The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Angels of Mons, by Arthur Machen

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Title: The Angels of Mons

Author: Arthur Machen

Release Date: November 14, 2004 [eBook #14044]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ANGELS OF MONS***

E-text prepared by Tom Harris

THE ANGELS OF MONS

The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War

by

ARTHUR MACHEN

1915

Introduction

I have been asked to write an introduction to the story of "The
Bowmen", on its publication in book form together with three other
tales of similar fashion. And I hesitate. This affair of "The Bowmen"
has been such an odd one from first to last, so many queer
complications have entered into it, there have been so many and so
divers currents and cross-currents of rumour and speculation
concerning it, that I honestly do not know where to begin. I propose,
then, to solve the difficulty by apologising for beginning at all.

For, usually and fitly, the presence of an introduction is held to
imply that there is something of consequence and importance to be
introduced. If, for example, a man has made an anthology of great
poetry, he may well write an introduction justifying his principle of
selection, pointing out here and there, as the spirit moves him, high
beauties and supreme excellencies, discoursing of the magnates and
lords and princes of literature, whom he is merely serving as groom of
the chamber. Introductions, that is, belong to the masterpieces and
classics of the world, to the great and ancient and accepted things;
and I am here introducing a short, small story of my own which
appeared in _The Evening News_ about ten months ago.

I appreciate the absurdity, nay, the enormity of the position in all
its grossness. And my excuse for these pages must be this: that though
the story itself is nothing, it has yet had such odd and unforeseen
consequences and adventures that the tale of them may possess some
interest. And then, again, there are certain psychological morals to
be drawn from the whole matter of the tale and its sequel of rumours
and discussions that are not, I think, devoid of consequence; an