Over the Teacups

第4章

YoucannotforgetwhoNumberSevenisifIinformyouthathespeciallyprideshimselfonbeingaseventhsonofaseventhson。

Thefactofsuchadescentissupposedtocarrywonderfulendowmentswithit。NumberSevenpassesforanaturalhealer。Heislookeduponasakindofwizard,andisluckyinlivinginthenineteenthcenturyinsteadofthesixteenthorearlier。Howmuchconfidencehefeelsinhimselfasthepossessorofhalf—supernaturalgiftsIcannotsay。Ithinkhispeculiarbirthrightgiveshimacertainconfidenceinhiswhimsandfancieswhichbutforthathewouldhardlyfeel。

Afterthisexplanation,whenIspeakofNumberFiveorNumberSeven,youwillknowtowhomIrefer。

Thecompanyareveryfrankintheircriticismsofeachother。"Ididnotlikethatexpressionofyours,planetaryfoundlings,"saidtheMistress。"ItseemstomethatitistoolikeatheismforagoodChristianlikeyoutouse。"

Ah,mydearmadam,Ianswered,Iwasthinkingoftheelementsandthenaturalforcestowhichmanwasbornanalmosthelplesssubjectintherudimentarystagesofhisexistence,andfromwhichhehasonlypartiallygotfreeafteragesuponagesofwarfarewiththeirtyranny。Thinkwhathungerforcedthecavemantodo！Thinkofthesurlyindifferenceofthestormsthatswepttheforestandthewaters,theearthquakechasmsthatengulfedhim,theinundationsthatdrownedhimoutofhismiserablehiding—places,thepestilencesthatlayinwaitforhim,theunequalstrifewithferociousanimals！

Ineednotsumupallthewretchednessthatgoestoconstitutethe"martyrdomofman。"Whenourforefatherscametothiswildernessasitthenwas,andfoundeverywherethebonesofthepoornativeswhohadperishedinthegreatplague（whichourDoctortherethinkswasprobablythesmall—pox）,theyconsideredthisdestructivemaladyasaspecialmarkofprovidentialfavorforthem。HowaboutthemiserableIndians？Weretheyanythingbutplanetaryfoundlings？No！

Civilizationisagreatfoundlinghospital,andfortunateareallthosewhogetsafelyintothecrechebeforethefrostorthemalariahaskilledthem,thewildbeastsorthevenomousreptilesworkedouttheirdeadlyappetitesandinstinctsuponthem。Theveryideaofhumanityseemstobethatitshalltakecareofitselfanddevelopitspowersinthe"struggleforlife。"Whetherweapproveitornot,ifwecanjudgebythematerialrecord,manwasbornafoundling,andfoughthiswayashebestmighttothatkindofexistencewhichwecallcivilized,——onewhichaconsiderablepartoftheinhabitantsofourplanethavereached。

Ifyoudonotliketheexpressionplanetaryfoundlings,Ihavenoobjectiontoyourconsideringtheraceasputouttonurse。AndwhatanurseNatureis！Shegivesherchargeaholeintherockstolivein,iceforhispillowandsnowforhisblanket,inonepartoftheworld;thejungleforhisbedroominanother,withthetigerforhiswatch—dog,andthecobraashisplayfellow。

Well,Isaid,theremaybeotherpartsoftheuniversewheretherearenotigersandnocobras。Itisnotquitecertainthatsuchrealmsofcreationarebetteroff,onthewhole,thanthisearthlyresidenceofours,whichhasfoughtitswayuptothedevelopmentofsuchcentresofcivilizationasAthensandRome,tosuchpersonalitiesasSocrates,asWashington。

"Oneofourcompanyhasbeenonanexcursionamongthecelestialbodiesofoursystem,Iunderstand,"saidtheProfessor。

NumberFivecolored。"Nothingbutadream,"shesaid。"Thetruthis,Ihadtakenetherintheeveningforatouchofneuralgia,anditsetmyimaginationatworkinawayquiteunusualwithme。Ihadbeenreadinganumberofbooksaboutanidealconditionofsociety,——

SirThomasMores"Utopia,"LordBacon"s"NewAtlantis,"andanotherofmorerecentdate。Iwenttobedwithmybrainagooddealexcited,andfellintoadeepslumber,inwhichIpassedthroughsomeexperiencessosingularthat,onawaking,Iputthemdownonpaper。

