Middletown transcript., 1877-07-07


0 to beguile the hours by contributing tt
y your amusement"
5 Offering me her hand, which l re
$ speetfully raised to my lips, she then
It conducted me over the palace, direct
i. ing my attention to every object that
e she considered worthy of notice; and
q we had passed two or three hours in
i conversation. and remarks upon the
] objects before US, when l expressed my
wish to behold the curious fountain
f from which the island took its name.
81 shall obey you" replied she; and
, again her face assumed mournful
cast. She led the way to hall of
black marble, in the centre of which
) the fountain threw up its water to the
height Of twelve or fourteen feet, and
fell into spacious basin. The water
of it, when in body, shone with all
the eolors of the rainbow, and the
sparkling drops which were thrown out
on every side were brilliant as the
purest gold.
"How beautiful exclaimed I, after
some minutes of silent admiration
"These, then, are the waters of lon
gevity."
"And also of intoxication," replied
the princess. "They will be produced
at the banquet of the king; and. o
Sir be temperate, very temperate in
the use of them"
promised that I would, and we
continued our walk to the porticoes Of
the palace, where I pointed to the
statues of blue chalcedony, and beg
ged her to inform me by whom they
had been executed, and why they were
all in such grotesque and absurd posi-
ton.
"That is question 1 cannot answer,
further than that they were made in
the islandl We must now return, as
the kings banquet will be ready"
We sat down at the table of the
king, that is to say, l and my compan-
ions; for no courtiers, male or female,
were permitted to have the same
honor Each lady stood behind the
person who had been intrusted TO her
charge, and waited upon him. My gal
lantry, as a Frenchman, was sorely
wounded at the idea of my charming
princess performing the duties of
menial, and I expressed my feelings to
her in low tone of voice. She shook
her head, as if to rebuke me, and 1
said no more. When we had finished
the banquet, his majesty ordered the
water of the golden fountain to be pro-
duced, which it Immediately was, by
those in attendance, and extolling its
virtues, desired cup to be filed for
each guest, which was handed to him
by the attendant ladies.
As the princess presented the cup,
she contrived to press one of her fingers
against mine, before she removed them,
to remind me of my promise. 1 drank
but sparingly, but the effect was in ,
stantaneous-my spirits rose buoyant,
and I felt sort of intellectual intoxi- /
cation. At sign now made by the 9
king, the ladies now took their seats !
beside US, and by their attention and c
,aresses increased the desire for the +
water, which they supplied in abun-
lance. I must confess that at each sip
hat L took, the princess, who had f
aiken her seat by me, appeared SO :
much more charming in my eyes, that n
Notwithstanding the repeated pressure
# her foot to remind me of my pro :,
Mise, could not resist the impulse to
lrink. II
The boatswain and one of the sea- n
men were very drunken characters, f
md had very soon poured down so tt
much of the water, that they dropped
If their stools on the marble pave "
nents, without sense or motion. This D
ecalled me to my senses, which were fc
apidly stealing away; rose from my u
eat, and pointing out to my compan- al
1ns that it would i'll become them to b
ntoxicate themselves in the presence
f his majesty, requested that they W
Tould drink no more, but leave the ce
able before they were ineapacitated pl
rom paying the proper attentions to te
heir fair conductors. The last argu- 81
lent had more weight than the 81
rst; and Notwithstanding the remon- dc
frances of the king, who showed the
reatest anxiety that we should re- VI
lain, the party rose from the table hi
nd separated. The two men who m
ere intoxicated were carried away by /
,me of the courtiers, and the king, Of
18th marks of displeasure, quilted the co
all. was again left alone with my wi
larming princess, and infamed with
lie exhilarating draught which I had tn
ken, threw myself at her feet, de- ha
airing my violent passion, and my no
ish never to quit the island, if I could sta
, blessed with reciprocal feeling on ex
sr part. perceived that l had made in.
| impression; and following up my mic