Mike Fletcher - George Moore (best books to read now TXT) 📗
- Author: George Moore
Book online «Mike Fletcher - George Moore (best books to read now TXT) 📗». Author George Moore
Am I Sure That The Women Attach Much Importance To His Infidelities;
They Accept Them, His Infidelities Being A Consequential Necessity Of
His Being, The Eons And The Attributes Of His Godhead. Don Juan
Inspires No Jealousy; Don Juan Stabbed By An Infuriated Mistress Is A
Psychological Impossibility."
"I Have Heard That Seymour Used To Drive Lady Helen Crazy With
Jealousy."
"Don Juan Disappears At The Church-Door. He Was Her Husband. The Most
Unfaithful Wife Is Wildly Jealous Of Her Husband."
A Sudden Silence Fell, And A Young Girl Was Borne Out Fainting.
"Nothing More Common Than For Young Girls To Faint When He Is
Present. Go," Said Harding, "And You Will Hear Her Calling His Name."
Then, Picking Up The Thread Of The Paradox, He Continued--"But You
Can't Have Don Juan In This Century, Our Civilization Has Wiped Him
Out; Not The Vice Of Which He Is Representative--That Is Eternal--But
The Spectacle Of Adventure Of Which He Is The Hero. No More
Fascinating Idea. Had The Age Admitted Of Don Juan, I Should Have
Written Out His Soul Long Ago. I Love The Idea. With Duelling And
Hose Picturesqueness Has Gone Out Of Life. The Mantle And The Rapier
Are Essential; And Angry Words...."
Chapter 5 Pg 39
"Are Angry Words Picturesque?"
"Angry Words Mean Angry Attitudes; And They Are Picturesque."
The Young Men Smiled At The Fascinating Eloquence, And Feeling An
Appreciative Audience About Him, Harding Continued--
"See Mike Fletcher, Know Him, Understand Him, And Imagine What He
Would Have Been In The Eighteenth Century, The Glory Of Adventure He
Would Have Gathered. His Life To-Day Is A Mean Parody Upon An Easily
Realizable Might-Have-Been. So Vital Is The Idea In Him That His Life
To-Day Is The Reflection Of A Life That Burned In Another Age Too
Ardently To Die With Death. In Another Age Mike Would Have Outdone
Casanova. Casanova!--What A Magnificent Casanova He Would Have Been!
Casanova Is To Me The Most Fascinating Of Characters. He Was
Everything--A Frequenter Of Taverns And Palaces, A Necromancer. His
Audacity And Unscrupulousness, His Comedies, His Immortal Memoirs!
What Was That Delightful Witty Remark He Made To Some Stupid Husband
Who Lay On The Ground, Complaining That Casanova Hadn't Fought
Fairly? You Remember? It Was In An Avenue Of Chestnut Trees,
Approaching A Town. Ha! I Have Forgotten. Mike Has All That This Man
Had--Love Of Adventure, Daring, Courage, Strength, Beauty, Skill. For
Mike Would Have Made A Unique Swordsman. Have You Ever Seen Him Ride?
Have You Ever Seen Him Shoot? I Have Seen Him Knock A Dozen Pigeons
Over In Succession. Have You Ever Seen Him Play Billiards? He Often
Makes A Break Of A Hundred. Have You Ever Seen Him Play Tennis? He Is
The Best Man We Have In The Temple. And A Poet! Have You Ever Heard
Him Tell Of The Poem He Is Writing? The Most Splendid Subject. He
Says That Neither Goethe Nor Hugo Ever Thought Of A Better."
"You May Include Self-Esteem In Your List Of His Qualities."
"A Platitude! Self-Esteem Is Synonymous To Genius. Still, Iof Resignation, The Waters Of
Everlasting Life, And Were Accounted Of Them That Have Truly Recognized
And Believed In Him. Others Rebelled Against Him, And Rejected The Signs
Of God, The Most Powerful, The Almighty, The All-Wise.
Ages Rolled Away, Until They Attained Their Consummation In This, The Lord
Of Days, The Day Whereon The Day Star Of The Bayan Manifested Itself Above
The Horizon Of Mercy, The Day In Which The Beauty Of The All-Glorious
Shone Forth In The Exalted Person Of 'Ali-Muhammad, The Bab. No Sooner Did
He Reveal Himself, Than All The People Rose Up Against Him. By Some He Was
Denounced As One That Hath Uttered Slanders Against God, The Almighty, The
Ancient Of Days. Others Regarded Him As A Man Smitten With Madness, An
Allegation Which I, Myself, Have Heard From The Lips Of One Of The
Divines. Still Others Disputed His Claim To Be The Mouthpiece Of God, And
Stigmatized Him As One Who Had Stolen And Used As His The Words Of The
Almighty, Who Had Perverted Their Meaning, And Mingled Them With His Own.
The Eye Of Grandeur Weepeth Sore For The Things Which Their Mouths Have
Uttered, While They Continue To Rejoice Upon Their Seats.
"God," Said He, "Is My Witness, O People! I Am Come To You With A
Revelation From The Lord, Your God, The Lord Of Your Fathers Of Old. Look
Not, O People, At The Things Ye Possess. Look Rather At The Things God
Hath Sent Down Unto You. This, Surely, Will Be Better For You Than The
Whole Of Creation, Could Ye But Perceive It. Repeat The Gaze, O People,
And Consider The Testimony Of God And His Proof Which Are In Your
Possession, And Compare Them Unto The Revelation Sent Down Unto You In
This Day, That The Truth, The Infallible Truth, May Be Indubitably
Manifested Unto You. Follow Not, O People, The Steps Of The Evil One;
Follow Ye The Faith Of The All-Merciful, And Be Ye Of Them That Truly
Believe. What Would It Profit Man, If He Were To Fail To Recognize The
Revelation Of God? Nothing Whatever. To This Mine Own Self, The
Omnipotent, The Omniscient, The All-Wise, Will Testify."
