New Celebrations: The Adventures of Anthony Villiers (40 page)

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L
ORD SEMICHASTNY’S ENTERTAINMENT WAS HELD TO BE
a great success and hugely enjoyed by the Xochitl Sodality and such unaffiliated onlookers as cared to join. They fed, wandered, wondered, talked, and mingled. They speculated as to which was more Marvelous, a Trog, or a Trog that was more than just a Trog. They listened to the music and to a story told by Charles to a collected circle. They talked to the various Marvels and before the night was done the astrologers were casting individual horoscopes and Mr. Dodd, the Christian Historian, had admitted that sometimes he thought he was not just a historian, sometimes he thought he believed.

* * *

Ossian Chimmeroon approached Lord Semichastny as he was signing Harbourne Firnhaber’s self-composed recommendation. (Who, after all, knew his virtues so well?)

“Congratulation, Friend Semichastny,” said Chimmeroon. “This is a delightful party. It’s a pity that we all did not know each other sooner. I most particularly enjoyed that luscious orange-red melon.”

“Did you like that?” asked Lord Semichastny. “That’s one of my own favorites, sir. It’s an Olatunge.”

They talked melons briefly, and then Chimmeroon burst out, “It’s really not right that your neighbors should force you out with this Winter-Summer Law. You have more friends than you know.”

“Do I?” asked Lord Semichastny. “Who?”

“We, the Monists of Delbalso. We are not inconsiderable friends to have. We’ll see about that law.” And he nodded emphatically.

Lord Semichastny looked after Chimmeroon as he walked away. Then he handed Harbourne his recommendation.

“Monists,” he said. “I don’t understand them.”

Harbourne reached into his coat and found the brochures he had been given at Joralemon House.

“Here you are, sir,” he said.

* * *

Parini arrived shortly and did a little cherry-picking before he came across Villiers. Villiers introduced him to Torve.

“Is pleasure,” said Torve. “I have met your daughter Louisa.”

“So I understand,” Parini said, not looking at him directly. And then he said, “Your papers arrived.” But he handed them to Villiers.

Villiers handed them to Torve. “Thank you, sir,” he said. “How did your evening go?”

“Profitably. And yours, Mr. Villiers?”

“Moderately profitably. Shall we settle on a price for the name?”

They dickered and concluded at a mutually satisfactory eight royals. However, Parini was unable to give Villiers change for his money order, so Villiers sent Torve to find Lord Semichastny.

Lord Semichastny came within minutes, putting his Joralemon House brochures away. “These are fascinating people, Charteris,” he said. “I’ve even been talking to some of them.”

Villiers introduced him to Parini.

“I’m sure I’ve encountered the name before,” said Lord Semichastny, and indeed he had.

Parini said, “Oh, I doubt it very much, sir. We are not a prominent family.”

Lord Semichastny proved to be able to change the money order and was willing to do it for only two percent. He took his two percent and went off to talk to more Monists. Villiers took his share, and handed the rest to Parini.

“The name?” he said.

Parini said, “The man who hired Solomon ‘Biff’ Dreznik to kill you was your brother, Robinet Villiers.”

Villiers nodded. “Thank you,” he said.

* * *

“Excuse me, Sir Trog,” Slyne said through his sensory amplifier. McBe hung at his heels. “May I see your Red Card and your Permit to Travel? Apparently through oversight they were not inspected when you arrived at the Castle.”

“Certainly,” said Torve, and handed them to the Orthodoxou.

* * *

On their way to Castle Rock, Mrs. Parini said, “I’ve been wondering, Jules.”

“About what?”

“What do you think of the possibility of Villiers and Louisa?”

“Villiers and Louisa what?”

“Becoming interested in each other.”

“What?” he said. “I should see my daughter tied to such a humorless man? Oh, no, I have plans for Louisa. I want her to learn to
act
like a lady, not become one.”

* * *

Anthony Villiers and Torve the Trog left the party before dawn, before the party was fully done. They went to Castle Rock and took passage from Delbalso.

Torve said goodbye separately to Badrian Beaufils, and Villiers spoke to Sir Henry and Lady Oliphaunt.

Lady Oliphaunt said, “Be careful of your friend, Tony.”

Villiers said, “We must judge by result, not by what we see.”

“I am,” she said soberly.

On their way to the port, Villiers said, “By the way, I had a letter from Louisa Parini. She says that Alice Tutuila and Norman Adams are to be married soon on Nashua, and we are invited. That makes two weddings we are called to attend on Nashua. I don’t see how we can refuse.”

“No. Is all right,” said Torve the Trog. “Soon, though, I think I wish to journey homewards to Trogholm.”

“We’ll do that,” said Villiers.

They left Delbalso in second-class accommodations on a good ship. They left Delbalso as the sun was turning Castle Rock from black to slanting marble.

* * *

In spite of her doubts, Lady Oliphaunt found Sir Henry and herself growing reconciled. The beginning of her stay on Delbalso was moderately tedious because of the Winter-Summer Laws, but after less than two years they were repealed and life then livened considerably so that when the end of Sir Henry’s largely successful administration was done, she actually regretted leaving Delbalso to return to Sir Henry’s country estates on Trefflewood.

Lord Semichastny did not leave Delbalso. He stayed, even under the strictures of the Winter-Summer Laws. In fact, after two months of consideration, he joined the Delbalso Monist Association and went to live at Joralemon House. He donated his country maison to the Monist Association and it became Coppersmith House, though there were scattered votes for “Semichastny House.” Charles the Robot managed the place very successfully for the Monists, as he had for Lord Semichastny. He joined the Monist Association himself, and was held in high regard by his fellows. His Monist career was so successful that he was able to convince two friends in the Merry Majordomos to join. And he was never ever required to wear orange—unless you should consider the Copper of Copppersmith House to be a shade of orange.

In spite of his glowing recommendation from Lord Semichastny, Harbourne Firnhaber did not feel ready to tackle Nashua. So he sat on random shelves for several more years and continued to ripen.

Sir Henry Oliphaunt kept his Trog suit. He never wore it and he never spoke of it to Lady Oliphaunt, but he kept the suit and sometimes late at night he would take it from its secret place and look at it. And there were other nights when he would suddenly rise from his chair and dance around the room.

—End Book III—

In
The Universal Pantograph
, the fourth Anthony Villiers adventure, such universals are discussed as Nominalism, Realism, marriage, the Great Ian Steele Contest, and Louisa Parini. To follow soon.