代理人

解説

付記

「副官よ！」と主が叫んだ。 「今日、帳簿を調べに監査官が来る。 我らの事務所を精査し、 不正な横領がなかったか確認する。 記帳を整え、残高を合わせ、 現金と符合させよ。 私はかねてからお前の勤勉さに感嘆していた。 毎朝夕、商人たちの喧噪を前に 椅子に座して静めるお前を。 そのまなざしに秘められた魔力は、 最も騒々しい者すら沈黙させ、 あたりに神聖な静けさを広げた。 だが今や時が来た。 もっと能動的にその才を発揮せよ！ 立ち上がり、眼に稲妻を宿し、 部下を鼓舞し、 あらゆるものに精神を注ぎ込め！」 主は副官の背を叩いた。 すると床に落ちたのは―― 干からびた頭蓋、 黒ずみ、眼もなく、朽ち果てた骸！ その男は一年も前に死んでいたのだ。 ―― ジャムラック・ホロボム

管理人コメント

Original

A male relative of an office-holder, or of his bondsman. The deputy is commonly a beautiful young man, with a red necktie and an intricate system of cobwebs extending from his nose to his desk. When accidentally struck by the janitor's broom, he gives off a cloud of dust.

Additional notes

Chief Deputy, the Master cried, To-day the books are to be tried By experts and accountants who Have been commissioned to go through Our office here, to see if we Have stolen injudiciously. Please have the proper entries made, The proper balances displayed, Conforming to the whole amount Of cash on hand—which they will count. I've long admired your punctual way— Here at the break and close of day, Confronting in your chair the crowd Of business men, whose voices loud And gestures violent you quell By some mysterious, calm spell— Some magic lurking in your look That brings the noisiest to book And spreads a holy and profound Tranquillity o'er all around. So orderly all's done that they Who came to draw remain to pay. But now the time demands, at last, That you employ your genius vast In energies more active. Rise And shake the lightnings from your eyes; Inspire your underlings, and fling Your spirit into everything! The Master's hand here dealt a whack Upon the Deputy's bent back, When straightway to the floor there fell A shrunken globe, a rattling shell A blackened, withered, eyeless head! The man had been a twelvemonth dead. Jamrach Holobom