Mike Fletcher by George Moore (ebook pc reader .txt) 📕

Am I Sure That The Women Attach Much Importance To His Infidelities;

They Accept Them,  His Infidelities Being A Consequential Necessity Of

His Being,  The Eons And The Attributes Of His Godhead. Don Juan

Inspires No Jealousy; Don Juan Stabbed By An Infuriated Mistress Is A

Psychological Impossibility."

"I Have Heard That Seymour Used To Drive Lady Helen Crazy With

Jealousy."

"Don Juan Disappears At The Church-Door. He Was Her Husband. The Most

Unfaithful Wife Is Wildly Jealous Of Her Husband."

A Sudden Silence Fell,  And A Young Girl Was Borne Out Fainting.

"Nothing More Common Than For Young Girls To Faint When He Is

Present. Go," Said Harding,  "And You Will Hear Her Calling His Name."

Then,  Picking Up The Thread Of The Paradox,  He Continued--"But You

Can't Have Don Juan In This Century,  Our Civilization Has Wiped Him

Out; Not The Vice Of Which He Is Representative--That Is Eternal--But

The Spectacle Of Adventure Of Which He Is The Hero. No More

Fascinating Idea. Had The Age Admitted Of Don Juan,  I Should Have

Written Out His Soul Long Ago. I Love The Idea. With Duelling And

Hose Picturesqueness Has Gone Out Of Life. The Mantle And The Rapier

Are Essential; And Angry Words...."

"Are Angry Words Picturesque?"

"Angry Words Mean Angry Attitudes; And They Are Picturesque."

The Young Men Smiled At The Fascinating Eloquence,  And Feeling An

Appreciative Audience About Him,  Harding Continued--

"See Mike Fletcher,  Know Him,  Understand Him,  And Imagine What He

Would Have Been In The Eighteenth Century,  The Glory Of Adventure He

Would Have Gathered. His Life To-Day Is A Mean Parody Upon An Easily

Realizable Might-Have-Been. So Vital Is The Idea In Him That His Life

To-Day Is The Reflection Of A Life That Burned In Another Age Too

Ardently To Die With Death. In Another Age Mike Would Have Outdone

Casanova. Casanova!--What A Magnificent Casanova He Would Have Been!

Casanova Is To Me The Most Fascinating Of Characters. He Was

Everything--A Frequenter Of Taverns And Palaces,  A Necromancer. His

Audacity And Unscrupulousness,  His Comedies,  His Immortal Memoirs!

What Was That Delightful Witty Remark He Made To Some Stupid Husband

Who Lay On The Ground,  Complaining That Casanova Hadn't Fought

Fairly? You Remember? It Was In An Avenue Of Chestnut Trees,

Approaching A Town. Ha! I Have Forgotten. Mike Has All That This Man

Had--Love Of Adventure,  Daring,  Courage,  Strength,  Beauty,  Skill. For

Mike Would Have Made A Unique Swordsman. Have You Ever Seen Him Ride?

Have You Ever Seen Him Shoot? I Have Seen Him Knock A Dozen Pigeons

Over In Succession. Have You Ever Seen Him Play Billiards? He Often

Makes A Break Of A Hundred. Have You Ever Seen Him Play Tennis? He Is

The Best Man We Have In The Temple. And A Poet! Have You Ever Heard

Him Tell Of The Poem He Is Writing? The Most Splendid Subject. He

Says That Neither Goethe Nor Hugo Ever Thought Of A Better."

"You May Include Self-Esteem In Your List Of His Qualities."

"A Platitude! Self-Esteem Is Synonymous To Genius. Still,  Iof Resignation,  The Waters Of

Everlasting Life,  And Were Accounted Of Them That Have Truly Recognized

And Believed In Him. Others Rebelled Against Him,  And Rejected The Signs

Of God,  The Most Powerful,  The Almighty,  The All-Wise.

Ages Rolled Away,  Until They Attained Their Consummation In This,  The Lord

Of Days,  The Day Whereon The Day Star Of The Bayan Manifested Itself Above

The Horizon Of Mercy,  The Day In Which The Beauty Of The All-Glorious

Shone Forth In The Exalted Person Of 'Ali-Muhammad,  The Bab. No Sooner Did

He Reveal Himself,  Than All The People Rose Up Against Him. By Some He Was

Denounced As One That Hath Uttered Slanders Against God,  The Almighty,  The

Ancient Of Days. Others Regarded Him As A Man Smitten With Madness,  An

Allegation Which I,  Myself,  Have Heard From The Lips Of One Of The

Divines. Still Others Disputed His Claim To Be The Mouthpiece Of God,  And

Stigmatized Him As One Who Had Stolen And Used As His The Words Of The

Almighty,  Who Had Perverted Their Meaning,  And Mingled Them With His Own.

The Eye Of Grandeur Weepeth Sore For The Things Which Their Mouths Have

Uttered,  While They Continue To Rejoice Upon Their Seats.

"God," Said He,  "Is My Witness,  O People! I Am Come To You With A

Revelation From The Lord,  Your God,  The Lord Of Your Fathers Of Old. Look

Not,  O People,  At The Things Ye Possess. Look Rather At The Things God

Hath Sent Down Unto You. This,  Surely,  Will Be Better For You Than The

Whole Of Creation,  Could Ye But Perceive It. Repeat The Gaze,  O People,

And Consider The Testimony Of God And His Proof Which Are In Your

Possession,  And Compare Them Unto The Revelation Sent Down Unto You In

This Day,  That The Truth,  The Infallible Truth,  May Be Indubitably

Manifested Unto You. Follow Not,  O People,  The Steps Of The Evil One;

Follow Ye The Faith Of The All-Merciful,  And Be Ye Of Them That Truly

Believe. What Would It Profit Man,  If He Were To Fail To Recognize The

Revelation Of God? Nothing Whatever. To This Mine Own Self,  The

Omnipotent,  The Omniscient,  The All-Wise,  Will Testify."

