投诉 阅读记录

第3章

’Perhapsitdoes。However,’headdedmorecheerfully,’thoughI

feelthestudytobeonealmosttragicinitsquality,IhopetobethenewCopernicus。WhathewastothesolarsystemIaimtobetothesystemsbeyond。’

Then,bymeansoftheinstrumentathand,theytravelledtogetherfromtheearthtoUranusandthemysteriousoutskirtsofthesolarsystem;fromthesolarsystemtoastarintheSwan,thenearestfixedstarinthenorthernsky;fromthestarintheSwantoremoterstars;thencetotheremotestvisible;tilltheghastlychasmwhichtheyhadbridgedbyafragilelineofsightwasrealizedbyLadyConstantine。

’Wearenowtraversingdistancesbesidewhichtheimmenselinestretchingfromtheearthtothesunisbutaninvisiblepoint,’

saidtheyouth。’When,justnow,wehadreachedaplanetwhoseremotenessisahundredtimestheremotenessofthesunfromtheearth,wewereonlyatwothousandthpartofthejourneytothespotatwhichwehaveopticallyarrivednow。’

’Oh,praydon’t;itoverpowersme!’shereplied,notwithoutseriousness。’Itmakesmefeelthatitisnotworthwhiletolive;

itquiteannihilatesme。’

’Ifitannihilatesyourladyshiptoroamovertheseyawningspacesjustonce,thinkhowitmustannihilatemetobe,asitwere,inconstantsuspensionamidthemnightafternight。’

’Yes……ItwasnotreallythissubjectthatIcametoseeyouupon,Mr。St。Cleeve,’shebeganasecondtime。’Itwasapersonalmatter。’

’Iamlistening,LadyConstantine。’

’Iwilltellityou。Yetno,——notthismoment。Letusfinishthisgrandsubjectfirst;itdwarfsmine。’

Itwouldhavebeendifficulttojudgefromheraccentswhethershewereafraidtobroachherownmatter,orreallyinterestedinhis。

Oracertainyouthfulpridethatheevidencedatbeingtheelucidatorofsuchalargetheme,andathavingdrawnhertheretohearandobserveit,mayhaveinclinedhertoindulgehimforkindness’sake。

Thereuponhetookexceptiontoheruseoftheword’grand’asdescriptiveoftheactualuniverse:

’Theimaginarypictureoftheskyastheconcavityofadomewhosebaseextendsfromhorizontohorizonofourearthisgrand,simplygrand,andIwishIhadnevergotbeyondlookingatitinthatway。

Buttheactualskyisahorror。’

’Anewviewofouroldfriends,thestars,’shesaid,smilingupatthem。

’Butsuchanobviouslytrueone!’saidtheyoungman。’Youwouldhardlythink,atfirst,thathorridmonsterslieuptherewaitingtobediscoveredbyanymoderatelypenetratingmind——monsterstowhichthoseoftheoceansbearnosortofcomparison。’

’Whatmonstersmaytheybe?’

’Impersonalmonsters,namely,Immensities。Untilapersonhasthoughtoutthestarsandtheirinter—spaces,hehashardlylearntthattherearethingsmuchmoreterriblethanmonstersofshape,namely,monstersofmagnitudewithoutknownshape。Suchmonstersarethevoidsandwasteplacesofthesky。Look,forinstance,atthosepiecesofdarknessintheMilkyWay,’hewenton,pointingwithhisfingertowherethegalaxystretchedacrossovertheirheadswiththeluminousnessofafrostedweb。’YouseethatdarkopeninginitneartheSwan?Thereisastillmoreremarkableonesouthoftheequator,calledtheCoalSack,asasortofnicknamethathasafarcicalforcefromitsveryinadequacy。Intheseoursightplungesquitebeyondanytwinklerwehaveyetvisited。Thosearedeepwellsforthehumanmindtoletitselfdowninto,leavealonethehumanbody!andthinkofthesidecavernsandsecondaryabyssestorightandleftasyoupasson!’

