Maurice

E,. M . F O R S T E R

A NOVEL

W W *NORTON & COMPANY INC

New York London

Copyright @ 1971 by the trusteesof the Iate E. M. Forster Rebed as a Norton paperback 1987 Printed in the United States of America Library of Con-

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Dedicated to a Happier Year

PART

1

Onceatermthewholeschaolwentforawantthat Ptosaythethreemutwtookpart~swellasallthe boys. It w d y a pleasant outing, and everyone looked forwardtoit,forgot&s~andbehavedwitbfreedom.Lest d&dpltaeshonld&,ittook~justbehethehoMays, when leniency does no harm,and indeed it seemed more like a twat at home than sdmd, for Mrs Abrahams, the Principal's wife, would meet them at the tea place wfth some lady friends, a d be hospitable and motherly. Mr Abrahams was a preparatory sckaalmof the old-fashfwed sorb He oared neither.for work nor games, but fed his bays well and saw that they did not mfsbehave. The rest he left CtheparemCa,anddidnotspecalatehawmuchthep~ts were hvfngtohim.Amtdmutualcomplimentstheboyspassedout into a p ow school,healthy but l m h d , to recaive upon un~~theEtRtblows0fthe~Id.TherebmnchtoL.m srlaforapethY h e d m a n d ~ Abrahadspuptlsdid~ r dobsdlyin'thdongmn,becameparentsfnthefrttun,andfn sonte cases senthim their sons. Mr Reed,the junior assisbnt, was a mastPo of the same type, only stupider, while Mr Dude, the stinior, acted as a stimuIant, and prevated the whole mncarn from going to sleep,They did not lllte him much, but lcnew that he was necessary, Mr Dude was an able man, orthodox, but not mtaf teach with tfte world, nor incapable of seeing both sides

MAURICE

of a qaestfon. H e m unsuitablefor parent#and the denserbop, batgwdfortheBrstfonn,and had men cmchedpapjlsinto a scholar&@ Nor was he a bad or-, Wbile a k t h gto hold therein0 and topreder Mr Read, Mr Abrahams really allowed Mr Dude a freehand and ended by taking him into partnership. Mr Dude alwayshad sonding onhis mind. On tMe oocasion itwasHaII,oneof theobrbays, who wasleavbgthemnto go to a pubh s o h d He wanted to have a "good talV with Ha& ~the~g.His&gaao~~itwauldlernre themr~to&sandthePrfnofpal~thathehadakeady CalbedtoHall,andtbattheboywaddprefeototakeMslastwalk wfthMs~oal-~~wiispaobable,brrtMrDode~ aevladetenedfnmrdcdngWhatis~Hesmeedandwasai. lent A&Readlmewwhatthe*goodWwuldbe,bol:earlyin thedr aqdnmmt l q had aoached on a oertafn theme p r a b &mally.

Mt Readbaddisappzwed.'Thinice,"hehadsaid.The

Wdpal neither knew nor d d have wlahed to know, Patting fmmhispupDswiaentheywem~heforgattheybadde velopedfntom~They~edtohfma~smalllnxtcclmple@ltketbeNewCIlinea~Smyboyf.Andtheywere etmeagfeatormdewtandthaa~because~never ~edandseldomdied.Cellbateand~thebonp;p ~anpgsredbeforeMm,its~e~~varyfngh~-h tofortyatatlme.1seenonsefn~ansdrrcstlon.Baysb ganbetore educatioawas thought of."Mr Dudewoutd smile, for hewassoakedin8~0~0n.

From this to the boys.

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"Sir,mayIholdyowhand. .Sir,youpremfsedme....hth Bdr, Abrabams's bands were bagged and all Mr Reads. Oh sir, did you hear thatP He tbfDks Mr Read has three hands1 Idtdn't,Iaid'hged.~~lG~epeP

'Whenyonhaveqnitehisk3-l~

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MAURICE

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Tmp>owauKwiLh)Iall~There were czies of disappointmentThe other mastem, seeing thatitwasnogood, calledthepack ofF, andmarshaNed them along the W towards the downs. Hall, Mumphntt sprang to Mr Ducie's side, and felt too old to t a b his hand. He was a p h q , psatty lad, not in any way remarkabla In this he resembledhisfather,whohadpnssedinthe~tw~&te ye- beJom vanished into a p u w school, m e & begotta m a n d t w o ~ a n d d y d i e d o f ~ M r Hall had been a good dtizea, but Iethxgic Mr Dude had fP fonned himself about him befare they beg& the wan^ wen, IIas w g a pi-jaw, ebP" 1don't how,+Mr Abraham' given me one with Those Holy Fields'.Mrs AbrahamSI given me sleeve hlrs. The fellom have given me a set of G u a t d up to two dollars. Look, sir1 Theones~viththeparrotonthepillaron'' "Splendid, bplendidl What did Mr Abrahams say? Told yon yon t ~ e r ea miserableB I hope.The boy laughed. He did not understand MIDude,but ]mew tbatbwasmeanbgtobefmmy. He felt at easebecauseitwas hislastdayats&ool,andevenif hedidwmnghewouldnot get into a row. Besides, Mr Abdams had declared him a success. W e am proud of him; he will do us honour at Sunningtonm:he had seen the beginning of the Mer to his mother. And the boys had showered presents on him, dedarfng he was brave. A great mfstake-he wasn't brave: he was afraid of the dark. But no one tmew this. Well, what did Mr Abrahams myP"repeatedMt Dude,when thyreached thesands. Along taDr tbreateaed, and the boy ~hewasupontheWtRithhlsM&bnthelareftrthat wlshlngisuselesswhenboymeetsman. "A& Abrabams told me to copy my father, sir?

MAURICE

"wwJ*f+= 1 am never to do anythiug I &add be aohamed to hrnnt nwther seemedo. No6aecen go wrong then, and the pblto

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sohooIwfnbevery~from~TM Mr Abraham say how?" I -All kinds of d i c u l t i ~ o rlike e the W O T ~ ~ . * I I W d he tell you what the world fs IikeP" 'No." W d you mk hid" "No,sir? ~wasn't~sensibleofyon,HaUCleartMngsapMr AbaabamsandIareheretoansweryoarqu&ns. What do yoa suppaw the world-the world of p m u p people is like?" "Ican2 tall, I'm a boy," he said, v q s f n d y . "Amthey vey I I

treachemas,airf+=

MrDrtdewasamusedendaskedhfmwhat~esof treacheryhebadseez~HerepUedthatgmvn-uppeopletKolJd not be onldnd to boys, but were they not always cheating one amthwP Losing hb schoolboy manner, he began to talk llke a cMld, and became fandful&d musing. Mr Dude lay down on the sand to listen to him, lit Ma pipe, and looked up to the sky. Thelittle waking-place where they lived was now far behind, the rest ofthe sohool away in fmnt The day was gray end wludless, with little dlstfnotfon clouds and sua 710a~~wlthyontmoth~pdonptyaaPheintermpbed,~g that tbe boy had gained d d e n c e . Yes, sir.* "Haw you any elder brothe~P" Wo, sfi\--only M a and Kitty? "Any llnckif+=

"No," "SOp don't lmow many menP''

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MAURICE

%atherkwpsaooechmand~inthe~butd comse you mean @emen. Mother has threa maid-semaats to bkaftex thehouse, buttheyaresoidlethatthey~lrotmd Ada's [email protected] i s my eldest little dskr." %ow old are y o u r "Fourteenand three p." 'Well, you're an ignorant little beggar? They laughed. Afbr a pause he said, ''When I was your age, my father told me soma thing that pmed very usehi and helped me a good ddmThfs was untrue: his father had. never tald him anything. But he needed a prelude to what he was @g to say. pidhe, sir?" 8 h d I ttdl you what it wasY -Phse, slr." 1amgoingbfitoyonforahmbasifI~)rOrn ~,MMamicelIshalldymbyyoaireal~wTheo,very sfmpq.dktndly,heappmacbdthemysteryafwn.Hespob oE male a d female, created by God fn the beghtng ia order that the earth might be peopled, and of the period when the male and female receive their powers. "You are just becoming a man now, Maurfce; that ie why I am Miug you about W.It is not a thing that your mother can tell yoy and you should not mention it to her nor to any lady, and if at your neat school bop mention it to you,just shut them up; tell them you know. Have you heard about it befad" 1Vo,sir."

Wot a wordy Wo, sir." StiN smoking his pipe, Mr Dnde got up, and choosfng a Bnoothpiec%ofsanddreftrdiagtamsuponitwithMswa~dngstidt'Tbiswitlmalceiteesi~~hedtodreboy,whowatched dully: it bore no relation to his eqdences. He was attentive+as

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MAURICE

t~88~wheOhewestheonIyoneintheJaes,andhelmew that the subject was sedow and related to hi9 own body. But he oonlanothimselfrelateit;itfalltopdeoaPrursoonasMrI)ads ! p ~ i t t o g e k , W I s m i m ~ e n u m . & ~ h e h i o dI ~ tarpidbrainwouldnotaw~Pn~wasthem,butnotintel- 1 Iigence,andmanhoodwasstenlfngonhfm,nsit$tKays~fa atrano&Uselesstobre&inapomdrattraacaUdeastodesaibe $ however & M d y and 8ympaiheticalIy. The boy assents andisdraggdbackintosleep,aottobeenUcedtherebe60leMs I

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hoar.

Mr Dude, whatevar his sdesos,was sympathetic Indeed he to Mau- 1 rice,anddfdnot~thathemusteitheruudmtad~g! ab~helmeduAntb*lam(hsabnha/heuld..but one must get it over, one mustn't make a mystery of it Thea t amtethegreutthfn~~~Hewas~uent,havingtalked j toboysinthiswaybefom,andhehewtheklndof~on i ~~0uldask.Maurio8dmot&:hedysaid,'l~ee,I wIsee,"andat-MrDPnieWhedidnotrieaHeertI amhtdhlm.Thereplieswerr3~~.Tb~boy'smemory i was good and-so curfaus a fabric is the human--heevem de \lr was too s y m p a e he atMbuted cultivated f&&o

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o e l o p e d a ~ ~ ~ a s m f a c e ~ t o r e s p o l P; d t o I

h ~ ~ o f t h e m a a ' ~ I n t h e e n d h e d i d & o a e .o r hroqu~~about~andtheywep8tothe~~Dwie was much pleased. That's right,'' he said. "You need never be papled ar bothmdnow.' I b e and life still remained, and he touched on them ae they strolledfarwardbythecalo&sea. Hespokeoftheidealman ~ w i t h 8 ~ ~ ~ H e ~ t h e g l O I y o f W o m r m '. E n g;egedtobededMpbpmorehrnnaOpandb~ ooloured up bebind the strong spectachq his cheek flushed. To love a noble woman, to protect and serve he told the i

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MAURICE Httb bay, was the crown of life. "Youcan't understand now,you will some day, a d when you do tmdezstand it, remembep the

pooroldpedapgaewhopntyoaonthetradLItaUhmp~ g e . t k r - d k d God's in his haven, All's xi& with the world. Male and female1 Ah w o n d d w "IthinkIshennot~,"remarkedMaurfca 'Thisdaytenyears~IimriteyouandyourWifetodinner with my wife and me. Will you acceptP" Wh skF He smiled with pleasata "It's a bargain, thenP It was at all events a g o d joke to end with. Mamlce was dattwd and begaa tocontemplateznarriaga Butwbilethey\~aesssfngo~MrDudestopped, arulbeldbis c h e e k ~ t l t o u $ ~ ~ ~ a c Heturnedandlookedatthe hed. hgerrpanseofsandbehiod. 9never scrnbkd oatthose idad diagram,"heA d slowly, Attbefmtheredofthebay~epeoplewem~ them, alsb by the edge of thesea. Their comse wmrld talw them by the very spot whem Mr Dude had ill-ted sex, and one of them was a lady. H e ran back sweatjng with fear. Sir, wm? it be all rightp" Marice aied.The tide11 have d them by now." W H e a v e n s ...thankGod... thetIM~&hg.~ Andmddedyforan fustantof the, theboydespfsedbim. "Liar: he thought.Zlar, coward, he's toId me nothing.'' Then darkness rolledup again, the darkness that is primeval but

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noteternal,andyieIdstoitsawnpainfuldawn

2

Mautic8's mother Uved near London, in a cumfort=

abtaaPrnmg~*ThmLmdhb~ had been born, and thence bis father had gone up to budma every day, thither retumhg. They nearly left when the c h d wasbuilt,buttheybecameaomsbmedtoit,astoewrythb~ and even fouad it a cammiace. Church was the only place Mrs Hall had to go to-the shop delivered, The statfon was wt far either, nor was a tolarable day school for the girls. It was a land of fadlities, where nothing bad to be stdven for, and stm cess was indistinguishable from hiltma Maurice liked his home, and r e c o p t d hb mother as its pre sidingpnbs. Without hartberewoaldbenoS0ftcb;aiRortaod or easy games, and he was grateful to her for providing so much, and b e d her. He liked his sisters alsa When he d v e d they ranout with QSeS of joy, took&his greatcoat,and dmppedit f o r t h e ~ o n t h e f l o a r o thehdLItwasdcetobethe f centre of attraction and show off about school. His Guatemala stamps were a d m h l - s o were 'Those Holy Fields" and a HaL . beln photograph that Mr bade had ghren him. After tea the weather dead, and MIS Hal1 put on her galoshes and walked with him m d the grouuds. They went kissing one another and

. "Mmnmie .,.

-g-Y*

"Monte.

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MAURICE "Now I must give m y Morrie a lovely time.*

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-vvhfm's George?"Such a spladid report from Mr Abrahams. He says yon mind birn of your poor father.. Now what shall we do these holidaysT q lnte here besLg ~gboy..~Sheem~bim,more~t~than

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evm. -rhere~nothfoglllrehome,asevayoaeBn&Y~tomatoe+* she liked recithg dm names of vegetables. ' T o m a W Isdkhes,b m d i , onions-" 'Tomatoes, broccoli, onions, purple potatoes, white potata%*

droned the little boy. WP~~P''

"Mother, where's GeorgeiP W e left lastwe&" W h y did George leaveP"he asked. %ewasgettiDg~ald.Howe~al~~yschaagestheboyevery . twoyt?als.D "Oh," 'Turnip tops: she continued, -toes again, beebroob . Mode, how would you Iike to pay a Iittle vidt to grandpapa and Aunt Ida if they ask us? I want you to have a very nice tIme this holiday,d e ~ ~ - y have o u been so good, but then Mr Abrahams is

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dagOOdmao;pu~yomfatherwasat~schooltoo,and we are seading you to your fathds old public school toothat yoa may Fap l&% Y m dear fatherin every way." A sob Wermptsd her.

*

"hiorria, dcuung-"

Thelltdeboywasintears. 'hily pet, what ie it?"

MAURICE

don't^... I d o n ' t ~ . . . " "Why, Manrim. P He shook his head. She wae grieved at her faflure to makehim happys and began to cry too. The girls ran out, e d a h b g , "Mothers what's wrong with MauriceP "Oh,don't," he wailed. get out- a ~d~ov~~saidMrsBanaerc~fonforevery-

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T m mxtida ~etoyourmom,Mode-Ohmyswe&thlsisdytoo drdfaL-

"No-I'm all right," He chcbed his teeth, and a great mess of sonow that had overwhhed him by rising to the swface began to sfnk He could feel it going down into his heart until hetffasco~afitnolonp.TmallrightPHeloolced around bim fiercely and dried his eyes. Tll play Halma, I ~ " ~ t h e p i ~ ~ s e t , ~ ~ 8 ~ t a l k i n the g a s b e i b , ClhrGliah~tffasover. He beat Ada, who worshipped him, and Kittys who dtd and theaminto thegardenagahtoseetbecoachman.%ow dye do,How& How's Mw H d P How d'ye do, Mrs HoweII," end so on, speaking in a patronizing voice, diikent &om that

heusedtogsotbfok.Thenaltesingba&%n'tit a n e w g m h

bayp* . Yes, Master Maurid WaSGemgetoooldP"

"No,~MamLcaHewantedtobeOtsrhimsdf.v

-oh,y~n~heg$ve~~ 'That's right.-

'hiothersaid he was too old and you gave him notha'' "No, Master Mauricaa % y p woodstaclcsll be glad," said Mra How& Mamfce

MAURICE

asdthelate~baphad~dtoplayaboutin&~ll~ 'They are Mothes's woa&tdq not yam," said Maurice and ~fndoora~he~-notaeenaea,thou~;hf..p~

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tdedtobesotooneawfher.Theyltadbesn~tsaUthefr lives,andlikedagendemantobeasMaqehasquite away with~aIrendy,"thq,~the~'Uore~bi9~.' TheBarrys,whoarmetodirmer,t~eredthesameopinion.Dr Barry was an old friend., or rather neighbour, of the theyJand took a mdxate interestin them. No ane amldbe deeply interesteainthe~gi#gheliked4hehadMntaof~tinh~ bmtthegidswa~eibed,audheboldhiswffe~tbat Manrice ought to have h e n there too."And atop there all his &As hewill, Likehisfath~.WhatistheuseofsuchpeopleP" When M a d 0 8 did go to Id,it waa ~ t l yThat . room always frightened him.He had bwn such a man all the evening, but the old feeling came over bim as s m as hh mother had klssed Mm good night. The trouble was the IooIdng--glass. He did not mind seeing his face in it, nor csstlng a sbadow on the *~buthedidmindseedngMsshadowonthe~gre flactedintheglasaHewooldananglethecandlesoasbavold the cmMnatiap aad then dare himsel€to put it back and be gdpped with fear. He knew what it was, it remhded Mm of nothtnghonible.Buthewasafraid.Inthedhewoulddash aut the candle and leap Wo bed. Total darlmess he could bear, butthismomhadthefrntherdafectaf~goppositea~ lamp.Ongoodnights thelightwoaldpene$atethecllrtafnotm~&,bntsometbnesblotslbslmllsfelloverthefum€ture His heart beat videndyJand he lay in bmr, with all his household t h e at hand As he opened his eyes to look whether the Mots had gnrwn mah, he remembered Geoqe. Something stirred in the unfathomable depths of his heart. He whtspered, "George,

MAURICE GmgaNWho was W e P Nobody--just a common amant

MotfieraadAdaandKUlywerefarmorefmportent.Butb wastooli#letoargwthis.Hedidlrotevenhrawthatwhealte yielded to this sotrow he overcame the spactrat and fen asleep. II I

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Smdngton was the next stage in Wmice's uuwr. He 6.-ed it witlnmt attracting attmtion. He was

aatgoodat~~~k,~ghbthaahepretended,nard~ *@Bf&amaaIf~e-~they~bim,~ he had a Mght Madly face and m p o d d to attendm bat

theseweresomanyboyeofMstyp8-theyfannedthebaclrboneofthesdloalaadweocmnotnotEceeacbver&etbra.Hedid thedthia~keptfs-~caaed,nrsefnmrhto fonnoatheclasProelsidetLlIbecAmg~lyt0thesixth, audhebecameahauseprefgct,andlateraschoolp&ctand membar of the 3rst fifteen.Though clumsyshe had stwDgth and &dal p l d : at aicket he &d not do so well, Having been banfedasanewboy, hebulbdothers when~seemedunhappyorweak,notbeoatteehewasuudbatbecawetitwasthe thing to do. In a word, he was a medi0~8membea of a mediocre sdhoof a d M a faint and favourable impreah be b i d .)HanPWait a minute, tRatoh wm Hall? Oh yaq I remanber; clean nm fmnl&'' Beneathitsll, h e w a s M d Hehadhttheprecocious ~oftbobSldwhfabtmad~andePtplafnsthetmi~~g~afmfnscrucm!3MBptaadbeauty.Yhrt

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o f t k e ~ o f b a b e s d s a c k l i n ~."Bntnototltof . the mrmthoftheboyoftdxteea Mauricwfqpthe had ever becar .~donlyreallzedfnma~how~andcleardm

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MAURICE sensations of his earliest days must have besa He

sank far

below~emnovp,forbwae~gtheVallg.Of~ Shadow of Life. It lies between the legs@ mountains and the greater*andwithout breathingits fop no one can come &mu@. H e groped about in it longer than most boys. ~aRisobscureand~thebestsimDLtudefsa dream.M a w had two dreams at schooI; thsy wilI interpret bim. Inthefirstdtesmhefeltvq~Hewasplaying~ against a mmhdpt whose existam he resented. H e made an effort and the nodesdpt turned into George, tbat garden bay. But he bad to be careful or it would r e a p . George headed down the 0eld towards him, nakedand jumping over the woodstacks. "Ishall go mad if he turns wmmg now," said Mawice, andjustastheycdaredthishappened,andabmtaldisappintment woke him up. He did not connect it with Mt Dude's homny, still less with his second dream, but he thought he was going to be in, and a b m d s that it was somehow a punishment for something. The second dream fs more dif3cuIt to w e y . Nothing hap wed. He scarcely saw a face, s d y heard a voice say, That

hyourMendPandthenitwas~ver~bavingBIledhkn& beauty and taught him t d e m s . He could die for such a friend,hewouldaIbwsuchafriendtodieforbim; t h e y d make any s a d c e for each other, and count the world nothing, neither death nor dishm nor cn#(mess couId part them, be causeuthisismy~"Soonattawardshewasco~edand Med to pmade himself that the Mead must be CMst. But CWst has a mangy beard. Was he E Greek god, such as illustrates the classicsl dictionary? More probabla, but most p b ably he was just a man. Maurice forbore to d e b his dream furttrer.Hehaddra@itmaSaU&iwaSfttffouldmHe

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MAURICE

wwld newr meet at man nor hear that voice again, yet they becememozerealthan~ghelmewaandwonldaCtaany-"HaRl Dreaming,agninl A hundred ilnesl" w D&V~absoUaw Preaming agah Too late." &daczualypdlhimbacktothemfnbroaddayli@tand dmpa~Thmhedreimbibethefaceandthefaor ~,andwaulde+meggeyeamhgwith~dernew andlonging tobekfndtuevepte,bacamreMsfrfendwishedit,andtobe good that hia Mesd might become more fond of him, Misery wassomehawmicedapwitbaIlthis~ess.Itsemeda9 certab that he hadn't a M d as that he had one,and he tKauld hdalmxelyplocefm~atlrfbatine;therntothehmtdred

he& Mamice'ssecratlt6ecanbembdewtoodeaw;itwaspartb tal,partideaI,libMs

Assocmashisbodydev~hebecameo~Hesup poseds0mespedalansebaddesosndedon~Imthe06nld nothetpit,forevearwhemreoelvingtheHolyComm~~ ~wopldarisefnMsmind.~toneofthe~was ptm+thatfstosay,fastbedaarebisarrhralthmhadhabr*scandalTheblacksheephadbecm~the~

a a , ~ ~ d d a ~ m d ~ l l ~ a a t n 1 & ~ o i t - h l r foxtuue ar misfartune to have little apportanity of exdmgiug erq?erieoces with Me s W - He longed for smut, but hsard little a d contributedless,and his ehkdi n h d e s were^ solitary.~:theschoallfbrarywasimmacnlate,bntwhileat hia grandfather's he cnme across an m q q a t e d Martial, and shrmbled about in it with btdng ears. Thoa&ts: he had a dMy ItttIe collectton, Ader he desfsted fmm these after the navelty was avera&ding that t . b g h t him mcne fatigue

kpleasure,

MAURICE AnwbtCa,ifitcenbeund~tiookpla~~toah.aace, M~hadM~asleepfn&eValleyoftheShado\K,hb Maththe peaks af either range, and lmew neither tbfe nar that bfs s a - w were *hag likewisa The other half of bis life seemed W t e l y remote fmm obscenity. As henwe inthescboolhe began to makeareligionof

someotheoboy.Whenthisboy,whethes&myoun~thtlll ~ ~ ~ t , h e w o n l d ~ g a ~ y ¶ ~ ~ bermabletowarEHedarednotbekln&-ltwasnotthetbiDg 4lesstoexlpesshbadmkatlonin~And&eadored one would shake him OB before Iong, and reduce him to sullra H~~w~~~hehsdhis~ges.Othar~~eswo shippedhim,andwhenhe~thishewoaldshalse&brsm. The adoration wss mutual on one occapfoa, both yearning far thg.Imewnotwhat, but theresult was thesame.Theyqunrd e d h a few days. All that oame out of the chaos were the two feehugs of beauty and tendams that he had first felt fn a c t r e a m . T h g . ~ y e ~ y * ~ - p l a a ~ ~ = ~ leavesaadshownoSrgeof 0ower.Towards thecloseofhisedncationatGanningtonthegrowth~e&A&eck,a~feIl .upontlw complex pmeseq and very timidly the youth begnn tQlookannrndhim.

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He was aearly nineteen. He&oadontheplalemonRbDaYsredtin~a Greek Oration of his own compositfon. The hall was full of ~dth~~butMaudceafEectedtobeaddressing the Hague Conferenca, and to be pointing out to it the

fanyofibways.-whatstapi~isthLqOandresEuropeaafd, to talk of a W b g war? WbatP Is not Ares the son of Zeurr ~M~,warrendezsyoumbUstby~gyaia limbs, not fomoth like t h e of my oppanent."The Greek was vile: Marvlcs bad got the pdze an accuuut of the Though$ and barely thus. The errmidug master had sixetched a point in hfa fawntrsinoehewasleavhganda~blechepandmore over leavfng for Cambridge, where prize books on his shelves wauld help to advertise the school So he received Gmte's H b tory of G m w amid tremendous applatw. As he rehmd to his seat,~bichwsomxttobfs~~herealIzedthathehada@n become popular, and woxuleaed how. The clapping cuntinued --itgrewto an ovattoa; Ada and Kitty were pamdbg away with scarlet faces on the further side. Some of Ms friends, alsa Iea~cded"~".~~his~alldgularby~ authorities, but but Hauhutm W e l f mse and said a few words. H a l l t ~ e s o n e o andtheywould~e~erosase f~ to fed [email protected] ldwice was d e n t but bemum he was average. It cauld oele ,

MAURICE

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hbl$alfinblrfmagaPeopenmoptOhtmefhnrrards88~ y~gmd,ddd,qui~~~tpnY,deven$ttnmbe MlgintMsh&withop;tpwHis~~BharedhthbM. mph. On p v i o u visits he bad been bakdnl to them, %my, mater,botponandthelddsWmhavea~~rlrme'badbsen Msmmprkafter~~~whentbsyhadtrled~foinan 0 hfminhisdand@my:Ada hadcded Now AdaChdr ting~eablybtheCepteindhS~dgi#ywas bdnghaodedd,and&motheraae~tohfr~ ~rWIbB,~th8dl8pPofDhlD8I1$d~hDt~* EoeryaosandePeythingbtd~~~Wesdli8 dmwddP A f s s p ~ d h e s ~ ~ I k B o ~ p . t l a e i r ~ ~ h o m a , whomgbtMssyeaod&outhMs~aap,,"Colr-

-Mamfae,-yammmmih.vIa~aintaisc~xp~adninedib~af~~tsa' MarPicelaugbedandwe~aoptohim,rather~~borhb ~cewaskd.IkBamyhadlsbsdbimto~a~ nepasW,whohrd~tbs~thetterm,krthshaddona ~~wsenotthe~Bta~thathehadh8dlnore ~nawthrtftwas~~andb&ikamaa - ~ w b r Y s t h s n e d s t a p f n g o m ~ ~ ? ~

bddgeP' "So they say: "Sotheysay,LdqyPAndnhatQymsay?"

-iWtbmow,-ssidth4h~y* "And aft= Cambridge, what? StOJ: ExdmgeP"' 1 m ~ e ~ y ~ W s d d p c n h u r r ~ a f l ~ m s h i f

allgoeswelt" %nd ldtsl you're let iby ~n#yd@ Mawice laughed again

h&d8

old -,'what9

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MAURICE "Who will present the expe&mt world with a Maurice the and h d y the tMP After which old age+ daisies. So that'syour notion of a csreer. Well,it isn't mine." "what's youfnotton, Doctor?'' caned giq. T o help the weak and right &e m g , my dear: he replfed, looking aaops at he.

Tmmit~fsanoU~asaMthehotrsem~s~ and Mrs EIall aped, -Oh no, it's not It isn't con&tentlymiu4 or I should be h k fng after my Dickie instead of hg&g on this scene of sp1e-ndam.* "Do bring dear Di&e to say hw d'ye do to mhWasked Mts Hall. % his father down here tooP" "Moth& Kitty w h b p d "Yes. My brother died last year: snid Dr Baq. The fnddent dipped your rnembly. War did not render bim robust by e x e ~ dsing bfs limb^^, as Maurice supposes. He got a shell in the stomach.He left them. 1thinkI)rBany@~ressarkedAda.1thfnlrhe's jedous." She was ri@ Dr Barry, who had been a lady Mller in Ms time, did resent the contirmanoe of young men. Poor MamL. ice encountezed him again, He had been saying goodbye to his b o m m a s W s wffe, who was a haadsome woman, very dvil to the older boys. They ehook hands warmly. On O n g away he hsard Dr Well, Maa yo* irresfstlble in love as in war," and caught his +ad "1: don't know what you mean,Dr B q . " %4 you young fedowsl Butter wouldn't melt in your mouth these days. Don't latow what I mean1 Prudfsh of a petticoat1 Be bank, mun, be h n k You don't taka anyone fn. The frank mind's tha pure mind I'm a medical man and an old man and I tell you

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MAURICE

that Manthatiebornofwomannrustgowithwomanifthe ~ 1 8 0 8 b t o ~ MaudoeMathe-swffe,-a vIoXent repulsfon fmm her, and blushed crimson. he hud re

membmed Mr Dude's diapm. A tranbb-dUg as h t i fulasasamw-nmtothesrnfaceofhismfnd,displayedite un~.nadb*-hedidmtask~ forMs~~88~yet,buttheldntwas~~hen, though he was, he longed to be a lUtle boy again, and to shrrll halfakkefarwerbytheaalourlasssea~rB8rrywanton kctmbg bim, and under the awes of a Menrdly m a w s said much that @V8 PdU.

5

Hechoseacollep~byhischtefschaal fiiedChapmanandbothezoldS~~, end duringbfs &st year managedto expesfe3lcelittle in University life tbat was unfmik. He belrmged to an Old Boyd Qpb, -'d aQd l"ded to@=* and theg *yea g== kegtup~provinc&l&msaudslaag,satelbowtoalbowin tUg,aodwafkedaxminannabouttke~Now andthen tbqgotdrtmkandbuastedmystedouslyabautwomeqbuttheIr outlook remained that of the uppa Hth, and some of them kept itthi~ghilfe.~h~t~asn~fardbetwe~themandtbeother ~ b u t ~ w e r e t o ~ ~ t o b e p o p u l a t , t o o medim to lead, and they did not care to risk knowing men who had came from 0 t h publtc schools, All this dtsd Mam tce. He was ~ t u t f o n a l l ylay.Though none of his diBmlties had bear solved, none were a d d 4 which is m ~ g . Thehush~HewasktronbIedbycarnsltlumghts. Hestoodstillin the darlmessinstead of gmpingabout inik as

ifthlewasthedfarwhfchbodyandsoulhadbeemso~

preparen.

haing his secand year he nnderwent a chaage. IIe had moved @b cobge and it began to digest him. His days he might sped as befom, but when the gates dosed on bim at night a new process began. Even as a freshman he made the knpoxtant discovery that grown-up men behaw politeIy to one another unless there ie a reason for the contrary. Some thirdyear peaple had called cm him in his dip. He had expcted

MAURICE

~tobregkhispIatesand~thephotopaphofhie mother, d when they did not he d phmbg how some daYheshauldbreak~jhos~vingtime.~themnnnenr ofthedonswemevanmorenmarkable.Ma~wasonlywaib i~gforsnchanat~mphem~tosafben.Hedfdnotenjop balngaudandmdaIt~agdnstbisnatmaButitwasneam sarpatsch~othemigathavegcmemrder,dhehadsup posedftwoddhavebean~mrroe~onthefarger battldeld of the Universiv. 0nceinsfde~his~multAplied.Peopletumed out to be dive. Hither& he had supposed that they toere what heprsCendedto~tpiecesofcardboadstampedwftba conventional desfgn-but as he strolled about the ooutts at night and saw through the windows some men singing and othenr ~ g d o t h e n , a t t h e i r ~ , t h e r e c e m e b y m p r o c eof ss rsason a conviction that thy were human being wfth fedin@ akin to his own. He had never lived frankly sfDce Mr Abrahams's schoaI, and despite Dr Barry did not mean to begin; but he saw that wbile deceiving otheas he bad been deceived, and mtstaken them for theemptycreatureshewantdthemtothinL hem.Nqthgrtoohad~~~."B~OLord,notsuchanip sfdeesmb."Assoonashethonghtaboutotherpeopleasred, Maurice became modest and consdous of sin: in all creatfon there could be no one as vile as bimselfr no wonder he pre tended to be a piece of cardboard; if ifas he was, he w d behoMdedoatdthe~God,beingal~eCh~too~an orda~didnatwmryhim:h e c o u l d n o t a m ~ d u n y ~ b g M c thassay, Joey F e h d & ' s , who kept

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iQtherocmrrwowsarofanyHenesMttaras covenby. Shortly eftertbis dhmqrhe went tohohwithbir Cormwallts, the k m .

[email protected]. ity, a relative of the Dean's, by name Risky. FMq is ley dark,

MAURICE t a l l d ~ ~ e m a d e s n ~ ~ ~ ~ * h -

&ced,arrdwhenhepke,w~was~,hetgsd shmg yet uxmady wp€xlatives.C b a oaogt ~ 3e~reand~MBnosh8s,iwllinghbntoside~the ~er.MbdomicethotlgPthedanttabft&st~~ in~t~gh.epein~frr~g,mdbesideshe~laot

i

solletbothe~tbgd~,~~nodoubth~~to,din a minute shmU So C h a p ventured dona Finding Rbby

eQwdmuJLc,hebegantowftd~~a~~1&~tgoin~ bdng superbt," and w, on. "X doIm 1 mOh,aOy m l I n t h a t o a e e I ~ y o u r ~ u~~~Cha~youarafnneedaf~mcalIedMr ~ a n d p m m r h e d b i x n s a l f r m ~ e ~ ~ a t ~ ! " S ~ M r ~ h I?vepothlm&withmylowtakm ' t

I

~satdmm,andRPsley~~attttertoMorsics ;d 8 P f 4 1 ~ & t ~ o f . n y r e p l Y t o ~ i i ~ o t ;his.anamnarheaFnanrea~wasd~y.~It~~~

I ~g.'NdwonZ&.'Yer't~~n'tdaWhatirtobedoneP~abwtmytngoo~?"safdtheDean J

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r L

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'Tosaym&hg?BonlblaYoumortkmdw mAxe~dways~~mayane~inqtdredChapmaa R£deyseidhewa4. wwer g8t ttrod d itP - aN~." : *tire *peop1eP" .'LNBosTF OYMd &atw

~ltotsuggest~veWyoaUntnte,~~'rebeamhg? It'~mtatyuui€Iam,~saidCha~wbwpshot-aemp ered.

Mamioedhb-

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MAURICE

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"Iwme to a standstiU again. How amazingare the of tio on." "You seem to carry on better than most of us can,- remarked Maurice. He had not spoken before, and bis voice, which was low but very g d ,made Rislg.sbiwr. W a t d y . It is my forte. It Is the only th&g I care about, '-noc 9s that serious? "Everytbg I say is serious." And somehow Maurice lmew this was true.Ithadstru&bimatoncethatRlslg.wass~~~. "And are yw smiousr S)on9task me.* .

Theatantdyoubearmesa" %ubbish," p l e d the Dean. Chapman laughed t e m e l y . % u b W He questioned Maurim who, when he grasped

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thepaW,wasrmdersbodtoreplythat deedsaremmimpor- i I I' tant tban words. I "Whatis the d&renceP Words crne deeds. Do you mean to ' say that these five minutes in Corn-s rooms have done nothing for youP Win you eusr forget you have met me,for in-

1

StBnCe?"

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<=hapmangruated. i "Buthe wiII not, nor will you. And &BD I am told we ought to 1 be doing somethingm The Dean came to the moue of the two S d g t o n i ~ He ~~. said to his young cousin, You're unsound about memary. You aulfuse what's important with whds fmptessive. NO doubt remember thqve met you-" .chapman and IMI &ays mAndforget this ls a cutlet. Quite so." I "But the cutlet does some good to them, and you none." "Obscurantistl* This is just llke a bookwsaid Chapman. "Eh, Hall?

/

MAURICE "Imean," said Risley, "oh how clearly I mean that the cutlet inlluences your subconscious lives, and I your conscious, and so I am not only more impr6asive than the cutlet bat more important Your Dean hem, who dwells in Medieval D a r k and d e s you to do the same, pretends that only the h n s d w s , only the part of you that'can be touched without your howledge is important, and daily he drops sopad+" "Oh, shut up," said the Dean. "But'I am a child of light-" "Oh,shut up.IDAnd he turned the conversation on to ncnmal lines. Rislg.was not eptktic, tbough he always talked about himself. He did not interrupt Nor did he feign i d h r e n & Gambolling like a dolphin, he accompanied them whithemevm they went, without hindering their coma He was at play, butseriously. Itwas asimpartant to him to go toand fm as to them to go forward, and he loved keeping near them. A few months earlier Maurice would have agreed with Chapman,but now he was 'sure the man had an inside, and ite wandered whether he should see more of bim. He was pleased when, aftez

Iunchwasuver,Rislg.waitedforhimatthebottomofthestairs and said, 'Yon didn't s e a My amin wasn't being human" "He's good enough for us; that's all I know," exploded Chapman. Sfe's absolutely delightful.'' *EEsctly. Eunuchs a r d And he was gona Well, I'm-" exclaimed the other, but with British self-control suppressed the verb. He was deeply shooked. He didn't mind hot stuff in moderation, he told Mauricej bat this was too much, it was bad farm, ungentbmanly, the fellow could not have been through a public schooL Maurice agreed. You could call your cousin a shit if you liked, but not a eunuch. Rotten style1All the same he was amused, and whenever he was hariled in in the future, mischievous and incongruous thoughts, would occur to him about the Dean.

MAURICE 1I

F o r i t h a d ~ e a a a d ~ ~ m a n ~ s a i d ~ W had stirred Mamioe .-ni One mgbtto n i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ o D d & h e a f p p e d i n t o M ~ a n d ~ i t h e ~ ~ ud r the t *ta wen, sbot behiud bfm. ]Lookf n ~ ~ ~ ~ c e d t h e ~ ~ ~ ~ w a ~ ~ ~ t d e , but %hat a show of -I" he thm@tAnd how the formtainepkrhedwhenthechhnssdidawey,smdthegat~and doors all over C d d g e had bhsn fiatend up. men

W v

wapearound~ofm~m~andculturaMaarc ice's sst bad laughed at M t y l but thay could not ignore its disdaiDfat radian- or deny the superiority it s d y troables to a&m. Re had came to it without their b 1 e d e W l y , to ask iheIp His witty speech faded fn ib atmosphere: and his heart bat violently. He was prbemsd and efni&

WeJ,s~w~satthe~dafa&~p~ge;whichafa~~ i t ~ n o o b s t a d e W a s ~ ~ e n d * d d ~ tlmdldtkeybitthedoor. h d a m i c s h i t f t ~ t h m h e a pwted44 most awful Whack3aod exclaimed "Oh d8Inn8tionP l d y , while the p e l s quivered. Xome in,- said a yoits Dlsappotntment tuimitd him. The opsale3.wasamandMsmdege,bynamshttham.~ W

E

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S

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PoyooVlrpDtMrMey?HOnq~I1O --Hub1 Where3 IUsleyC "Idan't know."Oh, ifs n&ng go."Are yoo going back into coIIegeP"askad f)cuhem w i u loclking up: he was heehg ova a castle ob prannla rewrds on tbe floor. "Isupposs so, as he isn't hem It wamZ mything~~P "Wait a seo, and I11 came toa I'm sorting out the Pathem

m

SP*."

MAURICE

Madxi examined Risley's room and wondered what wodd have been said fn it, and then sat on the table and hoked at Durham. He was a d man--very smaP-lwW simple mannem and a fair face, which bad lrripR whem M a d m bloDdered ia. In the d e g e he bad a reputation for brains and also far edusiveaess. Almost the only tbing Memice had heard about himwas thathe'bPentaattoomucha,aadWmeetirrghWily ccalhned it "I can't aRd the Merch," he mid. 3 O q : "All rigw T m hmming them to play on Fethstmkgh's @nth" "under me.'' 'gave you anue into dqp,HallP" "Yes, I ' m beeJlnningmy eecbnd year." aOhyes, ofI'mtbW." He spoke without amgame, and Maurice, forgetting due h o u r to , said, Tau look mom h i a M e r than a -year man, I must say." an M.A." "Imay do, but I fed Mamiceregaxdadhim~*. Waleps an amazing obap,".,he continued. Marnicedidnotreply. %ut all ttre same a Uttle of him goes a long way." "Stnyea don? mfnd borowfng his things." He loolted up a&ein. mghtn't I to?' he asked. T m only ragging, of mum," said Maurice, slipping d the table. "Have you found that music y e -No." *BecwrseIm~tbepinfihewasinnohmry,butblshsart,

-had=

this. "OhAn right."

*pea

beatfng * ~ S ~ p e l l e d ~ t 0 8 a y

MAURICE ThbmnatwhatMauricehad~"Wbntfsftyoo ~ P h e o d O s d , ~ g . TheMdadthsPThatmse~l~0maSoyoo1DatMsatyb~mmh" "Ia. . aA@waltzwath;fOm~mystyhw ~too,assid~mestingMesyaibarrrb~ ~imth€lhadBnnmthisoccaslon.Th~I)ltrbarrrssld, 'Theothermwmeatmagbeintbat~ovoa~the~.

Im~tllookIohsntbelang~M.rrdcerrrtdrewhttey,~mmlllt gonow."

"An rig&

m stopA

Beaten and looely, Mami08 want The sbaa btturd, the

nt@thadtmraedtowsrdrlalaButwMlethsporberwsg~ the*%tthegatsheh4ardqui&-bshhDdbLa -Gaymu MardlY "N~Ithou@t~d~~atOqg~gOnm M a ~ w ~ a f m s t e p s f n ~ t b s P t d , ~ @ ~ m e w r m e d ~ ~ ~ t o ~ . " T v ~them A* ~ ~ h e r a f d ~ g md h l jedredthersaaidsfrommrda y , &bwn'serm.~oathsrannr~trom~~n~~~ own~thsyo#mtshai@~F&~u@fs~ftor thmwmttmetotryalfttlemPda-baFare&mo'dodc DmatamsatdownetthepSMola~~lmelt~debba. .PidntlmowyoowareiQthed&pUsh,Ha9"~the h e T m not-1 want to hear wbet tbeykeop to? huhambez8m,~~sayinghetRouldstartwitbthe 6/4 instead.

