DEDICATION
MyDearLittle,Somefive—and—thirtyyearsagoitwasourcustomtodiscussmanymatters,amongthem,Ithink,thehistoryandromanceofthevanishedEmpiresofCentralAmerica。
Inmemoryofthosefar—offdayswillyouacceptatalethatdealswithoneofthem,thatofthemarvellousIncasofPeru;withthelegendalsothat,longbeforetheSpanishConquerorsenteredontheirmissionofrobberyandruin,thereinthatundiscoveredlandlivedanddiedaWhiteGodrisenfromthesea？
Eversincerelyyours,H。RiderHaggard。
Ditchingham,Oct。24,1921。
JamesStanleyLittle,Esq。
THEVIRGINOFTHESUN
INTRODUCTORY
Therearesomewhofindgreatinterest,andevenconsolation,amidtheworriesandanxietiesoflifeinthecollectionofrelicsofthepast,driftorlong—sunktreasuresthattheseaoftimehaswashedupuponourmodernshore。
Thegreatcollectorsarenotofthisclass。Havinglargesumsattheirdisposal,theseacquireanyraritythatcomesuponthemarketandaddittotheirstorewhichinduecourse,perhapsimmediatelyupontheirdeaths,alsowillbeputuponthemarketandpasstothepossessionofotherconnoisseurs。Norarethedealerswhobuytosellagainandthusgrowwealthy。Noraretheagentsofmuseumsinmanylands,whopurchaseforthenationalbenefitthingsthataregatheredtogetherincertaingreatpublicbuildingswhichperhaps,someday,thoughthethoughtmakesoneshiver,willbelootedorgiventotheflamesbyenemiesorbyfurious,thievingmobs。
ThosethatthisEditorhasinmind,fromoneofwhomindeedheobtainedthehistoryprintedinthesepages,belongtoaquitedifferentcategory,menofsmallmeansoften,whocollectoldthings,forthemostpartatout—of—the—waysalesorprivately,becausetheylovethem,andsometimessellthemagainbecausetheymust。Frequentlytheseoldthingsappeal,notbecauseofanyintrinsicvaluethattheymayhave,notevenfortheirbeauty,fortheymaybequiteunattractiveeventothecultivatedeye,butratherfortheirassociations。Suchfolklovetoreflectuponandtospeculateaboutthelong—deadindividualswhohaveownedtherelics,whohavesuppedtheirsoupfromthewornElizabethanspoon,whohavesatatthericketyoaktablefoundinakitchenoranout—house,oruponthebroken,ancientchair。Theylovetothinkofthelittlechildrenwhoseskilful,tiredhandswroughtthefadedsamplerandwhosebrighteyessmartedoveritsinnumerablestitches。
Who,forinstance,wastheMayShore（"Fairy"broideredinabracketunderneath,washerpetname）,whofinishedyonderelaborateexampleonhertenthbirthday,the1stofMay——doubtlessthatiswhereshegothername——intheyear1702,andonwhatfarshoredoesshekeepherbirthdaysnow？Nonewilleverknow。Shehasvanishedintothegreatseaofmysterywhenceshecame,andthereshelivesandhasherbeing,forgottenuponearth,orsleepsandsleepsandsleeps。Didshedieyoungorold,marriedorsingle？Didsheeverset/her/childrentoworkothersamplers,orhadshenone？wasshehappyorunhappy,wasshehomelyorbeautiful？Wassheasinnerorasaint？Againnonewilleverknow。Shewasbornonthe1stofMay,1692,andcertainlyshediedonsomedateunrecorded。Sofarashumanknowledgegoesthatisallherhistory,justasmuchoraslittleaswillbeleftofmostofuswhobreatheto—daywhenthisearthhascompletedtwohundredandeighteenmorerevolutionsroundthesun。
Butthekindofcollectoralludedtocanbestbeexemplifiedintheindividualinstanceofhimfromwhomthemanuscriptwasobtained,ofwhichasomewhatmodernizedversionisprintedonthesepages。Hehasbeendeadsomeyears,leavingnokin;andunderhiswill,suchofhismotleytreasuresasitcaredtoacceptwenttoalocalmuseum,whiletherestandhisotherpropertyweresoldforthebenefitofamysticalbrotherhood,fortheoldfellowwasakindofspiritualist。
