A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder James De Mille

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144 This was a perilous and a tremendous moment. The fact is, I did like Layelah very much indeed, and I wanted to tell her so; but my ignorance of the language did not allow me to observe those nice distinctions of meaning which exist between the words "like" and "love." I knew no other word than the one Kosekin word meaning "love," and could not think of any meaning "like." It was, therefore, a very trying position for me. "Dear Layelah," said I, floundering and stammering in my confusion, "I love you; I--" But here I was interrupted without waiting for any further words; the beautiful creature flung her arms around me and clung to me with a fond embrace. As for me, I was utterly confounded, bewildered, and desperate. I thought of my darling Almah, whom alone I loved. It seemed at that moment as though I was not only false to her, but as if I was even endangering her life. My only thought now was to clear up my meaning. "Dear Layelah," said I, as I sat with her arms around me, and with my own around her slender waist, "I do not want to hurt your feelings." "Oh, Atam-or! oh, my love! never, never did I know such bliss as this." Here again I was overwhelmed, but I still persisted in my effort. "Dear Layelah," said I, "I love Almah most dearly and most tenderly." "Oh, Atam-or, why speak of that? I know it well. And so by our Kosekin law you give her up; among us, lovers never marry. So you take me, your own Layelah, and you will have me for your bride; and my love for you is ten thousand times stronger than that of the cold and melancholy Almah. She may marry my papa." This suggestion filled me with dismay. "Oh no," said I. "Never, never will I give up Almah!" "Certainly not," said Layelah; "you do not give her up--she gives you
145 up." "She never will," said I. "Oh yes," said Layelah; "I will tell her that you wish it." "I do not wish it," said I. "I love her, and will never give her up." "It's all the same," said Layelah. "You cannot marry her at all. No one will marry you. You and Almah are victims and the State has given you the matchless honor of death. Common people who love one another may marry if they choose, and take the punishment which the law assigns but illustrious victims who love cannot marry, and so, my Atam-or, you have only me." I need not say that all this was excessively embarrassing I was certainly fond of Layelah, and liked her too much to hurt her feelings. Had I been one of the Kosekin I might perhaps have managed better; but being a European, a man of the Aryan race--being such, and sitting there with the beautiful Layelah lavishing all her affections upon me--why, it stands to reason that I could not have the heart to wound her feelings in any way. I was taken at an utter disadvantage. Never in my life had I heard of women taking the initiative. Layelah had proposed to me, she would not listen to refusal, and I had not the heart to wound her. I had made all the fight I could by persisting in asserting my love for Almah, but all my assertions were brushed lightly aside as trivial things. Let any gentleman put himself in my situation, and ask himself what he would do. What would he do if such a thing could happen to him at home? But there such a thing could not happen, and so there is no use in supposing an impossible case. At any rate I think I deserve sympathy. Who could keep his presence of mind under such circumstances? With us a young lady who loves one man can easily repel another suitor; but here it was very different, for how could I repel Layelah? Could I turn upon her and say "Unhand me"? Could I say "Away! I am another's"? Of course I couldn't; and what's worse, if I had said such things Layelah would have smiled me down into silence. The fact is, it doesn't do for women to take the initiative--it's not fair. I had stood a good deal among the Kosekin. Their love of darkness, their passion for death, their contempt of riches, their yearning after
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1 A Strange Manuscript Found in a C
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3 pitch out a bit of wood." Upon th
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5 And as he said this he reached ou
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7 attacked the copper cylinder, and
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9 "It looks like Egyptian papyrus,"
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11 extended far out from the promon
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13 was nowhere visible, nor were th
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15 consisted of a vast sheet of flo
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17 "Well, I do," said he, "and they
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19 THE LETTER. "Bristol April 20. 1
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21 attached to a piece of rock. "Th
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23 can have but one ending--there m
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25 thin, shrivelled, black, with lo
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27 run, but there was nothing of th
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29 chief attention, and while all l
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31 for this I would have burst thro
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33 not stop for one moment, but pur
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35 terror in my heart, I waited for
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37 the surface were but the tiniest
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39 that a new peril had arisen from
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41 roads winding far away along the
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43 experience other sensations. I b
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45 scrupulous delicacy and a carefu
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47 wide space where four cross-road
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49 Next came Noel Oxenden, late of
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51 "Do you know what is is?" asked
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53 have been written at least three
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55 and his low position on the hori
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57 "That's a complicated question,"
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59 difficulty that I could see anyt
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61 mutual inquiry. I was full of am
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63 I was always rather quick at lea
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65 The "Kohen" did not remain long,
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67 likely that if we had ordered ou
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69 looking forward. On its head was
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71 CHAPTER X THE SACRED HUNT On tha
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73 but not a man quailed. Never had
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75 that I felt. "It was honor to th
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77 The speed was amazing; the faste
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79 I was senseless for I know not h
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81 hiding. But I saw that she had a
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83 them to go abroad, to travel by
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85 the victims! Rejoice! Give thank
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87 the eyes that weep over the path
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89 dark season with a feast. From w
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91 "This is beyond my comprehension
Page 93 and 94: 93 Almah shuddered. "If you had tol
Page 95 and 96: 95 and gentle and sympathetic, and
Page 97 and 98: 97 and for you, and for the reason
Page 99 and 100: 99 fate." "Fate!" I repeated, looki
Page 101 and 102: 101 "You don't understand," said sh
Page 103 and 104: 103 you--are you not to be envied i
Page 105 and 106: 105 We give up everything for life.