~

Y

Y

I t ' s newer w d i z d I

MAURICE "OhDn e w mtnd that Play what you like. Don't go shiftinit wastes be.m

But he cwld not get his way this time. When he put hfs hand on the mller Durham said, Youll tear it, let go," and bed the S/4 b t e d

Maurice listened careMy to the music He rather liked i t You ought to be this end," said Fethersbdmugb, who was worhg by the Eire. You shauld get away from the macbfne as far as you can." 3 think so-Would you mind playing it again if Fethesbnhaugh doesn't mindT "Yes, do, Durham.It is a.jolly thing." Durbam refused. Maurice saw that he was not pliable. He said, *A movemcmt h't like a separate pi-you can't repeat iY-an uainbellla;tble excuse, but apparently d i d . He played theLatgo,FPhlCbwasfglfZOmjoRy,and then eIewnstnrckand Fethemtonhaugh made them tea. He and Dorham were in for the same Tripes, and talked simp, while Maurice listeaed. His enaiment had newer ceased. He saw that Ihham was not only dever, but bad a tranquil and orderly btafn. He hem what he wanted to read, w h he was weak, and how far the oBdals could help him.He had neather the blfnd faith in tutors and 1tures that was held by Manrice and his set nor the contempt professed by F g-h. "You can always learn something from an &man, even if he hasn't read the latest Ge.rmans." Thgr argued a little about Sophocles, then in low water Durham said it was a pose in %s undeqpdaateswto ignore hfm and ad* ~ s t h d u g tob mread the A w with his ep on the chackm rather than &e author; he would learn mom that way, botZl about Greek grammar and Ma Maudce m e e d all thfs. He had somehoftlhoped to ffnd the man rmbalanced. Fethersto&gh was a great pemq both in

MAURICE

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b&andb~~~,andhilda~~andcopiauom.But Durham Ifstmedunmoved, shook out the fahiti@end a p p d the rest What hope for Mawice who was nothfng but falsities? A stab of anger went through him. Jumping up, he said guod nigh&to r e p t his haste sr soon M he was outside the door. He satdedtowrit,notonthe~~fosthir~clrbimao ~botsomewh~betweenits~andDurhamsow~~ rocrm. Going out Into the amt, he basted the htter, ewll lrnoJdng at the or, though he kww the mmm wss abkb and rooking in he studfed tmnitare and ptctnres in the Mght ThPmhetookbi9stendonasatofWpfntheoo~Un~ ~ y f t w a s n o t a w a l b r i d gtonlyepannedawtdee: ~~nin~~grtmnd,wbichthe&bseehodtdsdtoutilfie fn&~Toatandmitmt~fBdha@mppbic~&

rain..

The lights were out. except in Feth&u@~ rock ~strwk,thena~uaroer~~orawholehnrrh~mlgbt have b a a waecbg for Durham. hsmtfy there war a note c n ~ the~~snd~eneatllnleBgurenmo~witha~ d i t s throat and bwks inits h a d It.- the rnmentfor ~Mchhehadwaited,buthefolmd~elf~gano)~I)mc bemwenttokroomsbebindbim.Th0q~waspas-

%*

W nighgwha screamed; bk voice waa gcdng out of p, endstrutlfngthembuth. -kWhots&at? Goad night, Has Taking a stran More bedY "1g e m y da You h ' t want my more tea, I S U p Y Po I? No, pdup its o bit late for W"Ratbe~teprdly he addsd,Zllre some whfsky thou@?~~8yoaadropP"~peafromMauri~

MAURICE

1 ~ i n . H e r e I k e e p : ~ d ~ P "Oh, herel' Durham tamed on the light The &e was d y out now. He told Maurice to sit down and brought up a table with "SaywhenY 'TJds-most a*, most awfully." Soda or plainF"he asked, yawning. %oda,* said Maurice. But it was impossible to stop, far the manwmtiredandhadodyinvitedbimoutofdvillty. Hedrank andrehnnedtohisownroom,whemheprwidsdbimselfwith pIentyoftobaccoandwentiatothe~~urta~ It was abdutely quiet aow, and absolutely dart Mamlce

tffantedtoandfroonthehabvedgraas,htmselfnafseless,his heart~The~ofMmfall~bitbybft,andbof auhis~biswealcestorgaaHisbody~ea,&enbisfeet .auriedbim~toesoapethedawaButhisheertbadilt nevartobe+ed@andonetbinginbimatlastws9 wal Next morning he was ahr. He had a cold far one therafnhaviagsoakedhim~~~ticed,andforanotherhehad ovdepttothee&ntofmissingachapelandtwoledars&It was i m p o d h to get his life straight Afta lanch he changed forfoo~andbeingingoodtimehgMmselfon~soEato sleep tm tea.But he was not h p n . Refusing an i n v h t h , he strclrlled out into the town ad, meetinga 'kkish batb, had one. ItcuredMscold, bntmadehim~foranotherLecftnaWheD Idcame, he felt he cuuldmtfatx the mese of Old Sunningto&, and,thoughhe had notd e e d d,absentedhimself, and dined alone at the U n i a He saw Risky theq but wit5 idifferenca Then the d gbegan again, and he found to bfs surprise that he was very b h e a d e d , and could do six hours' workfn~Hewemttobedathisusualtim~and~up

deep betow his tmhealthy and wry happy. Soom scious~less,had advised him to let D h and his thou@ts abut Dmhrm have a twenty-four-hod re4 Tbsybeganb~maWeofoneana&ar.DorhPmaskedMm to~andMauriEsaskdhfmbaclr,butrmttoo~A ClmtlanPUentobis~wasat~kHehad~~~ asnttouopattlly,bnttblpwasonalargescslaHebacsme~ da~Ms~thatOct~bertermmi@tbeQsolt#dfnthe i+laagwgeof battle. He would not venture on to mdt g m d HespiedontDorbuns~essesaswelleshis~gtb,And abovedhe~anddeanedhpowaa.

I f o b I f g e d a ~ a s k ~ ~ s a R ~ ~ h e d h n c ~ ~ ~ P l n h s m i s ~ o f t h a s e b o y D f n ~ ~ I w s s ~ ~-estdatsdmI,wbuthewaso~gedtossk~andmemty ~~~withhismdnndMsmlnddna.Ea&Qywithtb ~ ~slippdinbtheabyeq r andhelmswtbatbewas n 8gabbg pun& Nddag &e mattad. If he WDZM dand ~nio8sodelly,&wwasdyaby.~.towbiohhebrdde votedlaoceraTo~tosbetchahandupthe~de

~ahPndcst&s$wuthedfotaMrhhebndbesnbam. Hedoogatthebynaartnafbisfinst~~tandbhs~~ ery.~were~widchhelddredbeh€udhim.He~~ even tbou@t d ~~ and emat& his a m d d e d m s 'abut Dmham remined cold Durham didn't disWIB him, he wrmaTbatt~asdhewan& Onethfngatatime.H e W t .:somu& as have hopes, bs hope distr&s, and he bad a great tie8lbbseeta

7

Next term they were 3ntimate at once.

~ , ~ n ~ ~ y ~ a ~ ~ ~ y m f n t h e ~ 8 o , Darham,phm@g into a comrersattolL m tso?-

"Butanawfuls~I'dbeenhaviagarottentfme.w His voioe wa!~not very swious, and Maurice said, "What went wrong? Couldn't you keep down the CMstmas paddbgP" It presently appeared that the puddingwas aRegorical;t h e had been a big family row. 7 don't h o w what you'll say-I'd rather like your opinion on what happened if it doapn't bore you." "Not a bit," said Maurice, "We've had a bust up on the religious questionm At that moment they ware Weampted by Chapan. T m sorry, we're 0xing something,* Maurice told him. chapman d t h b . 71oaneedn't have done that, any time would do for my mt," Durham pmtested. He went on more mestly. "Hall, I don't want to worry you with m y beliefs, or rather with their absence, but to explain the situation I must just t d you that I'm unorthodox. I'm not a ChristIao? Mamice held unorthodoxy to be bad form aad had mmrked last term in a d e g e debate that if a man had doubts he mtgbt have the grace to keep them to himnelf. But he only said to Durc ham that it was a difacult quation and a wide one.

MAURICE

1Wth%aWht.b~8it&e.~HelooMfir#a ~ i r r t o U l e h i t i s a b u t t h e w a y m y m & ~ k & I tald hersirrnrrntbsago--inthe8umm~drhe&dn"t~dmSk 'madsromefoallsbjo~crs~does,btrtthotwasalLB~

pagedava.lwaethenldpshithod~mmy~h

~ . I h d ~ ~ ( ~ ( ~ ~ W V B d b I b d s ~ g h t d i d ~~,qufteasaidd,~wh~IcametolmmvBfslgrdhfe

[email protected] taepmPlredtbat4sdytheir~~SoIpk0mt ~6h4ssM,Ylhysqpoullberrlsawhasryoorrsasald~~*: -:themildest form of the dring ca&vab, md I went away ra . joidng Now it's all cane up agsiam

m i ) " -whyP<)n~otCMotmas.I*'twflmtto~~mmUtlf-

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the locrl s q u h and ttas nei$dmmbm#s'sMB~tRhptf cotrldntsbndwasthe ~ d S h e s a i d I w a s ~ I d b a v e ~ h i f d m ~hadsaidtlataitmontbsbeforqbotnuwlnowto draginholy ~ ~ & ~ ~ ~ d ~ e s s i n o d e r t o m a k e m e d o ~Idis~lWherIhaverrrgawn~unfO~IfI mputatim as well aa my own-m're

wenttothsmaepdthegbfsars*goyomrmg$odP

'wauldmmerI~thatwastoo~g," ~ce,wtdusd~g,said,%odidywgoPL

7whereP* 'T0thedndLm Dmham~plangup.Hfsb~db~~hebit& Ilpandhegmtosmdla

MAURICE

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w0,1dtdD'tptochnrab,Iiaa1dwragbttbetwasplain," Tm~wishyoa'dsitdom.Ididntmeant0~ you. I'm rather elow at c d h g . " Dutham squatted on the lug alose to Mawlm's dl&. "Have you known Chapman hgP"he asked after a pause. "Hereand at scbol, h yea^^" 'Y)h."Heseemdto~"Givemeadgarette. Pot it inmy mouth. Thaaks." Manrice supposed the talk waa over, but after the s w M he went oa You secwyou mentioned you had a motherandtwo$sters,wMchisdymyown~aud alttlmmghtherowIwas~wbatyanwonldhim done in my positfon."Ymmotha must be very difFemt to mine." -wh8tfsyourslikeP" "!3henemmakesanrwabsat~

-Beca~58yoa've~y8tdonsanythingshewddn'tap-

p w + I ~ o a r n m V uOhno,she wouldn't fag henralf,'' "YOU can't tell, H8y espedally with -831

rm d& wsth hez.That'smyrealtrouble~I~yonrMpabrmtv ~'n~nmnd.''

*Eracty,mydearahap,butsballI?Im~sthave~pre . t * m a n g t o l i k e k . ~ m h a s ~ m y l i a I dthink1 id hadstappeabddhg~Idespisehercharactsr,Iamdfe ~withhet.~Ihavedoldyoawhatm~~in~ ~ ~ . " Maurice clenched his fist a d hit h h a m lightly on the head wi&it.~h&"'ebreathed. Tell me abant yorp home Me." mereSsdothing to tell we just go oav Zwkydevlls." "Oh,I don't how. Are you ragging, or wae your vaa xeaUy beastly, Dutham?"

MAURICE mfpey clad ~ e a ~ ~sfjSt~rhPrtb0refOrmwitfra~dWb ftSlPP Weog that hurtsy Q18d tbe other f o y d y . That dtd your sisters say about Holy (3mmmkmY WS mapfed a derthat hmb."

=-I&

--Hen.* ~I~lmarPyaawaeafimLWhepoaPessed~ of Mawids hmuLhenb-md the W s engagedto M WIandm,Esquire, of th+Wmul Eel Shot up I'm going." He fen beiwmn Mads b W~wbydon'tyoogofyou*mgoingip 3ecatTWIcsntBa" It~the~tjm0hehad~toplayWithhnbam.RelG epopland~Mefad0dintothe~a.ashemlledMm

TaerewasnotMngbotra~gfotmrmpdrysaftertha~~ hsm~gqoue8ssillyas~Wherevartheg~

wbichwassvqwhem,thsyWo;lldlmtt~dsparand8~~ ~ ~ d s . A t l a P t D t u ~ g o t t I rBeedf n. g t b e w ~ h e w a s h m t ~ ~ ~ m e s , ~ n d h i , ~ h a d ~ b n , h ~ c e f & ~~gea#~~mlarakaeSsparssd,~tkeyhadbecame -vedmiDgft Th~~aaminarmoramlPrrmnd shouMernrm. When thepsat it ww neardy always in the same pa&b~MaurSc~ in a chair, and Ihuhrrm at his feet, lerudng ~ h i m . I n t h e w o r l d a f t h e i r ~ ~ t b i s ~ n 0 ~ tioe,M~o6would~be~sbair~ Andthefrw-*-tbb-~ ~ a m e o a t ~ 8 a d r e o ~ I t w a r m t h u m ~ ~ . H8bdi~dtbathebb~d,&fdt~paln~on)-

wxusbmed~mstrrltl~epahthatmaa~ a n r o l o g t h e m f d m e ~ a s F ~ R ~ ~ P B f t b t

MAURICE

being inactive. It gaw htm no support, no wider oullook. It didn'tatiUoppaPltlontoachedit,whit&Wteause lessaerve.Theyallhadthese~athome,andregarded them as divine, though neithe~the BibIe nor the Pray& Book nor the Sacraments nor CMstian ethics nor anything spiritual were dive to them. "But how can people?" they e3tclaimed, when anything was attack4 'and mbsaibd to Defence Sodetiaa Mauriw's father was becoming a pillar of Church and Soolejr when he died, and other things being alike Maurice w d have stifFened too. But other things wem not to be alike. He had this ovenvheImingdesiretoimpressDurham.HewantedtoshowhisMe4that he had something besides bmte strength, and where hls fatha w d d have kept canny h he be@n to talk, talk. "You think I don't think, but I can tell you I do.* Very often Durham made no q l y and Maurice wouId be t d k llest he was losing him. He had heard it said, *DPrham's all right as long as you amuse him, then he drops you,'' and feared lest by axhWti~g his orthodoxy he was bringing on what he tried to avoid. But he muld not stop. The mving for nottoe grew overwhelming, so hetalked,tdced. One day Durham said, "HaU, why this thus~essY g\eligionmeans alot to me,- bh&d Maurice."BecauseI say so WymthinkIdon'tfeeL I c a r e a W "In that case come to coffee after hall? They were just going in. Durham, bebg a scholar, bad to read pce, and there was qnicism in hi0 accent M g the meal they looked at each other. Thqr sat at diff;erenttables, but Maurfcehadcowivedtomovehisseatsothathecouldglance at his friend. The phase of bread pellets was aver, Durham Iooked severe this evening and was not speaking to his neighbaurs. Maurice hew that he was thoughtful and wondered what about

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MAURICB

%a wanted to get it end you're

going to," said Durham,

qnuting the door. Maurice went d aud then crimson. But Durham's voice, when he next heard it, &as attacking his opinions on the Trinity. He thought he mfnded about the Trfnlty, yet it seemed unimportant besfde the h a of his temr. He sprawled in an ann-

chatr,alltheskengthoutofbim,withsweatonhisfo~ aod hands.Draham moved about getting dte &d y and saying,"Ihew yon wouldn't l h this, But you have bmu@ it on yo& You~~ll't~metobotde~upindeBnMely. Irmrstlet out sumetlmesw %o~n,~saidMaurfce,clearinghis throat "Inewer meant to talk, for I respect'people's optaions too muah to laugh at them, but it doesn't seem to me that you have any opinions to respect. They're all s d - h a q d t a m

ten&-ww Ma~wtoowas~g,~thattMswaspretty *-

"Pm'realways saying, 'I care a lot' " "And what ri@t have you to &ssume &at I don't? Y o u do care a lot about something, Hall, but it obvious1y h't the Trinity." "Whatis it &en?" mgger.' Maurice had another attdc, His hand shook and he epilt the o o h on the arm of the chair. "You're a bit &,he "heard h€mselfsaylng.Youmi@tatleasthavethegmcetosuggest thatIarreabontpeopleP Durham looked mpbd, but said, "You cam mthiug about the Trinity, any way? Wh, damn the Wty." He burst with laughter. "Exactly, exacdy. We wllI now pass ~ntomynerrt~~

MAURICE 1don't see the use, and I've a mttmhead any way-I mean a headache. Nothing's pined b y - 4 this. No doubt I can't prove the thing4 mean the arrangement of Three Gods in One and One h Tbrse. But it means a lot to millions of people, whatewer you may say, and we aertn' going to give it up. We feel

aboatitverydeeply.GodGodgoo&e;ood.Thatisthe~pointwhy godonasidetrackP" "Why feel so deeply about a side traW 'WhatP" Darham tidied up his remarks for him. Well, the whole show all hangs together." "So tbat if the W y went wrong it would kvalidate tb whole showP" 1don't see that. Not at all.'' He was doing badly, but bls head really did ache, and when he wiped the sweat off it re-hmed. WodoubtIcan~tenpIainwen,asIcareforwtbingbutmg-

ger-Durham came and sat humotoosly on the edge of hfs chair. oZook out-you've gone fnto the oak now." "Blast-so I have." While he cleaned Mmself, Mamice lrnspartedand looked out into the court It seemed years since he had left it. He felt disindbedtobelongerslooewithDurhamandcslledtosome men to join them. A o o h of the rtsual type ensued, bat when they left Maurice felt eqaally disinclined to leave with them. He f l 4 e d the Trinity again. "It's a mystmy,'' he argued. "It isn't a mystery to me. But I honour anyone to whom it many Is," Maurice felt u n d b l e and looked at his own && brown hands. Was the Trinity redly a m y s t q to him? Except at his codhation had he given the Wtution five mirmtes'

1

thoaghtp The arrival of the other men had cleared hfs head, / and, no longer emotional, he glanced at his mind. It appeared lilw his han&emicable, no doubt, and healthy*and capable of development But it lacked refinement, it bad never touched mysteries, nor a g d deal else.It was thick and brown. "My position's this," he anuounced after a pause. "Idon't believe in the Trinity*I give in thw, but on the other hand I was wrong whem I said evezything Bangs together. It doemot,a d because I don't believe in the W t y it doesn't mean I am not a ~ ' ' "Whatdoyonbelievein?"saidDurham,~ -rh,rLe essentiaL9." "ASP"

In a low voice Mauric8 said, The Redemption? He had never spoken the words oat of chmch lwdore and thrilled with emotion. But he did not believe in them any more tban in the Trinity,and h w that Durham would detect this. The R e demptitm was the highest card in the snit, but that suit wasn't trumps, and his Mend could capture it with some miserable two. An that Durham said at the time was, "Dante did believe in the Trinity; and ping to the shelf found the concluding passage of the Porcrdtso. H e read to Mamice athe three rafnbow drcles that and betweea th4dr junctions is d a d o w e d a human face. Poeby bored Maurice, but towards the dose he cried, "Whose faw was it?" "God's, don't you see?" "But isn't that poem supposed to be a dreamy Hall was a muddle-headed fellow, and Durham did not try to make mue of this, nor knew that Maurice was thinking of a dream of his own at school, and of the voice that had said, That is your friend."

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MAURICE

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"Dante w d d have callsd it an awakedug, not a dream" Then YOU think that Sort of d 8 d righty "BtIWs always iight," replted Durham, putttag back the bookWs.alllightaadit's atpotmmistaleable. E v q m a n h w wmarbw about him some belid for whtch he'd die. Only isn't it improbable that your parents and gnardIans told it to youp If thereis one won't itbepattafyourownfleshandspiritP S h

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methatDon'tgohawIcQauttepglIkeTheRedemption'or The mnitf." l l v e given up the Trinity." 'TheFkdemptiOn,~" You're beastly hard," said Maurice. "I always lmew I was stupid, it's no news.The Rlsley set are more your sort and you hadbetteatalktoth~m.~ hnham looked a w h d He was nonplussed for a reply at last, and let Ma& slouch off without protest. Next day they met as d IthadaotbematifEbut asudden gradient, and they travelled all the picker aftg the risa They tallred the& ogy again, Maurice d e f d b gthe Redemption. He last.He teeE ized that he had no sense of ChrWs existena or ofhis goodmw, and should be positively sorry if t h e was such a person. His dislikeofCWstianitygrewandbecsmsplofcnmd.Intendays he gave up communicating,in three weeks he cut out all the chapels he dared. Durham was puzzled by the rapidity, T h q were both puzzled, and Maurice, ahbough he had Eost and yielded all his opinhs, bad a queer fgeling that he was really winaing and canying on a campaign that he had begun last term. ForDmhamwasn?boredwithhImnoftr.Durhama~aldn'tdo without him, and would be found at all haurs curled up in hi8 room and spoiling to argue. It was so unlike the man, who was dandmgreetdLaledidaa Hegaveashis-forat

tacking Maurids opinions that 'Theyareso rotten, Hall, every-

oneelfeuphemW~vas~bly.~Wa~thist?mwhaletrutbP Was them not something else behind his new manner and furious iconoclasmP Maurice thought there wa& Outwardly in re treat, he thought that his Faith was a pawn well lo!& for in capturing it D d a m had exposed his heart T d the end of term they touched u p a yet more delicate subiect. They attended the Dead translation c b , and w h e a w o f t h e m p m ~ ~ g q u i e t l y ~ M r ~ o b d in a flat tomless troice: "Omit: a refereace to the mtspeakablevi~oftbeG~"Durhamobservedafterwardsthat heoughttolasehis fellawship forsuchhypoaisy. Mawice laughed. 1~it~apafntofgmescho~Tbe~ormost of them, were that way idiued, and to omit it is to omft the ~

y o f ~ ~ . ' ' "Is that so?" Yousveread the Synpodm?'' Maurice bad not, and dfd not add that he had explored Mtllc

ttal "It's an in them-notmeat for babes, of coursej but you ought to wad i t Read it this WC" NomorewersBefdat&etIme,bothewas~of~thersub fect, and one that he had never mentioned to any living soul He hadn't hown it could be maaifoned, and when Dutham did so in the middle of dm sunlit coutt a breath of liberty touched Mm.

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O n ~ h o m e b t d k d a b o aDt u r h a m d the fact that he had a Mend penetrated into the mfnds of hisfamny.Ada~wheth~~it~brotkerto~certaiD MissDmham--notbutwltatshewasaady~Mrs Hallconfuseditvdthadon]11~edCom~~Mauricewae deeply wounded. One stmng feeling anrases aaother,and a pro-

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fowIdkritatfonagafnstbis~setiamrela~tRfth

&mM~brrdbMIlialbntstable,bitseemedinl:+ tousthat anyone should mispmmuucethename of the man who wssmmQhlm thanan the world. Hameeumwbd erverg..

-8 It was the same with bLo atheSam. No one felt as dseply as he -gqeecte&mtheandftyofyouthhedtewhis~apart; dsaidttratheshouldalways~lwr~~ and h e of the @le, but that his own conscience permitted ~ t o a t t e n d c h u r c h n o ~ . S b e a t d i t w a sp t m b h

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tune?. 1 ' r l m n s p a d d b u ~ I ~ o t h a l p i t , m ~ ~ 1am made that way. and it is no good arguiug." TourpocnfatherahKayswenttochmb.~ II T m nat my father." I

"Mon%,Monle,whatathingtosey? Well, he isn*fmsaidKitty in her perlcy way. %dy, mtk, come."

MAURICE

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%#rs

you here," coied Mrs Ran, feekg that disap

*dear,

pawalwasdueadumviRiugtobesbowftanherson.Wewere

*ga-*p~snited,~yaaaq=f~~~ sides, for ~auriceis the imageof his fa-~r any said so." well,Dr Barry doesn't go to ahmrch hbs&" said Mamioe, fallingintothefamilyhabitof~allo~erthestwp, SIe ia a most olever man,' said Mrs Hall with 0ualSty, "ad Mra Bany's the same." Tbis sltp d thedr m o t i d s amvtdsd Ada end gitty, They woold not stop laoghfng at the idea af Mrs B m f s bdng a man, and Maurice's atheism was forgotten,He did not commmiate anEmterSlmday,and~thethewould~e~asfn Durham'scase.Butnoonetookanynotice,forthesuborbsno lonm exaot C h r b t h i ~This . &gated himl it made him look at~etywithmweyes.Dfdsoaiety,.wbfleprokaPingtobeso m o d and sensitive, reanp mind Hewroteofbnto~ongletteastyingoarefrulEyto

e@'

eapra~sshadesoffding.Dorhammadelittleofthemandsaid so.His replteswere eqaally loas Manrice never let them out of hts~~gingthemfrolnsufttosaitandevenpilming t h a n i n h b whhewmtto'bed. ~ Hewouldwakeup a

n d ~ t h e m ~ ~ t h Imp, m n e m h how he used to feel afraid as a little boy.

e

Episoaeof~01~ MissOlcottwasoneofthedtinfrequentgueats.Shehadbeen pod to Mnr Hall and Ada in some hydro, and, receivhg an invftstion,'hudfoIlawedftirpShewasabaunfn~~the women said so, and male callePs told the son of the house he waa a Iu* dog. He laughed, they lau@ed, a d haviog ignored her atftrstheboalctopayfnkha#eDticnrr

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MAURICE Now Maurice, though he did not b w it, had become an attractive young man. Much amcbe had tamed his dumsin~~& He was heavy but a l a and his face seemed followiug the example of hls body. Mrs Hall put it.dawn to his moustacheaMaurice's moustache Hlifl be the making of himu-a remark more profound than she realized. Certainly the littie black line of it did pull his faoe together, and show up his teeth when he d k d , and his dothes suited him aLo: by Durbam's advice he kept to flannel trousers, even on Sunday. He turned his smile on Mies Olcott-it seemed the proper thing b do. She responded. He put his muscles at her sewice by taking her out fn his new sidecar. Hesprawled at her fe& FPndhg shesmoked, he persuadedha to stop bebind with bim in the dining-roomand tolook bemeenhfs eyes.Blue vapour qubaed and shredded and built dissolvingwalls, and Maurice's thou@ voyaged with it, to vanish as soon as a window was opened for fresh air. He saw that she was pleased, and his family, servants and a& intrigued; he deknnhd to go farther. Something went wrong at once. Maurica paid her complimtmts,saidthatherhaIrebc.wasrfpping.SheMedtostophim, but he was hemitim, and did not know that he had annoyed her. He had reed that girls always pretended to stop men who complimented them. He haunted her. When she excused hmd from riding with him on the Last day he played the domhedng mala She was his gue&, 8he came, and having taken her to some acenexy that he a m s i d e d lomanth he pressed her little hand betweenhisown. It was not that Miss Olcatt objected to having her hand preaed. Othmhad done it and Manrfcecould have done it had he guessed how. But she knew something was wrona; His toucb revolted her. It m a corpse's. Springing up she c r i 4 'UI Hall, don't be silly. I mean don't be silly. I am not saying it ta make you sillier."

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MAURICE "Miss OlcotbGMys-I'd rarathea die than ofhd-"

growled

taebay,tryinktokeqitup "Imust gp back by train," she said, crying a lit& 9 must, Prn awfully sorry? She arrived home befdre him with a s m i b b lit& at- about a headache and dust in her eye& but his family also h e w that somethinghad gone &mg. Except for this episode the m passed pleasantXy. Maurice did some reading fallow3ng his Mend's advice rather than Ms ~s,andbe~ioneortwomysMsbellefthathewaa ~npAt&instigafianhlP&erdiSmlPBedtlae~ wbohadlongparelyzedtheoutdoordepartmen~andsetupa motorccar instead of a carriage. Everyone was impressed, in&ding theHowen&He also called uponhis father's old partnet. He had fnhdtedsomebusinea aptitude and some money,and it was settled that when he left Cambridge he should enter the tlnnasanumutho~&]r;IW1andHaR,StockBrolwm Maudce was stepping ioto the niche that ~n$andhad prepared khtm.

9

Duringtheprevious tennhehadmdedanrrmtsaal

levelmentdy.bntthevaopuUedbtmba&towards pubIfc-schmW, He was less alert, he again behaved as he supposed he was supped to b e h a w +us feat for ane who is not dowered with hnntrlnRffan. His mind, mt o b s d totally,waswasoftenbybyclauds,andghMfssOlcatthad passed,thefnsfnceritythatledhimtoher~Hisfamng '

~&emainc8tlseofthis.~hadyettoreelfiethat~were stmnger than he and iduemed him Wwlably. hw& in their company leEt%imuntidy, sloppy, victodous in every ftem, yet defeated on the whale. He came back thinking., and men speaking, lllre his moth- or Ads. Till Durham anived he hnd not aotfced the de&&mtfon Durham had not been well, and came up a few days late. Whem bh@-*&peaed round the door, Manrice had aspasm of despair, andtried to redectwhexetheystoodlasl a~rm,dtbpthernpthe~ofthecarnp~HefelthfiP self slack, and afraid of actfon. The wont part of him rose ta

thesurface,andurgedhImtoprebea:comforttojoy. . "Hullo, old man,,* he said awkwardly. Durham slipped in without speakfng. "what3 m g P ''Notbin$, and Maurica knew that he bad lost teach. Lmt tem he would have uDdastood this h t entraum.

aAnyhow, bke a pew.* Durham sat upon the her beyond Ms reach.It was late afterm a The sounds of the May term, the scents of the Cambridge year in h e r , hated fn though the window and said to Mau~Touaremrworthyab~~He~thathewas~parts dead, an den,a yokel in Athens. He had no business here, nor withsuchafxied "Isay, Durham-" Durham came marex. MaMamfce stmtcbd out a hand and felt the head n& against it He forgot what he was going to say. The sounds and scents wbigeered, "You are we, we are youth.* Veryg~hestroWhhairdranMshgmdawn~it asiftocazessthebraia "Isay, Durham, have ypa besn ail xightP" SIaveyouP" %aW "Youwrote yon waaw "Iw ~ s o ~ t *

ThetrntbinbfsmwfcemadebfmtrembIe."A~vao

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~1~knswit;"and~~howhgheshould~it Tbembtwoaldkagain, hefeltsrae, andwith anunhappy sighhepulIedDurham'sheadagainsthisknee,asthaughitwas atakmmfordear ifving. It lay them,andhe had accompli&ed a new ten-ked it steadily from temple to throat. ~~ovbgbotbhands,hedroppedthemonedtheTsideof him and sat sfghg. 21aam

Maurice looked. % there some trouble?" H e d a n d againwithdrew.It~edas~thsthe hadn't as that he had a Mend. to & with tbat girl?"

MAURICE

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"No." You wrote you liked he?." "Ididn't40n'ta Deeper sighs broke from him. They rattled in his &mat, turn.ingto graanrs.His head fen hck, and he forgot the presmm of Durfiam on his knee, forgot that Durham was wa-g hts turbid agony. He stared at the d h g with wrinkled month and eyes, understanding nothlng'except that man has been created to feel pain and IoneIin~sswithout help from he9ven. Now Durham stretched up to hfm, stroked his hair. Thgr daqxdonerurotber.n~heywerelying~ag;afostbreastsoon, head was on shoulder, but just as their cheeks met someone

called %all'' h n the court, and he answered: he always had answered when people called. Both started violently, and Durham sprang to the mantelpiece where he leant bis head on his am.Absutd people came thundering up the stairs. They wanted tea~pointedtoit,then~dra~illto~oomretsation, and scarcely noticed bis Mend's departure. It had been an ordlaary~he'~himself,bttoosentlme3stal,andhea1ltivated a breehw'against their next mwthg. This took place soon enough. With halE a dozen othem he was m g for the theatre after hall when Durham called him. "Iknew you read the Symposiumin the vac," he said in a low vofce. Maurice felt uneasy. '%en you undmtand-without me saying more-" giow do you meany Durham d d not wait People were all arormd them, but with eyes that had gone intensely blue he whfspared, glove y d Mawice was-s M e d . Hewan shocked to the bottom of his suburban soul, and exdahed, "Oh, rotl" The words, the marmnt, were out of him before he could reon11 them.

MAURICE "Durham, you're an Enghbmaa I'm another. Don't talk nonsense. I 'm not o&ded, because I know you don't mean it, but it's the only subjectabsolubelybeyond the limit as you know, it's tbe worst crime in the calendar, and you must never mention it again. Durham1 a rotten notton really-" But I& friend was gone, gone wftbont a word, Qing across the anut,the bang of his door heard through the sounds of

BP"w

fhat nothing either for pod or evil has happened, and to n d s t the invader. Once gripped, it feels acntely, md its sensationsfn

looemparti~ly~dGiventhne,ftcanlaKIwaudimpart~glventIme,itcansinkbotheheartofHelLThusit wag that his agony began as a sltght mgr@ sleepless nights and hzelydaysm~tinte.dy%intoa~that~edbfm.It worloed~,linit~eatheroatwhencebody8ndd both spring the "I" that he had been tmfned to obscrrre, and, realrzed at last, doubled its power and g m v superhuman, For itmighthave~joy.Newworldsbro]oerooSefnh£matthfs, i

andhesawfmmtbevastaaff3oftheminwhateorta~yhehad lost, what a commdoa I Theydidnotspealragainfortwodays.Durbamwoddhave -; m a d e f t l a n a ; e r , W m m o s t o f W M e a d s w e r e ~ f n:~ andt.wrarboaDdtomaatRedkfngtbb,hewmteMaurice 1 an icy note s u g g b g that it would be a public m v d if 1 ~ h e d n t r n ~ g h a d h ~ % a d d ~ T !W b e I obliged if you will not mention my crhninal m o m r to any- ! one.Iamsureyouwill&~fromthesdletffay%which i you took the nerrrrs? Maurice did not reply, but 0rst put the note with the l e t t e ~he had &ved during the vaa and afterwards

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burnt them all.

I (60)

I

MAURICE Hesnppanedthecllmaxofapyhadcome.Btbhewesftesh :to red dfedng as to d i t y of any kind. They had yet to meet. Onthe second afternoon they found hmsdvesinthesame four at~andthepafngrewexcrudatbg.HecddscaroeIy stand or seei if he retamed Durham's service the ball sent a throbophisarm.Thenthgrweremadetobepartnew;oncethey jostled, Dmham tRfnoed, but managed to la@in the old feshion. . Morewer,itpnwedmveafemtthatheshouldcomebgckto &ge in Manrice's sid~ctv.He gat in witbut demur. Maurice,who bad notbeen to bed for two ni@ts, went light-headed, tmned the machine into a by-he, and traded top speed. Them was a wagon in front, full of worn- He drove straight at them,butwhentheysaeamedstockonhisbrakes,andjut avoided dbster. I)athammade no amment As he indicated in :hisnobe,heonlyspokewhenotherswerepresentAllotherinbrcornsewastoend,

ThateveningMamlcewenttobedasd B u t e s h e l a i d M s headonthepilhms afloodoftearsaozedfnanit Hewashor~ A m a n ~ g ! F ~ m i ~ h e a r Hewept h i m . ~ i n t h e ~ h e s p r a n g a b o o t ~ ~ t h e n ~ M s .heail against the wall and d e d the uockery. Someone did come up the stairs,He grew quiet at once and did not recornmace when the foodied away. Lighting a candle, he looked with sutprise at his torn pyjamas and trembling limbs. He amthued to cry, for he could not stop, but the suiddalpaint hadbeenpessed, end,remakingthebed,heIayQwn. H[is kyp was W g away the nrtDs when he opened bis eyes. It seemed qaeer to Mauric8 that a gyp should have beem dragged in. He' uatdcdftrhetheathe mansaspectedanything,then slept again. Onwaldngthedtlmehefoundlettersonthe~ fnmraldMrGrace,h&~,aboattttepartythatwas

MAURICE u

~be~whmhecameobagq~fnrmadon's~astrilsghtmtoluuah(-M.rhrrhamis~gtoqeoyoa~~~'tbe shy"), another fnrm Ada wfth menSlon of Gladya O W Yet againhefellasleep Ma* is not for everyone, but Matnice's p r o d the thunderbolt that dispels the CIOuds. The storm had been working up notfor three days es he qpd,but for six years. It had brewed in the obmritfea of being whereno eye pieaoas,his mroundineps hadthtol#medit1thadburstandhehadnotdied.TheMlllanay of day was around him, he stood upon the mmtnin mge that ovemh&ows youth,he saw. Most of the day he sat with open eyes, as f looking into the Valley he had left It was all so @&a now. He bad lied. He phrasedit~feduponUes,"lmtbarethenaturalfoodof boyhood,andhehndeatenpedily. Hfsftrstresohrewasto be moredinthefuhmt.Hewouldlive~$tt,notbecause it m a t t e d to anyone now, but for the sake of the game. He d not deceivehimselfsomuch.He would notdnd tM9wns the tabpretend b care about women when the d y sex that attractedhim was his own. He loved men and alwaya had loved them. He Ion@ to embrace them and mingle his being with t h h Now that the man who.retumed Ms love had been lost, he admitted this.

11

Af&zthis d s h MtUVio8 became a man- Hi-if h ~ ~ ~ c a n b e & h a ~ h a d n u t ~ wortb mWs ahcthm, but ccmvenpetty, tre8to .adms,beeawe to himself. Now he had the highest gift to a h . The itbdhn and the brutality that ran h g h boyhood had joined at lart, and twined into lova No one might want mob lovqtnttLcouldnotfeel~eddit,h~eitwae~~ .neither body or ad, nor body and soul, but %em waking tbmu~both.Hertm~yetssensed~phhsdoome drswhemP~hadshownhimrnicbebehtndthe~~~Ws judge m t s ,whitbi he coutd withdraw. Therewasstmmrmfb~leam,andprspagedbelatehe~ plorca~.~fnbfobeingIk~acm~tbsywera B u t h e ~ t h e m ~ d l o o M n a m r e a t m ~ inthermd.Hebrdamhtoolateforhap~botllDtbm stren$h,andaoaldftdana&em j a y , a s o f a ~ w b o l e hmmlAnbOtafDnyd As&e~8wentanhehe&dtospeakb~He vnlneadM~,~a,laQelydiscavarcdtbem\Aby ~ h e & e n d c a u w ~ ~ d ~ w b a r w o l r b r n i ~ t p u t a l I ~ H s ~ ~ ~ y f o g , 1 d y ~ e g o o r s y u ~ b m ~ ~ e n d D U r b a m r e ptlvrtsoPThenIfim ~gis gtvaytm,*andto~ptdomofyouth~a~~~~~~d

~le,~@~~hedMnot~wftasleadbrgto

MAURICE joy. HemadesevaaZattemptsbutpartlythroughhisownshyness, partly through Ddam's, they failed. If he went round, the door was sported, or else there were people hide; should he enter, Durham left when the other guests did. He invited him to m&he could never come; he offered to lift him again for tennis, but an excuse was made. Even if they met in the court, Durham would &ect to have forgotten something and run past him or away. He was surprised their Mends did not notice the change, but few undergraduates are obsemmt-4ey ha& too much to discover within thamselves and it w s a don who remarkedthatIhuhamhadstopped~gwiththatHalI

Fa He found his opptxhdty after a debating society to which both belonged. Durhm+pbding his Tripo+had sent in his resiption, but had begged that the so* might meet in bis rooms &st, as he wished to take bfs share of hoepitality. This was like him; he hated to be under an obligation to anyme. Mauride went and sat through a tedious evening. When everyone, including the host, surged out into the fresh air, he remained, thinking of the &st night he had visited that mom, and wondering whether the past cannot return. Dndmm entered, and did not at once see who it was. I p r h g him utterly, he pmceeded to tidy up for the night Prrou're beastly hard," blurted Mauricq "you don't know what it is to have a mind in a mess, and it makes you very hard." Durham shookhis head as onewho redusesto listen. He looked so ill that Maurice had a wild desire to catch hold of him. "You might give me a chance instead of avoiding me-I only want to discuss? We've discussed the whole evening? "Imean the Sympapium, like the andent Greeks." "Oh Hall, don't be so stupid-you ought to know that to be alone with you hurls me. No,please don't reopen. It's over. It's

wer? He went into the other mcrm and beganto udress. TOE$~8tblo&comtesy,butIoimply~t--my~ersell~ h*thr8eweerhpof*Sio8n3miW,*caad~

p= hpr .I)mbam,rm 0 Hell-9

mh,~$Bt~It'sonly~Hella€dt~Yorhran~ a O n e P n y t M n g t o 1 # ~ d d , m ~ ~ t ~ ~ ' s ~

Heam M a ~ g ~ v e a ~ a f p a f a I t w a s S o ~ ~ ~ bam,wb~~~a~tocbsethedom~~~said,-Ve5y open,m&~ifyo11~~sthe~?Yon~to want (0 apologize about mmdbg. WhyP You bshrve as if I ? ! annoyed with yoa What have yoll d a -gP~ Ym*wken ~gblvdeocmtfrom~to~m

Invainheproaaaa. %d-twI-yom~--.When yoawen,so@tome,a~P11theaftesn#mIcameop-

I ~ t i t w a s w m e t h i n g e l s e , I a m m o l e ~ t h a cen nf eversay. I hadno rl&tomaw,out of my boob andmusiu, w b ~ o b ~ w h a s ~ d i d w h ~ ~ m e t ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * t ~ o~~ymaretbanan@g&eIddPe,bat,~I& malreitmmt s h a d y I It fs a lasting grief to b e ~ t e d y ~ ~ HisvoicswasSae&bordeu.andblshbaswold.Matl:a ria flung rueless d abut love. ~8dl,IthintLCetm~edq~dyandbget,m Pmham, I love He h@ed tdtbrly. -I a-I have ahRay& l~ooanf*~daigbt" 1td you, I do--I came to say it+ yom very am way-I have always been like the G d and did& bow? = P d & estateme?lt."

MAURICE Words d d him f m m a y . He could only speak when he was not asked to. "Hall,don't begrote8quanHeraisedhishand,for M a d m had exclaimed. Ws~thevaydeantfellowyouareto comfort me, but there are lfmUs; one or two things I can't a d o w . " T m not grotesque-" 9 shouldn't have said that So do leave me.rm thankhrl it's into your hands I fell, Most men would have qmted me to the Deaa or the P*" "Oh,go to Hell, it's a11you're tit for: cried Maurice,rushed fntothecaortdheardoncemorethebangdtheonterdoor. Furious he stood on the W g e in a nigbt tbat resembledthe &st --drizzly with faint stars, Hemade no a h m c e for three weeks ofbomPeunllltehisawnorfortheporsOnwhlCa,secretedbyme man,actsdiEerendyonanather.~~ewasgednottofjDdhis Mendashehadleftbfm.ItRahtgo'cloJr~~two,dhe wasstm~whattosayvrrhemtherefsncthIngto8ayand the resonroesof speech are ended

Theasavage,'r&?ss,drencbedwfththerain,hesawhthe 0rstgllmmerofdtaqmthe~dDurham'snuna,andhis heartleapt&eaodshookhimto~.Itcrfed"Pouloveand an310ved.nHelookedroundthecoPrtIt~-Ymarestrong, he weak and alone,* won over his Terxi0ed at what he must do,he aught hold of the mullion and sprang. "MauriCeJ-" Ashed~tedhisnamehad~calledoutofdteams.The viola08 went out of his but, and a purity that he had nevez imagined dwelt there instead. His Mend had called him. He stood for a moment entranced, then the new ematton found him words, d laying his hand vary gently upon the pillowrr be answered, 'Y=llveln

PART

fg

Qivehadsuff;eredllttlefrommtasabop. rUrsiuuue~withitsLap.semeofrightd t~nmg, hadbrauplatbimthebebdthatiwwas damnedinsbd Deeplyrelimwitha1lvingdesfretorsacbCodaadhpiearse Him,hefouudhimeelfdmspsdat anearly a g e b y t h t e o k d e sire, obviously from Sodom.Hehad no &ubt as to what it was3 bisemotion,morecompaotthan~s,wasnotsplitintothe W and the ideal, nor did he waste years inbxidgbg the gulf. I I e h a d h b i m t h e ~ u l s e t h a t ~ e d t h e C l t ythe d Plain. It shonld not ever beoome catnal, but why had he out of all ChWbns been puaished with itP AtfitstirethmghtGodmustbefxyfagbfm,andifhedfdnot b l a p h m ~ ~ b i m l i JohHeflwmfombawed k e hishead,fssted,andkeqtawayfromanymewhomhe~ bimse3f*to~Hfs*yearwas~borhna Eetoldno~aud~ybDabedownaudhadtobe~ed ffomschool.I)ariag~oomralesoenoehefomadhtmeelfEalltq@r f n h w i t h a cousin who walked byldsbnth chair, ayoung mardedman.Itwashp&s,hewasdamued. These~had~Mamicgbut~toQivethey werede&dtqcuntlauous,andaotmore~attheEncharfst ~~k HemwrmIstookthem, kspiteof thereinhe ~0ngnrrsaess.Hed~tkebody;itwasthetefnted soul that mocked his prayers.