Therefore,thereisnoharmingivinghisplebeianname,whichwasPotts。Mr。Pottshadasmalldraper'sshopinanundistinguishedandrarelyvisitedcountrytownintheeastofEngland,whichshopheranwiththehelpofanassistantalmostasoldandpeculiarashimself。
Whetherhemadeanythingoutofitorwhetherheliveduponprivatemeansisnowunknownanddoesnotmatter。Anyway,whentherewassomethingofantiquarianinterestorvaluetobebought,generallyhehadthemoneytopayforit,thoughattimes,inordertodoso,hewasforcedtosellsomethingelse。Indeedtheseweretheonlyoccasionswhenitwaspossibletopurchaseanything,indifferenthosieryexcepted,fromMr。Potts。
Now,I,theEditor,whoalsoloveoldthings,andtowhomthereforeMr。Pottswasasympatheticsoul,wasawareofthisfactandenteredintoanarrangementwiththepeculiarassistanttowhomIhavealluded,toadvisemeofsuchcriseswhicharosewheneverthelocalbankcalledMr。Potts'sattentiontothestateofhisaccount。ThusitcameaboutthatonedayIreceivedthefollowingletter:——
Sir,TheGuv'norhasgoneabustuponsomecrackedchina,theugliestthateverIsawthoughnojudge。Soifyouwanttogetthatoldtallclockatthefirstpriceoranyotherofhisrubbish,Ithinknowisyourchance。Anyhow,keepthisdarkasperagreement。
Yourobedient,Tom。
（HealwayssignedhimselfTom,Isupposetomystify,althoughI
believehisrealnamewasBetterly。）
Theresultofthisepistlewasalonganddisagreeablebicyclerideinwetautumnweather,andavisittotheshopofMr。Potts。Tom,aliasBetterly,whowastryingtosellsomemysteriousundergarmentstoafatoldwoman,caughtsightofme,theEditoraforesaid,andwinked。
InashadowedcorneroftheshopsatMr。Pottshimselfuponahighstool,awizenedlittleoldmanwithabentback,abaldhead,andahookednoseuponwhichweresetapairofenormoushorn—rimmedspectaclesthataccentuatedhisgeneralresemblancetoanowlperchedupontheedgeofitsnest—hole。Hewasbusilyengagedindoingnothing,andinstaringintonothingnessas,accordingtoTom,washishabitwhencommuningwithwhathe,Tom,calledhis"drattedspeerits。"
"Customer！"saidTominaharshvoice。"Sorrytodisturbyouatyourprayers,Guv'nor,butnothavingtwopairofhandsIcan'tserveacrowd,"meaningtheoldwomanoftheundergarmentsandmyself。
Mr。Pottsslidoffhisstoolandpreparedforaction。Whenhesaw,however,whothecustomerwashebristled——thatistheonlywordforit。Thetruthisthatalthoughbetweenustherewasaninwardandspiritualsympathy,therewasalsoanoutwardandvisiblehostility。
TwiceIhadoutbidMr。Pottsatalocalauctionforarticleswhichhedesired。Moreover,afterthefashionofeverygoodcollectorhefeltittobehisdutytohatemeasanothercollector。Lastly,severaltimesIhadofferedhimsmallersumsforantiquesuponwhichhesetacertainmonetaryvalue。ItistruethatlongagoIhadgivenupthisbargainingforthereasonthatMr。Pottswouldnevertakelessthanheasked。IndeedhefollowedtheexampleofthevendoroftheSibyllinebooksinancientRome。Hedidnotdestroythegoodsindeedafterthefashionofthatpersonanddemandthepriceofallofthemfortheonethatremained,butinvariablyheputuphisfigureby10percent。andnothingwouldinducehimtotakeoffonefarthing。
"Whatdo/you/want,sir？"hesaidgrumpily。"Vests,hose,collars,orsocks？"
