andhegaveheracard。
Noelcouldnothelpanswering:\"MynameisNoelPierson;Ilivewithmyfather;here’stheaddress\"——shefoundhercase，andfishedoutacard。\"Myfatherisaclergyman;wouldyoucaretocomeandseehim？
Helovesmusicandpainting。\"
\"Itwouldbeagreatpleasure;andperhapsImightbeallowedtopaintyou。Alas！Ihavenostudio。\"
Noeldrewback。\"I’mafraidthatIworkinahospitalallday，and——
andIdon’twanttobepainted，thankyou。But，Daddywouldliketomeetyou，I’msure。\"
Thepainterbowedagain;shesawthathewashurt。
\"OfcourseIcanseethatyou’reaveryfinepainter，\"shesaidquickly;\"only——only——Idon’twantto，yousee。Perhapsyou’dliketopaintDaddy;he’sgotamostinterestingface。\"
Thepaintersmiled。\"Heisyourfather，mademoiselle。MayIaskyouonequestion？Whydoyounotwanttobepainted？\"
\"Because——becauseIdon’t，I’mafraid。\"Sheheldoutherhand。Thepainterbowedoverit。\"Aurevoir，mademoiselle。\"
\"Thankyou，\"saidNoel;\"itwasawfullyinteresting。\"Andshewalkedaway。Theskyhadbecomefullofcloudsroundthewesterlysun;andtheforeigncrinkledtraceryoftheplane—treebranchesagainstthatFrench—grey，golden—edgedmass，wasverylovely。Beauty，andthetroublesofothers，soothedher。Shefeltsorryforthepainter，buthiseyessawtoomuch！Andhiswords:\"Ifeveryouactdifferentlyfromothers，\"madeherfeelhimuncanny。Wasittruethatpeoplealwaysdislikedandcondemnedthosewhoacteddifferently？Ifheroldschool—fellowsnowknewwhatwasbeforeher，howwouldtheytreather？Inherfather’sstudyhungalittlereproductionofatinypictureintheLouvre，a\"RapeofEuropa，\"byanunknownpainter——
ahumorousdelicatething，ofanenraptured;fair—hairedgirlmountedonaprancingwhitebull，crossingashallowstream，whileonthebankallherwhitegirl—companionsweregathered，turninghalf—sour，half—enviousfacesawayfromthattoo—fearfulspectacle，whileoneofthemtriedwithtimiddesperationtomountastrideofasittingcow，andfollow。Thefaceofthegirlonthebullhadoncebeencomparedbysomeonewithherown。Shethoughtofthispicturenow，andsawherschoolfellows—athrongofshockedandwonderinggirls。Supposeoneofthemhadbeeninherposition！’ShouldIhavebeenturningmyfaceaway，liketherest？Iwouldn’tno，Iwouldn’t，’shethought;
’Ishouldhaveunderstood！’Butsheknewtherewasakindoffalseemphasisinherthought。Instinctivelyshefeltthepainterright。
Onewhoacteddifferentlyfromothers，waslost。
Shetoldherfatheroftheencounter，adding:
\"Iexpecthe’llcome，Daddy。\"
Piersonanswereddreamily:\"Poorfellow，Ishallbegladtoseehimifhedoes。\"
\"Andyou’llsittohim，won’tyou？\"
\"Mydear——I？\"
\"He’slonely，youknow，andpeoplearen’tnicetohim。Isn’tithatefulthatpeopleshouldhurtothers，becausethey’reforeignordifferent？\"
Shesawhiseyesopenwithmildsurprise，andwenton:\"Iknowyouthinkpeoplearecharitable，Daddy，buttheyaren’t，ofcourse。\"
\"That’snotexactlycharitable，Nollie。\"
\"Youknowthey’renot。Ithinksinoftenjustmeansdoingthingsdifferently。It’snotrealsinwhenitonlyhurtsyourself;butthatdoesn’tpreventpeoplecondemningyou，doesit？\"
\"Idon’tknowwhatyoumean，Nollie。\"
Noelbitherlips，andmurmured:\"Areyousurewe’rereallyChristians，Daddy？\"
Thequestionwassostartling，fromhisowndaughter，thatPiersontookrefugeinanattemptatwit。\"Ishouldlikenoticeofthatquestion，Nollie，astheysayinParliament。\"
\"Thatmeansyoudon’t。\"
Piersonflushed。\"We’refallibleenough;but，don’tgetsuchideasintoyourhead，mychild。There’salotofrebellioustalkandwritinginthesedays……\"
