the spirit oflife burst forth , and rushing forward

with overwhelming fury, she fell , andfalls for evermore from rock to rock 3,driving all things before her, as sh e haddone in life, adown the torrent of her

ungoverned passions . There is a shrub

grows upon Lake Erie ; the j uice of its

berry, if used in time, will restore the

wandering sense . I administered itmyself to a maiden abandoned by herlover : reason returned, but the girldied u pon the instant ; for then she

remembered her grief, and him who

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1 6 ADA REIS .

will obey your commands . Tell me,in the first place, in what manner youemployed your time during your re

side n c e in that vall ey of despair of

which you have already spoken .

”

During the first hundred years thatI was confined in that miserable abode ,where agonizing hearts make continual

lamentations, where hope, and truth ,and love are blighted, and only the

malignant and rancorous passions canexist, I w as seldom permitted to revisit

e arth . The monarch I serv ed w as

lonely ; in the midst of crowds of

slaves, he was desolate ; for he wasconscious of being detested . He w asthe parent of deformity , disorder, vice,drunkenness, uproar, an d m u rder. Itwas my sole pleasure to view, from the

enchan ted window he had constructed ,and where he passed most of his chee r»

less hours, the splendid o rre ry of the

ADA REI S . 1 7

heavens, bright in “ celestial beauty ; to

hear the heavy worlds as they rolled

around, and listen to the choirs ofangels, hymning their praises and peti

tions to the greatBeingwho has created

al l things . But our sovereign , regard

less o f their glory, sadly turned his

eyes almost continually upon‘ your

world ; for it seemed to stand a

'

singl e

blot in the fair page ofcreation,marringthe harmony and perfection of the st

'

u-s

pe ndo u s whole . It was my continual

thought, that if the race ofman could

know their doom, could'

see ' a little

further than the wormthey s'

corn and

tread upon, the deceits we practised tobeguile them, and the gfalse ho o ds w eused to retain them in o u r

'

so v ére ign’

s

serv ice, they would not forsake, as they

do , the glorious light of truth, the

bre ath fl

o f health , the hope o f hu mor-5

tal ity, for the transient, !unreal e rijé y-f

VOL . 1 1 1 . c

1 8 ADA REI S .

ment of a moment ; but I have since

discovered that I was mistaken . I tire

you, do I not P” said Kabkarra.

Oh, by no means . You are prolix,”

replied Ada Reis ;“ but my time , j ust

at present, i s pec u liarly my own : I

would thank you, therefore, to pro

c e e d .

Upon the blue air of the spangledvault of the heav ens, around the l u

minous atmosphere of the circlingplanets, spirits light and beautifulpassed and repassed continu ally before

our eyes, enjoying the beatitude of the

b lessed, inconceivable to me, but apparent in the celestial radiance of their

angelic smile ; and cherubs, as theysported with each other

,in all the in

nocence with which they had returned

uncontaminated and untried from life’s

infant morn, shuddered, as they flitte d

quickly along, fearful lest one exhala

ADA RE I S . 1 9

tion from our seats of misery shou ld

reach and blast them . You who inha

b it earth— yo u who have viewed withtransport the di stant stars in the firmament, and the softer moon, w hich yo u

hail as your own sister planet ; could

your imagination even conceive the

scenes I have beheld, you would fall

down entranced, calling o u t as I have

done, A l lah ac bar; Ec hed en In Her

A l lak .

’

! udge thou, then, AdaRei s, child

ofaw o rld c reated fair, so much in vainfor yo u ,

’ what the agony of his heart

must have been Wh o viewed, as theking of darkness did, ’ f rom whence he

stood, such a prospect ; what the gri ef,the de sponden c y,

'

o f that mighty'

mind

which had known the perfec tion, and

th e . l o v e l ine ss of the Scenes, he had forever reno u nced P Oh

'

! never may you

hear a”

sigh like that his bosom heaved,c 2

2 0 ADA Rnrs‘

.

as he stood a lone spirit, with the c o n

sc io u sn e ss of strength , withou t thepower of employing it nobly : with amind capable of every thing, fretting

itself away upon the contemplation of

its own nothingness—activity circumscribed—e ne rgy su ppre sse d

—hope baf

fle d—e xistence prolonged for ever, anda curse to him who endured it .”

-H ow popular the devil is becomeof late 1” interrupted Ada Reis . Langu age is exhau sted for the purpose of

representing him in interesting colo urs.

We he ar. of nothing but the h igh e n

dowments of his mind,and the melan

c h o ly beauty of -his countenance .”

I represent him as I saw him,

said Kabkarra, when , turning fromthe glorious view of perfect wisdom,

truth, and order, he fixed his eyes, and

c on cen trated his hopes upon that one

dark spot, whe re stil l his name w as

ADA Bars . 2 1 1

held in reverence . Oh earth !’ he:cried, ‘ let me not lose thee also, tho

'

uonly remaining hope ! Still be blind tothe light of reason

,and deaf to the

promise s'

o f benevolence . Worship me,as yo u h av e done heretofore, and let

me be as : a king and as a go d . I wil l

flatter and bribe you ; my emissariesshall be day and night amongst you .

’

The'

inte ntio n s , which he thus ex

pressed, he diligently contrived tofulfil, and I, with many others, was

e mployed to allure the wavering and

u ncertain , who were still stru ggling

against evil , and dou btful of theircou rse . I called to them when ‘ vanity

and pleasure had deluded them ; mycaresses seduced them farther, and my

passion inflamed them to acts of mad.ness . Often wh en Zamohr had beenidling away whole years with some silly

innocent maiden, I seized u pon‘

her

QQ ADA REIS.

inexperienced heart, and bore it from

him, even as I have Fiormonda’s . My

power fixes itself where pride or hard

ness have gained dominion ; and whenI have seized on a v ictim , I pervertand transform the soul

,so that few can

recognise it again . Sometimes, when

secure of my prey, I leave it on eartha little longer, to mislead others, andassist me in my work ; but if thosewhom I have seduced be young, andlikely to repent, I so devise my plans

,

that death, if possible, should surpri sethem in the midst of their sin ; for my

master must be served ; and I, as he,delight to entice and to destroy. Hispalace awaits you, 0 king ! his retinuemust be kept up .

”

Fiormo nda, then , said Ada Reis,“ i s already quartered in that most de

l e c tab l e habitation P”

She is in the highest favour at pre

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2 4 ADA REIS .

hard ihood wh’ich secure him success ;before the eyes of ambition I spreadtitles and crowns ; for vanity, merebaubles and flattery ; but, above all , I

confide and rej oice in infidelity. Thyhouse, Ada Reis, was long my dwelling,for there it stood forth open and n u

disguised . I hav e partaken of thy

hospitality, revelled at thy banquets,hallowed thy superstitious rites , and

triumphed in thyprofaneness .”

Then , I hope , at all events, after

such acknowledgments,” said Ada

Reis, thou wilt demean thyself to

me accordingly ; for howw ilt thou ex

cuse, for example, the partaking ofmy

hospitality, the receiving all these ho

h ours and courtesies from me,and, in

return , seducing away my daughter ?”

Hah ! these things occur continually, said Kabkarra ; “ in Europe it

is the commonest of all returns . Be

ADA REI S . z

sides, I had this excuse— I loved thydaughter from early infancy : Iwatched

her as she bounded along, wild as th eantelope, and vain and gay as the v ario u s-coloured lory. In the liquid lustre

of her blue eyes- and blue eyes are

ever the frailest—in the mantling blushof her cheek, in the soft smile o f herfull lip

,I read my empire . Passions

fierce reign in that bosom ,

’I cried,

and by t he ir power I shall gain do

minion but innocence and pietyguarded the shrine, and a rival ap

pe are d amongst the good angels that

were sent to watch overher : it was myhalf-brother, Z amohr. He loved her

,

l ike myself; and the first sigh of love

sh e breathed was .for him . To blight

th e hopes of youth and beauty, to lurefrom happine ss I . mu st never enj oy,to crush and wound Zamohr, who fl iesme

,and dwells in stars with the blest,

2 6 ADA REIS .

where I may not enter ; to accomplishthis, I gave up my whole dark spirit :

you assisted me by your impiety, and

yet the struggle has been great, theconquest difficult, and such as required

all my art and all my power. It w as

in a dream that I first entered into herheart ; pride and ambition took theplace of love, who timidly retired ; and ,when these fierce masters gained the

a scendancy, passion did the rest. We

have her not, however, entirely ; shehas but half consented to be ours, and

Zamohr and love are still attemptingto rescu e her.”

Zamohr, then , was the youth with

the angel countenance . I suspectedhim throughout ; but who was Condul

mar, and who was Shafl'

o u Paca, andwhat became of the Bey, and the ! e w

Kabkarra

They were all the agents of the

ADA REI S . Q7

ev il one, answered the spirit ; andyet there were such persons they were

passive clay, and'

permitte d our powerto enter their hearts ; they are n ow

enjoying their own reflections . Cond u lmar is with Fiormo nda, he is the

son of Zu b anyann . Shaffo u Paca, mother of the ! ew Kabkarra, had sold

herself to me in early youth . H er sonwas a wretch capable of any mean ac

tion ; he applied to me in his poverty

and distress, and I gave him golddust, the pearls, and the sabre which

made his fortune , and received in lieu

of these inestimable rarities h is worth

less soul : they are now suffering as theydeserve .

Suffering what ?

That you will know when you meetthem .

”

By what name shall I d istinguish

Q8 ADA REIS .

thee, thou most execrable a nd perfidio u s spirit ?”

Call me still Kabkarra— you firstknew me by that name . I am but aservant of him you call Z u banyann ;you are also his follower : let me hastento present you to you r master.”

Your master is a cheat and a liar,I care n o t if you tell him so ; he has

d eceived me shamefully ; and, as to

my daughter, she was to wear an imperial crown .

”

She wears it already ; but it is oppressive, I fear : however, yo u shallbehold her.

Where is she

She is at this moment in the chamber of gold, in

“ the palace of riches,where pleasure is striving to detain herwith music, dancing, and festivity.

If this be the punishment decre e d,

ADA M IS. 2 9

and the fate to dread,” said Ada Reis

,

I am not over alarmed or grievedabout either my daughter or myself :matters might have been worse, andyour monarch’s palace, in the v alley of

despair, I make no doubt, is, u pon th e

whole, as comfortable a residence as

that which I have been so eager to qu it :

let me therefore hasten to it, and j oin

my Fio rmo nda.