"Oh,socks,Ithink,"Irepliedathazard,thinkingthattheywouldbeeasiesttocarry,whereuponMr。Pottsproducedsomepeculiarlyobjectionableandshapelesswoollenarticleswhichhealmostthrewatme,sayingthattheywereallhehadinstock。NowIdetestwoollensocksandneverwearthem。Still,Imadeapurchase,thinkingwithsympathyofmyoldgardenerwhosefeettheywouldsoonbescratching,andwhiletheparcelwasbeingtiedup,saidinaninsinuatingvoice,"Anythingfreshupstairs,Mr。Potts？"
"No,sir,"heansweredshortly,"atleast,notmuch,andiftherewerewhat'stheuseofshowingthemtoyouafterthebusinessaboutthatclock？"
"Itwas？5youwantedforit,Mr。Potts？"Iasked。
"No,sir,itwas？7andnowit's10percent。ontothat;youcanworkoutthesumforyourself。"
"Well,let'shaveanotherlookatit,Mr。Potts,"Irepliedhumbly,whereonwithagruntandamutteredinjunctiontoTomtomindtheshop,heledthewayupstairs。
NowthehouseinwhichMr。Pottsdwelthadoncebeenofconsiderablepretensionsandwasvery,veryold,Elizabethan,Ishouldthink,althoughithadbeenrefrontedwithahorriblestuccotosuitmoderntastes。Theoakstaircasewasgoodthoughnarrow,andledtonumeroussmallroomsupontwofloorsabove,someofwhichroomswerepanelledandhadoakbeams,nowwhitewashedlikethepanelling——atleasttheyhadoncebeenwhitewashed,probablyinthelastgeneration。
Theseroomswereliterallycrammedwitheverysortofoldfurniture,mostofitdecrepit,thoughformanyofthearticlesdealerswouldhavegivenagoodprice。ButatdealersMr。Pottsdrewtheline;notoneofthemhadeversetafootuponthatoakenstair。Totheatticstheplacewasfilledwiththisfurnitureandotherarticlessuchasbooks,china,samplerswiththeglassbroken,andIknownotwhatbesides,piledinheapsuponthefloor。IndeedwhereMr。Pottssleptwasamystery;eitheritmusthavebeenunderthecounterinhisshop,orperhapsatnightsheinhabitedaworm—eatenJacobeanbedsteadwhichstoodinanattic,forIobservedakindofpathwaytoitrunningthroughanumberofleglesschairs,alsosomedirtyblanketsbetweenthemoth—riddledcurtains。
Notfarfromthisbedstead,proppedinanintoxicatedwayagainsttheslopingwalloftheoldhouse,stoodtheclockwhichIdesired。Itwasoneofthefirst"regulator"clockswithawoodenpendulum,usedbythemakerhimselftocheckthetime—keepingofallhisotherclocks,andenclosedinachasteandperfectmahoganycaseoftheverybeststyleofitsperiod。Sobeautifulwasit,indeed,thatithadbeenaninstanceof"loveatfirstsight"betweenus,andalthoughtherewasanestrangementonthematterofsettlements,orinotherwordsoverthequestionofprice,nowIfeltthatnevermorecouldthatclockandIbeparted。
SoIagreedtogiveoldPottsthe？0or,tobeaccurate,？814s。
whichheaskedonthe10percent。riseprinciple,thankfulinmyheartthathehadnotmadeitmore,andpreparedtogo。AsIturned,however,myeyefelluponalargechestofthealmostindestructibleyellowcypresswoodofwhichweremade,itissaid,thedoorsofSt。
Peter'satRomethatstoodforeighthundredyearsand,foraughtI
know,arestillstanding,asgoodasonthedaywhentheywereputup。
"Marriagecoffer,"saidPotts,answeringmyunspokenquestion。
"Italian,about1600？"Isuggested。
"Maybeso,orperhapsDutchmadebyItalianartists;butolderthanthat,forsomebodyhasburnt1597onthelidwithahotiron。Notforsale,notforsaleatall,muchtoogoodtosell。Justyoulookinsideit,theoldkeyistiedtothespringlock。Neversawsuchpoker—workinmylife。GodsandgoddessesandIdon'tknowwhat;andVenussittinginthemiddleinawreathofflowerswithnothingon,andholdingtwoheartsinherhands,whichshowsthatitwasamarriagechest。Onceitwasfullofsomebride'soutfit,sheetsandlinenandclothes,andGodknowswhat。Iwonderwhereshehasgottoto—day。
