The Purple Land/Volume 1/Chapter 10
CHAPTER X.
THE BOTANIST AND THE SIMPLE NATIVE.
Early next morning Anselmo took his departure, but I was up in time to say goodbye to the worthy spinner of interminable yarns leading to nothing. I was, in fact, engaged in performing my morning ablutions in a large wooden bucket under the willows when he placed himself in the saddle, then, after carefully arranging the drapery of his picturesque garments, trotted gently away, the picture of a man with a tranquil stomach and at peace with the whole world, even neighbour Gumesinda included.
I had spent a somewhat restless night, strange to say, for my hospitable hostess had provided me with a deliciously soft bed, a very unusual luxury in the Banda Oriental, and when I plunged into it there were no hungry bed-fellows waiting my advent within its mysterious folds. I thought about the pastoral simplicity of the lives and character of the good people slumbering near me; and that inconsequent story of Anselmo's about Manuel and Pascuala caused me to laugh several times. Finally my thoughts, which had been roaming around in a wild uncertain unanner, like rooks, "blown about the windy skies," settled quietly down to the consideration of that beautiful anomaly, that mystery of mysteries, the white-faced Margarita. For how, in the name of heredity, had she got there? Whence that pearly skin and lithesome form; the proud sweet mouth, the nose that Phidias might have taken for a model; the clear, spiritual, sapphire eyes, and the wealth of silky hair, that if unbound would cover her as with a garment of surpassing beauty? With such a problem vexing my curious brain, what sleep could a philosopher get?
When Batata saw me making preparations for departure, he warmly pressed me to stay to breakfast. I consented at once, for, after all, the more leisurely one does a thing the sooner will it be accomplished—especially in the Banda Oriental. One breakfasts here at noon, so that I had plenty of time to see, and renew my pleasure in seeing, pretty Margarita.
In the course of the morning we had a visitor; a traveller who arrived on a tired horse, and who slightly knew my host Batata, having called at the house, I was told, on former occasions. Marcos Marco was the man's name; a tall sallow-faced individual, about fifty years old, slightly grey, very dirty, and wearing threadbare gaucho garments. He had a slouching gait and manner, and a patient, waiting hungry animal expression of face. Very, very keen were his eyes, and I detected him several times watching me narrowly.
Leaving this Oriental tramp in conversation with Batata, who with misplaced kindness had offered to provide him with a fresh horse, I went out for a walk before breakfast. During my walk, which was along a tiny stream at the foot of the hill on which the house stood, I found a very lovely bell-shaped flower of a delicate rose-colour. I plucked it carefully and took it back with me, thinking it just possible that I might give it to Margarita should she happen to be in the way. On my return to the house I found the traveller sitting by himself under the corridor, engaged in mending some portion of his dilapidated horse-gear, and sat down to have a chat with him. A clever bee will always be able to extract honey enough to reward him from any flower, and so I did not hesitate tackling this outwardly very unpromising subject.
"And so you are an Englishman," he remarked, after we had had some conversation, and I, of course, replied in the affirmative.
"What a strange thing!" he said. "And you are fond of gathering pretty flowers?" he continued, with a glance at my treasure.
"All flowers are pretty," I replied.
"But surely, señor, some are prettier than others. Perhaps you have observed a particularly pretty one growing in these parts—the white Margarita?"
Margarita is the Oriental vernacular for verbena, the fragrant white variety is quite common in the country, so that I was quite justified in ignoring the fellow's impudent meaning. Assuming as wooden an expression as I could, I replied, "Yes, I have often observed the flower you speak of; it is fragrant and to my mind surpasses in beauty the scarlet and purple varieties. But you must know, my friend, that I am a botanist, that is, a student of plants, and they are all equally interesting to me."
This astonished him very much; and, pleased with the interest he seemed to take in the subject, I explained, in simple language, the principles on which a classification of plants is founded, telling him about that lingua franca by means of which all the botanists in the world of all nations are able to converse together about plants. From this somewhat dry subject I launched into the more fascinating one of the physiology of plants. "Now look at this," I continued, and with my penknife I carefully dissected the flower in my hand, for it was evident that I could not now give it to Margarita without exposing myself to remarks. I then proceeded to explain to him the beautiful complex structure by means of which this campanula fertilises itself,
He listened in wonder, exhausting all the Spanish and Oriental equivalents of such expressions as "Dear me! How extraordinary! Lawks a mussy! You don't say so!" I finished my lecture, satisfied that my superior intellect had baffled the rude creature; then, tossing away the fragments of the flower I had sacrificed, I restored the penknife to my pocket.
"These are matters we do not often hear about in the Banda Oriental," he said. "But the English know everything—even the secrets of a flower. They are also able to do most things. Did you ever, sir botanist, take part in acting comedy?"
After all I had wasted my flower and scientific knowledge on the animal for nothing! "Yes, I have," I replied rather angrily; then, suddenly remembering Eyebrow's teaching, I added, "and in tragedy also."
"Is that so!" he exclaimed. "How amused the spectators must have been! Well, we can all have our fill of fighting presently, for I see the White Flower coming this way to tell us that breakfast is ready. Batata's roast beef will give something for our knives to do, I only wish we had one of his own floury namesakes to eat with the roast."
I swallowed my resentment, and when Margarita came to us looked up into her matchless face with a smile, then rose to follow her into the kitchen.