Burning Spear

Galsworthy, John

• Publisher: pubOne.info
• Year: 2010
• eBook ISBN: 9782819944041
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Classics
• Index: Literature

pubOne.info present you this new edition. Recorded by: A. R. P- M [John Galsworthy

XXI

AND ASCENDS TO PARADISE

Now when Mr. Lavender once slept over an idea it became so strong that no power on earth could prevent his putting it into execution, and all night long he kept Blink awake by tramping up and down his bedroom and planning the details of such a retirement as would meet his unfortunate case. For at once he perceived that to retire from both his lives without making the whole world know of it would be tantamount to not retiring. “Only by a public act, ” he thought, “of so striking a character that nobody can miss it can I bring the moral home to all public and private men. ” And a hundred schemes swarmed like ants in his brain. Nor was it till the cock crew that one adequate to this final occasion occurred to him.

“It will want very careful handling, ” he thought, "for otherwise I shall be prevented, and perhaps even arrested in the middle, which will be both painful and ridiculous. So sublime, however, was his idea that he shed many tears over it, and often paused in his tramping to regard the unconscious Blink with streaming eyes. All the next day he went about the house and heath taking a last look at objects which had been dear, and at mealtimes ate and drank even less than usual, absorbed by the pathos of his coming renunciation. He determined to make his preparations for the final act during the night, when Mrs. Petty would be prevented by Joe's snoring from hearing the necessary sounds; and at supper he undertook the delicate and harrowing task of saying good-bye to, his devoted housekeeper without letting her know that he, was doing it.

“Mrs— Petty, ” he said, trifling with a morsel of cheese, “it is useless to disguise, from you that I may be going a journey, and I feel that I shall not be able to part from all the care you have, bestowed on me without recording in words my heartfelt appreciation of your devotion. I shall miss it, I shall miss it terribly, if, that is, I am permitted to miss anything. ”

Mrs. Petty, whose mind instantly ran to his bed socks, answered: “Don't you worry, sir; I won't forget them. But wherever are you going now? ”

“Ah! ” said Mr. Lavender subtly, "it is all in the air at present; but now that the lime-trees are beginning to smell a certain restlessness is upon me, and you may see some change in my proceedings. Whatever happens to me, however, I commit my dear Blink to your care; feed her as if she were myself, and love her as if she were Joe, for it is largely on food and affection that dogs depend for happiness.

“Why, good gracious, sir, ” said Mrs. Petty, “you talk as if you were going for a month of Sundays. Are you thinking of Eastbourne? ”

Mr. Lavender sighed deeply at that word, for the memory of a town where he had spent many happy days added to the gentle melancholy of his feelings on this last evening.

“As regards that I shall not inform you at present; for, indeed, I am by no means certain what my destination will be. Largely speaking, no pub— public man, ” he stammered, doubtful whether he was any longer that, "knows where he will be going to-morrow. Sufficient unto the day are the intentions in his head.

“Well, sir, ” said Mrs. Petty frankly, “you can't go anywhere without Joe or me, that's flat. ”

Mr. Lavender smiled.

“Dear Mrs. Petty, ” he murmured, “there are sacrifices one cannot demand even of the most faithful friends. But, ” he went on with calculated playfulness, “we need not consider that point until the day after to-morrow at least, for I have much to do in the meantime. ”

Reassured by those words and the knowledge that Mr. Lavender's plans seldom remained the same for more than two days, Mrs. Petty tossed her head slightly and went to the door. “Well, it is a mystery, I'm sure, ” she said.

“I should like to see Joe, ” said Mr. Lavender, with a lingering look at his devoted housekeeper.

“The beauty! ” muttered Mrs. Petty; “I'll send him, ” and withdrew.

Giving the morsel of cheese to Blink, who, indeed, had eaten practically the whole of this last meal, Mr. Lavender took the moon-cat on his shoulder, and abandoned himself for a moment to the caresses of his two favourites.

