The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Damsel and the Sage, by Elinor Glyn

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Title: The Damsel and the Sage
A Woman's Whimsies

Author: Elinor Glyn

Release Date: March 1, 2007 [EBook #20718]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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THE DAMSEL

AND

THE SAGE

THE DAMSEL

AND

THE SAGE

A WOMAN'S WHIMSIES

BY ELINOR GLYN

HARPER &
BROTHERS
PUBLISHERS
NEW YORK
& LONDON
MDCCCCIII

Copyright, 1903, by ELINOR GLYN.

_All rights reserved._

Published October, 1903.

TO

THE SUN'S RAYS

_A tree stood alone surrounded by high and low hills. It could be
observed from all sides, and it appeared different from each elevation._

_The tree was the same, only the point of view differed._

_Everything depends upon the point of view._

* * * * *

"_And as to the meaning, it's what you please._"

_C. S. C._

THE DAMSEL AND THE SAGE

And the Damsel said to the Sage:

"Now, what is life? And why does the fruit taste bitter in the mouth?"

And the Sage answered, as he stepped from his cave:

"My child, there was once a man who had two ears like other people. They
were naturally necessary for his enjoyment of the day. But one of these
ears offended his head. It behaved with stupidity, thinking thereby to
enhance its value to him--it heard too much. Oh, it conducted itself
with a gross stupidity. 'Out upon you,' cried the man; 'since you have
overstepped the limit of the functions of an ear, I shall cut you from
my head!' And so, without hesitation, he took a sword and accomplished
the deed. The poor ear then lay upon the ground bleeding, and the man
went about with a mutilated head."

"And what was the good of all that?" said the Damsel.

"There was no good in it," replied the Sage. "But he was a man, and he
had punished the too-fond-and-foolish ear--also he hoped a new and more
suitable one would grow in its place. 'Change,' he said, 'was a thing to
be welcomed.'"

"And tell me, Sage,