Idon"tknowthatthereisanythingveryoriginalabouttheexperiencesIhaverecorded,butIthoughtthemworthpreserving。

Perhapsyouwouldnotagreewithmeinthatbelief。"

"IfNumberFivewillgiveusachancetoformourownjudgmentaboutherdreamorvision,Ithinkweshallenjoyit,"saidtheMistress。

"SheknowswhatwillpleaseTheTeacupsinthewayofreadingaswellasIdohowmanylumpsofsugartheProfessorwantsinhisteaandhowmanyIwantinmine。"

ThecompanywassourgentthatNumberFivesentup—stairsforherpaper。

NumberFivereadsthestoryofherdream。

ItcostmeagreatefforttosetdownthewordsofthemanuscriptfromwhichIamreading。MydreamsforthemostpartfadeawaysosoonaftertheiroccurrencethatIcannotrecallthematall。Butinthiscasemyideasheldtogetherwithremarkabletenacity。Bykeepingmymindsteadilyuponthework,Igraduallyunfoldedthenarrativewhichfollows,asthefamousItalianantiquaryopenedoneofthosefragilecarbonizedmanuscriptsfoundintheruinsofHerculaneumorPompeii。

ThefirstthingIrememberaboutitisthatIwasfloatingupward,withoutanysenseofeffortonmypart。Thefeelingwasthatofflying,whichIhaveoftenhadindreams,ashavemanyotherpersons。

Itwasthemostnaturalthingintheworld,——asemi—materializedvolition,ifImayusesuchanexpression。

Atthefirstmomentofmynewconsciousness,——forIseemedtohavejustemergedfromadeepslumber,Iwasawarethattherewasacompanionatmyside。Nothingcouldbemoregraciousthanthewayinwhichthisbeingaccostedme。Iwillspeakofitasshe,becausetherewasadelicacy,asweetness,adivinepurity,aboutitsaspectthatrecalledmyidealoftheloveliestwomanhood。

"Iamyourcompanionandyourguide,"thisbeingmademeunderstand,asshelookedatme。SomefacultyofwhichIhadneverbeforebeenconscioushadawakenedinme,andIneedednointerpretertoexplaintheunspokenlanguageofmycelestialattendant。

"Youarenotyetoutsideofspaceandtime,"shesaid,"andIamgoingwithyouthroughsomepartsofthephenomenalorapparentuniverse,——whatyoucallthematerialworld。Wehaveplentyofwhatyoucalltimebeforeus,andwewilltakeourvoyageleisurely,lookingatsuchobjectsofinterestasmayattractourattentionaswepass。Thefirstthingyouwillnaturallywishtolookatwillbetheearthyouhavejustleft。Thisisabouttherightdistance,"shesaid,andwepausedinourflight。

Thegreatglobewehadleftwasrollingbeneathus。NoeyeofoneinthefleshcouldseeitasIsaworseemedtoseeit。NoearofanymortalbeingcouldbearthesoundsthatcamefromitasIheardorseemedtohearthem。Thebroadoceansunrolledthemselvesbeforeme。

IcouldrecognizethecalmPacificandthestormyAtlantic,——theshipsthatdottedthem,thewhitelineswherethewavesbrokeontheshore,——frillsontherobesofthecontinents,——sotheylookedtomywoman"sperception;the——vastSouthAmericanforests;theglitteringicebergsaboutthepoles;thesnowymountainranges,hereandthereasummitsendingupfireandsmoke;mightyrivers,dividingprovinceswithinsightofeachother,andmakingneighborsofrealmsthousandsofmilesapart;cities;light—housestoinsurethesafetyofsea—goingvessels,andwar—shipstoknockthemtopiecesandsinkthem。Allthis,andinfinitelymore,showeditselftomeduringasinglerevolutionofthesphere:twenty—fourhoursitwouldhavebeen,ifreckonedbyearthlymeasurementsoftime。IhavenotspokenofthesoundsIheardwhiletheearthwasrevolvingunderus。Thehowlofstorms,theroarandclashofwaves,thecrackandcrashofthefallingthunderbolt,——theseofcoursemadethemselvesheardastheydotomortalears。Buttherewereothersoundswhichenchainedmyattentionmorethanthesevoicesofnature。Astheskilledleaderofanorchestrahearseverysinglesoundfromeachmemberofthemobofstringedandwindinstruments,andaboveallthescreechofthestrainingsoprano,somysharpenedperceptionsmadewhatwouldhavebeenforcommonmortalsaconfusedmurmuraudibletomeascompoundedofinnumerableeasilydistinguishedsounds。Abovethemallaroseonecontinued,unbroken,agonizingcry。Itwasthevoiceofsufferingwomanhood,asoundthatgoesupdayandnight,onelongchorusoftorturedvictims。

