FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   >>  
she had much affection. She was alone in the world. Her interest in the theatre was gradually replaced by religion. Once she heard with real regret that Lenore had lost her memory, and chloral was hinted at as the cause. She thought of trying to save her, of making an earnest appeal to that better self which, according to Marion, exists in all of us. But when she made further inquiries about her, with a view to rescuing her, she was daunted by the discovery that Lenore had been privately married to Delacour for some time past, and that her declension, which was really due to drink, dated from the time of the marriage. A year passed. Delacour began to make fitful reappearances, then more frequent ones. He took and kept regular engagements. But his wife returned no more. Presently Marion's own play was revived with success. It was one of Delacour's greatest parts. And Marion went to see it, hidden behind the curtains of her box. The years since she had last sat in that box had not dealt kindly with her. Her discontented face showed that she was one of the many victims of arrested development, still hampered in middle age by the egotistic longings of youth. In youth we all want to receive instead of to give, to be loved, to be served, to be admired. Middle age is the time to reverse engines, the time to love, to serve, to give rather than to receive. Marion had not learned that elementary lesson of life. We all recognise them at sight, the nervous, fretful faces of the middle-aged men and women who want to be loved. And love knows them, too, and--flies them. The manager, somewhat pinched and grizzled, as from a long fast, came in to see her between the acts, and growled out his disapproval of his leading lady. "She's nothing to Lenore," he said. "Is she too"--Marion sought for a charitable word--"too ill to act?" "She is too ill to act," said the manager. "She will never act any more. She is dying." There was a silence. "She is dying of drink," he said; "and if there is such a place as heaven, she is very near it. And if there is such a person as God, I hope she will say a word for me when she gets there." Marion did not speak. She was horrified. "She would marry Delacour," said the manager. "I begged her to marry me. Over and over again I asked her. But she said I could do without her, and Delacour couldn't. They fell in love with each other at this very play when it was first put on. I saw it co
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   >>  



Top keywords:
Marion
 

Delacour

 

Lenore

 
manager
 

middle

 

receive

 

grizzled

 

pinched

 

learned

 

engines


reverse

 
served
 

admired

 
Middle
 
elementary
 

lesson

 

fretful

 

nervous

 

recognise

 

horrified


begged

 

couldn

 

leading

 

disapproval

 

growled

 
sought
 

charitable

 

person

 

heaven

 

silence


inquiries

 

exists

 
appeal
 

rescuing

 

daunted

 

declension

 

discovery

 

privately

 

married

 

earnest


gradually
 
replaced
 

religion

 

theatre

 

interest

 
affection
 

thought

 
making
 
hinted
 

regret