Marianela. Translated ... by Mary Wharton

Chapter I. Lost

The sun had set. After the short twilight came night, calm and dark, in whose black womb the last sounds of the drowsy earth died away little by little, and the traveller, proceeding on his way, hastened his footsteps as night wore on. His was a narrow path, bearing evidence of the constant tread of men and beasts, and he climbed a hill which was bordered by picturesque groups of cherry trees, beeches and oaks, without fatigue. (You will understand now that we are in the North of Spain.) A Marianela. 2 He was a man of medium stature, strongly built, well-formed, with square shoulders, firm step, coarse features, intrepid, quick glance, light movement, in spite of his obesity, and (we will mention it at once, though it be premature) an excellent person, wherever he might be. He was attired in a manner suit able to gentlemen who travel in summer, with a round hat, which much resembled a mushroom, and was twin to those worn by the country post-boys ; he carried a thick stick, which now and again he used to beat down the bramble bushes, the thorny branches of which spread themselves out to tear one's clothes.

He stopped, and, looking around as far as his eye could reach, seemed impatient and anxious. Certainly he felt no great confidence as to his whereabouts, and expected some peasant would pass, who would give him good topographical information, by which he might readily and rightly arrive at his destination. "I cannot be mistaken," he murmured. Lost. 3 " They told me that I must cross the river by the stepping-stone ... as I did. And then, to walk forward, always forward. And, as suredly, there, behind me, is that delightful town, which I should call ' Villafangosa,' from the good supply of mud in its streets and roads. . . . And from there, forward, always forward (I like this phrase, and if I possessed a shield, it should bear no other device), and, by these means, I should reach the famous Socartes' mines."

After again proceeding for some distance, he added, — " I am lost, there is no doubt that I am lost. . . . Here you see, Theodore Golfin, the result of your forward, always forward. Those clowns do not understand the meaning of these words. Or, perhaps, they wished to make fun of you, or they may even be ignor ant themselves as to where the Socartes' mines are located. A large mining establishment announces its presence by its edifices, chim- Marianela. 4 neys, by the noise of its mills, snorting of its furnaces, neighing of horses, whirring of machines, and I cannot see any smoke, or hear a sound. ... I might be in a desert. What solitude ! If I believed in witches, I should think that my destiny was to be present to-night at their revels. . . . The devil ! is it true there are no such people in these places ? . . .

In another half-hour the moon will be out. Ah ! rogue, you are the cause of my misguidance ! . . . If I could but discover where I am. . . . But what would be the use ? " (Thus soliloquising, he made the gesture of a man who despises danger.) " Golfin, you, who have been round the world, do you not remember now ? . . . Ah ! the peasants were right : forward, always forward. The universal law of locomotion cannot fail now." And, intrepidly putting this law into execu tion, he walked on for the distance of another kilometre, following the paths which crossed each other, and broke into a thousand angles, Lost. 5 as though they wished to deceive him and confound him still more ; as his fancy dic tated. But, though his resolution and intrepidity were great, he at last made a halt. The paths, which at first rose and then descended, at last joined, and presently formed so deep a descent, that our traveller found that he could only proceed by rolling down it.

" A pretty situation ! " he exclaimed, smiling, and seeking in his good humour to overcome this annoying predicament. "Where are you, dear Golfin ? This looks like an abyss. Can you see anything below ? Nothing, absolutely nothing. . . . The grass has disappeared, the land has been removed. All around is stony and there is no vegetation, and the ground is dyed with oxide of iron. : . . I must be in the mines, but there is not a living soul, no smoking chimneys, no sound, not a murmur in the distance, nor the bark of a dog. . . . What shall I do ? here is Marianela. a path I might follow. Shall I take it? Shall I proceed or go back ? . . . To go back. . . . How absurd ! I must either remain where I am, or reach the famous Socartes' mines to-night, and embrace my dear brother. Forward, always forward."

He took a step and sank into the movable earth. " What are you doing, Mr Planet ? . . . Do you wish to swallow me ? . . . . If that lazy satellite would only show a little light, we might see each other's faces. . . . And, by my faith, we do not appear to be going to a Paradise here. . . . This seems to be the crater of an extinct volcano. ... I must walk gently in such a delicious precipice. What is that ? Ah ! a stone ; a magnificent seat to smoke a cigar, whilst I await the rising of the moon.' Discreet Golfin sat down as calmly as though it were a bench in some walk ; and was preparing to smoke, when he heard a Lost, 7 voice. . . . Yes, undoubtedly, a human voice in the distance, a pathetic complaint, or, rather, a melancholy song, composed of a single phrase, the last cadence of which was pro longed in the manner styled by musicians " morendo," and which, presently, died away into the silence of the night ; and he who listened, was able to distinguish the last vibra tion.