LadyConstantinewasheedfulandsilent。

Hetriedtogiveheryetanotherideaofthesizeoftheuniverse;

neverwasthereamoreardentendeavourtobringdowntheimmeasurabletohumancomprehension!Byfiguresofspeechandaptcomparisonshetookhermindintoleading—strings,compellinghertofollowhimintowildernessesofwhichshehadneverinherlifeevenrealizedtheexistence。

’Thereisasizeatwhichdignitybegins,’heexclaimed;’furtheronthereisasizeatwhichgrandeurbegins;furtheronthereisasizeatwhichsolemnitybegins;furtheron,asizeatwhichawfulnessbegins;furtheron,asizeatwhichghastlinessbegins。Thatsizefaintlyapproachesthesizeofthestellaruniverse。SoamInotrightinsayingthatthosemindswhoexerttheirimaginativepowerstoburythemselvesinthedepthsofthatuniversemerelystraintheirfacultiestogainanewhorror?’

Standing,asshestood,inthepresenceofthestellaruniverse,undertheveryeyesoftheconstellations,LadyConstantineapprehendedsomethingoftheearnestyouth’sargument。

’Andtoaddanewweirdnesstowhattheskypossessesinitssizeandformlessness,thereisinvolvedthequalityofdecay。Forallthewonderoftheseeverlastingstars,eternalspheres,andwhatnot,theyarenoteverlasting,theyarenoteternal;theyburnoutlikecandles。YouseethatdyingoneinthebodyoftheGreaterBear?Twocenturiesagoitwasasbrightastheothers。Thesensesmaybecometerrifiedbyplungingamongthemastheyare,butthereisapitifulnessevenintheirglory。Imaginethemallextinguished,andyourmindfeelingitswaythroughaheavenoftotaldarkness,occasionallystrikingagainsttheblack,invisiblecindersofthosestars……Ifyouarecheerful,andwishtoremainso,leavethestudyofastronomyalone。Ofallthesciences,italonedeservesthecharacteroftheterrible。’

’Iamnotaltogethercheerful。’

’Thenif,ontheotherhand,youarerestlessandanxiousaboutthefuture,studyastronomyatonce。Yourtroubleswillbereducedamazingly。Butyourstudywillreducetheminasingularway,byreducingtheimportanceofeverything。Sothatthescienceisstillterrible,evenasapanacea。Itisquiteimpossibletothinkatalladequatelyofthesky——ofwhattheskysubstantiallyis,withoutfeelingitasajuxtaposednightmare。Itisbetter——farbetter——formentoforgettheuniversethantobearitclearlyinmind!……

Butyousaytheuniversewasnotreallywhatyoucametoseemeabout。Whatwasit,mayIask,LadyConstantine?’

Shemused,andsighed,andturnedtohimwithsomethingpatheticinher。

’Theimmensityofthesubjectyouhaveengagedmeonhascompletelycrushedmysubjectoutofme!Yoursiscelestial;minelamentablyhuman!Andthelessmustgivewaytothegreater。’

’Butisit,inahumansense,andapartfrommacrocosmicmagnitudes,important?’heinquired,atlastattractedbyhermanner;forhebegantoperceive,inspiteofhisprepossession,thatshehadreallysomethingonhermind。

’Itisasimportantaspersonaltroublesusuallyare。’

NotwithstandingherpreconceivednotionofcomingtoSwithinasemployertodependant,aschatelainetopage,shewasfallingintoconfidentialintercoursewithhim。Hisvastandromanticendeavourslenthimapersonalforceandcharmwhichshecouldnotbutapprehend。Inthepresenceoftheimmensitiesthathisyoungmindhad,asitwere,broughtdownfromabovetohers,theybecameunconsciouslyequal。Therewas,moreover,aninbornlikinginLadyConstantinetodwelllessonherpermanentpositionasacountyladythanonherpassingemotionsasawoman。

’IwillpostponethematterIcametochargeyouwith,’sheresumed,smiling。’Imustreconsiderit。NowIwillreturn。’

’Allowmetoshowyououtthroughthetreesandacrossthefields?’