"Letusgetoutofreachofthis,"Isaid;andweleftourplanet,withitsblank,desolatemoonstaringatit,asifithadturnedpaleatthesightsandsoundsithadtowitness。

PresentlythegildeddomeoftheStateHouse,whichmarkedourstarting—point,cameintoviewforthesecondtime,andIknewthatthisside—showwasover。IbadefarewelltotheCommonwithitsCogswellfountain,andtheGardenwithitslastawe—inspiringmonument。

"Oh,ifIcouldsometimesrevisitthesebelovedscenes！"Iexclaimed。

"ThereisnothingtohinderthatIknowof,"saidmycompanion。

"Memoryandimaginationasyouknowthemintheflesharetwowingedcreatureswithstringstiedtotheirlegs,andanchoredtoabodilyweightofahundredandfiftypounds,moreorless。Whenthestringiscutyoucanbewhereyouwishtobe,——notmerelyapartofyou,leavingtherestbehind,butthewholeofyou。Whyshouldn"tyouwanttorevisityouroldhomesometimes？"

Iwasastonishedatthehumanwayinwhichmyguideconversedwithme。Itwasalwaysonthebasisofmyearthlyhabits,experiences,andlimitations。"Yoursolarsystem,"shesaid,"isaverysmallpartoftheuniverse,butyounaturallyfeelacuriosityaboutthebodieswhichconstituteitandabouttheirinhabitants。Thereisyourmoon:abareanddesolate—lookingplaceitis,andwellitmaybe,forithasnorespirableatmosphere,andnooccasionforone。

TheLunitesdonotbreathe;theylivewithoutwasteandwithoutsupply。Youlookasifyoudonotunderstandthis。Yetyourpeoplehave,asyouwellknow,whattheycallincandescentlightseverywhere。Youwouldhavesaidtherecanbenolampwithoutoilorgas,orothercombustiblesubstance,tofeedit;andyetyouseeafilamentwhichshedsalightlikethatofnoonallaroundit,anddoesnotwasteatall。SotheLuniteslivebyinfluxofdivineenergy,justastheincandescentlampglows,——glows,andisnotconsumed;receivingitslife,ifwemaycallitso,fromthecentralpower,whichwearstheunpleasantnameof"dynamo。""

TheLunitesappearedtomeaspalephosphorescentfiguresofill—

definedoutline,lostintheirownhalos,asitwere。IcouldnothelpthinkingofShelley"s"maidenWithwhitefireladen。"

ButastheLuniteswereafterallbutprovincials,asarethetenantsofallthesatellites,Ididnotcaretocontemplatethemforanygreatlengthoftime。

Idonotremembermuchaboutthetwoplanetsthatcamenexttoourown,exceptthebeautifulrosyatmosphereofoneandthehugebulkoftheother。Presently,wefoundourselveswithinhailingdistanceofanothercelestialbody,whichIrecognizedatonce,bytheringswhichgirdledit,astheplanetSaturn。Adingy,dull—lookingsphereitwasinitsappearance。"Wewilltieuphereforawhile,"saidmyattendant。Theeasy,familiarwayinwhichshespokesurprisedandpleasedme。

Why,saidI,——TheDictator,——whatistheretopreventbeingsofanotherorderfrombeingascheerful,associal,asgoodcompanions,astheveryliveliestofGod"screatureswhomwehaveknownintheflesh？Isitimpossibleforanarchangeltosmile？Issuchaphenomenonasalaughneverheardexceptinourlittlesinfulcorneroftheuniverse？Doyousuppose,thatwhenthedisciplesheardfromthelipsoftheirMastertheplayofwordsonthenameofPeter,therewasnosmileofappreciationonthebeardedfacesofthoseholymen？FromanyotherlipsweshouldhavecalledthispleasantryaNumberFiveshookherheadveryslightly,andgavemealookthatseemedtosay,"Don"tfrightentheotherTeacups。Wedon"tcallthingsbythenamesthatbelongtothemwhenwedealwithcelestialsubjects。"

