Walter Pieterse Part 13

Walter had a vision. He stretched himself up, cast a proud glance at the beams in the ceiling, placed his right hand over his heart, extended his left, as if he were draping a Spanish mantle about him--remember that he had never been in a theatre--and said:

"Leentje, I am a prince."

At that moment his mother came in, boxed his ears and sent him out of the room.

Walter's princ.i.p.ality was in the moon--no, much farther away.

In the following the reader shall learn how he had attained to this new dignity.

Long before the beginning of this story--yes, a long time before this--there was a queen of spirits, just like in "Hans Heiling." Her name was A----o.

She did not live in a cave, but held her court far up in the clouds; and this was airier and more suitable for a queen.

She wore a necklace of stars, and a sun was set in her signet-ring.

Whenever she went forth, the clouds flew about like dust, and with a motion of her hand she drove away the firmaments.

Her children played with planets as with marbles, and she complained that it was so difficult for her to find them again when they had rolled away under the furniture.

The little son of the queen, Prince Upsilon, was peevish over this and was continually calling for more playthings.

The queen then gave him a sack of siriuses; but in a short time these, too, were all lost. It was Upsilon's own fault: He ought to have paid more attention to his playthings.

They tried to satisfy him as best they could, but no matter what they gave him, he always wanted something else, something larger. This was a defect in the character of the little prince.

The mother, who, as queen of the spirits, was a very intelligent woman, thought it would be a good idea for the little prince to accustom himself to privations.

She issued an order, therefore, that for a certain time Upsilon was to have no playthings.

The order was carried out. Everything was taken away from him, even the comet that he and his little sister Omicron happened to be playing with.

Prince Upsilon was somewhat stubborn. He so far forgot himself one day as to speak disrespectfully to his mother.

Even Princess Omicron was contaminated by his example--nothing is worse than a bad example--and violently threw her pallet against the universe. That was not becoming in a girl.

Now, in the kingdom of spirits, there was a law to the effect, that anyone showing disrespect toward the queen, or throwing anything against the universe, should be deprived of all t.i.tles and dignities for a certain length of time.

Prince Upsilon became a grain of sand.

After he had behaved himself well in this capacity for a few centuries he received the news that he had been promoted to be a moss plant.

Then one morning he woke up and found himself a coral zoophyte.

That occurred about the time that man began to cook his food.

He was industrious, building up islands and continents on the earth. In recognition of his zeal he was turned into a crab.

In this capacity, too, there could be no complaint against him, and he was soon transferred to the cla.s.s of sea-serpents.

He played some innocent pranks on sailors, but he never harmed anyone. Soon he received four feet and the rank of a mastodon, with the privilege of roaming over the land.

With the self-control of a philosopher he entered upon his new life, busying himself with geological investigations.

A few centuries later--remember that in the kingdom of spirits all time taken together is only as a short quarter of an hour--or to speak more correctly, that all time is nothing. For time was made merely for man, for his amus.e.m.e.nt, and given to him just as we give picture books to children. For spirits, present, past and future are all the same. They comprehend yesterday, to-day and to-morrow at a glance, just as one reads a word without spelling it out. What was and is going to be, is.

The Egyptians and Phoenicians knew that very well, but Christians have forgotten it.

Fancy knew that Walter could not read, so she related Upsilon's story to him, just as I am doing for the reader.

Some centuries later he had become an elephant; then a moment later, i. e., about ten years before the opening of my story--I mean years as we mortals reckon them--he was elevated to the cla.s.s of man.

I don't know what sins he may have committed as an elephant.

Anyway, Fancy had said, that in order to return to his station as a spirit-prince in a short time and escape any further degradation it was necessary for him to be diligent and well behaved in his present state, and not write any robber songs, or slip out things and sell them--even if it was only a Bible.

And, too, he must become reconciled to seeing Juffrouw Pieterse without a train on her dress. Fancy said it couldn't be helped.

This "Fancy" must have been some lady at his mother's court, who visited him in his exile to comfort and encourage him, so that he wouldn't think they were punis.h.i.+ng him because they were angry with him.

She promised to visit him from time to time. "But," asked Walter, "how is my little sister getting along?"

"She's being punished, too. You know the law. She is patient with it all and promises to improve. At first she was a fire-ball; but she behaved so nicely that she was soon changed to a moon-beam; and also in this state there was nothing against her. It seemed to be a pleasure for her; and it was all her mother could do to keep from shortening the punishment. She was soon turned into vapor, and stood the test well; for she filled the universe. That was about the time you began to eat gra.s.s. Soon she was a b.u.t.terfly. But your mother did not consider this suitable for a girl and had her changed into a constellation. There she stands before us now."

It often happens that we do not see a thing because it is too big.

"Look," said Fancy. "There--to the right! No, further--there, there--the north star! That is her left eye. You can't see her right, because she is bending over towards Orion, the doll which she holds in her lap and caresses."

Walter saw it plainly enough and cried: "Omicron, Omicron!"

"No, no, prince," said the lady of the court, "that will not do. Each must undergo his punishment alone. It's already a great concession that you two are imprisoned in the same universe. Recently, when your little brothers flooded the milky way with sin, they were separated completely."

Walter was sad. How gladly would he have kissed his little sister!--that group of stars nursing the doll.

"Ah, Fancy, let me be with Omicron."

Fancy said neither yes nor no.

She looked as if she were reflecting on the possibility of accomplis.h.i.+ng the almost impossible.

Walter, taking courage from her hesitation, repeated his request.

"Ah, let me live with my little sister again, even if I have to eat gra.s.s or build continents--I will eat and build with pleasure, if I may only be with Omicron."

Probably Fancy was afraid to promise something beyond her power; and she was sorry not to be able to give her promise.

"I will ask," she whispered, "and now----"