The Man in Possession — page 215: what you’re looking at

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

210 THE MAN IN POSSESSION. capabilities’ of life. My opinion 1s there’s nothing but a limited company of them, with the shares ready granted. You only know how small a sphere you move in when, in spite of all efforts to get out of it, you find you are impelled by associations, or circumstances, or events, to follow a course quite opposed to your inclinations. The old Greeks were right when they made the Fatesa group. They don’t act singly, or affect us singly—only through and with others.” ‘‘That is the worst of it,” sighed the girl, ‘‘ only through and with others. If one could act alone, or if the actions only affected oneself, life might be an individual benefit sometimes. ” ‘Instead of a common misfortune,” said Mrs. Lafaye. ‘‘Still, one can’t be happy alone. Indeed there’s nothing one can enjoy as an unaccompanied solo, except a book or asleep. If we want life to _ be interesting we must look upon it as a psychologi- cal drama in which we play our own part, ill or well, as the fancy takes us, and wait for the dénoue- ment.” ‘*I should like to know mine,” said the girl. ‘‘Then there’d be no more interest,” answered Mrs. Lafaye. Kate rose and shook back her loose rich hair with an impatient gesture. ‘“Y don’t come of a very patient race,” she said, ‘‘and it is a hard task to sit still and ‘command one’s soul in patience.’ ” ‘When you have done that for years,” said Mrs. Lafaye softly, ‘‘you may call it hard. Don’t de- 9 COMicloe (Sri C(O)