Noelclaspedherhandsbehindherhead。\"Ithink，\"shesaid，lookingstraightbeforeher，andspeakingtotheair，\"thatChristianityiswhatyoudo，notwhatyouthinkorsay。AndIdon’tbelievepeoplecanbeChristianswhentheyactlikeothers——Imean，whentheyjointogethertojudgeandhurtpeople。\"
Piersonroseandpacedtheroom。\"Youhavenotseenenoughoflifetotalklikethat，\"hesaid。ButNoelwenton:
\"OneofthemeninherhospitaltoldGratianaboutthetreatmentofconscientiousobjectors——itwashorrible。Whydotheytreatthemlikethat，justbecausetheydisagree？CaptainFortsaysit’sfearwhichmakespeoplebullies。Buthowcanitbefearwhenthey’rehundredstoone？Hesaysmanhasdomesticatedhisanimalsbuthasneversucceededindomesticatinghimself。Manmustbeawildbeast，youknow，ortheworldcouldn’tbesoawfullybrutal。Idon’tseemuchdifferencebetweenbeingbrutalforgoodreasons，andbeingbrutalforbadones。\"
Piersonlookeddownatherwithatroubledsmile。Therewassomethingfantastictohiminthissuddenphilosophisingbyonewhomhehadwatchedgrowupfromatinything。Outofthemouthsofbabesandsucklings——sometimes！Butthentheyounggenerationwasalwayssomethingofasealedbooktohim;hissensitiveshyness，and，stillmore，hiscloth，placedasortofinvisiblebarrierbetweenhimandtheheartsofothers，especiallytheyoung。Thereweresomanythingsofwhichhewascompelledtodisapprove，orwhichatleasthecouldn’tdiscuss。Andtheyknewittoowell。UntiltheselastfewmonthshehadneverrealisedthathisowndaughtershadremainedasundiscoveredbyhimastheinteriorofBrazil。Andnowthatheperceivedthis，hewasbewildered，yetcouldnotimaginehowtogetontermswiththem。
AndhestoodlookingatNoel，intenselypuzzled，suspectingnothingofthehardfactwhichwasalteringher——vaguelyjealous，anxious，pained。Andwhenshehadgoneuptobed，heroamedupanddowntheroomalongtime，thinking。Helongedforafriendtoconfidein，andconsult;butheknewnoone。Heshrankfromthemall，astoodownright，bluff，andactive;tooworldlyandunaesthetic;ortoostiffandnarrow。Amongsttheyoungermeninhisprofessionhewasoftenawareoffaceswhichattractedhim，butonecouldnotconfidedeeppersonalquestionstomenhalfone’sage。Butofhisowngeneration，orhiselders，heknewnotonetowhomhecouldhavegone。
VIII
1
Leilawasdeepinhernewdraughtoflife。Whenshefellinloveithadalwaysbeenoverheadandears，andsofarherpassionhadalwaysburntitselfoutbeforethatofherpartner。Thishadbeen，ofcourse，agreatadvantagetoher。NotthatLeilahadeverexpectedherpassionstoburnthemselvesout。Whenshefellinloveshehadalwaysthoughtitwasforalways。Thistimeshewassureitwas，surerthanshehadeverbeen。JimmyFortseemedtoherthemanshehadbeenlookingforallherlife。Hewasnotsogood—lookingaseitherFarieorLynch，butbesidehimtheseothersseemedtohernowalmostridiculous。Indeedtheydidnotfigureatall，theyshrank，theywithered，theywerehusks，togetherwiththeothersforwhomshehadknownpassingweaknesses。Therewasonlyonemanintheworldforhernow，andwouldbeforevermore。Shedidnotidealisehimeither，itwasmoreseriousthanthat;shewasthrilledbyhisvoice，andhistouch，shedreamedofhim，longedforhimwhenhewasnotwithher。Sheworried，too，forshewasperfectlyawarethathewasnothalfasfondofherasshewasofhim。Suchanewexperiencepuzzledher，keptherinstinctspainfullyonthealert。Itwasperhapsjustthisuncertaintyabouthisaffectionwhichmadehimseemmorepreciousthananyoftheothers。Buttherewasevertheotherreason，too—consciousnessthatTimewasafterher，andthisherlastgrandpassion。Shewatchedhimasamother—catwatchesherkitten，withoutseemingto，ofcourse，forshehadmuchexperience。ShehadbeguntohaveacurioussecretjealousyofNoelthoughwhyshecouldnothavesaid。Itwasperhapsmerelyincidentaltoherage，orsprangfromthatvagueresemblancebetweenherandonewhooutrivalledevenwhatshehadbeenasagirl;orfromtheoccasionalallusionsFortmadetowhathecalled\"thatlittlefairyprincess。\"
