recognizedthat
the
threat
might
very
possibly
be
executed
,
and
their
countenances
were
at
once
composed
to
humble
attention
.
The
puppy
was
still
cowering
on
the
ground
in
the
midst
of
them
:
one
or
two
tried
to
relieve
the
tension
of
their
feelings
by
kicking
him
in
the
belly
with
their
hobnail
boots
.
It
cried
out
with
the
pain
and
writhed
a
little
,
but
the
poor
little
beast
did
not
attempt
to
bite
or
even
snarl
.
It
looked
up
with
those
beseeching
friendly
eyes
at
its
persecutors
,
and
fawned
on
them
again
,
and
tried
to
wag
its
tail
and
be
merry
,
pretending
to
play
with
a
straw
on
the
road
,
hoping
perhaps
to
win
a
little
favor
in
that
way
.
The
leader
saw
the
moment
for
his
master-stroke
.
He
slowly
drew
a
piece
of
rope
from
his
pocket
.
"
What
do
you
say
to
that
,
mun
?
Now
,
Thomas
Trevor
!
We
'll
hang
him
over
that
there
bough
.
Will
that
suit
you
,
Bobby
Williams
?
"
There
was
a
great
shriek
of
approval
and
delight
.
All
was
again
bustle
and
animation
.
"
I
'll
tie
it
round
his
neck
?
"
"
Get
out
,
mun
,
you
do
n't
know
how
it
be
done
.
"
"
Is
,
I
do
,
Charley
.
"
"
Now
,
let
me
,
gwaes
,
now
do
let
me
.
"
"
You
be
sure
he
wo
n't
bite
?
"
"
He
hai
n't
mad
,
be
he
?
"
"
Suppose
we
were
to
tie
up
his
mouth
first
?
"
The
puppy
still
fawned
and
curried
favor
,
and
wagged
that
sorry
tail
,
and
lay
down
crouching
on
one
side
on
the
ground
,
sad
and
sorry
in
his
heart
,
but
still
with
a
little
gleam
of
hope
;
for
now
and
again
he
tried
to
play
,
and
put
up
his
face
,
praying
with
those
fond
,
friendly
eyes
.
And
then
at
last
his
gambols
and
poor
efforts
for
mercy
ceased
,
and
he
lifted
up
his
wretched
voice
in
one
long
dismal
whine
of
despair
.
But
he
licked
the
hand
of
the
boy
that
tied
the
noose
.
He
was
slowly
and
gently
swung
into
the
air
as
Lucian
went
by
unheeded
;
he
struggled
,
and
his
legs
twisted
and
writhed
.
The
"
healthy
"
boy
pulled
the
rope
,
and
his
friends
danced
and
shouted
with
glee
.
As
Lucian
turned
the
corner
,
the
poor
dangling
body
was
swinging
to
and
fro
,
the
puppy
was
dying
,
but
he
still
kicked
a
little
.
Lucian
went
on
his
way
hastily
,
and
shuddering
with
disgust
.
The
young
of
the
human
creature
were
really
too
horrible
;
they
defiled
the
earth
,
and
made
existence
unpleasant
,
as
the
pulpy
growth
of
a
noxious
and
obscene
fungus
spoils
an
agreeable
walk
.
The
sight
of
those
malignant
little
animals
with
mouths
that
uttered
cruelty
and
filthy
,
with
hands
dexterous
in
torture
,
and
feet
swift
to
run
all
evil
errands
,
had
given
him
a
shock
and
broken
up
the
world
of
strange
thoughts
in
which
he
had
been
dwelling
.
Yet
it
was
no
good
being
angry
with
them
:
it
was
their
nature
to
be
very
loathsome
.
Only
he
wished
they
would
go
about
their
hideous
amusements
in
their
own
back
gardens
where
nobody
could
see
them
at
work
;
it
was
too
bad
that
he
should
be
interrupted
and
offended
in
a
quiet
country
road
.
He
tried
to
put
the
incident
out
of
his
mind
,
as
if
the
whole
thing
had
been
a
disagreeable
story
,
and
the
visions
amongst
which
he
wished
to
move
were
beginning
to
return
,
when
he
was
again
rudely
disturbed
.
A
little
girl
,
a
pretty
child
of
eight
or
nine
,
was
coming
along
the
lane
to
meet
him
.
She
was
crying
bitterly
and
looking
to
left
and
right
,
and
calling
out
some
word
all
the
time
.
"
Jack
,
Jack
,
Jack
!
Little
Jackie
!
Jack
!
"
Then
she
burst
into
tears
afresh
,
and
peered
into
the
hedge
,
and
tried
to
peep
through
a
gate
into
a
field
.
"
Jackie
,
Jackie
,
Jackie
!
"
She
came
up
to
Lucian
,
sobbing
as
if
her
heart
would
break
,
and
dropped
him
an
old-fashioned
curtsy
.
"
Oh
,
please
sir
,
have
you
seen
my
little
Jackie
?
"
"
What
do
you
mean
?
"
said
Lucian
.
"
What
is
it
you
've
lost
?
"
"
A
little
dog
,
please
sir
.
A
little
terrier
dog
with
white
hair
.
Father
gave
me
him
a
month
ago
,
and
said
I
might
keep
him
.
Someone
did
leave
the
garden
gate
open
this
afternoon
,
and
he
must
'
a
got
away
,
sir
,
and
I
was
so
fond
of
him
sir
,
he
was
so
playful
and
loving
,
and
I
be
afraid
he
be
lost
.
"
She
began
to
call
again
,
without
waiting
for
an
answer
.
"
Jack
,
Jack
,
Jack
!
"
"
I
'm
afraid
some
boys
have
got
your
little
dog
,
"
said
Lucian
.
"
They
've
killed
him
.
You
'd
better
go
back
home
.
"
He
went
on
,
walking
as
fast
as
he
could
in
his
endeavor
to
get
beyond
the
noise
of
the
child
's
crying
.
It
distressed
him
,
and
he
wished
to
think
of
other
things
.
He
stamped
his
foot
angrily
on
the
ground
as
he
recalled
the
annoyances
of
the
afternoon
,
and
longed
for
some
hermitage
on
the
mountains
,
far
above
the
stench
and
the
sound
of
humanity
.
A
little
farther
,
and
he
came
to
Croeswen
,
where
the
road
branched
off
to
right
and
left
.
There
was
a
triangular
plot
of
grass
between
the
two
roads
;
there
the
cross
had
once
stood
,
"
the
goodly
and
famous
roode
"
of
the
old
local
chronicle
.
The
words
echoed
in
Lucian
's
ears
as
he
went
by
on
the
right
hand
.
"
There
were
five
steps
that
did
go
up
to
the
first
pace
,
and
seven
steps
to
the
second
pace
,
all
of
clene
hewn
ashler
.
And
all
above
it
was
most
curiously
and
gloriously
wrought
with
thorowgh
carved
work
;
in
the
highest
place
was
the
Holy
Roode
with
Christ
upon
the
Cross
having
Marie
on
the
one
syde
and
John
on
the
other
.
And
below
were
six
splendent
and
glisteringe
archaungels
that
bore
up
the
roode
,
and
beneath
them
in
their
stories
were
the
most
fair
and
noble
images
of
the
xii
Apostles
and
of
divers
other
Saints
and
Martirs
.
And
in
the
lowest
storie
there
was
a
marvelous
imagerie
of
divers
Beasts
,
such
as
oxen
and
horses
and
swine
,
and
little
dogs
and
peacocks
,
all
done
in
the
finest
and
most
curious
wise
,
so
that
they
all
seemed
as
they
were
caught
in
a
Wood
of
Thorns
,
the
which
is
their
torment
of
this
life
.
And
here
once
in
the
year
was
a
marvelous
solemn
service
,
when
the
parson
of
Caermaen
came
out
with
the
singers
and
all
the
people
,
singing
the
psalm
Benedicite
omnia
opera
as
they
passed
along
the
road
in
their
procession
.
