The Plastic Age, Percy Marks [top 10 books of all time TXT] 📗

Into A Steady Drinker. He Did Not Get

Drunk,  But He Was Taking Down More High-Balls Than Were Good For Him.

 

Outside Of His Drinking,  However,  He Was Leading A Virtuous And,  On The

Whole,  An Industrious Life. He Was Too Much In Love With Cynthia Day To

Let His Mind Dwell On Other Women,  And He Had Become Sufficiently

Interested In His Studies To Like Them For Their Own Sake.

 

A Change Had Come Over The Campus. It Was Inexplicable But Highly

Significant. There Had Been Evidences Of It The Year Before,  But Now It

Became So Evident That Even Some Of The Members Of The Faculty Were

Aware Of It. Intolerance Seemed To Be Dying,  And The Word "Wet" Was

Heard Less Often. The Undergraduates Were Forsaking Their Old Gods. The

Wave Of Materialism Was Swept Back By An In-Rushing Tide Of Idealism.

Students Suddenly Ceased To Concentrate In Economics And Filled The

English And Philosophy Classes To Overflowing.

 

No One Was Able Really To Explain The Causes For The Change,  But It Was

There And Welcome. The "Sanford Literary Magazine," Which Had Been

Slowly Perishing For Several Years,  Became Almost As Popular As The "Cap

And Bells," The Comic Magazine,  Which Coined Money By Publishing Risque

Jokes And Pictures Of Slightly Dressed Women. A Poetry Magazine Daringly

Made Its Appearance On The Campus And,  To The Surprise Of Its Editors,

Was Received So Cordially That They Were Able To Pay The Printer's Bill.

 

It Became The Fashion To Read. Instructors In English Were Continually

Being Asked What The Best New Books Were Or If Such And Such A Book Was

All That It Was "Cracked Up To Be." If The Instructor Hadn't Read The

Book,  He Was Treated To A Look Of Contempt That Sent Him Hastening To

The Library.

 

Of Course,  Not All Of The Undergraduates Took To Reading And Thinking;

The Millennium Had Not Arrived,  But The Intelligent Majority Began To

Read And Discuss Books Openly,  And The Intelligent Majority Ruled The

Campus.

 

Hugh Was One Of The Most Enthusiastic Of The Readers. He Was Taking A

Course In Nineteenth-Century Poetry With Blake,  The Head Of The English

Department. His Other Instructors Either Bored Him Or Left Him Cold,  But

Blake Turned Each Class Hour Into A Thrilling Experience. He Was A

Handsome Man With Gray Hair,  Dark Eyes,  And A Magnificent Voice. He

Taught Poetry Almost Entirely By Reading It,  Only Occasionally

Interpolating An Explanatory Remark,  And He Read Beautifully. His

Reading Was Dramatic,  Almost Tricky; But It Made The Poems Live For His

Students,  And They Reveled In His Classes.

 

Hugh's Junior Year Was Made Almost Beautiful By That Poetry Course And

By His Adoration For Cynthia. He Was Writing Verses Constantly--And He

Found "Cynthia" An Exceedingly Troublesome Word; It Seemed As If Nothing

Would Rime With It. At Times He Thought Of Taking To Free Verse,  But The

Results Of His Efforts Did Not Satisfy Him. He Always Had The Feeling

That He Had Merely Chopped Up Some Rather Bad Prose; And He Was

Invariably Right. Cynthia Wrote Him That She Loved The Poems He Sent

Her Because They Were So Passionate. He Blushed When He Read Her Praise.

It Disturbed Him. He Wished That She Had Used A Different Word.

 

 

Chapter 20

 

Prom Came Early In May,  And Hugh Looked Forward To It Joyously,  Partly

Because It Would Be His First Prom And Partly Because Cynthia Was

Coming. Cynthia! He Thought Of Her Constantly,  Dreamed Of Her,  Wrote

Poems About Her And To Her. At Times His Longing For Her Swelled Into An

Ecstasy Of Desire That Racked And Tore Him. He Was Lost In Love,  His

Moods Sweeping Him From Lyric Happiness To Black Despair. He Wrote To

Her Several Times A Week,  And Between Letters He Took Long Walks

Composing Dithyrambic Epistles That Fortunately Were Never Written.

 

When He Received Her Letter Saying That She Would Come To Prom,  He

Yelled Like A Lunatic,  Pounded The Astonished Vinton On The Back,  And

Raced Down-Stairs To The Living-Room.

 

"She's Coming!" He Shouted.

 

There Were Several Men In The Room,  And They All Turned And Looked At

Him,  Some Of Them Grinning Broadly.