Somethingintangible，instinctive，gaveherthatjealousy。Untilthedeathofheryoungcousin’slovershehadfeltsafe，forsheknewthatJimmyFortwouldnothankerafteranotherman’sproperty;hadhenotprovedthatinolddays，withherself，byrunningawayfromher？
AndshehadoftenregrettedhavingtoldhimofCyrilMorland’sdeath。
Onedayshedeterminedtorepairthaterror。ItwasattheZoo，wheretheyoftenwentonSundayafternoons。Theywerestandingbeforeacreaturecalledthemeercat，whichremindedthembothofolddaysontheveldt。Withoutturningherheadshesaid，asiftothelittleanimal:\"Doyouknowthatyourfairyprincess，asyoucallher，isgoingtohavewhatisknownasawar—baby？\"
Thesoundofhis\"What！\"gaveherquiteastab。Itwassoutterlyhorrified。
Shesaidstubbornly:\"Shecameandtoldmeallaboutit。Theboyisdead，asyouknow。Yes，terrible，isn’tit？\"Andshelookedathim。
Hisfacewasalmostcomic，sowrinkledupwithincredulity。
\"Thatlovelychild！Butit’simpossible！\"
\"Theimpossibleissometimestrue，Jimmy。\"
\"Irefusetobelieveit。\"
\"Itellyouitisso，\"shesaidangrily。
\"Whataghastlyshame！\"
\"Itwasherowndoing;shesaidso，herself。\"
\"Andherfather——thepadre！MyGod！\"
Leilawassuddenlysmittenwithahorribledoubt。Shehadthoughtitwoulddisgusthim，curehimofanylittletendencytoromanticisethatchild;andnowsheperceivedthatitwasrousinginhim，instead，adangerouscompassion。Shecouldhavebittenhertongueoutforhavingspoken。Whenhegotonthehighhorseofsomechampionship，hewasnottobetrusted，shehadfoundthatout;wasevenfindingitoutbitterlyinherownrelationswithhim，constantlyawarethathalfherholdonhim，atleast，layinhissenseofchivalry，awarethatheknewherlurkingdreadofbeingflungonthebeach，byage。Onlytenminutesagohehadutteredatiradebeforethecageofamonkeywhichseemedunhappy。AndnowshehadrousedthatdangeroussideofhiminfavourofNoel。Whatanidiotshehadbeen！
\"Don’tlooklikethat，Jimmy。I’msorryItoldyou。\"
Hishanddidnotanswerherpressureintheleast，buthemuttered:
\"Well，Idothinkthat’sthelimit。What’stobedoneforher？\"
Leilaansweredsoftly:\"Nothing，I’mafraid。Doyouloveme？\"Andshepressedhishandhard。
\"Ofcourse。\"
ButLeilathought:’IfIwerethatmeercathe’dhavetakenmorenoticeofmypaw！’Herheartbegansuddenlytoache，andshewalkedontothenextcagewithheadup，andhermouthhardset。
JimmyFortwalkedawayfromCamelotMansionsthateveninginextremediscomfortofmind。Leilahadbeensoqueerthathehadtakenleaveimmediatelyaftersupper。ShehadrefusedtotalkaboutNoel;hadevenseemedangrywhenhehadtriedto。Howextraordinarysomewomenwere！Didtheythinkthatamancouldhearofathinglikethataboutsuchadaintyyoungcreaturewithoutbeingupset！Itwasthemostperfectlydamnablenews！Whatonearthwouldshedo——poorlittlefairyprincess！Downhadcomeherhouseofcardswithavengeance！Thewholeofherlife——thewholeofherlife！Withherbringing—upandherfatherandall——itseemedinconceivablethatshecouldeversurviveit。AndLeilahadbeenalmostcallousaboutthemonstrousbusiness。Womenwerehardtoeachother！