Chapter 5.
THE VAPORIZER.
"Portable ecstasies ... corked up in a pint bottle." --DE QUINCEY.
I was glad when spring came, when the trees began to bud, the grass togrow, the flowers to bloom; for, of all the seasons, I like itbest,--this wonderful resurrection of life and sweetness!
Thursia is a fine city,--not only in its costly and architecturallyand aesthetically perfect buildings, public and private, but in itsshaded avenues, its parks, lawns, gardens, fountains, its idyllicstatues, and its monuments to greatness.
Severnius took pains to exhibit all its attractions to me, drivingwith me slowly through the beautiful streets, and pointing out oneconspicuous feature and another. Of course there were some streetswhich were not beautiful, but he avoided those as much aspossible,--as I have done myself when I have had friends visiting mein New York. It is a compliment to your guest to show him the bestthere is and to spare him the worst.
But often, too, we took long walks through fields and woods. WhenElodia accompanied us, which she did a few times, the whole face ofnature smiled, and I thought Paleveria the most incomparably charmingcountry I had ever seen. Her presence gave importance toeverything,--the song of a bird, the opening of a humble littleflower, the babbling of water. But other things absorbed most of hertime,--we only got the scraps, the remnants. When she was with us sherelaxed, as though we were in some sort a recreation. She amusedherself with us just as I have seen a busy father amuse himself withhis family for an hour or so of an evening. And I think we reallyplanned our little theatricals of evening conversation for her,--atleast I did. I saved up whatever came to me of thought or incident togive to her at the dinner table. And she appreciated it; her mindbristled with keen points, upon which any ideas let loose were caughtin a flash. The sudden illumination of her countenance when a newthing, or even an old thing in a new dress, was presented to her, wasof such value to me that I found myself laying traps for it, inventingstories and incidents to touch her fancy.
Besides her banking interests, over which she kept a closesurveillance, she had a great many other matters that required to belooked after. As soon as the weather was fine enough, and businessactivities in the city began to be redoubled, especially in the matterof real estate, she made a point of driving about by herself toinspect one piece of property and another, and to make plans and seethat they were carried out according to her ideas. And she was just asconscientious in the discharge of her official duties. She wasconstantly devising means for the betterment of the schools, both asto buildings and methods of instruction. I believe she knew everyteacher personally,--and there must have been several thousand,--andher relations with all of them were cordial and friendly. Herapprobation was a thing they strove for and valued,--not because ofher official position and the authority she held in her hands, butbecause of a power which was innate in herself and that made her aleader and a protector.
But I was too selfish to yield my small right to her society,--theright only of a guest in her house,--to these greater claims withabsolute sweetness and patience.
"Why does she take all these things upon herself?" I asked ofSevernius.
"Because she has a taste for them," he replied. "Or, as she would say,a need of them. It is an internal hunger. It is her nature to exertherself in these ways."
"I cannot believe it is her nature; it is no woman's nature," Iretorted. "It is a habit which she has cultivated until it has got themastery of her."
"Perhaps," returned Severnius, who was never much disposed to argueabout his sister's vagaries--as they seemed to me.
"All this is mannish," I went on. "There are other things for women todo. Why does she not give her time and attention to the softergraces, to feminine occupations?"
"I see," he laughed; "you want her to drop these weighty matters anddevote herself to amusing us! and you call that 'feminine.'"
I joined in his laugh ruefully.
"Perhaps I am narrow, and selfish, too," I admitted; "but she is socharming, she brings so much into our conversations whenever we canentice her to spend a moment with us."
"Yes, that is true," he answered. "She gleans her ideas from a largeand varied field."
"I do not mean her ideas, so much as--well, as the delicious flavor ofher presence and personality."
"Her presence and her personality would not have much flavor, myfriend, if she had no ideas, I am thinking."
"O, yes, they would," I insisted. "They are the ether in which our ownthoughts expand and take shape and color. They are the essence of hersupreme beauty."
He shook his head. "Beauty is nothing without intelligence. What isthe camellia beside the rose? Elodia is the rose. She has severalpleasing qualities that appeal to you at one and the same time."
This was rather pretty, but a man's praises of his sister always soundtame to me. "She is adorable!" I cried with fervor. We were walkingtoward a depot connected with a great railway. For the first time Iwas to try the speed of a Marsian train. Severnius wanted me to visitthe city of Frambesco, some two hundred miles from Thursia, in anotherstate.
After a short, ruminating silence I broke out again:
"We don't even have her company evenings, to any extent. What does shedo with her evenings?"
"Who? O, Elodia! Why, she goes to her club. For recreation, you know."
"That is complimentary to you and me," I said coolly.
He brought his spectacles to bear upon me somewhat sharply.
