登陆注册
5240200000057

第57章 CHAPTER XL.

Osmin, the Little Moor.--He Sets the Fashion.--The Queen Has a Black Baby.--Osmin is Dismissed.

I have already told how the envoys of the King of Arda, an African prince, gave to the Queen a nice little blackamoor, as a toy and pet.

This Moor, aged about ten or twelve years, was only twenty-seven inches in height, and the King of Arda declared that, being quite unique, the boy would never grow to be taller than three feet.

The Queen instantly took a great fancy to this black creature. Sometimes he gambolled about and turned somersaults on her carpet like a kitten, or frolicked about on the bureau, the sofa, and even on the Queen's lap.

As she passed from one room to another, he used to hold up her train, and delighted to catch hold of it and so make the Queen stop short suddenly, or else to cover his head and face with it, for mischief, to make the courtiers laugh.

He was arrayed in regular African costume, wearing handsome bracelets, armlets, a necklace ablaze with jewels, and a splendid turban. Wishing to show myself agreeable, I gave him a superb aigrette of rubies and diamonds; I was always sorry afterwards that I did so.

The King could never put up with this little dwarf, albeit his features were comely enough. To begin with, he thought him too familiar, and never even answered him when the dwarf dared to address him.

Following the fashion set by her Majesty, all the Court ladies wanted to have little blackamoors to follow them about, set off their white complexions, and hold up their cloaks or their trains. Thus it came that Mignard, Le Bourdon, and other painters of the aristocracy, used to introduce negro boys into all their large portraits. It was a mode, a mania; but so absurd a fashion soon had to disappear after the mishap of which I am about to tell.

The Queen being pregnant, public prayers were offered up for her according to custom, and her Majesty was forever saying: "My pregnancy this time is different from preceding ones. I am a prey to nausea and strange whims; I have never felt like this before. If, for propriety's sake, I did not restrain myself, I should now dearly like to be turning somersaults on the carpet, like little Osmin. He eats green fruit and raw game; that is what I should like to do, too. I should like to--""Oh, madame, you frighten us!" exclaimed the King. "Don't let all those whimsies trouble you further, or you will give birth to some monstrosity, some freak of nature." His Majesty was a true prophet. The Queen was delivered of a fine little girl, black as ink from head to foot. They did not tell her this at once, fearing a catastrophe, but persuaded her to go to sleep, saying that the child had been taken away to be christened.

The physicians met in one room, the bishops and chaplains in another.

One prelate was opposed to baptising the infant; another only agreed to this upon certain conditions. The majority decided that it should be baptised without the name of father or mother, and such suppression was unanimously advocated.

The little thing, despite its swarthy hue, was most beautifully made; its features bore none of those marks peculiar to people of colour.

It was sent away to the Gisors district to be suckled as a negro's daughter, and the Gazette de France contained an announcement to the effect that the royal infant had died, after having been baptised by the chaplains.

[This daughter of the Queen lived, and was obliged to enter a Benedictine nunnery at Moret. Her portrait is to be seen in the Sainte Genevieve Library of Henri IV.'s College, where it hangs in the winter saloon. --EDITOR'S NOTE.]

The little African was sent away, as may well be imagined; and the Queen admitted that, one day soon after she was pregnant, he had hidden himself behind a piece of furniture and suddenly jumped out upon her to give her a fright. In this he was but too successful.

The Court ladies no longer dared come near the Queen attended by their little blackamoors. These, however, they kept for a while longer, as if they were mere nick-hacks or ornaments; in Paris they were still to be seen in public. But the ladies' husbands at last got wind of the tale, when all the little negroes disappeared.

同类推荐
  • 太上内丹守一真定经

    太上内丹守一真定经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 因明入正理论

    因明入正理论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上召诸龙神安镇坟墓经

    太上召诸龙神安镇坟墓经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 幽闺记

    幽闺记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 北狩见闻录

    北狩见闻录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 逆天嫡女:鬼帝,来一战

    逆天嫡女:鬼帝,来一战

    前世,高贵如她却有眼无珠,被渣男渣女伤的体无完肤、九族被灭,成为世人眼里可笑可怜的干尸血牛。重生归来,辱她者杀无赦,惩恶奴、斗恶父、虐渣虐白莲花,将一切屈辱百倍还之。她杀人、他埋尸,她放火、他灭口,强强联手,一袭凤血嫁衣行天下,问谁不怕。
  • 念念都是你

    念念都是你

    他是热血军人,保家卫国是他的使命,她是支教老师,教书育人是她的职业,铁血柔情的甜蜜恋人,和歹徒斗智斗勇的故事。九月的QQ群301898222
  • 妾心如水

    妾心如水

    *一场宫廷斗争,我被拉进漩涡。我最最爱的亲人惨死宫中。我最最爱的人与我成婚只为了折磨我。求生不得求死不能!我成了这个世界最最孤寂的一个人。灵魂在狂风中摇摆…当身体被疼痛淹没,情感是否还能被守护在心底的最深处,完好无损!*我常说:人不能做错事,因为有些事错了,就不可能再挽回。所以,做错了!就要罚!做错的人,就应该坦然的受罚!*逃走是否能够逃离噩梦般的一切?心死是否能够逃避所有的伤心?事情发展到最后,还有什么是我所能坚持的。一手帮助我最最心爱的男人得到帝国江山。是我赎罪的方式。*渊哥哥,但愿我们永不相见…*当爱,被恨蒙蔽!当鞭打,变成了你爱我的方式。我能给你天下,却再也给不了你,我的心…
  • 狐狸王妃别跑

