THE CITY OF PLEASURE A Fantasia on Modern Themes By Arnold Bennett Author Of “The Old Wives’ Tale,” “Clayhanger,” “The Old Adam,” Etc. New York: George H. Doran Company 1907 [Illustration: 0001] [Illustration: 0007] THE CITY OF PLEASURE PART I--CARPENTARIA CHAPTER I--Over the City Carpentaria! One of the three richly-uniformed officials who were in charge of the captive balloon, destined to be a leading attraction of the City of Pleasure, murmured this name warningly to his companions, as if to advise them that the moment had arrived for them to mind their p’s and q’s. And each man looked cautiously through the tail of his eye at a striking figure which was approaching through crowds of people to the enclosure. The figure was tall and had red hair and a masterful face, and it was clothed in a blue suit that set off the red hair to perfection. Over the wicket of the enclosure a small enamelled sign had been hung: “CITY OF PLEASURE. “_President_: Josephus Ilam. “_Managing and Musical Director_: Charles Carpentaria. “_Balloon Ascents every half-hour after three o’clock. Height of a thousand feet guaranteed. Seats, half-a-crown, including field-glass_.” The sign was slightly askew, and the approaching figure tapped it into position, and then entered the enclosure. “Good afternoon,” it said. “Everything ready?” “’d afternoon, Mr. Carpentaria,” said the head balloonist respectfully. “Yes, sir.” The three men with considerable ostentation busied themselves among ropes, while a young man in gold-rimmed spectacles gazed with sudden self-consciousness into the far distance, just as if he had that very instant discovered something there that demanded the whole of his attention. “Going up, sir?” inquired the head balloonist. “Yes,” replied Carpentaria. “Mr. Ilam and I are going up together. We have time, haven’t we? It’s only half-past two.” “Yes, sir.” Carpentaria examined the vast balloon, which was trembling and swaying and lugging with that aspiration towards heaven and the infinite so characteristic of well-filled balloons. He ignored the young man in spectacles. “Where’s the parachutist?” Carpentaria demanded. A parachutist was to give éclat to the first public ascent of the silken monster by dropping from it into the Thames or somewhere else. His apparatus hung beneath the great circular car. “He’ll be here before three, sir,” said the head balloonist. “He’s been here once, sir,” added the second balloonist, anxious to prove to himself that he also had the right to converse with the mighty Carpentaria.