Wetiedup,asmyattendantplayfullycalledourresting,soneartheplanetthatIcouldknow——Iwillnotsayseeandhear,butapprehend——allthatwasgoingoninthatremotesphere;remote,aswewholiveinwhatwehavebeenusedtoconsiderthecentreoftherationaluniverseregardit。WhatstruckmeatoncewasthedeadnessofeverythingIlookedupon。Dead,uniformcolorofsurfaceandsurroundingatmosphere。Deadcomplexionofalltheinhabitants。

Dead—lookingtrees,dead—lookinggrass,noflowerstobeseenanywhere。

"Whatisthemeaningofallthis？"Isaidtomyguide。

Shesmiledgood—naturedly,andreplied,"Itisaforlornhomeforanythingabovealichenoratoadstool;butthatisnowonder,whenyouknowwhattheairiswhichtheybreathe。Itispurenitrogen。"

TheProfessorspokeup。"Thatcan"tbe,madam,"hesaid。"ThespectroscopeshowstheatmosphereofSaturntobe——nomatter,Ihaveforgottenwhat;butitwasnotpurenitrogen,atanyrate。"

NumberFiveisneverdisconcerted。"Willyoutellme,"shesaid,"whereyouhavefoundanyaccountofthebandsandlinesinthespectrumofdream—nitrogen？Ishouldbesopleasedtobecomeacquaintedwiththem。"

TheProfessorwincedalittle,andaskedDelilah,thehandmaiden,topassaplateofmuffinstohim。Thedreamhadcarriedhimaway,andhethoughtforthemomentthathewaslisteningtoascientificpaper。

Ofcourse,mycompanionwentontosay,thebodilyconstitutionoftheSaturniansiswhollydifferentfromthatofair—breathing,thatisoxygen—breathing,humanbeings。Theyarethedullest,slowest,mosttorpidofmortalcreatures。

Allthisisnottobewonderedatwhenyouremembertheinertcharacteristicsofnitrogen。Thereareinsomelocalitiesnaturalspringswhichgiveoutslenderstreamsofoxygen。YouwilllearnbyandbywhatusetheSaturniansmakeofthisdangerousgas,which,asyourecollect,constitutesaboutonefifthofyourownatmosphere。

Saturnhaslargeleadmines,butnoothermetalisfoundonthisplanet。Theinhabitantshavenothingelsetomaketoolsof,exceptstonesandshells。Themechanicalartshavethereforemadenogreatprogressamongthem。Choppingdownatreewithaleadenaxeisnecessarilyaslowprocess。

SofarastheSaturnianscanbesaidtohaveanyprideinanything,itisintheabsolutelevelwhichcharacterizestheirpoliticalandsocialorder。Theyprofesstobetheonlytruerepublicansinthesolarsystem。ThefundamentalarticlesoftheirConstitutionarethese:

AllSaturniansarebornequal,liveequal,anddieequal。

AllSaturniansarebornfree,——free,thatis,toobeytheruleslaiddownfortheregulationoftheirconduct,pursuits,andopinions,freetobemarriedtothepersonselectedforthembythephysiologicalsectionofthegovernment,andfreetodieatsuchproperperiodoflifeasmaybestsuittheconvenienceandgeneralwelfareofthecommunity。

TheonegreatindustrialproductofSaturnisthebread—root。TheSaturniansfindthiswholesomeandpalatableenough;anditiswelltheydo,astheyhavenoothervegetable。ItiswhatIshouldcallamostuninterestingkindofeatable,butitservesasfoodanddrink,havingjuiceenough,sothattheygetalongwithoutwater。Theyhaveatough,drygrass,which,mattedtogether,furnishesthemwithclothessufficientlywarmfortheircold—bloodedconstitutions,andmorethansufficientlyugly。

Apieceofgroundlargeenoughtofurnishbread—rootfortenpersonsisallottedtoeachheadofahousehold,allowancebeingmadeforthepossibleincreaseoffamilies。This,however,isnotaveryimportantconsideration,astheSaturniansarenotaprolificrace。