And
when
they
stood
at
the
roode
the
priest
did
there
his
service
,
making
certain
prayers
for
the
beasts
,
and
then
he
went
up
to
the
first
pace
and
preached
a
sermon
to
the
people
,
shewing
them
that
as
our
lord
Jhu
dyed
upon
the
Tree
of
his
deare
mercy
for
us
,
so
we
too
owe
mercy
to
the
beasts
his
Creatures
,
for
that
they
are
all
his
poor
lieges
and
silly
servants
.
And
that
like
as
the
Holy
Aungells
do
their
suit
to
him
on
high
,
and
the
Blessed
xii
Apostles
and
the
Martirs
,
and
all
the
Blissful
Saints
served
him
aforetime
on
earth
and
now
praise
him
in
heaven
,
so
also
do
the
beasts
serve
him
,
though
they
be
in
torment
of
life
and
below
men
.
For
their
spirit
goeth
downward
,
as
Holy
Writ
teacheth
us
.
"
It
was
a
quaint
old
record
,
a
curious
relic
of
what
the
modern
inhabitants
of
Caermaen
called
the
Dark
Ages
.
A
few
of
the
stones
that
had
formed
the
base
of
the
cross
still
remained
in
position
,
grey
with
age
,
blotched
with
black
lichen
and
green
moss
.
The
remainder
of
the
famous
rood
had
been
used
to
mend
the
roads
,
to
build
pigsties
and
domestic
offices
;
it
had
turned
Protestant
,
in
fact
.
Indeed
,
if
it
had
remained
,
the
parson
of
Caermaen
would
have
had
no
time
for
the
service
;
the
coffee-stall
,
the
Portuguese
Missions
,
the
Society
for
the
Conversion
of
the
Jews
,
and
important
social
duties
took
up
all
his
leisure
.
Besides
,
he
thought
the
whole
ceremony
unscriptural
.
Lucian
passed
on
his
way
,
wondering
at
the
strange
contrasts
of
the
Middle
Ages
.
How
was
it
that
people
who
could
devise
so
beautiful
a
service
believed
in
witchcraft
,
demoniacal
possession
and
obsession
,
in
the
incubus
and
succubus
,
and
in
the
Sabbath
an
in
many
other
horrible
absurdities
?
It
seemed
astonishing
that
anybody
could
even
pretend
to
credit
such
monstrous
tales
,
but
there
could
be
no
doubt
that
the
dread
of
old
women
who
rode
on
broomsticks
and
liked
black
cats
was
once
a
very
genuine
terror
.
A
cold
wind
blew
up
from
the
river
at
sunset
,
and
the
scars
on
his
body
began
to
burn
and
tingle
.
The
pain
recalled
his
ritual
to
him
,
and
he
began
to
recite
it
as
he
walked
along
.
He
had
cut
a
branch
of
thorn
from
the
hedge
and
placed
it
next
to
his
skin
,
pressing
the
spikes
into
the
flesh
with
his
hand
till
the
warm
blood
ran
down
.
He
felt
it
was
an
exquisite
and
sweet
observance
for
her
sake
;
and
then
he
thought
of
the
secret
golden
palace
he
was
building
for
her
,
the
rare
and
wonderful
city
rising
in
his
imagination
.
As
the
solemn
night
began
to
close
about
the
earth
,
and
the
last
glimmer
of
the
sun
faded
from
the
hills
,
he
gave
himself
anew
to
the
woman
,
his
body
and
his
mind
,
all
that
he
was
,
and
all
that
he
had
.
IV
In
the
course
of
the
week
Lucian
again
visited
Caermaen
.
He
wished
to
view
the
amphitheatre
more
precisely
,
to
note
the
exact
position
of
the
ancient
walls
,
to
gaze
up
the
valley
from
certain
points
within
the
town
,
to
imprint
minutely
and
clearly
on
his
mind
the
surge
of
the
hills
about
the
city
,
and
the
dark
tapestry
of
the
hanging
woods
.
And
he
lingered
in
the
museum
where
the
relics
of
the
Roman
occupation
had
been
stored
;
he
was
interested
in
the
fragments
of
tessellated
floors
,
in
the
glowing
gold
of
drinking
cups
,
the
curious
beads
of
fused
and
colored
glass
,
the
carved
amber-work
,
the
scent-flagons
that
still
retained
the
memory
of
unctuous
odors
,
the
necklaces
,
brooches
,
hair-pins
of
gold
and
silver
,
and
other
intimate
objects
which
had
once
belonged
to
Roman
ladies
.
One
of
the
glass
flagons
,
buried
in
damp
earth
for
many
hundred
years
,
had
gathered
in
its
dark
grave
all
the
splendors
of
the
light
,
and
now
shone
like
an
opal
with
a
moonlight
glamour
and
gleams
of
gold
and
pale
sunset
green
,
and
imperial
purple
.
Then
there
were
the
wine
jars
of
red
earthenware
,
the
memorial
stones
from
graves
,
and
the
heads
of
broken
gods
,
with
fragments
of
occult
things
used
in
the
secret
rites
of
Mithras
.
Lucian
read
on
the
labels
where
all
these
objects
were
found
:
in
the
churchyard
,
beneath
the
turf
of
the
meadow
,
and
in
the
old
cemetery
near
the
forest
;
and
whenever
it
was
possible
he
would
make
his
way
to
the
spot
of
discovery
,
and
imagine
the
long
darkness
that
had
hidden
gold
and
stone
and
amber
.
All
these
investigations
were
necessary
for
the
scheme
he
had
in
view
,
so
he
became
for
some
time
quite
a
familiar
figure
in
the
dusty
deserted
streets
and
in
the
meadows
by
the
river
.
His
continual
visits
to
Caermaen
were
a
tortuous
puzzle
to
the
inhabitants
,
who
flew
to
their
windows
at
the
sound
of
a
step
on
the
uneven
pavements
.
They
were
at
a
loss
in
their
conjectures
;
his
motive
for
coming
down
three
times
a
week
must
of
course
be
bad
,
but
it
seemed
undiscoverable
.
And
Lucian
on
his
side
was
at
first
a
good
deal
put
out
by
occasional
encounters
with
members
of
the
Gervase
or
Dixon
or
Colley
tribes
;
he
had
often
to
stop
and
exchange
a
few
conventional
expressions
,
and
such
meetings
,
casual
as
they
were
,
annoyed
and
distracted
him
.
He
was
no
longer
infuriated
or
wounded
by
sneers
of
contempt
or
by
the
cackling
laughter
of
the
young
people
when
they
passed
him
on
the
road
(
his
hat
was
a
shocking
one
and
his
untidiness
terrible
)
,
but
such
incidents
were
unpleasant
just
as
the
smell
of
a
drain
was
unpleasant
,
and
threw
the
strange
mechanism
of
his
thoughts
out
of
fear
for
the
time
.
Then
he
had
been
disgusted
by
the
affair
of
the
boys
and
the
little
dog
;
the
loathsomeness
of
it
had
quite
broken
up
his
fancies
.
He
had
read
books
of
modern
occultism
,
and
remembered
some
of
the
experiments
described
.
The
adept
,
it
was
alleged
,
could
transfer
the
sense
of
consciousness
from
his
brain
to
the
foot
or
hand
,
he
could
annihilate
the
world
around
him
and
pass
into
another
sphere
.
Lucian
wondered
whether
he
could
not
perform
some
such
operation
for
his
own
benefit
.
Human
beings
were
constantly
annoying
him
and
getting
in
his
way
,
was
it
not
possible
to
annihilate
the
race
,
or
at
all
events
to
reduce
them
to
wholly
insignificant
forms
?
A
certain
process
suggested
itself
to
his
mind
,
a
work
partly
mental
and
partly
physical
,
and
after
two
or
three
experiments
he
found
to
his
astonishment
and
delight
that
it
was
successful
.
Here
,
he
thought
,
he
had
discovered
one
of
the
secrets
of
true
magic
;
this
was
the
key
to
the
symbolic
transmutations
of
the
Eastern
tales
.
