Bias and Vanity

by Bertil Falk

Chapter 10

After breakfast next morning, Thebazile departed with his relatives in a slouch sleigh, pulled by a giant cockroach. At a rather slow pace, they sailed about ten meters above the ground between tall trees beside high mountains, through passes and under lakes drifting by in the sky inside invisible containers. And the journey continued between the verdure of smashing meadows and the greenery of splendid arbors.

And then, all of a sudden, when he not the least expected it, the landscape opened up and there...

On the other side of a green valley, as if floating in the air, the magnificent more-than-mansion of Ylrebmep proudly pointed its exquisite pinnacles in the most unthinkable directions, while its oriels and other peculiar extensions decorated the face with colorful variations of almost imaginable shades.

Oh my God, Thebazile thought. Of all this I could have been master. And for the first time, he began to realize that his biased prejudices had led him astray from a reality that could have saved his whole family, which now was more or less reduced to a future of oblivion.

For who would tie the nuptial knot with any of the Tenneb boys, now that Enaj had been slighted by Mizz Yelgnib and he himself had insulted Mizz Yzrad on, least to say, insufficient facts and misleading assumptions. But on the other hand, what a proud woman she was.

Mrz. Renidrag applied to see the place. The housekeeper, Mizter Sdlonyer, a faithful old servant, showed them around. Everything was magnificent and the housekeeper pointed out that “this kind of stately mansion is hardly being built nowadays,” adding that “if some copy cats give building them a try, they nevertheless won’t make them like this one any more.”

That’s for sure, Thebazile thought, when his aunt turned to him.

“Look here Thebazile,” she said. “Have you seen this miniature? Do you recognize her?”

“That is Mizz Mahkciw,” Mr. Sdlonyer explained. “She was born here, but unfortunately she has turned out to be a man-mad lady, chasing trousers and making fake proposals of marriage to a lot of men in order to get what she wants. She’s very shrewd. But look at this medallion. This is my mistress.”

Thebazile found himself looking at the well-known face of Mizz Yzrad.

“Is it like her or not?” Mr. Renidrag said, turned to Thebazile.

Before he could answer, the housekeeper exclaimed, “Does the young man know Mizz Yzrad?”

“Just a little.”

“Isn’t she beautiful!”

“Very much so.”

“And Mizz Yzrad is the most wonderful employer. She cares for everyone in this big household, with thousands of servants of all kinds. She’s a wonderful young woman. We all love her. But she is in need of a husband. And I think she’ll have a problem finding someone to marry.”

“It must be somebody who can match her wealth, I understand,” said Mr. Renidrag.

“I don’t know what to say about that. For even very rich men like Master Tsruh Yelgnib would neither mentally nor intellectually match her. I think it will be very difficult for her to find someone she considers worthy to marry.”

At that Thebazile almost blushed, while the housekeeper continued: “It’s also said that her mother and her relative Count Hgruob ed Enirehtac of the Sgnisor solar system, long ago decided that Mizz Yzrad would marry the count’s son. So maybe she’ll marry him.”

That is what you think, Thebazile thought. He knew that he knew better than the housekeeper as to Mizz Yzrad’s preferences. But at the same time he was affected by Mr. Sdlonyer’s description of Mizz Mahkciw and Mizz Yzrad.

Thebazile felt that his already changed attitude towards the two women continued to swing further in Mizz Yzrad’s favor. Well, that was it. Mizz Yzrad would probably turn away from him if she by chance ran into him, and Thebazile was thankful that she was not at home.

After their sightseeing inside Ylrebmep, they sightsaw the exclusive garden. There were old-fashioned gravel walks of a most expensive kind, surrounded by hedges put together with bushes from all over the universe. Everywhere, excellent ponds with splendid fountains enhanced the magnificence of the place. While his aunt and uncle lagged behind, Thebazile somewhat walked astray within the mazelike landscape gardening.

It was then that all of a sudden he faced a catastrophe far beyond human experience. For there, almost in front of him, who came walking from the left side if not Mizz Yzrad, obviously unaware of the unpleasant experience she was walking straight into like a dragon into a clever trap.