Thegreatobjectoflifebeingtheproductofthelargestpossiblequantityofbread—roots,andwomennotbeingsocapableinthefieldsasthestrongersex,femalesareconsideredanundesirableadditiontosociety。TheonethingtheSaturniansdreadandabhorisinequality。Thewholeobjectoftheirlawsandcustomsistomaintainthestrictestequalityineverything,——socialrelations,property,sofarastheycanbesaidtohaveanythingwhichcanbesocalled,modeofliving,dress,andallothermatters。Itistheirboastthatnobodyeverstarvedundertheirgovernment。Nobodygoesinrags,forthecoarse—fibredgrassfromwhichtheyfabricatetheirclothesisverydurable。（IconfessIwonderedhowawomancouldliveinSaturn。Theyhavenolooking—glasses。Thereisnosucharticleasaribbonknownamongthem。Alltheirclothesareofonepattern。Inoticedthattherewerenopocketsinanyoftheirgarments,andlearnedthatapocketwouldbeconsideredprimafacieevidenceoftheft,asnohonestpersonwouldhaveuseforsuchasecretreceptacle。）Beforetherevolutionwhichestablishedthegreatlawofabsoluteandlifelongequality,theinhabitantsusedtofeedattheirownprivatetables。Sincetheregenerationofsocietyallmealsaretakenincommon。Thelastrelicofbarbarismwastheuseofplates,——oneorevenmoretoeachindividual。This"odiousrelicofaneffetecivilization,"astheycalledit,haslongbeensupersededbyoblonghollowreceptacles,oneofwhichisallottedtoeachtwelvepersons。Agreatriottookplacewhenanattemptwasmadebysomefastidiousandexclusiveegotiststointroducepartitionswhichshouldpartiallydivideoneportionofthesereceptaclesintoindividualcompartments。TheSaturniansboastthattheyhavenopaupers,nothieves,noneofthosefictitiousvaluescalledmoney,——allwhichthings,theyhear,areknowninthatsmallSaturnnearerthesunthanthegreatplanetwhichistheirdwelling—

place。

"Isupposethatnowtheyhavelevelledeverythingtheyarequietandcontented。Havetheyanyofthoseuneasypeoplecalledreformers？"

"Indeedtheyhave,"saidmyattendant。"TherearetheOrthobrachians,whodeclaimagainsttheshamefulabuseoftheleftarmandhand,andinsistonrestoringtheirperfectequalitywiththeright。ThenthereareIsopodicsocieties,whichinsistonbringingbacktheoriginalequalityoftheupperandlowerlimbs。Ifyoucanbelieveit,theyactuallypractisegoingonallfours,——generallyinaprivateway,afewofthemtogether,buthopingtobringtheworldroundtotheminthenearfuture。"

HereIhadtostopandlaugh。

"IshouldthinklifemightbealittledullinSaturn,"Isaid。

"Itisliabletothataccusation,"sheanswered。"Doyounoticehowmanypeopleyoumeetwiththeirmouthsstretchedwideopen？"

"Yes,"Isaid,"andIdonotknowwhattomakeofit。Ishouldthinkeveryfourthorfifthpersonhadhismouthopeninthatway。"

"Theyaresufferingfromtheendemicdiseaseoftheirplanet,prolongedandinveterategapingoryawning,whichhasendedindislocationofthelowerjaw。Afteratimethisbecomesfixed,andrequiresadifficultsurgicaloperationtorestoreittoitsplace。"

Itstruckmethat,inspiteoftheirboastthattheyhavenopaupers,nothieves,nomoney,theywereamelancholy—lookingsetofbeings。

"Whataretheiramusements？"Iasked。

Intoxicationandsuicidearetheirchiefrecreations。Theyhaveawayofmixingtheoxygenwhichissuesinsmalljetsfromcertainnaturalspringswiththeiratmosphericnitrogenintheproportionofabouttwentypercent,whichmakesverynearlythesamethingastheairofyourplanet。ButtotheSaturniansthemixtureishighlyintoxicating,andisthereforearelieftothemonotonyoftheirevery—daylife。Thismixtureisgreatlysoughtafter,buthardtoobtain,asthesourcesofoxygenarefewandscanty。Itshortensthelivesofthosewhohaverecoursetoit;butifittakestoolong,theyhaveotherwaysofescapingfromalifewhichcutsanddrieseverythingforitsmiserablesubjects,defeatsallthenaturalinstincts,confoundsallindividualcharacteristics,andmakesexistencesuchacolossalbore,asyourworldlypeoplesay,thatself—destructionbecomesaluxury。"