The
adept
could
,
in
truth
,
change
those
who
were
obnoxious
to
him
into
harmless
and
unimportant
shapes
,
not
as
in
the
letter
of
the
old
stories
,
by
transforming
the
enemy
,
but
by
transforming
himself
.
The
magician
puts
men
below
him
by
going
up
higher
,
as
one
looks
down
on
a
mountain
city
from
a
loftier
crag
.
The
stones
on
the
road
and
such
petty
obstacles
do
not
trouble
the
wise
man
on
the
great
journey
,
and
so
Lucian
,
when
obliged
to
stop
and
converse
with
his
fellow-creatures
,
to
listen
to
their
poor
pretences
and
inanities
,
was
no
more
inconvenienced
than
when
he
had
to
climb
an
awkward
stile
in
the
course
of
a
walk
.
As
for
the
more
unpleasant
manifestations
of
humanity
;
after
all
they
no
longer
concerned
him
.
Men
intent
on
the
great
purpose
did
not
suffer
the
current
of
their
thoughts
to
be
broken
by
the
buzzing
of
a
fly
caught
in
a
spider
's
web
,
so
why
should
he
be
perturbed
by
the
misery
of
a
puppy
in
the
hands
of
village
boys
?
The
fly
,
no
doubt
,
endured
its
tortures
;
lying
helpless
and
bound
in
those
slimy
bands
,
it
cried
out
in
its
thin
voice
when
the
claws
of
the
horrible
monster
fastened
on
it
;
but
its
dying
agonies
had
never
vexed
the
reverie
of
a
lover
.
Lucian
saw
no
reason
why
the
boys
should
offend
him
more
than
the
spider
,
or
why
he
should
pity
the
dog
more
than
he
pitied
the
fly
.
The
talk
of
the
men
and
women
might
be
wearisome
and
inept
and
often
malignant
;
but
he
could
not
imagine
an
alchemist
at
the
moment
of
success
,
a
general
in
the
hour
of
victory
,
or
a
financier
with
a
gigantic
scheme
of
swindling
well
on
the
market
being
annoyed
by
the
buzz
of
insects
.
The
spider
is
,
no
doubt
,
a
very
terrible
brute
with
a
hideous
mouth
and
hairy
tiger-like
claws
when
seen
through
the
microscope
;
but
Lucian
had
taken
away
the
microscope
from
his
eyes
.
He
could
now
walk
the
streets
of
Caermaen
confident
and
secure
,
without
any
dread
of
interruption
,
for
at
a
moment
's
notice
the
transformation
could
be
effected
.
Once
Dr.
Burrows
caught
him
and
made
him
promise
to
attend
a
bazaar
that
was
to
be
held
in
aid
of
the
Hungarian
Protestants
;
Lucian
assented
the
more
willingly
as
he
wished
to
pay
a
visit
to
certain
curious
mounds
on
a
hill
a
little
way
out
of
the
town
,
and
he
calculated
on
slinking
off
from
the
bazaar
early
in
the
afternoon
.
Lord
Beamys
was
visiting
Sir
Vivian
Ponsonby
,
a
local
magnate
,
and
had
kindly
promised
to
drive
over
and
declare
the
bazaar
open
.
It
was
a
solemn
moment
when
the
carriage
drew
up
and
the
great
man
alighted
.
He
was
rather
an
evil-looking
old
nobleman
,
but
the
clergy
and
gentry
,
their
wives
and
sons
and
daughters
welcomed
him
with
great
and
unctuous
joy
.
Conversations
were
broken
off
in
mid-sentence
,
slow
people
gaped
,
not
realizing
why
their
friends
had
so
suddenly
left
them
,
the
Meyricks
came
up
hot
and
perspiring
in
fear
lest
they
should
be
too
late
,
Miss
Colley
,
a
yellow
virgin
of
austere
regard
,
smiled
largely
,
Mrs.
Dixon
beckoned
wildly
with
her
parasol
to
the
"
girls
"
who
were
idly
strolling
in
a
distant
part
of
the
field
,
and
the
archdeacon
ran
at
full
speed
.
The
air
grew
dark
with
bows
,
and
resonant
with
the
genial
laugh
of
the
archdeacon
,
the
cackle
of
the
younger
ladies
,
and
the
shrill
parrot-like
voices
of
the
matrons
;
those
smiled
who
had
never
smiled
before
,
and
on
some
maiden
faces
there
hovered
that
look
of
adoring
ecstasy
with
which
the
old
maidens
graced
their
angels
.
Then
,
when
all
the
due
rites
had
been
performed
,
the
company
turned
and
began
to
walk
towards
the
booths
of
their
small
Vanity
Fair
.
Lord
Beamys
led
the
way
with
Mrs.
Gervase
,
Mrs.
Dixon
followed
with
Sir
Vivian
Ponsonby
,
and
the
multitudes
that
followed
cried
,
saying
,
"
What
a
dear
old
man
!
"
â
€
”
"
Is
n't
it
kind
of
him
to
come
all
this
way
?
"
â
€
”
"
What
a
sweet
expression
,
is
n't
it
?
"
â
€
”
"
I
think
he
's
an
old
love
"
â
€
”
"
One
of
the
good
old
sort
"
â
€
”
"
Real
English
nobleman
"
â
€
”
"
Oh
most
correct
,
I
assure
you
;
if
a
girl
gets
into
trouble
,
notice
to
quit
at
once
"
â
€
”
"
Always
stands
by
the
Church
"
â
€
”
"
Twenty
livings
in
his
gift
"
â
€
”
"
Voted
for
the
Public
Worship
Regulation
Act
"
â
€
”
"
Ten
thousand
acres
strictly
preserved
.
"
The
old
lord
was
leering
pleasantly
and
muttering
to
himself
:
"
Some
fine
gals
here
.
Like
the
looks
of
that
filly
with
the
pink
hat
.
Ought
to
see
more
of
her
.
She
'd
give
Lotty
points
.
"
The
pomp
swept
slowly
across
the
grass
:
the
archdeacon
had
got
hold
of
Mr.
Dixon
,
and
they
were
discussing
the
misdeeds
of
some
clergyman
in
the
rural
deanery
.
"
I
can
scarce
credit
it
,
"
said
Mr.
Dixon
.
"
Oh
,
I
assure
you
,
there
can
be
no
doubt
.
We
have
witnesses
.
There
can
be
no
question
that
there
was
a
procession
at
Llanfihangel
on
the
Sunday
before
Easter
;
the
choir
and
minister
went
round
the
church
,
carrying
palm
branches
in
their
hands
.
"
"
Very
shocking
.
"
"
It
has
distressed
the
bishop
.
Martin
is
a
hard-working
man
enough
,
and
all
that
,
but
those
sort
of
things
ca
n't
be
tolerated
.
The
bishop
told
me
that
he
had
set
his
face
against
processions
.
"
"
Quite
right
:
the
bishop
is
perfectly
right
.
Processions
are
unscriptural
.
"
"
It
's
the
thin
end
of
the
wedge
,
you
know
,
Dixon
.
"
"
Exactly
.
I
have
always
resisted
anything
of
the
kind
here
.
"
"
Right
.
Principiis
obsta
,
you
know
.
Martin
is
so
imprudent
.
There
's
a
way
of
doing
things
.
"
The
"
scriptural
"
procession
led
by
Lord
Beamys
broke
up
when
the
stalls
were
reached
,
and
gathered
round
the
nobleman
as
he
declared
the
bazaar
open
.
Lucian
was
sitting
on
a
garden-seat
,
a
little
distance
off
,
looking
dreamily
before
him
.
And
all
that
he
saw
was
a
swarm
of
flies
clustering
and
buzzing
about
a
lump
of
tainted
meat
that
lay
on
the
grass
.
The
spectacle
in
no
way
interrupted
the
harmony
of
his
thoughts
,
and
soon
after
the
opening
of
the
bazaar
he
went
quietly
away
,
walking
across
the
fields
in
the
direction
of
the
ancient
mounds
he
desired
to
inspect
.
