He drew an imaginary circle on the stones of the roof,
and burnt a pinch of powder in it, which sent up a
small cloud of aromatic smoke, whereat everybody fell
back and began to cross themselves and get uncomfortable.
Then he began to mutter and make passes in the air
with his hands. He worked himself up slowly and
gradually into a sort of frenzy, and got to thrashing
around with his arms like the sails of a windmill.
By this time the storm had about reached us; the
gusts of wind were flaring the torches and making
the shadows swash about, the first heavy drops of rain
were falling, the world abroad was black as pitch,
the lightning began to wink fitfully. Of course,
my rod would be loading itself now. In fact,
things were imminent. So I said:
“You have had time enough. I have given
you every advantage, and not interfered. It
is plain your magic is weak. It is only fair
that I begin now.”
I made about three passes in the air, and then there
was an awful crash and that old tower leaped into
the sky in chunks, along with a vast volcanic fountain
of fire that turned night to noonday, and showed a
thousand acres of human beings groveling on the ground
in a general collapse of consternation. Well,
it rained mortar and masonry the rest of the week.
This was the report; but probably the facts would
have modified it.
It was an effective miracle. The great bothersome
temporary population vanished. There were a
good many thousand tracks in the mud the next morning,
but they were all outward bound. If I had advertised
another miracle I couldn’t have raised an audience
with a sheriff.
Merlin’s stock was flat. The king wanted
to stop his wages; he even wanted to banish him, but
I interfered. I said he would be useful to work
the weather, and attend to small matters like that,
and I would give him a lift now and then when his poor
little parlor-magic soured on him. There wasn’t
a rag of his tower left, but I had the government
rebuild it for him, and advised him to take boarders;
but he was too high-toned for that. And as for
being grateful, he never even said thank you.
He was a rather hard lot, take him how you might;
but then you couldn’t fairly expect a man to
be sweet that had been set back so.
THE BOSS
To be vested with enormous authority is a fine thing;
but to have the on-looking world consent to it is
a finer. The tower episode solidified my power,
and made it impregnable. If any were perchance
disposed to be jealous and critical before that, they
experienced a change of heart, now. There was
not any one in the kingdom who would have considered
it good judgment to meddle with my matters.