”

It is only one of his palaces, said

Kabkarra, with a malignant smile ; “ he

has others for the accommodation o f

kings .

I will go thither, nevertheless ; so

l e t me try'

this j uice you speak of : life,indeed, begins, for some time past, toweary me ; and, as Fiormonda i s de

parted, so will I.”

This ~night, said the spirit,“ your

w ish‘

shal l be accomplished. A rrange

your worldly affairs, settle the suc

30 ADA REIS .

cession to prevent bloodshed, and swall ow from this goblet a few drops of its

contents death shall strike surer thanthe famedgu aapa j uice, and without a

pang your spirit shall be released .

”

I fear no pangs, said Ada Reis ;but it is death I fear !”

Death is nothing ,” said the tempter,

when pain and sickness do n o t foreru n it .”

But it is perchance to a hell you

would h e ar me ; I have read of suchthings .

I bear you where all must go ; itis to a fairer place than this and there

your cause will be heard and tried . If

v irtuous, you shall be borne by good

angels to the islands of the blessed.

”

Ay, but if the contrary

Why that, said Kabkarra, laugh

ing,we will consider hereafter .”

I amprepared ,” said Ada Reis ;

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SQ ADA REIS .

much not to have drained the draught

it was, however, too late ; and shortly

afterwards he felt a drowsiness comeon ; yet before he closed his eyes forever, he roused himself to cast one last

look around him upon a world he hadloved so well ; never had it appearedto him more fraught with beauty . I

doubt, I doubt,” he cried, the other

place I am going to will not be half as

delightful .”

Suddenly a maj estic bir'

d descendedproudly and firmly from the heavens.By its swiftness, strength , and magni

b e the condor, and almost without amoment’s loss of reason, he found himself reposing upon its back, and gently

ascending with it into the clouds.Kabkarra, like a wicked urchin, b estrode its neck, lau ghing and shouting

as they proceeded swiftly through theal r.

ADA REI S . 33

CHAPTER I I .

I had a dre am, which w as no t al l a dre am.

Brito n .

ADA REIS had read every thingwhich

‘had ever been recorded of theunknown land to which he was jourh eying ; he had studied the poetrywhich describes it, and from the learn

ed had gained what information c ouldbe obtained m every different cou ntryin which he had sojourne d . He do e snot

,ho w e v e i say whether the c ourse

he took to reac h the palace of Zubau

yanri, situate m the unhappy valley,w as the same that others had taken b e

fore him; he mentions nor b 1 i_dge , no rVOL . 1 1 1 . D

34“ ADA REIS.

rive r, harpies, centaurs , giants, hydras, nor chimeras . As he is far fromshort in his narrations in general , it issomewhat extraordinary, that the onlyremarks which he makes upon thisj ourney are

,that

,had he known be

forehand what he was to go through,he would not have voluntarily under

taken it.

At the entrance of the Valley ofDespair, Death stood before him, in

the form of a pale wan woman . Shegl ided by h imthe moment he alighted.

Her breath was so cold, it chilled him

as she passed ; and her hand, whichshe offered him , was damp and heavy.

She glided b y perfectly calm, andher countenance free from al l expression . Her appearance so much dis

tu rb e d him , that he tw ice attempte d

to return by the w ay he had entered

ADA REIS. 35

but that, he heard, was quite Ou t ofthe question .

’

However, these uneasy sensationswere relieved, and even the emotion s offear were in some degree dispelled

,as

he found himself at the entrance of a

long avenue of lofty trees advancingtowards a large building, which was

neither gloomy nor terrific in its as

pee t, but, on the contrary, of moderndate ; and such as appeared to promisecomfort and luxury within . As he

approached nearer, he observed that

an immense concourse of persons,dressed in the garb of each differentnation, were thronging the galleries,and walking in the gardens . He ad

v an c e d sti ll nearer, and gazed upon

the scene awhile before he joined thecrowd, surveying the strange prospect

before him, as a spectator might fromD 2

36 ADA REIS.

a gallery contemplate a superb feas t,or from a secure height a field of‘battle .

ADA,RB Is, 37

,

CHAPTER III .

THE PALACE OF ZUBANYANN .

Com’

st tho u al iv e to v iew the Styg1an bo u nds

Where th e w an spe ctre s walk e ternal ro u nds ;Nor fear

’

st th e dark and dismal Waste to tre ad,Throng

'

d with pal e gho sts, famil iar with the

deadf’

ODYSSEY .

IN a dream, the imagination pre ;sents to us distinctly the forms of those

whom we have known ; they appear to

u s to be actuated by the same motivesthat actuate living beings. In a dream

we hunger and thirst ; we laugh , we

weep, we walk and run ; yet these ap~_

pe aran c e s are altogether more vain andmore transient than the illusions which

38 ADA REIS.

mislead us in life . The gardens and

long avenues which now lay before

Ada Reis were filled with company,who appeared to him as distinctly as ,heretofore, th e inhabitants of the worldwhich he had left . All

,l ike himself,

seemed strangers to the place ; somearriving on the moment, others havingbeen there a short time before him .

Th e \c o u rts and the hall of entrance

to the palace were full to excess ; curio sity still impelled , and a desire ofb eing first, led all alike to press forward ; but as all, like Ada Reis, hadmet death upon their entrance

,the

crowding was not so inconven ient,nor

the obstruction to be compared to that

w hich takes place in one of our mostselect assemblies upon earth . How

eve r, if the pushing and squeezing werenot as gre at, the whispering and chat

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f

40 ADA REIS .

not forgetful of his graceful native salaams, was bowing rather ob se qu

'

i

o u sly to several nobles, when Kabkarra

,who had left him , returned

with two attendants in splendid u n i

forms . He himselfhaving changed h is

dress . He now wore a robe o f purpleand gold, at his side he had a goldenkey, and in his right hand he carrieda white wand . H is new attire immediate ly attracted the attention of AdaReis . The master we serve ,

” saidKabkarra, is particular in these trifle s : it is h is chief amusement to varyour dress and the furniture of his o wnhouse ; the hangings , trappings, andorname nts, are changed daily ; the

newest fashions in the best taste areever studied, and forwarded by one ofu s tb your world , as soon as adoptedhere .

ADA Re fs . 4 1

That urchin page in green is

c hiefly employed in these details . Thechanges ofthe mode, the varieties ofo r

name nts , extravagance,and profusion,originate with u s . Nothing brings u s

more subj ects in the end than thesefashions . France and England greedilyseize our ideas ; half the rest of the

world copy them ; but, as your countryexcels in t h e really magnificent, your

chamber, Ada Reis, is prepared for

you in the fashion of the one yo u in

hab ited when at Tripo ly.

”

Thus, then , said Ada Reis to

himself,'

I have, after all, been pay

ing this servile court to the mere minion of a sovereign , to the creature of

another’s will, whose ornamented habitis a badge of slavery !

‘

Ye'

pow e rs !

how me n may be continually de

c e ive d !”

44 2 ADA RE IS .

At this moment a girl , fair as is the

goddess of eternal youth and he alth ,smilingly approached How tardyyou are grown,

” said she to Kabkarra ;Pe irie s and Sprites have an hundred

time s refreshed every flower with dew ;the bear and the tiger have left their

c aves to prowl for food ; the imps sent

to Tara and Cac o a, Adrianople , and

Lo thmo nd are returned . The blackSwifts have circled around the greeni slands of England and Ireland the

time permitted, and have resumed

their posts, and you , yo u alone, have

loitered upon your errand .

”Kabkarra

made no reply .

What, may I ask, if it be permitte d me, are the black Swi fts ?

” saidAda Reis ; I thought they had b eenbirds, who come and depart with won

d erfu l regularity on particular days .”

ADA REI S . 43

They are the souls of certain nubeliev ers , who studied the laws of na

ture , withou t acknowledging th e Law

give r ; who dealt in sorcery and witch

craft, and misled the people under

the name of Egyptians, necromancers,w itches—they are allowe d for a time

to return and circl e around, perform

ing their rites in the countries theyonce 1 nfe ste d ; after which , at a moment, they are recalled, and here theyperform severer penance than I dare

tell of.”

Who have arrived since my depar

ture i” said Kabkarra, and what is

become of the thousands I left ?”

They are disposed of,” said the

damsel, slightly shuddering, as shetried by a laugh to hide her emo

tibn .

Ada Reis, although a professed ad

4 4 ADA RE I S .

mirer‘

of beauty, felt repugnance t o

wards this lady : she had somethingabout her unfeminine, and unrefined ;he looked upon her therefore with a

degree of disdain , and turning to Kab

karra, he said, Where is my daughter—i s she here ?

She is,” said the lady : slaves at:

tend around her ; and , if pomp and

ceremony can confer happiness, she is

harpy3’

Ada Reis,still addressing his guide,

somewhat impatiently ! for he liked notthe lady) , added, Shal l I soon se e

her ? ’

Very soon ; and in the mean time ,said Kabkarra, you shal l survey the

suite of apartments, and converse with

some of the company .

”

The porter at the entrance of the

first gallery w as seated by the fire ,

9

ADA 11 131 8 . 45

playing with his foot his master’s tat

too . The lazy door-keeper aro se;when repeatedly called u p

’

o n b y Kab

karra,and admitted Ada Reis and his

followers .

Kabkarra, who, though only a ser

vant, appeared , like most of that rac e,to command every thing in these re

gions, !observ ing in a moment the

disl ike Ada Reis had taken to the

familiar air of the lady) led the way,with an air of dignity, showing AdaReis from one apartment into an

other, and conversing as he passed

freely and jocosely with the com

pany ; for well he knew how to use

the light satire , t he gentle hint, th e

quaint repartee , and the mortal stab

thatannihilated every hope at a blow ;and , above all , how to nod familiarly

to some , and turn aside from othersof little consequence : b u t the prmc rg

4 6 ADA REI S .

c ipal part of those whom he met weren o t, as Ada Reis observes , personages

of much distinction : they were not

great and noble characters, fallen fromtheir original destination ; neither were

they like the followers of Ebli s, wan

dering about, each with his hand upon

his heart, wherein an unrelenting fire

had been kindled, as told in the sublime

and affecting description of Vathek ;nor did they , like Achilles, in his sad

answer to Ulysses, with few but awful

words, express regret of life, an d thehopeless misery of the gloomy realms

to which they were consigned . Theywere for the most part second-rate, for

there was little sublime or interesting in

this quarter ofthe palace ofZ u banyann .

