Chapter 26 - Page 2

riches are great. And that old vrow is
the widow Roo; very rich; plenty of teeth; but has none in her head.
And _this_ is Finfi; said to be not very rich, and a maid. Who would
suppose she had ever beat tappa for a living?"

And so saying, Gaddi sauntered off; his place by Babbalanja's side
being immediately supplied by the damsel Finfi. That vivacious and
amiable nymph at once proceeded to point out the company, where Gaddi
had left off; beginning with Gaddi himself, who, she insinuated, was a
mere parvenu, a terrible infliction upon society, and not near so rich
as he was imagined to be.

Soon we were accosted by one Nonno, a sour, saturnine personage. "I
know nobody here; not a soul have I seen before; I wonder who they all
are." And just then he was familiarly nodded to by nine worthies
abreast. Whereupon Nonno vanished. But after going the rounds of the
company, and paying court to many, he again sauntered by Babbalanja,
saying, "Nobody, nobody; nobody but nobodies; I see nobody I know."

Advancing, Nimni now introduced many strangers of distinction,
parading their titles after a fashion, plainly signifying that he was
bent upon convincing us, that there were people present at this little
affair of his, who were men of vast reputation; and that we erred, if
we deemed him unaccustomed to the society of the illustrious.

But not a few of his magnates seemed shy of Media and their laurels.
Especially a tall robustuous fellow, with a terrible javelin in his
hand, much notched and splintered, as if it had dealt many a thrust.
His left arm was gallanted in a sling, and there was a patch upon his
sinister eye. Him Nimni made known as a famous captain, from King
Piko's island (of which anon) who had been all but mortally wounded
somewhere, in a late desperate though nameless encounter.

"Ah," said Media as this redoubtable withdrew, Fofi is a cunning
knave; a braggart, driven forth, by King Piko for his cowardice. He
has blent his tattooing into one mass of blue, and thus disguised,
must have palmed himself off here in Pimminee, for the man he is not.
But I see many more like him."

"Oh ye Tapparians," said Babbalanja, "none so easily humbugged as
humbugs. Taji: to behold this folly makes one wise. Look, look; it is
all round us. Oh Pimminee, Pimminee!"