The More He Exhorted Them,  The Fiercer Grew Their Enmity,  Till,  At The

Last,  They Put Him To Death With Shameful Cruelty. The Curse Of God Be

Upon The Oppressors!

A Few Believed In Him; Few Of Our Servants Are The Thankful. These He

Admonished,  In All His Tablets--Nay,  In Every Passage Of His Wondrous

Writings--Not To Give Themselves Up In The Day Of The Promised Revelation

To Anything Whatever,  Be It In The Heaven Or In The Earth. "O People!"

Said He,  "I Have Revealed Myself For His Manifestation,  And Have Caused My

Book,  The Bayan,  To Descend Upon You For No Other Purpose Except To

Establish The Truth Of His Cause. Fear Ye God,  And Contend Not With Him As

The People Of The Qur'an Have Contended With Me. At Whatever Time Ye Hear

Of Him,  Hasten Ye Towards Him,  And Cleave Ye To Whatsoever He May Reveal

Unto You. Naught Else Besides Him Can Ever Profit You,  No,  Not Though Ye

Produce From First To Last The Testimonies Of All Those Who Were Before

You."

And When After The Lapse Of A Few Years The Heaven Of Divine Decree Was

Cleft Asunder,  And The Beauty Of The Bab Appeared In The Clouds Of The

Names Of God,  Arrayed In A New Raiment,  These Same People Maliciously Rose

Up Against Him,  Whose Light Embraceth All Created Things. They Broke His

Covenant,  Rejected His Truth,  Contended With Him,  Caviled At His Signs,

Treated His Testimony As Falsehood,  And Joined The Company Of The

Infidels. Eventually,  They Determined To Take Away His Life. Such Is The

State Of Them Who Are In A Far-Gone Error!

And When They Realized Their Powerlessness To Achieve Their Purpose,  They

Arose To Plot Against Him. Witness How Every Moment They Devise A Fresh

Device To Harm Him,  That They May Injure And Dishonor The Cause Of God.

Say: Woe Be To You! By God! Your Schemings Cover You With Shame. Your

Lord,  The God Of Mercy,  Can Well Dispense With All Creatures. Nothing

Whatever Can Either Increase Or Diminish The Things He Doth Possess. If Ye

Believe,Nything I Knew She Did Not Wish Me To

Do."

The Conversation Was Interrupted By The Entrance Of Muchross With

Several Lords,  And He Was With Difficulty Dissuaded From An Attempt

To Swarm Up The Columns Of The Wonderful Bed. The Room Was Full Of

Young Girls And Barristers Gathered From The Various Courts. Some Had

Stopped Before The Great Christ. A Girl Had Touched The Suspended

Silver Lamp And Spoken Of "Dim Religious Light"; But By No Word Or

Look Did Lily Admit That She Had Been There Before,  And Mike Felt It

Would Be Useless To Remind Her That She Had. She Was The Same As She

Was Every Wednesday In Her Mother's Drawing-Room. And The Party Had

Been Given Solely With A View Of Withdrawing Her From Its Influence.

What Was He To Say To This Girl? Was He To Allow All That Had Passed

Between Them To Slip? Never Had He Felt So Ill At Ease. At Last,

Fixing His Eyes Upon Her,  He Said--

"Let Us Cease This Trifling. Perhaps You Do Not Know How Painful It

Is To Me. Tell Me,  Will You Come And See Me? Do Not Let Us Waste

Time. I Never See You Alone Now."

"I Could Not Think Of Coming To See You; It Would Not Be Right."

"But You Did Come Once."

"That Was Because I Wanted To See Where You Lived. Now That I Know,

There Would Be No Reason For Coming Again."

"You Have Not Forgiven Me. If You Knew How I Regret My Conduct! Try

And Understand That It Was For Love Of You. I Was So Fearful Of

Losing You. I Have Lost You; I Know It!"

He Cursed Himself For The Irresolution He Had Shown. Had He Made Her

His Mistress She Would Now Be Hanging About His Neck.

"I Forgive You. But I Wish You Would Not Speak Of Love In Connection

With Your Conduct; When You Do,  All My Liking For You Dies."

"How Cruel! Then I Shall Never Kiss You Again. Was My Kiss So

Disagreeable? Do You Hate To Kiss Me?"

"I Don't Know That I Do,  But It Is Not Right. If I Were Married To

You It Would Be Different."

The Conversation Fell. Then Realizing That He Was Compromising His

Chances,  He Said--

"How Can I Marry You? I Haven't A Cent In The World."

"I Am Not Sure I Would Marry You If You Had Every Cent In The World."

Mike Looked At Her In Despair. She Was Adorably Frail And Adorably

Pale.

"This Is Very Cruel Of You." Words Seemed Very Weak,  And He Feared

That In The Restlessness And Pain Of His Love He Had Looked At Her

Foolishly. So He Almost Welcomed Lady Helen's Intrusion Upon Their

_Tête-À-Tête_.

"And This Is The Way You Come For Your Dance,  Mr. Fletcher,  Is It?"

"Have They Begun Dancing? I Did Not Know It. I Beg Your Pardon."

"And I Too Am Engaged For This Dance. I Promised It To Mr. Escott,"

Said Lily.

"Let Me Take You Back."

He Gave Her His Arm,  Assuring Himself That If She Didn't Care For Him

There Were