The Girl and the Faun by Eden Phillpotts

Author:Eden Phillpotts [Phillpotts, Eden]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4405-4471-2
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 1916-03-08T05:00:00+00:00

II

SUMMER

NOW BEAT THE PULSE and burned the flame of that canicular time when Sirius, rising with the sun, adds his glow to the lesser planet for earth’s delight. July had taken the world of Chimera to wife, and wedded her in high and golden days, and loved her by the light of low red moons, while the white stars throbbed above their sleep. And Summer, from under heavy eyelids, viewed the pageant of her kingdoms. Of sun fire fierce and blue shadows threaded with dew her regal robe was woven, and flower light made a crown over the splendour of her scented hair.

She met the faun, and, having in her basket first-fruits of wood strawberry and rasp, bade him help himself as generously as he pleased. He mumbled his thanks and emptied the whole basket into a leaf of giant burdock, which he plucked for the purpose. His abrupt manners merely amused Summer, who enjoyed a sense of humour that lifted her above the unconscious rudeness of many greater immortals than Coix. She doubted not that the faun had snatched her fruits for a nymph and laughed to see him trot away so swiftly. But it was to Iole that he brought the treasure.

He set himself once more to win her away from her boy; toiled harder than ever for her; strove to dazzle her with his amazing strength; told her how easily he could tear Glaucus into a million pieces; begged her to set him the most difficult tasks which she could imagine. She did so, and he accomplished them all. He gathered wool for her and brought her a sack of it; he tickled trout for her; he killed several unfortunate leopards, so that she went in a garment of pale gold spotted with ebony, and her goats feared her, sniffing the savour of their foes.

Once he climbed the very highest peaks of the mountains and brought her alpine flowers, fairer than all precious stones; but all withered away when they breathed the air of the valleys; and she did not so much as pat him, or praise him, or draw the thorns from his pelt, or comb his hair, as the amiable nymphs were wont to do after such a feat performed for them.

Then very slowly his muddy brain began to fear that the case was hopeless. Not his strength or beauty, not his excellent character or gentle nature, not his worship or his love could win her. He would have slain Glaucus with as little compunction as he destroyed any other creature, but that the Law forbade. A faun may not slay a man; a man may not entrap or harm a faun; and Coix, aware of this, argued presently that Iole was breaking the Law.

“By refusing to love me, you wrong me,” he said, “and Pan will punish you dreadfully.” But she only laughed and told him that in three weeks’ time she would wed Glaucus.

In despair he ran about amongst all created things, asking them what he should do; and according to their natures they counselled him.

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