"Come," said the traveller filled with de light, "there are human beings here. That is a young girl singing ; yes, it is a female's voice, and a very precious voice. I like the popular music of this country. . . . Now she is silent. . . . We will listen, she is already recommencing. Now, now, it sounds again. What a beautiful voice, what a touching melody ! One might fancy that it came from the depths of the earth, and that Mr Golfin, the most serious and least superstitious man in the world, was now going to traffic with sylphs, shades, gnomes, ghosts and all such Marianela. mad rabble. . . . But, if my ear does not deceive me, the voice sounds from a greater distance. The gracious songstress is going. Eh, girl, stop, wait ! " The voice that, for a short time, had re galed the misdirected man's ear with enchanting music, was losing itself in the black immensity, and, when Golfin shouted, was immediately hushed.

Doubtless, the mysteri ous fairy-being, who was enlivening its sub terranean solitude by singing sad love-songs, was frightened by the man's brusque interrup tion ; fleeing to the farthest depths of the earth, where it dwelt, avaricious of its treasures the precious stones. "This is a divine situation," murmured Gol fin, thinking that he could do no better than light his cigar. " It would be no great evil to pass a hundred years here. I will wait, smoking. I shall shine through wishing to come alone and on foot to Socartes' mines. My luggage will arrive first, which will prove Lost. 9 in an undeniable manner the advantage of 1 forward, always forward.' " Presently a light wind sprang up, and Theodore fancied he heard some distant footsteps in that unknown abyss, on the edge of which he was seated.

He listened attentively, and soon ascertained that someone was walking near there. He rose and shouted, — " Girl, man, or whatso'er you be, can I go to Socartes' mines from here ? " He had not concluded, when he heard the violent barking of a dog, and then a man's voice, exclaiming, — " Choto, Choto, come here ! " "Eh ! " shouted the traveller. " Good friend, son of all the demons, or whatso'er you be, quiet this dog, for I am a peaceful man." "Choto, Choto!" Golfin saw a large, black dog ; but the animal, after growling at him, walked back wards, calling his master. Marianela. 10 At that moment the traveller could dis tinguish a form, a man, who, immovable and expressionless, like a stone statue, stood at about ten yards distance below him, in a transversal path, which seemed to run irregu larly the whole length of the descent.

This footpath, and the human form standing in it, attracted Golfin's attention, and, directing a thankful look to heaven, he exclaimed, — "Thanks be to God! I shall at last get away from here. I shall be able to find out where I am. I did not suspect that a footpath existed so near to me. For it is a road. Hullo ! my friend, can you tell me if I am at Socartes' mines ? " "Yes, sir; these are Socartes' mines, although we are at some distance from the establishment." The voice that uttered these words was youthful and agreeable, and resounded with sympathetic inflections, which indicated a dis position to render services with goodwill and Lost, 11 courtesy. The doctor was much pleased to hear it, and also to observe the soft light that, diffusing itself over the space which was dark until that moment, illumined heaven and earth, which seemed to rise out of nothing.

"Fiat lux," he said, descending. "I could fancy that primitive chaos had but just finished. We are now in reality. . . . Well, my friend, I owe you thanks for the goodness you have shown me, and which you are about to show me. ... I left Villamojada as the sun was setting. They told me ' forward, always for ward.'" " Are you coming to the establishment ? " questioned the mysterious young man, remaining rigid and immovable, without looking at the doctor, who was standing near. " Yes, sir ; but I must have mistaken the road." " This is not the entrance to the mines. The entrance is by the stepping-stone of Raba gones, where the road and railway are being Marianela. 12 constructed. From there you might have reached the establishment in ten minutes. From here we shall take longer, for it is far enough away and the road is very bad.

We are in the last zone of exploration and have to traverse several galleries and tunnels, to descend ladders, to go through trenches, to ascend, to go down an inclined plain, and finally to penetrate all Socartes' mines, even to the extremity, where are the workshops, furnaces, machines, laboratory and offices." " By my faith, I regret my mistake," said Golfin laughing. " I will guide you with much pleasure, for I understand the place perfectly." Golfin, whose feet sank into the ground, slipping here and jumping there, at last at tained the beneficent soil of the path, and his first action was to examine the kind, young man. The doctor was for a short time struck with surprise. " You . . ." he murmured. Lost, 13 " I am blind, yes, sir," added the young fellow; "but I can, without sight, traverse Socartes' mines from one end to the other. The stick I use prevents me from stumbling, and Choto accompanies me, when Nela, who is my guide, does not. Now, follow me, and I will show you."

