The Malacia Tapestry (30 page)

‘I have good news for you, or I hope it's good news. Bedalar's pa is still being a difficult old clod, but she has managed to smuggle me along to Juracia as a musician. I'll sing for my supper while you do your brave deeds in the forest, massacring slobbergobs and shatterhorns.'

‘That's good news. I'll be in need of friends. You may see more of Armida than I, in that case. Listen, keep close to her if you can, watch her, protect her. I fear a noble rival …'

We broke off for the communion and the muttered words. ‘Soul and flesh … tokens of the great schism … one in Thee …'

Still munching, we pushed towards a side door as de Lambant said, ‘Are you really serious about Armida?'

‘Guy, don't laugh. I've not been myself lately. Something's got into me. Haven't you noticed?'

‘We haven't seen so much of each other. Is it Armida?'

‘Yes. I want to make something of myself. Oh, things I can't express …'

‘Sounds like love.' He clapped me sympathetically on the shoulder.

‘I swear I'll never look at another woman. Well – look, maybe, but never more than that. I regret some of the things I've done since I knew her. She's worth reforming for, isn't she?'

‘Oh, she's a splendid girl. Very pretty, too,' he said carelessly. ‘But Malacia's full of splendid girls. This is a radical change in you, de Chirolo. And not for the better.'

‘Just look to her in Juracia, will you, while I'm not there.'

‘It's a sacred trust, I swear. I'll do all I can to advance your cause, if that's really what you want.'

Much relieved, I parted from him in the square, and headed for the stables to collect Capriccio and give my last performance before Bengtsohn's zahnoscope.

All over again, I realized what a difference a horse made.

It was impossible to profess to be a gentleman without a horse. The gallant Captain John Pellegrino san Lasionio – even now riding loveless over many an unintelligible mountain – must have commanded a troop which had sustained considerable losses for a beast as stalwart as Capriccio to be consigned to baggage duties. True, the gelding was slightly lame from a sword-thrust in a rear wither.

Capriccio stood sixteen hands high; his coat was of a dull bronze. Both his teeth and his temper appeared good. In short, san Lasionio had done me a service, while I had rendered him nothing.

At the Chabrizzi Palace, activity was all. The servants were preparing to receive the family back from holiday, turning their own illicitly billeted relations out of quarters, and furiously beating carpets at windows after their spell of neglect.

Bengtsohn, too, was winding up his affairs. We had accumulated quite a little property for our mercurized play, not to mention our changes of clothes, all of which had been stored in an out-building. Now a handcart stood by, with Bengtsohn, his stout old wife Flora, and Letitia, loading it with all the pieces we had finished with. Bonihatch leaned against a pillar, sunning himself with Solly the Solid – a stout, impudent lad who burst into laughter as I rode up and dismounted.

‘Have you never seen a decent horse before?' I asked him.

‘I never saw a chick-snake riding one!'

To Bonihatch I said as I passed, ‘Prince Mendicula, keep your malformed subjects in their proper place, will you?'

Without answering, he followed me along, laying his hand familiarly on Capriccio's saddle.

‘A nag, hey? You've always had big-headed ideas. What are you up to now, de Chirolo?'

‘Isn't it time to climb out of that sweaty old tunic and into your fancy shirt?'

‘Ha, there's envy speaking! Let me inform you, de Chirolo, I know very well how you tried to seduce Miss Zlatorog to get yourself a shirt like mine.'

‘That's how you managed it. Well, you're welcome to it if those are the conditions. Does the poor little minx always have to bribe you with clothes before you go to?'

Bonihatch bared his teeth, lowered his brow, and raised a fist. I dropped the rein and squared up to him.

‘Come on, then, you cut-price conqueror!'

‘You saddle-sore fop, with your fancy airs!'

‘Now who's spitting envy?'

He swallowed his anger and dropped his hands unexpectedly. Turning a shoulder to me, he kicked the dust.

‘I didn't intend quarrelling, de Chirolo, but the sight of you lording it on that animal makes me sick. There's going to be changes in Malacia soon, and those who go barefoot to work will have an accounting with those who don't work at all.'