The More He Exhorted Them, The Fiercer Grew Their Enmity, Till, At The
Last, They Put Him To Death With Shameful Cruelty. The Curse Of God Be
Upon The Oppressors!
A Few Believed In Him; Few Of Our Servants Are The Thankful. These He
Chapter 5 Pg 40Admonished, In All His Tablets--Nay, In Every Passage Of His Wondrous
Writings--Not To Give Themselves Up In The Day Of The Promised Revelation
To Anything Whatever, Be It In The Heaven Or In The Earth. "O People!"
Said He, "I Have Revealed Myself For His Manifestation, And Have Caused My
Book, The Bayan, To Descend Upon You For No Other Purpose Except To
Establish The Truth Of His Cause. Fear Ye God, And Contend Not With Him As
The People Of The Qur'an Have Contended With Me. At Whatever Time Ye Hear
Of Him, Hasten Ye Towards Him, And Cleave Ye To Whatsoever He May Reveal
Unto You. Naught Else Besides Him Can Ever Profit You, No, Not Though Ye
Produce From First To Last The Testimonies Of All Those Who Were Before
You."
And When After The Lapse Of A Few Years The Heaven Of Divine Decree Was
Cleft Asunder, And The Beauty Of The Bab Appeared In The Clouds Of The
Names Of God, Arrayed In A New Raiment, These Same People Maliciously Rose
Up Against Him, Whose Light Embraceth All Created Things. They Broke His
Covenant, Rejected His Truth, Contended With Him, Caviled At His Signs,
Treated His Testimony As Falsehood, And Joined The Company Of The
Infidels. Eventually, They Determined To Take Away His Life. Such Is The
State Of Them Who Are In A Far-Gone Error!
And When They Realized Their Powerlessness To Achieve Their Purpose, They
Arose To Plot Against Him. Witness How Every Moment They Devise A Fresh
Device To Harm Him, That They May Injure And Dishonor The Cause Of God.
Say: Woe Be To You! By God! Your Schemings Cover You With Shame. Your
Lord, The God Of Mercy, Can Well Dispense With All Creatures. Nothing
Whatever Can Either Increase Or Diminish The Things He Doth Possess. If Ye
Believe,Nything I Knew She Did Not Wish Me To
Do."
The Conversation Was Interrupted By The Entrance Of Muchross With
Several Lords, And He Was With Difficulty Dissuaded From An Attempt
To Swarm Up The Columns Of The Wonderful Bed. The Room Was Full Of
Young Girls And Barristers Gathered From The Various Courts. Some Had
Stopped Before The Great Christ. A Girl Had Touched The Suspended
Silver Lamp And Spoken Of "Dim Religious Light"; But By No Word Or
Look Did Lily Admit That She Had Been There Before, And Mike Felt It
Would Be Useless To Remind Her That She Had. She Was The Same As She
Was Every Wednesday In Her Mother's Drawing-Room. And The Party Had
Been Given Solely With A View Of Withdrawing Her From Its Influence.
What Was He To Say To This Girl? Was He To Allow All That Had Passed
Between Them To Slip? Never Had He Felt So Ill At Ease. At Last,
Fixing His Eyes Upon Her, He Said--
"Let Us Cease This Trifling. Perhaps You Do Not Know How Painful It
Is To Me. Tell Me, Will You Come And See Me? Do Not Let Us Waste
Time. I Never See You Alone Now."
"I Could Not Think Of Coming To See You; It Would Not Be Right."
"But You Did Come Once."
"That Was Because I Wanted To See Where You Lived. Now That I Know,
There Would Be No Reason For Coming Again."
"You Have Not Forgiven Me. If You Knew How I Regret My Conduct! Try
And Understand That It Was For Love Of You. I Was So Fearful Of
Losing You. I Have Lost You; I Know It!"
He Cursed Himself For The Irresolution He Had Shown. Had He Made Her
His Mistress She Would Now Be Hanging About His Neck.
"I Forgive You. But I Wish You Would Not Speak Of Love In Connection
With Your Conduct; When You Do, All My Liking For You Dies."
"How Cruel! Then I Shall Never Kiss You Again. Was My Kiss So
Disagreeable? Do You Hate To Kiss Me?"
"I Don't Know That I Do, But It Is Not Right. If I Were Married To
You It Would Be Different."
Chapter 5 Pg 41The Conversation Fell. Then Realizing That He Was Compromising His
Chances, He Said--
"How Can I Marry You? I Haven't A Cent In The World."
"I Am Not Sure I Would Marry You If You Had Every Cent In The World."
Mike Looked At Her In Despair. She Was Adorably Frail And Adorably
Pale.
"This Is Very Cruel Of You." Words Seemed Very Weak, And He Feared
That In The Restlessness And Pain Of His Love He Had Looked At Her
Foolishly. So He Almost Welcomed Lady Helen's Intrusion Upon Their
_Tête-À-Tête_.
"And This Is The Way You Come For Your Dance, Mr. Fletcher, Is It?"
"Have They Begun Dancing? I Did Not Know It. I Beg Your Pardon."
"And I Too Am Engaged For This Dance. I Promised It To Mr. Escott,"
Said Lily.
"Let Me Take You Back."
He Gave Her His Arm, Assuring Himself That If She Didn't Care For Him
There Were
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