MAURICE

Theboy had always been a scholar,awaketo the printed word, and the horrors the Bible had evoked for him ware to be laid by Plata Never could he forget his ~ m 0 t b at n &st teading the Phogdsus. He saw there his malady described exqutsitalaly,calmly* as a passion which we can direct, like any other, totRards goad or bad. Here was no Witation to licence, He could not belleve h i s g o o d f o r t u n e a t ~ u g htheremustbesomedmd~ t standing and that he and PIato were thinkingof difiierentthings. Then he saw that the temperate p a p really did comprehend ;him, and, slipping past the Bible rather than opposing it, was offezing a new guide for life. %make the mast of what I bave." ,Notto d i t down,notvainlytowfahthatit was somethSug &e~buttodti~~bftinauohwayemVJJ]Inot~~~~COd~~

Man. Hewasoblfgedhowevertoth~#~over~~.Those whobasetheircunductuponwbattheyarerathertbanupon wbtthey~~~tobe,alwaysmust~itav~fntheend,aed besides, btweea Clive's temperament and that religion there is a secular feud. No denr-headed man can combLne them. The ~toqwtethelegalfannula,Ishottobementtooed *amongCbrMad, and a legend tells tbat all who shared it died onthe~goftheNativity.CliveregWted~Hecame of a family of lawyers and squires, good and able men for the mnstpart,andhedidnotwlshtodepartfromtheirtradltIan. He wJshed ChxWadty would compromise with him a li#le and searchedtheScdpturesforsupport.kwasDavidd Joaathao; them was even the ''dhdple that J e m loved." But the C3mrch'shteqmtationwesagafosthim;hecouldnothdamy ~farhfsdiaheo~ootcrippliogit,andtffithdww~ fntotheclassIcsyearly. By eighteen he was unusually maand so well under contFol that he d allow himself to be e d l y with anyone who

attracbedhim,Hannonphadsnceeeded~dsm.AtCambridge^ he oalthrated tender emotions for 0th- tmdex-graduates, and hfs life, hithm &raysbecame slightly tinged with d a t e hues. Cautious and sam, he advanced, nor was them anytbg pettyinhis~~lutIonHewasreadytogofrutherehoddhe~ sider it right. In his s m d year he met Risleyshimself "thatway." Uive did not rehun the conftdemewhich was gSvm rather freely,nor did helikeRisleyandhfsset. Buthewasatinmhted. Hewasglad tohthatthaewere~ofhfssoltabaat,audthedrfrank~bracedhim*temghis~abaathfs~it

wasallhecortldtellher.MrsDmBam,awaddlywomau,made Il#lepmt&Itwasat Chrlstmars thetroublecama Beingthe only genby in the parts4 Le Durhams communicated sepaablysand to have the whale village h h g an while she and her daughters heit without C h in the middle of that long footutd out her with shame and stung hw fnto anger. They qtmdled, He saw har fix what she renlly was-withd rrp sympathetiq cmpty-d in his dlsmusfoa fauPA himself tbinkblg vividly of Hall. Hall: hewasonlycmeofseveralmenwhom herather~ h e , a l s q b a d a & a n d ~ ~ k ~ ~ t o o level-headedto pretend this was the only bond between them. HemustllkeHallmolethanhereellzed--mtrstbeaUttleinloPe

tRtthbim.AndasmastheymethehadarashofmotIonthat canfed him fdto intimacy. The man was bomgeok dnhhed and stupid-the worst of oomftdaate. Yet he told about his home troubles, touched out of allpportimbyhfsdismissalofChapmaaWheaHallstarted tmshg he was charmed. Others held ds regarding him as se date, and he ltlced baing dmnvn about by a powwfd and handsome boy. It was delightfal too when HaU stroked his hair: tfae

.

MAURICE

faces of the two people in the room would fade: he leant back tmhischeekbmshedtheIlnnnnlof~the~audfdtthe waImth~~glLHewasandep.ao~onthsse~ a s i o Heknewwhatkindof ~ ~ pleesnrehewasmceivhg, and received it honestfy, mtdnthat it bnmght no hann to either of thiauHaIlwasamanwhoonlylikedwomm+meconldtallthat at a glance. Towards the emd of the term he notfced that Hall had acquired a peculiar and beautiful q r e s s i o a It came only now and t h e was snbtle and lay far dawn; he noticed it &st when theywere squabblingabout tbdogy. It was &e&onate+ kbdly, and to that m t a natural expression, but there was mixed in it somethhg tbat he had not OM in the man, a touch ofimp~PHewasnotaure,batllkedit.Itdwhe3o&ey met suddenly txhad been silent It b e d c o dtohim acmsa intellect,sapins 'Tbjs is all very well, yodm JePa, we lcmw-ht comeI"Ithauntedbfms0thathewatrhedforitwhilshis brain andtonguewarebasy, a n d w h e n i t ~ e h e f e l t ~ r e p l y h g , 'Tn unn8-I diddt blow." Toll can't help yourself now. You must come." '2 don't want to help myself." . "Comethen,"

He did uxna He flung down ali the bamtertisot at once, for he dld not livein a house that canbe destroyedin a day. All that term and &rough -1 afterwards he made the path dear. Once a t a h that Hall loved hfm, he unloaPed his own love, Hltheato it had been rlanrnnce, a passing pleasme for body and mind How he dqbed that now. Zrrve was harmoniolls, immensaHepwredintoitthed@ityaswellasthericbnessof hisbelag, a n d f n d e e d i n t h a t w e l l ~ s o a l t h e t w a 0ne.TherewasmthhghmnbleaboatQivaHelmewhisown worth,and,*bm~QgQth=@*love, he bad blamed drarmstenoes rathex than bias&, Hall,

MAURICE

though attractive and beautiful, h d not condescended. T6q. would meet on an eqtdity next tenn. But baolrs meant so much for him he foqpt that they were a bewildennenttoothess,Hadhetrnstedthebcuiytberewould aave~nodisastg,butby~g&eirloveto~pasthe linkeditto thepresent,and&inhis~s mindtheamventlorn and the fear of the law. He redked nothing of this. What Hall safd he must mean. 0thwhy should he say itP Hall loathed hbm--had said so, "Oh,rotr-the words hurt more drananyabnse,and~~~lginbis~arsfordays.Hallwasthe h d t h y n a r m a l E n whobadnever ~ had a gllmmar of a-ap Great was the pain, p ~thet mo&cation, but worm faE lowed;So deeply had Cltveb - m eone with the beloved that he began to loathe himself. His whale phhsophy of Me broke down,and the sense of sin was reborn in b ruins, and crawled along~aallhadsaidhewasactiminaSandmusth. He was damued. He dare never be fdeds with a young man again, for fear ofoo~ptlnghim. Had he not Lost Hall his faith in Christlanfty and attempted his purity besfdesP During those three weeks Clive altered immensely, and was beyond the reach of arguritent when Hall-good, bIunde&g cxea~etohisroomtocomfarthim,Medthisand that withoutmcces,andvanishedina gustofteqw. -goto Hait's all@'refitfor~Neveratnreowordbnthardto accept from the beloved. Cllve's defeat increased: his Ufe had been blown to pie~e8,-andhe felt no inward strength to rebuild it and dear out evil His conclusion was 4 U d i h boy1 I never loved bim. I only had an image I made up in my polluted min4 and may God help me to get rid of itow But it was this image that visited hfs sleep, and caused him towhfpritsnama %laurice...-

MAURICE

I

"Cllve... "Halll"he gasped,fully awake. Wannth was u p hfm,*Maw I)

~ M 8 ~ M a u r i ~ a . . . ~ b B d ~ ~ "IhOw." Omautiw I love you." .

=w

They kissed, s d y wishing it. Than Maurice vanished as he had come, throughthe widow. I

13

ToemissedtwoleckPeS~,-remarlaedMau*~bo-mgrfiis*Cutthem~11onlygateyoa" "wUyoac0meontinthesi~ Yes, but a long way," said Clive, lighting a d m "Ican't stick Cambridge in this weather. Let's get right ouit ever so far and bathe. I can work as we go alonflh damnabIon1"for there were steps on the stairs. JoeyFetlm&bm@ looked in and asked one or other ofthem to play tennis with him that atternoOn.Maurica accapted. 'Ma-! What did yau & tbt far, yatl fool?" *Cleared blm out qurokest Clfve, meet me at the garage in ' lweaty minutes, bring your pubid books, a d borrow Jogls goggles. I must dress. Bring some lunch too." What about horsea jnsteadr "roo slow." Theymet as amnged. Joey's goggles had ofFeredno difaculty, as he had been out. But as they threaded Jesus Lane they wem balled by the Dean. sIan, haven't you a ItxtureP'' 9overslept," called Maurice contemptuously. "Hall1Halll Stop when I speak" Ma& went on.9lo gaod arguing,whe observed. "Not the least."

MAURICE

'ilmyswidedacrosathetnidgeandintotheEIyroad.Mawice 8atd,Wowwe~gotoHelLmThemacMnewaspotRertul,he ~ & ~ B S B naturally. It leapt fotward into the fens and the reoedingdomeofthesky. Thmybecameaclodofdast,astemob,attd aroartotltew& buttheairthey breathed was pure, and all tbenaisetbeyhd~thelomgdra~~chearof~wfnd.They cared for a0 om,thgr were outside humardv, and death, had it me,would only have oontfnuedtheir pursuit of a mtreating hodma A WQQ, aM t had bean Ely-were behind them, hafrontthesameeky,p a l i n g a t ~ a s t h o theu ~ ~ "Right turn," again, then %&,, "IiglIt,* until all seose of dhee hwas~~~wasarip,s~Wc8tookno& AaQIseenweasofathonslllldpehblesbeingbkcmtogeth~t ~hi~legkNoaodderrt~batthemachinecameto a~amcmgtheda&bladtfields.Thesongofthe~kwae heard, the taail of dust began to s d e bebid them. Thgr were

aloae. W s eat," said Clive, They ate on a p s y embanhemt Above them the watm of a dykemoved f n p m p W y , and d W e d intemidde willow tresrr.Man, who had oreated the whale landscap, was mowhem to be seen, After b c h Cllve t b g h t he ought to work, He Spreaaanthisbooksandwaaasleepintenmirmbes.Ahmicelay up by the water, smoking. A fannet'sciutappeared,anditdld

ooaatohfmtoeskwhichanmtytbywmein.Butheaaid~ ~nordidthefarmrappeartonottoebfm.WhenCliveawoke itwaspastthree. Weshallwantsometea~~atashbcontdmtfon -AllxighLcanyonmeadthatbloodyMlre?"Oh yes, Wt something j& He yawned and wanted

dOwnaothemacMDaW~Ican't,Mamioe,atnyouP "Ratha not"

MAURICE They Idd their cheeks together and began laughing. The mashstmcltdtem esextrmrd&arjlyfanny. Gmndpp's presemt too! He had given it to Maurice against his cumipg of age Sn August. Crive safd, %ow if we left it and waked?" "Yes, who'd do it any ham?Leave the crmts and t h @inside it JWs P*" "WhataboutmybooIrsF

-

'ZRave 'em tooP

"IshaatwantthemafterhallP "Oh,I dcm't lmow.Tea's more importantthan haU It stands to what are you giggliug &-that if we follow a dyke long enough we must come to a pub." Why, they use St to water their beda Madce smote him on the ribs, and for ten minutea they played up amongst the trees, too sDly for speech.Pensive a* they stood dose together, then hid the bicycle bebind dogroses, and startid Cllve took his notebook away with him, bot it did mo~smvivekanyrrsefulforrn,forthedykethey werefohring branche& We must wade thls," he saSd. We can't go ~ m n or d we shan never get anywhere. Maurie, look-we must keep Sn a bee llw south." -Anrightw It did not matter which of them suggested what that day; the otheralwapsagmed.QIvetookoiThis~andsoclrsandFollsd histrouseesup.Thenhestep@upontbebrawnsurfaceof the dyke and vanished. He reappeared swbmhg -All tbat deep!" he spluttered, climbing out. "Maurice, no ideal Had ycmY Maurh ate4 "Isay, I must bathe properly."He dSd so, while Clive canied his clothes. The ligfit grew radiant. Presently they cameto a farm,

I

The farmes's wife was inhospitable and mrpciotss, but they spoke of her a f t d as "absulately rippinga She did in the endgive them tea and allow Cliveto drynearhe3.kftcltenBaw. She "MIpayment to t h a a and, when they overpaidher, gnunbled. Nothing checked their #its. Tbgt transmuted everyt h &

'Y;oodbye,w$regreatly~~~safd~~Andifany of poarmea came aaossthe bike: I wish we could desuh whw€Jleftft~.~I11gSveyaampMemdscard. mefion&e&Ptheywlllbec~,ldnd,dbringit dwntothe nean3st station. Somethingof the sort, I don't kww. The Won ' ~ w i U ~ t o u s . " The station was &re miles an. Men they reached it tite sun waslaw,andthey~ootbadtinCmbridgetmafbhaLAll tbislastpartofthedaywasperfect.Thetxn@far~omeun~reeson,t~asfpn,and*satdose~,t-g

@eonderthehubbab,d&gethey@itwes 5n the ordfnary way: neither had an impulse to say anything epedd The whole day had been ordinary.Yet it had never m e befmtoeitherofthem,norwasittobe~ted.

14

The Dean sent Maurice down. Mr Cornwallis was not a severe dcial, and the boy hadatolerablemmd, but he couldnatovedookso g m a breach of discipline. "And why did you not stop when I called you, HdP" Hall made no answer, did not even look sotry. He had a smouldering eye, and Mr C h m a l h , tbnagh much annoyed, raked that he was confronted with a man. 1n.adead, bloodless way, he even guessed what had happened. Yesterday yaa cut chapel, four lechues, iucluding my own translation class, aud hall. You have done tbis sort of thing be= fom It's u m t v to add Impertinence, don't you WukP Well? No replyP You will go down and inform your mother of the reason. I shall inform her too. Until yon w d b me a letter of apology, I shall not recommend your readmidm to the college in OcZobet. Catch the twelve oDclock.* *All right." Mr Cornwanis motfoaed him out No panishment was idcted on Durham. H e had been let ofF alllekuresinviewofhis~ripos,audevenifhehadbeen remiss the Dean would nothave worried him; the best classical sdmh of his year, he had won special treatment. A goodthinghe would noloagerbdfstractedby Hall, Mr Cornwdia alwaysmpcted such Mendships. It was not natural that men of Merent dm-. and tastes should be intimate, and aIthough undergradu-

MAURICE

!

atas, anWce schoalboys,are o f 8 M y normal, the dons exercised a~amonntofwa~,danditrl&httogpodlalove a&Pitwhentheycould. Qive helped him pa&, and saw bim d.He said little,lest he depressed bis Mend,who wm stiIl in the hmics, but his heart

sank.Itwmbislastterm,forbismotheawouldnot~bim~y up a fourth year, which meant that he and Maurice would never meet in Cambridge again. Their love belonged to it, and par1

aclJartymthefr~rotMhoddnotmncoinrofthslr meeting anywhem else. He wished that Maurice had not taken

u p a m g h ~ t h t h 8 ~ h i t ~ 8 8 t O O l a t e n andthat aw, the iddear bad not been lost He camtected that stdecar with hdadtie+the agony of tbe teumis comt, the joy of yesterday. h d in a siagb motion, they seemed there closer to one another thm e l s e w h ~the ~ ~m ~a,chine took on a Me of its own,in which they met and realized the unity preached by Plato. It had gme, and when Maurice's traln went also, a W y teadngband fromhand,hebrokedown,d~tohfsroomwrotepassicmate sheets of despair. Maurice received the letter the next morning. It completed what his family had begun, and he had his first explosion of rage against the wid.

5

"I can't apdogb, moth-1 exphined last night theres$nothing m apologize about They had no right to send me down when evetyone cuts lechues. Its p& spite, and you can ask anyone-Ada, do try turning on the &instead of the salt water." She sobbed,"Maurice, you've upset mother: how can you bs so MMnd and brutal?" T m sure I don't mean to be. I don't see I've been unkind. I &all go straigbt into the busine~~ now,like father did, without taking one of their rotten depes, I see no harm in thatP "Yoa might have kept your poor f a k out, he never had any unpleasantness," said Mrs Hall. "Oh Mode, my darling-and we did so look forward to CambridgaP "All this cryinds a dstake," announced Kitty, who aspired to the functions of a tonic "It only makes Maurice tbi& he's important, which he isn't: hell write to the Dean as soon as no one wall& Mm to." shan't. Its unsuitable," replied her brother, hard as iron, 3 don't see that." "Little &Is don't see a good deal" Tmnot so smel" He glanced at her. But she only said that she saw a good deal more than some little bays who thou@ themelves little man, She was merely maunddg, and the fear, tinged with respect,

MAURICE that had arisen fn hfm died down. No, he ddn't apologize. He hud done nothing wrtmg and wouldn't say he had, ft was the 5rst taste of honesty he had b u m for years, and honesty ia lilce~ b d . In bh unbending mood the boy thought it would be posslble to live without compromise,and ignore all tbat didn't yield to himself and Qivel Qive's letterhad maddBDed him. No doubt he is stupid-& sensible lwerwould apologize and get back to comfort his friend--but it was the stupidih/ of passion, whlch would rather have nothing than a littla They continued callcing d weeping. At last he me,said,1 can't eat to this acuqmbent," andwent into the garden. His mother followed with a (my. Her very softness enraged him, for love d e v w the athlete. It cost her nothing to mu& about with tender words and toast: she only wanted to make him soft too. She wanted to know whether she had heard rightly, was he refusingto apologize?Shewolldezed what her father would say, and incidentally learnt tbat the birthday glft was lying beside some East Anglian drove. Sb grew seriowly concerned, for its loss was mom i n t e l l i to ~ her than the loss of a degree. The @dsmjndedbo.Theymomnedthebiifor therest ofthe morning, and, though Maurice could always silence &em or s a d them out of earshot, he felt that their pliancy might sap hisstrengthakpin,asintheEastervaoetton. In theafthe bad a collapse. He remembered that Qfve and he had only been togethex one day1 And they had spent it camering about lib fools-instead of in one amtlds arms1 Maurice did not know that they had thus spent it perfedy-he was too young to dete.ct the triviality of contact for contact's

~ThongbrestraiDedbyhisfriend,hewoaldhavesurEeited pasion. Later on, when his love took second &em& he realized how well Fate had served him. The one embrace in the

MAURICE

darknms, the one long day in the light and the wind, were twln columns, each useless without the other. And all the agony of ~tfan~hewentthmu~now,iasteadofd~~was tofalfa He Med to answer Clive's letter. Already he feared to ring false. In the evening he received d e r , camposed of the words"Mauri08lIlaveyoa.~He~~~~ered,~Ilaveyoa" Then they wmb way day and for all their care mated new images in each o w l 3 hearlj3, Letteas wort ewm more quickly than silenca A temn seized Clive that somstMng was going wnm~andjnstbeforeMoeaarmhegotleavetonmdowntotown. Maurice hmahed with hfm, It was honibla Both wem W, and they had obosen a restaurant w h they could not hear theaosehtes speatc "Ihaven't enjoyed it," sath Clive when he wished goodbye Mamice felt reSieved. He had pretended

toMmselfthathehadenjopedit,andthuofncreasedhismiserp. They agreed that they would &e themselves to fa& in their le#ers,andonIywritewhenanythingwaswpat T h e m strainrele8ed,andMamice,~tobrafnfewrthanhesup p e d , bad several dreamless nfghfs that healed hfm. But daily life remained,a poor business. H f s ~ o n a t h o m e w a s MrsHallwishedthat ~ : sameonewould decide it for her. He looked lib a man and had turned out the Howells last Easter;but on the other hand he had been sent down from Cambridge and was not yet twentycma WbatwashisplaceinherhoMe?htigatedbygltty,she tried to assert h d , but Mawice, after a genuine look of surprise, laid back his ears. Mts Hall wavered, and, though fond of her son, took the unwise step of appealing to Dr Barry. Madoe was asked to g rand one evening to be talked to. 'Well, Mawiae, and how goes the career? Not quite as you ehP"

-

1;

MAURICE ~ t ~ a s s t m ~ 0 f t l l e i . r ~ .

~otquiteasyourmotherezpected,Htbichismoretothe

point"

I

I

I

"Not @te as anyom q e d d , " said Maurfoe, Looking at his hands. Dr Berry timi safd, "Oh, it's all for the best What do you want with a U n i d t y Degee? It was WBT intended for the suburban classes. You're not going to be e f k a parson or a bamhr or a pedagogue. And you are not a county gentleman. Sheer waste of h a Get into hantesa at anca Quibe right to insult the Dean. The citfs your place, Your mother-" He p8useddlitad~.&~boyhadbeenof~eredtbing~ollr l I I O ~ k . t ~ ~ . ~ ~ b e e e n s e ~ d o n apologize. For my own part I tbhk these things right themselves. You got into an atmospke for which you are not euited, and you've vay properly @kenthe 0rst opporhmity to get out of it" %ow do you m e sir?' "Oh. Not sufEdently clear? I mean that the county gentleman

lKOUldapologizebyinsthctifhefoundhehadbehavedltkea cad. Ydve a di8Eeteolt traditb" "IthinkImnstbegettinghomenowPsaidhdaarioe,notwfthout diepity. Tes, I tbinlt you most I didn't invite you to have a pleasant

eveaing,asIhbpeyouhave*'' "You've s p o h straight-pehps some day I shall too. I know I'd lib to." This set the Doctor o&,and he cried: ''Eo\v dare yon W y your mother, Msmlca Yon on@ to be horsewhipped. You young puppy1 Swaggering about instead of asking her to forgive you1 I how all about it She came hea with tears in her eyes and asked me to s p k . She a d your sSs-

MAURICE ters am my respecbd nsfghimm, end as long as a woman call8 me I'm at hex service,Don't answer me+dr,don't answer, I want

llmutafyaar~sfra~htarrotherwise.Youareadisgrace0 ~.IdonZhPcrwwhatthedis~gtaIdon'tlppoW what the wdd-lpm disappohted a d disgusted with ymD Maurice, outside at last, mopped his totehead. He was eehamed in a way. Heknew he had behaved badly to Ms m o t h # andallthesnobinhimhadbeentouchedtotheraw. Butnomehowhednotretract,dnotalt8r.Onceoataftltenlt, heseemedoutofitfarewer.~Adisgraceto~P Hecam d i e d ths'kmdon, If a waman had been in that sidecars

ifthemhehadreEnsedtostopatfEbeDe80sMddfnk,wouldDr Bany have r e q u i d an apology from him? Surely not, He follawedoutthfstrainofthoaghtwithdtBculty.Hfabrainwae dfesblamthet~asabligedboseft,forsomPchiocunant speechaudfdeasnsededtranslatlan~hed~ them, Hfa m o t k met htm, looldug ashamed harsalf; 8he felt, as he did, that she onght to have Qneher own.$&s Maurice had

gpm~up8heoom~b~;bteahildwslwentfrOm~ i t ~ a l l ~ s a d . g f # y ~ h e r ~ ~ s t l l l ~ bataboy,bptallthaoewomeahada~ofsome+ge%Ms maathandgresandvdcmhehehadWDrBarry.

16.taewatsdhae-.-&~,aand

The Durhamo lived in a remote part d England bn

family they had held land for four gemmths, its in&ence bad passed into them. Qive's great-great-uncle had been Lord . Qlief Justice in the reign of George IV, and the nest he had feathetedwasPerlg;aThefsa~~tnlllrnedtoblOWBbOPf now. A hundred years had nibbled into the fartuae, which no wealthy bride hsd rephished, and both house a d estate were marked, not indeed with decay, but with &e immobility that

preo'ede9iL

The h e lay among woods. A park sttll rid@ with the . liaes of wnished hedges, strdted araund, giving light and air andpasturetohorsesand~cows.Beyondftthetrees began, most planted by ald Sir Ed* who had anuexed dte common lands,There were two entrances to the park one up by the a g e , the other on the clayey road that went to the s t e m Them had bee~lno station in &e old days, and the a p proachfnani~whichwas~~andled~the~ premb, typPed an afktbaught of England's. Maurice arrived in the evening. He had travelIed strai@it fmm bis +the& at Birmingham, where, mthw tepidly, hehadcomeofagaThou~indis~hehadnot~ mulcted of hie presents, but thq were given and d v e d opithWt enthusiasm. He had loolced foxward so much to h g

MAVRZCE twenvane.Kitty implied that he did not enjoy it becaw he hadgonetothebad. Quite~nicdyhe pinched her ear forthis and kissed herDwbfch q e d her a good deal "You have no sense of tbing5,'' she said cmsly. H e amfled. Fmm AlMston Gadem, with its coaains and meat basDthe change to Page was immense. County familiesDeven when h-

telllgemt, have somethfng alarming aboat them, and Madappmached any seat with awa lbe,Clive had met himand waswithhiminthebnmgham,butthensowasaMrsSheep shanlrs,whohad arrived by his train. MIS shephnb hada maid, following bebind with her luggage end his in a cab,and he wondered w h e h he ought to have broujjht a servant tea The lodge gate waa heldby a little g&L Mrs Sheepsbanlre wished ~~cmtsied.Qivetrodanbfsfootwhenshesafilthfe,bat he d t sure whether acaidentally. H e was sure of nothing Whentheyappmchedhedstoolctheimckforthehnt,and preperedtoapenthedoca.~~said,'Ylh,but that's amplimep1tary."Besides, there was a butler to open the dm.

-

Tea,~ery~~wssawafttngthem,andMrsDorhamloolced onswaywhileshepomedouttheother.Peoplestoodabout,a~ loo?dng distinguished or there for same distinguished reason. Thgr were doing thin8 or causing othm to do them3 Miss huhambookedhimtocan~d~~~~forTarIfF~ l3wyagreed~~;butthecrywithwhichshe~hts ~c%dfdnatpleasehfm."M~sMrHallfsdDMafor West- a coPsin also stoppiog in the hoase, w d d ask bim abont Cambridge. Did Army men mind ane being sent down? Nqitwasmekthe~~forhcllvehad ~oatofhbelementtaa "Plppa,doesMrHalllmowhisroomP" ~ ~ ~ m n m a -

...

MAURICE

'Theonewithno&eplacepcalledQive."Shawhimop*He wasseefngoBsomecallers. Miss Durham passed Maurfca on to the butler, They went up a side staircasa Ma* saw the main flight to the right, end ~eredw~hewasbeing&ghted.Hisroomwassmall, ~edcbeapIy.IthadnonOkAshehteltdowntotmpa&, a fedtug of Sunnington came over him, and he debw mined, while he was at Penge, to work through aU his clothes.

They shouldn't suppose he was unfashionable; he was as pod . as anyone. But he had scarcely mubed this conclusion when Uive rushed in with the sunlight behind him. "Maurice,I shall kfss you," he said, and did so* 'Wh-hat's through therev "Our study-" He was laughing, his q m d o n wild and radiant

'Uh, so that's why--" *Mamid Maurice1 you've actualIy came. You're here. This place11never seem the same again, I shall love it at last" 'Ws jolly for me comin@~'' said Mauric8 chokilyr the s u d h rush of fay made his head swim. " G o o n ~ gSo. I~geditonpnrpose.We'reuptbis ~ebyoursehtes.It'sasUke~easIcouldmanag%." ''It's better." "Idyfgelitdbe." hem was a hock on the passage door. ~8:uitx started, but Qive though still sitting on his shoulder safd,"Come id"in& A housemaid enteredwith hot water. "Exapt for meals we need never be in the other part ofthe b e , " he c01ltlrme-d."Efther here or out of doms. Jolly, Bh3 lrve a piaw." He drew hfm into the study. Snok at the vim. You may shoot rabbits out of this window. By the way, if my mother or Pippa teIIs you at dfnner that they want you to do

.

he.

MAURICE this or that tnnonow,yuu needn't rimy. Say ye$ to them if

*

ymlllra~oumactuenygoingtolidewfthma,urdtheyb it Its their ritual. oi S d y , when yw havdt bcQl to & d ~ p r a t e o d ~ y o l r w e r e ~ * llnt

r~ no proper riding bredws."

1cdtarsodatewIthyoaiotbat~1l~e,~snidQhred bcmnded &.

'WhenM~~6lehnned~thedrawing-roombfehhehsd agmabea~~tobe~~anyone.Hearallredupto~ . ~ o p e n e d M s r n O U f h ~ s b d ~ h e r q andppap~gingtoher.He~&hisplace~theebsclrd ~~l~ttbatwas~@pfn--QtveandLdes~ Major Wesbm and mother woman, e n o h man sad Pippa, htmpellandMcboaesaSheapalo$zedfartbeamaTlnarradth4

P**

WatataQ"saidMaudce, andsaw Qfvs glPnoe .thinmall.dously: behadasadthewmngtsg. MrsDndrrmtbsnprrtMm thoughhispaus, buthedidnotoareadacmnwhethheootb-

hdhepmnot Shehadh%rson'sfeaturesaddequPny able, thou@ not eqorlly sinma He tmdaamd why-Qtve shouMhave cometo de@e her. Mterdimrexltb4mensmoked,then~edtheladfea~~

asllbmbsn~butwi&a~bepsoPehadthe &d&gm*g: thsydtltirfosthod~gedorrroan wodd~geEQ~Yetthegsse~thet.oad9-be had n o w ~mthewapltplwm inbad rspsfr, and &e thnbawsmZkept~,&*~theboerdP

udedHewaelesJb~thanhehrd~byPmga waentaelaahs~~sdd,~csr,yonhksleepy inamM a t u b took the Mnt, and five minutes afterwprds they ~~1Dthestady,wWdtbsodgbttotPllrfntaThey% d@rp&a.It~thsfLsttlme&eyhadeqeridfuQtran-

I

.

MAURICE

QnfllItytogether,dexquisitewordswouldbespobea.They knew this, yet s c d y wanted 60 begin. Sll~yonmyla~~)~PsaidCllve.~Asso
slfpeedaptoMssyon~dinner.ShetRoaldhavenomercy if she IQew,she wouldn't attempt, wouldn't want to attempt to rmdeRtandthatI~toyo~asPlppatohe?88moe,dyEat mom nobly, far more deeply, body body sod, sou0l starved m e d b ~a~comse,~nly-particalarhann~nyafb~dpandw~l that I dan't thinkwomen have even guessed, But you know.-

MAURICE

"Yes. fll a m Thm was a long in&$

tEtey discussed the motor bicycle,

which had never been heard of again Clivemade cofee. ''Tell me, what made you wake me that night after the Debab ingSociety.Ikscrkm *X kept on thinking of something to say, and couldn't, so at last I couldn't even think,so I just camam "sort of tbiag you would do.' -Are yon ragging?'' asked Maurice shyly. "My GodI"'Ihm was a silence. "renme now about the night

Ihtcamenp Whydidyou~usbothsounhappy?" 9 &n*t brow, I say, Ican't explain an+& Why did you :ar(dRadme~that~matoPI~stlllina~~ddlaAlot of tMnp hudn't lobed up in me that since have." "But hadn't yon been getting hold of me for monthPP Since b t you saw me at Risley's, in fact" g>on't ask ma" "It's a queer bosiness, any way." I t ' s thatw

Qive laughd delightedly, and wriggled in hfs &air. 'Uaurioa,themmeItbirJc%over&emore~Iamthatit'syou who are the devil." -04 all riw 1should have gone though lire balf awake if you'd bad the decency to leave me alone. Awake intellectualy, yes, and emot i o d y in a way; but hem-'' He pointed with his pip stem tohis he9lrt;and both smiled. "Perbapswe woke up one another.

I~to~thatanyway." Whe~ did you &st cere about meP" "Don't esk me," echoed Qiva "Oh, be a bit sexbus-well-wbat was it in me you 5rst cared abautr

MAURICE

Siikereallytoknow3"askedClivgwhowasintbemOod Marat0e~mJBOhieVQPqhalf~te;a~of

-afE"Yes;" Well, it was your beauty.-My wba*

3awty.

...

I wed to admire that man over the bookcase

most" qcanglvepaintstoapichagIdaresayPsaidmhavh gglaDcea at the I W d q e h '%live, you're a siny little foal, andstnoeyon'vebroughtitupl thinkyoussebeaptifulthe~ becmtffulparsonP~8evarseeo.Iloveyour~and~g todowithyoo,domtoyoorolothesartheJnwnnyooan,~

hIad0reyou" Clivewentcrim9cnr. "Situp~andlet'schange~thesub=

f~-hesaid,authefonyoatofhim. 1didn't mean to annoy you at dl-* tbinp must be saCd am,or we should ~

how O tbywexeineachother's~Ihadn't15llessed,nutsomarh at~You'wQPled~~Maudcam)iedfdnot~tlPe sabfectbat~ftinto~tbathadiatewsbedbim ~,thepredse~ofDaPfreupor,aur~~. ta4kemenQ.~attbBt~fOC~Iloveit~ like the p e himself, I love the subject I don't judge it with g t e s o f ~ n n r m a l m a a ~ ~ t w o ~ f a r ~ at Beauty-one is in common, and all the world bas reaahed W@by&batthsotherisptlvatetomeandafew more. Wecome tohimby bathroads. OntheotherhandGreuze -his~eotmatberrepelsmaIcandyg8ttohimQwnane road. The rest of tbe world b d e two." Mamioe did not hhnupt: it was all cbarmin@t mmse to him. Q

17

Itseemsstrangethat MamIaesttoaldhavewon any

qhthe-m,batthg.dtdnot

diolOce~Tbgt~djsbkedpeapleftmowautedtoima4R thermwen--itwasaposithre~themmonrthataman tRishedtoenter~~rm~sodetywasa~dentreesanfarexu1adtng Mm fmm it h i d e (region of hi* fnbdump and diepiaed movements that meat& d h g ) m m to be found

severalwho,ll%eMrHan,~~~:M*fatemfeared fi; and wwld depart without a sigh if necessary. The L)tlrharns fdttheyweneconfdga~mbfmbytreaataghfmasolre of themdves, yet were pleased he shwld take it as a matter cb cause, gratttude being n y s h b d y oolrnecbed in theffrmlnde ill br0eding.

*WantingonlyhisfooddhisMead,Mamicedida050~

he was a success, and was mprisedwhen the old lady daimed him for atelktowads the endof hisvisit Shehadqaestloned Mm about bis family and &owered the naZredness thereof, but tbis t h e her mannnr was dderemtialr she wanted his opinion OfQfve.

%drHaU,wewishptohelpos: ~ e ~ s o m u c h o f yau Doyouc~nsiderit* forhim to stopup afonrthyear at Cambxidgep" Matuioe was wanting to wonder which horse he should ride in the affernoon: he only halt attended, whtch gave an appem anoe of profundity.

MAURICE *After the deplurable exhibition he has made of hfmself in tbe Tiips-is it wber -He-to:$aidMarrrlea

MrsDurhnmnodd~.'Theoepubvegonetothemtd ~ ~ . d i v e ~ t o . w ~ L f s h I s a w n - ~ plac0iphiaMdhstsllyooD" Wo,"

Wh, Pmge b hia absolutely, ,tllPdss my husband's wiIL I must l~vetothedstKeslhause~mn~he~~w

*

Mat&estart&&Iwkdatbimandmwthathehaddo u r -30thexe t some gtrshe thougat Nedecthg the paint fbramoment.hrecmoedm~~~ando~h little a fanth year would p d t a Pokslm& used the wad wfthgay~hw~b1eitt~artbatUivesh~ taitshiS~~the00~Tharewesthsgpmqth~ were his tenants, &tww were M y poIitics, "Rls father repoa ~ t h e ~ ~ a s y o o d o u b d e s s ~ ? "Na"

-wbatdashetaDrtop~tP-rhelstl$ied-~~,my hasbnndmamepmbahmsevsllyerrn,andthougbaLlbLfn ncw,onelmomrthat~krrNltmrddMendsan,h~g 0h6m.B~hemustte]te~plrOcqhemnstBt~ondwhet

onearthisthe@ddtM+Ifogetwhakad~~~lcedwortt H e ~ ~ ~ ~ t o ~ t h s y e s r t r a ~ g ~ E e m u s t g o C .. AmeIica and if possible the c2hnies. It hu bf3#x~e ebolutely frr-k''

~ e g p e p l C p a f f l ~ v ~ g ~ ~ ~ e . H e ~ m e t o

w-

1~yoU~oot~MrBaaThstLtrav*g

fvtplay.DodlrruodehhnfmmIEaIyandGmecaw .Td prsrsr America myst?&* W

~spnslble mula; .but Wa a stude3lbe ~

~mphewrites-~BsvepnseeoangP

Mamice had seea a poem to bfmself. Coorodorrr tbatlife grew daily more amazing,he said nothing. Was he the sameman wbo eight months back had been pwzled by RisleyP Wbat had deep

enedhisvisfonP~onafter~onthearmtesofh~ty were comfng alive. Alive, but slightly abm& thgr mhnderstood hfm so utterly: b y expased their wealaaess when thgr thought themsalves most acute. He a d d not help smiling "Youevidently have.. PTheneuddenly: gAbrHa&isthear, anyone? Some Newnham girl? Pippa dealares there is." "Pippahad be#ea aslt &a,- Manrice replied. Mrs Durham was i m ~ e dH.e had met one impmtbnw with&. Whowoulclhaveexpectdsuchsdlinaycmng man? He seemed even indifferent to hts vfctory,and wes dingtoonedtheoth~~~,wwhoapproachedovarthelat~~~ toteaInthetonesthatsheresenredforanequalshesaid,*knpressonhimabontAmtuicaanyhaw.Heneedsreellty.Inoticed that Iast y d Maurice duly impressed, whaa they were riding tbmgh the

*

dona

3 thought );opwere going dom,mwesClive*~ commmt "Like them. hey wdrldn't look at ~oey.'' Uive wes in full reaction against his family,he hated the worldkss that they combined withcompletei~c8oftheWarld.'"ksechildrenwiRbe a nubanm,' he remarked duriDg a cante~. ~ChUdrenP'' *Mine1 The need of gn heir for Penge. My m o t h calls it marriage, but that was all she was thinking I&' Maurice was dent It had not occurred to him before that neitberhenorhisfrieadwouldleavelifebehfadth~lll 4s h d be worrfed eternalIy. They'w always same gid stay. ing in the house as it is." "Justgu on growing old-m

=bay?"

MAURICE Wothb~&,~ said Maurice, cod mined up An immease sadmess -he b&ved h e l l beyond such irdtanbhad risen up in Ms s d He aud the Moved would vanish u t t e r I y - d condnue ndtheP in Heowa nor an Earth. They had won p u t ths ccmve~1tiaw,but Nature still faced them, saying with even voicq Tay we& yo0 cue thus; I blame none of my childma But yotl must go the way of atl s t d f P The thou@t that he was rtsrile weighed on the young man with a sudden shame.

~motber~Mrs~hRmmi~tlsdrmfDdorh~but~ haddome~le~~tbeybadhandedonthstorcbthdrsolu woula t r d oat.

~ ~ ~ m e a n t n o t t o ~ ~ ~ i ~ b ~ t ~ ~ t i

a s ~ l a y d o w n i n t b e f e mClivedidnotagree. . "Why cbndmP he ssked. W h y always childrsllp For h e to end where it begfns is fat mom beautifas and Natrtre hmm it" Yes, but if e v e q ~ n + ~ QIve pulled him back fnto t h d a He m d mmething about Etaalty in ah hnu: Maurfc6 did not unde~~tand, but the voice soothed him,

18

Duringthenexthoayears MamfceandUivebadas xnucbhapplnrrrmenuuderthatstarcap~

Theyweseaffectiosuted~tbynatnre,nahlre,aad,to Qive, Bxbremely sensible. CUve lmew that ecstasy cannot last, but can carve a c h a d for mmetbgUhg, and he ccmtrived a relation that pmed pesmaaeat If Mamfee made love it was CUve who pmemed it, and caused its rivers to water the gar-

den. Hecddnotbearthatonedmp shouldbe wasted, either i n b ~ o r i n ~ , d a r r d a s w e n t ~ r h e y abstafnsdfnnnavowals ('bPehavesaIdcwqthhf) andaknast ~caresses.Thek.ha~was~be~thgr~ted mmethg of their calm amon@ othezs, aed conld take thek place in society. CllvehadeocpandedintMsdiffcttoneversiuwhebadunderc stood Creek. The love that Socrates bore Phaedonow lay witbin his reacb, love passionate but tempate, such as only fLrer natura can understad, end he found in Maurice a nature that wasmthdeed~ne,butchatmi~gl~wiIhg. ~eledthebeloved " P a m andbeautifalpath,highaboveeitherabyss.Itwd onuatilthefinaldar~could~moother~d when that d e s W they would at all events have Uved more fully than either saint or s m and would have extracted to theit utmost the nobility and sweetness of the world. He educated Mamloe, ox rather his spkit educated Maurice's spidt, for

.' .