Such as Ada Reis found it, I have rendered it ; its general character was fri

v o l ity, surprise, chatter, clatter, noise,and disorder, in it and around it . The

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4 8 ADA REIS .

CHAPTER IV.

Qui v i sospiri, pian ti ed alti guaiRisonavan per l

’

aer senza ste l l e ;

Div erse l ingue , orribil i fav e l le ,Paro l e di do lore , acc e nti d ’ira-Voc i al te e fio c h e e suon di man c on e l l e ,

Face v ano u h tumulto il qual s'

aggira

Sempre ’

n que l l’

aria se nza tempo tintaCome la rena quando

’

1 turbo spira .

”

Canto 3d de ll ’ Inferno .

A s the membe r of parliament for

a rotten borough bends before the

crowd , whom he represents, but whodid not elect him ; as a king bows pro

fo u ndly to those he most detests andfears ; as a courtier deprecates thefrown of h is sovereign , and a demagogue, with exactly the same se r

vility,the hisses of the mob : so Ada

Reis,with a humility and a desire of

obtaining popularity which he had n e

v e r felt before , made h is obeisances

ADA REI S . 4 9

to the throng who surrounded him . Atlength, recovering h imse lf a Iittl e, b e lieassumed the air of dign ity

’

to w h ic li'

h e

had so long accustomed himself uponearth, yet leaned his arm familiarlyuponKabkarra’s shoulder, and began toask him questions upon every thing he

heard or saw . Who ,” said Ada

Reis, are these troops of noisy wande rers, who seem to me more like pas

se ngers crowding out of a galley , orguests into a banquet-room , than shadesof the departed awaiting their trial ?”

These,” said Kabkarra, are per

so nage s from civilized c o u ntr1 e s, whopossessed rank , dignity, and riches

when alive ; such as have dreamed awaylife’s little hourwithout committing anyactual crime ; but, mispe ndinge verymoment in idleness and folly

,hav e

proved the cause of ruin to others, andhave brought themselv es, by mere wanto nne ss and neglect of duty, into o u r

50 ADA nnxs .

abode . Most of them,as you will pe r.

c e iv e , are men and women of the world,who never cast a look beyond the moment, n o r prayed the heart’s prayeruntil de ath dissolved them .

”

And what w ill be their fate ?”

They w ill be permitted to enjoythemselves awhile in the golden chamber and state apartments , until the hourappointed for their trial ; then , weak asthey appear, they must endure the fatedec reed .

”

And what are these ?Still the idle , as indeed most are

who enter our abode ; yet look to thetablets in the burning vault, where thered flame kindles for ev er and for ev e r ;there neither will you find the idle northe illiterate .”

And what, said Ada Reis , “ isthat group of people, that mob I seedriven from the palace gate by hundreds at a time P—there seem b e asts,

ADA REIS .

birds, and'

me n ; and the din they makeis prodigious .”

These, sire, are beneath your notice ; for to rank and high lineage wepay deference, and h e , who has bartere d his honour for a title or for gold ,stan ds first amongst us . The crow dswe drive elsewhere are the lower o r

ders : amongst these you will see n egro-lashe rs, hangmen , beadles, masterbakers, knavish tailors ; human beings;indeed, of all descriptions ; rebelliousmanufacturers, radical reformers, pic

c ado re s, drunken patro l e s, men of thefancy, and about tw o thousand Londonfootmen, coachmen , and cooks .

”

But whom do I se e ? Est-il po ssib l e- can I believe my eyes ? My oldfriend Coup de Vent, why, whatbrought you here ?

Ah ! Monsieur, je suis charmé deE 2

52 ADA REI S .

v ous revoir, said the Parisian hairdresser, bowing low .

Mais, comment se peut-il ?” said

Ada Reis .Ce nuit fatal

,

” replied the coiffeur, quand la foudre tomba sur nous,SainteVie rge ! qu e j

’

ai eu peur ! ! ’ai toujours détesté l ’Amériqu e ,acause de c e s

malheureux tremblements de terre .”

Hélas ! mon ami, l’on trouve l e mal

partout,”said Ada Reis : croyez moi,

les tremblements de terre , les orages,l e s éclairs, l e s famines, les foudres,la gré le , les pluies, les pestes, les mortal ités, se trouvent pa 1t out, e t les coiffeurs aussi, a c e que j e voisMonsieur est paltri d ’esprit .Vous me flatte z, Coup de Vent ;

mais qui l e diable avez vous la

Plait-il ,”said Coup de Ven t .

Q u’est c c , Monsieur

ADA RE I S . 53

Permettez que je vous presenteSt. Lau re, fameux cherchoit en vain votre protection aLima.

1 1 fait les habits amerveille .”

Q uelles couleurs porte t’on ici,

mon ami?”

L’on n e porte absolument, saidSt . Lau re, que les plus recherchées .I] y a premiereme nt c c draps printaniere t la p u ce effrayé, mais l

’e l ephant

malade e t l e gris de souris évanouiec’est la dern iere mode .”

My next garb shall be gris de so uris évanouie, said Ada .Reis , laughing.

“ And ho w , my dear Coup deVent, is this place

'

for company—doesit rival Lima?”

said the coiffeur, c’est bien

autre chose ; e t a c e que j ai -oni e dired u beau temps de la Régence : c

’

e sfParis comme autre fois, car il n

’

y a ici

54 ADA REIS .

que le vrai brillant e t tou t y est e uchanteur.”

But, my good friends, you havenot sojourned here long enough tojudge, I imagine .

”

Nous arrivons des l ’in stant.

And Co nd u lmar?”

O, pour Monsieur, il nous a faitdire mille politesses, mais nous ne l

’

a

vons pas encore v u

Q u’est ici

La Princesse de L Miledi S. , e t

la petite Fleur de Rose .

Q uoi ! e st elle ici ?”

Oui,Monsieur, cette pauvre enfanta dan sé e j u squ

’asa derniere heure .”

Et Nirza ?Pas encore .

Et Fio rmo nda?

Q uan t a Mademoisel le nou s ne

l’avons v u e .

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56 ADA RB Is .

the distracting tooth or ear ache , thegrating sound touches upon every

nerve, and sets even the dragon Henna

’

s teeth on edge .

”

I hope I fatigue yo u not with myquestions,

” said Ada Reis ; but, as Iam here , I would see and l earn allthings who are these ladies and gentl eme n who seem of gentle , kind, andfair aspectFair forms they are in truth, said

Kabkarra,but who showed no spirit ;

heads ungarnished within , and mostlybald without ; soul s of babes, thougharrived at a certain age ; all modern

characters, where little defects andgreat vanity make the sole sign ofdistinction ; lack of virtue alone bringsthem here— they are nonentities, who,receiving n o admittance into the gatesof parad ise , have been remanded w itha smile of pity and contempt to o u r

ADA REI S . 57

abode ; they will be placed in thenursery, where toys to entertain themawait them ; we shall find several ofthis sort at their games and pastimesas we proceed .

”

B u t we now c ome , said Kabkarragravely, to the picture gallery.

” Thecrowd followed, AdaReis and his guidepaused as they entered ; it was indeeda sight to surprise ; from the days ofold until the present hour , there wereportraits of every one who had betrayedhis country or forsaken his God ; and

every countenance expressed such

anguish , that it pained the heart of the

spectator to look thereon ; they all werepainted to the life . The eyes in ove

,

”

said Ada Reis .They drop tears of contrition

,

said Kabkarra ; the painter waits toplace you with the rest .”

58 ADA REI S .

I wish to go to the end of the gallery first,

” said Ada Reis .

It would take you four hundredyears only to walk through it, beginning since the deluge .”

For mercy’s sake , then , let u s not

think of it,” said Ada Reis .

A large apartment, full of mechanicswings, wooden horses, ups and downs,shower baths, bats, balls, battledoresand shuttle-cocks, of an immense size ,was next displayed . This,

”said

Kabkarra, is the nursery . These area variety of toys, the uses of whichwould be tedious to explain ; in thatswing I have seen a lady swing for two

hundre d years without ever stopping,u ntil at length she learned to know he rown mind . Agentleman , w h o had l o v e dand leftmany ladies , coming here , waskept between those battledores for a

couple of centuries ; the players at the

ADA REIS . 59

game being two of our most skilfulimps . The two ambassadors , in the

what is vulgarly called titter-totters,are to remain there till they have finallysettled the balance of power betweenthe respective kingdoms they repre

sent : see, at this moment one is up andthe other is down .

”

I hope I shall not taste of theseamusements, said Ada Reis, hasteningon ; and here, in good earnest, arethe chess-men and girdle you presentedto my daughter . ”

If it give you pleasure to viewthese things, there are millions ofthem, said Kabkarra, each morewonderful than the other. There is astud, too, in which flame -coloured dragons, affrits, ippogriffms, raksh e s, so

hams, syls, ejde rs, hyenas, and mermaids are ke pt. The coach-house and

ADA REI S .

storewo oms, kitchens, and dairy, arealso very curious to a new comer, andworth seeing ; but the j ewel-room, theturning-room, the printing-press, andthe women ’s apartments, with the il

l u minate d galleries and banquetinghalls

,are what I think you , Ada Reis,

will most admire .I wish I were safe back again , my

dear Coup de Vent,”said Ada Reis

with a sigh ; somehow or other, I donot feel comfortable, and the air doesnot agree withme . Ulysses and ZEn e ashad been used to inconveniences onearth ; I have been spoil ed , except,indeed, since I quitted Lima . MightI trouble some of you, in the meantime, for a goblet of water ?”

It is the only article we have no t

here, said Kabkarra, in a confused

tone ; but wine of every growth,and

ADA REIS . 6 1

liqueursthe most rare and costly; youcan have in one instant .”

What is th e hour ?”

We keep no reckoning here ; therei s no such thing as time .

”

Ye powers supreme, what shall Ido ! no Water ! no time ! why half these

gentlemen will not know what to dowith themselves ; the English gentlemen, in particular, who do nothing b u t1 u qui re what o’clock it is ; and theFrench—why, Coup deVent, what willthey do without eau su c re

’

e ?”

We shall find them occupation, Idoubt not

,

” said Kabkarra.

At the end of the nursery Ada Reissaw with surprise grown folk not hnlyattired like infants, but enduring the

various entertainments, lessons, or pun ishme nts infl icted upon children . I

marvel,” said Ada Reis, what those

62 ADA REIS .

rather ancient and precise-looking gen

try are about ?”