NumberFivestoppedhere。

YourimaginarywholesaleShakerdomisallveryfine,saidI。YourUtopia,yourNewAtlantis,andtherestareprettytolookat。Butyourphilosophersaretreatingtheworldoflivingsoulsasiftheywere,eachofthem,playingagameofsolitaire,——allthepegsandalltheholesalike。Lifeisaverydifferentsortofgame。Itisagameofchess,andnotofsolitaire,norevenofcheckers。Themenarenotallpawns,butyouhaveyourknights,bishops,rooks,——yes,yourkingandqueen,——tobeprovidedfor。Notwiththesenames,ofcourse,butalllookingfortheirproperplaces,andhavingtheirownlawsandmodesofaction。Youcanplaysolitairewiththemembersofyourownfamilyforpegs,ifyoulike,andifnoneofthemrebel。

Youcanplaycheckerswithalittlecommunityofmeek,like—mindedpeople。Butwhenitcomestothehandlingofagreatstate,youwillfindthatnaturehasemptiedaboxofchessmenbeforeyou,andyoumustplaywiththemsoastogiveeachitspropermove,orsweepthemofftheboard,andcomebacktothehomelygamesuchasIusedtoseeplayedwithbeansandkernelsofcornonsquaresmarkeduponthebackofthekitchenbellows。

ItwascurioustoseehowdifferentlyNumberFive"snarrativewasreceivedbythedifferentlistenersinourcircle。NumberFiveherselfsaidshesupposedsheoughttobeashamedofitsabsurdities,butshedidnotknowthatitwasmuchsillierthandreamsoftenare,andshethoughtitmightamusethecompany。Shewasherselfalwaysinterestedbytheseidealpicturesofsociety。Butitseemedtoherthatlifemustbedullinanyofthem,andwiththatideainherheadherdreamingfancyhaddrawnthesepictures。

TheProfessorwasinterestedinherconceptionoftheexistenceoftheLuniteswithoutwaste,andthedeathinlifeofthenitrogen—

breathingSaturnians。Dream—chemistrywasanewsubjecttohim。

PerhapsNumberFivewouldgivehimsomelessonsinit。

Atthisshesmiled,andsaidshewasafraidshecouldnotteachhimanything,butifhewouldanswerafewquestionsinmatter—of—factchemistrywhichhadpuzzledhershewouldbevastlyobligedtohim。

"Youmustcometomylaboratory,"saidtheProfessor。

"Iwillcometo—morrow,"saidNumberFive。

Oh,yes！Muchlaboratoryworktheywilldo！Playofmutualaffinities。Amalgamates。Nofreezingmixtures,I"llwarrantWhyshouldn"twegetaromanceoutofallthis,hey？

ButNumberFivelooksasinnocentasalamb,andasbraveasalion。

ShedoesnotcareacopperforthelooksthataregoingroundTheTeacups。

OurDoctorwascuriousaboutthosecasesofanchylosis,ashecalledit,ofthelowerjaw。Hethoughtitaquitepossibleoccurrence。

Boththeyounggirlsthoughtthedreamgaveaveryhardviewoftheoptimists,wholookforwardtoareorganizationofsocietywhichshallridmankindoftheterribleevilsofover—crowdingandcompetition。

NumberSevenwasquiteexcitedaboutthematter。Hehadhimselfdrawnupaplanforanewsocialarrangement。Hehadshownittothelegalgentlemanwhohaslatelyjoinedus。Thisgentlemanthoughtitwell—intended,butthatitwouldtakeoneconstabletoeverythreeinhabitantstoenforceitsprovisions。

Isaidthedreamcoulddonoharm;itwastoooutrageouslyimprobabletocomehometoanybody"sfeelings。Dreamswerelikebrokenmosaics,——theseparatedstonesmighthereandtheremakepartsofpictures。Ifonefoundacaricatureofhimselfmadeoutofthepieceswhichhadaccidentallycometogether,hewouldsmileatit,knowingthatitwasanaccidentaleffectwithnomaliceinit。IfanyofyoureallybelieveinaworkingUtopia,whynotjointheShakers,andconverttheworldtothismodeoflife？Celibacyalonewouldcureagreatmanyoftheevilsyoucomplainof。