    狐狸王妃别跑

    我是一个杀手却穿越成一只狐狸。他冷漠无情却独宠一只狐狸。场景一。"王爷,王妃不见了。″他跑到卧室看到一只雪白的狐狸。:说不要找了
  • 完美告白:轻声

    完美告白:轻声

    多年后再遇,她鼓起勇气跟他打招呼。“好久不……”换来的却是他冷淡至极的“借过。”幼时初识,他护着她,陪着她。她以为他是一个淡然漠世的少年…直到有一天,某人露出了狐狸尾巴,她才发现自己竟不知不觉入了坑……“因为遇到了你,所以这个世界开始温柔起来。”“喜欢是什么声音?”“轻声似无声。”“是心声。”
  • 娇宠甜妻:腹黑老公请节制

    娇宠甜妻:腹黑老公请节制

    暗恋终结,一纸婚约,她嫁给全城第一钻石单身汉,从此踏进豪门,风生水起,人人艳羡。但谁能告诉他,婚前高冷到没朋友的大Boss婚后为什么热情如火,夜夜索欢,不知餍足!“老公,我今天身体不舒服,求放过!”“老公,我亲戚来看我了,求放过!”叶安可总期盼着大Boss能放她一晚的假,可惜她嫁的老公太威猛!他要她的借口有上百种,层出不穷,眼花缭乱,目不暇接,却不接受她有任何拒绝的理由。“娘子,为夫一夜七次都没问题,怪我咯?”大Boss挑起她的下巴,邪魅一笑,叶安可对此欲哭无泪!
  • 烈焰鬼瞳:异能王妃定天下

    烈焰鬼瞳:异能王妃定天下

    一纸赐婚,婚嫁三日杖毙,再次醒来,灵魂异变,白天,她是王府里无耻又狗腿的小婢女,暗夜却是鬼魅上身的无极门天尊,一朝风云叱咤江湖,最终情归何处?***“宫主,不好了,云尊主带人炮轰了幽冥山的大门。”某暗卫惊恐的冲了进来。某男正单手支着脑袋看书,头也不抬的回道,“没事,下次多做几扇门让她轰个够。”“宫主,不好了,云尊主带人打劫了藏宝阁。”某暗卫万分心疼的禀告。“咦?本宫这藏宝阁还有小家伙看中的东西,真是难得,你赶紧去看看,只要是小家伙看上的都让她带走,看不上的也让她带上,就当是睹物思人吧!”“宫主,不好了……”“又怎么了?”某男无比邪魅的侧躺在床上问道。“云尊主跟着天辰战神跑了……”“哦,没事,那只是假的,真的已经成了你们夫人了……”一颗小脑袋从他背后冒出来,凉凉的说道,“皇舅舅师父,拆人姻缘可是要遭天谴的。
  • 秦汉之建国路

    秦汉之建国路

    萧何、曹参已经缒墙而出。穿越到秦末乱世,成为了刘邦的侄儿刘辟非,马上却要面临被逮捕的命运。他巧舌如簧,他胆大坚毅,他用兵如神,热烈拥抱乱世的到来!刘邦:辟非,吾之左膀,汉之右臂。郦食其:小刘将军虽然没有我会说,但胆子比我大。韩信:吾善用水,独羡慕小刘将军火攻之术。
  • 舌尖上的游戏:玩家来自星星

    舌尖上的游戏:玩家来自星星

    警报!来自星星的女仙入侵地球……的网游!请广大玩家注意保护好自己身心……和食物!咦?这里其实是个伪装成网游的修仙世界?打打杀杀其实都是来真的!?没关系!一大波美食正在接近!还有一只卖萌求包养的万能小狐狸!就算生杀掠夺她也照样风生水起!女神冷冷一句话:“地球人!抢炸鸡和啤酒者,杀无赦!”小狐狸晃悠着毛茸茸的大尾巴:“那……早餐可不可以吃掉你?”(群【萌杀派】180316851~已有完本《网游之萌女王》,新文《毒妃逆袭:巅峰召唤师》连载中。)
  • 历代赋评注(唐五代卷)

    历代赋评注(唐五代卷)

    本书是目前篇幅最大的一部历代赋注评本。书中对入选作家的生平和作品的背景均作了介绍。第一卷开篇除以“总序”对赋的特质及其同汉语与中华文化的血肉关系、赋在中国和世界文学史上的地位作了概括论述之外,还在评注前撰文《赋体溯源与先秦赋概述》,以下各卷在评注前也都有“概述”,对该时期赋的主要作家、重要作品、创作成就和主要特色等有简略而精当的论述,以与书中的作者简介、各篇题解及品评形成点、线、面结合的关系,从而便于读者在阅读作品及评注过程中形成对该时期赋吏的整体认识。