To Visit the Queen (49 page)

Otherwise, all dates, locations, and actions attributed to nonfictional persons are genuine. Arthur Conan Doyle, in particular, was in London for some time in 1874, visiting his uncle, the famous artist Richard Doyle (the man responsible for the creation of "Mr. Punch," as well as for thousands of
Punch
cartoons, and for illustrations in hundreds of children's books of the period). Doyle was a fairly lively diarist in his youth, but there are periods during this visit about which his diary falls unusually silent. However, acquaintances at the Jesuit school in Austria that he attended after this time mention that he suddenly began to read history voraciously, and also discovered (and fell in love with) the fantastic writings of Edgar Allan Poe.

Finally, the appearance of a gray tabby in Parliament on July 9, 1874, is not mentioned in
Hansard,
the official parliamentary publication, but is covered in some detail in
The Times
of London for the next day. Chris Pond at the Public Information Office of the Palace of Westminster says, "In the nineteenth century there were eleven private residences in the building, and I imagine the residents of some of these may have kept a cat, if for no reason other than to control mice numbers." However, there is no clear explanation of how a cat would have gotten all the way down from the residences into the Commons chamber, unobserved— unless it was not quite an ordinary cat.

A

aahfaui
(n) the "presence" quality in
hauissh

Aaurh (pr n) another of the feline pantheon: the "Michael" power, the Warrior; female

aavhy
(adj) used; also a proper name when upper case

ahou'ffriw
(n) the Canine Word: key, or "activating," word for spells intended for use on dogs and other canids

Auhw-t
(n) "the Hearth": the Ailurin/wizardly term for what humans refer to as "Timeheart"—the most senior/central reality, of which all others are mirrors or variations

Auo (pr n) I

auuh
(n) stray (pejorative)

auw
(n) energy (as a generic term): appears in many compounds having to do with wizardry and cats' affinity for fire, warmth, and energy flows

auwsshui'f
(n) the "lower electromagnetic spectrum," involving quantum particles, faster-than-light particles and wavicles, subatomics, fission, fusion, and "submatter" relationships such as string and hyperstring function

ehhif
(n) human being, (adj) human

eiuev
(n) veldt: a large open space. As a proper noun,
Eiuev,
"the Veldt," means the Sheep Meadow in Central Park

eius'hss
(n) the "control" quality in
hauissh

fouarhweh
(n) a position in
hauissh,
described as "classic" by commentators

fvais
a medium-high voice among cats; equates with "tenor"

fwau
(ex) heck, hell, crap

hauissh
(n) the Game

he'ihh
(n) composure-grooming

hhau'fih
(n) group relationships in general

hhouehhu
(v) desire/want

Hhu'au (pr n) the Lion-"God" of Today; nickname for
ehhif
"Patience," one of the carved stone lions outside the New York Public Library main branch

hihhhh
(excl) damn, bloody (stronger than
vhai
)

hiouh
(n) excreta (including both urine and feces)

hlah'feihre
(adj) tortoiseshell (fur)

houff
(s n) dog

houiff
(pl n) dogs

Hrau'f (pr n) daughter of Iau, the member of the feline pantheon most concerned wih creation and ordering it; known as "the Silent"

hruiss
(n) fight, in compounds with words for "tom-fight," etc.

hu
(n) day

hu-rhiw
(id) "day-and-night"; idiom for a black-and-white cat

hwaa
(n) drink

hwiofviauw
(n) the "upper electromagnetic," meaning plasma functions, gravitic force, etc.; "upward"

Iau (pr n) the One; the most senior member of the feline pantheon; female

Irh (pr n) one of the feline pantheon; male (Urruah refers to his balls)

Reh-t
(n abstract) the future; also, the name for the Lion-Power guarding it, the Invisible One of the Three guarding the steps to the New York Public Library main branch

rhiw
(n) night. Many compounds are derived from this favorite word, including the name
Rhiow
(the actual orthography would be
rhiw'aow, "
nightdark," but the spelling has been simplified for the purposes of this narrative)

rioh
(n) horse (but in the countryside, also ox, or any other animal that works for humans by carrying or pulling things; "beast of burden"). A cat with a sense of humor might use this word as readily for a taxicab, shopping cart, or wheelbarrow

rrai'fih
(n) pride relationship implying possible blood ties

ruah
(adj) flat

Sef (pr n) the Lion-"God" of Yesterday; nickname for "Fortitude," one of the lions outside the New York Public Library main branch

sh'heih
(n) "queen," unspayed female

siss
(n) urine; a "baby word" similar to
ehhif
English "pee pee," and other similar formations

sshai-sau
(adj) crazy

sswiass
a pejorative: sonofabitch, bastard, brat, etc.

sth'heih
(n) "tom," unneutered male

ur
(n) nose

Urrua (pr n) the Great Tom, son and lover of Iau the Queen (from the older word
urra,
"scarred")

urruah
(id) "flat nose" (compound: from
ur'ruah
)

vhai
(adj) damn, bloody