Ithoughtthissuggestionseemedtoactratherunfavorablyupontheladiesofourcircle。ThetwoAnnexeslookedinquiringlyateachother。NumberFivelookedsmilinglyatthem。Sheevidentlythoughtitwastimetochangethesubjectofconversation,forsheturnedtomeandsaid,"Youpromisedtoreadusthepoemyoureadbeforeyouroldclassmatestheotherevening。"

Iwillfulfillmypromise,Isaid。WefeltthatthismightprobablybeourlastmeetingasaClass。Thepersonalreferenceistoourgreatlybelovedandhonoredclassmate,JamesFreemanClarke。

AFTERTHECURFEW。

ThePlayisover。WhilethelightYetlingersinthedarkeninghall,IcometosayalastGood—nightBeforethefinalExeuntall。

Wegatheredonce,ajoyousthrong:

Thejovialtoastswentgaylyround;

Withjest,andlaugh,andshout,andsongwemadethefloorsandwallsresound。

Wecomewithfeeblestepsandslow,Alittlebandoffourorfive,Leftfromthewrecksoflongago,Stillpleasedtofindourselvesalive。

Alive！Howliving,too,aretheywhosememoriesitisourstoshare！

Spreadthelongtable"sfullarray,Theresitsaghostineverychair！

Onebreathingformnomore,alas！

Amidourslendergroupwesee;

Withhimwestillremained"TheClass,"

withouthispresencewhatarewe？

Thehandweeverlovedtoclasp,Thattirelesshandwhichknewnorest,Loosedfromaffection"sclinginggrasp,Liesnervelessonthepeacefulbreast。

Thebeamingeye,thecheeringvoice,Thatlenttolifeagenerousglow,whoseeverymeaningsaid"Rejoice,"

wesee,wehear,nomorebelow。

Theairseemsdarkenedbyhisloss,Earth"sshadowedfeatureslooklessfair,AndheavierweighsthedailycrossHiswillingshouldershelpedasbear。

Whymournthatwe,thefavoredfewWhomgraspingTimesolonghassparedLife"ssweetillusionstopursue,Thecommonlotofagehaveshared？

IneverypulseofFriendship"sheartTherebreedsunfeltathrobofpain,Onehourmustrenditslinksapart,Thoughyearsonyearshaveforgedthechain。

Soends"TheBoys,"——alifelongplay。

WetoomusthearthePrompter"scallTofairerscenesandbrighterdayFarewell！Iletthecurtainfall。

IfthereaderthinksthatallthesetalkingTeacupscametogetherbymereaccident,aspeoplemeetataboarding—house,Imayaswelltellhimatoncethatheismistaken。IfhethinksIamgoingtoexplainhowitisthathefindsthemthusbroughttogether,whethertheyformasecretassociation,whethertheyaretheeditorsofthisorthatperiodical,whethertheyareconnectedwithsomeinstitution,andsoon,——Imustdisappointhim。Itisenoughthathefindsthemineachother"scompany,averymixedassembly,ofdifferentsexes,ages,andpursuits;andifthereisacertainmysterysurroundstheirmeetings,hemustnotbesurprised。Doeshesupposewewanttobeknownandtalkedaboutinpublicas"Teacups"？No;sofaraswegivetothecommunitysomerecordsofthetalksatourtableourthoughtsbecomepublicproperty,butthesacredpersonalityofeveryTeacupmustbeproperlyrespected。Ifanywonderatthepresenceofoneofournumber,whoseeccentricitiesmightseemtorenderhimanundesirableassociateofthecompany,heshouldrememberthatsomepeoplemayhaverelativeswhomtheyfeelboundtokeeptheireyeon;besidesthecrackedTeacupbringsouttheringofthesoundonesasnothingelsedoes。Rememberalsothatsoundestteacupdoesnotalwaysholdthebesttea,orthecrackedteacuptheworst。

Thisisahinttothereader,whoisnotexpectedtobetoocuriousabouttheindividualTeacupsconstitutingourunorganizedassociation。