‘So it's been said for thousands of years. I'm in neither of your classes, Bonihatch, so leave me alone. I've got troubles enough.'

Facing me, he spoke mildly, smoothing his whiskers.

‘You're oppressed and exploited like the rest of us. You caper for the wealthy in your pansy clothes like a performing dog in a ruff. Join us and overthrow all those who victimize us.'

‘Do you ever get bored parroting Otto?'

‘Set aside personalities and think of the idea of freedom, of change, of equality.'

‘I can manage those things better for myself than a mob of ragged apprentices could.'

‘All right.' He looked at me contemptuously, his broad face dark. Solly came up behind him, smirking. ‘I know your idea of equality, de Chirolo! You plan to marry Armida Hoytola and play lap-dog for the rest of your days. What a life of misery that would be! But she'll never wed you – she doesn't want you, and her stuck-up fart of a father wouldn't let her if she did.'

‘I'll throw those words in your grimy face in a few weeks' time, Bonihatch! And then you'll have to grub about elsewhere to find yourself a job of work.'

‘I wouldn't give you thanks for her cast-off chastity-belts, that I wouldn't,' Solly jeered. He doubled up with laughter. Bonihatch ignored him, staring at me with furrowed brow.

‘You don't know your real friends,' he said, soberly.

Turning on my heel, I led Capriccio to the stable before changing into my General Gerald outfit for the last time. For the last time, I was to stand rigid while Bengtsohn's magic glass lens sucked light into his zahnoscope.

The Joyous Tragedy of Prince Mendicula
was complete, except for three or four scenes that needed to be done again. And still Bengtsohn had let nobody see the results.

Already, I had run my sword through (or rather behind) Bonihatch's absurd Mendicula. He had died absurdly. Letitia's Lady Jemima had taken a fatal potion and died on her couch for a full five minutes. Armida's Patricia had wept for as long against a draped balustrade, and I had attitudinized for as long with triumph on my face and red paint on my sword. All that remained was to re-enact a couple of poses which Bengtsohn regarded as unsatisfactory.

The first scene we replayed was the beginning of the betrayal, where Gerald casts a lustful glance on Patricia while Prince Mendicula is looking away. This was no hardship for me: five minutes of lustful glancing, my gaze fixed on that delightful breast, was hardly enough.

Afterwards, in a lull, I said to Armida, ‘How I look forward to viewing this complete production. Why is Otto so secretive?'

‘I don't think he trusts me.'

‘We shall be such a success! You will be so much in demand that you will have to turn actress; then your family can have no objection to my marrying you.'

We were sitting together in the shade, apart from the others.

‘General Gerald, I find your company exciting, but I already act in charades at home,' said Armida. ‘I would never become a professional actress.'

‘Even if you went into tragedy?'

‘It would be lowering. Now pray don't vex me, Perry.' She turned away.

‘You do not have to lower yourself. I will raise myself to you … But what's wrong with actresses? The talented La Singla – she is well born.'

‘My father tells me she was of peasant stock, and dishonoured as a very young girl.'

I laughed. ‘Her origins are legend. They have given her a career instead of a stuffy mansion.'

‘Lucky are they who can choose.' Her face grew very closed.

‘Choose to slip away with me after this and let us rediscover that ferny chapel in the palace. This will be our last chance.' I breathed the words in her ear.

She gave me a cool smile. ‘I have to go home to prepare for our journey to the country; it needs much forethought. We have an assignation in Juracia.'

Whilst speaking, Armida raised her face to look at me down that delicious nose, with her eyes and her lips appearing to generate a ripe degree of moisture. I was provoked all over again – as I was almost every time she turned that gaze on me and I met those eyes, at once dark and golden, which resembled the eyes of a lioness more than those of a human being. I could only feel that an assignation with her, wherever kept, would be the most wonderful in the world.

We worked through the morning, until we came to the final scene to be re-made, wherein Mendicula confronts his wife and the general in the rose garden. Between them, Solly the Solid, Rhino, Bonihatch and Otto – with Flora supervising – dragged the zahnoscope into the Chabrizzi rose garden. We took up positions. Bengtsohn loaded his machine and adjusted the lens.