Badenough，thesethings，whenitwasasimpleworkinggirl，butthisdainty，sheltered，beautifulchild！No，itwasaltogethertoostrong——toopainful！Andfollowinganimpulsewhichhecouldnotresist，hemadehiswaytotheoldSquare。Buthavingreachedthehouse，henearlywentawayagain。Whilehestoodhesitatingwithhishandonthebell，agirlandasoldierpassed，appearingasifbymagicoutofthemoonlitNovembermist，blurredandsolidshapesembraced，thenvanishedintoitagain，leavingthesoundoffootsteps。Fortjerkedthebell。Hewasshownintowhatseemed，toonecomingoutofthatmist，tobeabrilliant，crowdedroom，thoughintruththerewerebuttwolampsandfivepeopleinit。Theyweresittingroundthefire，talking，andpausedwhenhecamein。WhenhehadshakenhandswithPiersonandbeenintroducedto\"mydaughterGratian\"andamaninkhaki\"myson—in—lawGeorgeLaird，\"toatallthin—faced，foreign—。
lookingmaninablackstockandseeminglynocollar，hewentuptoNoel，whohadrisenfromachairbeforethefire。’No！’hethought，’I’vedreamedit，orLeilahaslied！’Shewassoperfectlytheself—
possessed，daintymaidenheremembered。Eventhefeelofherhandwasthesame—warmandconfident;andsinkingintoachair，hesaid:
\"Pleasegoon，andletmechipin。\"
\"WewerequarrellingabouttheUniverse，CaptainFort，\"saidthemaninkhaki;\"delightedtohaveyourhelp。Iwasjustsayingthatthisparticularworldhasnoparticularimportance，nomorethananewspaper—sellerwouldaccordtoitifitwerecompletelydestroyedtomorrow——’’Orriblecatastrophe，totaldestructionoftheworld——sixo’clockedition—pyper！’Isaythatitwillbecomeagainthenebulaoutofwhichitwasformed，andbyfrictionwithothernebulare—formintoafreshshapeandsoonadinfinitum——butIcan’texplainwhy。
Mywifewondersifitexistsatallexceptinthehumanmind——butshecan’texplainwhatthehumanmindis。Myfather—in—lawthinksthatitisGod’shobby——buthecan’texplainwhoorwhatGodis。Nollieissilent。AndMonsieurLavendiehasn’tyettolduswhathethinks。
Whatdoyouthink，monsieur？\"Thethin—faced，big—eyedmanputuphishandtohishigh，veinedbrowasifhehadaheadache，reddened，andbegantospeakinFrench，whichFortfollowedwithdifficulty。
\"FormetheUniverseisalimitlessartist，monsieur，whofromalltimeandtoalltimeiseverexpressinghimselfindifferingforms——
alwaystryingtomakeamasterpiece，andgenerallyfailing。Formethisworld，andalltheworlds，arelikeourselves，andtheflowersandtrees——littleseparateworksofart，moreorlessperfect，whoselittlelivesruntheircourse，andarespilledorpowderedbackintothisCreativeArtist，whenceissueeverfreshattemptsatart。I
agreewithMonsieurLaird，ifIunderstandhimright;butIagreealsowithMadameLaird，ifIunderstandher。Yousee，Ithinkmindandmatterareone，orperhapsthereisnosuchthingaseithermindormatter，onlygrowthanddecayandgrowthagain，foreverandever;
butalwaysconsciousgrowth——anartistexpressinghimselfinmillionsofever—changingforms;decayanddeathaswecallthem，beingbutrestandsleep，theebbingofthetide，whichmustevercomebetweentworisingtides，orthenightwhichcomesbetweentwodays。Butthenextdayisneverthesameasthedaybefore，northetideasthelasttide;sothelittleshapesoftheworldandofourselves，theseworksofartbytheEternalArtist，areneverrenewedinthesameform，arenevertwicealike，butalwaysfresh—freshworlds，freshindividuals，freshflowers，fresheverything。Idonotseeanythingdepressinginthat。TomeitwouldbedepressingtothinkthatI