They are enduring all they hav einfl icted

,said Kabkarra : some are

condemned to translate and analyzedark passages in difficult dialects, ofwhich possibly the author himselfknewnot the import : there, are they to hammer at it daily, and when they cannotexpound, they are lashed . That stiff

old gentlewoman in a high chair, with

a large basin o f maize and milk , seesdaily ev ery dainty she most wishesfor, and must alone, by spoonfuls at atime, eat the potion placed befo re her.These women and these men are inseminaries now themselves ; they are

exposed to every temptation,they are

permitted to transgress every hour ;and on a sudden, at th e convenience or

pleasure of that sedate l ittl e'

u rc h in ,

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64 ADA nnrs .

ward : but they were only base pretenders . Here too are such keepers

of the mad as neglected their patientand benefited themselves. Here tooare servants who betrayed their trust ;nurses of the sick who drank and slept ,and suffered their dying patients towant . Here, also, fla u nting in the di

stance, are pretty nursery maids and

other menials , who, by over-ind u lgence, flattery, and vice, perverted thechildren confided to their care : theseare condemned to hard labour now , tosweep and clean the burning vault ;to polish the iron-work in the inquisitiou-hall, and keep in repair the in

stru me nts of torture : hateful wretches,who, to gratify themselves, deceiv edthe c o nfiding parent’s eye , andblighted the flow e re t even in the budthey

'

showed no mercy ; ask not, Ada

Reis, what is the penalty of theircrime .

ADA REIS . 65

This, said Kabkarra, hasteningforward; “ is th e stamp-o ffic e Herealso are the scales, the great scales, inwhich the intellect and knowledge

of every man is weighed against hisactions and conduct . You will seein many cases the former weigh so

heavy, whilst the good works are sodeficient, that one scale kicks the beam ,

whilst the other goes at once to thel owest chambers, through the dark

gallery. Hark ! they are weighing now !”

H ow awful ! how solemn !” said

Ada Reis, starting back, and listeningto the hollow heavy sound .

This, sir, is the printing-room,

said Kabkarra ; here is the press .And who are these gentlemenBad authors from different coun

tries,and the friends who have in

sisted upon their publishing , as also

most reluctantly their publisher, and

VOL . 1 1 1 . F

66 ADA REIS .

al l 'h is devils w ith h im they are con

d emne d‘

to be screwed together, andstamped for e v er with their own dul lideas, making a heavy f orm,

and re

“f

qu iring the‘whole strength of the

pre ssmen,‘ and a short pu l l , in order

to bring o ff aperf e c t impre ssion . Theribs, the tympan joints, the frisket

joints , the garters, both ends of therounce -spindle are all well oile d to

prevent any delay.

“ A tho u sand imps are employed‘here : the sheets when stamped ,formed, and pressed, are made upinto these stupendous folios . No w ,

as beating is an important part of a

pressman’s business, which, if notproperly done , renders every other

operation useless, the h e ate rs here

perform their art to a nicety. Prav,observe .

The ever-curious Coup de Vent

ADA RE IS . 67

having inclined himself near the form

where the beating party was placed inorder, perfectly upright, one of th eh e aters, going On regularly from right

to left, beating hard and close, close

and strong, hit him a smart rap , whichmuch amused Ada Reis, who n o w

turned to examine the pulling and themixing and grinding of colours . Herehe found light bodies from variouscountries of various sorts and sizes ;they were pounded and ground u pona marble slab until they produced thehue desired The’black in thought—4the green and yellow—the bloodyminded— the -pedantic blue, all werehere, and

'

e ac h preserved his differentcharacteristic colour ; whilst, with won

derfu l dexterity, Greek, Hebrew, Arabian

,Chaldean , Chinese, Egyptian ,

English , Eth iOpiari, French , German;F 2

68 ADA REIS .

Persian, Syrian , Tamo u l ic , Teutonic,were printed according to their distinctnational characters .

I was never given overmuch toreading,

” said Ada Reis, mending hispace it is not my intention to lingerlong in this place .”

And yet,” said Kabkarra, turning

into a magnificent library, here i smuch to suit your fancy ; for I believewe have every profane and immoralwork that ever was written here, too,are authors and authoresses, and hasbleus

And Shaffo u Paca, by all that is

wonderful !” said Ada Reis, coldlyinclining his head to her, for fear sheshould j oin him : she was presiding at

a tea-table .

She is a great favourite of thepresident,

” said Kabkarra . And,”

ADA REIS . 69

then addressing her,m

’

uch respectedparent, while yo u explain to AdaReis

the wonders of this apartmentEnough

,enough said Ada

Reis, impatiently; I wish to go on .

Scientific women and pedantic menwe re ever my aversion : bas bleus Ilove not . And, I pray you , as you are

so very accommodating, before I seeany thing more, allow me to eat andd rink ; for, considering the very long

journey I am come, the excessive ap

petite I ever was famed for, and all I

have gone throu gh , it may be thoughtnot less than natural that I should require some refreshment.” In one in

stant a table was served ; the disheswere exquisite, and in the best pos

sible style o f cookery.

When he had fin ishe d th e repast, AdaReis

,upon rising from the table, was

70 ADA mars .

attracted by the beauty, the eloquence,and the interesting nature of a conversationwhich he heardgoingonnearhim .

It turned upon various topics of literature , and was maintained with infinite

spirit . As different questions arose, thelibrary was ransacked for volumes torefer to . A grey-headed librarian wasi ndefatigable in bringing the books as

they were demanded—One of the dis

pu tants wished to refer to the Book ofTruth and Knowledge .The librarian hesitated There isbut one copy here,

” he said , and itis fixed : it cannot be moved .

Where is it P” said the philosopher ,eager to refer to the passage, that hemight make out his point to those with

whom he was discoursing .

They shall see it ere long,” said the

oldman but I dare not move it now.

”

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7 2 ADA REI S .

selves . The fair, the young, and the

innocent had been destroyed by them ;cut o ff,and lost for ever. They seemedto hear the reproachful voice of the

victims whomthey had perv erted ; thecry pierced the ear, and penetrated the

heart : it sounded as mournful and asunavailing as the shriek of the drowning amidst the roar of the ov erwhelming waters . They had ruined thousands of whom they had never even

heard ; and they were now themselvesabout to be rewarded according totheir works . Ada Reis , upon pe rc e iving their sudden melancholy, thankedthe Prophet that he had never written

a line in his life , and was about to quita society, which had thus in a momentlost all its gaiety and interest

,when

several good authors, whose lives u nfortunately had not entirely accorded

with their writings, were ushered in .

ADA RE I S . 73

Th eir works were immortal , and placedin the stars with the blessed

,but th ey

themselves were here . They were so

covered with laurel, and so puffed up

with each others’ compliments, that atfirst it was difficult to recognise any ofthem . When all this unnatural and

artificial exterior was a little removed,and they began to see things as theyreally were, they were surprised todiscover how cordially they had alwaysdetested each other, notwithstanding ,

the many civil things they had been in

the habit of mutually saying. I re

member these gentry upon earth ,” said

Ada Reis, both the good and thebad ; they are just alike ; it i s impo ssible to satisfy them with flattery, anymore than an actor or a singer. I

often attempted to address to some ofthemwhat I conceived would be gra

741 ADA REIS .

tifying; but their expectations werealways so much above any thing that

I could in conscience say , that what Idid say fell flat, and was taken rather asa criticism than a complimen t.”

A body of physicians w as next in

tro d u c e d to Ada Reis, each coupledwith his apothecary . They had beencondemned at once, without furtherinquiry, and with evident j ustice, to

swallow all the execrable and uselessdraughts, with which, playing into eachothers ’ hands, they had drenched th e

s toma c hs of their wealthy patients .

Ada Reis, however, shook them heartilyby the hand ; for the greater part ofthem were highly clever and agreeable .

I like you, gentlemen ,” he said ; I

always did , and the more as your pres c riptio ns I never tasted .

”

They no w entered spacious cham

ADA REI S . 75

bers , adorned with mirrors, fitted up

with silken couches, w ith easy chairsfor rest and indolence, and othershighly ornamented for show and osten

tatio n .

“ Here, saidKabkarra, “are amixe d

multitude, ladies from every country,persons of all conditions, from the

highest to the lowest , waiting to an

swer , not for great and decided crimes,b u t for mistakes, prejudices , follies,and foibles ; for vices which wore thegarb and spoke the language of vir

tue, and for errors of the judgment,which often produc e u pon your earthworse consequences than malignity ofdisposition .

”

It somewhat surprises me, saidAda Reis , to observe how many moremen there are here than women .

”

The reason ,” said Kabkarra,

76 ADA REIS .

not so much that women are better

than men,as that

,by one way or an

other, women are generally p u nishedupon earth for their offences our

master receives no broken and contritehearts here . However

,if you take a

nearer View, females are not so very

rare in these habitations .— Hark ! theclamour which rises from that part ofthe chamber will tell you that we havesome of them here . The noise, indeed, was shrill and loud ; the voices ofwomen were heard in every tone and

key of vexation, peevishness and an

ger, commanding, ordering, whining,complaining, scolding . Maids were

called for, and reprimanded in everydirection . The former ladies ,

” said

Kabkarra, smiling, are here the servants ; their merciless caprices , their

unreasonable expectations, their vanity,

ADA RE IS . 77

their meanness, are all returned uponthemselves . No wonder both they andtheir new mistresses are dissatisfiedAda Reis moved towards that part

o f the chamber, where he found thatd resses,j ewels, watches,Mesdames, andMesdemoiselles, and drugs of everydescription ab o u nd e d, se th erand opiumin particular ; most medicines coming,as Kabkarra remarked, originally from

and leading to these quarters . Here

were boxes of rouge, and pearl powder, and essences ; beginning from th e

simple essence of rose,and ending

with eau de mousseline double, lait vir

ginal e , eau des souverains e t de toilette : nought , that could heighten the

charms or conceal th e defects of na

ture, was wanting. To-day,”

I SaidKabkarra,

“ they shall see how the kingto whom they have paid tribute upon

7 8 ADA mars .

earth can entertain them ; and tomorrow ! their to—morrow ,

I mean) thewill of fate must be fulfilled .

”

Upon looking around the multitu de o o f persons whom I have seen ,

”

said Ada Reis, I am surpri sed to misssome whom I knew upon earth , andwhom I should have expected to hav emet here .”