All
these
journeys
of
his
to
Caermaen
and
its
neighborhood
had
a
peculiar
object
;
he
was
gradually
leveling
to
the
dust
the
squalid
kraals
of
modern
times
,
and
rebuilding
the
splendid
and
golden
city
of
Siluria
.
All
this
mystic
town
was
for
the
delight
of
his
sweetheart
and
himself
;
for
her
the
wonderful
villas
,
the
shady
courts
,
the
magic
of
tessellated
pavements
,
and
the
hangings
of
rich
stuffs
with
their
intricate
and
glowing
patterns
.
Lucian
wandered
all
day
through
the
shining
streets
,
taking
shelter
sometimes
in
the
gardens
beneath
the
dense
and
gloomy
ilex
trees
,
and
listening
to
the
plash
and
trickle
of
the
fountains
.
Sometimes
he
would
look
out
of
a
window
and
watch
the
crowd
and
color
of
the
market-place
,
and
now
and
again
a
ship
came
up
the
river
bringing
exquisite
silks
and
the
merchandise
of
unknown
lands
in
the
Far
East
.
He
had
made
a
curious
and
accurate
map
of
the
town
he
proposed
to
inhabit
,
in
which
every
villa
was
set
down
and
named
.
He
drew
his
lines
to
scale
with
the
gravity
of
a
surveyor
,
and
studied
the
plan
till
he
was
able
to
find
his
way
from
house
to
house
on
the
darkest
summer
night
.
On
the
southern
slopes
about
the
town
there
were
vineyards
,
always
under
a
glowing
sun
,
and
sometimes
he
ventured
to
the
furthest
ridge
of
the
forest
,
where
the
wild
people
still
lingered
,
that
he
might
catch
the
golden
gleam
of
the
city
far
away
,
as
the
light
quivered
and
scintillated
on
the
glittering
tiles
.
And
there
were
gardens
outside
the
city
gates
where
strange
and
brilliant
flowers
grew
,
filling
the
hot
air
with
their
odor
,
and
scenting
the
breeze
that
blew
along
the
streets
.
The
dull
modern
life
was
far
away
,
and
people
who
saw
him
at
this
period
wondered
what
was
amiss
;
the
abstraction
of
his
glance
was
obvious
,
even
to
eyes
not
over-sharp
.
But
men
and
women
had
lost
all
their
power
of
annoyance
and
vexation
;
they
could
no
longer
even
interrupt
his
thought
for
a
moment
.
He
could
listen
to
Mr.
Dixon
with
apparent
attention
,
while
he
was
in
reality
enraptured
by
the
entreating
music
of
the
double
flute
,
played
by
a
girl
in
the
garden
of
Avallaunius
,
for
that
was
the
name
he
had
taken
.
Mr.
Dixon
was
innocently
discoursing
archeology
,
giving
a
brief
résumé
of
the
view
expressed
by
Mr.
Wyndham
at
the
last
meeting
of
the
antiquarian
society
.
"
There
can
be
no
doubt
that
the
temple
of
Diana
stood
there
in
pagan
times
,
"
he
concluded
,
and
Lucian
assented
to
the
opinion
,
and
asked
a
few
questions
which
seemed
pertinent
enough
.
But
all
the
time
the
flute
notes
were
sounding
in
his
ears
,
and
the
ilex
threw
a
purple
shadow
on
the
white
pavement
before
his
villa
.
A
boy
came
forward
from
the
garden
;
he
had
been
walking
amongst
the
vines
and
plucking
the
ripe
grapes
,
and
the
juice
had
trickled
down
over
his
breast
.
Standing
beside
the
girl
,
unashamed
in
the
sunlight
,
he
began
to
sing
one
of
Sappho
's
love
songs
.
His
voice
was
as
full
and
rich
as
a
woman
's
,
but
purged
of
all
emotion
;
he
was
an
instrument
of
music
in
the
flesh
.
Lucian
looked
at
him
steadily
;
the
white
perfect
body
shone
against
the
roses
and
the
blue
of
the
sky
,
clear
and
gleaming
as
marble
in
the
glare
of
the
sun
.
The
words
he
sang
burned
and
flamed
with
passion
,
and
he
was
as
unconscious
of
their
meaning
as
the
twin
pipes
of
the
flute
.
And
the
girl
was
smiling
.
The
vicar
shook
hands
and
went
on
,
well
pleased
with
his
remarks
on
the
temple
of
Diana
,
and
also
with
Lucian
's
polite
interest
.
"
He
is
by
no
means
wanting
in
intelligence
,
"
he
said
to
his
family
.
"
A
little
curious
in
manner
,
perhaps
,
but
not
stupid
.
"
"
Oh
,
papa
,
"
said
Henrietta
,
"
do
n't
you
think
he
is
rather
silly
?
He
ca
n't
talk
about
anythingâ
€
”
anything
interesting
,
I
mean
.
And
he
pretends
to
know
a
lot
about
books
,
but
I
heard
him
say
the
other
day
he
had
never
read
The
Prince
of
the
House
of
David
or
Ben-Hur
.
Fancy
!
"
The
vicar
had
not
interrupted
Lucian
.
The
sun
still
beat
upon
the
roses
,
and
a
little
breeze
bore
the
scent
of
them
to
his
nostrils
together
with
the
smell
of
grapes
and
vine-leaves
.
He
had
become
curious
in
sensation
,
and
as
he
leant
back
upon
the
cushions
covered
with
glistening
yellow
silk
,
he
was
trying
to
analyze
a
strange
ingredient
in
the
perfume
of
the
air
.
He
had
penetrated
far
beyond
the
crude
distinctions
of
modern
times
,
beyond
the
rough
:
"
there
's
a
smell
of
roses
,
"
"
there
must
be
sweetbriar
somewhere
.
"
Modern
perceptions
of
odor
were
,
he
knew
,
far
below
those
of
the
savage
in
delicacy
.
The
degraded
black
fellow
of
Australia
could
distinguish
odors
in
a
way
that
made
the
consumer
of
"
damper
"
stare
in
amazement
,
but
the
savage
's
sensations
were
all
strictly
utilitarian
.
To
Lucian
as
he
sat
in
the
cool
porch
,
his
feet
on
the
marble
,
the
air
came
laden
with
scents
as
subtly
and
wonderfully
interwoven
and
contrasted
as
the
harmonica
of
a
great
master
.
The
stained
marble
of
the
pavement
gave
a
cool
reminiscence
of
the
Italian
mountain
,
the
blood-red
roses
palpitating
in
the
sunlight
sent
out
an
odor
mystical
as
passion
itself
,
and
there
was
the
hint
of
inebriation
in
the
perfume
of
the
trellised
vines
.
Besides
these
,
the
girl
's
desire
and
the
unripe
innocence
of
the
boy
were
as
distinct
as
benzoin
and
myrrh
,
both
delicious
and
exquisite
,
and
exhaled
as
freely
as
the
scent
of
the
roses
.
But
there
was
another
element
that
puzzled
him
,
an
aromatic
suggestion
of
the
forest
.
He
understood
it
at
last
;
it
was
the
vapor
of
the
great
red
pines
that
grew
beyond
the
garden
;
their
spicy
needles
were
burning
in
the
sun
,
and
the
smell
was
as
fragrant
as
the
fume
of
incense
blown
from
far
.
The
soft
entreaty
of
the
flute
and
the
swelling
rapture
of
the
boy
's
voice
beat
on
the
air
together
,
and
Lucian
wondered
whether
there
were
in
the
nature
of
things
any
true
distinction
between
the
impressions
of
sound
and
scent
and
color
.
The
violent
blue
of
the
sky
,
the
song
,
and
the
odours
seemed
rather
varied
symbols
of
one
mystery
than
distinct
entities
.
He
could
almost
imagine
that
the
boy
's
innocence
was
indeed
a
perfume
,
and
that
the
palpitating
roses
had
become
a
sonorous
chant
.
In
the
curious
silence
which
followed
the
last
notes
,
when
the
boy
and
girl
had
passed
under
the
purple
ilex
shadow
,
he
fell
into
a
reverie
.