wouldgoonlivingafterdeath，orliveagaininanewbody，myselfyetnotmyself。Howstalethatwouldbe！WhenIfinishapictureitisinconceivabletomethatthispictureshouldeverbecomeanotherpicture，orthatonecandividetheexpressionfromthemind—stuffithasexpressed。TheGreatArtistwhoisthewholeofEverything，iseverinfreshefforttoachievenewthings。Heisasafountainwhothrowsupnewdrops，notwoeveralike，whichfallbackintothewater，flowintothepipe，andsoarethrownupagaininfresh—shapeddrops。ButIcannotexplainwhythereshouldbethisEternalEnergy，everexpressingitselfinfreshindividualshapes，thisEternalWorkingArtist，insteadofnothingatall——justemptydarkforalways;exceptindeedthatitmustbeonethingortheother，eitherallornothing;andithappenstobethisandnotthat，theallandnotthenothing。\"
Hestoppedspeaking，andhisbigeyes，whichhadfixedthemselvesonFort’sface，seemedtothelatternottobeseeinghimatall，buttorestonsomethingbeyond。Themaninkhaki，whohadrisenandwasstandingwithhishandonhiswife’sshoulder，said:
\"Bravo，monsieur;Jollywellputfromtheartist’spointofview。
Theideaispretty，anyway;butisthereanyneedforanideaatall？
Thingsare;andwehavejusttotakethem。\"Forthadtheimpressionofsomethingdarkandwrithing;thethinblackformofhishost，whohadrisenandcomeclosetothefire。
\"Icannotadmit，\"hewassaying，\"theidentityoftheCreatorwiththecreated。Godexistsoutsideourselves。NorcanIadmitthatthereisnodefnitepurposeandfulfilment。AllisshapedtoHisgreatends。Ithinkwearetoogiventospiritualpride。Theworldhaslostreverence;Iregretit，Ibitterlyregretit。\"
\"Irejoiceatit，\"saidthemaninkhaki。\"Now，CaptainFort，yourturntobat！\"
Fort，whohadbeenlookingatNoel，gavehimselfashake，andsaid:
\"Ithinkwhatmonsieurcallsexpression，Icallfighting。IsuspecttheUniverseofbeingsimplyalongfight，asumofconquestsanddefeats。Conquestsleadingtodefeats，defeatstoconquests。IwanttowinwhileI’malive，andbecauseIwanttowin，Iwanttoliveonafterdeath。Deathisadefeat。Idon’twanttoadmitit。WhileI
havethatinstinct，Idon’tthinkIshallreallydie;whenIloseit，IthinkIshall。\"HewasconsciousofNoel’sfaceturningtowardshim，buthadthefeelingthatshewasn’treallylistening。
\"Isuspectthatwhatwecallspiritisjustthefightinginstinct;
thatwhatwecallmatteristhemoodoflyingdown。Whether，asMr。
Piersonsays，Godisoutsideus，or，asmonsieurthinks，weareallpartofGod，Idon’tknow，I’msure。\"
\"Ah！Thereweare！\"saidthemaninkhaki。\"Weallspeakafterourtemperaments，andnoneofusknow。Thereligionsoftheworldarejustthepoeticexpressionsofcertainstronglymarkedtemperaments。
Monsieurwasapoetjustnow，andhisistheonlytemperamentwhichhasneveryetbeenrammeddowntheworld’sthroatintheformofreligion。Gooutandproclaimyourviewsfromthehousetops，monsieur，andseewhathappens。\"
ThepaintershookhisheadwithasmilewhichseemedtoFortverybrightonthesurface，andverysadunderneath。
\"Non，monsieur，\"hesaid;\"theartistdoesnotwishtoimposehistemperament。Differenceoftemperamentistheveryessenceofhisjoy，andhisbeliefinlife。Withoutdifferencetherewouldbenolifeforhim。’Toutcasse，toutlasse，’butchangegoesonforever:
Weartistsreverencechange，monsieur;wereverencethenewnessofeachmorning，ofeachnight，ofeachperson，ofeachexpressionofenergy。Nothingisfinalforus;weareeagerforallandalwaysformore。Weareinlove，yousee，evenwith—death。\"
Therewasasilence;thenFortheardPiersonmurmur:
