Part 23 (1/2)

”Well, what docs Phrasilas think about it?”

”He is an admirable writer,” said the little man.

”In what sense?”

[Ill.u.s.tration]

”In the sense that all writers, Timon, are admirable in something, like all landscapes and all souls. I cannot prefer the spectacle of the sea itself to the most monotonous plain. And so I am unable to cla.s.sify in the order of my sympathies a treatise by Cicero, an ode of Pindar, and a letter written by Chrysis, even if I knew the style of our excellent little friend, when I put down a book, I am content if I carry away in my memory a single line which has given me food for thought. Hitherto, all the books I have opened have contained that line: but no book has ever given me a second. Perhaps each of us has only one thing to say in his life, and those who have attempted to speak at greater length have done so because they were inflated by ambition. How much more do I regret the irreparable silence of the millions of souls who have said nothing.”

”I am not of your opinion,” said Naukrates, without lifting his eyes.

”The universe was created for the expression of three verities, and to our misfortune, their cert.i.tude was proved five centuries before this evening. Herac.l.i.tos has solved the riddle of the world; Parmenides has unmasked the soul; Pythagoras has measured G.o.d; we have nothing left us but to hold our tongues. I consider the chickpea very rash.”

Seso lightly tapped the table with the handle of her fan.

”Timon, my friend,” she said.

”What is it?”

”Why do you propound questions without any interest either for me who am ignorant of Latin, or for yourself who want to forget it? Do you fancy you can dazzle Faustina with your foreign erudition? My poor fellow, I am not the woman to be duped by your words. I undressed your great soul last night under my bed-clothes, and I know the chickpea it concerns itself with.”

”Do you think so?” said the young man, simply.

But Phrasilas began a second little couplet, with a suave, ironical intonation.

”Seso, when you think fit to give us the pleasure of judging Timon, whether to applaud him, as he deserves, or to blame him, unjustly in my opinion, remember that he is an invisible being and that the nature of his soul is hidden from us. It has no existence in itself, or at least we cannot know it; but it reflects the souls of those that mirror themselves in it, and changes its aspect when it changes its place. Last night it resembled you exactly; I am not astonished you were pleased with it. Just now it took the image of Philodemos; that is why you have just said it belied itself. Now it certainly does not belie itself, because it does not affirm itself. You see my dear, that we ought to beware of rash judgments.”

Timon shot a glance of irritation at Phrasilas, but he reserved his reply.

”However that may be,” answered Seso, ”there are four of us courtesans here, and we intend to direct the conversation, in order that we may not resemble pink children who only open their mouths to drink milk.

Faustina, you arrived the last, please begin.”

”Very good,” said Naukrates. ”Choose for us, Faustina. What shall we talk about?”

The young Italian woman turned her head, raised her eyes, blushed, and with an undulation of her whole body, sighed:

”Love.”

”A very pretty subject,” said Seso, trying not to laugh.

But no one took it up.

The table was covered with wreaths, flowers, tankards, and jugs. Slaves brought wicker baskets, containing bread as light as snow. On terra-cotta plates were to be seen fat eels sprinkled with seasoning, wax-coloured alphests, and sacred beauty-fish.

There was also a pompilus, a purple fish which was supposed to have sprung from the same foam as Aphrodite, bebradons, a grey mullet served up with calmars, multi-coloured scorpenas Some were brought in their little sauce-pans, in order that they might be eaten foaming hot; fat tunnyfish, hot devil-fish with tender tentacles, slices of lamprey; finally the belly of a white electric eel, round as that of a beautiful woman.

Such was the first course. The guests chose little t.i.t-bits from each fish, and left the rest to the slaves.

”Love,” began Phrasilas, ”is a word which has no meaning, or rather too much, for it designates in turn two irreconcilable feelings: sensual gratification and pa.s.sion. I do not know in what sense Faustina takes it.”