Chapter II. Guided

"Are you blind from birth?" said Golfin, with lively interest, which was not inspired by compassion alone. "Yes, sir, from birth," replied the blind man frankly. " I only know the world by thought, touch and hearing. I can under stand that the most marvellous portion of the world is that from which I am debarred. I know that other people's eyes are not like mine, or they could not understand things ; but this gift appears to me such an extraordinary one, that I cannot comprehend the possibility of possessing it." "Who knows . . ?" said Theodore, "but to Guided. 15 those who can see, what a surprising spectacle his is, my friend ! " The traveller, who followed his guide at a few paces distance, was astonished at the fantastic perspective which lay before his eyes. He found himself in a deep cavity, like to the crater of a volcano, with irregular ground and walls still more irregular.

On the borders and in the centre of the enormous caldron, the magnitude of which was aug mented by the deceptive light and dark of the night, rose colossal forms, deformed men, overturned monsters, with the feet placed upwards, immense arms stretched out, maimed legs, and figures scattered about, resembling those which fancy traces in the clouds in the sky ; but quiet, lifeless, petrified. The complexion of the mummies was of an earthy red ; their attitude that of feverish move ment, surprised and overtaken by death. It looked like the petrifaction of an orgy of gigantic demons ; and the actions, the waggish Marianela. movements of their disproportioned heads had become fixed, as are the unalterable gestures in sculpture. The silence which filled the circuit of the supposed crater was a silence which inspires fear.

One could imagine that a thousand voices and howls had demanded to be turned into stone — had become so and would remain so for century after century. " Where are we, good friend ? " asked Golfin "This is a nightmare." " This zone of the mine is named the ' Terrible,' " replied the blind man, indifferent to the astonishment of his companion. "There was an exploration here two years ago, and they found the mineral lapiscali minaris. To-day the works are in zones higher up. What you marvel at so much are the blocks of stone, formed of petrified chalk and ferruginous clay, which have been left after the mineral was taken out. They say that this presents a sublime appearance, and particularly when it is Guided. ■7 moonlight. I understand nothing about it. "An alarming spectacle, yes," said the stranger, pausing to contemplate it — " but which causes surprise rather than pleasure, for it seems to associate itself in my mind with neuralgia.

Do you know what it looks like to me ? I could fancy that I am travel ling in the interior of a brain attacked with violent megrim. These figures are like those perceptible forms of tic-doloreux, confusing themselves with the terrific shadows which fever engenders." " Choto, Choto, here ! " called the blind man. "Take great care now, sir, we are about to enter a gallery." In effect ; Golfin saw that the blind man, touching the ground with his stick, was making for a narrow little door, the case of which was formed by three large beams. The dog went in first, sniffing in the black cavity. The blind man followed him with B Marianela. the intrepidity of one who lives in perpetual darkness. Theodore came behind, not without experiencing a certain instinctive repugnance at making an unforeseen excursion underground.

"It is wonderful," he said, "that you enter here and come out without stumbling." " I am accustomed to these places," replied the young man, "and I know them as well as I do my own house. Here one feels cold, wrap yourself up well in what you have. We shall soon be out." He walked along, feeling the wall with his right hand ; the wall being formed of per pendicular beams. He presently said,- — " Take care that you do not stumble in those ruts. They drag the mineral along here that is found higher up. Are you cold ? " "Tell me, good friend?" interrogated the doctor gaily ; " are you sure that the earth has not swallowed us ? This passage is a sarcophagus. We are poor grubs that have Guided. 19 fallen into a large insect's stomach. And you, young fellow, do you often pass through this pleasant place ?"

"I often pass here, and at all hours, and find it most agreeable. We have now entered the dryest part. This is pure grit. . . . Now we return to the stone. . . . Here there are nitrations of sulphurous water ; and here there is a stratum where are found petrified shells. There are also layers of slate here, which are termed quarries. . . . Do you hear the song of the toad ? We are now near the mouth. This lazy fellow takes up his position here every night. I know him; his voice is deliberate and boastful." "Whose, the toad's?" " Yes, sir. We are now nearly at the end." " In effect, one could fancy an eye was watching us there. It is the clearness at the mouth." When they sallied out, the first thing that Marianela. 20 struck the doctor was the melancholy song which he had heard before. The blind man heard it likewise.