,

MAURICE

I9

By this t h e W r

bad become acquainted, ~ e y ~ n a ~ a r g e t o n , ~ belong to different ssecZfons of society."But, p h a p out of pegversity, tlte families did get on, and Cllve and Maurice found amusement in seeing them together, Both were d s o p W , CIive espialIy. In the grip of the& tempemnents, they had not developed ttte imagination to do duty instead, and during their love women had become as remote as horses or cats; all tbat the ~e8huesdid dsilly. When Kitty asked to hold Pippa's baby, when Ws Durham a d Mrs Hall visited the Royal Academy in unison, they saw 'a misflt in nature rather than in society, and gave wild explanations. 'Ihere was mthing skange really: they themselves were d c l e n t muse. Thedr passion for each other was the strongest force in either family, and drew eveqthg after it as a bfdden curreDt draws a b t MR Hall and Mrs Durham came together because their soas were friends; -and now," said Mxs Hall, "we are friends too.Maurice was present the day their "frfmdshjp"began. The matrons met in Pippa's Lamdon house. Pippa had m d e d a Mr London, a coincidence that ma& a great impression on Kitty, who hoped she would not think of it a d laugh during tea. Ada, as too silly for a &st visit, bad been left at home by Xiaurfce's advfce. Nothing happened. Then Pippa and her mother motored out to m h m the dvillty. He was in town but again nothing seemed to have happed, encept that Pippa had praised Kitty's

MAURICE bmim to Adaand Ada'sbuty to Kitty, thns o h d u g both @Is,aadMrsHallhadwamedMrsDmham~t~g hot air at Page. Then they met again, and as far ashe oould see it was always like this;nothing nothing, and still n o t . & ~Dtrrhamhadofcoursehermoti~~~.Shewas~gout wht~~~cTioe,andputdowntheHallgirleonherilstShebad atheoryamoughttoaxam breedsabft,andAda,tium@& urban, was healthy. No doubt the girl was a foal but MIS D w &undidnot~eto~tothedow81:housein~oa,

waateVershemtghtdoin~saudb&evedsheoortldbest m~~8ge~~ghhiswifaKittyhadfemrqutM~ Shewas less foolish, less beautiful, andlsssrich. Ada* inherit the whole of her grandfatheis femme, which was considera~andhadalways~bisgoodhmnou,~~ hammetaMMr Graceancqanddmrlikedhtm. Hadshe~edtbHsllswerealsopImmingshe~ have drawn back.Like Marice tbey held her by their i d i l k ace. Mrs Hall wae too idle to s h e , the girb too innocent Mrs Durham rcgadedAda as a favourable line and invited her t o h e O d y P i p p a , f u t o ~ m f n d a ~m o fo d d t y h a d b l o w n , ~ t o t b f n k h e r ~ s ~ o d d . ~ 4~6yotl~gto~P"aheas~arrddenly.B~uthfsreply,"Nq do tell mother," diepelled her suspicions: it is the sort of reply ammwhoisgoingbomanymuIdmaice. ~otmewa~ied~a~~ebad~hispowarat home,adMs~~tospeakofhfminthe~she had reserved for he3. husband He was not only the son af the house, but more of a penonage than had been expected. He kept thesenaat~fn&~ understood thecar, subscntbedto thisandnottothat,~~ofthegirIs'~tanc%s. By tmnty-three he was a promishg suburban tyrant, whase rule wa$ the strooa;er because it was fairly just and mlld Kitty

1

MAURICE

pmtesaed,butshehadnobaoldqgandno~Inthe d8hebadtosayshewaemrryandto~~~ahiss.8hewas no matoh for tbis g o o d - h d and dghtly hostile young man, and she failed to esEabllshthe advantage that bis escepade atCambrfdgehadgivenher, Maurh*shabitsbecame mguk He ate a kvge brealrhista d caught the 438 to town. In the train be read the D@ T&gmph He worked ti11 1.0, lunM Ughtlys and worked again through the afternoon. Returning home, he had some a e d s e land a large dinnerssod in ttae evening he read tbe evening papa, or laid down the law, or played Mntards or bridp But every Wednesday he slept at Qives li#le flat in town. #Weekendswere also inviolable. They said at horns, Tou must ~iDteTferetRLthMamlc$sWednesdaysorwithhisd ads. He would be mast anuoyd''

MAURICE 9s and ought to be are not the same," said her mother, p d of grasping the disWoa "Yon ought to be not iatem~~ting Mr Durham, whereas you-w "-is,* supplied Ada, and the family laugh made Clive jump. We are and we ought to bep concluded hirs Hall "Very different"Not always: contradicted Qive. "Not always, remember that,Kitty: she echoed, vaguely admonitory: on other occasfons he had not minded her. Kitty cried .back to her &st assertion. Ada was saying anything, Mauric8 .nothing. He was eating away pladdly, too used to such table ,talk to see that it worried Mend Between the courses he told an anecdote. AU w r e dent to bten to him. He spoke -slowly, stupidIy, without attending to his words or taking the trouble to be interesting.Suddenly Uive cut in with "I say-I'm going to faint," and fell off& chair. Tet a p h , Kitty: Ada, eau de adogne,'' said their brother. a -Heloosened Qfve's collar. "Mother, fan him; no; fan hfm 3 U y it is," murmured Qiva .. As he spoke, Maurice ldssed him. T m all right now." * The girls and a servant came rtmdng in. . "Ican he said, the colour rehuniog to his face. Qxtdnly n o r cried MIS Hall. Wauricell cany yw-Mr Durham, put your arms m d Maurice." 'Came along, old man, The doctor: somebody telephone." He .pickedup his friend, who was so weak that he began to cry. "Maurice-I'm a fooLn "Be a fool,wsaid Maurice, and carried him upstairs, undressed bim, and put him to bed. Mrs Hall knocked, and going out to h e he said quickly, 'Uotber, you needn't ten the others I kissed Dudlam."

...

"Oh,c#faidynot"

,

.

.

MAURICE "He wouldn't ltke it. I was rather u p t and did it without thinking; As you Imow, we are mt friends, relations almost.'' Itslrf8oed.ShellkedtohsveUttIet~tswithhersan; i t r e miadedher of the time when she had been so much to him. Ada joined them with a hat water bottle, which he took m to the patteat 'ThedoctoAseemeltkethis,","sobbed. 1hope he d W 'WhyP" Maurice Iit a dg;atetta,and sat on the edge of the bed. W e want him to see you at your wont Why did Pippa let yaa tsald?'

1wassuppadtobewea" "Hell takeyoa* T a n we come W d d Ada thmugb the door. "N0.Sendtlle4doctorh'' "He's hem," cried Kitty in the distance, A man, little older tban ~ e l v e swns , a m a d

"Iiullo,J~wsddMaurfce,~g."Justauemethtschap. He's bad and fs suppod to be well. Result he's faiated, and can't stop *gP - , We know aIl abut that," remarked Mr Jowitt, and stuck a dmnometer fnto Qive's mouth. %em working had?" Yes,andnowwantstogotoGmece.''

30he shall. You olear out now. IlI see you dowmtah.'" Maudce obgred, c011vinced that Clive m~ u s l ill. y Jowitt hllowed in about ten minutes, and told MIS Hall it was nothing much-a bad ralapsa He m t e prescriptions, and said he would send in a nurse. Maurice folIowed him into the @em, and, laying a haad on his arm, said, "Now tell me how ill he is, isn't a relapse. It's sometbjng more. Plegse tell me the tnrtlLL

'Ed8 all right," said the 0 t h somewhat ~ ~ n n a y d for , he

MAURICE

P4Ued bimelf o n ~ g t h e ~ 1 t h o u g h t y o u ~ t h a t Hdestappedthehystartaand~~gofFtoslsep.It's~aa ordinmyrelapse. Hewillhavetobemomcarohulthts time than the other, that's all." -And~longwfllth8s8oldirraryrelapses,aoyoad~ go onP At any moment may he have this appnlling pafn?" %eDsonlyabft~ghtachfUin~car,he tbizhD

you don't teXl me. A fpwnman doesn't ay,tmless h$sppre#g~.-

Thatis0nIythe~''Oh, @it yourownnama~sabdMamb,removhghte hand. 9eddee, I'mkeepingynt.m %tabft,myyomgfrfed,I'mhereto~any~oaE &a-

'Well,if ft's so &gbS why are ym sedingin a muse?" T~aamsehim.I~hehwell&~ "And can't we anpw him?" Wo,becamreoft4ekrfeotton.Yaawere~whenItold yomrmothgl.noneafyouon@tto~iutother#m~~ "Ithaagbtyaameaatmystpters"

'Poaegd+mm+foryoa'~~sbreadycaugbtitfmnbim O1lcaD

1won'thaveanurse~.''

'UrrrHaIlhast&phondtotheImtituba Why ie eveoytMng done in such a damned hwyP" said Mamfce,ratsing~~''ishallnmsehfm~ 3zeveyou~gthebabyneat" -I beg F*r JowlttwwItofflau~~~; ' In &ma that admitted no argummt Maurice told Me mother he 8horrld deep in the pattent's room. He would not have a bed

MAURICE takenin,lestCJivewoIteup,butlay downondtefloorwithMe heud on a fmbatd, aud read by the rays of a caadle lemp ~larrgcllvesttmedaudsatdf~,'Ylhd8mMtfon,oh damnawWant auytbing?"Marnice called.

%y M i n s s an wrong.Maurice lifted him out of bed and put him on the night stool Whenrelledhadcomeheliftedhimbsolc 1can~yoamtsstn't&thfssartoftbing.'' "You'd do ft for me.* He carried the stool down the mp and cleaned & Now that Clive was d @ e d and weak, he loved him as mex before.

"You mustn\" repeated Qive, whea he came back. 1 3 9too my." ~'twoqme,"saidM~lyingdawn.WetaBto

-

sleepam'' The &tor told me he'd send a nu1s&" 'What do youwant withanme? i t s d y a touohofdh rhaea.Youcenkeeponallnightasfaras]rm~HaeestlyitQesn't~~Idon'tsaytMstopLeaseyoa It just dmn2."

1can't p c m w p p m of8Ce-" 9mok haw,Qive, would you.ra&er have a tratned narse or mePOne'seoming~t,butIleftwordsbewastc~besent away aeain, because I'd rather chuck the ofsoe and look after you myself, and thought you'd rather."

CllvewasdhtmhgthatMad~h~Mmssleep.At last he sighed, l suppa~eI'd bettar have the nma" "Right: she win make you more camfortable than I can. Perc

haps p*n righta , a v e made no reply.

MAURICE

-

Ada had volunteered to sit up iu the mom babw, and, dtrrg to atrangemait, Maurioe tappad three times, and wblle waiting for her studied cllve's bhnred and fats It was awlma the doctor taking: bis Mend was in agony. He longed toambraoehim,butrem~tMshadbrought<mtbehysterja,andbesides,cllvewasrestraiaed,fastidiotas$mostAs Ada did not come he went downstairs, and found that she had hlh asleep. She lay, the picture of health, in a big leather ahah, with he^ bands drcrpped on either 8Lde and her feet

~oatEerbosomnrsedfell,herheavyhlackbafr 8~~edssahtohe?~dbetwmblipshesaw t e e t b d a s c a d e t t o ~ ~Wakeup,ahecrfedirritably. p Ada woka "How do you eapect to hem the frmt door when the nurse

oamesp" %ow is poor Mr DurhamP" *VeryaW-uslr~ -OhMauricsI Maaricel" 'ThenarseistostopIcalledyou,bt~tyounevercame.Go~ to bed now, as you can't e mhelp that much." "Mothersaid I must ait up, beoause the nurse mustn't be lat in by a man-it w o W t look wen." 1can't think how you have time to thtnk of such rubbish,'' satd Maurfce.

.

Wemustkeepthehorrseagood~w then laughed in the way the girls disliksd At He was the battom of their hearbs they dbliked him entirely*but were toooonfusedmentdlytoknowthis.Hislau~wastheanIy grievance they a w e d . "Nurses are nat nfce. No niw girl would be a wnre. If they

areyaumaybesarethey¬~frolnnfoe~ortbey wouldstopatbg

MAURICE

uMa,hofft~wereybaatsch~aked~b~,ahe helped b e I f to a drink. callgohgtoscboolstoppingathoma" He set down his glass with a clank, and left her. C W s eyes ~apen,bathe&dnOtspeakorsmmtolmowthatMa~ had mtumed, nor did the coming of the nurse arouse bin .

It wes plein in a few day that notbhg saioru, w a ~ n t * ~ v i s i t m . ~ a t t a ~ ~ i t s ~ matrostart,waslesssedotssthani$~Dandsoon allowedhis ranovaltoPenge.Hls appearance andspsrits m

E)I

mainedpoar,butthatmustbeexpededafteointlwIlza,audno mre rncept Mamioe felt the tsaSt urmadns Maurice thought eeldom about d h s e and death, but when

hedlditwaswith~aisappnnralThayamldnotbeabwd aOspailhislifearhiafdsnds,~hebrau~a~~youthand health to bear on Qiv& He was with bim amtantly, gaing down uninvited to Penge for weekends QI for a few days' holE ~yD~*gby-ple-tbanp=@to*~ up. Qive did not regeoad. H e c d m\wt bfmself in companyD and evan afEed fntezerrt in a sight of way qnegtion that had adsen~clrei)mhamsaad~Bdtish~nhllqbutwkext'

taeyweoealaneherelapsedfnto~m,wouldnotspeak,ar pbinahalfseriaas,W joldngwaythattellP of mentalexhanstton.He~togtoG~Titat~tlledy ~anwhichheheldhHewoaldgo,droagbthemonth wouldbeSeptem~,andhealoae.I t must bedonemhesaid. l tis a vow. Every barhian must giw the Acrapalls its chance oncam

MaurhhadaonseforGnrece.His~fnthecbsics hdbemslightendobs~~ne,andhudvan&hedwhenheloved

MAURICE Clk.

The stories of Harmodius and Mstogeiton, of Phaedra&

of the Theban Band wem well enough for those whose hear$ were empty, but no substhte for k That CUve s h M occsr slonanyprefezthempnzztedbim.InItaly,whlchheltkedwall enwghinspiteofthefoodandthefrescoes,hehadrefusedto cross to the yet holier land beyond the Adriatic "It sounds out of~washisargument~Aheapofoldstones~utany pafntonAtalleventathW'deiodlcatedthelibraryofSfena Cathedral-)lea may say what yau like, but it is in worldng order.* alive, in his amusement,jumped up and down upan the Pidomin€taes,dthecnstodfanlau,ghedtoo~of ~gtbem.Italybadbeenveryfony--aSmuchasone~ in the way of sight-seeing d y - b u t in these hit& days Greece had cropped up again. Maurice hated the very word, and by a adous invexsion connected it with m o r w and death. Whemmz he wanted to plan, to play tennis*to talk nonsense, Greece h t e m d , C h saw his antipathy*and taok to teasing him a h t it, nat very M y . For Clive wasn't kind: it wae to M a w h t b most serlow af all the symptoms. He would make dghtiy rnalldous remark andusehisintimatRkncdedgetowormd.HefaiM: ie,k knowledgewas incomplete, or he would have known the i m p sibility of vextng athletic Iow. If Maurice somparrfed outwardyitwssbecausehefelt ithumantorespond: healways had been put cdE Christ turning the 0th cheek. Inwardly nothi n g v e d b i a The desire forunfon was too strong to admit resentment And somequite & e d d y *he would canduct a parallel c a m m t h q hitting out at Qive at times in ahowledgementofhis~butgobghfeownwaytowardsljght, in hop that the b e l k would follow. Their last versatio ti on took place on these b. It was the evening before Cllve's departure,and he had the whole of the

.. M A U R I C E Hal family to dine with him at the Savoy, as a retam for tlteir kindness to hiua, and had sandwiahed them out betweem othw Mends.'We shall know what it is if you fall this the," cried Ada, noddingat the champap Tour healtbIWhe replied. -And the health of all Iadies. Come, Mauricel" It p w him to be slightly old-fashioned. Healths were drunk, and only Maurice detected the underlying bitterness. After the banquet he said to Maurice, -Are you sleeping at homep" "No." "Ithought you might want to see yam people home." "Not he, Mr Dmsaid his mother. ''Nothing I can do or say can make him miss a Wednesday. Maurice 5s a regular old

bachelor." 1Uy WSupside down with packing,9 remarked cllve. "I

~bythemornfngtrain,andgo~ghttlsroughtoM~ sdesP MaurIm took no notice, and c a m They stood yawning at each odua*w&.the lift descended fix them, then sped np wads, climbed another stage on t h e feet, and went down a passage that recalled the approach to Rfslgr'srooms at W t y . The 9at, small, dark, a d silent, lay at the end. It was, as Qive said, littered with rubbish, but bls how&qer, who slept out, had made up Mawids bed as usual, and had arranged d d h Yet again," mnarked Uive. Maurice liked alcohol, and had a good head. T m @ng to bed.Isee you've fonnd what you wanted." 'Take care of yourself. Don't overdo the r u b . By the w a p m He took a phial-out of his pooket "I knew you'd forget this. cMOmdynaw

"Chl+el Your contrtbutlonl" He nodded. Worndyne for Greece. Ada bas been telling me tbat

...

MAURICE

youthou~tIwmgoingtodkWhyonearthdoyaawonry . about my heat&?There's no fear. I shan't ever haveso clean and clear an emperiellcl3 as death? ¶ know I aban die some time and Idon't want to, nor you to. If either of us goes, nothing$ left for bath I don't kaow if you d that clan a d dear3" "Yes,I do." Then I'd rather be arm/," said Maurice, after a pa- C h e shiv&

"Don't j;ou agree?" , *Oh,you're gettinglib e velsa Yon win have a tbeary. We can't go quietly ahead, we must always be formulating, though every formula breaks down 'Dirt at all costd is to be yoms. I say there are cases when one gets too rlIrty. Then Lethe, if there is such a river, will weah it away. But thew may not be such a rivet. The Greeh assumed little euw& yet too much perbaps.Thaemaybeno~essbgrondthegrave.This~ wretched equipment may continua In o&er words, beyond the grave thaw may be H W "Oh,balk'' Clive generally enjoyed bts metaphysics. But this time he went on T o forget ev+g+mn happiness. Happfnesl A casual ticlhg of someone or something against oneselfW s alL Would tbat we had never been lweml For then, Maurice, you and I should have lain still and been quiet. We should have slept, then bad we been at rest with Idngs and counsellam of the earth, which bnat desolateplaces for thmd-D "What on earth are you taIking about?" "--or as an hidden untimelybirth, we had not been: as infauts which never saw light But as it b W e I l , don't look so serious." *Don't try to be funny then," said Maurice."Inever did think allythingaf your speeches." 'Words conceal thought That theory?''

I

MAURICE

'Thg. make a silly ndse I don't care abaut yotv thougbta dtha." ~whatdopcareaboulinmePC Maurice d e d : as soon'as this pWon was asked, he felt happy,andMb-it my beauty?" said C l b cynfcany. these^ somewhat faded oharms. My hair is falling out Are you awareP*

"BaIdasaneggby~." . ~'anaddledegg.Psrbapsyoulikemeformymlrrd.Dmfog andaftedmy~1musthave~adalrgMulcompanioaa hdaoriceloolcedathtmwith~Hawasstndyingbim, a3intheeatllestdaysof~BcQuainEaacaOnlptbeDitwasao flndontwhatb~]ika,mwhsthadgane~r~~g~hfm, Somatbirgwaswron~Thedfssases~~veaiagihe ~andcaPPingfttobegloomyarrdpervezse,dBdamlce didnotresentthis: h e h o p e d t a ~ . ~ t h e d o c t o r h a d ~alrsd.~~h~hi~~ffm~]~resend~he~patitf aslove,andhealhisMend,batfarthemamnnthe~ 1ePrpectpoadoilkemefarmyminb-foritsfeeb~Yon always knew I was infedor. You're w d d d y consideategivemeplentyofzopeaudneversnabmeesyoudidyoutEsmily at dinner? Itwasasifhewantsdtopickaguanel

"NowandthenyoacaItmet~heeI-~Hepdnchedhim.pre tendlngtobeplayfuLMaulic%statted.'Wbat~wrongmP Tiredo* T m otT to bed." "X.e.,~'retiffd.Whydtym~aqnestlonPI~t say 'tired of me', though I might have." ~~8yanorderedyouttadforthenineo'dockY

~o,nor~my~Isbaa2gotoG~ata&Pethapsifl] be as htokable as Englad.''

MAURICE

I !

"We4goodnigkald man.= He* to hisro0m.whywoald~declareCllvewas0tto~traveaP Clive evem knew he wadt himself. So methodical as a rolg he hdputdFtaklngblstfckettiIlthelastmomentHemightStin not go, but to express the hope wastodefeat it Maurice UQdressed, and catching sight of himself in the glass, thought, -A memy I'm at" He saw a Wen-ttahed servfoeable body and a hoe that umtn&$d it no longer. Virility had harrnonfied them and shaded dther with dark hair. Slipping on hfs pyjam6s, ~ s p r a n g - b e d , ~ y e t ~ ~ * b - = hewasstrong~ghtolivefortwa~hadhalpedbim. Cllve tRanld help him again when the pendulumswung, mesawMehemasthelpCllve,andaU~~]itethep~alte3c nabthus: a ~ h e ~ d h e h u d a f m t h e r v i s i o nlova,drat of WM not far from the ultimate. Themwasalmodcat thewallthatditrfdedtheir~ "Whnt is W he called; them, "Comeinl" far dive was now at

the door. -cenIamrejntoyourbedP*

<

Tomealong,lOsaid Maurioe,maldngroom. Tmcaldandmisemblekeneraliy. 11'tsleep.

Iddtlmow

why."

~ a m l c did e n o t m i a u n d d him. He knew and shared b ~ e

apinbnsanthfspadnt Theylayetdebyddewithaut~g ~yQiveeaid,ltCsno~heraIghallgo.-~ W W not S T , for he ~ d not d get t0 sleep &her, &OU@ fi 8 diBmat reason, and he was afrafd Clive might hear the drummingdbiP~andgaa~swhatitwas.

QivesatinthetheatreofMonysus.Thestagems empty, as it had been for many ceatrrrfes, the audttorium empty; the sun had set though the Acropolis babiadstill radiated heat He saw barren plains ronning down t~ the s e g

Salamis,Aegina,rnountains~a~blemdedinaviolet~ Hem dwelt his gods-PaRas Athene in the first place: he might if he chose m ia m her sMneuntoded, and her statue catching the last of the glow. Shed a s b d all men, thou* mo* less and a virgh He bad been coming to &a& her for years becaus~shehadliEtedbimoutofthemira. Butiresawonlydyhg1@tandadeadW Hentteredno prayer*believed in no deity, and lmew that the past was devoid of meaning liks the present, and a refuge for cowards. . Well,hehad~to~atlast.Hlslettep.was~~ ing down to the sea. Where one s b d t y touched another*it would embark andvoyage past Sunium and Cythera,would land and embark, would land again, Maurice would get it as he was startingfor his wort -Against my wiIl I have become nmmat I o a ~ ohelp t itnThewords hadbeenwrbn,

Hedescendedthetheatreweartly.WhocouldheJp+gP Not only fn sex, but in all things men have mwedblindlyDhave mlved out of slime to dkso1ve intoit w h thfsaoddent of consequences is over. & d v k 4+vD sighed the actom inthisveryplacetwothousandyenrsbefore.Eventhatrand, though further from vanity than most, was vain.

*

v

stprtgtaln0618m~~~~113~~tttyollm~t,dyom

~,a,ft~hoamgol,praIh~~bedO~fmmyoa

~ ~ a g h t e n d ~ ~ - ~ ~ a M a h I w p p o s e ~ tbat yw amnot h e enyaw of your nvn sex my longer. We will see~~tbjlissorr~pryooarrhrel fclIledapaaPlppr~y.Sbewasfi9ofthefa~and

~pom~~msdea~iol~gthepath.Yoar~oth~ h s l o l d t h e ~ * f r n o t ~ i t ~ ~ I a t o pt~afy~batP@pahadmthedei~.Yoowillbe amaced to hew that I have been lemming sume daSBfa1 mwfo ~ g o l t . I ~ o l r u w e l l e r c n n b ~ e t B ~ d W s . My mot he^ hm p m to d k r bghg'baob.

~~ w s r d s d f ~ f O t ~ d ~ ~ ~ y o o h ~ t ~ e d t h s ~ W f r e angettisgtbk,d~cm~gDoveT. Manriea

.CUve d v d thir Ietta a d shook his h d He was going

dce and should have to say ro p h l y .

I

MAURICE

1

/ doldsIidmin**MhghthsdrkeQivanv ! ,

radiant How bappy aonnat people made their Uvapl On haw llttlehadheadPtedfor~-foaryearslHechattedtoMs nme,andfeh~hls&ever.~enoticedthe~es,theatE vxthnents, t h e d d l y p a p m s ~ a c ' m e mhewent a~ in. ThelbwasnnbearableartistiCany,lmtthemanwhomade it, the men and the women who Ioolted opthg.Emew, and b wasaneafthek Innocasedtheedationha~elastedHewas~w

whaPeeanrhavebeengrringed;farthefhgtfe7Rhomshehears ~~soands~vanishwhenhe~himselfto thehumantradtion.Hehadnotgaida~lmt~ged om,and Me would not have appeared as a holiday for long. It saddenedatortcdordnhisretranMamioew8swaitlngforbfm, anda~~:Hkea&itstmcltath€m~behindthe brain.Hemanmnedthathewastootiredtotalk,dascsped, a n d ~ 8 ~ ~ b h a f m t h e r ~ he pemmded hfmself that d&efrrelatitons had not altmd, and thathemight w i t h m t d i s l o y a t t y ~ ~ ~Hewrob ~~en. ahthnately and accepted the invitation to df without

*@a@-

He said be caught cold in the -, but but his heart he believed that the cause of hie relapse was spMtual: to be with Maurice or myonecommted with him was suddenly revolting. The heat at dinner1 The Wces of the Hallal Their laughter1 Maurh's anecdotel It mfxed with the f 0 d - w ~ the food. Unable to & tin* matterfmm spirit, he fated, But whem he opened his eyes it was to the howledge that lovehsddied,sothathe~twheahisMendlrissedhfm.Each klndnessindhis~g,tmtUhe~thenunretoforMdMrBallto~&eroom.The3ahe~eredand~&y to~whhelovedhimasmu&asevermrtllhe~np

~

MAURICE

He noticed the devation, the heroism wen,but his Mend bored blm. He longed for bim to go-back to town, and a W y said so, so near the surface had the rock risen. Maurice shook his head and stopped. Clive did not give in to &e llfe spirit withoat a stmggle. He bellwed in the intenact and tried to tbink himselfback into the old state. He avertedhis eye from women, and when tbat failed adopted c W i s h and violent expdients, The one was this visit - to Greece, the o t h h e could not recaliit without disgust. Not and all emotion had ebbed would it have been possible. He :regrettedit deeply*for Maurice now inspired him wit3 a physb cal~thatmadethefuturemorediBBwlt,andhewishedto ~ l o e e p ~ w i t h b i s o l d h , a n d t o h s himthou& lp theap . ~ ~ p h e . I t w a s a l l m ~ W h e n l o v e &ea it 5s ranemnot as love but as something else.Blessed ..are the d u c a t 4 who forget it entirely, and are never con..scious of folly or pnuisncy in the past, of long aimless conversa, tiom.

25

Qive did not wire, nor start at once. Though desk-

~~tobe~andtrainingbimselftothink~ ablyofMaurice,he~edtoobg.ordersasafaM.Heretumd to England at his leisura He did wire from Folkestoae to Maurice's &ce, and qected to be met at CharingCms*and when he was not he took a train on to the suburbs*in order to explain as quickly as @le. His attitude was symp3th1c and calm. It was an October eveniug; the fdbg leaves, the mfst, the ' hoot of an owl, Wed him with pleasing mebcholy. Greece had beetn clear but dead. He liked the atmoephere of the Nortb, whoere gospelis not truth, but compmmSse. He a d his Mend would arrange something that should include women. Sadder and alder, but without a criEfs, they w d d slip into a relation, as evening into night He liked the night also. It had graciousness and repose, It was not absolutely dark Just as he was about to lase his way up from the station, he saw another street lamp, and then past that another. Them were chains h every direction, one of which he fobwed to hki goal heard his voice, and came from the drawing-mom to welcome him. He had always cared for Kitty least of the f a d y -+he was nat a true woman, as he celled it now-and she brought the news that Maurice was away for the night on business. "Mother and Ada are in church," she added. They have had to walk because Maurice would take the car."

MAURICE

wheIebashl3~ 'Don't ask ma He leave8 hb address with the servants We ~evenlBSBabOufManrfoethanwhenpoawereIasthere,if you think that psibbla He has b e a most mysben'ous person." She gave bfm tea, htnnmfng a trme. Her lack of sense and of charm prodnced a not unwelcome reaction in hex brother's favour. S b S h e d to complain of himin theoowedfashlonthatshehadinheritedfrom Mre Has 4t's only 0w minutea to charah,'' remarked CUva ~es,thcywwldhawbecmkto~youifhehadlettm b . H e ~ ~ g m s e o r e t , a n d t h e n l m & b s@Isw at ItwaeIwhodtdnotletbim~." -8Gnre0eIlker Hetoldher.ShewasasboredasherbrothertRonldhaw~ audhud~h&glftoflfstsning~&~clive~ baredhawofteahehad~SoltbtoMamiceandfeltatthed anacoessofintbany.Thae~apddealtobesavedoutof the d of that passion. Maurice was Mg, and so mdbh when once he unhstood. Ki~proceeded,sketubingherowna&eksinaslightly~ way. She had asked to go to an b t h t e to aoqnire Domestlo Eumomy, and k mothar w d have altorned her, bat Manricehadputhfs foot down whenheheard that the fees were three gufnm a week, Kitty's gdmucm were mainly Bnanafnlr shewantedan allowance.Adnbad ane.Ada, as hehmpparent, had to learn the value of money. But I am not to learn anytbin&."QivededdedthatheUabellhisto-& g i r l ~ , o a e e b e f o r e h e h s d ~ a n d M ~ h ingtodreane,hadmadehfmfeelheamldsay~g. A deep voice hteuqted them; the dmdqpm wetre bask. Ada came fn, dressed in a jezxey, tam o'dmntw and gray skirt3 the1~1hrmnmLsthadlefta~bblaomaponherhatr. Hex

MAURICE

1wish Ada and Kifty wodd too.* 'Cllve, thenl" said Kitly. 'Tatty, ththenIrn

'%live.' "Ada--that's &."But he was blushing. 9hate formalities." "So do I," came the chorus. *Icare nothing for anyone's opini o n - ~did,~" ~and Bxed him with oandfd eyes. ''Maurice on the other hand," from Mrs Hall, "isvery particular." %la& is a rip really-Waow, you*= hurtiug my head" Waow,waow,'' Ada imitated. There was a dng at the telephana Icehashadpwirefnnnt.oBBce,"~oedKitty."IIe wunts to kuow whether you're here.'' ''Say1am."He's comingback tonight, then.Now he wants to talk toyou." Clive took the d v e r , but only a bum arrived. They had been d f s c o n n d They could not ring Maurice up as they did not lmow where he was, and Qive felt reliewed, for the approach of reality alarmed him. He was so happy being bandaged: his MendwoddaaIy8mm~~1~&. NowAdabentaverhim.He

sawfeaftaaPthathekuew,withalightbeMDdthatgio~ than,Hetranedfrom~~hafrandeyestothe~ed mouth or to the aavap of the body, and found in her the exact n~ofbistraasi~Hebadseenmareseductlve~~ht none that pmised such peace. She was the m ~ bee ~~m8moryaaddesire,shewasthequietweaingthatGreece had never Zmown. No argument tauched her, because she was tendmess*who rtkcmdw p e n t with past He had not suppoeed there was such a m h a e except in Heavein, and he did natbslieve3nH~Nowmuohhadbeoomepossiblesudddy. He lay b o h g into her eyes, where some of his bpe lay dected. He knew that he might make her love him, and the

MAURICE bwIedge lit bim with tempexate &a It was charmfnphe desftedaomoreyet,andhisonlyanxi~fyweslestMaurfce ~arrive,foramemoryshonldremaina~ory.~er theotber~moutaftbennrm~s~w~thataolsewssthe car, he kept her with him, and soon she understood tbat he wi&edWs,andstoppedwithoutbls d "Ifyou h e wwhat it is to be in En@dlmhe said suddenly. "Iscreecenotnicep' mCmibI0.' Shewas dMressed and Clive altio sighed. Their eyes met. T m so sorry, CliveF "04it's all over." "What epeacuy was it- m *Ada, it was this. While in GreeceI bud to rm11structmy Me from the bottom. Not an easy task, but I think I've done ita W e oftentalltedof you. Mauricesaidyou wouldlfkeCreecew %arrrice doesn't how-no o m knows as much as you! I've told you more than anyone. Can you keep a secret?"

*Of m a w Qhre was n o n w The ccmversatfon had become impossible. But Ada never expected continuity. To be alone with Qive, whom she iummtly admfred, was earn& She told hfm howthaakfulshewas~hadrehrmed.HeakFeed,wf&vehe menca'EspedalIytoretumhae." 'ThecarlWKfttv~ 'Don't golmhe repeated, catchgher hand. "I mllst-hhdcr+-

a

"Bother Ma&'' He held her. There was a tumult in the baa WhereSshe gone?" his Mend was roaring. 'Where've you

P* bfm?*

. ..

me a walk tommw. See more of me. That's "Ada, settledb Her brother burst in. Seeing the bandages, he thought them

MAURICE

hadbermanacdden~thenlaughedathismistake."Comeout dthat,QivaWhydidyoniet~PIsay,he~dYaa hokw&Godmaa.colnedhaveadrink.I'llrmpi&you Nq~e0tyoa"Qive~edhtm,buS,~ghadanfmpawptible nodhm Ada. ~ l o o k e d ~ a n t m m R l a e a n i m a l i n b l s f m c o aHe t ~it&assoonas~werealone,doamepp~

%youQn't&vemePhe~ ~AUthatmustbetommw,"saidClivg~gMsey~s.'QuitesaHaveadthkD %amice, I don't want a rowP "Ida" Hewavsdthe~astde.The~mnstbumt"Btttyou mustn'ttalkt0mefike~"heccm~d~tiDcreasesmy dif-

fidttsa" 2 want a row and Ili have it" He came in his oldest manuex and thmt a hand into Clive's hait. "Sit down. Now why did you m i t e me that letter?" Clfve did not reply. He was looking with growing h a y into the bhe had once loved. The horror of masculintv had re turned, and he wondered what w d happen i€ Maurioe trfed to embra&him. Why? EhP Nowyou're St again, tell me." "Goaffmychair,andIwia"Thenhebeganoaeofthe speeches he had prepared. It was saienti6c and impareonal, aa thts would wound Maurice least. "Ihave became xtmd-& o h men, I don't know how, any more than I know how I was bomItisontsidereason,itisagainstmywish.AskanyquestimyoullkaIhaveoamedowaheretoanswerthrrla,forI WtphtodeCaflsinmyletter,ButI~r~tethe~be eausettwastrua" Ihte,yon =yr

MAURICE Was and is the t~th." "Yousay that you care for women only, not m e "Icare for ma, in the real'sense, Mauri~8~ and always ddL"

that presently." He too was impexsod, but he had not got & the chair. His ftagers mmahed on Uive's head, touching the bandagess his moodhad changed from to quiet concam. He was neither aqpynorafraid,heodywantedtohd,andQive,inthemidst of repulsion, rewhot a triumph of love was ddng, and how feeble or how fronfoalmust be the power that gowms Man. 'Who madeyou changeP" He~theformoftbe~VoonaItwasa~ in me merely pbydd"He b e p to relate hfs e q e z h m a "evidentlythe musejmsaid Mamice thoughdully. 9 wish you hadtohimebebare.. .Ilmswsolnstbing hadgomwmngand thought of several things, but not this. One oughtn't to keeg secrets,=thg.g~-~~ghttotalS*~-p vfdedonsbass~m~~netotantto,asyouandIhave.Ifyoa'd have baldme, you would have been right by now." 'WhyP" %cause I should have made you rightm

.

-How?YaulI see," he said smfllng. I f s not the least +fve changed.'' -Can the laopard change Ms sped? Clivet, in a mud& It'e part of your general health. rm not anrious now, beceuse you're well o k w k e , you even look happy, and the rest must

follow.Iswyouw~atraidtotdma,lestit&sveme~bnt wete got past sparing each other. You ought to have told me. What else am I heae for? You can't trust anyone &e. You and I are outlaws. All W-he pointed to the m i d d l h s camfort of theroom-%ould be taken from us if people knew."

MAURICE

He paned. %ut I've changed, I've thane We can only interpret by our expe3.iences. Maurice could t d e r s b d muddle, not change. "You only thtnk you've changed," he said,smiling 9 used to think I had when Miss 01cottwashem,butitsllwentwhenIreturnedtoyoa" '3 know my own mind.,'' said Clive, getting warm and freeing himself from the chair. "Iwas never like you" You are now. Do you remember how I pretedd- l a "Ofcome I remanbar. Don't be ohilrii.9hF W e love each other, and know it Then what else-" "Oh, for God's sake, Maurice, hold your tongue. If I love anyone it's Ada" He added, "Itake her at random as an exempleP But an example was the one thing Maurice could "Ada?"he said, with a change of tone. "Onlytoprovetoyouthesortofthing." "You scarcely lmow Ada." WmdidI~mynuffeortheok~]r~ma~ As I said before, it's no spedalperson, only a tendency." Who was in when you arrivedP" &I

mtty.'' "But it's Ada, not KittyP "Yes, but I don't m d h , don't be stupid!" Vhat do you mean? "Anyhow, YOU ~n-, now," 8dd Clive, -6 to impersonal, and turning to the comforting words with which his discourseshould have concluded. "I've changed. Now I want you to understand too that the change won't spoil anything in our friendship that is real. I like you enormously-more than any man I've ever met" (he did not feel this as he said it) ' I mast enormously respect and admfre you. It's character, not passion, that is the real bond." mid you say something to Ada just before I m e id'Didn't you hear my car come up? Why did Kitty and my mother come

MAURICE

out and not you? You must have heard my noise. You knew I flung up my work for you. You never talked to me down the tekphone. You didn't wrfte or come back from Greece. How much did you see of her when you were here befor&" Zook here, old man,I can't be crassquestiondW "You said you dd.* "Not about your sister." "Why notY 'You must shut up, I say. Came back to what I was sayhg about character-the real tie between human beings. You can't build a house on the sand, and pasion's sand. We want bed rock..

.-

"Adal"he called,suddenly deliberate. Cliw shonted in honor. "What forY "Adal Adal" Be rushedat the door and locked it %mice, it mustn't end like W+mt a row," he implored. But as Maudce approached he pulled out the key and clenched it, for chivalry had awoken at last %u can't drag in a wuma~~,~ he brenthed; "Iwon't have it* -Give that up."Imustn't Don't make it worse No+toT Mauric0boredownonhim.Heescapea:thgtdodgedd taebigchak, arguhgfortheirg.inwbispers. They touched with hcdlpD tben parted for ever, the key fanfog between them. -an?, did I hurt youPC

%a" %y darling, I didn't mean taw 'Tm all right.They looked at one another far a moment betore begtndng new lives. What an endha;- he sobbed,'CPhat an ending." ~do~loveher,"saidcllve,verypala

MAURICE

-

'What's going to h p ? " said Mawice, sitting down and wiping& mouth. "Axrange. rm doae

. . Sb~Adawaefnthe~pQivewantouttoher:toWoman

I 1

I

-

washisBnduty.Havingappeasedhwithvaguewords,he retnrnedtothesmking-mom,butbdoorwas~lodredbe tween them. He heard Mawice turn out the elecbic light a d sit down with a thud. "Don't be an ass anyway," he called nervously. There was no reply. Uive scarcely h ew what to do, At any rate he d not stop in the house. Asseding a man's prerogative, he announced thathemastd~intown~~bwhi&thew<mrenaoquhced. He left the d a r k witbinfor that withcut: the laves fell as he went to the station,theowlshooted.the mist meloped bim. It was so late that the lamp had been extinpisbed in the suburban roads, and tatal ni@t without compromise w d & d on~asoabisfdend.HetooaPffeoedandedabed,What an d g l " but he was ptomised a dawn. The love d wrnnem WOnld~as~irsthesrm,soorcbingnp~~and nsherfngtheMbmnnnday,and-fnbiseirsknewtbis. HewauldnotmanyAda-shehadbeen~~butsoms goddess of the new u n i w tbat bad opened to him in Inndon, someone uttdy unlike Maadce Has

PART

For three years Maurice had beem so 5t a d happy that he went on aubornatioally for a day longer. He ~wlth~~g~titm~beaIl~soon.Qi~8would anne back, a p h g k h g or not as he chose, and he would a@o$zetoClivaCllvennmtroVehim,~h&wboleli£ewas dependentonhaadhereftwas goinganasusual, Howcould hedeepandrestifhehadnoMendPWhenhe~fnnn tom to flad no news, he r a n i dfor a little calm, and allowed hisfatniIyto~onUive'sdepart~taButhe~to watchAda. Sheloobedsad4ventheirmothanoticedit.Shadinghts~yes,hewatchedher.Saveforheir,hewouldhavedismtssedthe~asm~ofCltve'81011gspeechea*,butbut~

intothatspeechasanexamplaHewondesedwhyshewasd "isay--"ttecalledwhen&qwereatone;hebadxtofdeawhat he was going to say, though a sudden blackness should ham wantedbfm.Shereplied,buthednothenrhervoica ~swrongwithyouP"heaslted,m~ %tb&ga 'Thereis-IcanseeiLYoncan'ttakemein.'' 'Ylh no-really, Maurice,nothingw "Why did--what dfd he sayP" "Nothing." "Who said nothlugP"he yelled, mhingboth&its on thetnble.

He had caught her.