It was too late for Thebazile to avoid her. She was just rounding a corner of the gravel walk and at the next moment she caught sight of him. She stiffened, stopped dead and stared as if she had seen a ghost. And of course, that was what Thebazile in a sense felt that he was.

“Yes, I know,” Thebazile cried out. “What the heck am I doing here? Good question, no doubt.”

Though he was confused, he had at least been able to utter a few intelligible words with intelligible meaning, almost explaining his presence by questioning it. And he added:

“Had I known that you were here, I would never ever have permitted anyone to drag me here.” So now he tried to blame his presence on his relatives. “We were told that you would not come here until the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s right. I arrived two days earlier. How is your family?” Mizz Yzrad asked that in a very civil way.

“Very well, thank you.”

“And your brothers?”

“They’re all very well, thank you.”

“And...” Mizz Yzrad seemed to be searching for words. “And your... your... mother and father?”

“They’re both very well,” Thebazile said.

“And your family. They’re all well?”

“Yes, yes,” Thebazile replied and he was surprised at the repeatedly civil way Mizz Yzrad repeatedly asked these questions about his relatives. She seemed to be as bewildered as he was. “As I said, I would never have contemplated coming here, had I known...”

“I returned one day earlier than planned,” Mizz Yzrad said. “And your family is well...?”

Their conversation did not take off. They were glued to square one. Mizz Yzrad made a slight nod “I... I...” she said. “Please...”

She moved away from him towards her stately mansion. Behind him Thebazile heard the voices of his relatives.

“That was the mistress of Ylrebmep herself, wasn’t it?” asked Mrz. Renidrag. “What a beautiful woman.”

“What a body, what a dress, what a face,” Mr. Renidrag said.

Body, face, dress? Had she been dressed? Thebazile had been so taken by surprise that he had not noticed anything of the kind.

“What a long conversation you had. What did she say?”

“Nothing. She just asked if my family is well. I think that we should leave Ylrebmep now and go back to the inn. As fast as possible.”

Under silence they walked back to their sleigh, but before they reached it, Mizz Yzrad surfaced again and this time she came walking with resolute steps in their direction.

“Mizter Tenneb,” she said. “I didn’t expect you and was somewhat taken aback a few minutes ago. Mizter Tenneb, please introduce me to your friends.”

This uncalled-for civility was like a miracle to Thebazile. But he did what he was asked for and to his surprise, Mizz Yzrad immediately began to question his two relatives:

“Where do you stay?” she asked.

“In Notbmal.”

“At The Space and the Time?”

“Yes.”

“How long will you stay?”

“A few more days.”

“That’s good to hear. I hope that we can meet again before you leave. I would like to show you around the house and gardens.”

In that way they talked for at least half an hour and Thebazile was astonished, when he saw how changed she was. Instead of pride, civility, instead of awkward silence, a stream of conversation, instead of condescension, amiability and consideration. That she could be so talkative was a revelation.

At one point, Mizz Yzrad went so far as to ask Mrz. Renidrag to come over some day and go fishing with her in one of the ponds. She actually smiled on one or two occasions, and Thebazile found that she was even more beautiful when she did so.

Could this change have been caused by his awkward rejection of her offer of marriage? Oh no, no, that was impossible!

They declined with thanks her offer of tea, but she accompanied them to their sleigh. During that walk she told Thebazile that her brother as well as Mizz Yelgnib would come to Ylrebmep the following day. Since her brother was anxious to meet Thebazile, she asked for permission to introduce him. That was more than Thebazile could expect and he said that he gladly would make her brother’s acquaintance.

It was in a dazzled haze and a confused mood that Thebazile returned to The Space and the Time together with his aunt and uncle.

“And that was the proud and disagreeable Mizz Yzrad,” Mrz. Renidrag said. “But she was not at all as you and others have described her, Thebazile.”

“I know,” Thebazile said. “The truth is that the woman we met today was not the Mizz Yzrad that I know. She has undergone a total personality change.”

“And I was stunned to hear the housekeeper describing your friend the officer.”

This comment gave Thebazile an opportunity to tell his relatives about Mizz Mahkciw and her manipulations. Mrz. and Mr. Renidrag found the news both astonishing and disturbing.

Proceed to chapter 11...