"Don't you think you are a little unreasonable?" he demanded. "Youhave curious ideas about individual liberty! Now, we hold that everysoul shall be absolutely free,--that is, in its relations to othersouls; it shall not be coerced by any other. It is as though soulswere stars suspended in space, each moving in its appointed orbit. Noone has the right to disturb the poise and equilibrium of another, noteven the one nearest it. That is a Caskian idea, by the way; about theonly one Elodia is enamored of. These souls, or spheres, are extremelysensitive; and they may, and do, exert a tremendous influence, oneupon another,--but without violence."
"Your meaning is clear," I said coldly. "My powers of attraction inthis case are feeble. Is the club you speak of composed entirely ofwomen?"
"Certainly."
"Do not the men here have clubs?"
"O, yes; I belong to one, though I do not often attend. I will takeyou to visit it,--I wonder I had not thought of it before! But thosethings are disturbing; we scientists like to keep our minds clear,like the lenses of our telescopes."
"Is Elodia's club a literary one?" I asked, though I was almost sureit was not.
"O, no; it is for recreation purely, as I said. The same kind of aclub, I suppose, that you men have. Of course, they have the currentliterature, which they skim over and discuss, so as to keep themselvesinformed about what is going on in the world. It is the only way youcan keep up with the times, I think, for no one can read everything.They have games and various diversions. Elodia's clubhouse isfurnished with elegant baths, for women have an extraordinary fondnessfor bathing. And they have a gymnasium,--you notice what splendidfigures most of our women have!--and of course a wine cellar."
"Severnius!" I cried. "You don't mean to tell me that these women havewines in their clubhouse?"
"Why, yes," said he.
"And it is tolerated, allowed, nobody objects?"
"O, yes, there are plenty of objectors," he replied. "There is a verystrong anti-intoxicant element here, but it has no actual force andexerts but little influence in--in our circles."
Severnius was too modest a man to boast of belonging to the upperclass of society, but that was what "our circles" meant.
"But do not the male relatives of these women object,--their husbands,fathers, brothers?"
"No, indeed, why should they? We do the same things they do, withoutdemur from them."
"But they should be looking after their domestic affairs, theirchildren, their homes."
"My dear sir! they ha
ve servants to attend to those matters."
It seemed useless to discuss these things with Severnius, his point ofview concerning the woman question was so different from mine.Nevertheless, I persisted.
"Tell me, Severnius, do women on this planet do everything that mendo?"
"They have that liberty," he replied, "but there is sometimes adifference of tastes."
"I am glad to hear it!"
"For instance, they do not smoke. By the way, have a cigar?" He passedme his case and we both fired up. There is a peculiarly delightfulflavor in Marsian tobacco.
"They have a substitute though," he added, removing the fragrant weedfrom his lips to explain. "They vaporize."
"They what?"
"They have a small cup, a little larger than a common tobacco pipe,which they fill with alcohol and pulverized valerian root. Thismixture when lighted diffuses a kind of vapor, a portion of which theyinhale through the cup-stem, a slender, tortuous tube attached to thecup. The most of it, however, goes into the general air."
"Good heavens!" I cried, "valerian! the most infernal, diabolicalsmell that was ever emitted from any known or unknown substance."
"It is said to be soothing to the nerves," he replied.
"But do you not find it horribly disagreeable, unbearable?" I suddenlyrecollected that, in passing through the upper hall of the house, Ihad once or twice detected this nauseating odor, in the neighborhoodof Elodia's suite of rooms.
"Yes, I do," he answered, "when I happen to come in contact with it,which is seldom. They are careful not to offend others to whom thevapor is unpleasant. Elodia is very delicate in these matters; she isfond of the vapor habit, but she allows no suggestion of it to clingto her garments or vitiate her breath."
"It must be a great care to deodorize herself," I returned, withill-concealed contempt.
"That is her maid's business," said he.
"Is it not injurious to health?" I asked.
"Quite so; it often induces frightful diseases, and is sometimes fatalto life even."
"And yet they persist in it! I should think you would interfere inyour sister's case."
"Well," said he, "the evils which attend it are really no greater thanthose that wait upon the tobacco habit; and, as I smoke, I can'tadvise with a very good grace. I have a sort of blind faith that thesegood cigars of mine are not going to do me any harm,--though I knowthey have harmed others; and I suppose Elodia reasons in the samefriendly way with her vapor cup."
The train stood on the track ready to start. I was about to spring upthe steps of the last car when Severnius stopped me.
"Not that one," he said; "that is the woman's special."
I stepped back, and read the word _Vaporizer_,--printed in large giltletters,--bent like a bow on the side of the car.
"Do you mean to tell me, Severnius," I exclaimed, "that the railroadcompany devotes one of these magnificent coaches exclusively to theuse of persons addicted to the obnoxious habit we have been speakingof?"