The
fancy
that
sensations
are
symbols
and
not
realities
hovered
in
his
mind
,
and
led
him
to
speculate
as
to
whether
they
could
not
actually
be
transmuted
one
into
another
.
It
was
possible
,
he
thought
,
that
a
whole
continent
of
knowledge
had
been
undiscovered
;
the
energies
of
men
having
been
expended
in
unimportant
and
foolish
directions
.
Modern
ingenuity
had
been
employed
on
such
trifles
as
locomotive
engines
,
electric
cables
,
and
cantilever
bridges
;
on
elaborate
devices
for
bringing
uninteresting
people
nearer
together
;
the
ancients
had
been
almost
as
foolish
,
because
they
had
mistaken
the
symbol
for
the
thing
signified
.
It
was
not
the
material
banquet
which
really
mattered
,
but
the
thought
of
it
;
it
was
almost
as
futile
to
eat
and
take
emetics
and
eat
again
as
to
invent
telephones
and
high-pressure
boilers
.
As
for
some
other
ancient
methods
of
enjoying
life
,
one
might
as
well
set
oneself
to
improve
calico
printing
at
once
.
"
Only
in
the
garden
of
Avallaunius
,
"
said
Lucian
to
himself
,
"
is
the
true
and
exquisite
science
to
be
found
.
"
He
could
imagine
a
man
who
was
able
to
live
in
one
sense
while
he
pleased
;
to
whom
,
for
example
,
every
impression
of
touch
,
taste
,
hearing
,
or
seeing
should
be
translated
into
odor
;
who
at
the
desired
kiss
should
be
ravished
with
the
scent
of
dark
violets
,
to
whom
music
should
be
the
perfume
of
a
rose-garden
at
dawn
.
When
,
now
and
again
,
he
voluntarily
resumed
the
experience
of
common
life
,
it
was
that
he
might
return
with
greater
delight
to
the
garden
in
the
city
of
refuge
.
In
the
actual
world
the
talk
was
of
Nonconformists
,
the
lodger
franchise
,
and
the
Stock
Exchange
;
people
were
constantly
reading
newspapers
,
drinking
Australian
Burgundy
,
and
doing
other
things
equally
absurd
.
They
either
looked
shocked
when
the
fine
art
of
pleasure
was
mentioned
,
or
confused
it
with
going
to
musical
comedies
,
drinking
bad
whisky
,
and
keeping
late
hours
in
disreputable
and
vulgar
company
.
He
found
to
his
amusement
that
the
profligate
were
by
many
degrees
duller
than
the
pious
,
but
that
the
most
tedious
of
all
were
the
persons
who
preached
promiscuity
,
and
called
their
system
of
"
pigging
"
the
"
New
Morality
.
"
He
went
back
to
the
city
lovingly
,
because
it
was
built
and
adorned
for
his
love
.
As
the
metaphysicians
insist
on
the
consciousness
of
the
ego
as
the
implied
basis
of
all
thought
,
so
he
knew
that
it
was
she
in
whom
he
had
found
himself
,
and
through
whom
and
for
whom
all
the
true
life
existed
.
He
felt
that
Annie
had
taught
him
the
rare
magic
which
had
created
the
garden
of
Avallaunius
.
It
was
for
her
that
he
sought
strange
secrets
and
tried
to
penetrate
the
mysteries
of
sensation
,
for
he
could
only
give
her
wonderful
thoughts
and
a
wonderful
life
,
and
a
poor
body
stained
with
the
scars
of
his
worship
.
It
was
with
this
object
,
that
of
making
the
offering
of
himself
a
worthy
one
,
that
he
continually
searched
for
new
and
exquisite
experiences
.
He
made
lovers
come
before
him
and
confess
their
secrets
;
he
pried
into
the
inmost
mysteries
of
innocence
and
shame
,
noting
how
passion
and
reluctance
strive
together
for
the
mastery
.
In
the
amphitheatre
he
sometimes
witnessed
strange
entertainments
in
which
such
tales
as
Daphnis
and
Chloe
and
The
Golden
Ass
were
performed
before
him
.
These
shows
were
always
given
at
nighttime
;
a
circle
of
torch-bearers
surrounded
the
stage
in
the
center
,
and
above
,
all
the
tiers
of
seats
were
dark
.
He
would
look
up
at
the
soft
blue
of
the
summer
sky
,
and
at
the
vast
dim
mountain
hovering
like
a
cloud
in
the
west
,
and
then
at
the
scene
illumined
by
a
flaring
light
,
and
contrasted
with
violent
shadows
.
The
subdued
mutter
of
conversation
in
a
strange
language
rising
from
bench
after
bench
,
swift
hissing
whispers
of
explanation
,
now
and
then
a
shout
or
a
cry
as
the
interest
deepened
,
the
restless
tossing
of
the
people
as
the
end
drew
near
,
an
arm
lifted
,
a
cloak
thrown
back
,
the
sudden
blaze
of
a
torch
lighting
up
purple
or
white
or
the
gleam
of
gold
in
the
black
serried
ranks
;
these
were
impressions
that
seemed
always
amazing
.
And
above
,
the
dusky
light
of
the
stars
,
around
,
the
sweet-scented
meadows
,
and
the
twinkle
of
lamps
from
the
still
city
,
the
cry
of
the
sentries
about
the
walls
,
the
wash
of
the
tide
filling
the
river
,
and
the
salt
savor
of
the
sea
.
With
such
a
scenic
ornament
he
saw
the
tale
of
Apuleius
represented
,
heard
the
names
of
Fotis
and
Byrrhaena
and
Lucius
proclaimed
,
and
the
deep
intonation
of
such
sentences
as
Ecce
Veneris
hortator
et
armiger
Liber
advenit
ultro
.
The
tale
went
on
through
all
its
marvelous
adventures
,
and
Lucian
left
the
amphitheatre
and
walked
beside
the
river
where
he
could
hear
indistinctly
the
noise
of
voices
and
the
singing
Latin
,
and
note
how
the
rumor
of
the
stage
mingled
with
the
murmur
of
the
shuddering
reeds
and
the
cool
lapping
of
the
tide
.
Then
came
the
farewell
of
the
cantor
,
the
thunder
of
applause
,
the
crash
of
cymbals
,
the
calling
of
the
flutes
,
and
the
surge
of
the
wind
in
the
great
dark
wood
.
At
other
times
it
was
his
chief
pleasure
to
spend
a
whole
day
in
a
vineyard
planted
on
the
steep
slope
beyond
the
bridge
.
A
grey
stone
seat
had
been
placed
beneath
a
shady
laurel
,
and
here
he
often
sat
without
motion
or
gesture
for
many
hours
.
Below
him
the
tawny
river
swept
round
the
town
in
a
half
circle
;
he
could
see
the
swirl
of
the
yellow
water
,
its
eddies
and
miniature
whirlpools
,
as
the
tide
poured
up
from
the
south
.
And
beyond
the
river
the
strong
circuit
of
the
walls
,
and
within
,
the
city
glittered
like
a
charming
piece
of
mosaic
.
He
freed
himself
from
the
obtuse
modern
view
of
towns
as
places
where
human
beings
live
and
make
money
and
rejoice
or
suffer
,
for
from
the
standpoint
of
the
moment
such
facts
were
wholly
impertinent
.
He
knew
perfectly
well
that
for
his
present
purpose
the
tawny
sheen
and
shimmer
of
the
tide
was
the
only
fact
of
importance
about
the
river
,
and
so
he
regarded
the
city
as
a
curious
work
in
jewelry
.
Its
radiant
marble
porticoes
,
the
white
walls
of
the
villas
,
a
dome
of
burning
copper
,
the
flash
and
scintillation
of
tiled
roofs
,
the
quiet
red
of
brickwork
,
dark
groves
of
ilex
,
and
cypress
,
and
laurel
,
glowing
rose-gardens
,
and
here
and
there
the
silver
of
a
fountain
,
seemed
arranged
and
contrasted
with
a
wonderful
art
,
and
the
town
appeared
a
delicious
ornament
,
every
cube
of
color
owing
its
place
to
the
thought
and
inspiration
of
the
artificer
.
