Adventures in the Moon, and Other WorldsRussell, John Russell, Earl
Science
Adventures in the Moon, and Other Worlds
Russell, John Russell, Earl
Utopias
confidence, nor reconcile it to his cheeks, and he seemed every moment
apprehensive lest it should drop.
I asked him very courteously, whether he was quite sure that he had his
own complexion on. He answered "Yes," with some indignation; upon which
I endeavoured to convince him of his mistake, representing that in some
places there was a separation between his complexion and his skin, and
that he would never bring them to unite in any security. But as he did
not seem disposed to relinquish his prize, I approached him on pretence
of examining his face more closely, and grasped him by the chin; when
the disputed complexion slipped off with the greatest ease, and I
presented it to the lady, who applied it to her face, where it instantly
fitted itself on, and seemed to be quite at home. I could not forbear
smiling at the sallow cheeks of the young man, who had been thus
despoiled. He remonstrated very angrily against the violence done to his
face, and persisted in claiming what he called his property. I desired
him to observe that the complexion was so settled and established in the
lady's face, as to make a removal impossible, which was a proof that he
must have been mistaken when he believed it to be his. I told him I was
convinced that his own complexion, when he had it, was of equal beauty
with this; and no doubt, by a diligent search, might be found, being
certainly in the moon, since by his cheeks he had evidently lost it. He
was not to be satisfied; but still insisted, that even if this
complexion had originally been produced in the lady's face, yet by
coming to the moon it had been forfeited, and became the lawful prize of
any person who could seize it. I remarked, that it was now useless to
dispute against the lady's right to wear her complexion, since it was
immoveably fixed; and therefore, if he were determined to wear no other
bloom, his only expedient was to wait till it should again arrive in the
moon, and endeavour to gain possession of it a second time. He turned
away with great resentment; and the lady, being now perfectly beautiful,
took leave of me with many acknowledgments of the service I had done
her. I afterwards met this young man again with a fine florid bloom, to
which I believe he had no right, for he turned away his head as he
passed me.
After restoring this lady to her beauty, I walked on to seek new
adventures, and had not proceeded far before I saw a large building,
which I approached, and the doors being open I walked in. The building
consisted of one vast room, the walls of which were covered with
shelves, containing a vast multitude of small bottles with their corks
tied down as if to confine some liquor that was ready to escape. In the
room I found some persons, who gave me an explanation of what I saw.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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