MAURICE ! 1 I I

*Nothiugr,nly Clim." The name on her Up opened Hell.He d e r e d hideously and beforehe caald atop himself: bad spoken words that neither ever forgot. He accused his sistes of corrupting his Mad. He let her suppose that Qlve had complained of her conduct and gone back to town on that account Her gentle natme was so ouhaged that she could not debend herd, but sobbed and sobbed, and implored hfm nat to speak to her mother, just as if she were guilty. He assented: fealousy had maddened bim. "But when yon seebim--Mr Dnrham-tell him I didn't mean --gaythexetps no une w h o m I ' d b m "--go wrong with,- he aappllad:xmt till later did he &stand his own blaclrguardism. Hiding her face, Ada collaped. TshallnotteIlhim.IshaIlnaverseeDurhamagaintoteL You've the satrsfactton of bddng up that MedShip.'' She sobbed, ''I don't mind that-you've always been so UQ]Ltndtous,ahKa)w.~Hedrewnpatlestgittybaddthatsort ofthfngtohim,butnervarAda Hesaw thatbenenth their o b sequi0119~his~d&likedb:hebadnot~ven~ &at home. Mrrttering "It's not my fault," he left hex. A m h dnaturewouldham behaved betfer andpahaps have deredlesaMauricewasnotin~norreligicm9,norhad hethatstrangesolaceof&~dlatfs~to~rmeJ.Exoept ononepoiathistem~twasnmmal,aadhe~edas would the average man who after hm yeam of happines bad InxnbehayedbyhiswiEa Itwas nothing tohimthat Nature had caught up thb dropped stftcb in order to amtinu8 her pattern 71Vbile he had love he had kept reason.Now he saw Uive's change as treaalaeay and Ada as its muse, and rehnned in a few hami to the abym where he had wandered as a boy. After tMs expbsion his canrer went forward. He caught the

MAURICE

J

dtraintotown,toearnandspend~intheoM~ ner; he read the old papem and discussedstrike3 and the divcffce laws with his hieads. At &st he was pmud of his sekmtrolr

dtdnathehaldCllve'sreputationinthehoIlowofhishandP But he grew more bitter, he wished that he had shouted wMe hehadthe~gthdsnwahPAdownthisfiontofl€es.What~ he too were fnvolved? His fady, hfs paeition in sodety-thq had been nothing tohim foryears. He was an outlaw in disguise. P~~hapsamongthosewhotooktothegmemvodinoldtime th6rehsdbeentwo~likebfms~Attimes~~ tahedtheh~memcand@theworId. Yes: t h e h e a r t o f h i s a g o n y w d d b e Hetooktime ~ torealrzethds,belngslaw.Tlaeincaohumejsatousp,h~ ttcatioo,t h e r a g e a t h i s p n s t o ~ m i g b t p a e s , d ~gdonemuchharmttrgrdidpass.Memariesaf C h m i g b t pass. But the 10mmaind He would hand gssp TvenaonelDar'Ylb~whata~Qivetbokto~ bimin~Helmewtherewssmone,batclive,~gtn

his~1~eetmy,8aidTmp~thts~~to~hfm,Once hehadadreamaboutthedreamoftbfaceandtheMfcs,a dreamaboutft,nonearer.Alsoold~oftheathe?.sort,that tried to disintegrate him. Days followed ni*. An innnense sil~esofdea&,enddedhyomrgman,andasbwss~ hguptotownonemomingit~himthathereallywas dead. What was the use of money-&mbbhg,eating, d play@ gaxuesPThatwesaRhedidarhsdeverdana "Idfe's a danm poor ahow," he exclaimed, cmqling up the Dotly ='ele@ ~other~oFthecarriagewhoIikedhimbepto laugh. Tdfrrmpoatofthewhdowfar~" Haviug spoken,he be@n to contemplate snfdda There -

I

MAURICE i

i 1 I I

I

nothing to deter bim. He had no initial fear of death, and m sense of a world beyond it, nor did he miad disgracing his family. He knew that loneliness wes poisoning him, so that he pew

v l l e r a s w e l I ~ m o r e ~ ~ . U ~ ~ ~ d he not case? He began to compare ways and means,and w d d bave~thhnsgbutformunBpcotade~ve~~Thisaw(was the illness and death of his pdfather, which induced a new state of mind. Meambile, he M received Mbm fmm Qlvq but they dways containedthe sentam, W e bad better not meet just yet." He gasped the situatiw now-hia Mend would do anything farhim except be with bfm; it had been thus ever since &st ibss, and on theselines he was o h d friendshipinthe fuhue. Maurice did not cease to love, but his heart had b w brokm, heneverhadwftdthoughts ofw&mfngCltve back. What he grasped he gasped with a 6trmness that the refined might envy, and suffered up to the hilb He d these lettea, oddly sinom. He stiU wrote wbat was true, and confided that he was unbearably lonely and should blow out hfs brains before the year ended. But he wrote without emotfon.It was more a tribnte to theit heroic past, and accepted by Durham as such. His repUa were unemotional also, and it was plain that, however much help he was given and howwer hard he Med, he could no longer penetrate into Maurice's mfad.

27

Maurica's grandfather was an example of the growth that may come with old age. Throughout lib he bad been the o d r m y bosiness map-hard and touchy-but he retirednot bola& a n d w i t h ~ g d t sHetookto . %ding, and though the dfrect e k b were ptesque, a softaess was generated that transformed hh aharacter. The opidom of othm-onc8 to be contradicted or ignored-appeared worthy. of note, and their desires worth humouring. Ida, his unmanted . daughter, who kept house for him, had dreaded the time "when my f a k will have nothing to do", and h e l f impmiow, did not realize that he had changed until he was about to leave her. The old gendeman employed his 1eh.m 3n evolving a new r e l i g i Wher ~ a new cosmogony, for it did not contradict chapel The chief point was that God lives insidetbsuq whose bri&t envelope consists of the spirits of the blessed Sumpots meal God to men, so that when they o c a m d Mr Grace spent honrs at his telescop,notiug the interior darkness. The hamattoa was a sort of sunspot He~gladtodiscnsshisdIs~~~erywithmy~butdidnot proselytize, remarlring that each must settle for himself: C h Durham, with whom he had once had a long talk, knew as much about his opiuions as anyone. They were those of the praatical mnn who Mea to think s p i r l t u a l l y 4 ~and mateddbtic, but h t hand Mr Grace had rejected the tasteful 80counb of & .

MAURICE

1 1

b~tbat~eh.odrd~byb*,dfortbat reasonthe hellen&thad got on with him. , Now he was dying. A pat of questionablehonesty had fad* andhloo]rsd~toj~g~helovedandbbs~ indneseasanbytbsewhtnnheleftbebirrd.HesrnnmoDledMs l a b ~ ~ a r w i t h o u t ~ b n t ~ ~ t h uldhypocdte*.HesumnumedhisEen\ilv,whomhehadahvays treated well. Hfs last days wem very beantifaL To in* into thec a w of beauty toiuqulretoo cbdy, and d y a aynio woulddispelthe~SorrowandPeacetbatpcnfmnedAlfdstDn Cardens wbile a dear old man lay dying The~aune~,inparties~twoandthreaAU, ~ M a n d c 0 , w e r e ~ ~ w a s m ~ ~ 8 s M r CfiioehadbemopnaboatbieWm,andeachknewwhattoept pectAda,asthefavauritepidddd,shared the fortune with heraMt. Theresthadkgaab. Mamice didnot propose t o r e ceive Ms, He did m&bg to force Death an, but it waited to meet bim at the right momat, probably when he r e W Bnt the sight of a f&w-trav* dbamabd him. Hfe g-d-= was m g ready far a fomney to the sun, and, gambmswlthmnr#9pcnuedouttohimane~~ noazl"Ma~yonreadthepspeoaY0nveseenthenswthearp --It was that a meteorswarm impinged on the dng~of Saturn, andcSPippedpiecasofEthem that fdfntothesaa Now Mr Gracelocated the wicked in the outer planetsof aut system, and aiuce he dlsbelfeved in eternal damnation bad been troubled howtoQOMCBtethem.Thenewtheory~tbiaThey wemcbfppedoBandreabsasbed3nbtbegoodlCaratearrrd gave, theyoangmanlisaened until afear d M m tbat thfe toshmfgbtbetma Thefearwasmomentary,yetstartedoneof those reamngemants tbat affect the whole chra&s. It left him with the conviction that bie grandfather wns convinced. Ons

-

MAURICE

a

morehumanbeiugbadcomealfve.Hehadaccompllshedanaot of matton, and as he did so Death turned hen had away. It's a great thfag to believe as you do,'' he said veuy sadly. *Since Cambridge I believe in nothing-exqt ia a sort of darlaoem." "Ah, when I was your a w d now I see a bdgbt light-no elech.iclightcancomparetofL'' "When you were my age, grandfather, what?" But Mr Gracedidnotanswerqua~tfoaraHesaid,%ighter then magnesium wire-the light within," then drew a stupSd parallelbetweencod,darkinsidettteglowiugsna,andthed, iwIsible inside the visiie body. 'The p e r with-the soul: let it out, bat not yet, not till the evening."He paused. "Maurice, be good to your mother, to your dshs; to yam wife and ohildwn;to yarn clerks, as I have." He paused again and Mauriw gnmted, but not dlstespecduly. He was caught by the phrase %at tiIl &e weming,do not let it out till the evening'' The old man rambled ahead. One ought to be good4id-brava all theold~Yetitwas~itcameha1Mngheart WhyP he hbmapted. "Grandpapa,why? %light*'' "Ihwdt d He laughed lest emotion &odd master him. "Such light as I had went out six weeks ago. I don't want to be goudorkiudorbrave. If Igo ~nliv&gIshanbedotthose tbinp:tlterawrrseof them. I don't want that eitkar;I don't want =*&I" Taelight*Mauricehadneaffdabnttheywooldrtothave been listened to. His gmldfathar didn't, cotlldnt nndHe was ody to get "the light witMP-be kind", yet the phrase cdnttnued the reaIranpent that bad begun inside him. Why should one be k i d and good? For someone's sake-for the sake of QhremGodorthesunPButheMnoane.NooneBIcept~

MAURICE

~matttmddshedya~Hewaspoacttcanyalone, andwhy~hegoanIivhg?ThtnewaereaIlynoreasao,yet hebadadreeryf e e b g h e s h e W e h e b a d a o t got Death eithea; she, lib Lave, hud glanced at him fat a mlwte, then tnmedaway,audlefthimto"phythe~.Andhe~ have bphy as long as his grandfather, ,andretire as abaudly.

28

His change, thenBamnot be described as a conversion. There was nothing edifying about i t When he

camehomeandexambdthepistolhewoPldneveruw,he~. &with disgpst; whenhe geeted M s m a t h e r n o ~ abIe love h her welled up. He lived on, misaab1e and mismderdd, as before, and i n d g l y lonely. One cannot write those WOrdO too often: Maurice's l d e s s : it increased. But a change there had baa He set blmself to acquire new habits, and in particalar dtose minor arts af life tbat he had. negieckd when with Qive. PuuctdityBcourtesy, patrioth, &why even-here were a few, He p d f s e d a severe selfdisdpllne. It was neoessary not only to acquire the art, but to knowwhentoapplyit,andg~tomodilyhisbehaviour.At fhsthecoulddoli~Hehadtakenup a h towhichhbfam-fam ily and the world were acarstomed, and any deviation worried them. This came out vey strangly fa a conversationwith Ada. Ada had become engaged to his old chum Chapmnn, and his hideowrivatywitbheJrooutdend.Evenafterbisgadhthds death he had feared she might many Che, and gome hot with jealousy. Clive would many someone. But the thought of him with Ada remained maddening, and he could scarcely have be haved proparly unless it had been removed. The match was exdent, and having approved of it publicly he took her aside, and mid, "Ada, I behaved so badly to yau,

MAURICE

dearsafteoQfve'svig#IWllllSto~y~~dBSk~wSmPI $mmaIt's$venalotof paindxm rmveaysapy." SheloolPedsmprisedandnot~~he~awthatshe stiUdidUd hfm. Shematbered,That's a l l ~ l ~ l a Arthnr ve nOwP

'IwishIhadnotgonemadtbatevening,butIhppenedtbbe verymaohworrtedabout~Qive~saidwhatIlet y0utbinltbsefd*.He~hlnmedyaam 1don'tmrewiu3thtxhedfd.Itdoesn't~." HerWsapologbt~sremtaret.atshes%izedtheop porbrmity b trample on him. When did you last see W-

w- N a~t h ~-t f mwa - ~ -

TltosewleslcemdsandWednesdayssesmtohaoequb **

"Iwish you happinem. Old Chappfe's a good fdbw. Far

peopL~whoanrfnlovetomarry~measvmyfany." 138vmyBIndofyonwwishmehappiness,~I'msma 1hopeIshanhaveitwhethglrIamwPsheditoonota(Thfswas desloabedtoChapman~aea~)'Tm~I wlsb~thesameaortof~~been~meall~

eqdyFHerfucereddeaed.Shehsds&edagoodded,aad t~asEq.oomnanajdikalt&~whose~had

bmther. biandce~esnmahaud~~ather.Then

hs-*sabject,arrd,--==ys*ereaher~.ButstaeCOPM~~vekbrotha:indged #wasnotdghtthatonsofher~ahorJd,slacshe bad~ImceatcaUysaudllDarredthedaw&gofalova .stmitnrdifIloahfeeamse~Kiuy.She~wasonMeamsdsaoe,batwas d b p b w d w h e n h e m a d e d Heogiered aDpayh6rfeaoattheDoa3estio~whereonherdhad

~ s o l o n g ~ a n d , ~ g b ~ 8 ~ 0 8 p t e a . * ~ o o ~ ,

s n d w l t h t h s ~ k , " ~ ~ r m t o o a ~ a ~ p p = y I ~ ~ w S h e d ~ ~ b e d e a o h ~ ~ ~ t h ~ h InlitdetMngp.hHanm~at&Pndfebubed~

b o t ~ k m m t o o ~ t o ~ ~ , & ~too.~~prrSondofhfm.-wwollldnot~~for hbmanymooothansbewould0Bpta~htmwhen~~ mdetotbeDeen.And8oithappenadthetheWas~ lesstdthehause,anddurlng&e~ratbsrlopt~pmitlon hebadwwpt~~It~tobe~~Mami08wao't mind-he cam & + am the cemp bd-mdm without

ahmHerabsdnoobjecth+tbwartheroltdtbinghe now lived foll--but bet nobedthe subtle h g e and how it coind d s d w i & t h s ~ g d h ~ ThewoddwasIilamhepnaled.HejMtbeT61Fi~ hithertohehadhald1mthepmdthatthe~amonlg besavdby~p!ian.Hesnpparbedtbsaodal~k~ dtheCh~He~upSPtmdaygalffn&toployfootb8n with the yopths of the c m g e W e m & a santa Lundoll, a n d h i s ~ ~ y e v & g s h ~ ~ ~ a r i ~ c a n d

boxhgto~~Therailmy~gef$tallttlesllspid~~ h a d t n m e d ~ w h t l H e c l l t d o w n ~ j p ~ b mi*m~bmare]age3rao~tilas--to~thtecherftles:hswaald~~a~a~re~ateworlc~t*rftb 8n~DllallrhetoathW~~hem~nlgedtoltsepon h* Yethewpp~a~bda~gonhaR1l#letfied oanedrtFednaf~byAeav8flnraby~hewppeptDg forword,a~thatcRooldhaveblownoot.~m~ h a Hehudn't a G d , b e h a d n t a ~ t w o u s u a l i n a n . the~to~butonbestro~wfthbfsbdto~be cause dignity demanded it Then was eo one to watch bfm,

e

MAURICE

1

nardfdhewatch~butstnrggleslikehisnrethesupreme achievements of b d y , and surpass any legende abaut H e a n No reward awaitid him. This work, like much that had gone befare, was to fall mining. But he did not fall with it, and the muscles it had developed mmabd for mother we.

29

The aash came an a S d y in spriug-exqddb weather. They sat rqmtd the breakfast table, %

mauming becaw of Grandpa,but othemh worldly. Besides

Msmotherand~therewasimpossibleAMtIda,whollved with them now, and a MIss Tonb,a Mendwhom Wtty had made at the Damestlo Instttute,and who indeed seemed ita only tangible product Betwesl Ada and himself sbood an empty chair. cried Mrs Hall, Wb, Mr Durham's engaged to be whowasreadingalettea. ~owfriemllyofhismothertotellme. Penge, a caunty estate,"she explained to Miss Tanh m t won't impress Violet, mother. She's a mdaMw 'Am I, Kitty? Good news." Yon mean bad news, Miss To&? said Aunt Ida. "Mother,who toomr "Youwill say 'Wtta toom' as a f o btoo often.'' Wh math, get on,who is sheP asked Ada, havlug s t i M a =Pt Zady Amte Woods. You #canread the letter for yourselves. HemetheriP~tadyAMeWoods.Dau~berdSitH.

woods.w

~wasanoutay~moogstthewell--ed.Itwassub= SeClaerttEyformdthatMrs D m h a m ' s ~ r a n , ~ d a a f t t tell yau the name of the lady: h e Woods: daughter of Sir H.

MAURICE

Woods." But even dqm it was remarkable, and owing to Cwece ' d o . I 'UaudceIa said Ms aunt across the hubbub. "Hullol" TItatbag'sIakLeadog back in his chair he shouted ll)i&ela at the ding ~hgr~pa~knp~~-Y'~yotmgnephewfor~~~dtoob@ ~doesn'tw~sleepabove,sothaCsno&"~safdgi#y. -wPp-" Hesmo3redhalfa~inthegBtdenandreturmdTke newshadneadytptbimafteraILItMcomesobmtaRy,d -what hurt htm as much--no one behaved as if it w m his cuncam.NorwasftMrsI)urbamandhb~~)therwerethepr&uip& now.Their friendship had survived the he* Eewasthink&g,"Qivedgbthavewbtbm: farthesakeof the past he might?, w h his aunt internapted b i n 'Wmt bay's never come," she canHerosewithasmile."My faolt.Ifargota ")?orgo@Everyone ccaxcentrated on him. "Forgat when you wentoatqedaRyPOh Molria,pusreafunnyboy."HeleEtthe mom,pdbyhum~scoro,andatm~~tforgot~"In there'smy work," he thou@t, and a deadly laaPitnQ,fell on him. He~apstairswiththetregdafanoldermao,anddrew breathatthetop.Hestretdd&anrrswida~~gwas exquisiteunmbforothens: forthem theleavatrustledand the srmpomedintothehouse Heb@atDWeBarqfs door* I

~astbstse8Inednoase,qlerledit The boy, who had been to a dance the night before, r e m a i d asleep.Helaywithhbl€mbsuncovered.Helay~ embrad and penetrated by the sun. The lips were parted, the

downanthenpperwastallchedwith~theha€rbro~~

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MAURICE

oormttesrr glades, tbbody was a debate amber. To aayome he mlsld have..sesmedbeautiful, and to Mmdm who reached him bytwopathehe~theWoridsdeaim It'spastIline,-heeaidassoonaslaecotrldspsa%. MckEegroaQdaIldpl9ednpthe~thestobL9cbin.

-up* %owhghaveFbeen~heasked,ope&ghia epes, ~werea~ofbfmtbatwaslrot~~and~gfnbD

Md' aAUttb,vbsaid,afterapa9se.

Trnawfdysonp~

"XouoenbeasIateaspl0pe--tt'sonlyIdtdn'twantpoaaO miss the jony day: ~ t h e y w e r e ~ i n ~ ~ ~ b b e r y . ~ t t y ~ ~ h i ~ h ~ ~ ~ a b 0 r d l ~ l i s s w a a d n ~ ~ d --Bhethatfhafm~epoob.~henhtssvoroeanioed,was

that%'-" I a o l d h t m ~ t o ~ , " B g f d ~ ~ a l I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~verginscttcel,d~ar,"~-Han. mdsan a visft.= Almtieremarrbedthatb~datyafa~wasto~ totheraEesofdre~~hekd~apposedkar, batnawhesefd,'The~dtfifeholrrrebthateveryome&ea whetthegkR Ogrealdeet L at half paet el$&" "FarthoSewtta]itre.~wLeresleepyilhebreakhtat mineart€?nm "No~dpaa,MauricaNo~wollldsbp,as

y l m d ~ " T d rather sewaate went than my guests wear treated like " .

= A ~ 1 H w RHefsoneP l

MAURICE

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I

"Mr BarryCs now at Wdwich," safd Maurice d d y . Aunt Ida snorted, but Mlss Todks shot him a glance of re spect.Theotbrshadaot~jntentonpoorMrsDurbam, who w d d now only have the dower b&e.he loss of his temper left him very happy. In a few d u b s Diokle joined them, andheroseto~hlsgod.Theba)rshairwasmw~tfnnn thebath,adhispdbodyMddOPl~&thes,buthe mnahedeatm&mdybgautifuLTh~ntwasa~essabout~ he gave the him-he might have arrived with the Im~nofmodestyandafgoodvrriaWhenheapolog&edto hnRHa0,~noteofhisMfcenkadeMamlcesbiver.~~ was the &Idhe wouldn't protect at Suningtonl Thls the guest whose arrival last night he had felt rather a bore. Sostrongwas thepassion,whileitlasted,thatheb&vedtb crislsofhislifehadcoma H e b r o k e a R e n g a g ~ a s i n & ~ old days. After breakfast he saw Diclde to his uncle's, got ann in arm with him, a n d d a p m m i s e f o r tea It was lcept MamioeahdomdbJmselftojoy.Hisbloodheated.HewauM not attend to the talk,yet even this advantaged him, for whea hesatd"WhatP*~&eoameov~tothes&He~anann rodhim, TbeentrmadAunt Idamaybaveaverteddisaster,yethetboa~heswrespolrseintbedeyes. They met once mom-at midnight. Maurice was not happy, now, for during the hours of waiting his motion had become PaysICa'. T d a latch key,"said Diclde, wrprfsed at kding his host up. "Iknow." There was a pause. Both uneasy, tky were glancing at each

...

otherandafraidtomeet a glana3. "Is it a cold night outP "No."

-I@youe8*Igoupr

MAURICE -

a r o , ~ " W~w~~tt~&e~~ftdhesmdhMedontbelandlngllgbt Tharhetumedmt theJi@bfnthehaltand~gkovertakingMm mMessIy.

lBhsismy~wbwbhrpaedTmemgenedy.~ tuned me out for ymwHe addedI 1 deep here alone? He wp3 cumdm that WCK& were escaping him Having -wed MoWe's ovpnaoat he stood holding it, saying m t h g The home arssoqoEetthstthsymhaprthewollzea~ginths othermw.

Thebaysatd~gd~.~trsrfaticsof~are endla?,and it a, bopped tbat he r m tbs dW00 ~ @dy.UHotl~hed~tdcltoprmw,WL had nth= natt be fdt k &at a b u t i t Tm~*~~notdarlnp;Inth8Pttlacnrar thfs-i€ yon want anythinnight alona f dwap a m m ~sImpolsew&sto~tltedooraMerMm,butbdfp ~edftmddfeay,dmbb&e&*gofthe~fastben,~bwnop,bbhandMsmhrd~b

Thtsepisodebl&~8ltdetOp~.~ ingitbythepast,hemWookDickieforaseumd Clive, but tbree years am not lived in a day, and the 0res did downasqtdcklyasthqrhdriseqleavfng~~~~~ bsbind tkezn. W e left on the Monday, end by FHday his b g e had faded. A c h t then came intothe a lively and handsome young l!bmbm,who fmploled Monsieur 'A11 not toswhdlehim. Whilatheyclded,afamniarfssllngarose,but tbis time he sm& attendant &m fmm the abyss. "No,people ~ n t e m a s t ~ o m ~ t 0 t h e ~ ~ m ~ " h ~ed,inanswextothe~uhman's~toIunchwiChhim, and I& voice was so British that it prodmced shouts oflaughter audapmtomhe.

Wh~plthef~hadgonehefidthetmth.~feelfngfoo Dickle required a very pdmitive name. He weald have seatl~unceandcalleditadoratlon,butthehabitofhonesty had grown strong. What a stoat he had been! Poor Iittle Dickiel He saw the boy leaping from his embrace, to smash . thmu&thewindowandbrealshilmbs,ory~gilkeamanIacuntilhelpcame,Hesawthe~ "Lust,-IIesaidthewordolrtload. Lust io neglighh whtm absent. In the calm of hfs of808 Mamice eqecbd to subdue it,now that he had found its name. His mfnd, wer practical, wasted no thne in theologscal despafr,

MAURICE

Imtadvnncedtothegrin~HehadW~and theaedorvtforearmed,andhadonlytokeepawayhboya and yaungmentoenstmsaooesaYes,fmmotheryaungmen.CaF bin obsclnfties of the last sfx months became clear. For [email protected]~nent-He-wrinklea~sqasonewho needs no fwther p E The feehg that can impel a gentleman towads a person of lawardass stands salfdenmed. He did not know what lay a h d He was enteabDg Mo a state

thatwonldodyendwithimpotcmceordeath.Clfvehadpost ponedit C l l v e h a d i d d h i m , ae always. It hadbeenunderstoodbetween~that~~thon~indndingtfte body,ahouldmt~ft,andtheuaderstandfnghadpip ~ ~ w e r e a s e & f r o m Q f v a H e h d b e a n ~ to words on the &st m d n g at Penge, when he refused Maurfc$sMss,oronthelast~~whentbgtlayamid deep fm.Then had bean framed the rule that brought the golden age, and wautd have d c e d till death. But to Mamica, despiteMscontent,bhad~somethbghypmtiaabantit I t h d e q x e s s d C h q nothfm, but nowthathewas alonehe uacked hideously, as es at e d m d And it was not CHe wha wooldhealhtm.That~evenffenerted,ddhve failed, for a rehion such as thefrs cannot break witkout trunsfonnjngbothmenforever. Buthecouldxmt~all~.The~pasthadblfnded him, and the highest happiness he could dream was a retmn toitABhesatinbfs~oe~~~~hecouM~seethevast oar~eofhishfe,stinlesstbgbtofhfsfathersittIngoppoofte. Mr HaIl senior had neither fought nor thought; there had mvex . been any d o n ; he had wpportedsodety and moved without acrisfshillidttolidtlavaNow,looWng~athisson, hefstonchedwithewy, theoniypatnthatmvivesintheworld of shades. Far he sees the k h educating the spirit, aa hb has

MAURICE never been educated, and developing the slug@ heart and the . alaclcmindagaiast~~ Presently Maurice was d e d to the tdephom He raised it tohisear,and,aftersixmontho'~heardthevoiceofMs only Mend. ~ullo,"hebegan,"hallqyouWmhavehi?ardmyaews, Mauricd 'Yes, but you didn't write, so I didn't." "Quiteso." Where are you now?" -Off to a restaurant We want you to came rouud there. Will you?" "I'mafraid I can't I've just wfused one invitation to I d " "Areyou too busy to tdk a ilW "Ohno." Qimresumed,evidedyrellevedbytba~"My young woman's with me. Presently Mtalk toa* "Oh,alI right Ten me all your plaw? The weddings next month." "Best of luck." Neither could think of anythingto say. Wow for Anue.'' 'Tm Anne Wd,"said a girl's voice, "My name's HalY

'What?" "Maurice Christopher Halt" "Mine's Anne Clare Wilbraham Woods,but I can't think of anything to say? "No more can La *You're the eighth Mend of Ufve I've talked to in this way tbfsmmnioga The eigbthP"

MAURICE

1can't h d

.

t

7 said the eighth" "Oh yes, now Ill give Qfve a turn. Goodbye." Uive resumed. "By the way, can you come down to Page next week? It's short notice, but latex all will be chaos.* T m sfraid I can't do that very well Mr Hill's getting d too, so that I'm more or less busy h d "What, your old partner?" "Yes, and after him Ada to Chapman." "SoI heard. How about August? Not September, thafs h a s t certainly theby-election. But come inA u p t andseeus thmugb that awful Park v. V&ge cricket match."

'Thanks, I probably could. You had better write nemw the time." "Oh,of comse. By the way, Anne has a hundred pounds in her pocket.Will you invest it for her?" 'Y=erEainly. What does she fancy?" "You'd better choose. She's not allowed to fancy mare than four per centMawice quoted a few securities. T d like the last o n e said Anne's voice. 7 didn't catch its a

name" ToulI see it on the Contract Note. What3 your address,

plShe Monned him. *All right Send the cheque when you hear from us. Perhaps I'd better rfng oft and buy at once" He did so. Their intercourse was to run on these lines. However pleasant d i v e and his wife w a e to him, he always felt that they stood at the other end of the telephone wire. After luncb he chae their wedding present His h t h t was to give a thumper, but since he was only eighth on the llst of the bride

MAURICE

I I

~'~frienQ,~wonld~aatofplacaWhiIepaying three guineas he caught sightsofhimself in the glass behid the amnter.Whatasolidyoomgdtizenheloo~hmPomsble, pmpmue without vulgar@ On such d m England rely. Was it codvable that on Sunday last he bad hadnearly assrroltsd abP

31

As the spllngwore away, he decided to consult a d m

tor. The deddctn-most alien to his temperamentwasfarcedonbfmby a Mdecnts experienceinthe traia Hehad been brooding in an iU-codtioned way, and his expression aronsedthesuspidansandthe~oftheonlyotkperson in the aurbga This pm,stout and greasy-faced, made alasdvous si& and, oil his guard, Maurim responded. Necct momentbathmsetothehfeetTheothmansmUed,whereapon Marniw hocked him down. Which was hard on the man, who was elddy a d whme nose streamed with blood over the d o n s , and the harder because he was now cammed with fear a d thmght Maurice would pull the a h cord. He spIotten?d apologies, af6ered money. Maraics stood over him, blackbrewed, and saw in tMs disgusting and dishcmomabb old age hfsown. He loathed the idea of a doctot, bat he had failed to kiU last single-handed. As crude as in his boyhood, it was many time as strong and raged in Me empty souL He might "keep away from yoangmenv,ashehadna%dyres~buthedmtkeep away from thefr images,and hourly committed sin inhis heatt. Aay~wes~farheassumedaductorwould panieh him.He d d undergo any cum of treatment on the chance of baing cmed,and even if he wesn't he would be occupiedandhavefewermiuutesfor~g.

i

MAURICE

Whoas shoald he consult? Ycnmg Jowitt was the anly d

I

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e he larew well, and the day after that railway journey he managedtoremarktohiminosntal~"Isay,inyourrounds here, do you comeacmss umpe&ablaPof the Oscar Wilde sottr But Jowitt replied. "No, W s fn the asylum work, thank Cod," which was discouraging, and perhaps it might be better to c o d t someone whom he should never see again. He thought of .qm&h@ but did not how whether thge were any for hb d&ease,norwhathertbaynaJdtsepMthtlbsddedin them.Onall~subf~hecuuld#advica,butan this,whichtmchedhimddy~dvilizatfaawcu,eilemt

lathe~dhebmvedavisfttoDrBarry.Hekaswlleshould baveabadwbntttreoklman,h&abollyandawes absolutely trustworthy, a d bad been better dlspa9ed to hLnsincshis~tiestoMckle.TDEeywereinnosense~ whichmadeiteasfer, andhewentsoseldom totheholtse that it would make little d i f k e a e wem he forbidden it for ever. He went on a cold evenhg in May. Spring had turned into a moukery, end a wretahed mmmer was expected also. It was egactlyttveeyearsafacehebadcomehereanderbalmysldes, to d v e his btm abmt Cambridp, and his heart beat quicker, remm-g how severe the old man had been then. Refoundhiminanagmeablemood,phyingbridgewithbb daughter and wife, and urgent that Maurice should make a fourth in their party, TmafraidI~ttospeaktoyou,sfrPhesaidwithaaemotion so inkme that he felt he should never accomplish the real words at all. well,speak away." "Imean pmfedody? Zord, man, I've r e W from practice for the last SIX yeam, You go to Jedchoor JowitL Sit &wq Maurica Glad to seeyou,

MAURICE

shouldn*thave guessed you were dying. Pollyl Whisky fathis fading 0oweJr.-

Maurice d e d standing, then tumed away so oddly that Dr Barry followed him into the hal and said, "Hi,Maurice, can Iseoi*&~gforyouP" 7 should think you cant" Tve not even a candtingm" 'It's an illness too awfuny intimate for JowitbPd rather come to y o ~ - ~ the r eonly doctor alive I dare tell. Once before I d to you I hoped I'd learn to speak oat It's about that" "A secret trouble, ehP Well, come along? They went hto the dining-mam, which was atill strewn with dessert. The Venw de Medid in brom stood on the mantelpiece, copies of Greuze hung on the walls. Maurice tried to speak and failed, pmed out some water, failed again, and broke into a fit of sobbing. 'Take yom time,* said the old man quitekhdly, "andremernberof~that~fsprofdNotbfngyousaydever mab y m mother's ears."

The~~es~afth~h~~~0~~8htm.Itt~aslfke back in the train, He wept at the hidemmess into which he had h forced, he who had meant to tell no one but Qfve. Unable to say the right words, he m u t t 4 l t ' s about women-" Dr Barry leapt to a coacl-deed he bad been tkm evm &ce they spoke in the hall. He had had a touch of trouble himself when young, which made him sympathetic about i t We11 soon & that up," he said. Maurice stopped his tears before more than a few had issued, and felt the wst piled in an agoniziugbar across bie brain. "Ob, k me for God's sake," he said,and sank into a chafr, arms banging. SPmdose on done for."

MAURICE

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aAb,oPrmrenlHowweRI~~yoaspoutedanthe platformatschool.. . ~ y e a r m y p o o r ~ d i e d i t w a s . . yougapedat~nnemamr'swife. .h$salottoleanraudWs ahardschod,I~~~Onlp~canteachas andthembudwommasdasgood.Dear,dearPHecleared MstbroatWell,boy,don'tbe~afmaOnly~nte~ tlQtl4dI11~~wen.Whendfdyoaceaehthe~ WqPAtQVP*yr Mauricedid~t~ThenMsbw~dempWs ztotblngas~thyaathat,whesaideqMv~. Inmy ownrottea aryhkapt*D DrBnnyseemed~HeladDBddwdoor,s@ng,IPP ~ & P l r t 8 h w a l o o k n t a t h ~ ~ . M a a u i c e ~ ~ t h e ~ f r o m b i m h r a x a ~ HehadbeemfnsultedasheMiwmltedAda, "You're all right,- was the verdW. d'pmean, sir, by all d@p *What I say. You're a clean msn. Nothing to worry about heram Hesatdownbythe~and,dulledthoagbhewasto~ ~DrRarrydtbpolaItwasn't~ptt~ hbeencalladsqeAHesatinbfsdposltian,andhfs W y e s t K e I l a s M s ~ ~ e d ~ ~ I y ~ t h e ~ e m ' t g O j n g t o ~ ~ h e g a ~ t b e t f a D ; ~ H ~ d @ t b e s l o w d ~ s b o t i f ~ b ~ t R h a t hwantedhewddhdd~,lttJll~dBntb~

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crina#m.

7loo~reaIi~"repeatedtbother.~oncaamarrptomolL ~ r r p ~ s I ; L ' ~ ~ ~ . ~ p u t p a t e n t b

%oyon%ene~er~hesaid,withatoachof scomfn

MAURICE

bis t e a o l . T m a n ~ ~ d t h e O s c a t W a d e s o r t m R I s e y e s dosed,anddrMng&achedflstsagainstthesDhesatmotfoale9p, having appealed to Caeaar. AtlaPtjudgem6ntcama Hedscaroelybdievehfsea~.It was "Rubbish,rabbishl' He had expected many things, but not thtp;farifhiswatdSwerembbishhislifewasadream. B a q , I can't have q h i n d - " Wow &ten to me,Marnice, never let that evil halIucfnation, tbattemptatfoafmmthedevil,occrrrtoyouagah" . The voice impressed him, and wae not Solace speakin# ~putthat~intoyomhead?Ym~~Ise8dlmow to be a decent fsZlowl Well never rnmtton it again. No-SlI not dtscass.I11natdioarss.The~thingIcoufddoforymisto &cuss ita 1want advice," safd Maurice~,struggling agtajnst the ow+

wheImingmarmer."it'~notrubbishtome,butmyIife.~ "Rubbish,*came the voice authmltati*. TvebeenJikethiseversinceIcan~wfthoathowi.a;~h~.~hatisfi~~~;nldls~ed~~f~am,~waattobe ~can'tputupwiththe~any-thelastdxmomtbs ~.hAnytgputeIlme,I11&Tba3sdYmrmurtbelp me." IiefeR~bptobis~pasition,~gbodyandsonl intdtbeike. -comeIDress~? T m sony," he murmured, and obeyed. Then Dr Berry t d o c k d the door and called, ''Polly! WWyI" The cansultationwas aver.

MAURICE

to&eductix,CIivehad~towardswomensoon~~ reachedtheageoftweaQ4our. Hehtmselfwoutdbe twentyfoarinAu~Wasitpossiblethathewoaldtum~..and now that he c a m to think, few men rnarrIed before Wty-four. MauricehadtheEn~s~toconcefvevariety.~ troubles had taught him that o h people are dive, but not yet thatthgrmdifFereat,andheattem@am@Qive9sdsvelopment M a forenmuer of hfs own, ItdbefOny~ytobemanied,andatonewith~ olety and the law. Dr Barry, meetlng him on amthea day, said, %&mice, you get the right girl4mell be no mare trouble thena GIadys OIcott r e d to him. Of course he was not a arude undergradute now. He had sutkred and explored hlm&andknew he wasabmmaL ButhopalessysoP Suppaselm met a woman who was eympatbebto in other wap?He wanted *Heopascapableof~g~Barryhsd sirfdsaWes~geim~bleafterall?Thetapfcwasintke attathome,owingtoAdn,andhismotlrerwautdoftensu~ thatheshaaldfind~forKittydKittywrmeolrefor~ Her detncbmentwas amazing. The won& ''marriage," love," "a fmdy"hadMaUmaningtohaduring~Aconcert ~~antbyMfssT&toKittyrsvealed~~Ei#y c d d n o t a s e i t , d ~ i t r o M d t h e t a b hMauricesaidhe shoald ltke to go. She mmhded him that it was bf9 Club nl& butheseidhewauldcutthatHew~t,dithahappenedtobe thesympaOnyofTddcow~QhrehadtaughthimtoilkaHe enjoyed the piercing and the tearing and the@&s masio did not mean n t a ~ to~him than t h a t 4 they bduced a wann feeling of ptitude towards Miss Tonks.Unforttmatdy, after the concert he met Rlsley. '$ymphonfePathiqaei"safdRislg.~

.

=symplmnyPadletic,R~thf3Phillstiae.

MAURICE %y@mie Westueuse et Pathiqua'' And he iuEonned his young Mend that Tddovsly had fallen in love with his own aerphew,anddedicatedhis~scetohim."Iccmtetosee all respectable London flock, Isn't it auPrrnnsfP "Queer thiugs you know,'' said Mamice staf831. It was odd that when he had a d d a n t be didn't want one. But he got a life of Tchaikmky out of the library at once.The *isode of the cumposds marriag conveys little to the n o d reader, who vaguely assumes incompatibility, but it tMlled Maurice. He knew what the disaster meant and how near Dr Barry had dragged bim to i t Reading on, he made the a q u a h b m of %b", the wonderful nsphew to whom Tchaikowky tunrs after the breakdown, and in whom is his spiritual and musical WSWrection.The book blew ofF the gathering dust and he respecLed it as the one literary work that had cwr helped hfm.But it only helped Mm ba&wa&. He was where he had been in the having gained nothing except the belief that ductom are fools. Now every avenue seemed bIwlred, and in his deepair he turned to the practices he had abadoned as a boy, and found they did bring him a degraded ldnd of pence, did stdl the physical urge into which all his sensations were contracting, and enable him to do his work He was an average man, and could have won an average fight, but Nature had pitted him ap3nst the eztraordinary, which only saints can subdue unaided, and be began to lose gaund. Shortly before his visit to Page a new hope dawned, faint and dwely. It was hypnotism, Mr Cornwallis, Risley told him, had been hypnotized. A doctor had said, *Come, yon are no eumtcbl" and lo! he had ceased to be one. Maurice procured the doctor's address, but did mt suppose anything would come of ik one interview with the &me safaced him, and he always felt R b I q hew too m&; hlB mica when he gave ihe address was friendly but slightly amused.

33

Now that Clive Durham was sate from inthwy* he looked forward to he@q bfs Mend,who must have

had a pretty rough thue shoe they parted in the moking-rocun. Their comspo&ce had cased several months ago.. MaadceeslasthadbeeawrftteD~Birmingham,adannoSmrea &eshouldnotkiuhtmself.Clivehadneve3teupposedhewwld, andwatiglndthemelodramawaaover.Whentlmgrtalkeddown the telephone he heard a man whom hemight respeck at the otherendabitLla~whoso~willingtoletbyganesbe bygonesandpaaoion~~wasm~tion of -, poor Maurice sounded shy, a bit hufiy wen, d y dm cadition Clive deemed natural, and felt he c d d wnnlrnrnt~ Hewas amtous todo what he could. Thoughthe quality of thepastasospedbimhe~itspnprt&qand~ Lnow1edged that Maurice had onoe lifted him out of aesthsttdsmfntothemmaadwfnddlovaButforM a u d c e h e w d ~ h r w e d e n r ~ i n t o b e i n gAnne. ~ o fHis friedhad tPalpedMmtimlughtbteehiurenyears,dhe&be m~iDdeedifhedidnothelpbisfridC]hrecMnot Iike~Het~~uldratherhawrhelpedoutafp~iefdedliaes&&Ithehadtoosetheonlytoalheksdandffall~ well,ifMatnioekegt~ttonal,ifheramainedatthedof a~ifhewsssouDdesreglardedAnw,ffLwasnot b~,artoo~usortoorough-tIwnthgrmightbe~

MAURICE again, though by a Merent mute and in 8. dibent manner. Ma* bad admfrable q u a l i t i d kmw this, and the time might be mtuming when he would feel it also. SuchthoughtsastheabovedtoQi~~rarelyandfes bly. The centre ofhis lifewas Anne. W d d Anne get on with his mother? Would Anne like Penge, she who had been bmght up in Sussex, near the sea? Would she reget the laclc of religious opportunities thereP And the presence of polltfcsP Besotted with love,bgavehe3tbisbodyaad~hepomedoutat~~ all that an e a r h passion had taught him, and d d only r& membawithan~forwhomthat~hadbeen. In the &st gIow of his engagement,when she was the wbale dtohb,the~~~kethou~tof'confeaslag to her about Manrice. She had confessed a peccadillo to him. But~tohis~wiWdhfm,audhewasgladafb wards, for, kmnortaI as Anne pxwed, she was not Pallas Athene, and there were many points onwhichhe could not touch Theit own d o n b;ecame the chied of these. When he arrived in hei m m after mamiage, she dfd notknow what he wanted. Despite an elaborate education, no onebad told h a about sex. Clive was as amsiderate as possible, but he scsted her terribly, and andeft fedingshe hated him. She did not She welcomed him on future nights. But it was alwayswithout a word. They unitedin a world that bore no referam to the daily, and this seaecy drew aftm it much else of their lives. So much could never be mentioned. He never saw her naked, nor she him. They ignored the repm ductive and the digestive functions. So there would never be any w o n of this episode of his immaMty. It was unmentionable. It didn't stand between bim and her. She stood between him and it, and on second thoughts he was glad, for though not & g r a d 3 it had been sentimmtal and deserved obllvian.