“Blink, ” he said in a voice which trembled slightly, “be good to this moon-cat while I am away; and if I am longer than you expect, darling, do not be unhappy. Perhaps some day you will rejoin me; and even if we are not destined to meet again, I would not, in the fashion of cruel men, wish to hinder your second marriage, or to stand in the way of your happy forgetfulness of me. Be as light-hearted as you can, my dear, and wear no mourning for your master. ”

So saying, he flung his arms round her, and embraced her warmly, inhaling with the most poignant emotion her sheep-like odour. He was still engaged with her when the door was opened, and Joe came in.

“Joe, ” said Mr. Lavender resolutely, “sit down and light your pipe. You will find a bottle of pre-war port in the sideboard. Open it, and, drink my health; indeed, I myself will drink it too, for it may give me courage. We have been good friends, Joe, ” he went on while Joe was drawing the cork, “and have participated in pleasant and sharp adventures. I have called you in at this moment, which may some day seem to you rather solemn, partly to shake your hand and partly to resume the discussion on public men which we held some days ago, if you remember. ”

“Ah! ” said Joe, with his habitual insouciance, “when I told you that they give me the 'ump. ”

“Yes, what abaht it, sir? 'Ave they been sayin' anything particular vicious? ” His face flying up just then with the cork which he was extracting encountered the expression on Mr. Lavender's visage, and he added: “Don't take wot I say to 'eart, sir; try as you like you'll never be a public man. ”

Those words, which seemed to Mr. Lavender to seal his doom, caused a faint pink flush to invade his cheeks.

“No, ” continued Joe, pouring out the wine; “you 'aven't got the brass in times like these. I dare say you've noticed, sir, that the times is favourable for bringing out the spots on the body politic. 'Ere's 'ealth! ”

“Joe, ” said Mr. Lavender, raising the glass to his lips with solemnity, "I wish you a most happy and prosperous life. Let us drink to all those qualities which make you par excellence one of that great race, the best hearted in the world, which never thinks of to-morrow, never knows when it is beaten, and seldom loses its sense of humour.

“Ah! ” returned Joe enigmatically, half-closing one of his greenish eyes, and laying the glass to one side of his reddish nose. Then, with a quick movement, he swallowed its contents and refilled it before Mr. Lavender had succeeded in absorbing more than a drop.

“I don't say, ” he continued, “but what there's a class o' public man that's got its uses, like the little 'un that keeps us all alive, or the perfect English gentleman what did his job, and told nobody nothin' abaht it. You can 'ave confidence in a man like that— — that's why 'e's gone an' retired; 'e's civilized, you see, the finished article; but all this raw material, this 'get-on' or 'get-out' lot, that's come from 'oo knows where, well, I wish they'd stayed there with their tell-you-how-to-do-it and their 'ymns of 'ate. ”

“Joe, ” said Mr. Lavender, “are you certain that therein does not speak the snob inherent in the national bosom? Are you not unconsciously paying deference to the word gentleman? ”

“Why not, sir? ” replied Joe, tossing off his second glass. “It'd be a fine thing for the country if we was all gentlemen— straight, an' a little bit stupid, and 'ad 'alf a thought for others. ” And he refilled his master's glass. “I don't measure a gentleman by 'is money, or 'is title, not even by 'is clothes— I measure 'im by whether he can stand 'avin' power in 'is 'ands without gettin' unscrupled or swollen 'eaded, an' whether 'e can do what he thinks right without payin' attention, to clamour. But, mind you, 'e's got to 'ave right thoughts too, and a feelin' 'eart. 'Ere's luck, sir. ”

Mr. Lavender, who, absorbed in his chauffeur's sentiments, had now drunk two glasses, rose from his, chair, and clutching his hair said: “I will not conceal from you, Joe, that I have always assumed every public man came up to that standard, at least. ”

“Crikey said Joe. 'Ave you really, sir? My Gawd! Got any use for the rest of this bottle? ”

“No, Joe, no. I shall never have use for a bottle again. ”

“In that case I might as well, ” said Joe, pouring what remained into a tumbler and drinking it off. “Is there any other topic you'd like to mention? If I can 'ave any influence on you, I shall be very glad. ”

“Thank you, Joe, ” returned Mr. Lavender, "what I have most need of at this moment is solitude and your good wishes. And will you kindly take Blink away, and when she has had her run, place her in my bedroom, with the window closed. Good-night, Joe. Call me late tomorrow morning.

