Life — November 23, 1893 — page 11: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.” CHARACTERS FROM THE HOUSEHOLD OF GEORGE MEREDITH. Commander R. N. a Radical, JA Wise Youth and a 1 cynic. Of The Crossways, Surrey. An English gentleman, engaged to Diana. and Nevin Beavcnamr, Avra Hartey, Diaxa Wanwicx, Tom Repworm, Scene: The ridge of Box Hill in Surrey from which spreads a wonderful view, The spires of Dorking in the middle distance; on the right a great rise of wooded hills, dotted with country Places, with a glimpse of the village of Guilford. The hills and valleys are flooded with the sun- shine of a perfect June day. Diana and Red- worth are seated on a rustic bench near the winding pathway along which pass and repass groups on their way to the summit of Box Hill. DIANA: After all my storms and shipwreck, Tom, you have towed the derelict into this bay of green and peaceful hills. RepwortH (pointing across the valley) : And there, in the clump of trees near Guilford, is The Crossways—your safe anchorage alwa; DIANA: And I shall never slip the anchor— never again without you as pilot. The world is a great sea, beautiful and tempestuous—and, oh so cruel toa woman alone! (looking in his eyes). 1am glad that you are so strong a man, and that you love me. Repwortn: All the years that I have waited for you are a little day, and an hour like this is a lifetime. Diana (smiling): And this is my quiet, prosaic Tom, who never spoke a word of love to me in all these years, but always fought my battles ! Repwortn: If you are glad that I have been persistent in loving you, Diana, you must thank that kindly man in grey homespun who. sits in his little chalet on the hillside yonder, « and writes great book: Diana: So it is Mr. Meredith who has been making my everyday Tom a poet,—and not love at all? We women always find that a man is the inspiration of those best things which we flatter ourselves that we have inspired. RepwortH (solemnly): Since the night of ball in Dublin when I first saw ‘the flash- arrows in your eyes” I have had but one inspiration—the love of you, But one day when I was in despair about your loving Dacier and was walking gloomily across the downs I met Meredith at the crossing of a hedge. He caught the trouble in my eyes, and we sat down on the top step of the stile to talk it out.“ My boy,” he said when he had heard it all, ‘no one can love as you love without eternal profit to your soul—whether in the end you win her or not. It is the strength of Nature in you creating an ideal which has given and will always give a unity and stability to your work, I never see a man successful in the right way (not by luck or selfishness)—a man who is doing strenuously the best that Nature has put in him to do—that I do not begin to look for the one idea which is the inspiration of it. I have watched your life and work here and in London for ten years—your steady, persistent development—and have often won- dered what the main-spring was. Now I know it! Go on, go on, and the very laws of Nature, which are the laws of God, “AND THERE, IN THLE CLUMP OF TRE will fight for you!" Then he strode across the downs, his grey eyes filled with that soft light which Nature gives to those who love her. Diana (reflecting); He met my Tom a des- pairing lover and left him a brave man! Mr, Meredith is always putting heart and hope into thoughtful men and women everywhere. What a lovely afternoon his life is having—belated fame come home at last, the admiration of intellectual people, the love of friends. REDWORTH (pointing down the pathway) There are two of his friends now—as different as men can be; both well-born—the one an enthusiast, a reformer, a radical; the other blasé and acynic. Yet if you go deep enough (as Meredith no doubt has) you will find a com- 331 mon substratum which makes them congenial— the cynic and the reformer both love humanity, The cynic jeers at one side of it—its frailties the reformer lauds another side of it—its common virtues, Each in own heart loves that middle ground where frailties and virtues mingle—and that is ordinary human nature. (Enter BEAUCHAMP and ADRIAN.) his. Beaucnanp (greeting DIANA and Rev- WoRTH): At the foot of the hill we passed Meredith standing by his box-wood hedge. He waved a hand and called out to us, that path up the hill and you'll find Happiness ; a little while ago I saw two lovers go by, hand in hand." (DtaNa looks consciously at RED- wortH). And Adrian jeers back at him, “ No happiness ever came from following Love. This is the hill of Purgatory.” * With Dante's Beatrice at the top” called Meredith. “+ Rather a Siren whistling from a rock,” ungallantly ‘ollow near Guitrorn, ts Tuk Crossway: jibed Adrian ; and so we passed out of hearing with our game of * Shuttlecock.” D1ana (fo ADRIAN): Still playing at cynic, © Wise Youth, while the rest of the world moves on to happiness. ADRIAN (fo Diana): For you “the rest of the world" is simply Redworth, Diana (bowing): If you could see “the rest of the world” in one woman that I know you would cease being a cynic. You know Mr. Meredith says of you, ‘Adrian only sees one part of the world, and that not the best part.” ADRIAN: Meredith is a howling optimist. He sits on the hillside in his chilet and blows gorgeous bubbles which mirror this lovely nd he calls them the world, because comicbooks.com