Envoy Extraordinary

This time the Emperor was unable to stop himself. He tried to untwist the laughter out of his face but it convulsed his body instead. He gave up and laughed till the. tears jerked out of his eyes. The colour in his grandson's face deepened, caught up the sunset and passed it.

"Am I so funny?"

The Emperor wiped his cheeks.

"I am sorry. I wonder if you will understand that part of my exasperated affection for you is rooted in your very-Mamillius, you are so desperately up-to-date that you dare not enjoy yourself for fear of being thought old-fashioned. If you could only see the world through my regretful and fading eyes!"

"The trouble is, grandfather, I do not even want to. There is nothing new under the sun. Everything has been invented, everything has been written. Time has had a stop."

The Emperor tossed another paper into his basket.

"Have you ever heard of China?"

"No."

"I must have heard of China twenty years ago. An island, I thought, beyond India. Since then, odd fragments of information have filtered through to me. Do you know, Mamillius, China is an Empire bigger than our own?"

"That is nonsense. A contradiction in nature."

"But true, none the less. I sometimes fall into a daze of wonder as I imagine this ball of earth held, as it were, in two hands-one light brown and the other, according to my information, jaundice yellow. Perhaps at last man will be confronted with his long-lost twin as in that comedy."

"Travellers' tales."

"I try to prove to you how vast and wonderful life is."

"Do you suggest that I should go exploring?"

"You could not go by sea and it would take ten years by track or river if the Arimaspians would let you. Stay home and amuse an old man who grows lonely."

"Thank you for allowing me to be your fool."

"Boy," said the Emperor strongly, "go and get mixed up in a good bloody battle."

"I leave that sort of thing to your official heir. Posthumus is an insensitive bruiser. He can have all the battles he wants. Besides, a battle cheapens life and I find life cheap enough already."

"Then the Father of his Country can do nothing for his own grandson."

"I am tired of twiddling my fingers."

The Emperor looked at him more closely than the remark seemed to warrant. "Have I been very foolish? Be careful, Mamillius. A condition of our unusual friendship is that you keep your fingers out of hot water. Go on twiddling them. I want you to have that long life even if in the end you die of boredom. Do not become ambitious."

"I am not ambitious for power."

"Continue to convince Posthumus of that. Leave ruling to him. He likes it."

Mamillius looked at the curtains, took a step forward and murmured to the Emperor:

"Yet you would prefer that I should inherit the purple fringe on your toga!"

The Emperor leaned forward and answered him urgently.

"If his agents heard you we should neither of us live a year. Never say such a thing again. It is an order."

Mamillius returned to his pillar; while the Emperor took up another paper, held it in the sunset-glow and tossed it aside. For a time there was silence between them. The nightingale, assured of darkness and privacy, returned to the cypress and her song. The Emperor spoke softly at last.

"Go down the steps, cross the lawn that fills this coombe so neatly, pick your way past the lily-pond and enter the clifftunnel. After a hundred paces you will stand on the harbour quay-"

"I know the neighbourhood well enough."

"You will not be able to see much by the time you get there; but say to yourself, "Here, shielded from the sea by the two quays are a hundred ships, a thousand houses, ten thousand people. And every one would give his cars to be the bastard but favourite grandson of the Emperor"."

"Warehouses, taverns, brothels. Tar, oil, bilges, dung, sweat."

"You dislike humanity."

"And you?"

"I accept it."

"I avoid it."

"We must get Posthumus to allow you a governorship. Egypt?"

"Greece, if I must."

"Booked, I am afraid," said the Emperor regretfully. "There is even a waiting list."

"Egypt, then."

"A part of Egypt. If you go, Mamillius, it will be for your own sake. You would find nothing of me on your return but ashes and a monument or two. Be happy then, if only to cheer an ageing civil servant."

"What has Egypt to make me happy? There is nothing new, even out of Africa."

The Emperor unrolled another paper, glanced at it, smiled, then allowed himself to laugh.

"Here is something new for you. They are two of your prospective subjects. You had better see them."

Listlessly Mamillius accepted the paper, stood with his back to the Emperor and held it up to the light. He let go the end and glanced over his shoulder, grinning, as the paper rolled itself up. He turned and they laughed in each other's eyes. The Emperor laughed, enjoying himself, younger, delighted. Mamillius was suddenly younger, his laugh uncertain in pitch.

"He wants to play boats with Caesar."