He turned round quickly, and smilingly said, with pride and pleasure, — " Do you hear her ? " " I heard that voice before, and with in tense delight. Who is the songstress ? " Instead of replying the blind man turned away, and, shouting with all his force, cried, — "Nela! Nela!" Echoes repeated it, some near, some distant. The blind man, putting his hands to his mouth and forming a speaking - trumpet, shouted, — "Do not come here, I am going there. Wait for me at the forge ... at the forge." Then, turning to the doctor, he said, " Nela is a young girl who accompanies me ; she is my guide. At night we go together to the large meadow as it is a little fresher. As my father has forbidden me to pass the night without shelter, I go to the Remolinos' cabin, Guided. 21 and Nela runs to my home to bring my coat.

To-night I was in the cabin, but had not patience to await Nela, and so went out with Choto. I passed by the ' Terrible ' where I met you. . . . We shall soon be at the forge. There we must separate, for my father will be annoyed when he sees me enter so late, and Nela will accompany you to the offices." " Many thanks, my friend." The tunnel had conducted them to a second opening, more singular than the first. It was a deep crevice opened in the earth, resembling those caused by an earthquake ; but which had not been made by the fiery palpitations of the planet, but by the labori ous pickaxe of the miner. It looked like the interior of a ship's hull, when stranded on the shore, the half of which is washed by the waves, converting it into an obtuse angle. One might even distinguish its denuded ribs, the points of which crowned one of its Marianela. 22 heights in unequal lines.

In its big-bellied concavity, stones could be seen like to the remains of cargo, ill-treated by the waves, and such was the picturesque appearance created by the claro-obscuro of the moon, that Golfin fancied he could see, between a thousand plunders from nautical things, corpses half-devoured by fish, mummies, skeletons, all dead, sleeping, semi-decomposed and profoundly calm, and buried for ages in the sea's immense sepulchres. The illusion was complete when he heard the murmur of water, a ripple similar to that of the gentle waves, when they play in the concaves of a rock, or lash the skeleton of a ship-wrecked vessel. " There is water here," he said to his companion. "This noise that you hear," replied the blind man, pausing, " what does it sound like to you ? How would you describe it ?

Is it not true that it is like a gurgling, like that one makes in gargling the throat ? " Guided. 23 " Exactly. And where is this hidden water ? Is it an overflow ? " " No, sir. Here to the left is a hillock. Behind it a large mouth yawns, a cavern, an abyss, and no one knows its depth. It is called ' Trascava.' Some believe it runs into the sea at Ficobriga. Others say that at its bottom runs a river which whirls round and round, and never goes any further. I should fancy it must be like a whirlpool. Some say that there below is an audible respiration, arising from the entrails of the earth, resembling a hissing, the which respiration coming into collision with a water-spout, they com mence to wrangle, become excited, infuriated, and produce this ebullition we hear so dis tinctly." " And has no one descended into the cavern ? ' "No one could possibly descend.

" Why ? " They could only do so by throwing them- Marianela. 24 selves in. They who entered it would never return, and it is a pity, for we should then know what is passing below. The mouth of this cavern is far enough away from us, but two years ago, the miners, excavating in this place, discovered a fissure in the rock, by which the same ebullition of water can be heard as at the principal opening. This fissure communicates with the galleries yonder, where the respiration ascends, and the gush of water descends. By day you can see it perfectly, and can climb a short distance up the stones to reach it. There is a comfortable seat, too ! Some people are afraid to approach it ; but Nela and I often sit there, to hear the voice of the abyss resound. And, really, sir, we fancy it talks to us.

Nela says and swears that she can distinguish words clearly. I, truly, never hear words, but a murmuring, like a soliloquy or meditation, which sometimes sounds sad, at other times gay, then again angry or mocking." Guided. 25 "But I only hear a gurgling sound," said the doctor, smiling. " Thus it sounds here. . . . But we must not delay, it is late. You must be ready to pass through another gallery." ' Another ? " 'Yes, sir.* And this one, on arriving at the middle, divides into two. There is a labyrinth of turns and second turns, for galleries have been made and afterwards aban doned, and this was by God's will. Choto, forward." Choto was as willing to lead the way as the ferret is to pursue the rabbit. He was followed by the doctor and his guide, who groped along the dark, narrow, tortuous passage with his stick.

No sense can be more delicate and keen, than that which guides a human being by a piece of insensible wood. They advanced, describing first a curve, then angles and still angles, alwaj-s between two walls of humid, half-rotten beams. Marianela. " Do you know what this reminds me of?" questioned the doctor, perceiving that his guide delighted in similes. "It reminds me of the thoughts of a perverse man. It resembles the intuition of evil, when one penetrates into his conscience, and beholds all his own frailty." Golfin thought that he had expressed him self in a manner little intelligible to his guide ; but the contrary was proved by his saying — "To him who possesses this unknown gift of sight, these galleries may well seem sad ; but to me, who live in darkness, I find a certain conformity of the earth with my own existence.