\"Thatisbeautiful，monsieur;butoh！howwrong！\"\"Andwhatdoyouthink，Nollie？\"saidthemaninkhakisuddenly。Thegirlhadbeensittingverystillinherlowchair，withherhandscrossedinherlap，hereyesonthefire，andthelamplightshiningdownonherfairhair;shelookedup，startled，andhereyesmetFort’s。
\"Idon’tknow;Iwasn’tlistening。\"Somethingmovedinhim，akindofburningpity，arageofprotection。Hesaidquickly:
\"Thesearetimesofaction。Philosophyseemstomeannothingnowadays。Theonethingistohatetyrannyandcruelty，andprotecteverythingthat’sweakandlonely。It’sallthat’slefttomakelifeworthliving，whenallthepacksofalltheworldareoutforblood。\"
Noelwaslisteningnow，andhewentonfervently:\"Why！EvenwewhostartedouttofightthisPrussianpack，havecaughtthepackfeeling——sothatit’shuntingalloverthecountry，oneverysortofscent。
It’samostinfectiousthing。\"
\"Icannotseethatwearebeinginfected，CaptainFort。\"
\"I’mafraidweare，Mr。Pierson。Thegreatmajorityofpeoplearealwaysinclinedtorunwiththehounds;thepressure’sgreatjustnow;thepackspirit’sintheair。\"
Piersonshookhishead。\"No，Icannotseeit，\"herepeated;\"itseemstomethatweareallmorebrotherly，andmoretolerant。\"
\"Ah！monsieurlecure，\"Fortheardthepaintersayverygently，\"itisdifficultforagoodmantoseetheevilroundhim。Therearethosewhomtheworld’smarchleavesapart，andrealitycannottouch。
TheywalkwithGod，andthebestialitiesofusanimalsarefantastictothem。Thespiritofthepack，asmonsieursays，isintheair。I
seeallhumannaturenow，runningwithgapingmouthsandredtongueslollingout，theirbreathandtheircriesspoutingthickbeforethem。
Onwhomtheywillfallnext——oneneverknows;theinnocentwiththeguilty。Perhapsifyouweretoseesomeonedeartoyoudevouredbeforeyoureyes，monsieurlecure，youwouldfeelittoo;andyetI
donotknow。\"
FortsawNoelturnherfacetowardsherfather;herexpressionatthatmomentwasverystrange，searching，halffrightened。No！Leilahadnotlied，andhehadnotdreamed！Thatthingwastrue！
Whenpresentlyhetookhisleave，andwasoutagainintheSquare，hecouldseenothingbutherfaceandformbeforehiminthemoonlight:
itssoftoutline，faircolouring，slenderdelicacy，andthebroodingofthebiggreyeyes。HehadalreadycrossedNewOxfordStreetandwassomewaydowntowardstheStrand，whenavoicebehindhimmurmured:\"Ah！c’estvous，monsieur！\"andthepainterloomedupathiselbow。
\"Areyougoingmyway？\"saidFort。\"Igoslowly，I’mafraid。\"
\"Theslowerthebetter，monsieur。Londonissobeautifulinthedark。Itisthedespairofthepainter——thesemoonlitnights。Therearemomentswhenonefeelsthatrealitydoesnotexist。Allisindreams——likethefaceofthatyounglady。\"
Fortstaredsharplyroundathim。\"Oh！Shestrikesyoulikethat，doesshe？\"
\"Ah！Whatacharmingfigure！Whatanatmosphereofthepastandfutureroundher！Andshewillnotletmepainther！Well，perhapsonlyMathieuMaris\"HeraisedhisbroadBohemianhat，andranhisfingersthroughhishair。
\"Yes，\"saidFort，\"she’dmakeawonderfulpicture。I’mnotajudgeofArt，butIcanseethat。\"
Thepaintersmiled，andwentoninhisrapidFrench:
\"Shehasyouthandageallatonce——thatisrare。Herfatherisaninterestingman，too;Iamtryingtopainthim;heisverydifficult。
Hesitslostinsomekindofvacancyofhisown;amanwhosesoulhasgonebeforehimsomewhere，likethatofhisChurch，escapedfromthisageofmachines，leavingitsbodybehind——isitnot？Heissokind;