MAURICE seoreOysnitedhim,atleastheadapted#tnrUhoat~He had never itched to call a spade a spade,and though he v a I d tbe body the actual deed of mx ~ ~ 8 m to e dhim unjmaginative, and best veiled innight. Between men % is ine#wabla, between man audwaman it maybe pra&sed sinoe nature and SOoletJr approve, but n e w dfscussednor vaunted. Iiisideal of d g e was temperate and gwcehrl Jike all bis ideals, and he found a . Bt helpmate in Arms, who had dnement hers&, and admired itfnotheb~.T h s p l o v e d d o t h e r ~ yBegatlfal. tions~vedth6m-whtle~ondthe~Maurfcewap derecttbewroag~mhbfsdthewlungwrookdssfregh€9 he* andhis arasll fallof afr. . -,

34

Maurice took a w d s holiday in August and reached Page acoordiog to invitation three days befcae the Park v. Village cricket match. He arrived in an odd and bitter m o d He had been thinking o w Rfsley's hypnotist, and grew mach~edtocansulthim.Itwessuchan~o8.FoaInstance, as he drove up thou@ the park he saw a gamekmp dallying with two of the maids, and felt a pang of envy. The @ were damned ugly, which the man wasn't: somehaw tbfs deitworse,andhe&atthetriqf&gaPelaad~ spectable; the girls broke away giggling, the man mtumed the stare furtively and then thought it safer to touch his cap; he had spoilt that little gtuna But they would meet again when he had passed,andallwertheworldgirlswouldmeetmen,toldss them and be k & s 4might it not be better to alter his temperameat and toe the line? He would decide after his visit-for a m hope he was still hoping for something from Qiva "Che's out/ said the young hostess. "He sends you his love orsomthin~andwillbeinto~er.Ar$lfeLondonwiUloolc after you, but I don't believe you want looking after." Maurfce smiled and accepted some tea. The draoPiap;-room bad its old air. Groups of people stood about with the aft of arranging sometlhg, and though cllve's motber no longer pre sided she remained in resirlence, owing to the dower house drains. The sense of dilapidation had increesed. Through polllc ing I& he had noticed gate ports uooked, tams &g, end

indoonr some brfght wedding presents showed as patches on a threadbare garment Miss Woods had h g h t no money to P e w She was accqmphhed and delightful, but she belonged

I I

bthesameclassastheDur~and~~~~yyearIEn~~ less inchedto pay her highly. Tlive's canva&tgmshe canttnued, "there11be a by-ehtim I in the antnmn. He has at last i n d d them to induce him to standm;she had the adstocratlc knack of antidpating ElltlcJsm. %utsaionsly,&tbaaWgforthepootitb getsin.HeistheSrtnlestMend,ifonlythgrkmvit" 1 Maurice nodded. He felt diapased to discuss W problem. 1Bq.wantddnfngaM&"hesafd. Tes, they need a leader," said a gentle but distingufahed ~aanddthgtOnd~theywill~PAnaein~ the new mxtm, Mr Borenfns. He was her own importath Qfve did not mind whom he appointed if the man was a gentlam anddeooaed~totbviilagaMrBore3nins~both amditions, and as he was High Church mijjht s t r h a balance against the ougodng incumbent, who had besa Low. 'YlhM.r~us,hawfp~gt"theoldhdyufedffom amom the mom. "But I s u p p in your opinion we all want a leader. I quite agreewStte darted her eyes Mther and thither. "All of you want a leader, I repat* And Mr BomnWs qres foltowed hers, perhap looking for somethiugbe did not hd, for he soan took learn "He can't have anything to do at the Rectoxy," said Anne thoughtfully, %ut he always is like &at. He camas up to scold Cliveaboatthehtmsing,andwon'tstop bdfnaer.Yonsee, he's so sensitive:he worries about the poor." "I've had to do with the poor too," said Maurice+taking a pieced~%tIcao'tworryoverthem.Onemust$vetb~ a leg up for the sake of the country g e n d y , that's aU They

1

1

MAURICE

kven?onr~gs.They~tderasweahoaldintkeir

place." Anne looked disappmd, but she felt she had entrusted her hundredpoundstotherightsartofsbckbnolaea. "Caddiesand a college missih in the slumsis all I know, Still, rve l e d a little. The poor don't want pity. They only d y like me when I've got the gloves on and am hocking them about," "Oh,yoa tea& them bqing." "Ya,and play football they're rotten sportsmeaW " I s u p t h e y are. M r ~ u ~ s n y s t h e y w a n t ~ ~ s a i d Anw aft= a pause "I'veno doubt they do, but they won't get ita

. ..

"MrHalllW Maurice wiped his moustache and smiled.

'You're honJbIs." ''I didn't think I suppose€batdoes sound sa" "Butdo you like being hodkP" "One gets used to anything,* he said, sudddy turning, fa the doar had blown open behind. Well, good gmdw me, I d d Clive for being cynical, but you outdo him."Igetusdtobeinghonible,asyoncall~as~pocrrdoto their slums,It's only a question of t3mam He was speddngrather M y ; a biting red-8ss had come to bim since bfs arrival. Uive hadn't bothered to be in to receive him. Very well! "After 'you've banged about a bit you get used to your particular hale. Everyone yapping at the start like a lot of pampies, W d WaoulwHis unexpected imitation made her Iau* "At last you ham that ~veryone'sfar too busy to listen to yoy so you stop ' yapping. That's a faam *A mads view," she said, nodding her head, 911 never let CllvehalditIbelievefnsppathy.. .ihearhgoneawrther's

MAURICE

bnrdens.NodoabtIln~le.Areyooadisafpleof

NietLcheP" -Askme a u a b P Aone liked this 1Mr Hall, whom Clive had warned he0 she might Bnd umwpondve. So he was in a way, but widen* he had persomallty. She understood why her husband had found him a good travelling companion in Italy. "Now why don't you like the poorr she asked suddenly. "I don't dfsllke them. I just don't think abaut them w b n I'm obliged. These shnns,syndicalism, all the rest of it, are a @a menace, and one has to do one's little bit against them. But not far love, Your Mr b u s won't face feds.'' Shewasdeat,~askedhimhowoldhewas. 'Twenty-fora tomonow.'' "We& you're very hatd for your age.= "just now you said I was korrible. You're letting me & vesp eadly,MIshDuthamf" a A n y h ~you're , set,which is wcxse.She saw him frown, and, fearing she had been fmpeaihent, turned the Ealk on to Cllve. She had eqeated Clfve to be baok by now, she said, and it was the more disappointing because tomorrow Clive would have to be really away. The agent, who .hew the a@ituency, was showing him m d Mr Hall must be forgiving, and he must help them in the cricket match. I t rather depesde upon some ather plaao. I might have m to... Sheghcdathisfmewithasudbanfosity,~~

...

"Woddn'tyonlike~toseeyorad-WtakeMrHaIlto the Rmet Room." 'Thanko.. . I s ~ a p m t o u t Y "Notthis~~butyotl~wire.Wireyou11stap.. .Or oughtn't I to interfemP" 9 may have to wire-Prn not quite sum. Thanks MghtMyYm

.

.

MAURICE hen he followed ~r London to the RW& Rthking "Clive might have for the sake af the past he might have

. ..

beenkeretopetme.Heaughttobaveknownhowwretched1 shoPld~~HediddtcareforQive,bathedaufFefnrm him. The rain poured out of a leaden sky on to the park, the woods were dent As Wlight fell, he entered a new circle of torment He stopped up in the mom till dinner, fighting with ghosts he bad loved. If this new doctor auld albr his being, was it not hfs duty to go, though body and soul would be vi&tedP With the world as it Is, one must marry or decay. He was not yet free of Clive and never would be until something greater .intervened. *Is Mr Durham ba&Y he f a q w when the howemaid brought hot wnter. "Yes,sir." 7ustW . "No. About half an how, sir? She drew the crateins and hid the dgbt but not the sound of the nria Meanwhile Maurice saibbled a wire. "Zaslrer Jones, 6 Wigmore Place, W.,'"he read. "'Please make apphbwmt Thursday. HaIl C/o Dmham, Penge, WiIbhh" -Yes, sit.~somuch,"hesaiddefemm~y,and~asmon as he was alone. There was now a complete break behis public and private actions. In the drawing-room he greeted Clive without a tremor. They shook heirds warmly, C%ve saying, TOU look awfully fitDo you lmow whom you am ping to take fnP" and introducing hfm to a girl. Qive had become quite the squire. All his grievances agninst sodety had p e d s h e his mrriaga Agreeing politically, they bad pleaty to talk a b u t On his side, CUve was pleased with his visitor. Anne bad re= ported him as a ~ u g hbut , very nicea+ satisfacto'y con* Therewas a oomeness off bre about him, but that didn't matter

MAURICE

m t h a t h ~ ~ e a l x nAt dt a c o u l d b e Manrice ~ alsogotonwenwithAmMeImn~~farArchie bored Anneandwas thesat of manwho ooaldh on t o m e aae.Qiveassignedthemtoeachotber,forthevioit Inthedrawing-mom&eytalkedpolit&sagnh,c#nvioced everyoneofthemthatradtceIsareuntmthful,andsodalistp mad. The rain poured downwith a monotony nothing couId dlsb b . In the I& of amve,rsatioa its w h i p entered the IOCUU, and towards tlre end of the evdng there was "tap,tapmon t6.e Udofthepiana 'The famiIy ghost again,* said Mrs Durham with a bright

smfle. "There's the sweetest hole in the d i u ~ ' orled ' Anne. Wive, can't we have itp" "W;s shall have to," he marked, ringing the beU W s shfft our pianoforte though. It won2 stand much m a N SIow about a saucer?" said Mr London.%live, how abaut a saucer? On- the rain came through the d i n g of the club, I rangthebellandthesenrantbmught asaucer." "I ring the bell and the servaat brings &g,* said Clive, pealing again. Tes, welf have a saucer, W e , but we must mwe the piano too. Anne's dear little hale may grow fn the night There's only a lean-to d over this part of the room.-

"PoorPengel'safdhismother.AllbadbadriseatOfeet,and weae~gatdtelealcAnnebea;antoprobe~~'tentrailo with blottfngpapex. The evening had broken up, and they were wen content to make fun about the raiq wbich had sent them tbishintafitsqce. "Bring a basin, will you," said Qive, when the bell was answered,"and a duster, and get me of the men to help shift the pimo and take up the carpet in the bay. The rain's come through a** W e had to ring MCB, ring twice," mmmkd his mother.

MAURICE

'

d&i deqlfque,, ahe added, far d e n the parlarrrmafd retmrreditwaswfththekeeperasdasthevalet~estboa*cumme~qaand--spehaveour~ig,Ilsbelow~ boo,yoa~*"

"Yuumen,wbatdoyonwantto&~?-snid-to

bisgnests.lmustgocammdugDon'tcametoo.It'sbeyoad words dna Liketo takeoata gun orwhat?" ''Vary nice,-said Maurice sad Ardda "hdder, do you heerr " L e ~ e e s t ~ t , " s e f d b f s m o t h eThepialtohad r. rackedup a rug, and the smmts, not llkfng to raise their voicea bfm gedeh&, miamone anatha's d m ,andwhis-

8cudder, the gemtlem8n'lI shoot t o m o ~ I ' r nsrrre 1dbnZ kmvwhat,butcumercnmdatteaShallweturninll~~P" ~lyt~~sthedellere,asyonhow,Mr~"said Anna Thenshewished the threesemmts gad ni@tandled the wayttpscats. Malaice Eingen?dtochoasea book Wght Iakf.9 HtatotyofZlMmdfmflllagapPTheratndri~intothe basln,themenmu&omthecarpetinthebay,and,late%lins seemed to d e k a t e scum obsequy. -fsn't-*s+g3" --isb,he'snot~gto~"saMthevalettotheQ$mskeeper.

Isclrpitwas,lmtbismiudpnwednneqaalandafterabew mbmteshethrewitanthebedandbroodedavertbe~ IntheilrearirresaofPengebispmpasegrew~ger. Lifebad prooedablfndalley,withadheapat theedofit,andb martc&ba&andstartagafn.0nedbeabsohrbeytrarpsformed, Risky implied, pmvlded one didn't care a dam for the past FamveIl, benuty and warmth. They ended in muok and moat go,Drawgthe orrrtafips, he gnzed long in& the tatn. and s i w and struck his own face, and bit his own Ups.

,

The next day was even dwader and the only thing to be said in its favour was that it had the t m d Q of a nightmam Archie Landon chattered, the rain dribbled, and in the sacred name of sport they were urged after rabbits over the Penge estate. Sometimes they shot the rabbits, some tima missed them,sometimes they tried ferrets and nets. The rabbits needed ~~g down and perhaps that was why the entextaiment had bean forced on thean: there was a prudent strain in Cllve. They returned to luncb, and M~N&had a tW11: his tebgmn had arrived from Mr Lasker Jones, granting him an appointmeat for tomomw. But the t . soon passed. Archie thought they had bettm go efter the bbannies again, and hewnstoodepressedtorefuse.Therainwasnowless,onthe o~handthemistwasthi&r,themudstick&r,aedtowad teatimethgrlostaferreLThekeepermadeouttbSswastheir .faus Archie knew better, and explaixmd the matter to M a d s in the smoldng-room witb the aid af din* Mmrw arrived at dbt, so did the poiitldans, and after dinner the drawtagmomceilingd.ippediuto~aIldsaweff,ThenintheR~~set Room,the same weathex, the same despair,and the fact that nowcllvesatonhisbed~ghttmatelydldnotmakeany dSmnc8. The talk might have mwed him had it oome earlier, but he had been so pained by dre inhospitality, he had spent so lonely and so imbecile a day, that he could respond to the past no laager. His thoughts were all with MIL a b r Jones, and he

35

-

MAURICE

wanted to be aioae to annpose a written statamat about his

CllvefeltthewtMhadafdb,faltme,bot,b=W

~can'twait,andym~tocadnddewithttre~" Hewasvexedtooat~gthattadaywasMaudmD's bfrth day--andwasurgentthattheirguestshoaldstopoverthe match. Maurice said he was MghtMy sorry, bat now W 2 , ashehudtblsurgentand~~~geme3atfntoffm. YWt yon aune back after bepi~gitP We're shooking hadg but it's such a pleasure havlng yoa Do treat tbe house as an hotel-go your way, and well g om." m e fact is I'm boplog to get married,* said Mawice, the wordsflyingfromhimaeiftheyhad~8~tilfe. T m awfully glad,'' said Qivq dropping bis eyes. "Mauriae, I ' m awfullyglad. Its ttregre&stthingin theworld,perbaps theonly~'' "Iknow.!' He was wonderiug why he had s p o h His sentence oati into therain; hewas always Q)& of the rain and dmdecayingroalsatPcmga 1shan2botheryou~th$Sc,batImustfustsaythatArme guditWomenare~.Shedeclaredd~ thatyonhadsomethingupyoarsleeve.Ilan~butnow1 shanhaveto~h~Hfseyesm9a'YlhMami~~msokla&

It'svery@dpto~~t'swhatCveahKayswlsbed~

F-

4 $tow yon ham" There was a siltme. cllve's old manna had come back He wes generous, charming. "It's wonderlid, isn't itP-the-Pm so glad. I wish I bould think of something else to say. Do you mind if I just tell AIuleP" Wot a bit. Tell everyom,'' cried Maurice, with a bmtdity

MAURICE that p a d unnoticed. T h e more the better? He courted external prassura. "If the girl I want won't, there's othersersa Qive smiled a little at tbis, but was too pleased to be squeamish. He was pleased partly for Mabut &o because it rounded off his own position. He hated queerness, Cambridge, the Blue Room, certain glades in the parir -not tainted, there had been nothing disgradul--but mdered subtly ridie ulous. Quite lately he had tuned up a poem written during Maurice's b t visft to Penge, which mtght have hailed from the land though the lookhg-gless~so fatuous it was, so perverse *Shade from the old heileaic ships." Had he addressed the sturdy undergraduate thus? And the knowledge that Manrice had equally outgrown such sentimentality puri6ed it, and from him also words burst as if they had been allvet. I v e thought more often of you than you imagfue*~ a & my dear. As I said last autumn, I care for you in the real sense, and always shall. We were young idiots, weren't we?-but one can get sometblng out of idocy. ~eve~opment. NO, more than that, intimacy. You and I know and trust one another just because we were once idiots. Marriage has made no differam. Oh, that's folly,I do think- w Tau give me your blessing then? *Ishould think sol"

An

'Thanks." Clfve's eyes softened. He wanted to convey somethingwarmer than development. Dare he borrow a gesture from the past? 'Think of me all tomom," said Maurice*"and as for Anneshe may think of me too." So p d o u s a reference dedded him to kiss the fellow v q gently on his big brown hand Maurice shuddered. You don't mind?"

MAURICE 1 I I 1

I

"Ohno." "Maurice dear, I wanted just to show I hadn't forgottea &e pt.I quite agm-donet let's mention it ever again, but I wanted t6 show just this once,."

-Allri@L" %rdt you thankful s'ti . d e dproperlyP"

I I

%ow properlyp" .Insteadof that muddle last year." "Ohwith y d -Quits, and Ill go.Maurice applied his lips to the starched c d of a dress sMrt Having fnactianed, hs withdrew*having clive more frfeIKuy than8~~1,adinalstenthe~retmntoP~assoa~ras

asamnstanoesallotKedtM&Clfve~tel]daglatewbile drewat0rgurgledovartEtedormeo.whenhehadgonsMa~ drewthe~and~onhlsimees,leeningMecbinupon

thewhdowsilland~gdredmpstospilnlrlebishait. "Comd*heaiedmddedy,~ghizns&Whomhadhe oslIledPHehsdbeen~dnothingaodthewordhadleapt aatAsqnfJdyaspossiblebshutoutttreairaadttredarkneas, andreenclasedhisbodyinthe~Boom.Tiwnhewmtehfe statemeatIttoaksomethne,and,thoughfarfrom~ hewenttobedwiththejnnpHewasoonvfncedthatsame~me had loolced over his sbonlder while he wmta He wasnetalona Or again, that he badn't pasadly twritbn Sfnoe coming to Penge he seemed a brmdle of wicq not Mawice, a d now he conldaimosthearthemquauebg5nsidehbn.Bat~af them bedan@ to Clive: he had got that far.

ArcbieLnndomwasatPo~gtotown,and~ stood in the hall togethex early next mmbg waftlog for the brougham, tRMle the man who had taken them efterrabbitowaitedouWdeforatip. TellhJmtoboilMsheB&"said~cmssry.-x~

36

bhm&rebobaItdhewoutdn'ttake#Damned~" w~~was~Whatwere~tscom!DgtoP weeittobe110~botecoldpIf~o1~emsaptaedshultrp SIrop and say so. He began a stoxy about his wife's monthly lrmsa Fipp had treated that woman more than an equal,but wbat can you expect with half educatedpeople? Half an eduoatfonfewmetbannona maw,hear,* said Maurice, yawning. All the same, Mr London waded whetker noblesse dldn't o'%e*

-oh,tryPym~~anttaD Hestretahedahandintotherah "Hall,he took it all right, you how.'' ~dha,theddi3"satd~audce.~hydtd~'thetakemlne? Iwppose~~~-'' Withshame Mr LondoncaolessedtMswas so. Hehadinaeesed&etiptbroughfearofasrmb.Tbefellow~theUmit ~t3,,yathe~ttbfnkit1~85gOOdtasteinHalltotslte the~upWhensemntsareradeoaeskouIdmerelyi~ tt.

MAURICE

But Maurice was cmss, tired,and W e d about bis appofntwent in town,awlhe felt the episode part of the UIIWof b g e . It was in the spirit of revenge tbat he s t d e d to the door, and said in his familiar yet alarming way, "Huh! So five shiRingsaredtpodenonghlSoyoullonlytake~Hewas in~kdbyAme,whohadcometoseethema& 3 m t of luck," she said to Maurice with a v q sweet expie+ ston,then pawed, as iffnvftIngddeaces. None came, but she added,Tmsogladyouienot~w -Are you?" "Menlike to be thought horrible. Clivedoas. Don't you,UiveP Mr Hall, men are pry funny creatures." She took hold of her n& and smiled. Yay funny. Be&of luck." By now she wns delighted with Maurice. His situation, and the way he took it, struck her as appropriately masculine. Wow a woman in love," she explained to Cfive an the d o o m , as they watched their guests stslrt. %ow a woman in love never blutb-I wish I knew the girl's name.* Xnterkhg with the housgservants, the keeper carried out Maurice's case to the b g h a m , evidently ashamed. "Stick it in theqW said Maurice coldly. Amid wavings from Anne,Uive, and Mrs Durham, they started,aad London msmmeaced the story of Pippa's monthly nurse. "How about a little air?'' suggested the victim He opened the widow and looked at the dripping park The stupidity of so maChreinlWhatdidittwnttorafnfor3The~ofthe universe to man1 Descending into woods, the brouglaao~toiIed alangfee?dy.Itt~thatitshddever~the s t e t i o n , 0 r W ~ ~ ~ Not far from the lodge there was a nnsty little dimb, and the road, ahvays in bad condition, was edged with dog rooap that matched the paint Blossom after blossom crept past them,

MAURICE ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ c a o wouId n e m mrfaldr here a d thae beauty Mumphed, but des-

k

pe~a~y,~ginawonldof~Ma~~6loolsedintoone after~~~)~,dthoo&hedtdno~careforflowazsthe~ure -~Scaroefy~~pezfect~~spra~every iaawerwaslopgfdedthelrextswanned*arterpmars,or bulgedwithgaR~The~ctrafnaturelAnd~In#rmpebncel He leant out of the window to seew b t h she couldn't bring it off once,and stared stmigbt Wo the bright bnntm eyes

obaytnmgmao. "God,why them's that keepex chap againl" "Coutdn't be, couldn't have got here We left him up at dm lMJum, "Hecoaldhaveifhe'dmnP WJy shoald he have mnP" 'That's trae, why should he haveP said Maurioe, then lifted the&pat&ebackofthebrou~aad@h@itinto the rase bushes, wbich a haze already amceabd 'Wasw T~tsee."His~resumedthenarrativeatonce, and talked ahnost without oeasfnguntil they parted at Waterha I n t h e M M a ~ d o v e r h i S ~ a d i t s ~ alamzedbim.He,wltocooldnottrnstJawl~wasptting~ self~ntothehawlsofaqua&despiteBisl8fs-,he co& hypnotismwith s h o w aud blackmail, and had often growled at it from bebirrd the Daily Tebgmph; had he not beb

-

berreLtteP

Butthehonsedalirightwhenthedoor~the 15tdeLaskerJaneseswere play3ng on the U g ' & dren,wbmJStOdkbimforWnclePetd',and~gtoMs hande; and dea he was shut into the waitfog mom with Pun& theeer~reofthen~nnalgre~Ager.~ewentta~fate

e

MAURICE -

cah3nly. Hewantedawomantoseaxehimsodanyanddiminih his lust and bear childrein He never thougbt of that woman as a positive joy-at the worst, Mclde had been that-far during fhelangstmgglehehadforgothwhatLmveis,dsou&tnot happiness at the bands of hdt h h r Jcmes,but repose. Tbat gentlemaafurthes&evedbimbycomingup tohis idea of what an advanced sdenMc man ought to be. Sallow and expressfonless*he sat in a large pichneless room before a roll-top desk. "MrHall?"he said, and dered a blodhs hand, His accent was dgbtly Amarican. We4 Mr Hall, aud what%the trouble?" Maurice became detachedtoo. It was as if thgr met to discus a third party. It's all downhe,whe said, producing the statement. I'vecoone doutor and he could do nothing I don't know whether you can." The statement rnread Tmwtwrongin cumingtoyan,Ihope?" "Not at dl,~r l&U. Seventy-five per cent of my p a t i e are af yow type. Is that statement m t ? " "Iwrote it last nighL"

"And accurate?" Well, names and place are a bit changed, naturaIly." Mr Lasker Jones did not seem to think it natural He asked s w d questions about "Mr Cumberland*, Maurice's pseudonym for Clive, and wished to kuow whether they had ever united: on Ms lips it was CUriousIy h a v e 4 He neither praised nor blamed nor pitied: he paid no attentian to a suddem outburst of Maurice's a&ainst society. And though-Mamice y e . for sympathy-& bad not had a word of it for a he was ghd none came, for it might have s h a W his purposa He asked, "What's the aame of my troub1eP Has it om?'' "Congenil l-ty." %ongenital how much?Well, can anything be donePC

MAURICE 'y)a,certainly,gif-'' Tae fact te I've an old-fashioned prejudice against dm.'' T m afraidyou may pomibly retain that prdudtoe after MrHaLI~promiseacar&Ispaketoyoudmyother patimts+eveaty-five per cent--but in d y Mty per cent have I bee?l tumzdldTheconfeasfongawMamlce~noquackwould have made it. W e may as d have a shat," he-said,smiltna; "whatmrrstI&P" -M~&waereJiaoarald~toseshow & q l y t h e ~ i s ~ Y o n w i l l r e ~ m n ( f t : y o n w ifar sh) mgdartxaalmetntla~.MrklrIItxyto~ycm~a trance,andffIsudIshanmakesuggestbstoyou~ohfch d(wehupe)~andbcomepartofyournormalstab tRhemymwakaYouarenottomistme." -All d@t, go ahead." Titen MrLwker J01288&fthisdeakandsatinanimpersonal wayantheannofMawic$s&ak. Maurice felthewas gobg to have a twtb out. Far a lit& tlme mtbg happed, but pmedy his eye mefita spot of l i eon the fire irons, and the xestoftheroamwentdim.HecauIdsee~hewashk~gat,bntlittle~dheoanldhearthe~svdcsd bfeomEvld~hewasgobgfntaatrance,adthe~~ memt gave bim a fealing of pride. "YourenotquiteoEyet,I&iuk." 'UO,

rm n

c

He made some more passes. "How,about nowP" T m neiuer ofF now.''

Mamiceagreed,lmtdidnotfdama%wthatyoa*reqafte off, how do you like my a m s u l t i n v P "

I t ' s a nice room.%t too dark?" "Rather darkb "Youcan see the picture though,can't YOUP" Maurice then saw a picture on the opposite wall, yet he lam+ that there was none -am a look at it, Mr Hall. Come nearer. Take a m of that crack in the carpet though." "How broad is the crack?" You can jump it" Manrice immediately Iocated a ma& and jumped, but he was not convinced of the d t y . "Admirable-now what do you suppose this piis OF, whom is it of-?" "whom Is it of- m %dna May." "Mr Edna May." "No, Mr Hall,Miss Edna May? I t ' s Mr Edna May." %net she beautiful?" I want to go home to my mother: Both laughed at this re

mark,the doctor leading *Miss Edna May is not only beautlhrl, she Is attractiva" -She d d t attract me," said Maurice pettishly. "Oh MI Hnll, what an ungallant remark Look at lter lovely hair.* "Ilike short hair best." my?" %cause I can stroke it--* and he began to cry. He came to bfmself in the chair. Tears were wet on his cheeks,but he felt asusual,audstartedEandngat011~8. I say, Ihad a dream when you woke me up. I'd better tell ft

MAURICE yea I thought I saw a face and h d someone say, That's yomr M d Is that all right? I often feel it-I can't of walking towards me &mu@ sleep, though it neva getp up to me, that dream.'' mid it get near nowY 7047 mar. Is that a bad sig@ "No,oh nt+ycm*re open to suggesfion, you're opep-I made you ses a picture on the was" Maurice nodded: he had quite forgotten. Them wae a pause, duringwhich he produced two @wass and asked for a second ap@bmt It was arranged that he should tebphw next we&andintheiutdMrL8Ska Joaeswantedbimtote main where he was hthe country, qniedy. Maurice could not dsabt that Clive a d Anw w d trrrelccnne hjm, nor that their Mumce wouId be suitabla Penge was an emetfcIthelpedhimbg&tfdaf&eald~mlifethat had

seemedsosweet,itcaredhimoftendemessandhumauity.Yes, he'dgoback, hesafd: hewouldwiretohfs friedsandcatch theaftenmoneqma "IUr Hall, takeeaerdseinmdemth Allttle-arstd aboutwlthaguna Maurice lingered to say, V n seamd thoughts perhaps I won't g o w -

-SOP"

"We& it s e e m rnther foolish to make that long journey twice ha day."

71onprefer~tostaphybraawnhameP Te-m-no, all right, I wiIl go back to Penge.-

37

OnMsreturnhewasamaoedto0ndthattheyonng pOp1ewerejustafifOrtwenty-faarwerleotfob

axing. He now

cared less ftk Clive than Qive fat him. That

kisshad~Itwessacha~vialpmdishklss,andalast so~calTheleasyouMthemmeitwasaupposedtobethat was Clive's teaching. Not only was the haIf greater then the whole-at Cambridge A h d m would just aooept tblti-batnow hewasofferedtheguarteraudtolditwasgeatezthantheh& Did the fellow snppase he wae made of paper? Qfve explained how he wouldn't b gobg had Maurice held outhopesof~g,andhowhewouldbebackfOrthematch any way. Anne whispd, Was the la& goody Mauric8 re plied, aSosof wheraqm she cowred him with her wing and offeredtoimrite~yomrgladydowntoPenga~~isshe very chadng? I am convinced she has bright brown eyesD But Clive called her d,and Maurice was left to an evening with bdrs Durham and Mr Boredm Unusual restlessness was on him. It recalled the initial night at CamMdge, when he had been to Wey's rooms. The rain hadstopped~ghisdashtotown.Hewantedtowalkaboat inthe evenfngand watch thesun set and liPtan to the dripping bees. Ghostly but perfeot,the evening primnrres were expanding in tlaeshrubbay, and stfrred him by their odours. Cltve had shownhfmwening~inthepast,bathadnevertold *

MAURICE

-

btm they smelt He liked being out of C100EB, among the rotdm and bats, stealing hither and thither bareheaded, till the gong shouldsutnnttmhimtodress for yet anothermeal, and the curtains of the Russet Room close. No, he wasn't the same; a rearmpeatofhfs beinghadbegunassurely as at Bfdqham, when Death had looked away, and to Mr L a s h Joaes be all credit1 D e e p than conscious &art there was a change, which might landbtm with luckin theanns of Miss T &

As he wandered about, the man whom he had reprimanded in the morrrfng came up, ttmdted his cap, and inqufred whether he d d shoot tomomw. Obviolrsly he wouldn't, siaae it was the~etm8tca,bntthepuesticmhad~aslaediaordeato pave the way for an apology. T m sure fm very somy 1 failed to give you and Mr Inndon full satisfaction, eir," was its fonn. Maurice, vindictive no longer, mid, 'Thafs all right, Scudder." Scudder was an importatbn-pmt of the larger life that had comefntoPeagewithpolithandAMe;hewassmubrthaa ald Mr Ayres, the head h p e q and knew it He fmpW that he hadn't taken the 6ive shillings because it was too much; he didn't say why he had taken the tenl He added, madto see you down again so soon, sIrr which struck Maurice as subtly unsuitable, so he repeated, That's all right, %udder; and went ia. It was a dinner-jacket w d n v t MIS, because they would

odybethrse--andthoughhehadrespectedsuchnlcetiesfor years he found them suddenly ridiculous. What did clothes matter as long as you got your food, and the other people were good sorts-wbch rheywauIdn2be? And as he touched the carapace of bis dress sbirt a sense of ignominy came over him, aud he felt he had no right to aitidze any008 who h e d in the opea alr. How dry Mrs Durham seeaned-she was C h e with the sap pished. And Mr Bod-how dry1 Thou@ to & Mt Borentus justice he mntained surprjses. Contemptuousof an parsons,

MAURICE

Mamicshadpaidlittleattentimtotbfsana,aadwas sEartled when he came oat strong after dessett EIe had assumed that as ~oftheparishhewouldbehelpfngcllveithe~ But 9 vote for no one who is not a oommuniq as Mr Duham lda&d!LR

m e Rads are atEacking yam church, you how: was all he

C0ddt.d %t is why 1 do not vote for the Radical candidate. He i s a Chistian, so naturally I should have dona"

%fi~,sit,ffI~saysa~will&aUthehp you want dona,You may be lucky he ien't an a b b t There are a axtab amount of those about, you k I " He m h d in response, saying The atheist is naarer the gingdamofHsavestbaathe~t'unlessyebeulmens lfttle Mdm'+md what ia t b atbairst but a ohikdr Maudoe looked at his hands, but before he could frame a replythe&cameintoaskwhePherhehadanyardezsforthe

w* 1saw him before dinner, SlmoaL Nothfng, thanks, Tomm

thematch, Ididtdlhla* "Yes, buthewdm wbthyou'dcare to go dawn to the pond between the innings for a bathe, sir, now that the weather bud alterid He has just bailed out the b ' ' Y~goodofhim."Ifthat'sMrScuddermay1epeaktohimP"sskedMrBareaioe. 'WiIlyoutellhlm,SimcoxPAlso t e l I h t m I s b a n ' t b e ~ WhenthevalethadgonehesaId,"Wouldyourather~aO bim here? Have him in as far as I'm comemda 7lude you, Mr Hall, but I11 go ont Hell preferthekitchn.'' "Hellplrederitno doubt. Therearefdcyoungfemalesinthe kitdwa.'' "Ahl Ahlu He had the air oE ane to whom sm occurs for the &ti

MAURICE &st time. TOU don't happen to h o w whether he has anyone in view m a w Ddo yoa0"

.

"EkaidIdon't. .sawhim~gtwo$rlsatonwonmy d v a l if that's any help." "It sometimes.happem that those men get ddential out lootingThe open air, t bsense of a n p a n i o ~ ' ' They don't get contidenfial witb me. Archie London and I g t rather fed up with bim yesterday as a matter of fact. Too amdm to bass the show. We found bim a bit of a swimw "Excusethe inquiry." What's there to excuse?" said Maurice, annoyed with the mtorforaIhtdlogsomgIytotheopenair. "Speaking frankly, I &odd be glad to see that particular y m g man settled with a helpmate belore he d m Smiling gentlyDhe added, %nd all young menP What's he sailing far?" "Heis to emigrate."And intordng"to emigrate"in a p a r t h k irrftating way, he repgfredto the kitchen. Maurloe strolled for five mtnutes in the sh~bbey.Food and wine had heated Mm, and he thought with some fn-c8 that even ald Chapmanhadmsmnewild oafs. He aloneCIive admonishing-umbhed advanced thought with the conchrct of a Sunday scholar. He wasn't M da riafit to a &ng Oh those jolly scents' those bushes where yon a d d hide, that sky es black as the bushes1 They were hPning away from him. Indoors was his place and there he'd moulderDa rc+ ~blepdllarofsodetywhohasneverhadthechancetombbehave. The alley that he was pacing opened through a swing gate into the park, but the damp grass them might dull hb pumps, a,he felt bound to rehrm. As he did so he stnrokagafnst cordumysDand wns held for a moment by both elbows; it had been Scuddm escaping from Mr Borenius. Released, he con-

MAURICE [email protected]~fsehoot,wbichatthetimehud made ltttle fmprdoa on Mm, began faintly to glowDand he

reaUzedtbatewenduringitsboredomhehadbeenallvaHefelt badtfromitbtheWatsofhfsani~subhasttte~ mmoPingr tbenforwards to the iuddenta of today*begidug with ~five~g$~dendlngwithnow.Aad~hersached W,itwasasifanelecbriocurrentpnssedthroughthe~ afinsl@cantewntssothatkedroppeditandletitsmasb backintodarlatas.Pamnatfoo,wbata~whed while~dairtonchedhimdoae~~)~.~thegwing gateinthed#mce,wbichhadh~tma~d tosIamagabtfreedam, a d hewentfndbat& *Oh Mr Hanl" cried ttre old My. 'Bow exquisite &I y o r ~ ooi&mm

"My~~BeEomrddrat~headwma~~with

- o ~ p Q n = =oa,don't~itafE.IlilPeitonyornMackhair.A4r~ niM,fehenotquitebacchanallanP The c l e r ~ r a f s e d ~ g r e s , H e h a d b f n t e r n t p t e d in the middle of a serious talk. %ut l ~ ~ Durham,' rs ' he perdstd '2cmdarstoodsodfstIncdyfmmyoa~aZ1yara~bad been un&ndD ~thoughtso,Mr~as,Idtd~so."

~etIgofntotheliltnhrm.and~awayIdisoavar sSmcaa, Sadder, and Mm W e b d l . For Sfmccu and Mm Wetherall I can make annngement~,Sadder is the s&us case, beceuseIhavenottImetopreparebimpmperlybe£arehesaila, eveaif&biPhopconldbe~upoILD Mrs Durham Medto be gmve, but Mantica, whom she r a t h ~ w e s l a u ~ S h e 8 u ~ t h a t M r ~ ~ ghm Sadder a note to some dergpm abroab-tbere wee bosmdtobeane.

MAU-RICE

71es,butWmhepmentftPHesbowsnobostilityabtlte ~htwmbsbebothered~~adxoml~~~~~blohat* your s-b bad been cdhned md which had not, this crisis w d d aot have arisenu *Smants are so incoderatq* said the old My. They t d me* Why.ScnddersprrmghisnosicsanQiveinjustthe sameway.His~th€lrin~Mm.SodhegoeaNowMrwpIL lda'baveymr advfm over tMo aisfs: what woljd you &Y

- ~ y o o n g ~ ~ t h a e n ~ Q 1 ~ ~ g l t trfmnphanLrn

Mamice mused bfnu&

If

looked so dmmed ugly he wouldn't have bothered, but he couldn't stand thtt squinny face medng at youth Scudder cleaned a gtm, Oarded a SllikWq brld Oat 8 boat, spudsO!T~&XI~ anymy, while gemtlefdk s p a t t e d on chairs &ding fault with ht9d%hedtddpfarti~it~ar~haal,~~~~~k ifMs~~.ogywaegenuh--hy&enhewasaBnefdbw. He'd speak myyhm. %ow do yon lmow hell oomm-be if he's cdhmedF" he said '3 don't c0mmabeP Mrs Durham hpmmedatune;this was pingtoo far* m t you Were,giva th0 0p-y. he pat dta ~vbat he a d d far yaa He haa not done what he add for &udder and c m m p d y the C h d hi to blame. Thst hi why I nratre eomuchofapointwbdehmustappeer~trivirltoyoa" Tmawfigystqid, butItblnlrIsee: yoowanttomakesan, t b r t b a n d n o t t b e M s h a l l b e t ~ b e i t h e f u h u aWe& &,ft,tm~ybeyourideaof~~oo1braith'tmioeand% the pamn W t

W a d t 43IrWs.''

1twasarrmutaspeecheshehad~varrnade;~~thehyp notism his brain bad horn moments d U J P power. ~ But Mr Bmnius wa9 m a i l a b I a He replied pleamtly, 'The uabe ~ h a r ~ p s U E b a v ~ ~ i d e a a r t o w b a t BoPgbt &f

MAURICE

tobe,IwisbIbadhalf his cert&ty."Theahemewandwmg andMauricewaBedhimthmughtheshortcutthughthe ~ l 3 = d wall = leant ~ the~subject of their d e b erations,nodoubtawai~onedthemaids;heap~tobe hauntlngthepremlsesthieev~Maaricswouldhaveseen ~ s o t h i c k n o w w t h e ~ i t ~ b i r ~ w h o dalow%oodnight,dffmthemboth.Adelfcate~ of fmlt perfumed the air; it had fur&ex to be feared that the y o a n g m a n h a d s t o l e n a n ~§ants wereeverywherethat night, despite the cold,and bdamicerehmedvia the shrub-, that he might inhale t b evening primma Again he heard the -us "Good night, sir," and feeling h & d y to the reprobate replied, "Good night, §addersthey t e t u m e y o u S r e ~ ~' * ~ s m y i d m , s i r , " c a m thevofoa e Wen,gOodlucktoylnL-

'Thankyou,Sir,it~*~ew 'Kbmda or Australla, I supposeu -No, sir, the Argentina"Ah, ah, a h e country." "Have you visibed it younmEssirP" - ~ernot,~forme,"saidMa~strollingonand ~-gwfthd=q=m*-pt=--g yet they harmonized with the darlmessr, the qutetmess uf the hom;thgrwtiLedhim,andashetKalhedawayhewasSollowed by asof well-being which lasb3d until he reachedthekoysa ThtmghitswindowhedseeMrsDurhamall~d ugly. Her face clicked fnto podtion as ts entered, so did his own, and they 'bxhnged a few affiected remarks about Ms day htown,-mgforbed. He had taken to aleephg badly during the past year* and b w as sooa as he lay down that &is would be a nightof physi-

cal labom. The events of the last twelve horns had excited him, and clashed against one another in his mind Now it was the early start, now the journey with London, the inteiview, the re trim; and at the back of ail lurked a fear that he had not said something at that intewiew that he ou@t to have said, that he had missed out something vital from his confession to the dootor. Yet what was it? He had drawn up the statement yesterday fn thfs very room, and been satidled at the time. He began to worry-which Mr Laaker Jones had forbidden him to doJbecause the i n t m p t i v e are more Wdt to heal: he was sup posed to lie fallow to the suggestians sown during the trance, and never wonder whether they would germinate or n d But he could not help worrying, and Penge, instead of numbing, seemed more stimulating than most places. How vivid, if a m plea were its fmpre.ssfons, how the tangle of flowersand fruit wreathed his brain1 Objects he had never seen, sucb as rain water baled from a boat,be d d see tonight,though curtaiued 5n tightly. Ah to get out to them1 Ah for d a r h e s ~ o the t darkneas of a house which coops up a man among fwnitum, but the darkness where he can be free1 Vain wish1 He had pafd a doctor two guineas to draw the cartaias ttghter, and presently, in the bmVn cube of such a room, Miss Tonks would lie plisdbaPtdebtm,And,astheyeast~tbetrancecontlnaedto work, Maudce had the illusion of a portrait that changed, now

atbiswi&nowagainstit,frommaletofdq and cameleap fng down the footbaIl-add w h m he bathed. He moaned, balf asleap.Them was something better in life than tbis rubbish, if onIy he a d d get to i t - l o v e + n o b i i ~ i gspaces where passion clasped peace, spaces no science d d reach, but they existed far ever, M of woods solne of them, and arched with majestic sky and a Mend. He really was asleep when he sprang up and flung wide the

...

...

MAURICE

curtabs with a cry of "Cornel* The action awoke htm; what bad he done that for? A mfst covered the grm of the parlc, and tlre tree truaks m e out of it like the channel marks in the estuary near bis old private SC~OOLxt W ~ Sjony cou ~e shivered aadcbchedhis0sts. Themoonhatirisen. Below himwas the drawing-room, and the men who were repairfngthe ths on the rood ofthe bay had Ieft theit Iadder resting against bis wfndow sllt What bad they done that for? He shook the ladder and ~intothewoods,bat~w&htogointothemvanished

assoanashecoaldgo.WhatusewasitPHewastoooldforfun in

ButasherehrrnedtobisbedaB#le*aomW anoipleso -intimate that it +t have arfsen inside his o m body. He seemedtoaackleandbrnnandmwtheWstopquivedng

mthemoonllteir.Theheadandthe-ofaman raseup,pensed,aganwasleantaeafastthewiadrrwsillvey ~,and~nehedykDaramowdtcmdshim and knelt beside him a d w b p e d , Sir,was you calling out forme?...Sir,Iknow 'I]mow,"andtauchedhim.

....

P A R T

-EadIbeatbegoiag~s5irr Abominably &yS Mamlce prebended not to hear. wemustn'tfanaareep~~i€anycmsoams~heamtimdwithaplnaaantbhrnedlan@WmadeManrfoe fedfridlybutatthe~ametfme~auddHemauagedtoreply,Youmastdtdmeelr,"andthelaughsoundsd

again,ssifbmbiugastdedp~Tltemseemedtobe channaItd~yetbisdlacomSmtincreased. ~I8Skpom~P"heseidawkwerdlp. T m §adder." lhDawyorheSardderc-Imeantyaurothernamaw WY&~''

7any~tohava" It'sd y m y ~ ' ' T m c a l l a d ~ " 1stlt~yoowherryotl&stdroveop,MrHaywasn'tlt~ day,Idfdtbfnlr:yaaloolredatmean~dgentle~~

*"

'Who were those people with yonP* said Man&& afks a patmsa

'Ylhthatwar~Mill,that~Millfs~Then&yarr wmemberthepiauogtwetthesame~g,dyoahad gmt trouble to suit yuurdf over a book, ddn't mad it, did you either."

!

i

MAURICE OtIOIK ever did you h o w I dfddt read my bookr

%wyoa]eaaingoutaFthewindaw~d.Isawpthe nextnight too. I was out on thelawn." I

I

...