For five minutes we stood, Mendicula disadvantaged yet challenging, Patricia and I close, she looking haughty at her prince, I staring above human folly at the sky.

‘Magnificent!' cried Bengtsohn, when he had clapped the hood over his lens. ‘So is finish our great work. I have good news, too. The Hoytola family has permitted that this little Tragedy of Prince
Mendicula
shall be shown before all at the Orini-de Lambant wedding.'

‘Before or after we present the comedy of
Fabio and Albrizzi
?' I asked.

‘All will be well, you'll see, Perian,' he said. ‘All will be well –' smiling and nodding and showing his yellowed old stumps of teeth.

‘Our living comedy must play first. It is already arranged for the second day of the celebrations.
Mendicula
must come on the last day, in case its novelty is such that people want to see nothing else.'

‘Of this I don't know nothing. I'm not in charge with plannings. I'm not in charge of nothing. I'm just a minion who must obey.'

‘There is a correct order for things.'

He and his wife drew me aside afterwards, while the apprentices hitched the zahnoscope behind the handcart.

‘Master Perian, we do not make obstruction against your success. Do what you can to help ours, that's all what we ask. That's reasonable. With the success of my entertainment, we can achieve more useful things.'

‘I'm not obstructing you, Otto.'

‘Maybe no, but you think too narrowly just of your own interest.'

His wife Flora had sagging dumplings for cheeks and larger sagging dumplings for breasts and buttocks. She said to me, ‘Master Perian, we wish to count you in the Cause, since you have a big name among the youths of Malacia.' She smiled, while looking round to see that she was not overheard. ‘Those who have power in the state have no wish to share that power; it must be taken from them. Before revolution can come, there must be a groundwork of change prepared, for the common good. My husband and I are old, but we steadily work for that change, just as we did in Tolkhorm. We cannot have
Mendicula
lost to view, because it must lead to gooder things. Set aside your personal pride and assist us, like what we assist you.'

This was the first occasion on which Madame Bengtsohn had granted me such a long speech. It crossed my mind that those in power were generally polite and cheerful; while those that wanted change, like Bonihatch, were personally offensive, discontented, and would use any means to cause trouble. While criticizing my pride, she manifested plenty of her own.

‘
Mendicula
is all very well,' I said. ‘Yet many will see no art in its silly tale of love betrayed; its one merit is novelty of method. How can it lead to better things?'

Bengtsohn said, ‘It is the
method
what is all-important. Listen to me, once we shall get the principle of mercurizing accepted, then much can be done with. It is
mercurizing
what is important. Innovations have to be slid into this state with such circumspection. If mercurizing will not be banned by the Council, then we can use the invention for social ends.'

‘You're a real schemer, Otto. It won't work you any good.'

I could not get away from the pair of them, and there was Armida, waving goodbye and showing a pretty ankle as she climbed into her carriage, her sour-faced old chaperon waiting to follow.

‘You've had experience how my balloons fly,' said Bengtsohn. ‘Imagine a modified zahnoscope taken up in a balloon similar. We can mercurize the ground below. Then, next time the Turkish army comes beyond our walls to camp, we mercurize the disposition from his troops. Think of the advantages of such a capacity to the military!'

‘And not only the Turkish,' said Flora. She took my hand. ‘We have worser enemies
within
the walls. We could mercurize secretly Fetter Place from the balloon, and the Renardo Palace, and the great mazes of the Palace of the Bishops Elect. Those hellish places will then hold more few secrets, and our revolutionary councils will hold in their hands a useful weapon.'

‘Mercurization is a
weapon,
' Bengtsohn said.

‘Be cautious what you say to Master Perian, now that he has a nag,' said Bonihatch, coming up. ‘He hopes to gallop himself into privileged beds where anything we tell him might provide a little chit-chat while he re-stokes.'

I turned with immediate anger, but the old man checked us both.

‘Save that tongue, Bonny. We don't want no enemies among each other. But the warning is taken. Perian, be wise. Wise is what wise does.' He nodded and walked off. His wife followed.