The Secretary,
however, was not of the same opinion as the Ambassador. He was not very
communicative, indeed, as to his own opinion upon this grave subject,
but he talked of making farther observations when the tide went down;
and was so listless, abstracted, and absent, during the rest of their
conversation, that it soon ceased, and they speedily parted.
The next day, when Popanilla read the morning papers, a feat which he
regularly performed, for spelling the newspaper was quite delicious to
one who had so recently learned to read, he found that they spoke of
nothing but of the discovery of a new island, information of which had
been received by the Government only the preceding night. The
Fantaisian Ambassador turned quite pale, and for the first time in his
life experienced the passion of jealousy, the green-eyed monster, so
called from only being experienced by green-horns. Already the
prominent state he represented seemed to retire to the background. He
did not doubt that the Vraibleusians were the most capricious as well as
the most commercial nation in the world.
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