Someplacewherethemothdon'teatclothes,Ihope。Boughtitatthebreak—upofanancientfamilywhofledtoNorfolkontherevocationoftheEdictofNantes——Huguenot,ofcourse。Yearsago,yearsago！
Haven'tlookedintoitformanyyears,indeed,butthinkthere'snothingtherebutrubbishnow。"
Thushemumbledonwhilehefoundanduntiedtheoldkey。Thespringlockhadgrownstifffromdisuseandwantofoil,butatlengthitturnedandreopenedthechestrevealingthepoker—workgloriesontheinnersideofthelidandelsewhere。Gloriestheywereindeed,neverhadIseensuchartistryofthesort。
"Can'tseeitproperly,"mutteredPotts,"windowswantwashing,haven'tbeendonesincemywifedied,andthat'stwentyyearsago。
Missherverymuch,ofcourse,butthankGodthere'snospring—
cleaningnow。ThethingsI'veseenbrokeninspring—cleaning！yes,andlost,too。ItwasafteroneofthemthatItoldmywifethatnowI
understoodwhytheMahomedansdeclarethatwomenhavenosouls。WhenshecametounderstandwhatImeant,whichittookheralongtimetodo,wehadarow,aregularrow,andshethrewaDresdenfigureatmyhead。LuckilyIcaughtit,havingbeenacricketerwhenyoung。Well,she'sgonenow,andnodoubtheaven'satidierplacethanitusedtobe——thatis,iftheywillstandherrummagingsthere,whichIdoubt。
LookatthatVenus,ain'tsheabeauty？MighthavebeendonebyTitianwhenhispaintsranout,andhehadtotaketoahotirontoexpresshisart。What,youcan'tseeherwell？WaitabitandI'llgetalantern。Can'thaveanakedcandlehere——thingstoovaluable;nomoneycouldbuythemagain。MywifeandIhadanotherrowaboutnakedcandles,oritmayhavebeenaparaffinlamp。Yousitinthatoldprayer—stoolandlookatthework。"
OffhewentcrawlingdowntheduskystairsandleavingmewonderingwhatMrs。Potts,ofwhomnowIheardforthefirsttime,couldhavebeenlike。Anaggravatingwoman,Ifeltsure,foruponwhateverpointsmendiffer,asto"spring—cleaning"theyareallofonemind。Nodoubthewasbetterwithouther,forwhatdidthatdried—upoldartistwantwithawife？
DismissingMrs。Pottsfrommymind,which,totellthetruth,seemedtohavenoroomforhershadowyandhypotheticalentity,Ifelltoexaminingthechest。Oh！itwaslovely。Intwominutestheclockwasdeposedandthatchestbecamethesultanainmyseraglioofbeauteousthings。Theclockhadonlybeenthelightloveofanhour。Herewastheeternalqueen,thatis,unlessthereexistedastillbetterchestsomewhereelse,andIshouldhappentofindit。Meanwhile,whateverpricethatoldslave—dealerPottswantedforit,mustbepaidtohimevenifIhadtooverdrawmysomewhatslenderaccount。Seraglios,ofwhateversort,itmustberemembered,areexpensiveluxuriesoftherichindeed,though,ifofantiques,theycanbesoldagain,whichcannotbesaidofthehumankindforwhowantstobuyalotofantiquefrumps？
Therewereplentyofthingsinthechest,suchassomeoddsandendsoftapestryandoldclothesofaQueenAnnecharacter,puthere,nodoubt,forpreservation,asmothdoesnotlikethiscypresswood。Alsothereweresomebooksandamysteriousbundletiedupinacuriousshawlwithstripesofcolourrunningthroughit。Thatbundleexcitedme,andIdrewthefringesoftheshawlapartandlookedin。SofarasIcouldseeitcontainedanotherdressofrichcolours,alsoathickpacketofwhatlookedlikeparchment,badlypreparedandmuchrottedupononesideasthoughbydamp,whichparchmentappearedtobecoveredwithfaintblack—letterwriting,donebysomecarelessscribewithpoorinkthathadfadedverymuch。Therewereotherthings,too,withintheshawl,suchasaboxmadeofsomeredforeignwood,butI