Oh ! I dare say we shall stumble

upon them somewhere,” said Kab

karra, before we have done .”

But I am more surprised , con

tin u e d Ada Reis, to perceive a great

many here who bore upon earth the

h ighest and most irreproachable cha

rac te rs .

Very likely, rej oined his guide“w e have ' a great many very excellent

characters here ; and many of them

b rought here on account ofthat, which

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8 0 ADA REIS .

n ess of her conversation . Indeed, shewas all you have described her ; butshe paid herself for the strictness of

her life by the freedom of her lan

guage , and thus made it sufficientlyclear that her freedom from error wasby no means the result of the purityand innocence of her mind and feelings .

“ That lady, who stands at somed istance from her, and whom she t e

gards with such a scowl of disdain,I re

member her,” said Ada Reis : I am by

no means surprised to see her here .You are very much mistaken ,

”said

Kabkarra,“ if you suppose that that

lady has any actual misconduct to

answ er for !—she has to account fo rhaving fallen under the su spicion oferrors which she did not commit, andof having lost her character without

any reason .

”

ADA REIS . 8 1

l

“ Is that her Ada Reis .

That is owing to the censoriousness

of the world, the general love of scan

dal , th e envy of rivals , the malice ofenemies .”

Never, interrupted Kabkarra,

never ; it is always owing to impru

dence and folly .

”

But, after al l,i s it a crime ?”

One of the greatest that can becommitted : it has all the evil effectsof actual guilt ; it sets as bad an example , and it inj ures the individual as

much .

”

But is inj uring oneselfan offence ?

Again, one of the greatest ; b ecause, in yo u r world, no one c an inj urehimselfwithout inj uring all with whom

he is connected, and more particularly

those with whom he is th e most nearly

connected, and whom it is his partic ular duty to benefit and assist.”

VOL . III.

8 2 ADA REI S .

But there is one, said Ada Reis ,pointing to another

,who can be ac

c u se d of none of these e rro rs z— pure

herself in morals, as wel l as l ife ; « not

austere to others .”

Oh '” said Kabkarra, that is all

very true : it will n o t go hard with

her. She is here on account of he r

violence in politics .”

By my faith, but I am glad of it !”

exclaimed Ada Reis : “ I hope she wil l

h e sound ly trounced . I always hated

women intermeddling in affairs .

You are wrong in this, too, an

sw e re d Kabkarra . They may often

be of the greatest service in public

matters, as in every thing else ; b u t

women who engage in politics ought

to take great care that they do not b e

come like the women who follow a

camp—more savage and ferocious thanthe soldiers themselves . The duty and

ADA RE IS . 8 8

offic e of their sex i s tol

soo the and allay—not to i rritate and inflame .

”

Well, it may be so,” said Ada

.Reis ; “ but I never liked them to intermeddle at all .”

Of the others, whom you are surprised to see here ,

”Kabkarra resum‘ed

,

some are come to answer fo r the

ostentation of their charity ; some for

perpetual ly tormenting and domineer

ing over their husbands and families,under the pretext of care and affe c

tion ; and many in consequ ence of

what you call upon earth a good heart—a possession which leads the ownerof it into more scrapes than any otherthat I know of. For the male sex,many, whom you accounted generous ,are arraigned here for the m isuse of

their wealth ; and many, very many,whom you held blameless

,fo r themis

employment of their talents

8 44 ADA REIS .

Well,” said Ada Reis

,but how

come somany'

o f the poor here ?”

They are here to ac c o u nt fo rthe irpoverty.

What ! i s poverty a crime P

Not necessarily a crime ; but itis, as the English lawyers say, aprimri

f ac ie case against a man . He mustshow how he has become poor ; parti

c u larly if he has fallen below the situa

tion in which he was o riginally placed .

My good friend , if the devil really did

al l the mischief which you upon earth

lay at his door, we should have much

more difficulty in making out our case

than we have : but of what you call

accident, misfortune , calamity , disaster, infl iction , you will find here the

real names to be negligence, sloth , im

prudence, despondency, and intem

peran c e .

”

Whilst Ada Reis and Kabkarra were

ADA RE IS . 8 5

th u s discoursing, a terrible commotion

interrupted the conversation ; which

was found to proceed from a man andhis wife , who , having been linked to

gether, were struggling v iolently to

get free . All they entreated was to

be released from each other. Anyother punishment !” they mutually ex

claimed, any other punishment I am

willing to bear !” —But, alas ! this was

the doom pronounced ; and the reason

given for it was, that they had hithertolived so much asunder.

Marriages then , I find,said th e

woman, are n o t made in heaven ,after all, but here .

”

The'

next person whom they met

was Fleur d e Rose ! Ada Reis em

b raced h ér with delight. Et toi , ma

petite ,” said Ada Reis, commentse peut-il que je te trouve en si sombredemeure

8 6 ADA REI S .

Il e st bien dur pou r moi , said

the pretty dancer , de vous répondre ;c ’est u n véritable supplice de me fairecette question devant ces dames .

”

Parlez de grace .

1 1 me faut absolument l e temps de

m’

aj u ste r.

”

Vous n etes que trop charmante .

Ah vous etes toujours aimable .

”

Votre crimeMon crime ! n

’

o u b l ie z donc pas

ainsi toutes les bienséances .

Vous avez commis ?”

Du -tout,Mo n sie u r;po u rvous parlernettement, s

’il faut tout avouer, s’

il l e

faut, voici mes forfaits . Née, mon se igneur, avec u n coeur des plus sensibles,une imagination des plus vives— e nfin ,

Monsieur, j’ai été cause de la mort de

mon pere : j ’ai quitté mon mari, trahimes amants, e t la douleur c

’est emparée

de mon ame . Au reste , je suis morte

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8 8 , ADA mars .

English manner ; and I find that herethe dulness of my di ssipation is no excuse for it : it is j ust as criminal , they

say, as is the levity of a Frenchwoman ,or the gallantry and spirit ofan Ital ian .

”

And are they dull,then , in England

when they lead a life of idleness, andseek for amusement ?”

Oh , sir ! if you were but to knowhow dull . In truth , they never do seek

for amusement— they are always aiming

to be what they are not, or studying tohide from others what they are : theynever love ; they never resent ; theynever hate they never enj oy : they affe c t alone, and they assume .

I pity, b u t cannot sympathise w ith

either them or you , madam ,

” said AdaReis coldly : but pray, what are thosegentlemen that torment the air withgroans ?”

They are fortune-hunters,who

,

ADA ru ns . 8 9

having married for money, thought itno crime to treat with cruelty the victims of their avarice : they are now

c ondemned to drink hot liquid gold

and silver. Those whom they so illtreated daily administer the same to

them .

Dreadful,” saidAda Reis, butjust.

And, I beseech you, who is that handsome man, surrounded by women whoseem persecuting him to death ; is he afortune-hunter Now, by the Prophet,there seem enough women in that

quarter ; I need not have made my re

mark .

”

Sire, said Kabkarra, the young

man you observe was, when on earth, a

general admi rer of the wives of others .

He made his way into the houses ofhis neighbours under every false pretence , for the purpose of practisingu pon the affections of their silly and

90 ADA REI S .

frail partners . He took advantage ofevery petty defect in the character andmanners of the husband ; made use of

every calumny respecting h is conduct ;inflamed every domestic difference ; in

short, acted the part of the skilful andconsummate seducer. Idleness, van ity,and entire want ofj udgment, were notproof against the seductions of so fa

sh ionab l e a profligate . His career wasrun , of course, in London , for no country but England acknowledges such amaste r, o rbows with submission to such

a deity as Fashion . You have seen thosewho worship the all-glorio u s sun, and

in its u p-rising and down-setting think

that they behold a God : they, mistakenas they are, adore at least what a Godalone could have created or guided inits orbit : but for these singul ar b e

l ie v e rs, these enlightened idolaters, who

ridiculed the worshippers of the sun

ADrV REIS. 9 1

whilst on earth , h o w can you accountfor their infatuation They have bowed

the knee to a meaner obj ect than a c owor an image ; they have loved, admired,thought on , lived for, a deity, which

they themselves had created ; a deitycomposed too of a greater variety of

substances than the molten idol which

the stiff-necked Israelites worshipped

in the desert . They have sacrificedhonour, peace of mind, health, wealth,wives, parents, and, shudder when youthink of it, their children , at the shrineof this painted doll, this Fashion ; andthey are now , in bitter accents, lame nting their infatuation . See,

” con

tin u e d Kabkarra, what numbers areadvancing to how the knee and worship even here the image I havedescribed to you , the many-coloured

deity who on earth misled them !

Not frantic, like the followers of

92 ADA REI S .

Atis ; not in Bacchanalian riot anddisorder, do they advance wildly toperform horrid rites , but gently re

served, and timidly fearful , these fair

but faded votaries approach ! In their

hands they bear flowers once fragrant,n ow blighted, to strew upon that altarto which in early youth they were sacrific e d . How mournful , how haggard istheir air !”

Yet do they dance and smil e, andsing the song of love and joy,

” saidAda Reis .

It is no effort, replied Kabkarra,

for them thus to deceive the eyes ofothers

,whilst their hearts are bleeding

the mask of gaiety, the outward garbof happiness, these misled votaries arecommanded to put on ; many , however,have no hearts nor minds : these , ifyou observe, follow the rest, and form

the mass of the assembly, whilst the

ADA RE I S .

more distingu ish e d ,'

w ith heads erect ,and insolent air, usurp at parties andat feasts the places of supposed distin c tion : these wear peculiar badgesof servitude to their deity , to raise

them in the estimation of the gapingcrowd ; they mingle not, if you '

oh

serve, with the vulgar herd— nothing inlife for them had charms but honou rsdenied to others . At theatres they satapart ; to public exhibitions they wentupon days when the public were excluded ; the beauties of

“nature, theworks of art, the mimic representation .

of passions exhibited on the stage,study, amusement, the voice of song,the fire ofgenius, were all tasteless anddull to their apprehension , unless theyalone might exclusively see

,hear

,read,

enjoy, what others could not .”

I wou ld speak with them,

94 ADA REIS .

Ada Reis, and hear from their own

mouths their divers histories .Alas ! the history ofone,

” said Kab

karra, “ i s the history of all .

As he yet spoke, a fly, gaily extending its w ings, soared round and round ,ever the same continued round untilit consumed itself in the flame of agolden lamp , and langu ished away inagonies . -Kabkarra, pointing

'

to it,smiled scornfu lly Such is the h i

story, and such the fate of those youhave gazed upon— but enough of them .