“Certainly, sir. Good-night, sir. ”

“Good-night, Joe. Shake hands. ”

When Joe was gone, accompanied by the unwilling Blink, turning her beautiful dark eyes back to the last, Mr. Lavender sat down at his bureau, and drawing a sheet of paper to him, wrote at the top of it.

“My last Will and Testament. ”

It was a long time before he got further, and then entirely omitted to leave anything in it, completely preoccupied by the preamble, which gradually ran as follows:

"I, John Lavender, make known to all men by these presents that the

act which I contemplate is symbolical, and must in no sense be taken

as implying either weariness of life or that surrender to misfortune

which is unbecoming to an English public gentleman. " (Over this

description of himself Mr. Lavender was obliged to pause some time

hovering between the two designations, and finally combining them as

the only way out of his difficulty. ) "Long and painful experience

has convinced me that only by retiring from the former can I retain

the latter character, and only by retiring from both can I point the

moral ever demanded by my countrymen. Conscious, indeed, that a

mere act of private resignation would have no significance to the

body politic, nor any deflecting influence on the national life, I

have chosen rather to disappear in blue flame, so that every

Englishman may take to heart my lesson, and learn from my strange

fate how to be himself uninfluenced by the verbiage of others. At

the same time, with the utmost generosity, I wish to acknowledge in

full my debt towards all those great writers and speakers on the war

who have exercised so intoxicating an influence on my mind. " (Here

followed an alphabetical list of names beginning with B and ending

with S. )

"I wish to be dissociated firmly from the views of my chauffeur Joe

Petty, and to go to my last account with an emphatic assertion that

my failure to become a perfect public gentleman is due to private

idiosyncrasies rather than to any conviction that it is impossible,

or to anything but admiration of the great men I have mentioned. If

anybody should wish to paint me after I am dead, I desire that I may

be represented with my face turned towards the Dawn; for it is at

that moment so symptomatic of a deep adoration— which I would scorn

to make the common property of gossiping tongues— that I intend to

depart. If there should be anything left of me— which is less than

probable considering the inflammatory character of the material I

design for my pyre— I would be obliged if, without giving anybody

any trouble, it could be buried in my garden, with the usual

Hampstead tablet.

"'JOHN LAVENDER,

THE PUBLIC MAN, WHO DIED FOR HIS

COUNTRY'S GOOD, LIVED HERE. '

"In conclusion, I would say a word to that land I have loved and

served: 'Be not extreme! Distrust the words, of others. To

yourself be true! As you are strong be gentle, as you are brave be

modest! Beloved country, farewell! '"

Having written that final sentence he struggled long with himself before he could lay down the pen. But by this time the port he had drunk had begun to have its usual effect, and he fell into a doze, from which he was awakened five hours later by the beams of a full moon striking in on him.

“The hour has come, ” he thought, and, opening the French-window, he went out on to the lawn, where the dew lay white. The freshness in the air, the glamour of the moonlight, and the fumes of the port combined to make him feel strangely rhumantic, and if he had possessed a musical instrument he would very likely have begun to play on it. He spent some moments tracking to and fro in the dew before he settled on the centre of the lawn as the most suitable spot for the act which he contemplated, for thence he would be able to turn his last...

Table of contents

• THE BURNING SPEAR
• THE BURNING SPEAR
• II
• III
• IV
• V
• VI
• VII
• VIII
• IX
• X
• XI
• XII
• XIII
• XIV
• XV.
• XVI
• XVII
• XVIII
• XIX
• XX
• XXI
• Copyright