hadnottimetoinvestigatefurtherforjustthenIheardoldPotts'sfootuponthestair,andthoughtitbesttoreplacethebundle。Hearrivedwiththelanternandbyitslightweexaminedthechestandthepokerwork。
"Verynice,"Isaid,"verynice,thoughagooddealknockedabout。"
"Yes,sir,"herepliedwithsarcasm,"Isupposeyou'dliketoseeitneatandnewafterfourhundredyearsofwear,andifso,IthinkI
cantellyouwhereyoucangetonetoyourliking。Imadethedesignsforitmyselffiveyearsagoforafellowwhowantedtolearnhowtomanufactureantiques。He'sinquodnowandhisantiquesareforsalecheap。IhelpedtoputhimtheretogethimoutofthewayasadangertoSociety。"
"What'stheprice？"Iaskedwithairydetachment。
"Haven'tItoldyouitain'tforsale。WaittillI'mdeadandcomeandbuyitatmyauction。No,youwon't,though,forit'sgoingsomewhereelse。"
ImadenoanswerbutcontinuedmyexaminationwhilePottstookhisseatontheprayer—stoolandseemedtogooffintooneofhisfitsofabstraction。
"Well,"IsaidatlengthwhendecencytoldmethatIcouldremainnolonger,"ifyouwon'tsellit'snousemylooking。Nodoubtyouwanttokeepitforaricherman,andofcourseyouarequiteright。Willyouarrangewiththecarrieraboutsendingtheclock,Mr。Potts,andI
willletyouhaveacheque。NowImustbeoff,asI'vetenmilestorideanditwillbedarkinanhour。"
"Stopwhereyouare,"saidPottsinahollowvoice。"What'sarideinthedarkcomparedwithamatterlikethis,evenifyouhaven'talampandgethauledbeforeyourownbench？Stopwhereyouare,I'mlisteningtosomething。"
SoIstoppedandbegantofillmypipe。
"Putthatpipeaway,"saidPotts,comingoutofhisreverie,"pipesmeanmatches;nomatcheshere。"
Iobeyed,andhewentonthinkingtillatlastwhatbetweenthechestandtheworm—eatenJacobeanbedandoldPottsontheprayer—stool,I
begantofeelasifIwerebeingmesmerized。Atlengthheroseandsaidinthesamehollowvoice:
"Youngman,youmayhavethatchest,andthepriceis？0。Nowforheaven'ssakedon'tofferme？0,oritwillbe？00beforeyouleavethisroom。"
"Withthecontents？"Isaidcasually。
"Yes,withthecontents。It'sthecontentsI'mtoldyouaretohave。"
"Lookhere,Potts,"Isaid,exasperated,"whatthedevildoyoumean？
There'snooneinthisroomexceptyouandme,sowhocanhavetoldyouanythingunlessitwasoldTomdownstairs。"
"Tom,"hesaidwithunutterablesarcasm,"Tom！Perhapsyoumeanthemawkinthatwasputuptoscarebirdsfromthepeasinthegarden,forithasmoreinitsheadthanTom。Noonehere？Oh！whatfoolssomemenare。Why,theplaceisthickwiththem。"
"Thickwithwhom？"
"Who？why,ghosts,ofcourse,asyouwouldcalltheminyourignorance。SpiritsofthedeadInamethem。Beautifulenough,too,someofthem。Lookatthatonethere,"andheliftedthelanternandpointedtoapileofoldbedpostsofChippendaledesign。
"Goodday,Potts,"Isaidhastily。
"Stopwhereyouare,"repeatedPotts。"Youdon'tbelievemeyet,butwhenyouareasoldasIamyouwillremembermywordsandbelieve——
morethanIdoandsee——clearerthanIdo,becauseit'sinyoursoul,yes,theseedisinyoursoul,thoughasyetitischokedbytheworld,theflesh,andthedevil。Waittillyoursinshavebroughtyoutrouble;waittillthefiresoftroublehaveburnedthefleshaway;
waittillyouhavesoughtLightandfoundLightandliveinLight,thenyouwillbelieve;/then/youwillsee。"
Allthishesaidverysolemnly,andstandingthereinthatduskyroomsurroundedbythewreckofthingsthatoncehadbeendeartodeadmenandwomen,wavingthelanterninhishandandstaring——atwhatwashestaring？——reallyoldPottslookedmostimpressive。Histwistedshapeanduglycountenancebecamespiritual;hewasonewhohad"foundLightandlivedinLight。"