—Passion, not fashion , I imagine, sire,brought you here .

”

I would converse, said Ada Reis,with that thin woman —why does sheweep thus P Art thou also one of these ?

Thy faded wreath , thy haggard air,thy lingering step, declare it.

”

I once was one of them , said the

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96 ADA RE IS .

repeated ; and to be consciou s that allmy tho u ghts,w ish e s, and ac tions aremisrepresented . Sir, can I say more? I wasidolized— I am—ah ! would I were onlyforgotten —But it is well—I lost myself. I felt the harshness and the u n

kindness of some too keenly— I seized

a pen—and the pen which knew oncebut to write with the milk of humankindness I d ipped in gall .”

No woman should ever write , said

Ada Reis .The lady sighedName to me, said Ada Reis, “

as

they pass us in long procession , these

misled votaries , and tell me truly allyou know of them .

They have borne with me, saidthe lady I wil l never return evilfor good, and As she yet spoke,she mournfully turned away, and fol

lowed with the rest .

ADA ru ns . 97 ;

If I had”

bu t re ally believed al l

this, said Ada Reis, nor passion;nor fashion , nor ought else shou ld

”

have bro u ght‘ me here . Why, Kab

karra, you knave o f knaves, you never:

even hinted at'

su c h things .”

Did I not P”

No, by the prophet ; and, so farfrom it, you promised to gratify my

ambition to its fullest extent ; you even

promised me, you dog, to bestow upon

me a kingly c ro v‘

vn

That promise alone should have

told you , said ‘Kabkarra, that I

meant you but l l ttl e favour ; for whether it be of thorns or of gold,it is aheavy care to h im upon whomfit

"

i'

s'

be

stowed . Man , when he places it upon

his brows, assumes a pre-eminenc e oVe r

his.fellow -creatures, and u ndertakes

an awful responsibility : if he perfor’

mVOL . 1 1 1 . H

98 ADA REIS .

the arduous task well, his reward is

infinite ; and ifhe fail , Ada Reis, muchis forgiven to the difficulty of his situation . But I speak only, my good Sir,of kings who w e re b o rn to the honour ;u pon whom it descended unsought for,and not to s u ch as thou, who had nomore need, heaven help thee, of beinga king than a cook ; and as I know youare fond of eating, tell me, by-the-by,ifyou ever any where tasted such fare .”

I think at Paris .”

Why the very traiteur you alludeto is head cook here

,and another such

left in that city had sent the rest ofthe inhabitants of that too delightful

capital to us without a chance of redemption .

”

Oh , this at least is good,” said

Ada Reis ; then w e shall live well , atall events. But Fio rmonda P”

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1 00 ADA mans .

stant the new guide approaching withsolemnity, requested h im to put o u

'

the royal robe and the crown , and

permit himself to be conducted to th egolden

l

chamber and ill uminated gallery, where an entertainment had been

prepared in return for the voluntaryvisit he had paid to the master of theseregions.

Be lnab i I think it singul ar I haven ot seen thy master before this ; it is

n o mark of respect in him to treat methus . Where is he P what is he aboutAda Reis received no answer to this

inquiry .

ADA RE IS . 1 01

CHAPTER V.

THE ROYAL APARTM ENT .

I am in -torments, in e ffable torme nts ! an u nre le nting fire preys on my he art.

VA T H EK .

KAB KARRA returned ; the doors ofthe royal cab inet were open . Ada

Reis walked forward . All was gloomy

here ; nor massive gold, n o r imperial

purple, nor. magnificence, n o r coldc eremony, could enliven the cheerlessaspect of the place .

It is no t j u st ! it is not just ' it is

not just that we should be here , criedthe multitude, mournfully addressing Ada

'

Re is ; as vast numbers s u r

rounded h im‘

o n his entrance, all lament

1 02 ADA REI S .

ing,and all looking to him with hope

of redress ; for even in these strange

scenes and halls they required a leader,the Europeans

,in particular ; and see

ing in Ada Reis that manner whichbespoke command

,and hearing that

he was a monarch , without further dis

c u ssio n they accompanied h im where

soever he led them .

What had the gloomy party now

given for one hour of that life they had

lavished away with such pro digah u n

concern Ofwhat matter now w ere the

quarrels, bickerings, envyings, hatings ,fears, and hopes, which had darkenedor illumined their j ourney upon earth !How their hearts reproached themfor every act of unkindness to creatures as frail , as miserable as them

selves ! How idle appeared now everyuseless extravagance

,every selfish care !

They were at the end of all things ;

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1 04 ADA REI S .

pictured upon Fio rmo nda’

s c o u nte

nance ; malice and cru elty distortedthe beautiful expression of Condulmar’s . Ada Reis paused to contemplate this unexpected scene . It i strue

,Fio rmo nda wore an imperial

diadem , b u t . it appeared to weigh uponand

.

oppress her . She was pale , asis the first h u e of death , but, like it,calm

,and still lovely : passion no longe r

lighted .her eye , nor moved her lip ;a -look of suffering only proved that she

w as alive ; but though alive, the heartthat had felt so warmly was as ice ; theblood that, in its rapid current, had

rioted so violently, was chil led ; the

thoughts, which had burst the bondsand fetters imposed by reason and duty

,

were all now turned inwardly upon her

self.

Ada Reis’s was for a moment deeply

ADA ;REIS. 1 05

affected .

'H e advanced , andw o u ld haveclasped her to his bosom, but he couldnot approach her. She onl y lookedupon h im with mournful, reproachful

silence ; her eyes gazing as the eyes

of one in stupor, b u t half-conscious

of what they see : her countenance

perfect in beauty, but darkened in itsexpression by all the hopelessness ofdespair .

We keep no sabbath here waswritten in large and b right characters

above the throne . Kabkarra, to relieveAda Reis, drew aside a rich curtain,and suddenly the illuminated gallery

burst upon his admiring view . This

was splendour ! this was beauty ! Itwas lighted with a brilliancy unknown

in the palaces of mortals, and in themidst of it was spread a banquet ofmore than regal magnificence . A

1 06 ADA RE IS .

burst of rapturous applause proceededfrom the astonished crowd .

By the Prophet, this is fine !"

Ada Reis .Enjoy thyself the moment grant

ed, said Kabkarra.

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1 08 ADA RE IS .

and wines of exquisite and rare flavour,whilst opening doors displayed asu perb

range of apartments, ornamented withbreathing marbles, and paintings themost exquisite : one charm alone waswanting—the charm of rarity ; for

j ewels andgold w ere scattered aroundwith such profu sion as to be disregarded , and the blaze of light was refle c te d from so many mirrors, that thedazzled eye had d 1fii c u l ty 1 n fixing itself

u pon any one obj ect. While thus rapt

in enchantment, m'

us l o was suddenlyheard, such as the ear of love listensto with

,

delight ; not the martial stfain

that kin'

dle s our wilder pass ions, neither themournful to n e

'

that melts the

heart to sadness, but the soft-breathing flute, the gay guitar, the harp

'

ac

companied by the Italian voice, notesthat thrill the ear, and

'

v ibrate to th e

heart -'and after this a more livelyand

ADA _BEIS.

'

1 09

a nobler strain . Its effect was like that ‘

of a summer breeze on a gloomy day,which puts the feathery spray

~of th e

saplings in motion , while the du skierfoliage hardly quivers to the sound ;for its effect on the youthful and gay

was instantaneou s . Fairy forms circled

w ith’

e v en measure in the easy waltz,or glided in the light quadrille, whilethe Spanish and the Russian moved ,

lightly to the sound of the bal'

alaika, or

bounded to the gay rattle of the castan e ts . Co nd u lmarandFiormonda pre

sided o ver the entertainment, and Ada'

Reis was to fill the next seat of honour .Fio rmo nda hitherto had not spoken ;and despair still sate unmoved upon her

countenance .

C ond u lmar seemed to regard her

with a smile of scorn . In truth , hehated and despised her

'

, and had themisery of feeling she c ould never die ;

1 1 0 ADA RE I S .

turning, therefore, from her with disdain, h e descended from the throne,and approached the banquet, makingsign for every one to be seated . Ada

Reis had been waiting some time for a

w ord of notice . C o nd u lmar now fixedhis eyes upon him and smiled a welcome, then casting them around uponthe fair assemblage, Men and women

of the world,” he said, I am com

mande d to b id you welcome by him Imay not name, whose sceptre for thisn ight I h e ar . Partake of this feast, e n

j oy the moments allowed you , and tomorrow your claims will be fairly heard,and your future state appointed . Ada

Reis, as a friend, I greet you .

”

A nice observer might, perhaps, havedetected as much o fmockery as ofcomplaisance in Co nd u lmar’s address, but

it was accepted by the multitude, as itappeared to h e intended , when Fior

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1 IQ ADA RE I S .‘

over the forests , and shakes with itsv iolence some old battlement, so onefearful cry of wailing and despair burst

from the assembled guests, and madethe galleries and halls tremble with thesound . Fiormo nda again addressedherself to Co nd u lmar, her voice faintand broken, as if no longer supportedby hope . Were it possible to move

'

the unjust to one act of j ustice, werethere a single chance of impressing thehardened heart, I should yet be heard .

It is true , that, in the short deceitfuldays of life, we committed errorsyoung in mind, and wanting in e xpe

rie nc e , we suffered ourselves to be b eguiled ; we knew right from wrong, Iallow ; b u t

‘

dmmons in your form beingpermitted to arise and tempt us, itwas scarce possible for us to resist : in

the name of these beings , who, likemyself, have been beguiled , I plead

ADA mars: 1 1 3

If it be permitted to you, —if yet a“

pitying angel hovers over Us to snatch

us from your grasp,~ —try us but once :

again ; permit us, With'

o u r presentconsciousness of the punishment thatawaits us, to encounter any tempta

tion : and should we, by our conduct,‘

and sincere repentan ce, merit some'

mitigation of our menaced fate, may ’

we hope to find it ? Alas ! we j udged

but through the medium of our senses ;we saw imperfectly, and the inte l li

gence of our minds was not su ffi

cient to penetrate the mystery : young,infatuated, inexperienced, we sufferedou rselves to be misled ; but had welive d, had time been given u s,'had we

positively felt afraidThis

, said ' Cond u lmar,“ is the

general complaint ; b u t Ada Reisknows human nature too well, not to be

c e lt ain . tha t were you again , w ith all

v oL. 1 1 1 . T

ADA RE I S .

the experience you have acquired, tobe exposed to temptation , you w ouldagain fall before it .Oh , b u t we should not !