"That is about the size of it," he returned,--he borrowed the phrasefrom me. "Come, make haste, or we shall be left; the next car is thesmoker; we'll step into that and finish these cigars, after whichI'll show you what sumptuous parlor coaches we have."
As we mounted to the platform I could not resist glancing into the_Vaporizer_. There were only two or three ladies there, and one ofthem held in her ungloved hand the little cup with the tortuous stemwhich my friend had described to me. From it there issued a pale bluesmoke or vapor, and oh! the smell of it! I held my breath and hurriedafter Severnius.
"That is the most outrageous, abominable thing I ever heard of!" Ideclared, as we entered the smoker and took our seats.
"O, it is nothing," he returned, smiling; "you are a very fastidiousfellow. I saw you look into that car; did you observe the lady inblue?"
"I should think I did! she was in the act," I replied. "And Irecognized her, too; she is that Madam Claris you introduced me to inthe Auroras' Temple, is she not?"
"Yes; but did you notice her cup?"
"Not particularly."
"It is carved out of the rarest wood we have,--wood that hardens likestone with age,--and has an indestructible lining and is studded withcostly gems; the thing is celebrated, an heirloom in Claris' family.They like to sport those things, the owners of them do. They are amark of distinction,--or, as they might say in some of your countries,a patent of nobility."
"I suppose, then, that only the rich and the aristocratic 'vaporize'?"
"By no means; whatever the aristocracy do, humble folk essay toimitate. These vapor cups are made in great quantities, of thecommonest clay, and sold for a penny apiece."
"Then it must be a natural taste, among your women?" said I.
"No, no more than smoking is among men. They say it is nauseating inthe extreme, at first, and requires great courage and persistence tocontinue in it up to the point of liking. There is no doubt that itbecomes very agreeable to them in the end, and that it is almostimpossible to break the habit when once it is fixed."
"And what do they do with their cups,--I mean, how do they carry themabout when they are not using them?" I asked.
"Put them in a morocco case, the same as you would a meerschaum, anddrop them into a fanciful little bag which they wear on the arm,suspended by a chain or ribbon."
Frambesco could not compare with Thursia either in size or beauty; andit had a totally different air, a kind of swagger, you might say. Ifelt the mercury in my moral barometer drop down several degrees as wewalked about the streets amid much filth, and foul odors, andunsightly spectacles.
I made the natural comments to my friend, and he replied that neitherFrambesco nor any other city on the continent could hold a candle toThursia, where the best of every thing was centered.
We observed a great many enormous placards posted about conspicuously,announcing a game of fisticuffs to take place that afternoon in anamphitheatre devoted to such purposes; and we decided to look in uponit. I think it was I who suggested it, for I had no little curiosityabout the "tactics" of the manly art in that country, having seenSullivan and several other famous hitters in our own.
Severnius had considerable difficulty in procuring tickets, andfinally paid a fabulous price to a speculator for convenient seats.The great cost of admission of course kept out the rabble, and, in away, it was an eminently respectable throng that was assembled,--Imean in so far as money and rich clothes make for respectability. Butthere was an unmistakable coarseness in most of the faces, or if notthat, a curiosity which bordered on coarseness. I was amazed to seewomen in the audience; but this was nothing to the horror thatquivered through me like a deadly wound, when the combatants spranginto the arena and squared off for action. For they, too, werewomen,--women with tender, rosy flesh; with splendid dark eyesgleaming with high excitement. Their long, fair hair was braided andtwisted into a hard knot on top of the head. They wore no gloves. Ah,a woman's hands are soft enough without padding!--I thought.
They went at it in scientific fashion and were careful to observe theetiquette of the game; it was held "foul" to attack the face. In factit was more of a wrestling than a sparring match,--a test of strength,prowess, agility. But I recoiled from it with loathing, and feelingmyself grow sick and faint, I muttered something to Severnius andrushed out of the place. He followed me, of course; the performancewas quite as distasteful to him as to me, the only difference beingthat he was familiar with the idea and I was not.
As I passed out, I observed that many of the women were vaporizing andmany of the men smoking. I suppose it was, in part, the intolerableabomination of these commingled smells that affected me, for Iexperienced a physical as well as moral nausea. I did not get over itfor hours, and I was as glad as a child when it came time to take thetrain back to Thursia.
My disgust was so great that I could not discuss the matter withSevernius, as I was wont to discuss other matters with him. There wasone thing for which I was supremely thankful,--that Elodia was notthere.
A few days later, the subject accidentally came up, and I had thesatisfaction of hearing her denounce the barbarity as emphatically asI could denounce it,--and more sweepingly, for she included malefighters in her condemnation, and I was unable to make her see thatthat was quite another matter.