*Do~meanyouwereoutfna~that~rainP" w-g ab,tbat'smthfn8;,yoa'vegottomtCa, haven'tyou.. .~ee,r~enotmncblong;erinthis co&ry,that's

%...

hOIKIkepputthgit" "HowbenstIyIwastoyouthismomingI" "Oh that's nothing-Excuse the question btlt is that door hked?" "I'll bok iL" As he dfd so, the feeling of awkwardness re turned. W h i k was he tending, from Qive into what compftn2

ionship? Presently they fell asleep They slept separate at &st, as if pmddty harassed &em, but towards morning a movement began, and they woke deep in eachother'sanm%adIbestbegaing~l~~?"herepeated,but Maurice, &rough whose earlier ntght had tbreaded the dream %mething is a Bttle wrong and had better be," was resting utterlyatlast,a~md"N~m." -sir,the&dhas~faur,younhaveto~~" m u r i c e ,I'm MauricsS 'But the c h d has-" "Damn the church." He said, "I've the orlcket pitch to help roll for the matd~," but did not move, and seemed fn the faint gray light to be s d ingproudIy. "Ibave the young bfrds too--the boats dane-Mr London aad Mr F e t h d a u g h dived splack into the water Uli-they told me all young gentlemen can dive--I never learned to. It seems more natwnI I h not to let the head get under the water. I call that drowning befoxe your day." . . T was taught I'd be ill if I didn't wet my hair." Well, you was taught what wasn't the ma''

MAURICE "Iexpect d s a piece with all else I was taught A master I d to trust as a h i taught me it I can stin remember walkfngonthebeachwfthbim.. .ohdearlAndthetidecameup,an bedygray.. ? HeshookhimPelffdly awake+as he felthis companion slip from him. Pon't, why did your 'Them's the clicket-u "No,there's not the CdchbYan're going abroad." W€ln,wellflnd~~tybeforeIW "If you'll stap, I'll tell you my dream, I dreamt of an old g r d f a t h d m f a a Hewasaquearcard.Iwo~whatyou'd ~madedhfm.Heusedtothinlcdeadpeoplewenttothe SLID, but b treated Ms own employees badly?

"Idreamtthe~~wwas~gtodrownme, andnowxeaRy1 mustg0,Ioan't talkaboutdreams, don't you ~orIltcatchttfnnn~AyIw." "Did yau ever dream you'd a fdemd, A b P Nothing else but just h y friend', he tqing to help you and yo& him. A Mend,m heFepsated,~~~y,"Som~~netolastpour~ lffe~and you Ms.I s u p st& a tbdng can't really h a p oub side deqhw Butthemomeatforspeeohbadpsssed.Class~&g, the crackfnthe5mrmust~atsunrisaWheahereadreddte windowMamfcecaUed,%udder~dhetPrnedilkea~ trained dog. "Aleo, you're a dear f d h v and we've been very happyem

Tmgetsomesleep,~snohmryin~~"hesaid Wy,andtookupthepthathadguardedthem~the ni@t The tips of the laddm quivered against the dawn as he descended, then were m o t i o Thaw ~ was a tiny crsckle from the gravel, a tiny clink fmm the fence that divided garden and park: then all was as if m a g had beem, and sflenoe absalate the Rase4 Room, broken after a time by the saueds of a new day.

Having docked the door, Matub dashed back into bed. X u r t a b drawn, sir, nice afr, nice day for the match,. said Sim#narentering k some exdtemeiat with the tea He looked at the head of black hair that was all the visitor showed. No answer came, and, disappointed of the m d g chat Mr Hall had hitherto accorded, he gathered up the &jack& and its apprnc tenances, and took them away to brush. Simwx and Scudder; two servants. Mauriae sat up and drank a cup of tea. He wauld have to give Scuddea some barrdsome present now, indeed he would like to, but what hold it beP What could one give a man in that podtfon? Not a motor-bike. Then he remembered tbat he was emigmttng, whtch made the pblem easier. But the anxious look mmahd on Ms fa- for he was woderhg whether Simcox had been suqdsed at h d ing the door ioclted Also had he meant anything by T w t a b drawn, sir"? Voices sounded under his window. He tried to drowse again, but the acts of 0 t h men had impinged. *Now what d YOU Wear, &, I ~ 0 n d & hqllhd srebmihg. "You'll put on yaur cricketing flannels straight away perhaps: that rather than the tweed." "All right."Collegeb k m wSth them, &P"

39

%-never

mindw

MAURICE "Veay god, sir." He straightened out a pair of so& and co* tfrmed meditatively: "Oh, they'w moved that Iadder at last, I see. About tima" Maurice thea saw that the tip6 against the sky had disappeared. "Icould have sworn it was hem when I brought in your tea, sir. Still, one can never be certaiaw Wq one can't,- agreed Mamice, speakingwith dffadty and with the sense that he had lost his bearings. He felt relief when Simcox had left, but it was ovmhadowedby the thought of Mrs Durham and the breakfast table, and by the problem of a saitable present far his late companion. It conldn't be a cheque, lest suspidons were aroused when it as cashed. As he dressed, the trickle of d k m f o r t gaJathered forca Though not a dandy, he hadthemburbangantbmadsnsnaIahowoft&tappllancss, and they all seemed alien. Then the gong boomed, and just err be was going down to bwakfast he saw a flake of mud clase to the widow sill. W d e r had been carefnl, but not d enough. He was headady and faint when, clothed an in white, he at last descended to take his place in society. Lettem-a pib of them, and an mbdy annoying. Ada, most

dvi~~itty,sa~~hismdtharloo~done~.~untIda4post card-wanting to know whether the chaukr was suppased to obey orders, or had one -3. bnsiness fatuities* drculars a b o u t t h e C d e g e ~ t i x e T e r r i t o r i a l ~ t h e Golf Club, and the Propeaty Defence Assocwon. He bowed hum~f~udy over them to his hasteas. When she soeroely respondea, he went hot r o d his mouth. It wss only that Mrs Durham's ownlettea worriedher. But he did notBmaw this,and was carried out further by the current Each hmnan being seemed new, and b d e d him: he spoke to a race whose natum end numbers wge mhown, and whom very foad tasted poisonous. After breakfast Simcoll lt?mnedto the chaqp "Sir, in Mr

MAURICE Durham's absence the mauts feel-we should be so honoured if you would captain us against the Village in the forthcomjng 'Park versus Village' match." T m not a cricketer, S h u x . Who's your best batY W e have no one better than the under gamekeep." Then make the under gamekeeper captain.* Sicox lingered to say, 'Things always pbetter & a gdeman." Tell them to put me to field deep-and I won't bat &st: about eighth if he Ws-mt first You might t d him, as I : shan't come down tiIl it's time.= He closed his eyes, feeling sickish. He had created something whose nature he ignored Had he been theologically minded,he would have named it remarse, buthekqitafreesod,despitecodudoa Maurice hated cricket It demanded a dahetp neetnese he d d not supply; and, though he bad often done it fix Qives sake, he disllEedpIayingwithht9 d i n f a r i o r s . Footerwas ~t-hecoalagiveandtaketbmdmtinctickethemight be bowled or punished by-somelout, and he felt it unsuitable. Hearhg his aide had won the toss, he did not go down for half anhonr,hfrsDtxhamandwortwofriendsaLeadysatinthe abed. They were all very quiet. Mamice squatted at thefr feet, and d a d the game.It was exactIy like 0 t h years. The rest of his side were sewants and had &athered a dozar yatds away m d old Mr Ayres, who was wxhg: old Mr Ayres ahvays scored, 'The captain has put hfmself in &st,= said a lady. "A gentleman would never have done that Little paints inkre& me., Maurice said, T h e captain's our best man, apparently." She yawned and presendy critidzd: she'd an instinct that manwas conceited. H e r v d c e f d l i d l y i n t o & e ~ a f r . H e was emiptIn& said Mrs hntram--the more euergetb dida

MAURICE

whichtmedthemtapalltrcsandCllve.Hischinonhbknees, Maraioe brooded. A stmm of dfsbste WRS worldng up inside him,andhedidnotlmowagahstwhatto dtrectit Whethetthe ladies spoke, wh&Alec blocked Mr Borenids lobs, whetbr the villagem clapped or didn't clap, he felt unspealarbly oppressed: he had wallowed an unknown drug: he had dhtmbed I& Me to its foandattons, and couldn't tell what would cxumblet. Wheu~he went oat to bat, it was a new over, so that A h readved && bgn. H i style changed. Abadodng caution, he swiped the ball into the fean. Lifting his eyes, he met Mandce's and d e d . Last ball Next time he bit a boundary. He was untrained, but had the cri-g build, and the .game took on some sermblanoe of reality. Maurice played up too. Hls mind baddead, a n d h e f e l t t h a t d r s y w m a ~ t h e w h a l e ~ that not only Mr Borenius and the fleld bat the audimce in the shed end all Englad were dosing nnmd the wickets. They. played for the sake of each other and their fragile reIationship - 4 f o n e f e l l t h e a t h e r d ~They . intended- harm to the world, but so long as it attacked they must prmlsb, they must stand wary, then hit with M m g t h , they must h w that when two are gathered togethe3: maforities ahall not trlumph. And as the game proceeded it connected *th the night, and intmptd it. Clive ended it easily enough. When he came to the gaud thgr were no h g m the leading force; peopIe turned their beaQ, the game lan@ed, d ceased. Alec re dgned. It was only t and proper that the squire should bat at once. wthout looking at Maurice, he receded. He too was in white hntds, and their h e s s made him look ilke a gentleman or anyone else. He stood in front of the shed with dignity, aad when Clive had done talking ohred his bat, which Clive took as a matte? of coarse: then flung himself down by old

Ayres*

MAURICE

Matuicemthisfiiend,cmrwhdmed~spmlane~ nas. "QIm...Oh my dear, are y o u b a c k P ~ t y o u f a g g d

Mp;aWyP*

"Meetins tilt midnight-mother this -ust bat a minute to please these p p l d 'What1Leaving me again? How Mghtfully rotten." You may well say so,but I really do m e back tbfs evenins them your visit really does be@. I've a hundred thin@to ask you, Maurlcaw Wow, gentlemen," said a vaice; it was the sodallst schoolmastervautatIongstop. "We stand rebuked," said Cllve, but did& brmy hindf. " W s cried oB the aftemon meeting, so you'll have her for company. Oh look, they've actualIy mended her dear'litdehale fn the roof of the drawfngm Maudc%lNO,I um't member whatIwasgoingtosay.LetusjointheOlympic~P Ma& weat out Brut ball. "Waft for me,* called Qive, but he~~ghtforthehouse,forhefdtsmethatthebrsakdown was coming. As he passed the sewan& themajority of them xuse to their feet, and applauded bbn frantically, d the factthat Scudder W t alanned him. Was it meant for impex& nesceP The wrfnlded faded-& l m t b p s q a d m011ta;hegdatriaetoo-waetbesMrtopatthe thmat l kthat? And in tfie hall of Penge he met Anne. "A& Hall, ttte meetfng didn't go; T%en ahe saw hia face, which was green-white, and cried, "Oh, but you're not dw 9know: he said, trembling Menhatetobefuased,sosheonlyrepliedTmfrightfuUy sorry, 111s a d some ice to yonr mom.' "Youtebeen so ldnd to me always-* *Look here, what about a doctor?''

MAURICE "Never another doctor," he d e d f r a n w y . We want to be klad to y o d y . When one's hapW a n d one wants the same happiness for othm." WOthfn$s the same&" -Mr Hall--I" Wotb$s the same for anyone. That's why We's this Hell, if you do a thing you're damned* and if you don't youe= damn&* he pawed, and continued. *Sun too b o t 4 o u l d

llltealittbfcag Sheranfolft,andreleasedhehupbtheRrussetRaam.It bxwghthometohimtheprecbfacQofthesitaation,andbe

--sick.

40 Penga

Hefelt better at once, but reallzedthat he must Ieaw He h q e d into the serge, packed, and was

soon~againwfthaneatIi#lestary.'The~~~~ught

.

~ahetold~WITdrathera~letter~endI ~I'dbetterrbein~a 'Much, m t r c h ~ P . a h e u i e dallsympthy. , Tes,mudl~,"eohoed~whow8snpfiom~ matcb. weedlroped*dpatftrigbt~y.-but = q a i t e ~ ~ i f ~ - g o p o a - p " And old Mrs Dmham had also d There was to be a laugbingop~abouttbis~fntown,whohad~ a q t e d hts of6;ar of mauiap but not quite. It didn't matter hillhelaokedorhow~yhebehaved,hewasafaoially a her, end they intexpejed evqthing to their Wdactbn a a d f o d M m ~ Clive motored htm to the station, since their waye lay to= gsthar that far, The drive 8lQted the cricket l3eId before attw fngthewoode.S~was~now,look&gddessand ~Hewasclosetothem,dstampedaoefoat,as though smnmonhg mnethbg. That was the ftnal Won, aud whether of a devil or a comrade Maurice bad no idea. Oh, the slftrationwasdlsgusth+thathewascertefn,andindesd -waveredtillthedd&IlfaBottobemafa dtaatbislDOttobecsrtsfnof ahurnanbeing. Onoeawayfrorm

MAURICE Pea* he wadd see dearly pek*,

at all events &exe was Mr

J'What~ortdmanisthat~ofyoumwhocaptajnedasP" heaskedClive,havlngtdedthe~ovettobfmself~to besnreftdidn'tsoandodd. "He's leaving tbJs rnOLlth,- said Qtve under the fmpresston that he was giving a reply. Fostunately they were pasPfng the Ikenuds at that momeat, aadheadded,~esbanmlsshim as regarcls the do@33,anyftow*-

1j

*Bot~tin~~Ways?"

"Ierpectweshalldowmse.Onsahvaysdoes.HaPd-wcnkblg ' anyhow, d deddedly intelliwhereas the man I've am!fnkhhls~;dand,dthat~c8huldbehtetested 'hesketchedtheeconomydP~ "StraightP" He trembled as he asked tbls supreme qnestlon. "ScudderP A little too smut to be W&t.However, h e would say rm being rmEair. You can't ezgect om stmW of hoaestyfn-,w~~t~yaa==p@l~v~ gratitud€bw 9 could never nm a fob like Page,'' resumed Mamice after

apause."Ishooldneverhwhattypofsarvantto~ Take Scuddea foa iootance.What class of home does he come fiom? I haven't the dightwt ideaw Wasn't his hther the W e a at OdngbnP Yes.I &ink saw Mawice fhmg his bat on the floor of the car with all his forca Thisis about t h e ~ u h e ~andbnriedboth t , hands in his hair. "Headretten again?"

"PUMd." Clive bept sympathe!tfc silence, whtch neWea broke until they park& all the way Maurice sat crouched with the palms of h£s hands a* his eyes. His whole life he had kwwn

1

servantsM~edMsaddress,torthe~~~y d h c t d A nfoe sitaationl It contained every promfse of blackmail, at tlxe best it was incredible insoleac8. Of wurse he 8hoWt a m m *nor could them be any questionnow of giving &udder apse& He had gone outside his class, and it senred

But all that night hts body yarned for Ws,despf& him. Hecalleditlostfalaworddymaadopposedmit& wor5bis~*hisMeads,Ms~insodety.fnthatdtionmastSaretybeiucMed~vrriaForifthedcanw~ leapclaPs,clvilizationaswehavemadeitwill~tapieoes.But hie body would not be convinced.Chanc8 had mated it too perfectly. Neiaith argument nor threat could dence it, so fn the mornins feeling exhausted and ashamed, he te!qhoned to Mr L a s h Jones and made a dappointment Before he was duetogotoitalettercenra Itardvedatbrealcfastandhe readitunderhiS~s~ItwssphtasedmfoSlows. bfrMamtoe.~Str.Iw&edbothd@sh~baathoosaI ~~boathooseaet8eladder~talcenacrrayandthed te to damp to ife down. So pleaee aaw to "the boathow'' tomrow nfght or next, plletend to the 0 t h gentleman yon want a dm& d y managed, then come down to the boathouse. Dear Sir, Iet me hwfthyouon~beEmeleaviagOtd~Iitf3notasldng tomu&Iheve~~~kyyotl.IleavepSsNormennIa AugeS.Iafn~8~matohdolongtotalkwfthoneofmyarms d you, then pIaoe both arms d yan and ahare wftfi you, the above now seems sweetsr to me tharr words can say. I am aware I am only a mnmt that rrsver presmne on yoor ~totake~arhanyotkway.

Ma* was you bdm ill that you left, aa the f n d m &manta say? 1hopeyoafeelanasdbytMstbme.MlndandwriteByoa

MAURICE an't come, for I get no sleep waiting night after night, so come without fafl to %oatham Pqp" tonmow night, or falling the aft0t.

We&whatdidthtsmeanPThe~~~~Maurtcepouaeed~ tothe*dallotherswas1bavethebPYes,hebad,and there was a dqhate, kept up at the house, with wbfch an e unnplice, probably Simam-In thb light he interpreted the whole lettez. His mother and aunt, the d k i he was M g , * the callcups on tbe sideboard, all said in the&dilfemnt ways, '2f p go you am mineti, ff you nqly your letter will be usedtoputpressureuponyaaYauareinanaPtyposition~ yon have this udvantapr he hasn't a s a p of yaur Jmdwdth& audhe'sleaving EngIaadfn- daydtfma Lielow, aud hope hthebestaHeda~face.Butchezs'~andtherestof taem may pretend to be fnnocent and &ctrona@ but they read the Palice Court News, they know. If he heard again, he mrrst c d a reliable solidtor* just as he was going to Lasker Jonesfor the emotionalflasoa He had bee0 very foolish, but Sheplaflbcapdsdyfor&enertttendayshe@tb

...

g d h &

MAURICE

Them was a long sflence,brokea bp Mamice saying gravely, 'Tm not quite sum* They-a* IsthenwmnataUda&Mr~ Mamics sai4 -A bit,. in the hope that it would bscome SIX And it did darken a little. 'Whatdoyouse8P* "Wen,ifft'sdarkI canZbearpeotedtosee." What did yau see last time?" "A pfchmw -Qn€&so,alldwhateteP whate!lseF' 'WhatelsePA+a~c~~ "Crack in the floor." "And the&" Muwice changed hts Papwon a d said, "Z step@ over it" "And thenf" He was dent. "And then?"the plzmwh ~ C r eBp a t d "Ihear you aU right," said Maurice. The b o t h io I've not gone off,I went just a little muzy at the sta~4but now rm as Wideawalteas~~paraYoamighthaveanothershaThgrtdedagain,witbnosacoess. What in Hell can haw, ha@ Ybu could bowl me out laBt week s18f bnu What's your explanationr

'Toushoald~n?slst~* "Damn it all, I don't* 'Tm are less s u ~ l d em you were.* "Idon't know what that may mean,not being an enpert in the jaqpn,butIswearfrom thsbottom of my haart1 want tobe

~IwanttobelDreothetrm6n,notthlsoaaca~tw~uab l K l y ~ w

MAURICE ,

=Ywap$fn. ~amIaneofyomtwenty-&repeocsat~P" "Icould do a little wfth you last week, but we do have these arrddendiseppafntments.* "Sudden dhpp&tment, am XP Well, don't be beat, don't

mnp-~**-~=&

-

ridonotpropaoetoghreup,MrHafla 4mtwfeiteb with a sudden -And what's to happen to meP"said dmphhisvoicaHespalPehdeapair,butMrLaskerJooesbad an answer to may qwstim "I'm afraid I can only ad* you tolivefnsolne~tbathasadopteddleJcadeNa~!' hesaf& "Idon't lludmmd" ~ o r I t a l y , f o a i n s t a n c a ~ ~ ~ f s n o

h g e r U " gloa mean that a l k d m a n d d share with a friend a d JretelPto*

WmmP Do you mean unibeP If both are of age.and avoid pubb -0~s d

y

e

"

W3RdleJlaweverbethtrtfn~ - I ~ i t E n g l a u d h a s ~ ~ ~ t o a c o q p t hmnanllatmaZ Mamfoe t m h t o d He werr an % g l i h m ldamdf, and only hfs tronblea had kept bim awake. He smiled sadI3. "It amtes ao this them: t k e ahvaya bave been people like me snd -dbe,dg==llYthep-beenwm "raatbm,MrHan;orsas*~*bpntit,h hasbeeu,~&alwayswlIlbe~mnonivable~~f~ son.Audyaamrrst~~tbatpomtgpewaeonrw,pattQ death in Englad" W a s i t d y P 0ntheother~theyamldgetaway.Eng-

I I

i

I

MAURICE

land wasn't all built over and poIfced. Men of my sort d taketothe-= %thatsoPIwasnota~~ta" 'Qh, it's only m y own said Maurice, laying the fee down. I t stdoreg me tfrere may have been more abut the GreekGTh&anBand+mdtherestofft.Weill,thiswam'tunIllre.I dodt see how-t4;ey couldhave kept togeth 0thBspedanywhen~camehd~-" "An intensting theoty.'' Waadsflyingcmtofhimapin,hesaid,Tvexmtbeenskaight WithyCnL" "Indeed, Mr HalLw What a comfort the man was! Sdence is better tban sympathy, if only it is sdenca *&no8Iwas last here I went wrong with a--he's nothing but

agamekeeper.Idodthowwhattodo." "Icenscatoalpadviseyouansnchapointw q h o w you can> But you mi* tell me whether he's pulIing

meawayfromsleep.Ihal)w~lldered." Woone cnnbepulledagainsthiswill, MrHalLw "I'd a notion he'd stapped me going into the trauce, and I wtshed--thatsecnnsdlly4hatIhadn'thappeDedtohavea letterfnmrbiminmypodteGreaditas~vetaldyoummuch. I feel simply &g an a volcano. He's an uneducated maw he's got me in his power. In armt wauld he have a caseP" "I am no lawyer,"came the awaryirg voice, %ut Ido not tbink thfs letter can be consbud as c o n ~ agmenaca It's a matiaon which you shonld g m d t your salidtor,nat me." T m somy, but #s been a rslfef. Iwonder if you'd be a* kinme once more. I feel I might go oB now Itre taldpoaI'dhopdtogetouredwithotltgiviugmysedfaway. Are them such things as men getting anyone in their paver '

tbrough~?"

MAURICE

1wmtryon~yoar~anbtbistimeerbaaCs. ti~8.Oth~yuuwastebothmytImeandyour0~~.* It was edamtb, He spared ndtbr his lover nor bfmsdf. When dl was dehdd, the pafection of the night appeared as a bnmieot such as his father had indalged L thirty Y-. "Sit down once again." ~hearda&ghtnofseandsw~~ed. I t i e my ddkmplayingovethdv

lgethalltaballeveinspaoIraa Itfsmereaptke4*-

sjhcere2olped.Tbeafternobnsanahfnefen*~a;a the~tlpanthe~~TMstbneMmuiC%Whie atbnlhonthat B e f o r e ~ gthedooaormlcAleo's , ~,and~ybnrntittotolrshesbeforehis~rgaa. N-gbappened.

42

By pleasdug the body Maurice had am6rmedthat V q word War, wed in the hd verdtcC--he had

>

~edbisspirftinitspmmsion,andcuthimself&trom , theampgattonof nomdmaaInhisirritatbnhestammered; What I want to h o w &what I can't tell you nor yon mehowdidaoonntryladlikethatlPDawsodaboutme?Why did he thunder up that special night when I waa weakest? I'd never let bim touch me with my &end fn the house, becaw damn it all, I'm more or lass a -publa schoal, w ~,andm~I~~n'tevannwp~etbat~waswithhimP Rqptthg he had not possessed Uive fn the hour of their pasaiam,helaft,l&hislastshelter,wwhllethe~safd~ tcnily. "Fbhah and exercise may do wonders yet., The doctor dtogstontohfsnextpattent,andhedidnotcarefor IUadcds type.He was not shocked like Dr Barry, but he was bored, and newr thought of the yaung fnv& again. On the doorstep something rejoined MataiceA& old self perhaps, for as he walked along a voice spoke out of his morti6cation, and b accents recalled Cambridge; a reckless youtbhrl vafce that girded at bim for being a fool "You've done for yourself this time,* it seemed to say, and when he stopped outside the park, becaw the King a d Queen were passing, he despdsed them at the moment he bared hfs head. It was as if the b d e r that kept bim from his fellows had taken another aspect. He was not afrcrld or ashamed anymore. Aftex all, the forests and the night were on his side, not theirs; they, not he, were in- -

MAURICE

his aunt o p p d a loud m e y aren't'. At bedtime he kissed his mother and Kitty without the fear of de$ling them; their shortlived sanctity was over, and all that they did and said had re snmqindepiacance.Itwaswfth~feelinga!ftreasonwhe hkedhisdoor,andgazedfm~e~utesintothesubnrbaa night He heard owls, the ring of a distant tram and his heart sounding louder than either. The leth wns beastly long. The blood began pounding over his body as he unfolded it, but his head kept cool, andhemanaged to read it as a whole, not merely senby mtenca. 4

MrHaQMrBmeniushasjustepoketome..Sir,youdomttreat : me M y . I am saQing next week,per M. Nonnannfa I wmte you : I a m @ & f t i s e f a l t ~ ~ - w r t t e t o m s I ~ e d, a mpeatable family, I don't thfnk it fair to treat me like a dog. My. I father is a mpectab1e tradesmu. I am going to be on my own fn the Argentine. You say, -Alee, you am a dear W ; but you do not mite. I know about you and Mr Durham Why do you say "call me Maurice", and then treat me so unfakly? Mr Hall, I amc ~gtoLondonTllesday.Ifpdonotwantmeatpwholne saywhaseinLondon,youhad~seame-I~~you sony for i t Sir, nothing of note has owwred sfnce you rsft Penge.. Qhht seems over, same d the great trees as lost same of the& leaves, which is very early. Has Mr Boremiw spoken to you about cwtain @Is? I can't help being rather mngh, it fs some men's nahae, but you should not treat me & a dog. It was before you came.It fs natud to want a girl, you carmot go agefnst hmnan nahae,Mrl3oreni~~~outaboutthegtrls~ghthenew commtmlon class. He has just e p o h to me. I bave never come like that to a gademan before. Ware you annoyed at be@ dishtrbed so earlyp Sir, it was yam fault. your head was on me. I had my w e I was Mr Dudwis ssrvant, not yours. I am not your servant, IWmnotbetreatedasyortt~t,andIdonZoarefftheworSd ImomftIwntshowrespeatwhKsdueonly,thatfstosayto gatlemnn who are gatlemnn. Simcox says, 'Mr Hall says to put him fn about dghth.- I put you in Nth, but I was aptnfn, and you have no W t to treat me unfnidy on that account.

MAURICE

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his Iast-wthe oumadbk point, Yet~ a u r i t xcould b m d over the letter as a whola There w a ~ evidendy some unsavoury gossip in the unde+warId about himself and Clive, but what did it matter now? What did it matter if they had been spied on in the Blue Room,or among the farns andbeen misintepeted? He was canc6med with the present Why should Scndder have meattoned such gossip? What was he up to? Why had he flung out these words, some foul, many stupid, some gradousP W e a & d y &g the ,-I Maurice might feel it carrion he must toss on tohis solidtor, but when he laid it down and took up his pip, it scented the sort of letter he might have wdtten himself. Muddle-head& How about muddle-headedP If so, it was in his ownllnel He didn't want such a letter, he didn't know what it wauted-hdf a dozen thing psibly-but he h e t wen be cold and hard wer it as CUve bad been to him ovet the original Syrnpaifumbusiness, and argue, %ere's a certain statement, I shall hap you to it.' He replied, 'AS. Yes. Meet me Tuesday 5.0 p.m. entrance of Brlttoh Museum. B.M. a large building. Anyone will tell you which M.C.Rw That stmck him as best Both were outcasts, and if it came to a scrap must haw it without b e n d of society. As for the rend-, he chose it because they were udkdy to be disturbed them by aqbne w h he hew.Poor B.M., solemn and chaste1 The young man smiIed, and his face became mischievous and happy. He smiled also at the thou&t that Cliw hadn't quite kept out of the mud after all, and though the face now hardened into h e s less phasing, it proved him an athlete, who had emerged from a year of SUE-

feringlmqud, Iirs new v m i persisted next morning, when he returned to work Before hh failure with La* Jones he had looked forward to work as a privilege of which he was almost unworthy. I t w a s t o h a v e r e h a b ~ h l m that , ~ ~he couldhalduphis headathomaButnowittoocrnmbk&and aghhewanted

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43

The rafn was caningdown h its old fasbfoo,tapping anammfcmnmhandoccasfoaany~ganentry. Itbeetdawnthe~m~andced~fmnesdpetrolandthe smellof wetclothestoling~~mixedon thestreets ofLoadon. In the p a t forecourt of the Museum it cauld fall unintermptd y , phrmb onto the 'draggled doves and the helmet4 of the police.Sadarkwthe~thatsolneoftheligb~bad bean turned oninside, and the great banding suggested a tomb, miraculously 3lImbated by @its of the dead. Alec arrived &st, dressedno longer in ambmys but in a new blue~tandbawlelrhat-partofhis~forthe~ He spra~g,as he bad boahted, of a mpectable f m i l p p cam, small tmdesm-d it was only by acuident that he had appeared as an untamed son of the woods. Indeed, he liked the woads end the fresh air and water* he liked them better than anything and he Iiked to protect or destroy life, but woods csmtab no ''opmhgS, and young men who want to get on must leave them. He was detesmined in a b b d way to get on now. Fate had placed a snare in his hands, and be meant to set it He tramped wer the unntyard, then took the steps in a series of springs; having won the shelter of the portico he Btood motionless, except for the flickerof his eyes. These sudden ohanges of pace were typical of the man, who always advanced as a deb misher, was always the spot" as (=livehad phrased it in the

MAURICE

w r f t b e n ~ ; a ~ g t h e O v e m o n t b s A . ~ ~ i n my service I found him prompt and assiduous": qualities that he~edtodisplaynow.Wh~the~ctfmdnweupheb oamehalfaael,halfM~ed.Gdemenheimew,materrhe b, what classobueaturewa~~Hallwhosaid,"CaIIme Maurice3 Narrowing his eges to slits, he stood as though waib ing for orders outside the fmnt porch at Penge. Ma& approached the most dangeroa day of his lite with-

~anyplan-n,yetm-gli;ept*gfa~m~~ mosoleshthaheelthyskin.Hewasnateuppogtedbypride but he did feel at, anxious to play the game,and, as an Englishma1ishdold,hopedtj1athisoppoaeat~0ttoo.Hewaabedto bedeamt,b~'tafmid.WheabsawAledsface~g tbrwghthedfrtyairhisoumtingled~~,andhedstermiaed notto~untahew8sstruotc %ereyon~whssaid,xais&gapaird~toMshat TI& rain%the limit W s have a telk inoide." -wh6rep*" Maurfa looked at him with same Medhess,and they ente~edtheb~'~,Astheydid~~qeorafsedhishesdand sneezedlikealiod %ot a chill? It's the wm&ez." *What's all thls place3" b asked Wid things tdonglng to the natfan." They paused in the of Roman empms. Yes, s'ti bad weather. M y 8 oniy been two h e days. And one h e night,- b added mfscbfevouslys q g*But Alec didn't catch an. It wasn't the opening b wanted. Hewaswai!ingfor~lgnsdfear,thatthemenialinhln;ndgbt strilte.Hepretended not to understand the allusion, and s n d again. The roar e c h d down vestibules, and hb facs, cowulsed and distorted, took a sudden appearanceof hmger.

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MAURICE

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Tm~yotl~tomethe~e~bndtime.IWbothyout I latters.l'mnot~~veneverdane~gt~lrang. Its all your W about cricked end the rest. I11 ten you ~&toutI~dyedbelagwlthyou,ifMsthetroubla Isit? I want yon to teJl me. I just don't how.* What's herep Thafs no mbtake." ."Hehis brenst pocket, meaniugly. Tour writing. And you and the s q u h W u n o ~ e m a y w i s h e itwasone.." s W t drag in that," said Maurice, but without indignation, andit~himuddth~theludnono,mdthatevanthe Qive of Cambridge had kit saactity. WHaU-yo~nrksnl.s1tnouldntv~wdsnityo.l cetbh things came out, I suppose.." Mawice found himself trying to get underneath the words. He continued, feeling his way to a gdp. "What's more,I've .hnpbeenarqectableyonngWlardyo.calledme 1 into your room to amus8 yours&. 1t don't hardly seean fhr that a gentlemm ahoutd drag you down. At least that's how my brother sees it." He faltered as he spoke thew last words. "My I bzother'swafting outside now as a mattex o f frtct He wanted to m e and speak to you hiself, he's been sdding me &o&g ' htIsaid,'NoMmsMraalrsagentlentenandoanbe : trusted to behave like me, so you leave 'im to me,' I said, 'and Mr Durham, he's a @eman too, atways was and always will I

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W" With regard to Mr Durham," said Maurice, feeliog indhed

tospeakonthispink "It'squitecorrectthatIcaredforhim andheforme~nca,buthechang~andnawhedoesn'toare any mare for me nor I for him. It's the end.." "End o*whatP" "OfaarMendsMp" 'W Ha& have you heard what I was saybg?"

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MAURICE

"r hear m r y t b g you my,"setd Maudce thaughtfdy, a d amthuedinexnctlythesamstone: %uddexswhydoyouthink iYsha~to~bothforwo~arrdmeslPYou~soin yoarletter.Itisn't~forme.Ihavedy~tothinlt thathawdymeaas~&Themaneeemed~~~2yougetaktdofyom o w q ~ J - l h 4 ~ ~

I'vebeentotwododanraboutit.Nedtbrwereanygod" . '30 p can't? "N4Id't* WantoaePhe&ed,asif~ =It's Mt Ilauchuse&g." 1cdulamany~iEIlik6,"he~Whilespeelcfng, he caught sight of a winged Assyrten bull, and hfs q r e s aionaltered~xmsv8wonder."He'sMg~fsat~*he remarked. 'They must have owned wonddd m a d h a y to make a thing b &stw 9 ~ & s a i d M a u r f c e , a l s o i m p d b y the bull 3 cotlldn'ttenyau. HereseenrstobeanadrePr<ma" "A pnfrsso to spa& Would them have been ommentsP'' Vhbanshashe~ W s mine. A curioue idea'' Standiog: sach by hfs monster, they Looked at each othersand smiled. ThePl his face hardened a~andhesaid,1Won'tdq&Ha~.Ieeeyoarp;ame,bpt~ don't foal me twicej and you'lldo better to have a Meadly talk with me rather than wait for Pted,I can tail you. You've had yourfunandyoo'~)gottopaynp."Helookedhandsonae ashe ~ t h e p n p ~ o f M B ~ w h i c b w e n , e v U ~gaz0diatothemg6lltlybut~y*Andmthfngrs

sultedfromtbdmgtatalLItfdlawaylikea~ofmud. M u n n q something about "leavhg you to think this wet", hesatd&mcmabencb.~amicefoinedhimtheshordy.And

MAURICE thus for nearly twenty minutes: they kept wander&g from room to room as if in searoh ofmmthbg. They would peer at a goddess or vase, then move at a sin* impulse, awl their unison was the stranger because on the surface they were

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atwar.Alecrecummencedhishfntsaordble,reptillan--bat somehow they did not pollute the intexvehg afZences and Manrfwfailedtogetafraidorangry,anddyqpttedtbat any h h being should have got into ench a pws. When he chasetoreplytheireya~met,dhissmilewass~m~refleeted on the lfps of his foe. The bellef grew that the actual situadtm was a bhd-a practical joke a l m o s t 4 concealed somethbg real, that eithex desired. Serious and good-tempered, h e ~ t o h o l d M s ~ a n dhernademoEensiveitwas ff becansehisbloodwawZwanaTosetit moving, asholfrom withoutwssreqaiwd,andchaaceadministeaedtMs. He was bend@ owr a model of the Acropalls with his fore head a httb wrinlded and his lips mmmdng 1see, I sm I see.'' A gentlemannear averheard Mm, started, peaed tbrougb ~g~cles,dsafdSurelylImayforgetface8butn~~ec a voice. S d y l You are one of our old bopNIt was Mr Dude.

Mamfcedidnotreply.AlecAlecupuPtopa&ipata Surely yon were at Mr Abrahams's school. Now wa#I Wait1 Don't tell me your nama I want to remember itI wllI remember it You'm not Sanday, you're not Gibbs. I ]mow.I know. It's Wimbleby." How like Mr Dude to get the fads just wnmgI To his awn name Maurice would have responded, but he now had the incllnaEImto1Se;hewas~dtheltendlessiaaclcaracy,hhad sufFered too muchfrom it He replied, 7'4% my d s Sadder." The c o ~ o fl new out as the b t that oceuned to him. It lay ripe to be used, and as he uttered it he h e w why. But at the instnnt of enlightenment Alec himself spoke. "It isn't," he said

MAURZCE to MrDude,"and I'veaser£ous charge to bring ageinst this

gm-"Yes,awfuUy~"remarkedMaurioe,a n d ~ M s h a n d on Aleo's shoubr, so that the L p touched the back of the ~'doingtMsmerelybecaasehewishedtodoi~aotbranotharreescw. Mr Dnde did not take m t k An umqicious man, he assumedBorne uncouth joka The dark g e d m d y fellow couldn't be Wfmblely if he saidhe wasn't He said,T m exkeunely rsorry, sirs it's so seldom I make a d then, d e b m i d to showhewasnotanoldfoal,hea~thesIlentpaironthe subfectoftheBritishMuseum-mt~yacollectton~talics but a place mund which a d d t a b 4 r - b less foltunata,

@ - - ~ ~ ~ q n e s t t o n s - ~ t f r e

minds of boys-which one answerea-~~odoubt inadequately; until a patient voSce said, "Ben,we ate waiting," and b4r Dude hts wife. As he did so Aleo jerked away and muttared, Tlmt'sallrfghL. ..Iwoa'ttroabeyoa~." "Where are you gofng witb yaur serious b g e P said Maurica,mqfo* *Couldn't say."Helooked badc, hfscdouringstoodoutagainet the heroes perfect but bloodless, who had never known be tRildennent or fnfamy. W t you w o n y 4 l l news harm you now,you've too much pluckF muck be dammd,"said Maurice, wfth a plunge into anger. "It11 all go no fur&81r-" Be s t ~ ~ chis l c own mouth. "I don't

lmowwhatcams~me,MrHall;I&n~twaattohannyoo,I never didom Tou blaclmnailed me." "No,sit,no;.. "You didoD *Maurlce,ilsten,I~y..* . "Mauric8 am IT ??

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ToucalledmeAlec.. .rmasgoodasyouP 1&n't ffnd you arel" Them was a pause; before the storm; thtm he burst out: "By God, if you'd split on me to Mr Dude,I'd hsve broken y t u It might have mst me hundreds, but I've pt them,and the police always back my sort against yoms. Yon do& Emow. We'd have p t yon into qraod, for blaclanail, a f k yhfd+I'd have bIown oat my brains." -KilIedyouR7elfPDeathP" ~huldhaveknownbythattfmethatIIovedyouTmlate ~ g ' ~ a l w a y s t o o l a t e . ~ T h e r o woldstatuestottemd, sof andheheardhimselfadd,ldonZmeaa~bat~ontside,we can't talk here."They left the enonno113and overheated -g ttLgr passed the ilbnuy, mp@ 8-g darkmsa and rain. On the portico Maurice stopped aad said 1forgPt Yom bmthery W s down at f a t h d d o e n ' t h o w a w&I was but

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"-forblackmail." . "Could yon but understand.. ;*He pulled out Mauri~~'s nota Talcettif y o a b . . . IdonZwantit...neverdid,.. .Isup posethisistheend." Asmredly it wasn't that Unable to part yet igmmmt of what oouldnextmme,dLgt~emgiag~~thelest~g of the sordid day; night, ever one in her qoallty, came hidye ad~~Mssekontrolandcouldlookatthe newmateziaIthatpassbmhadgainedforbim.Inadagerted ~againatmilingsthat~some~,thgrcameto a halt,and he began to discuss their crisis.

Butashegrewcelmtheotbergrew~ItwasasiEMr I)adehadestabllehedsOIaefnfurfatIng~betw8821 them,eothatonestru&assoonsahisfellotR tiredof striking. Alec said sawply, "Itrained harder than this in the,boathouse, it was yet colds. Why did you not come?

MAURICE "MllddIa'Iwyom*?" "You've tolea= I 'm always in a muddle.I didn't m e or write l m a u e I wanaed to get away fnnn yon without wanting. You won't m u k i t a d You kept dragging me back and I got awfully M~IfeltyoawhemItrledbogetsomesleepatthe~ tor's. You came h a d at me. I h e w som&hing was evil but d d n ' t ten what, so kept pmtdbgit was yomw "WhatwaeitP" -rhe4i-~doaZfoIlow?his.Whydidyoa~colnebothe~P" %yfea+adyotntroublehasbeanfenrtoo.Eversinwthe cricket match you've let yo& gtt&a h i d of me. That's why we'w been tryfog to down one awther so and are still."

1wddn't~ape~yfnanyoo,Iwoaldn'thurt~1l#18 ~m/hepl~andra#ledthebaRWkspthimfnmrths tma *Butyou're still tqhg hard to hurt me in my mind."

"Whydoyougodsnyyouloveme?" 'WhydoyouadlmeMauriceP 'Ylhlet's give over talking. Here-" and he held out his haad. Mamice took it, and they knew at that moment the greatest triumphordirmymancanwin.~hysicslloverneansreacdan, being panic in emeam, a d Maurice saw now how natural it was that their prfmitlve almhmmt at Penge should have led to peril. They knew too little about each o t h w d .too muoh. Hence fear. Hence cruelty, And he refoiced because he had mdesbndAleds infamy through his wpsins not for the&st tfme, the gedus wko bides in man's tann~11ted soul. Natasaheaqbutas aconuade,hadbestooduptotbebhtster, and formd c h W k e s bebfnd it, and bebind that something else.

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-k-up.An ann twitched. Time rn talked He snuggled ckz, mare athan ire pxemded, wnxm, dumy,happy. Happiness0verwhelxnedMauricetoo.Hemwed,. felt the answeringgrip, and forgot what he wanted to say. Light . drffted in upon them from the outside world where it was still raining A strange hotel, a casnal refuge protecCed them from their en& a little longer. T h e to get up, boy. It's morningm "Ga up then." "How can I the way yw hold mel" "Aren't yer a fidget, I11 learn you to fidget." He wasn't deferentiel any more.The British Museum had cured that. Tbfs was 'allday, London with Maurice, all troubles over, and he wanted todrowseandwastethnqandteaseandmakelove, Mauricewanted the samqwhat's pleasantar, but the onooming future diskactedhim, the gathering llght made cainea unreaL Somethinghad to be said and settled 0 for the night that was ending, for the deep and the w a h f t h s , the toughness and tenderness mixed, the sweet temper, the safety in darkness. Would such a night ever return? 'You all righb Maurice?"-forhe had sighed, Tau unnfortable? Rest your head on me more,the way you like more. that's it more,and Don't You Wony. You're With Me. Dan2

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Ya,hewasiniuck,Cdoubt of it Scudderhadprovedhonest aadWHewlovalytobewita,a-a-,afM in a thousd, the Longed-for dream. But was he bra-? "Niceyouandmelikethis.. ."thelipssoclosenowthatitwas scarcelyspeecb. "Whodhavethaugk.. FIrsttimeI ever seed y o a 1 t h o u ~ ' W i s h I a n d t h a.t.'las~t l i k e t h a t . . , w ' t Idhim,.:aaditfsso.'' "Yes,and t W s why we've got to flet'' "WkowautstoflghtP"Her#mnded~~sbin

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aAUthe~orld'sagainstos.W e t e g o t t o p u l l o u d v e s b ~andmake~wbilewecd ~#pwantWpandsaya~bthatfor,andspd it allP" *Becaocieithas~besaid.Weoao'tallowtbin~togowroog adhmtwagahthewaytiteydiddownatP~" Aiec suddenly d b e d at him with the som-rouback of a hand and said, 'That hurt, didn't it, or anghter. Thats how IflgWIt didhmtalitde,aad&dingfntothefoolerywes a sort af mmtmat "Don't talk to me abaut Penge,'' he went on *Oo! Mahl Page wlwm I was always a servant and Scuddez do thisd~dathatandtheold~~whatdoyonthfnlch once saidP S b said,'Oh would you most I d d y of your goodness post thfs h e x for what%your nand' What's yer name!