I can walk here as easily as in the widest street. If it were not that at times the air is defective, and at others the damp is excessive, I should prefer these places underground to all the others that I am acquainted with." "This is an idea of meditation." Guided. 27 " I feel in my brain a space, a hole, like to this through which wto are passing ; and through this space my thoughts unfold them selves magnificently." "Oh, what a lamentable thing it is not to be able to see the blue vault of the sky in broad daylight ! " exclaimed the doctor, spontaneously. " Tell me, do your ideas, which unroll themselves so magnificently, con duct to any end, or finish in nothing ? " " Now, now, we are out. You speak of the vault of the sky. . . . Ah ! I have imagined it to be an harmonious concavity, which looks as though one migdit reach it with the hands, but cannot do so in reality."

So saying, they sallied forth. Golfin drew a deep breath of pleasure, as though relieved of a great weight, and exclaimed, gazing up at the sky, — " Thanks be to God that we again return to look upon you, stars and firmament ' Marianela. Nothing; has ever seemed so beautiful to me as you do at this moment." " In the passage," said the blind man, opening his hand and showing a stone ; "I broke off this piece of crystallised lime. Will you deny that these crystals, which to my touch feel very sharp, fine, and well-united together, are not very beautiful ? At least, to me they appear so." So saying he crumbled the crystals "Dear friend," said Golfin, with emotion and pity, "it is truly sad that you cannot understand that those rough pieces do not merit man's attention whilst this is sus pended above our heads, the infinite number of marvellous lights which fill the vaults of the sky."

The blind man raised his face upwards, and said, with great sadness, — "Is it true that there are stars ? ' "God is immensely great and merciful," observed Golfin, placing his hand on his Guided. 29 companion's shoulder. " Who knows, who knows, my friend. They who have sight see very strange things every day." Whilst uttering these words he tried to examine the pupils of the young man, by the defective evening light. They were fixed and sightless. The blind man turned his face smilingly to the direction from whence the doctor's voice proceeded. " I have no hope," he murmured. They had arrived in a clear space. The moon, each time brighter, illumined undulat ing meadows and avenues of trees, which resembled the incline of immense fortifica tions. To the left, and at a considerable height, the doctor j)erceived a cluster of white houses in a line with a waterfall.

"There, to the left," said the blind man, "is my home. There, above, do you see? Those three houses are what are left of the village of Aldeacorba de Suso. The rest have been, in divers years, pulled down for the Marianela. 30 sake of the ground ; all below here is the mineral caliminaris. Our fathers lived on miles of millions without knowing it." Whilst he was talking, a young girl came running towards them. A child, a little thing, light-footed and of small stature. "Nela, Nela!" said the blind man, "have you brought me a wrap ? " "Here it is," replied the girl, placing a cloak over his shoulders. " Are you she who was singing ? . . . Do you know that you have a precious voice ? " " Oh ! " exclaimed the blind man, frankly praising her. " She sings admirably. Now, Mariquilla, you must accompany this gentle man as far as the offices.

I am going home. I already hear my father's voice, he is search ing for me. He will certainly scold me. . . . I am coming there, I am coming there." "Get away at once, friend," said Golfin, clasping his hand. " The air is fresh and may do you harm. Many thanks for your Guided. 31 company. I hope we may be friends, as I shall be here for some time. ... I am Charles Golfin's brother, the engineer of these mines. " Ah ! . . . now . . . Mr Charles is a great friend of mine and my father's. He has expected you since yesterday." "I arrived at the station of Villamojada this afternoon. . . . They told me that Socartes was near, and so I came on foot. As I like to see the country, and take exercise, and, as I was told, ' forward, always for ward,' I started to walk, sending my luggage in a cart. You see how I lost mys'elf, but I have done ill and good has resulted.

I have made your acquaintance, and we shall be friends, perhaps, great friends. Now, adieu, get home at once, September fresh ness does no good. Miss Nela will be good enough to go with me." " The offices are only a quarter of an hour's walk from here, that is not much. Marianela. 32 Be careful that you do not stumble in the ruts ; and take care in descending the inclines. Sometimes they leave the waggons in the way, and, as it is clamp, the ground is slipper)7. Good-bye, sir, and my friend. Good-night." He mounted an elevated staircase formed in the ground, every step of which was strengthened with beams. Golfin moved onwards, guided by Nela. The subject of their conversation — will it merit a separate chapter ? In any case we will give it one.