"Youwon'tbelieveme,"hewenton,"butIpassontoyouwhatawomanhasbeentellingme。She'saqueersortofwoman;Ineversawherlikebefore,aforeigneranddark—huedwithstrangerichgarmentsandsomethingonherhead。There,that,/that/,"andhepointedthroughthedirtywindow—placetothecrescentofayoungmoonwhichappearedinthesky。"Afinefigureofawoman,"hewenton,"andoh！heaven,whateyes——Ineversawsucheyesbefore。Bigandtender,somethinglikethoseofthedeerintheparkyonder。Proud,too,sheis,onewhohasruled,andalady,thoughforeign。Well,Ineverfellinlovebefore,butIfeellikeitnow,andsowouldyou,youngman,ifyoucouldseeher,andsoIthinkdidsomeoneelseinhisday。"
"Whatdidshesaytoyou？"Iasked,forbynowIwasinterestedenough。Whowouldn'tbewhenoldPottstooktodescribingbeautifulwomen？
"It'salittledifficulttotellyouforshespokeinastrangetongue,andIhadtotranslateitinmyhead,asitwere。Butthisisthegistofit。Thatyouweretohavethatchestandwhatwasinit。
There'sawritingthere,shesays,orpartofawritingforsomehasgone——rottedaway。Youaretoreadthatwritingortogetitreadandtoprintitsothattheworldmayreaditalso。Shesaidthat'Hubert'
wishesyoutodoso。IamsurethenamewasHubert,thoughshealsospokeofhimwithsomeothertitlewhichIdonotunderstand。That'sallIcanremember,exceptsomethingaboutacity,yes,aCityofGoldandalastgreatbattleinwhichHubertfell,coveredwithgloryandconquering。Iunderstoodthatshewantedtotalkaboutthatbecauseitisn'tinthewriting,butyouinterruptedandofcourseshe'sgone。
Yes,thepriceis？0andnotafarthingless,butyoucanpayitwhenyoulikeforIknowyou'reashonestasmost,andwhetheryoupayitornot,youmusthavethatchestandwhat'sinitandnooneelse。"
"Allright,"Isaid,"butdon'ttrustittothecarrier。I'llsendacartforitto—morrowmorning。Lockitnowandgivemethekey。"
Induecoursethechestarrived,andIexaminedthebundlefortheothercontentsdonotmatter,althoughsomeofthemwereinteresting。
PinnedinsidetheshawlIfoundapaper,undatedandunsigned,butwhichfromthecharacterandstyleofthewritingwas,Ishouldsay,pennedbyaladyaboutsixtyyearsago。Itranthus:——
"Mylatefather,whowassuchagreattravellerinhisyoungdaysandsofondofexploringstrangeplaces,broughtthesethingshomefromoneofhisjourneysbeforehismarriage,IthinkfromSouthAmerica。Hetoldmeoncethatthedresswasfounduponthebodyofawomaninatombandthatshemusthavebeenagreatlady,forshewassurroundedbyanumberofotherwomen,perhapsherservantswhowerebroughttobeburiedwithherherewhentheydied。Theywereallseatedaboutastonetableattheendofwhichweretheremainsofaman。Myfathersawthebodiesneartheruinsofsomeforestcity,inthetomboverwhichwasheapedagreatmoundofearth。Thatofthelady,whichhadakindofshroudmadeoftheskinsoflong—wooledsheepwrappedaboutitasthoughtopreservethedressbeneath,hadbeenembalmedinsomeway,whichthenativesoftheplace,whereveritwas,toldhimshowedthatshewasroyal。Theothersweremereskeletons,heldtogetherbytheskin,butthemanhadalongfairbeardandhairstillhangingtohisskull,andbyhissidewasagreatcross—hiltedswordthatcrumbledtofragmentswhenitwastouched,exceptthehiltandtheknobofamberuponitwhichhadturnedalmostblackwithage。I
thinkmyfathersaidthatthepacketofskinsorparchmentofwhichtheundersideisbadlyrottedwithdampwassetunderthefeetoftheman。Hetoldmethathegavethosewhofoundthetombagreatdealofmoneyforthedress,goldornaments,andemeraldnecklace,asnothingsoperfecthadbeenfoundbefore,andtheclothisallworkedwithgoldthread。Myfathertoldme,too,thathedidnotwishthethingstobesold。"