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Everydayfordx~IcomeuptoCkfsbloodyfrontporeh doorforordes,andMsmotherdon'tkuowmyname.SWsa bitcb.Isaidto'~,'What'syernameP~yername.'Idy did too. Wish I 'ad too. Matuics, you trPouldn'tbelievehow amant!3gt?€~to.It'stoo~gforwords.ThatArddeIOIL&n~msosetonisfastasbad,andaoareyou,somyoa 'Haw my man' a d allthat. Youte no idea how you nearly &ed

g&tbgme.NearasDotMDgIaeverdimbedthatladder~

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yuu called, he don't want me reany, and I went flaming mad

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when you didn't turn up at the boathouse as I ordered Too p d l Well see. Boathouse was a place I always h d e d , I'd gohboraBrnoke~I'dw~hsardafyoy~&iteasy, @thehsyonmsninmama#erof fact... b o ~ , t o o M n g over the pond from the boathouse, v q Quiet, now and then a f i s h ~ p a n d ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ t h e w a y I ~ g e ~ ~ Hewas s;ileatt, havingchetteredhtmself out Hehad begun rough and gay and somehow factitioussthen Ma voia had died awayi~sadn~~~asth~~@truthhad~tothe~oftbe WaterandWasMbeerable. Well meet in your boathouse yet," Maude said. Was we won't" He pushed him away, then heaved, pulled

htmdose,putforthvfo~d~oedesifthet~~rIdwas. ending. "Youll rememk that auyway." He got out and looked down out of the grayness, his arms hangiog empty. It was as i f . hewrshedto berememberedths.1couldeasyhave131edyd "Or1 you." Whae's my c l o t h a d that gone?" He seemed dazed "It's solate. I h'aint got a mmr even,I didn't reckon staying the dght. I ought-I got to catch a train at once or FredU be thinking

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"Let him." "My goodna if Fked seed you and me just now? Wd, he didn'tm

Well, he might h a v ~ b aItmean 4 tamorro\ds ThuRday . isn't it, W a f s the pa&& Saturday the Normannia sails from. Soothampton, so it's goodbye to Old Englaud." You mean that you and I shan't meet again a h now." h a t ' s right. You've got it quite cone&" ~ n ifdit wasn't still ddngl W& momtng after yesterday's &pours wet on the roofs and the Museum, at home and on :

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MAURICE

the~Cantmning~andohoosfnghistRorde~ auefuny,M8*safa,~isjustwhatIwanttotatkabant Why don't we mange so an we do meet again?" "How do you meaQP -don't yon s t a y = f n E n F Alecwbbd&e Half naked, heseemedalsohalf hornan. "StayP"he snarled. ' M w my boat, are yon daftP Of all the W y rubbish I ewer heard. Ordering me abut ag&, eb, , goad'' Ws a chaDcs in a thomad we've met, well newer have the chanceagainand youknow it. Stay with me.We love 4

*'%dessay,butthatCsnoertarse~aot~,Staywfthyuuand

~andwheoeP~t'dyormrMasayifshesawmedm~ andugly the way I amY '$hsneverwiUseeyou.Iahan't~veatmyhomaw -whem3~yoaliveT

with^" "Oh,will youp No thank you My people wouldn't take to yau ome bit and I don't blamd thesn. And h d d yon nm your fob, l'd~tohowp" 1r3hallchnckit." TonrjobfnthedtywhatghresyoayaurmoneyandpoaitfonP YmcanZrhwkafob." Ton can whea yon mean to," said Maurlce gently. "Yon can d o a n y t M n g o n c e y o u ~ w h a t i t i s P H e ~ thegrqhh at lightthatwas becoming yellowish Nothing surprised him in this takwhathecoddnotoonjectnrewasitsoutcoma "isidget wozk~yar4"heJbrs~ont:themomenttoanuoun~8tMs had naw ama "What d p " ,Wenb d out" *

-F'iItdoutaudstarveout." "No, Thwe'll be enough money to keep us while we have a

look round I'm not a fool, nor are yoa We won't be starving. I've thought out that much,.while I was a& in the night and yo0 wemn't" There was a pause. Alec went on more pditdy: "Wouldn't

~kMauricaRufndusbotb,~'tyonssa,you~easmyself." "I don't how. Might be. Mightn't 'Class.' I don't know. I know what we do today. We dear out of here and get a decent bmkfast and we go down to Page or whatem you want a d see that F'red of yours. You tell him you've changed your mind about emigrating and am taking a job with Mr HaU hubad. Ill m e with yon. I don't care. I11 see anyone, faoe anything. If they want to guess, let &em. I'm fed up. Tell Fied to cancel ywr ticket, I11 repay for it and that's our start of gettlng free. Then well do the next thing. Ifs a I&&,so's everything else, and well only live once." AIec laughed cynfcally and oontlwd to dress. His manner resembled yesterday's, though he didn't blackmail. "Yours is the . talk of someone who's never had to earn his living," he said. You sort of trap me with I luve you or whatever it is and then offer to spoil my career. Do you r e a h I've got a definite fob awaiting me in the Argentine? Same as you've got hem Pity the Normmfu's leavfng Saturday,. still facts is facts isn't it, all my kit bought as wen es my ticket and Fred and wife expecting me." the brsssiness to the misery behind it, Maurice saw but this time *t was the use of bight? No amount of Met would prevent the Nonnonnfo from sailing. He had lost SufFeringwas cerEainforhh,thoughitmtghtsoonendforAleswhen he got out to hb new life he would forget his escapade with a

MAURICE gendman and in time he would marry. Shrewd working& youngster who knew w h e his interests lay, he had already

crammedhis~&bodyintohishideausbluesuit His face stuck out of it red, his hands brown. He plastered his hair ilat We&I'm o&p he said, and as if that wasn't -ugh said, "Pity we ever met really if yon come to think of itw mat's all right too," said Maurice, looking away from him as he unbolted the door. "Youpaid for this room in advance, didn't you, so they won't stop me downstais? I don't want no unpleasantnaps to Bnbh with."

That'sdright too." He heard the doorshut andhe was alone. He waited for the beloved to return. Inevffable that wait Then hiseyesbegantosmart,andhelmewfrom~cewhatwas coming, Presently he could control himself. He got up and went ont, did some^ telephodng and explnnatiom, placated his mothersap"1ogkd to his bast, got himself shaved and trimmed tap, and attended the of8ce as d Masses of work awaited him. Nothing had changed in his life, Nothing remataed in ik. He was back with his lo-ess as it had been before Clive, as itwasafh~andwonldnowbeforever.Hehadfailed, and that wasn't the saddest: he had seen Alec fail. In a way they ~0neperson.LaVehadfailed.Lovewas an~motionthrough which you occasionally enjoyed yotud. It could not do thp.

45

WheatheSaturdayoameheumntdowntoSouthamptantoseetheN4lmmfaa& It was a fantastic decfsfan, useless, undiwed, risky, and he hadnot theleasth~ndg&gwhenhelefthome.Butwh

hereachedLondonthe~that~him~ycame intotheopanddemdeditaptgr,heSar;got~gak cept W S face and body, and took the only means of d g than.HedIdnotwanttospeaktohislov~~or~hearhis~ ortotouchbim--erllthatpaawas~dyarecapturehis fmsgebedoreitvanishedfor~.P003:wrafchedAleclWho d d b e him, how d he have acted dHerentlyP But oh, the wretchedness it was causiag them both. He@downto&boatinadream,andawokehbaneftt sortd~:AlecwasxmvheminsIght,the~wen, busy, and it was some time bedore they brought him to Mr Scudder, an utmt&activemiddleaged man, a iradesman, a cad -brother Fred: with him was a bearded elbpresumably the butcher from Oamington. Alec's main charm was the fresh donring that "ged agafnst the cliff of his hair: Fred, fadaIly the same, was sandy and fofie, and greasiness had replaced the sun's caress, Fred thought highly of himself, as did A h , but his was the conceit that comes with commercial success and despise manual labour. He did not like having a brother who had chanced to gpw up rough, and he thou* that Mr HalI, of

MAURICE

whom he had never heard,w out to pamniza Thh made btm irmlent. Z i c y s not aboard yet. but bio kit i$he said. Inestdtoseahts kLtTThefathmsaid, %ty oftimeyet,*and looked at hfs wat& The mdtha said with wmpmsed Ups. 'He f~~n'tbeleak WbnUdysays LiJLymeans itu Red said,%ecenbelsteifhe~.PIlosehiseamp~nyIcanbesr it, but he needn't expect me to help him agah 7Nhat he's cust m * .n. 1Thbiswhere Atec W g s , * Mauricereeected%esemb d d h h . p p f e r t h P n I ooaldhavd"'eW apfpewith the tabam that he had smoked for the last eir years, and ~ e d R a m P n c e ~ . A l e c w ~ n o t a h e m m g o d , b u t a m.a n embedded in d q like himid, for wbam ws and woodland and the f d m h g breeze and the sun were pparhg no apothemis. They ou@t not to have spent that d@ttogstbe~h the h o d It bad nopp raisedhopes that were too hi@. They shouM . havepartedwi&that-inhrda A m b i d fascination kept him emang the Scaddars, henfng

totb&vul~~#d~gthegestmesotkMandinthain. ~triedbbepleasPntdinptlatehhnP&pandfafled,fm~ r e I f ~ ~ ~ d d e nhad c e gone. As he W e d a quiet voice 4aid, ~ ~ M t ~ - H e c o a l d n o t r s p l y * T h 4 ~ w s , too c o q h t a It was Mi B o r m h ~And both of than rememberadthatinitialsiho8dhls,andbkMghW~dtbe qaickmovementwith~chheremwedblrp$efrcmhisli~ sr if smoking wen, forbidden by the dew. Mr~~introducedhhsdfgenUyto~~~;he h a d m e ~ s ~ h i r ~ g ~ o ~ ~ o & , h c 8 t h e ~ 0 8 w p s notgreat~PengaThey~edwblob~Alecwd anhrs by41ereseemed same un-ty-and Maurice Mad to slip dl, fur the situation had become equivocal. But Mr B o r e n f m d t ~ h ~ i o g o n ~ ~ b i n ~ 1 ~ a I

MAURICE

-

~"Tbeg~edtotheaitdsMZight;the~of Southampton Water stretched golden around them, edged by the New Forest To Maurice the beau9 of the eventng seemed ominous of &aster. -Nowtbisisvaykindohyoa,''saidt~~~g atonoe.Hespokeasonesadalwo&ertoawtherDbutMamice thought there was a veil wer his mice. He Med to r e p l m or three normalmtemxswonld save him--bat no w#s d Oome, and his underllp trembl6a like an unhappy bay'& "And ~morekindbecauseifIireQmeslberrightlyyondisappmve ofyoung Scudder. Yon told me wheawe dined at Penge that he was 'a bit of a swinew--eneqmdon that, as applied to a fellow ~kas,strackmaIdhardlybeliwemyeyes~Isaw yon among his Mends down here. B e h e me, Mr Hail, he will va$etheatteDtion&m@hemay~appeartaM~~thet . are mom impressionable than tlre outsider supposes. For g o d and for evil."

...

E A a u r i ~ 8 ~ e d t o s t o p b f m b y ~ y i n ~ Wwhatabout d

PUT 9PWhyhaveZ~0mePYondoalylaugtLIhaveccmteto bring him a letter of inkoductbto an Anglican priest at B n a m Aim in the h o p that he will get c o n h n d lading A~fsitnotP~utbeingnefhahellenistnaranatheistI hold that conduct is dependent on faith, and that if a man ie a 'bitofa~Dthe~~istobefamtdinscwremisapprehensiapD of Gal, Where there is h a y , immoraliv will sooner or later ~Butyou-howcameyautoknows~predselywhenhis boatsalle "It. it was advestid'' The trembling spread all wer hfa body, and bfs clothes stuck to him. He seemed to be W at sah001, ddeaoela9s. He was oerteln that the motor had gutwed, or rather that a wave of recogpltfon bad passed A man of the world would have suspected nothing-& Dude hadat-but

..

MAURICE

this man had a spedal mme, being spiritual, and could scent out invfsible ematbs. M d s m aud piety have their practical dde. They can generate insight,as Maurice realized tos late. He had assumed at Penge that a whiiefaced parson in a cassock d d neva have conceived of masculine love*but he h e w now that there is no secret of humaniv which, from a wrong angle, orthodoxy bas not viewed, that religion Is far more acub than sahm, and if it only added judgement to instght would be the greatest thfng in the world. Destitute of the religbu sense himself, he never yet emmmkzd it in another, and the shock was ten& He feared andbated Mr Borenius, he wanted to Wn him. And &when he anived, he would be flung into the trap too, they were smaUpeople, who amld take no d - f a r d e r , for instance,than Clive and Anne-and Mr Borenius knew thisD and would punish them by the only means in his power. The voice continued; it had paused for a moment in case the victim chose to reply. "Yes.Tospsakfranldy,Iamfarfmmeasyaabontyotmg Scudder. When he left Penge last Tuesday to go to his parents as he told me, though he never reached them tin WednesdayI had a most unsatkfactory interview with him. He was hard He~me.WhenIqokeaf~tfonhesaeered.The fact b e h e I d d not mention tbis to yon if it weren't for your charitableinterestfn~factbelngthathebasbeen@~ of sensuality." There was a pause. With women. In time, Mr Hall, one gets to reaspize that sneerDthat hardnePq far fomication extemds far beyond the actual deed. Were it a deed only, I for one would not hold it anathema But when the nations went a whoring they imuhbly ended by denying God, I think, and until all s d hqpladblas and not some of them are penal the Chtlrch 1Rm never remnqutu England I have reason to believe that he spent that missing ni@t in London. But surely--that nmstbebiskain"

MAURICE /

He want below, and Maurics, utterly to pieces, fobwed him. He heard voices, but did nat m a e n t a d them, one of them might have been Aleds hr alI it mattered to him. 'This boo has gone wrong began atting through his brain, lllm a bat that retnrns at Mght He was back iQ the smoking-room at home with Uhe,who said, S don't h e yon any more; I'mv," and he felt that hfs Me would revahre in c y d a of a year, alsvays to thesame eclipse. rjlrethesun. .it talres a year. P H e thought

.

.

Ms~therwas~g~him;~thehazecleared,and it was Alec's mother, St's not like Licly," she @bered, awl vanisid

Like whmP Bells were ringing, a whish blew. Maurice ran upoade&hbfaculhhad~andhedseewith axtmdinary dist3.uthemasses of men sorting themsahres, thosetostopinEnglmld,thoseto~dhe~thatAleawas stopping. The afternoon had broken fnao glory. White clouds 'sailed over the goIdea waters and woods. In the midst of the pageant Fled Sadderwas raviag beartise Ms umihble brother

hadmissedthelasttrain,audthewomenwerepmtesthgwhile &eiy wmi hustled up the gangwap, and Mr Borenias and old Scuddes w m lamenting to the4 ddals. How negligible they hadallbecme,besidethebautifdweatheo'andfreshair. Maurfce went ashore, dmnk with exdtement and happiness. Hewatchedthesteamermove,audsdddysheremindedbfm of the Viking's funeral that had tMlled him as a boy. The parallel was false, yet she was her&, she was carrying away death She warped out from the quay, Fred yapping, she swung into thechannel to t h e s a u n d o f h , s h e w s s d a t l a s t , a ~ e splendoar, leaving smob that thfnned into the sm?& aad ripples that died again& the wooded shFar a long time he gazed after her, then tumed to EnglmuL His fourneywas neatly over*Hewasbormdforhis~home.&hadbnroghtwtthe

MAURICE '

maninAlec,sndnowitmNdshtrnbbhgoothhmh btm.Heknewwb.ftheo9nwas,andwhtMs~ermPstba They must live outside duq witbout rdatim or mongr; thay mostwarkclod~cktosach~tllldesth.ButEn~b longed to them. That, Mdea mn-p, was their reward fIer&ir~wwereth&,,notthe~o~~~mllllor$whoown -Ey little boxes, but never their own d. He f a d Mr Boreniust who had lost Pll gasp of events. h h8dcum~yt.olmedbhn.Mr~~~sgnmedthatheb tween two menmust befgnoble, and so addnot interpret what hPdhappdHebecemeanordinarppasonatoncqhishy vanished. in a ~ ~ aand rather r dly d way he &cussed what a d d have befallen yotmg Scuddm aad then repaked to vidt~dsinStmtIzm~pton.MlacniracaILedPfterhfm.~~ Bcwnius do look at the skr-ifs gone all on h,but " the mator bndnoluefarthe~~on%we,anddipappeared. In his arcdtementhe felt that Ale0 wrrs close tobim. Hewasn't, ~tbe,hewaselserrhsreinth€?~endOurpadh8dtob0 f m d , and without a moment" hesitation he set out for Boath e , Penge;Thaeewds hadgatintobbblood.theywerepart .of Alec's yearnings and bh*&s, and of his own pmmh

intaatlsstd~bmb~Thsywmdhehadto~by. He left SonthPmpbon as he had oome to it-bt&tS~el-d .hefelt that not merely w&t go wrong this tlms but taat~~t,dthatthed~hadbpntinfh,pls~ A little local train did its duty* a gorgema horizon still w e d , and~eloadletswhi&~whrmthsmringbyfaded, dtherewasevtm~~Hgbtforhhnto*op~the station at P q e thmgb qaiet ftdds. Heentaaa&eestaterrtitsloaad,~ghagapinthe it was, bow unhedge, axidit struck him once m m how %~~astaDdardsor~onbolthefuture.Ni@twasep~&;

MAURICE a bird d d ,animals scuttled, he hmied on until he sew the pond glimmering, and black a m it the tryatfng place, and

heard the water sipping. He was here, or almost here. Still coddent, he lifted up his voice and called Alee. There was no answer. He called a@. Silence and the advancing night. He had misoaIculated, ZIkely enough," he thou* and InsEantly took himself in hand. Whatever happened he must not adlapse. He,had dong that~ghoverclive,andtono~andto~pseintMs grayingwilderness might meangoingmad. To be sbmg, tokeep calm, and to tnsst41ey were still the one hope, But the sudden disappointment d e d to him how exhausted he wss physld y . He had been on the run ever since early morning ravaged by every sort of emotion, and he was ready to QoP. la a little while he would decide what next should be done, but now his head was splitting, every bit of him ached or was rtseleso and he mustrest.

The boathouse offered itself m&tly for that purpose. He went in and found his h e r asleep. Alec lay upon pfled ap cushions, just visible in the last dying of the day. When he woke he did not seem exdted or disturbed and fondled Maudc8's ann between hia hands before he spoke. "So you got the wire,* he said* "whatwiIu?P"

"I'hewireI sent off thismorningtoyoarhousa,teUing you.. PHeyamed,"Excus~me,I'rnabit tired, one thing and another. telling you to come here without faiLU And since .Maurice did not speak, indeed could not, he added, -And now we shan't be parted no more, and that's hished."

..

MAURICE man in Alec, and now it was Alecs turn to bring out the hem in him. Hebewwhatthecallwas, andwhat Ms answer mustbe. They must live outside class, wflhout relations or money; they must work and stick to each o b z till death. But England be

longedtothem.That,bestdas~~p,was~~ Her air and sky were theirs*not the timomus miUiod who own stuffy little boxes, but never their own souls. HefacedMrBoaenfus,whohadlostall~ofevents.Aleo had completely ronbed bfm. Mr Bomius assumed that love betweentwomen must be ignoble, and so umld not intapretwhat bad happened. He became an ordinary person at once, Ms irony vanished. In a straightforwardand rather silly way he discused whatcouldhave~youngScddezandtheawpafredto visit Mends in Southampton, M a h caRed afttw him, "Mr. Borenius do look at the sly-it's gone all on ha but the rector hadnousefortheskywhenoo&e,anddisa~ Inhis~~dtementhefeltthat ALecwasclosetohim. Hewasn't, couldn't be, he wes elsewhere in the spbdour and had to be found, and without a moment's hesitation he set out for Boathouse*Page.ThoPe word3 had gotinto his blood, they were part ofAIec'syearningsand~p,andofhisownprormise in that Iast d q m t e embrace. They were all he had to go by. He left Southampton as he had come to it-Mindively--grid he felt that not merely thine wouldn't go wxong this time bat that they daren't, and that the univexse had been put in its plaoe. A littie local train did its duty, a gorgeow horizon still glowed, and infiamed cloudlets which bredwhen the main @Glary faded, andtherewasevenemw~ligbtforbknto~upfmmthe statton at Penge thou& quiet lid& He entered the estate at its lower ad,through a gap in the hedge, a d it struckhim once more bow d d d it was, how un&to set standards or contml thefuture. Night was appmching,

MAURICE a bird caIled, animals scuttled, he husried on until he saw the pond g b m a r l n ~and black against it the WstIng plaoe, and

hearcl the water sipping. ~ewashere,oralmosthere.StiU~t,he~uphis MiceandcalledAlec There was no answer.

He called a@ Sjlmw and the a d d g ni& He had mtscalculaaed. ZIkaly he thought, and instantly took himself in hend. Whatever happened he must not collapse. He,had done that emu& over Clive, and to no efEect, and to coltapse in this ~yingwildernesrmightmeangoiagmad.Tobestmngtolresp calm, and to tmt-they were still the one hope. But the sudden disappointment d d to hlm how exbusted he was physlcally. He had been on the mn ever since early morning ravaged by every sort of emotion, and he was ready to dmp. In a lit& while he would decide what next should be done, but now his head was splitting, every bft of h h ached or was useless and he

muw

mustrest,

The boathouse offered i W convenieatly for that p q o s a He went in and found his b m asleep. Ale0 lay upon pfled up cushions, just visible in the last dying of the day. When he woke he did not seem excited or dishubed and fondled Maaria's arm between his hands Mom he spoke. "So you got the wire!,- he

said. "WhatwireY The wire I sent oE this morning to your how, b h g yon..."Heyatffned,~cus~rne,~mabittired,oae~gcmd d m . telling you to oome here without fail" And Biace Maurice did not speak, indeed could not,he d e d , "And naw we shan't be parted no more, and W s h i a l d a

..

46

DissaMedwith his printed appeal to the e -l itstruckhimastoopa~gfarthesethes-

clivewastryingto*theproofsw~Simcm~ "Mr Ha&"The hour was &ready late, and the night d at4 all trams of a magdcent sunsethad disappeared from the sly. H ~ J

could sea nothing from the p o d though he heard abundant notses; his Mend, who had refused to come in, was kicking up the gravel, and throwing pebbles against the shrubs and walls. SIullo Maurice, come in. Why this ~~ISIESS?" He asked, a little annoyed, and not troubling to smile sincs his face was in shadow. *Good to sea you bask, hope you're better. Ududdly rm a Mt ampied, but the R w s t Room's not Come in and deep here as MRSo glad to see yama Tve only a few minntes, Che." "Look hem man,that'sfantastiaaHe aavanced into the darkness hospitably, still holdinghis prood sheds. aAnnfl be fimfous with me if you don't stay. s'tI awfully nfce you tmnIng up like tbis, Excuse me if I work at unimpoMes for a bit nawP Then he detected a core of bhclcness in the surrounding gloom, and, suddenly uneasy,exclaimed, 7 hope nothings wrong.* Hten e v q t b g . what you'd dm NmClhreputpllticsaside,forbe~thatitmustbe~

..

lave~,db~tosylnpa~hgllhewished theappealhadanmwhenhewas less busy. His s e r ~ s e o f p

MAURICE

pmtransapportedhim.Heledthewaytothedes~nllep b%hi.udthe lamb, where evening pdmxa gleanted, and embapseawithfatntyellowtbewallsof~tHemthgrwauldbe mast soIfCary. Feelfng for a bench, he d i n e d M len@ on it, put his hands behhd his head, a d said, T m at your service, but my advice is sIeep the night here, and c o d Arme in the morning." "X don't want your advia" "Well,asyourilceofcomsetheae,bnt~tebeenso~dly in tenfng us about your hopes*and wheae a woman is in questionIwouldalways&anotherwamarr,~~when, she has Annes almost rutcanny bight.The bbssoms opposite disappeared and renppead, and a~QivefeItthathlsMead,swayingtoandfroinfnmtof them, wm esseaatalnight. A voice said,qt's miles worse for yaa thaa that; rm in love with your 4 remark so anexptedandmeanin&sstohimthathesaid,^MrsAyres?"and sat up i3tupidIy. *No, ScudderP "Lmkout," cried Qtve, with a glance at darkness. ReesPured, be said s a y , What a gotapsue a~0uncemen.t" *Most -que," the voice echoed, &rt I felt aftez all I owe

youIou~ttooomeandtellyauaboutAlec" Qive had only gasped thexniuimum. He supposed toudder" was a fogon ds park, as one might say "Canymede~~ for MimacywithanyeodalinEaforwas~tOhim.As%was, he felt depressed aud &ended, for he had assumed Madm was normal during the last forhight, alnd so emomaged Anne's fnthacy. W e did an* we could,- he said, "ad if yau ~ttorepaywhatyousowe'w~asyoudft,yaa~'tdany with morbid thoughts. rm so disapphted to hsar you talk of

yourself lllte that You gave me to un*

that the Iand

. . .'

I

MAURICE through the looking-@aswas bebid yon at last, when we thrashed out the subject that night in the Russet Room."

'Whesyaubroughtyodtokissmy~nadded~ rkqwith dellbeaaae Mtteaness. Poa't~deto&at,"he9ashed,notforthebtandlast thue,dforamumeatcaasingtboutlawtolovehfm.Then he relapsed into i n t d e d h Tuamicet-oh, rm more sony faryouthanI~possrmYsay,dI&,do~yoatoresW the return of tbis abgesafoa Itll leave you for good if you do. Occupatfmqfresheir,yourMm&.

...

u

"AsIsaid~~mnothtogetadoice,nortotaIkaboat

thonghbandfdeaseither.~mhhandblood,iEyou'llcundePcendto~lowtlIin~71~~~qatted&RrraMgathJ.theorfst,Ilmow." a411mentfon~byMsnnma" . ItMtobothobhhMmofay=baak,bnt ItwcusCllvewhowtrroedatthe~plenaw.'lfAleoisSoad~,befafnpointoffactno~inmy~orsvenin~ land.HesaitedforBnenasAfresthbveryday.Goanthough, Tmrecaaciledtoreopeaingthembfect~Icanbeofthe~

aelp* M~blewoathfscheelrs,d~piddngthe~ oEa tall atant Thgr vanished om, after another*like candles that thenighthas~"IbavesbaredwlthAleq"heBatd after desp thought

8MwhatP" -AllIbirPaWMcb~myboay." CiiPe sprang up with a whimper of disgust. He wanted to smitethe~,andh,buthewasdvilized,andwantedit ~,Aftmall,tbywereCamWgemen..,pillarsofsodety both; he most not Bhaw vialence. And he did not; he remaiaed qatetandhelpdultotheyeqe4d.Buthfathin,sourdisapproval

MAURICE

his dogmath, the stupidity of his heart, revolted Munice, who cuuld only have mpected hatred. "Iput it offensively," he went on, QbutI must make sure you understand. Alec slept with me in the Russet Room that ni@t when you and Anne were away." "Mauric~-oh,good Godl" -Alsointown.Also-"herehestapped. Even in his nausea Cltve tumed to a peralizatiopit was part of the mental vagwms induced by his mturfae 3ut surely4e sole excuse for any relathship between men is that it remain purely platonic" 9 don't lam. rve come to tell you what I did" Yes, that was the reason of his visit. It was the cl&g of a book that would never be read again, and better h e such a book than leave it lying about to get Wed. The volume of their past must be restored to its shelf* and here, hem was the placq amid darkness adpeaishingkwers. Heoweditto Alecalsa Hecoulddes nomtxingobtheoldinthenew.AUcolnprolnisewaspetllwq becauw W v e , a 4 having WsMhis codedon, he must disappear from the world that had bmught him up. 1 must tell you toowhat hedivhewent on,tryingtokeep down his joy. n e w ssacdced his carser for my sake without a guarantee Ill give up anything for bim and I shouldn't have earlier. I'm always slow at seeing. I don't h o w whether that's platonioaf himorno?,butit's whathedid." "How sa&?" Tvejustbeentoseehlmos-hewasn'tthere-a "Suuidermissedhis boat?" cried the sqnire m6th indipatha These people arg im@laD Then he stopped, f a d by the htum *Maurice, Maurice," he said with some tdmms. 'hlaurice, quo vadfsP You're going mad You've h t all sense & M -ya I ask whether you intend--

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...

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MAURICE "No,youmaynot~~bteothsr.71oubedangto the past Ill tell you everytbg up to this momenbmt a ward beyond," aiaur&3, Matube, I can, a little bit for you, yon know, ox I wouldn't stand what yon have toId ma" Mamica opened his band. Lnminomr petah appeared in it ToucateformeaU#18Mt,Ido~~headd~~tI~*t hang all my lib on a little bit You don't. You hang yours an ~Youdon't~whethBcyotarelationwIthherispb toniomnot,ponodykctowitsbigenonghtohangaIfdecm I dthangmineontothe&remhtesyousparemefromhex and polltfc9. You'll do mytMng for me exoept see ma.Tbat.8 beenit forthis whole year of Ire& Youll makerns free af the ixnw,andtakeendkbothertomarrgmea&,bthat puteme&yombands.Youdoauealittleforme,Ikmd'foa Qlve had but nuthingto speekof, and you don't loveme. Iwas yoms oncetilldeath if you'd cared tokeep me, but I'm someone else's now-I can't hang about whining for &he's mine in a way that E&O& you, but why don't you stopbedngsboolted,anda~toyourownhappinessF" 'Who taught you to talk lib WP*U€vegasped. Toa,ff=p=" 2PIt'~appaUingpoashd~suchthougbastome,~ ~ClivaHadhe~aU3nferids~edPIIe could not realize that he and Maudce were a l h descended from&ecllveoftwoyeanra@~4the~by~U~,~ ~byrebellion,northatthgrmastdifferentiatefurther.It wasam1,andonebreathfromitatthealeceiondruin him. But he must not sMnk from his duty. He sust rescue hfe old friend. A feeling of heaoism stole over him; and he began to

~ k o w S c u d d e r d b e ~ a n d w ~ h e ~ pmveeeborttoaabaItwastoo]atetodiscnsswaysandmstlns

MAURICE

mw,80 he invitedMaurice to dirae with him the following week irlhtsclubupintown. Alaugh aoswered.He had always illred his Mends laugh, d at such a moment the soft nunble of it reassured bim; it suggested happiness and security. Thats right," he said,and went so far es to stretch his band into a bush of laurels. OThat's better than making me a long set speech, which convince & yomselfnarme.~HlslastwardswereW~W~y,sayat 743. MnnePjaCkevs BDOU& a¶you They were his last words, because Maurica had d i s a p p d . t l i - w leaving no trace of his presence errcept a little pile afthepetalsof&eeveningplinwse,wbichmoumedfromtke ~~anqfringfLaTo~endofbisUfeQivewesnot sure of the exact moment of depamae, a d with with approach ofoklagehegrewuncertdn whether themomentbad yet mcurred.The Blue Room would , fearr, mdulata Out of some~Cambridgehis~bee$n~gtohim, clothed fn the sun, and shaking out the soenb and sormds of the May term. But at the t h e he was merely o h d e d at a dfs-9, and campid it with similar lapsea in the past He did not realize thattbtwastheend,withtt~ghtot~thathe shdnevercrossMaurh'stradc~norspeaktothose whohadsemhim. Hewaitedforslittleithealley, then re-. hnned to the house, to correct bfs p f e and to devise some method of conding the truth from Anna

TERMINAL N O T E ..

In its originaI form, which it stin almost reteins, M&8 dates from 1815. It was the djrect result of a visit to Edward Carpenter at Mflthorpa Cmpenter had a prestige which caMotbe understood today. He was a rebel appro@& to his age. He was sentimental and a little sacramental, for he had hgtm life as a clergyman. H e was a sodalist who ignored indusbhhm and a simplelifer with an in-t income and a W h i w o poet whose noMUty d e d his strength and, M y , he was a bebverinthehofComrades,wwhomhesometimescaUed Uranians. It was this last aspect of him that attracted me in my loneliness. For a short time he seemed to hold the key to every trouble.I approachedhim throughLow@Dicb~on,and as one approadtea a saviour. It must have k on my second or third visit to the thee that the sparkwss Madled and he and his comrade George Marrill combinedto make a profound impression on me and to touch a creative @XI& George M e d also touched my backsidegently and just above the buttocks. I beliewe he touched mast people's. The sensation wap unusual and I still r e m h it, as I remember the padtion of a long vanished tooth. It was as much psychologicalas physical. It seemed to go straight through the small of my back into m y ideas, witlxuut involving my thoughts. If itreally did this,it wouldhave acted instrictae cordance with Catpter's yo@d q s t k h a d wotdd prove that at that precise moment I had collceivea

T E R M I N A L NOTE

ItbenrehPnedto~whmmymotherwsstakhga ~adimmediatelyb6gaatowrMeMourioe.No~afmy books bas started ofEithlsway. Thegeneral plan, the three chawaenrJthebappy&gktwoofthem,drPPhed~ my pen. And the whole thing went though without a hitch. It was Whed fn 1014 The friends, men a d women, to w b I ehaPrredftlikeditButthgrwere~cmfuRypicked.Ithasnots0 ferhadtofaca thecdtlcs orthepubEto;a n d I h a v e ~ b e s n toomnchhvolvedinit,andfortoolong,tojudga A happy ending was impemth I sEm6nlda't have b o w la W t e otherwise. I was dewmined that in &?ion anyway two menshotJdfallhrloveand~initfortheeverandevso t?mtflctionatlowa,dfntblssemseMamlceandAleostllln#rm the~1dedkteditToaaappfep:Yeafandlrot~ ge&er*,Ha~isit9LQ~gnote-IIRMchwayb had an tmeqecbd rapplt: it has made' the book mare to publish, U h the wolfedtm Report lwcomes law, it will probablyhavetore3aaininxnmamipt If itendedunhappily, with a lad dangling from a noaw or with a eatdde pact, all wonldbewell,forthentfsno~or~d minor& But the h e m get away unpunished and c u n s e q e mommend crime. Mr Boreniw is too inwm* to teach them,andtheodypeaaltysoafetyexac$isanexUethey$dy ~szlbrsca

N o w on t b t?~m men

In Maurice I tried to create a character who was ampbdy unlike my& or what I supposed myself to be: 84meons hanrE some, healthy, bodily attractfve, mentally torpid, aot a bad budna~rsman awl rather a snob. Into thfs dxhm i dropped an i n w e n t that puzzles him,waka him'% torments him and

T E R M I N A L NOTE

M

y &yes him. His sumomdings exasperate him by their very

normality: motherDtwo sisters, a comfortable home, a respectable job graduaRy turn out to be Hell; he must either smash them arbed4hbnotbkdcor~saTheworkingoatofsuoh a character, the setting of traps for bfm w M he sometimes eluded, sometimes fell into, and M y did smash, proved a welcome task If Maurice is Suburbia, Clive is Cambridge. Knowing the university, or one m e r of it, pretty well, I produced him without cWcdty and got some faitlal hints for him from a slight academic aThe calm, the superiority of outlook, the . clarity and the intelligence*the as~uredmoral standards, the blandness and delimay that did not me& frailty*the blend of lawyer and squire+ all lay in the direction of that aquaintance, though a was I who gave Clive his %ellenioa t e m v e n t and h g him into Maurice's afFecti0lult.e arms. Once there, he took charge, he laid down the lines on which the t m d relathship should proceed. He beliewed in platonic restrafnt and induced Maurice to acquiesce, whioh does not seem to me at all unlikely. Maurice at this stage is humble and inexperienced and adoring, he is the soul released from p x h q and if asked by his deliverer to remain chaste he obeys. consequently the relathship lasts for three -00s' iidealistic and pedarly English: what ICalian boy would have put up with i t P 4 it lasts until . Qtve ends ft by tuming to women and sending Maurice back to prison. Hencefond C h dderforates, and so perhaps does my treatmentof him. He has annoyed me. I may nag at him over mu&stresshisaridityandpolitical~~ll~andthe~ ~ g o f M s b a i r ~ n ~ g h e a r h f s d e o r h f s m o t h eisrever d~ right. Thts works wen enough for Maurice*for it accelerates his descent into Hell and toughens him there for the W reckless climb. But it may be unfair an Qive who intends no d and a

T E R M I N A L NOTE

whofeeb thelast~ofmy~hfpinthe~chapaer~whenb

,

~that~oldcambridpMendhasrelapsedfnside P q p ibc& and with a pmbqer. Alec-aeaQ-h~loebthetouob on the badaida But he has no furdm coMectian with the methodfcal Csorge M d and in many ways he is a ptemonition.AsIworkt?dathim#Igotto'bhimbe#er,partly thmughpersdexperieacsqandsomeofthemwexeusefpl. Hebecamelessafaamradeand~ofa~hebeamre llvellerandheavferaadrlnmAnana~mom,~thesiMitiom to tfie novel (there were rwaroely any camellations in it) areallduetohim.Notmuchoanbe~abautbim.He ieseafariDdatetothepricldypamnlinr?lYnnof D.H.Lawmm, dhadmttheadvantageofthedrdkq&Mm,~~~~,tbmghhe mikathvemetmyownStspheolWolabam,~thcyhavehsd mcnein~nUlanamugofbeer..~tw88~lif9~ M8Ud08arrived? Cltve's earlier life is d y recalled,but Aleo's, w b I tried to evoke it, turned into a swgt and had to be 8~~~ped.HeoertaInlyobjecbdto~lmowsthat muchNomore,oncetbymet,didMamioe,andLytbnStra**anearly-,h@t**~theh.He mte me a delighthrl and disquieting letteo and said that theralacionshipofthetwoduponcdosityandlustaad wonMonlylastsixwleekaShadesd]6dward~ter~ ~Lyttonalwaysgmetedwithasertesoflfttle~~ pt3ntezbellervedthatUraaians~lapaltoeach*boI ever. And in my e x p d a m hugh loyalty crumot be comted it an alw~y8be hoped for and be w d d towards and may ~inthemost~ygOiLBOththembuTbaayoathd the amntrfaed QMI are capable of loyalty. Riskynthe chs ' M n f t y ~ - 2 , ~ ~ * ~ L y # o n ~ det=t4-~uponLytton.

TERMINAL NOTE

The later additions to the novel necessitated by Alec are two, ar rather they fall into two g;roups. In the first place hehas to be ledup to. Hemust loomupon t b e d e r p d d y . Hebastobedevelopdhtbemasark e blur past which Maurice drives into Penge, thou& the croucher beside the piano.and the felecte!r of a tip and the ham- of shrubberies and the stealer of apricots into the sharer who gives and takes love. He must loom out of nothing una he i~ eve@ng. This requires carefuI handha; If the reader knows too much of what's coming he may be bored. I£he bows too little he may be pmzled.Take the halfsentences the t w o e x c h b i n t h e d a r k C ~ w h e n~r Bmenius hasleft them and avowal begins to hover. These sentemces can reveal less or more, according to the way they are drafted. Have I drafted them appropriately? Or take Also, whem he hears the wild lone cry on his rounds: should he respond at once o l ~ a s I have finally deded+honld he hesitate until it is repeated3 The art called for in these problems is not of a high order, not as high as Henry James thinks, stin it has to be employed if the anal embrace is to be felt. - In the second place Alec has to be led down from. He has taken a risk and they have loved. What guarantee is there that such love will lest? None. So their charactexs, their attitudes towards each othar, the test4 through which they are put must suggest that it may last, and the final section of the book bad to be much long= than originally planned. The British Museum chapter had to be extended and a whole new chapter inserted after it--the chapter of their passionate and distracted second night, where Maurice comes further into the open and Aleo daren't In the miginal draft I had onIy implied all this. SImflaxly, after Southampton, when Alec too had risked a& I hadn't brought them to their final d m All this had to be written

T E R M I N A L ;NOTE oat,so that they might be m a the Mest pomible howled* of eaah other. Not until some dangers and some threate had been surmouuM could the curtaimprepare to faU The chapter after renaion, where Wantice ticks aff

Qtve,istheadypassibleendtothebookIdidnatahvaystbfnk so,~didothgs,dIwsseacamagedtowdaean~ Ittook~~ofKtttyeaootmteringtwowoodontberesonae pears~dgavemiveddlssatfefactioa.Epiro~arefar T~.MMinepartlyfajledbecraaeethewel'~~datefs about 1 9 4 and -some years l a w would plunge it into the tramfamed England of the Finit Woald War. TbbookceacainlpdatesandaMa3odhasrec%ntlyremarloed that far readers today ft can only have a pedod btemt.1 ~ ' t g o a s f a r a s ~ b u t f t ~ b e c a u m o f i t s n n A l A a a ~ ~ ~ t i p s , pinda-records,~rfoIlr jadceb, PoIlosCoartNews,Hagueferenca, Lib and Rads and Tearieas, Mfnfonned dootors end uudeqpduateswa?kingarm in arm, but for a more vital nrarwnr

itbelongptoanEnj$andwhmitwaastlUpossibletogetlost Itbebqptothelastmomentofthegreenwood.Ths&mgsst Jwmey~~theaetoo,andhas~ofatmosploenr Om geemud ended cabstmphicdly and hmhbly. Two pxt wan, damanded and bequeathed regimentationwhich tlae ptibliosesYi0~8adopteaand~~lesltheraid,aud thewildaessofam*a,n~~ve,~Btampedupon andbaittoverandpatcoRedinnotlmaThmisnoforeatorfell toesoepetotOday,nocaveinwhf&to~l~np,~ oallqrforthosewhotRishnelthertoreFormnormrnrptsoaLetp buttobeleftalonaPeople&stm~pa,onecansee~anp [email protected]~aw~~~d~thep caa dodp dvjlizntlon becaum they are part of it.

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A N O T E O N THE T E X T

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With a small number d eucqtbns, the 1880 tmarr(pt has been faItMuny fon~wed,even w h it nxuia a Mfle oddy-ea w h Aleo Scuddeo, batting in a cricket mntoh, is made to "redgnu (ta, retke), or ' W h i M o Dfs used in place of 'Whi-ue", or somesen~fntheTermfnalNotened~inthelightof tbSemalOEeuo89fictoflQ67.The~tfrmsareasfollowa l. The surname of one of the charactars b,on the a d d s writteniastmctfone,beenalteRd~ugbut,andanecntwo~ tingent changes made4 & SpeSing, puuctuatfm and aapitakatlon have, w h no nuance fs involved, be%n regdad& fn ~ ~ ~ ~ r d awfth n c e normel l practtce &Y* 3. A nmnber of obvha typing emrrs (or in some cases paaslbly

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next week 6. Finally, on page 116, a famous phrase fnmr So@och ('Uot to be born ts ~t'-Oedpucr C O ~ U W ,W)has been inoerted where the 1980 typesuript has a blank space, and an earlier typg. GQiPt w1ppk a slightly imamate v d a n of the quotatfon.

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