” cried amillion of voices at once . Put u s to

the proof n ow , no w that we know towhat error and frivolity will lead, re

store us but for a few moments to life,

give us but one chance more , tempt

u s as you will, but let us retain a cer

tain remembrance of the consequenceof our faults, and see if we shall againcommit them .

”

Why do I waste my tears and

prayers, said Fio rmo nda, upon one

who cannot feel . Too happy in ourmisery, you would not give us this onechance of safety, even were the powergranted you to allow of it.”

Something like a smile curled the lip

ofCond u lmar, when a voice arose from

beneath , which seemed to shake the

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1 1 6 A DA REIS .

misery depe nds upon your choice .Should you now resist the seductionsof vice, and break through her fasci

nations, angels, who yet hover abovein hopes of h e aringyou hence, shall

snatch you from our grasp—Energy,firmne ss, resolution , may regainfor :you that which you have lost :

awake, then , and strive for victory,as the hour of tr ial is at. hand .

”

ADA nms . 1 1 7

CHAPTER VII.

TH E DAY OF PROBATION .

As in the Mediterranean and summerseas the waves will o fte n '

n o t beginto i work and whiten till the w ind is

down , sowhen the v o ic e ,wh ic h had beenlistened to in silence, ceased, a mixed

murmur arose . All lifted u p thenvoices, all promised, and all resolved,and at this moment from above thevaulted roof the hymn of penitenceand faith struck full upon their hearing. Amidst the choir Fiormo nda di

stingu ish e d the voice of her guardianspirit ;— her heart melted into grief,yet hope prevailed . The diadem nolonger oppressed her temples, a smilefromCo nd u lmarwas al l thatshe desired

1 1 8 ADA REI S .

he looked upon her, as when first hehad loved her.

Oh ! what a dream is happiness, since

it depends upon a smile or frown !That look restored Fio rmonda fromdespair to ecstasy ; and the beauty andvivacity of her countenance returnedonce again to captivate each beholder.She was now no longer a silent mournful shade, but the idol and queen ofthe feast ; and the first act of her

changed feelings was to throw herself

into her father’s arms, who clasped herto h is heart, and wept with tears o f j oy.

Others were there as young and nearlyas lovely as Fio rmo nda, who no soonerforgot their former alarm

,than they

gave way to their former flow of spirits .Lovers now wandered around the

galleries with the ladies of their hearts,asking ofthem their adventures, and de

scribing what had occurred to them

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1 2 0 ADA REI S .

The conversation by degrees grew

more and more animated and interesting . How singular, after all, that

there should be such a place !”

I never believed a word ofit,I swear

to you,” said one, though I affected

to do so, of course, for the example .”

But what do you really imagine,after all, is to happen P

” said another.Really

,

” replied a third, I have

done with imagining now .

”

A Monsieur de S a celebratedprofessor of philosophy, who had oftenproved ! to his own satisfaction) thefalsehood of all religion, was now discoursing with Ada Reis . He was,

” hesaid, he must confess, exceedingly dis

composed at what had occurred ; a

point blank refutation, he acknowledged, of arguments which had con

v in c e d themost enlightened, and gained

ADA REIS . 1 2 1

for himsel f the highest distinction. Butthat which surprised him even more

was , that'

so many phil osophers werewrong, and so much of what they werethought actually to have demonstratederroneous . I used,

” added Monsieurde S to talk much of the weak

ness of the understanding of man , of

the narrow limit of human Views, ofthe strength ofprej udice, and the wanderings

‘of imagination ; but, until I

came here , I was never aware of theextent to which they existed, nor o f

h ow much the world was misled by

them .

”

Ada Reis stood some moments

musing deeply upon what the professor

said . It is strange, sir !” at length

he exclaimed : I too, like you , have

been deceived ; and now I find that allI thought certain is false, and all that

1 2 2 ADA mars .

I derided and disbelieved as impossiblei s true .”

A lady, who had pleaded with elo

qu e n c e for a respite and further trial,now perceived her lover by her side,Are you here ?” said she “ i s it pos

sible PYour hand, said her lov er.Take it,

” she said, “ it is yoursalone and for ever.”

But hardly were their hands united,when the chill of death crept over her.How deadly cold,

” she cried, as theystood petrified and entranced , while thegay company still laughed around andsaw them not, or gazed upon them as o n

the statues which supported the portico .

Every one perceived with astonishment th e weakness of his neighbour ;every one in turn proved, that were

they to be tempted, as others were,

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1 2 4 ADA REIS.

b e shown : and by the religion and themorality they have misapplied andmisused they shall be judged and condemn e d .

” Their fate occasioned infinite triumph to the lawless and the

profligate ; but short was their laugh,and short their boast : for, strange to

tell, every oneyielded, however resolvedagain st it, when his own partic u larruling passion was excited by temptation . So that before the evening hadconcluded, the pretended patriot hadsold himself for hire theminister had

betrayed his king ; the king in hisresolve s, had oppressed his country ;the son had forsaken his parent ; the

parent had mis-spent the heritage ofhis children th e virgin had renouncedher honour ; the wife had forgotten hervow ; the ambitious man had become

mean ; and the infidel , after enjoying

ADA ns rs . 1 2 5‘

all the blessings of a long l ife'

in a fair '

and wonderful world, denied his Creator !Ada Reis , with new animation in his

eyes, filled his goblet to the brim, andlaughed at the failure of each departs

ing gue st, swearing that he hrmse lf hadnever felt happier any where . Intruth ,

” he added, if it were not myown inclination, I have done nothingto deserve being retained in these

abodes .”

As he spoke, a female stood beforeh im : it was not

,

Fio rmonda, but one

little less beautiful , and much re

sembling her. Could it b e ? Yes , itwas ! i t w as Bianca di Castame layoung, innocent, attached : he ap

pro ac he d to greet her— at that instant

the shade of Giu l l iano passed him .

Bianca appeared confused—her infir

1 2 6 ADA as rs .

d e l ity was beyond a doubt . ! ealousyraged in Ada Reis’s heart ; b e seizedher by her dark tresses, and, draggingher along, prepared himself to take

signal vengeance upon h e r. She knelt,she implored for mercy : she fell amangled corpse at his feet . Then with

a hollow laugh he rej oiced at what hehad done . The vision fled .

I have done a deed of blood, said

Ada Reis ; but I am secure .”

Rejoice in that security,” said h is

guide ; thy crimes are not singlecontinue, therefore, and enjoy thyself.

”

Co nd u lmar again breathed v ows ofardour to his mistress . I hav e dis

guised till now,

” he said , my real

w ishes ; your love, dearest and bestbeloved, is all I ask for. In infancy I

watched thee, in maturer years I dire c te d thy mind—thou art mine ! My

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1 2 8 ADA REIS .

fere nt— has this been the c ase P— ihone generous heart has affection yetoutlived the hard trial P— has such aone struggled hard, yet failed , to overcome an unworthy attachment ; andwas that being thus doted upon b el ie v e d to be superior to all othersP— washis smile, like Cond u lmar

’

s, all b e au a

tiful and seductive P— was his voice softand persuasive P— in his frown w as

there death to the heart’s peace P Ie tsuch a o ne now imagine Fio rmo nda

amidst the base, the vile, the wickedestranged from every human tie , andlo st to that love which sh e still continned to cherish .

Is that a catalpa in your bosom P”

said Co nd u lmar : give it to me , intoken of forgiveness .

”

She looked upon him , and love , moredangerous than an infectious fever,

ADA RE I S .‘ 1 2 9

c au ght from his glance new fuel where

with to consume her - she hesitated ;she had forgotten his cruelty— hiswickedness : she adored him, andshe saw that her attachment was returned .

‘

She felt again with all the

c o nfiding innocence, the ardour, theenthusiasm of first youth , for to that

per1 o d had she returned . The momentof temptation had recurred, and h uman frailty could scarcely resist : sud

de n ly springing from its delusions, sh eknelt and prayed for support.Scarce had she uttered the heartfelt

prayer, w hen her spirit, like a cloud,dissolved and melted into air . Shewas borne through the shriekingwinds ;she was carried in the lightning amidststorms and whirlwinds . Through flame

and throu gh air she saw crowding b efore her astonished senses al l that was,and is , and will be : delirium n ever conVOL . 1 1 1 . x

1 8 0 ADA mars .

j ured up such fantastic horrors as pas se d

before her ; but her determination con

tinu e d unshaken, and by that deter

mination she was preserv ed .

In the meantime the revellers continned their entertainment. The so ng

was gay, the dance w as more and

more'

rapid ; the wine was quaffed, themeats vanished, and the light became

so dazzling that the enfeebled eye

could scarce endure it. Condu lmar

now approached his other votaries andadmirers with tempting and deceitfulwords ; but, whilst he spoke, his visagebecame deformed, and its expression

terrible .

His adulators started back .

“ Is this,

they said, him whom we have loved P”

I w as ever,” he cried, the monster

you now see me . I did not even disguise myself, fair and frail ones, b u tyou chose to love me in spite o f what

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1 32 ADA REI S .

should oppose my passage ! Come withme, ye disciples, as I am , of evil : wehave seen the beauties and wonders of

this palace ; let u s now look upon ourking himself.”

He arose, and went forward ; allcrowded after him ; a sudden darkn ess enveloped them . The chill from

a newly-opened vault could not haveoccasioned a tremor like the coldwhich n o w shook every limb of the

terrified guests : they remembered,each of them , that again they hadfailed u nder temptation— the hou rof probation was passed ; darkness

was over all ; none can conceive thedepth of that darkness . As in thesilence of night a sleeping city is atonce awakened by the shrieks of thedying when a sudden fire has brokenout and devours whole streets, such

horror and astonishment came u pon

ADA ru ns . 1 33

them . Ada Reis started ; but withdesperate courage proceeded on hisway—l ow wailings

,convulsive so bs ,

were heard around— the stifled groan ,the agonizings igh, the bursting heart,every where betrayed the v ictims ofuncontrolled passion, lawle ss amb ition, and misused talents . The bright

aspiring eye of genius w as downcast,as before the mind of each indiv idu al

appeared his past life in full rev iew ,

and all his sins blazoned forth with

out excuse or pal l iation . Now flames

issued from the vault, a dazzling lightbroke the darkness , and again deepdarkness f ollowed the light, til l th e

bew il dered brain and enfeebled sight

became confused . Then that power,which yet Upheld them, gave way, andthey fell sinking into that abyss, wheremyriads of the miserable were con

demne d to remain in an eternity ofanguish , falling headlong for ever, as

{1 34 ADA ru ns .

in whirlwinds the hot sand c ircledaround their parched bodies , and thecold blast pierced their u nprotected

lungs—A shrill trumpet sounded at in

terv al s ; it sounded the funeral oflife’s

hopes, pleasu res, and illusions .