Lucian
,
as
he
gazed
from
his
arbour
amongst
the
trellised
vines
,
lost
none
of
the
subtle
pleasures
of
the
sight
;
noting
every
nuance
of
color
,
he
let
his
eyes
dwell
for
a
moment
on
the
scarlet
flash
of
poppies
,
and
then
on
a
glazed
roof
which
in
the
glance
of
the
sun
seemed
to
spout
white
fire
.
A
square
of
vines
was
like
some
rare
green
stone
;
the
grapes
were
massed
so
richly
amongst
the
vivid
leaves
,
that
even
from
far
off
there
was
a
sense
of
irregular
flecks
and
stains
of
purple
running
through
the
green
.
The
laurel
garths
were
like
cool
jade
;
the
gardens
,
where
red
,
yellow
,
blue
and
white
gleamed
together
in
a
mist
of
heat
,
had
the
radiance
of
opal
;
the
river
was
a
band
of
dull
gold
.
On
every
side
,
as
if
to
enhance
the
preciousness
of
the
city
,
the
woods
hung
dark
on
the
hills
;
above
,
the
sky
was
violet
,
specked
with
minute
feathery
clouds
,
white
as
snowflakes
.
It
reminded
him
of
a
beautiful
bowl
in
his
villa
;
the
ground
was
of
that
same
brilliant
blue
,
and
the
artist
had
fused
into
the
work
,
when
it
was
hot
,
particles
of
pure
white
glass
.
For
Lucian
this
was
a
spectacle
that
enchanted
many
hours
;
leaning
on
one
hand
,
he
would
gaze
at
the
city
glowing
in
the
sunlight
till
the
purple
shadows
grew
down
the
slopes
and
the
long
melodious
trumpet
sounded
for
the
evening
watch
.
Then
,
as
he
strolled
beneath
the
trellises
,
he
would
see
all
the
radiant
facets
glimmering
out
,
and
the
city
faded
into
haze
,
a
white
wall
shining
here
and
there
,
and
the
gardens
veiled
in
a
dim
glow
of
color
.
On
such
an
evening
he
would
go
home
with
the
sense
that
he
had
truly
lived
a
day
,
having
received
for
many
hours
the
most
acute
impressions
of
beautiful
color
.
Often
he
spent
the
night
in
the
cool
court
of
his
villa
,
lying
amidst
soft
cushions
heaped
upon
the
marble
bench
.
A
lamp
stood
on
the
table
at
his
elbow
,
its
light
making
the
water
in
the
cistern
twinkle
.
There
was
no
sound
in
the
court
except
the
soft
continual
plashing
of
the
fountain
.
Throughout
these
still
hours
he
would
meditate
,
and
he
became
more
than
ever
convinced
that
man
could
,
if
he
pleased
,
become
lord
of
his
own
sensations
.
This
,
surely
,
was
the
true
meaning
concealed
under
the
beautiful
symbolism
of
alchemy
.
Some
years
before
he
had
read
many
of
the
wonderful
alchemical
books
of
the
later
Middle
Ages
,
and
had
suspected
that
something
other
than
the
turning
of
lead
into
gold
was
intended
.
This
impression
was
deepened
when
he
looked
into
Lumen
de
Lumine
by
Vaughan
,
the
brother
of
the
Silurist
,
and
he
had
long
puzzled
himself
in
the
endeavor
to
find
a
reasonable
interpretation
of
the
hermetic
mystery
,
and
of
the
red
powder
,
"
glistening
and
glorious
in
the
sun
.
"
And
the
solution
shone
out
at
last
,
bright
and
amazing
,
as
he
lay
quiet
in
the
court
of
Avallaunius
.
He
knew
that
he
himself
had
solved
the
riddle
,
that
he
held
in
his
hand
the
powder
of
projection
,
the
philosopher
's
stone
transmuting
all
it
touched
to
fine
gold
;
the
gold
of
exquisite
impressions
.
He
understood
now
something
of
the
alchemical
symbolism
;
the
crucible
and
the
furnace
,
the
"
Green
Dragon
,
"
and
the
"
Son
Blessed
of
the
Fire
"
had
,
he
saw
,
a
peculiar
meaning
.
He
understood
,
too
,
why
the
uninitiated
were
warned
of
the
terror
and
danger
through
which
they
must
pass
;
and
the
vehemence
with
which
the
adepts
disclaimed
all
desire
for
material
riches
no
longer
struck
him
as
singular
.
The
wise
man
does
not
endure
the
torture
of
the
furnace
in
order
that
he
may
be
able
to
compete
with
operators
in
pork
and
company
promoters
;
neither
a
steam
yacht
,
nor
a
grouse-moor
,
nor
three
liveried
footmen
would
add
at
all
to
his
gratifications
.
Again
Lucian
said
to
himself
:
"
Only
in
the
court
of
Avallaunius
is
the
true
science
of
the
exquisite
to
be
found
.
"
He
saw
the
true
gold
into
which
the
beggarly
matter
of
existence
may
be
transmuted
by
spagyric
art
;
a
succession
of
delicious
moments
,
all
the
rare
flavors
of
life
concentrated
,
purged
of
their
lees
,
and
preserved
in
a
beautiful
vessel
.
The
moonlight
fell
green
on
the
fountain
and
on
the
curious
pavements
,
and
in
the
long
sweet
silence
of
the
night
he
lay
still
and
felt
that
thought
itself
was
an
acute
pleasure
,
to
be
expressed
perhaps
in
terms
of
odor
or
color
by
the
true
artist
.
And
he
gave
himself
other
and
even
stranger
gratifications
.
Outside
the
city
walls
,
between
the
baths
and
the
amphitheatre
,
was
a
tavern
,
a
place
where
wonderful
people
met
to
drink
wonderful
wine
.
There
he
saw
priests
of
Mithras
and
Isis
and
of
more
occult
rites
from
the
East
,
men
who
wore
robes
of
bright
colours
,
and
grotesque
ornaments
,
symbolizing
secret
things
.
They
spoke
amongst
themselves
in
a
rich
jargon
of
colored
words
,
full
of
hidden
meanings
and
the
sense
of
matters
unintelligible
to
the
uninitiated
,
alluding
to
what
was
concealed
beneath
roses
,
and
calling
each
other
by
strange
names
.
And
there
were
actors
who
gave
the
shows
in
the
amphitheatre
,
officers
of
the
legion
who
had
served
in
wild
places
,
singers
,
and
dancing
girls
,
and
heroes
of
strange
adventure
.
The
walls
of
the
tavern
were
covered
with
pictures
painted
in
violent
hues
;
blues
and
reds
and
greens
jarring
against
one
another
and
lighting
up
the
gloom
of
the
place
.
The
stone
benches
were
always
crowded
,
the
sunlight
came
in
through
the
door
in
a
long
bright
beam
,
casting
a
dancing
shadow
of
vine
leaves
on
the
further
wall
.
There
a
painter
had
made
a
joyous
figure
of
the
young
Bacchus
driving
the
leopards
before
him
with
his
ivy-staff
,
and
the
quivering
shadow
seemed
a
part
of
the
picture
.
The
room
was
cool
and
dark
and
cavernous
,
but
the
scent
and
heat
of
the
summer
gushed
in
through
the
open
door
.
There
was
ever
a
full
sound
,
with
noise
and
vehemence
,
there
,
and
the
rolling
music
of
the
Latin
tongue
never
ceased
.
"
The
wine
of
the
siege
,
the
wine
that
we
saved
,
"
cried
one
.
"
Look
for
the
jar
marked
Faunus
;
you
will
be
glad
.
"
"
Bring
me
the
wine
of
the
Owl
's
Face
.
"
"
Let
us
have
the
wine
of
Saturn
's
Bridge
.
"
The
boys
who
served
brought
the
wine
in
dull
red
jars
that
struck
a
charming
note
against
their
white
robes
.
They
poured
out
the
violet
and
purple
and
golden
wine
with
calm
sweet
faces
as
if
they
were
assisting
in
the
mysteries
,
without
any
sign
that
they
heard
the
strange
words
that
flashed
from
side
to
side
.