 

"What Th' Hell,  Hugh?" Leonard Gates Asked Amiably. "Who's Coming? Who's

She?"

 

Hugh Blushed And Shuffled His Feet. He Knew That He Had Laid Himself

Open To A "Royal Razzing," But He Proceeded To Bluff Himself Out Of The

Dilemma.

 

"She? Oh,  Yes,  She. Well,  She Is She. Altome,  We Must Do With The

Flowers We Have. (_They Start To Walk Away_.)

 

_The Voice_.

 

    Do You Dare Despise A Guest Like Me?

  Because Your Heart,  By Loving Fancies Blinded,

    Has Scorned A Guest In Pious Life Grown Old,

  Your Lover Shall Forget You Though Reminded,

    Or Think Of You As Of A Story Told.

 

(_The Two Girls Listen And Show Dejection_.)

 

_Priyamvada_. Oh,  Dear! The Very Thing Has Happened. The Dear,

Absent-Minded Girl Has Offended Some Worthy Man.

 

_Anusuya_ (_Looking Ahead_). My Dear,  This Is No Ordinary Somebody. It

Is The Great Sage Durvasas,  The Irascible. See How He Strides Away!

 

_Priyamvada_. Nothing Burns Like Fire. Run,  Fall At His Feet,  Bring

Him Back,  While I Am Getting Water To Wash His Feet.

 

_Anusuya_. I Will. (_Exit_.)

 

_Priyamvada_ (_Stumbling_). There! I Stumbled In My Excitement,  And

The Flower-Basket Fell Out Of My Hand. (_She Collects The Scattered

Flowers_. Anusuya _Returns_.)

 

_Anusuya_. My Dear,  He Is Anger Incarnate. Who Could Appease Him? But

I Softened Him A Little.

 

_Priyamvada_. Even That Is A Good Deal For Him. Tell Me About It.

 

_Anusuya_. When He Would Not Turn Back,  I Fell At His Feet And Prayed

To Him. "Holy Sir," I Said,  "Remember Her Former Devotion And Pardon

This Offence. Your Daughter Did Not Recognise Your Great And Holy

Power To-Day."

 

_Priyamvada_. And Then----

 

_Anusuya_. Then He Said: "My Words Must Be Fulfilled. But The Curse

Shall Be Lifted When Her Lover Sees A Gem Which He Has Given Her For A

Token." And So He Vanished.

 

_Priyamvada_. We Can Breathe Again. When The Good King Went Away,  He

Put A Ring,  Engraved With His Own Name,  On Shakuntala's Finger To

Remember Him By. That Will Save Her.

 

_Anusuya_. Come,  We Must Finish The Sacrifice For Her. (_They Walk

About_.)

 

_Priyamvada_ (_Gazing_). Just Look,  Anusuya! There Is The Dear Girl,

With Her Cheek Resting On Her Left Hand. She Looks Like A Painted

Picture. She Is Thinking About Him. How Could She Notice A Guest When

She Has Forgotten Herself?

 

_Anusuya_. Priyamvada,  We Two Must Keep This Thing To Ourselves. We

Must Be Careful Of The Dear Girl. You Know How Delicate She Is.

 

_Priyamvada_. Would Any One Sprinkle A Jasmine-Vine With Scalding

Water? (_Exeunt Ambo_.)

 

 

 

 

Scene Ii.--_Early Morning_

 

(_Enter A Pupil Of_ Kanva,  _Just Risen From Sleep_.)

 

_Pupil_. Father Kanva Has Returned From His Pilgrimage,  And Has Bidden

Me Find Out What Time It Is. I Will Go Into The Open Air And See How

Much Of The Night Remains. (_He Walks And Looks About_.) See! The Dawn

Is Breaking. For Already

 

  The Moon Behind The Western Mount Is Sinking;

  The Eastern Sun Is Heralded By Dawn;

  From Heaven's Twin Lights,  Their Fall And Glory Linking,

  Brave Lessons Of Submission May Be Drawn.

 

And Again:

 

  Night-Blooming Lilies,  When The Moon Is Hidden,

  Have Naught But Memories Of Beauty Left.

  Hard,  Hard To Bear! Her Lot Whom Heaven Has Bidden

  To Live Alone,  Of Love And Lover Reft.

 

And Again:

 

  On Jujube-Trees The Blushing Dewdrops Falter;

  The Peacock Wakes And Leaves The Cottage Thatch;

  A Deer Is Rising Near The Hoof-Marked Altar,

  And Stretching,  Stands,  The Day's New Life To Catch.