Ada Reis pursued his course—despair had taken possession ofhis heart .

The old grey librarian stil l gu ided

h im on his‘

way : terrific noises now

distrac ted his hearing ; sights the most

disgusting, huge , and extraordi nary,c rowded , one after the other, beforehim ; thought travelled with such speedthrough his brain , that inc oherent mad

ness cou ld alone be like ned to it ; yetconsc iousness was left him . I w il l

read in the Book of Life ,” he conti

nu al ly cried ; I will see my king fac eto face .”

Kabkarra suddenly re appeare d ; helaughed— that laugh grew louder andlouder—one prolonged terrific yell

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1 36 ADA RE IS.

have worshipped me here— fall down

and tremble before my feet ! Hail, AdaReis

The massive portals opened, and, wideas is the surface of the heavens, theBook ofTruth opened upon Ada Reis’s

view ,—every leaf was bright as a silver

cloud, or the shining surface of a lake,whilst upon each page was w ritten, in

distinct characters of fire, the word of

the Most High . It was suspended in

the centre, and the atmosphere around

it was serenely calm ; rescued souls,still performing penance, supported

the'

leaves ; with eyes averted andraised towardsh e av e n , they prayed eternally for the condemned ; whilst fire

and smoke enveloped the evil . T he

condemned within the immeasurable

depth of the area crowded together,a ll wailing and imploring for releas e

from pain . That release was granted .

ADA REIS . 1 37

They were n ow silent, and from a distance stood mournfully gazing uponthe sacred book ; the ir breaking hearts

and sorrowing eyes were all fixed u ponitsglorio u spromise s,with the conscious

ness that they had contemned, dishel ie v e d , and rejected its commands .The bad angels, though no t per

mitte d to approach and touch the book,surrounded it with flames offire, whichthey breathed from their nostrils andmouths, vainly endeavouring to darkenand consume its pages but, like astream of light athwart the darkness,it remained unobscured . Co ndu lmar

now e nte re d and with a form which hadnot yet lost all its original lustre, tookhis post, and pointed to the sacred v olume with a mournful air. The monarch o f that abode appeared not .

Whilst Ada Reis pondered upon this

fearful and unexpected scene, his feet

1 38 ADA 11 131 5.

became riveted, and his eyes, never

more to turn away,were drawn towardsthat, to him, despairing leaf the awful

sentence upon which so many bleeding

hearts, distracted thou ghts, and weep

ing eyes were fixed, was now read to

him by a voice from beneath , loud as

the shock of clouds andthe last trump :—it said

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1 40 ADA ru ns .

a dream ? Could the human mind have

pictured that which she had seen ?

And was she still on earth, sav e d , by the

care of Providence,from that tremeu

dous earthquake which had destroyedso many others ? What was the truthshe knew not. Never more did she

see Cond u lmar or Ada Reis ; nevermore did she re -enter the ru ined cityof Lima . Far away from all she hadloved, she sought, in a lone country,for a sacred asylum—she dedicated her

heart to her Creator ; she studied byday and by night to subdue in herselfevery selfish and weak feeling—andshe succeeded .

In the course of time a pious missionary, who chanced to pass near herhumble dwelling, hearing of her greatpiety, call ed upon her to be baptized,and converted her to the true faith

then ,with tears ofgratitude, she blessed

ADA RE IS . 1 4 1

the mercy of her Red eemer, and prayedthe heart’s prayer of the penitent . Her

sole obj ect, with respect to others,was to do good ; and, for herself, her

sole employment w as to repent herpast offences, and to amen d her life .

She lived the remainder of her daysalone . Pe ace at length returned to hersu ffering heart ; and when she di ed,she died in the hope that she had

been of use, that she was beloved and

regretted by her fellow -creatures, and

forgiven by that Being who delights in

mercy, and to whom she commendedher spirit .

1 4 2 ADA ns rs .

CONCLUSION.

No r far from the town of Guatimala,Upon th e Rio Las Vac c as, in the province of Honduras, in Mexico, arisetwo mountains . The one remarkable

for its perpetu al verdure, blooming

flowers, and richly cultivated land

the other for a wild and barren volcano,ever gro aning deeply from within, androlling to the heavens volumes of sul

ph u re o u s smoke .The native Indians imagine that a

good and an evil spirit dwell withinthese heights .The good spirit is said to inhabit the

verdant mountain, where spring everreigns ; and the evil spirit to dw ellin the volcano, from whence it rushes

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1 4 4 ADA REI S .

Arise, ere it be too late—the fate ofman is in the will of man . The goodspirit will confirm the resolute, andembolden the bold ; but the timid and

the feeble voluntarily deliver them

selves over to Kabkarra.

Look then , into your own heart ;repent, and pray ; beware of the fateofAda Reis ; for, however seductive thepaths of pleasure, however delightful

the palace, the banquets, and the song

of the tempter, remember that, step bystep , they lead to the gate of the burning vault , over which it i s written

Lasciate ogn i spe ranza v o i ch mtrate .

N O T E S.

No te 1,page 5.

B ird of the mou nta ins.

Co u do u r o u Condor.— La région qu e l

’

o n

pe ut regarde r comme l e séjo ur habitue l d e c e to iseau comme nc e a u ne hauteur égale a ce llede l

’

Etna, e t compre nd de s couche s d’air elev ee s de se ize cents atr0 1 s mill e to ise s au -de ssusd u niv eau de la mer. La cav ern e ! Mac hay)d

’Antz

’

sana , située v is-ap v is la montagne deChu ssu l ongo , e t de laque l le nous me su rame sl’

o iseau planan t, e st éle v ée de deuxmill e quatrece nt quatre -v ingt tre ize to ise s au -de ssus d un iv eau d u grand o céan . A insi la hauteur ahso ln e qu e l e condo r atte igno it é to it de tro ismil le six ce nt tre nte-n euf to ise s ; 1a, 1e barometre se so utient ap pe ine a douze po uce s .

C’

e st u n ph énoméne physio logique asse z re

marqu ab le , qu e c e meme o iseau, qui, pe ndantVOL . 1 1 1 . L

1 4 6 NOTES .

d e s heure s entrere s, v o le e n to urnant dans desrégions o u l’air e st si raréfié , s

’

ab fi t tout d’u nco up ju squ

’

au bo rd de la mer comme l e lo ngd e la pe nte o ccide ntal e d u v o lcan d e P ichz

'

nc ha ,

e t ainsi, e n pe u d’

instans, parc o u rre e n que lqueso rte , to us le s climats . Tabl eau de la Natu re ,

p . 62 .—H UM BOLDT .

No te 2 , page 5.

The peak of Chimborazo .

Chimbo razo , qui e st quatre fo is plus éle v é

qu e l e P u y d e DOme !’

ai v u , comme je‘

l’

ai dit, le baromé tre de sce ndre su r l e Chimb orazo a tre ize po uce s o nze ligne s de ux dixieme s. M o n s . Gay

-Lussac a re spiré pe ndan tu n quart-d’h e u re dan s n u air dont la pre ssio nn’

é to it qu e de Om, 3 2 8 8 . A de si grandes

hauteurs, l’homme se trouv e e n général dan sn u état asthénique tres-pén ible Le sav ant

qui fait de s reche rche s su r l e s langue s, v e rrape ut-etre av e c plaisir que lque s co njecture s su rl e nomde c e Chimbo razo si c é l ébre . Le C o r

regime nto , o u district on se tro uv e l e Chimb o razo , s

’

appe l le Chimbo . La Condamz'

ne

!Voyage a l’

Equ ato r) dériv e Chimbo d e

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1 4 8 NOTEs

No te 4 , page 1 1 .

B etter sit upon the promontory , and singw ith

my kinswoman, the spirit of the storm.

It.

is difficul t, b u t it is po ssibl e , to se e the

spirit o f th e sto rm. There is a w onderq y

beautiful drawing o f h e r, which th e translato ro f Ada Re is’s Tal e o nce w as pe rmitted to lo okupo n .

No te 5, page 1 4 .

Sh ef e l l andf a l lsf or ev ermore .

Le s fameux sauts d u N iagara do nt l es princ ipau x se tro uv e nt dans l e haut Canada. Dans

c e t e ndro it la riv iere a 600 v e rge s de large , e tla chute e st de 1 4 2 pieds . Entre l es chute s,il y a u ne pe tite ile ; l e saut qu i e st d u cOté

d e s Etats-unis, a 1 63 pied s de haute ur per

pe ndic u laire , su r u n quart de lie ue d e large .

Rien ne saurait dépe indre l ’é to nnement qu el’

on épro uv e e n v oyant ce tte éno rme massed’eau tombe r su r u ne ro che cal caire triesblanche , durcie par de s particul e s d e sablequartzeux , d

’

o u e l le rejaill it a u ne grandehaute ur, cha ngée e n écume q u i la fait paraite rblanche comme la n e ige . La v ape ur qui s’e n

NOTES . 1 4 9

exhale élancée e n bro uil lards v ers le cie l ,s’

aperco it de cinq l ie ue s, e t le s rayon s d uso l e il y prod u sent u n supe rbe arc -en -cie l . Le

bruit qu’e ll e fait e st te l , qu’

aplus d e six l ieue sil se fait e n c o re e nte ndre comme ce lui de v ingtto nne rre s a-la-fo is. 1 ] se fo rme , apres la chuted u fle u v e , de s to urbill ons d

’

e au si te rribl e s,qu’o n ne pe ut y nav igue , qu

’

a deux l ieue s dedi stance . A u pied de la cascade , on trouv ede smo nceaux de po issons e t de s tas d’angu ill e se ntre lacée s l e s une s av ec l e s autre s.

—L’Eu rope

e t Z’

Ame'

rigu e c ompare'

es, p . 108 .

TH E END.

LONDONPRINTED BY THOMAS DAW SON, WH ITEFRIARS.