The
cups
were
all
of
glass
;
some
were
of
deep
green
,
of
the
color
of
the
sea
near
the
land
,
flawed
and
specked
with
the
bubbles
of
the
furnace
.
Others
were
of
brilliant
scarlet
,
streaked
with
irregular
bands
of
white
,
and
having
the
appearance
of
white
globules
in
the
molded
stem
.
There
were
cups
of
dark
glowing
blue
,
deeper
and
more
shining
than
the
blue
of
the
sky
,
and
running
through
the
substance
of
the
glass
were
veins
of
rich
gamboge
yellow
,
twining
from
the
brim
to
the
foot
.
Some
cups
were
of
a
troubled
and
clotted
red
,
with
alternating
blotches
of
dark
and
light
,
some
were
variegated
with
white
and
yellow
stains
,
some
wore
a
film
of
rainbow
colours
,
some
glittered
,
shot
with
gold
threads
through
the
clear
crystal
,
some
were
as
if
sapphires
hung
suspended
in
running
water
,
some
sparkled
with
the
glint
of
stars
,
some
were
black
and
golden
like
tortoiseshell
.
A
strange
feature
was
the
constant
and
fluttering
motion
of
hands
and
arms
.
Gesture
made
a
constant
commentary
on
speech
;
white
fingers
,
whiter
arms
,
and
sleeves
of
all
colours
,
hovered
restlessly
,
appeared
and
disappeared
with
an
effect
of
threads
crossing
and
re-crossing
on
the
loom
.
And
the
odor
of
the
place
was
both
curious
and
memorable
;
something
of
the
damp
cold
breath
of
the
cave
meeting
the
hot
blast
of
summer
,
the
strangely
mingled
aromas
of
rare
wines
as
they
fell
plashing
and
ringing
into
the
cups
,
the
drugged
vapor
of
the
East
that
the
priests
of
Mithras
and
Isis
bore
from
their
steaming
temples
;
these
were
always
strong
and
dominant
.
And
the
women
were
scented
,
sometimes
with
unctuous
and
overpowering
perfumes
,
and
to
the
artist
the
experiences
of
those
present
were
hinted
in
subtle
and
delicate
nuances
of
odor
.
They
drank
their
wine
and
caressed
all
day
in
the
tavern
.
The
women
threw
their
round
white
arms
about
their
lover
's
necks
,
they
intoxicated
them
with
the
scent
of
their
hair
,
the
priests
muttered
their
fantastic
jargon
of
Theurgy
.
And
through
the
sonorous
clash
of
voices
there
always
seemed
the
ring
of
the
cry
:
"
Look
for
the
jar
marked
Faunus
;
you
will
be
glad
.
"
Outside
,
the
vine
tendrils
shook
on
the
white
walls
glaring
in
the
sunshine
;
the
breeze
swept
up
from
the
yellow
river
,
pungent
with
the
salt
sea
savor
.
These
tavern
scenes
were
often
the
subject
of
Lucian
's
meditation
as
he
sat
amongst
the
cushions
on
the
marble
seat
.
The
rich
sound
of
the
voices
impressed
him
above
all
things
,
and
he
saw
that
words
have
a
far
higher
reason
than
the
utilitarian
office
of
imparting
a
man
's
thought
.
The
common
notion
that
language
and
linked
words
are
important
only
as
a
means
of
expression
he
found
a
little
ridiculous
;
as
if
electricity
were
to
be
studied
solely
with
the
view
of
"
wiring
"
to
people
,
and
all
its
other
properties
left
unexplored
,
neglected
.
Language
,
he
understood
,
was
chiefly
important
for
the
beauty
of
its
sounds
,
by
its
possession
of
words
resonant
,
glorious
to
the
ear
,
by
its
capacity
,
when
exquisitely
arranged
,
of
suggesting
wonderful
and
indefinable
impressions
,
perhaps
more
ravishing
and
farther
removed
from
the
domain
of
strict
thought
than
the
impressions
excited
by
music
itself
.
Here
lay
hidden
the
secret
of
the
sensuous
art
of
literature
;
it
was
the
secret
of
suggestion
,
the
art
of
causing
delicious
sensation
by
the
use
of
words
.
In
a
way
,
therefore
,
literature
was
independent
of
thought
;
the
mere
English
listener
,
if
he
had
an
ear
attuned
,
could
recognize
the
beauty
of
a
splendid
Latin
phrase
.
Here
was
the
explanation
of
the
magic
of
Lycidas
.
From
the
standpoint
of
the
formal
understanding
it
was
an
affected
lament
over
some
wholly
uninteresting
and
unimportant
Mr.
King
;
it
was
full
of
nonsense
about
"
shepherds
"
and
"
flocks
"
and
"
muses
"
and
such
stale
stock
of
poetry
;
the
introduction
of
St
Peter
on
a
stage
thronged
with
nymphs
and
river
gods
was
blasphemous
,
absurd
,
and
,
in
the
worst
taste
;
there
were
touches
of
greasy
Puritanism
,
the
twang
of
the
conventicle
was
only
too
apparent
.
And
Lycidas
was
probably
the
most
perfect
piece
of
pure
literature
in
existence
;
because
every
word
and
phrase
and
line
were
sonorous
,
ringing
and
echoing
with
music
.
"
Literature
,
"
he
re-enunciated
in
his
mind
,
"
is
the
sensuous
art
of
causing
exquisite
impressions
by
means
of
words
.
"
And
yet
there
was
something
more
;
besides
the
logical
thought
,
which
was
often
a
hindrance
,
a
troublesome
though
inseparable
accident
,
besides
the
sensation
,
always
a
pleasure
and
a
delight
,
besides
these
there
were
the
indefinable
inexpressible
images
which
all
fine
literature
summons
to
the
mind
.
As
the
chemist
in
his
experiments
is
sometimes
astonished
to
find
unknown
,
unexpected
elements
in
the
crucible
or
the
receiver
,
as
the
world
of
material
things
is
considered
by
some
a
thin
veil
of
the
immaterial
universe
,
so
he
who
reads
wonderful
prose
or
verse
is
conscious
of
suggestions
that
cannot
be
put
into
words
,
which
do
not
rise
from
the
logical
sense
,
which
are
rather
parallel
to
than
connected
with
the
sensuous
delight
.
The
world
so
disclosed
is
rather
the
world
of
dreams
,
rather
the
world
in
which
children
sometimes
live
,
instantly
appearing
,
and
instantly
vanishing
away
,
a
world
beyond
all
expression
or
analysis
,
neither
of
the
intellect
nor
of
the
senses
.
He
called
these
fancies
of
his
"
Meditations
of
a
Tavern
,
"
and
was
amused
to
think
that
a
theory
of
letters
should
have
risen
from
the
eloquent
noise
that
rang
all
day
about
the
violet
and
golden
wine
.
"
Let
us
seek
for
more
exquisite
things
,
"
said
Lucian
to
himself
.
He
could
almost
imagine
the
magic
transmutation
of
the
senses
accomplished
,
the
strong
sunlight
was
an
odor
in
his
nostrils
;
it
poured
down
on
the
white
marble
and
the
palpitating
roses
like
a
flood
.
The
sky
was
a
glorious
blue
,
making
the
heart
joyous
,
and
the
eyes
could
rest
in
the
dark
green
leaves
and
purple
shadow
of
the
ilex
.
The
earth
seemed
to
burn
and
leap
beneath
the
sun
,
he
fancied
he
could
see
the
vine
tendrils
stir
and
quiver
in
the
heat
,
and
the
faint
fume
of
the
scorching
pine
needles
was
blown
across
the
gleaming
garden
to
the
seat
beneath
the
porch
.
Wine
was
before
him
in
a
cup
of
carved
amber
;
a
wine
of
the
color
of
a
dark
rose
,
with
a
glint
as
of
a
star
or
of
a
jet
of
flame
deep
beneath
the
brim
;
and
the
cup
was
twined
about
with
a
delicate
wreath
of
ivy
.