 

And Yet Again:

 

  The Moon That Topped The Loftiest Mountain Ranges,

  That Slew The Darkness In The Midmost Sky,

  Is Fallen From Heaven,  And All Her Glory Changes:

  So High To Rise,  So Low At Last To Lie!

 

_Anusuya_ (_Entering Hurriedly. To Herself_). That Is Just What

Happens To The Innocent. Shakuntala Has Been Treated Shamefully By The

King. _Pupil_. I Will Tell Father Kanva That The Hour Of Morning

Sacrifice Is Come. (_Exit_.)

 

_Anusuya_. The Dawn Is Breaking. I Am Awake Bright And Early. But What

Shall I Do Now That I Am Awake? My Hands Refuse To Attend To The

Ordinary Morning Tasks. Well,  Let Love Take Its Course. For The Dear,

Pure-Minded Girl Trusted Him--The Traitor! Perhaps It Is Not The Good

King's Fault. It Must Be The Curse Of Durvasas. Otherwise,  How Could

The Good King Say Such Beautiful Things,  And Then Let All Thi Of A Son To His Elder Brother--Closing,  At

Any Rate For The Time,  Charles Fox's Reversionary Interests--Caused

His Creditors To Press Their Claims. Lord Holland Was Obliged To

Come To The Assistance Of His Son. It Is At This Moment That The

Correspondence Which Is Gathered In The Present Chapter Begins. Lord

Holland Had Raised A Large Sum With Which To Pay Off His Son's

Debts. Selwyn Was Indignant Because It Seemed As If Creditors Less

Indulgent Than Carlisle Would Be The First To Be Paid. So In Many

Letters He Presses Upon Carlisle That He Must Not Allow His

Friendship For Charles Fox To Outweigh The Monetary Claims Which He

Had Upon Him,  And In No Measured Terms He Condemns The Carelessness

With Which Fox Regarded His Financial Obligations To His Friend.

 

The Correspondence Contained In This Chapter Commences At The End Of

The Year 1773,  After An Apparent Break Of Four Years; There Is No

Doubt,  However,  That It Continued And The Letters From Selwyn Have

Not Been Preserved. The Letters In 1773 Begin By Referring To The

Financial Matters To Which Brief Allusion Has Just Been Made,  And

Which Formed A Subject So Full Of Interest And Anxiety For Selwyn.

He Has Time,  However,  To Give His Friend News Of The Political And

Social Events Of London. The American Question Was Becoming More And

More Important,  The Declaration Of Independence Had Startled England

In 1776,  And In 1774 Charles Fox Had Finally Left The Administration

Of Lord North,  Soon To Become The Leader Of The Whig Party And The

Champion Of The American Colonists.

 

(1773,  Dec. 1)--This Is The Severest Criticism Which I Have Heard

Passed Upon You. In All Other Particulars Be Assured That You Have

As Much Of The General Esteem Of The World As Any Man That Ever Came

Into It,  And Will Preserve The Highest Respect From It If You Will

Only From This Time Have Such A Consideration,  And Such A Management

Of Your Fortune,  As Common Prudence Requires. Charles Has Destroyed

His,  And His Reputation Also,  And I Am Very Much Afraid That,  Let

What Will Be Done Now,  They Will In A Very Few Years Be Past All

Kind Of Redemption. You Will Have Been The Innocent Cause Of Much

Censure Upon Him,  Because All The Friendship In The World Which You

Can Show Him Will Never Wipe Off What He And His Family At This

Instant Stands (Sic) Accused Of,  Which Is,  Setting At Nought The

Solemnest Ties In The World And After The Maddest Dissipation Of

Money Possible,  The Amassing For His Sake 50,000 Pounds To Pay

Everybody But Those Who Deserved The First Consideration,  And

Without Which He Could Never [Be] Said To Be Free,  And It Would [Be]

A Constant Reproach To Be Easy. When There Was No Idea But Of His

Having 20,000 Advanced,  Which Sum Was Otherwise To Have Been Left

Him,  And I Said That Such And Such Persons Would Be Paid First,  You

Did Not Seem To Credit It. Was I Right? Or Not? In My Conjectures?

If I Tell You Now,  That 16,000 Pounds More Than The Present Sum Of

50,000 Will Come,  I Cannot Pretend To Say From What Quarter,  But I

Mean From The Holland Family; And,  If I Tell You Also,  That As Much

More Will Be Borrowed For Purposes Which Do Not Now Exist; I Must

Tell You That I Think That These Sums Will Be Sent After The Others,

If You Do Not Strenuously Oppose It,  And If Somebody Does Not Watch

Over The Springs From Whence These Supplies Are To Flow.

 

As To Hare,(92) You Will Do Me The Justice To Own That I Have