Shesaidneitheradistinctyesnorno;and,descendingthetower,theythreadedthefirsandcrossedtheploughedfield。Byanoddcoincidenceheremarked,whentheydrewneartheGreatHouse——

’Youmaypossiblybeinterestedinknowing,LadyConstantine,thatthatmedium—sizedstaryouseeoverthere,lowdowninthesouth,ispreciselyoverSirBlountConstantine’sheadinthemiddleofAfrica。’

’Howverystrangethatyoushouldhavesaidso!’sheanswered。’YouhavebroachedformetheverysubjectIhadcometospeakof。’

’Onadomesticmatter?’hesaid,withsurprise。

’Yes。Whatasmallmatteritseemsnow,afterourastronomicalstupendousness!andyetonmywaytoyouitsofartranscendedtheordinarymattersofmylifeasthesubjectyouhaveledmeuptotranscendsthis。But,’withalittlelaugh,’Iwillendeavourtosinkdowntosuchephemeraltrivialitiesashumantragedy,andexplain,sinceIhavecome。Thepointis,Iwantahelper:nowomaneverwantedonemore。FordaysIhavewantedatrustyfriendwhocouldgoonasecreterrandforme。Itisnecessarythatmymessengershouldbeeducated,shouldbeintelligent,shouldbesilentasthegrave。Doyougivemeyoursolemnpromiseastothelastpoint,ifIconfideinyou?’

’Mostemphatically,LadyConstantine。’

’Yourrighthanduponthecompact。’

Hegavehishand,andraisedherstohislips。Inadditiontohisrespectforherastheladyofthemanor,therewastheadmirationoftwentyyearsfortwenty—eightornineinsuchrelations。

’Itrustyou,’shesaid。’Now,beyondtheaboveconditions,itwasspeciallynecessarythatmyagentshouldhaveknownSirBlountConstantinewellbysightwhenhewasathome。Fortheerrandisconcerningmyhusband;IammuchdisturbedatwhatIhaveheardabouthim。’

’Iamindeedsorrytoknowit。’

’Thereareonlytwopeopleintheparishwhofulfilalltheconditions,——Mr。Torkingham,andyourself。IsentforMr。

Torkingham,andhecame。Icouldnottellhim。Ifeltatthelastmomentthathewouldn’tdo。IhavecometoyoubecauseIthinkyouwilldo。Thisisit:myhusbandhasledmeandalltheworldtobelievethatheisinAfrica,huntinglions。IhavehadamysteriousletterinformingmethathehasbeenseeninLondon,inverypeculiarcircumstances。ThetruthofthisIwantascertained。

Willyougoonthejourney?’

’Personally,Iwouldgototheendoftheworldforyou,LadyConstantine;but——’

’Nobuts!’

’HowcanIleave?’

’Whynot?’

’Iampreparingaworkonvariablestars。ThereisoneofthesewhichIhaveexceptionallyobservedforseveralmonths,andonthismygreattheoryismainlybased。Ithasbeenhithertocalledirregular;butIhavedetectedaperiodicityinitsso—calledirregularitieswhich,ifproved,wouldaddsomeveryvaluablefactstothoseknownonthissubject,oneofthemostinteresting,perplexing,andsuggestiveinthewholefieldofastronomy。Now,toclinchmytheory,thereshouldbeasuddenvariationthisweek,——oratlatestnextweek,——andIhavetowatcheverynightnottoletitpass。Youseemyreasonfordeclining,LadyConstantine。’

’Youngmenarealwayssoselfish!’shesaid。

’Itmightruinthewholeofmyyear’slabourifIleavenow!’

returnedtheyouth,greatlyhurt。’Couldyounotwaitafortnightlonger?’

’No,——no。Don’tthinkthatIhaveaskedyou,pray。Ihavenowishtoinconvenienceyou。’

’LadyConstantine,don’tbeangrywithme!Willyoudothis,——watchthestarformewhileIamgone?Ifyouarepreparedtodoiteffectually,Iwillgo。’

’Willitbemuchtrouble?’

