It is very provoking," continued the An, "for she whom I love has certainly courted no one else, and I cannot but think she likes me.Sometimes I suspect that she does not court me because she fears I would ask some unreasonable settlement asto the surrender of her rights.But if so, she cannot really love me, for where a Gy really loves she forgoes all rights.""Is this young Gy present?"
"Oh yes.She sits yonder talking to my mother."I looked in the direction to which my eyes were thus guided, and saw a Gy dressed in robes of bright red, which among this people is a sign that a Gy as yet prefers a single state.She wears gray, a neutral tint, to indicate that she is looking about for a spouse; dark purple if she wishes to intimate that she has made a choice; purple and orange when she is betrothed or married; light blue when she is divorced or a widow, and would marry again.Light blue is of course seldom seen.
Among a people where all are of so high a type of beauty, it is difficult to single out one as peculiarly handsome.My young friend's choice seemed to me to possess the average of good looks; but there was an expression in her face that pleased me more than did the faces of the young Gy-ei generally, because it looked less bold- less conscious of female rights.Iobserved that, while she talked to Bra, she glanced, from time to time, sidelong at my young friend.
"Courage," said I, "that young Gy loves you.""Ay, but if she shall not say so, how am I the better for her love?""Your mother is aware of your attachment?""Perhaps so.I never owned it to her.It would be un-Anly to confide such weakness to a mother.I have told my father; he may have told it again to his wife.""Will you permit me to quit you for a moment and glide behind your mother and your beloved? I am sure they are talking about you.Do not hesitate.I promise that I will not allow myself to be questioned till I rejoin you."The young An pressed his hand on his heart, touched me lightly on the head, and allowed me to quit his side.I stole unobserved behind his mother and his beloved.I overheard their talk.
Bra was speaking; said she, "There can be no doubt of this:
either my son, who is of marriageable age, will be decoyed into marriage with one of his many suitors, or he will join those who emigrate to a distance and we shall see him no more.If you really care for him, my dear Lo, you should propose.""I do care for him, Bra; but I doubt if I could really ever win his affections.He is fond of his inventions and timepieces;and I am not like Zee, but so dull that I fear I could not enter into his favourite pursuits, and then he would get tired of me, and at the end of three years divorce me, and I could never marry another- never.""It is not necessary to know about timepieces to know how to be so necessary to the happiness of an An, who cares for timepieces, that he would rather give up the timepieces than divorce his Gy.You see, my dear Lo," continued Bra, "that precisely because we are the stronger sex, we rule the other provided we never show our strength.If you were superior to my son in making timepieces and automata, you should, as his wife, always let him suppose you thought him superior in that art to yourself.The An tacitly allows the pre-eminence of the Gy in all except his own special pursuit.But if she either excels him in that, or affects not to admire him for his proficiency in it, he will not love her very long; perhaps he may even divorce her.But where a Gy really loves, she soon learns to love all that the An does."The young Gy made no answer to this address.She looked down musingly, then a smile crept over her lips, and she rose, still silent, and went through the crowd till she paused by the young An who loved her.I followed her steps, but discreetly stood at a little distance while I watched them.Somewhat to my surprise, till I recollected the coy tactics among the Ana, the lover seemed to receive her advances with an air of indifference.He even moved away, but she pursued his steps,and, a little time after, both spread their wings and vanished amid the luminous space above.
Just then I was accosted by the chief magistrate, who mingled with the crowd distinguished by no signs of deference or homage.It so happened that I had not seen this great dignitary since the day I had entered his dominions, and recalling Aph-Lin's words as to his terrible doubt whether or not I should be dissected, a shudder crept over me at the sight of his tranquil countenance.
"I hear much of you, stranger, from my son Taee," said the Tur, laying his hand politely on my bended head."He is very fond of your society, and I trust you are not displeased with the customs of our people."I muttered some unintelligible answer, which I intended to be an assurance of my gratitude for the kindness I had received from the Tur, and my admiration of his countrymen, but the dissecting-knife gleamed before my mind's eye and choked my utterance.A softer voice said, "My brother's friend must be dear to me." And looking up I saw a young Gy, who might be sixteen years old, standing beside the magistrate and gazing at me with a very benignant countenance.She had not come to her full growth, and was scarcely taller than myself (viz., about 5feet 10 inches), and, thanks to that comparatively diminutive stature, I thought her the loveliest Gy I had hitherto seen.Isuppose something in my eyes revealed that impression, for her countenance grew yet more benignant.
"Taee tells me," she said, "that you have not yet learned to accustom yourself to wings.That grieves me, for I should have liked to fly with you.""Alas!" I replied, "I can never hope to enjoy that happiness.