Page 107 and 108: 107 anguish beyond expression--angu
Page 109 and 110: 109 To such a story I had nothing t
Page 111 and 112: 111 fear of death. This desire for
Page 113 and 114: 113 There are many other crimes, al
Page 115 and 116: 115 observed that women are a littl
Page 117 and 118: 117 "Why, it must be a dodo, of cou
Page 119 and 120: 119 shoulder-bones like those of th
Page 121 and 122: 121 "All these stories of strange a
Page 123 and 124: 123 Latin or Greek word begins with
Page 125 and 126: 125 question, and gives us the conn
Page 127 and 128: 127 that. It seemed better to go, f
Page 129 and 130: 129 "Then I see by this that Almah
Page 131 and 132: 131 He laughed joyously. "There's n
Page 133 and 134: 133 tide as crowded and as busy as
Page 135 and 136: 135 that I made this discovery; for
Page 137 and 138: 137 they were all regarded with gre
Page 139 and 140: 139 up--no, not even if they could
Page 141 and 142: 141 "And then," said I, "if so, wou
Page 143: 143 of my race--and the fear that I
Page 147 and 148: 147 help joining in, and so we both
Page 149 and 150: 149 I thought that perhaps it would
Page 151 and 152: 151 For a moment I stood almost lif
Page 153 and 154: 153 No sooner had I found myself ac
Page 155 and 156: 155 "No." I was amazed at this. "Bu
Page 157 and 158: 157 "Oh yes." "How many?" "Four." "
Page 159 and 160: 159 utterly unable to show to Layel
Page 161 and 162: 161 said: "I should like to fly in
Page 163 and 164: 163 a basin-shaped world--an immens
Page 165 and 166: 165 molten lava; between us and it
Page 167 and 168: 167 did. I went back to the shore,
Page 169 and 170: 169 which was cooling and hardening
Page 171 and 172: 171 triumph, was Layelah. "Ataesmzo
Page 173 and 174: 173 as that. Do you not know that w
Page 175 and 176: 175 intervals apart, flying in a st
Page 177 and 178: 177 This, however, was intolerable;
Page 179 and 180: 179 from Layelah. She started back,
Page 181 and 182: 181 to reach before life was extinc
Page 183 and 184: 183 life or death, it is all the sa
Page 185 and 186: 185 Magones, and had searched over
Page 187 and 188: 187 rot and rubbish to the Germania
Page 189 and 190: 189 part do not suspect him of exag
Page 191 and 192: 191 "That very difference can be sh
Page 193 and 194: 193 ring-shaped, but the action of
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195 a different view of the case. I
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197 The Council of State gathered f
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199 this respect with the great pau
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201 inconceivable horror of that em
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203 class had a mania for doing wha
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205 I turned away in despair. At le
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207 darkness, faintly illuminating
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209 sacrifice?" "What?" he asked, w
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211 have heard of it, as the Koseki
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213 "I'll die first!" said I, fierc
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215 with one common impulse came pr
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217 CHAPTER XXXI CONCLUSION In the
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219 Meleks, for we will take the mo
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221 "What do you mean?" I exclaimed
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A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder James De Mille

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