FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98  
99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>   >|  
mer's account, you two. I'm not in the least sleepy,--I'll sit up with you to any hour." "It is droll to go to bed in broad daylight," said Duprez. "But it must be done. _Cher Philippe_, your eyes are heavy. 'To bed, to bed,' as the excellent Madame Macbeth says. Ah! _quelle femme!_ What an exciting wife she was for a man? Come, let us follow our dear Lorimer,--his music was delicious. Good night or good morning? . . . I know not which it is in this strange land where the sun shines always! It is confusing!" They shook hands and separated. Errington, however, unable to compose his mind to rest, went into his cabin merely to come out of it again and betake himself to the deck, where he decided to walk up and down till he felt sleepy. He wished to be alone with his own thoughts for awhile--to try and resolve the meaning of this strange new emotion that possessed him,--a feeling that was half pleasing, half painful, and that certainly moved him to a sort of shame. A man, if he be strong and healthy, is always more or less ashamed when Love, with a single effort, proves him to be weaker than a blade of grass swaying in the wind. What! all his dignity, all his resoluteness, all his authority swept down by the light touch of a mere willow wand? for the very sake of his own manhood and self-respect, he cannot help but be ashamed! It is as though a little nude, laughing child mocked at a lion's strength, and made him a helpless prisoner with a fragile daisy chain. So the god Eros begins his battles, which end in perpetual victory,--first fear and shame,--then desire and passion,--then conquest and possession. And afterwards? ah! . . . afterwards the pagan deity is powerless,--a higher God, a grander force, a nobler creed must carry Love to its supreme and best fulfillment. CHAPTER VIII. "Le vent qui vient a travers la montagne M'a rendu fou!" VICTOR HUGO. It was half an hour past midnight. Sir Philip was left in absolute solitude to enjoy his meditative stroll on deck, for the full radiance of light that streamed over the sea and land was too clear and brilliant to necessitate the attendance of any of the sailors for the purpose of guarding the _Eulalie_. She was safely anchored and distinctly visible to all boats or fishing craft crossing the Fjord, so that unless a sudden gale should blow, which did not seem probable in the present state of the
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98  
99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
ashamed
 

strange

 

sleepy

 
desire
 
passion
 
nobler
 

powerless

 

grander

 

possession

 

conquest


higher
 
laughing
 

mocked

 

manhood

 

respect

 

strength

 

battles

 

begins

 

perpetual

 

victory


prisoner
 

helpless

 

fragile

 
VICTOR
 

Eulalie

 
safely
 
anchored
 

visible

 

distinctly

 

guarding


purpose

 

brilliant

 
necessitate
 
sailors
 

attendance

 
fishing
 

probable

 

present

 

crossing

 

sudden


travers

 

montagne

 
fulfillment
 

CHAPTER

 
stroll
 
meditative
 

streamed

 

radiance

 
solitude
 

midnight