Thiswastheendofthewriting。
HavingreaditIexaminedthedress。ItwasofasortthatIhadneverseenbefore,thoughexpertstowhomIhaveshownitsaythatitiscertainlySouthAmericanofaveryearlydate,andliketheornaments,probablypre—IncaPeruvian。ItisfullofrichcolourssuchasIhaveseeninoldIndianshawlswhichgiveageneraleffectofcrimson。Thiscrimsonrobeclearlywaswornoveraskirtoflinenthathadapurpleborder。IntheboxthatIhavespokenofweretheornaments,allofplaindullgold:awaist—band;acircletofgoldfortheheadfromwhichrosethecrescentoftheyoungmoonandanecklaceofemeralds,uncutstonesnowmuchflawed,forwhatreasonIdonotknow,butpolishedandsetratherroughlyinredgold。Alsothereweretworings。Roundoneoftheseabitofpaperwaswrappeduponwhichwaswritten,inanotherhand,probablythatofthefatherofthewriterofthememorandum:——
"Takenfromthefirstfingeroftherighthandofalady'smummywhichIamsorry,inourcircumstances,itwasquiteimpossibletocarryaway。"
Thisringisabroadbandofgoldwithaflatbezeluponwhichsomethingwasonceengravedthatowingtolongandhardwearnowcannotbedistinguished。Inshort,itappearstobeasignetofoldEuropeanmakebutofwhatageandfromwhatcountryitisimpossibletodetermine。Theotherringwasinasmallleatherypouch,elaboratelyembroideredingoldthreadorverythinwire,whichI
supposewaspartofthelady'scostume。Itislikeaverymassiveweddingring,butsixoreighttimesasthick,andengravedalloverwithanembossedconventionaldesignofwhatlooklikestarswithraysroundthem,orpossiblypetalledflowers。Lastlytherewasthesword—
hilt,ofwhichpresently。
Suchwerethetrinkets,ifsotheymaybecalled。Theyareoflittlevalueintrinsicallyexceptfortheirweightingold,because,asI
havesaid,theemeraldsareflawedasthoughtheyhavebeenthroughafireorsomeotherunknowncause。Moreover,thereisaboutthemnothingofthegraceandcharmofancientEgyptianjewellery;
evidentlytheybelongedtoaruderageandcivilization。Yettheyhad,andstillhave,tomyimagining,acertaindignityoftheirown。
Also——hereIbecameinfectedwiththespiritofthepeculiarPotts——
withoutdoubtthesethingswererichinhumanassociations。Whohadwornthatdressofcrimsonwiththecrossesworkedonitingoldwire（theycannothavebeenChristiancrosses）,andthepurple—borderedskirtunderneath,andtheemeraldnecklaceandthegoldencircletfromwhichrosethecrescentoftheyoungmoon？Apparentlyamummyinatomb,themummyofsomelong—deadladyofastrangeandalienrace。
WasshesuchaoneasthatoldlunaticPottshaddreamedhesawstandingbeforehiminthefilthy,cumberedupper—chamberofaruinoushouseinanEnglandmarkettown,Iwondered,onewithgreateyesliketothoseofadoeandaregalbearing？
No,thatwasnonsense。Pottshadlivedwithshadowsuntilhebelievedinshadowsthatcameoutofhisownimaginationandintoitreturnedagain。Still,shewasawomanofsomesort,andapparentlyshehadaloverorahusband,amanwithagreatfairbeard。Howatthisdate,whichmusthavebeenremote,didagolden—beardedmancometoforegatherwithawomanwhoworesuchrobesandornamentsasthese？
Andthatswordhilt,wornsmoothbyhandlingandwithanamberknob？
Whencecameit？Tomymind——thiswasbeforeexpertexaminationconfirmedmyview——itlookedveryNorse。IhadreadtheSagasandI
rememberedatalerecoveredinthemofsomeboldNorsemenwhoabouttheyearseightorninehundredhadwanderedtothecoastofwhatisknownnowtobeAmerica——IthinkacertainEricwastheircaptain。