asaint，Ithink。TheotherclergymenIseepassinginthestreetarenotatalllikehim;theylookbuttoned—upandbusy，withfacesofmenwhomightbeschoolmastersorlawyers，orevensoldiers——menofthisworld。Doyouknowthis，monsieur——itisironical，butitistrue，Ithinkamancannotbeasuccessfulpriestunlessheisamanofthisworld。IdonotseeanywiththatlookofMonsieurPierson，alittletorturedwithin，andnotquitepresent。Heishalfanartist，reallyaloverofmusic，thatman。Iampaintinghimatthepiano;whenheisplayinghisfaceisalive，buteventhen，sofaraway。Tome，monsieur，heisexactlylikeabeautifulchurchwhichknowsitisbeingdeserted。Ifindhimpathetic。Jesuissocialiste，butIhavealwaysanaestheticadmirationforthatoldChurch，whichhelditschildrenbysimpleemotion。Thetimeshavechanged;itcannolongerholdthemso;itstandsinthedusk，withitsspiretoaheavenwhichexistsnomore，itsbells，stillbeautifulbutoutoftunewiththemusicofthestreets。ItissomethingofthatwhichIwishtogetintomypictureofMonsieurPierson;andsapristi！itisdifficult！\"Fortgruntedassent。Sofarashecouldmakeoutthepainter’swords，itseemedtohimalargeorder。
\"Todoit，yousee，\"wentonthepainter，\"oneshouldhavetheproperbackground——thesecurrentsofmodernlifeandmoderntypes，passinghimandleavinghimuntouched。Thereisnoillusion，andnodreaming，inmodernlife。Lookatthisstreet。La，la！\"
InthedarkenedStrand，hundredsofkhaki—cladfiguresandgirlswerestreamingby，andalltheirvoiceshadahard，half—jovialvulgarity。
Themotor—cabsandbusespushedalongremorselessly;newspaper—
sellersmutteredtheirceaselessinvitations。Againthepaintermadehisgestureofdespair:\"HowamItogetintomypicturethismodernlife，whichwashesroundhimasroundthatchurch，there，standinginthemiddleofthestreet？Seehowthecurrentssweeproundit，asiftowashitaway;yetitstands，seemingnottoseethem。IfIwereaphantasist，itwouldbeeasyenough:buttobeaphantasististoosimpleforme——thoseromanticgentlemenbringwhattheylikefromanywhere，toservetheirends。Moi，jesuisrealiste。Andso，monsieur，Ihaveinventedanidea。Iampaintingoverhisheadwhilehesitsthereatthepianoapicturehangingonthewall——ofoneoftheseyoungtowngirlswhohavenomysteriousnessatall，noyouth;
nothingbutacheapknowledgeanddefiance，andgoodhumour。Heislookingupatit，buthedoesnotseeit。Iwillmakethefaceofthatgirlthefaceofmodernlife，andheshallsitstaringatit，seeingnothing。Whatdoyouthinkofmyidea？\"
ButForthadbeguntofeelsomethingoftherevoltwhichthemanofactionsosoonexperienceswhenhelistenstoanartisttalking。
\"Itsoundsallright，\"hesaidabruptly;\"allthesame，monsieur，allmysympathyiswithmodernlife。Taketheseyounggirls，andtheseTommies。Foralltheirfeather—patedvulgarityandtheyaredamnedvulgar，Imustsay——they’remarvellouspeople;theydotaketheroughwiththesmooth;they’reall’doingtheirbit，’youknow，andfacingthisparticularlybeastlyworld。Aesthetically，Idaresay，they’redeplorable，butcanyousaythatonthewholetheirphilosophyisn’tanadvanceonanythingwe’vehaduptillnow？Theyworshipnothing，it’strue;buttheykeeptheirendsupmarvellously。\"
Thepainter，whoseemedtofeelthewindblowingcoldonhisideas，shruggedhisshoulders。
\"Iamnotconcernedwiththat，monsieur;IsetdownwhatIsee;
betterorworse，Idonotknow。Butlookatthis！\"Andhepointeddownthedarkenedandmoonlitstreet。Itwasalljewelledandenamelledwithlittlespotsandsplashesofsubduedredandgreen—
bluelight，andthedownwardorangeglowofthehighlamps——likeanenchanteddream—streetpeopledbycountlessmovingshapes，whichonlycametoearth—realitywhenseencloseto。Thepainterdrewhisbreathinwithahiss。