He
was
often
loath
to
turn
away
from
the
still
contemplation
of
such
things
,
from
the
mere
joy
of
the
violent
sun
,
and
the
responsive
earth
.
He
loved
his
garden
and
the
view
of
the
tessellated
city
from
the
vineyard
on
the
hill
,
the
strange
clamor
of
the
tavern
,
and
white
Fotis
appearing
on
the
torch-lit
stage
.
And
there
were
shops
in
the
town
in
which
he
delighted
,
the
shops
of
the
perfume
makers
,
and
jewelers
,
and
dealers
in
curious
ware
.
He
loved
to
see
all
things
made
for
ladies
'
use
,
to
touch
the
gossamer
silks
that
were
to
touch
their
bodies
,
to
finger
the
beads
of
amber
and
the
gold
chains
which
would
stir
above
their
hearts
,
to
handle
the
carved
hairpins
and
brooches
,
to
smell
odors
which
were
already
dedicated
to
love
.
But
though
these
were
sweet
and
delicious
gratifications
,
he
knew
that
there
were
more
exquisite
things
of
which
he
might
be
a
spectator
.
He
had
seen
the
folly
of
regarding
fine
literature
from
the
standpoint
of
the
logical
intellect
,
and
he
now
began
to
question
the
wisdom
of
looking
at
life
as
if
it
were
a
moral
representation
.
Literature
,
he
knew
,
could
not
exist
without
some
meaning
,
and
considerations
of
right
and
wrong
were
to
a
certain
extent
inseparable
from
the
conception
of
life
,
but
to
insist
on
ethics
as
the
chief
interest
of
the
human
pageant
was
surely
absurd
.
One
might
as
well
read
Lycidas
for
the
sake
of
its
denunciation
of
"
our
corrupted
Clergy
,
"
or
Homer
for
"
manners
and
customs
.
"
An
artist
entranced
by
a
beautiful
landscape
did
not
greatly
concern
himself
with
the
geological
formation
of
the
hills
,
nor
did
the
lover
of
a
wild
sea
inquire
as
to
the
chemical
analysis
of
the
water
.
Lucian
saw
a
colored
and
complex
life
displayed
before
him
,
and
he
sat
enraptured
at
the
spectacle
,
not
concerned
to
know
whether
actions
were
good
or
bad
,
but
content
if
they
were
curious
.
In
this
spirit
he
made
a
singular
study
of
corruption
.
Beneath
his
feet
,
as
he
sat
in
the
garden
porch
,
was
a
block
of
marble
through
which
there
ran
a
scarlet
stain
.
It
began
with
a
faint
line
,
thin
as
a
hair
,
and
grew
as
it
advanced
,
sending
out
offshoots
to
right
and
left
,
and
broadening
to
a
pool
of
brilliant
red
.
There
were
strange
lives
into
which
he
looked
that
were
like
the
block
of
marble
;
women
with
grave
sweet
faces
told
him
the
astounding
tale
of
their
adventures
,
and
how
,
they
said
,
they
had
met
the
faun
when
they
were
little
children
.
They
told
him
how
they
had
played
and
watched
by
the
vines
and
the
fountains
,
and
dallied
with
the
nymphs
,
and
gazed
at
images
reflected
in
the
water
pools
,
till
the
authentic
face
appeared
from
the
wood
.
He
heard
others
tell
how
they
had
loved
the
satyrs
for
many
years
before
they
knew
their
race
;
and
there
were
strange
stories
of
those
who
had
longed
to
speak
but
knew
not
the
word
of
the
enigma
,
and
searched
in
all
strange
paths
and
ways
before
they
found
it
.
He
heard
the
history
of
the
woman
who
fell
in
love
with
her
slave-boy
,
and
tempted
him
for
three
years
in
vain
.
He
heard
the
tale
from
the
woman
's
full
red
lips
,
and
watched
her
face
,
full
of
the
ineffable
sadness
of
lust
,
as
she
described
her
curious
stratagems
in
mellow
phrases
.
She
was
drinking
a
sweet
yellow
wine
from
a
gold
cup
as
she
spoke
,
and
the
odor
in
her
hair
and
the
aroma
of
the
precious
wine
seemed
to
mingle
with
the
soft
strange
words
that
flowed
like
an
unguent
from
a
carven
jar
.
She
told
how
she
bought
the
boy
in
the
market
of
an
Asian
city
,
and
had
him
carried
to
her
house
in
the
grove
of
fig-trees
.
"
Then
,
"
she
went
on
,
"
he
was
led
into
my
presence
as
I
sat
between
the
columns
of
my
court
.
A
blue
veil
was
spread
above
to
shut
out
the
heat
of
the
sun
,
and
rather
twilight
than
light
shone
on
the
painted
walls
,
and
the
wonderful
colours
of
the
pavement
,
and
the
images
of
Love
and
the
Mother
of
Love
.
The
men
who
brought
the
boy
gave
him
over
to
my
girls
,
who
undressed
him
before
me
,
one
drawing
gently
away
his
robe
,
another
stroking
his
brown
and
flowing
hair
,
another
praising
the
whiteness
of
his
limbs
,
and
another
caressing
him
,
and
speaking
loving
words
in
his
hear
.
But
the
boy
looked
sullenly
at
them
all
,
striking
away
their
hands
,
and
pouting
with
his
lovely
and
splendid
lips
,
and
I
saw
a
blush
,
like
the
rosy
veil
of
dawn
,
reddening
his
body
and
his
cheeks
.
Then
I
made
them
bathe
him
,
and
anoint
him
with
scented
oils
from
head
to
foot
,
till
his
limbs
shone
and
glistened
with
the
gentle
and
mellow
glow
of
an
ivory
statue
.
Then
I
said
:
'
You
are
bashful
,
because
you
shine
alone
amongst
us
all
;
see
,
we
too
will
be
your
fellows
.
'
The
girls
began
first
of
all
,
fondling
and
kissing
one
another
,
and
doing
for
each
other
the
offices
of
waiting-maids
.
They
drew
out
the
pins
and
loosened
the
bands
of
their
hair
,
and
I
never
knew
before
that
they
were
so
lovely
.
The
soft
and
shining
tresses
flowed
down
,
rippling
like
sea-waves
;
some
had
hair
golden
and
radiant
as
this
wine
in
my
cup
,
the
faces
of
others
appeared
amidst
the
blackness
of
ebony
;
there
were
locks
that
seemed
of
burnished
and
scintillating
copper
,
some
glowed
with
hair
of
tawny
splendor
,
and
others
were
crowned
with
the
brightness
of
the
sardonyx
.
Then
,
laughing
,
and
without
the
appearance
of
shame
,
they
unfastened
the
brooches
and
bands
which
sustained
their
robes
,
and
so
allowed
silk
and
linen
to
flow
swiftly
to
the
stained
floor
,
so
that
one
would
have
said
there
was
a
sudden
apparition
of
the
fairest
nymphs
.
With
many
festive
and
jocose
words
they
began
to
incite
each
other
to
mirth
,
praising
the
beauties
that
shone
on
every
side
,
and
calling
the
boy
by
a
girl
's
name
,
they
invited
him
to
be
their
playmate
.
But
he
refused
,
shaking
his
head
,
and
still
standing
dumb-founded
and
abashed
,
as
if
he
saw
a
forbidden
and
terrible
spectacle
.
Then
I
ordered
the
women
to
undo
my
hair
and
my
clothes
,
making
them
caress
me
with
the
tenderness
of
the
fondest
lover
,
but
without
avail
,
for
the
foolish
boy
still
scowled
and
pouted
out
his
lips
,
stained
with
an
imperial
and
glorious
scarlet
.
"
She
poured
out
more
of
the
topaz-colored
wine
in
her
cup
,
and
Lucian
saw
it
glitter
as
it
rose
to
the
brim
and
mirrored
the
gleam
of
the
lamps
.
The
tale
went
on
,
recounting
a
hundred
strange
devices
.
The
woman
told
how
she
had
tempted
the
boy
by
idleness
and
ease