’Itwillbesometrouble。Youwouldhavetocomehereeverycleareveningaboutnine。Iftheskywerenotclear,thenyouwouldhavetocomeatfourinthemorning,shouldthecloudshavedispersed。’

’Couldnotthetelescopebebroughttomyhouse?’

Swithinshookhishead。

’Perhapsyoudidnotobserveitsrealsize,——thatitwasfixedtoaframe—work?Icouldnotaffordtobuyanequatorial,andIhavebeenobligedtorigupanapparatusofmyowndevising,soastomakeitinsomemeasureanswerthepurposeofanequatorial。ItCOULDbemoved,butIwouldrathernottouchit。’

’Well,I’llgotothetelescope,’shewenton,withanemphasisthatwasnotwhollyplayful。’YouarethemostungallantyouthIevermetwith;butIsupposeImustsetthatdowntoscience。Yes,I’llgotothetoweratnineeverynight。’

’Andalone?Ishouldprefertokeepmypursuitsthereunknown。’

’Andalone,’sheanswered,quiteoverbornebyhisinflexibility。

’Youwillnotmissthemorningobservation,ifitshouldbenecessary?’

’Ihavegivenmyword。’

’AndIgivemine。IsupposeIoughtnottohavebeensoexacting!’

Hespokewiththatsuddenemotionalsenseofhisowninsignificancewhichmadethesealternationsofmoodpossible。’Iwillgoanywhere——doanythingforyou——thismoment——to—morroworatanytime。Butyoumustreturnwithmetothetower,andletmeshowyoutheobservingprocess。’

Theyretracedtheirsteps,thetenderhoar—frosttakingtheimprintoftheirfeet,whiletwostarsintheTwinslookeddownupontheirtwopersonsthroughthetrees,asifthosetwopersonscouldbearsomesortofcomparisonwiththem。Onthetowertheinstructionsweregiven。Whenallwasover,andhewasagainconductinghertotheGreatHouseshesaid——

’Whencanyoustart?’

’Now,’saidSwithin。

’Somuchthebetter。Youshallgoupbythenightmail。’

V

Onthethirdmorningaftertheyoungman’sdepartureLadyConstantineopenedthepost—baganxiously。Thoughshehadrisenbeforefouro’clock,andcrossedtothetowerthroughthegrayhalf—

lightwheneverybladeandtwigwerefurredwithrime,shefeltnolanguor。Expectationcouldbanishatcock—crowtheeye—heavinesswhichapathyhadbeenunabletodisperseallthedaylong。

Therewas,asshehadhoped,aletterfromSwithinSt。Cleeve。

’DEARLADYCONSTANTINE,——Ihavequitesucceededinmymission,andshallreturnto—morrowat10p。m。Ihopeyouhavenotfailedintheobservations。Watchingthestarthroughanopera—glassSundaynight,Ifanciedsomechangehadtakenplace,butIcouldnotmakemyselfsure。YourmemorandaforthatnightIawaitwithimpatience。

Pleasedon’tneglecttowritedownATTHEMOMENT,allremarkableappearancesbothastocolourandintensity;andbeveryexactastotime,whichcorrectinthewayIshowedyou。——Iam,dearLadyConstantine,yoursmostfaithfully,SWITHINST。

CLEEVE。’

Notanotherwordintheletterabouthiserrand;hismindranonnothingbutthisastronomicalsubject。Hehadsucceededinhismission,andyethedidnotevensayyesornotothegreatquestion,——whetherornotherhusbandwasmasqueradinginLondonattheaddressshehadgiven。

’Waseveranythingsoprovoking!’shecried。

However,thetimewasnotlongtowait。Hiswayhomewardwouldliewithinastone’s—throwofthemanor—house,andthoughforcertainreasonsshehadforbiddenhimtocallatthelatehourofhisarrival,shecouldeasilyintercepthimintheavenue。Attwentyminutespasttenshewentoutintothedrive,andstoodinthedark。

Sevenminuteslatersheheardhisfootstep,andsawhisoutlineintheslitoflightbetweentheavenue—trees。Hehadavaliseinonehand,agreat—coatonhisarm,andunderhisarmaparcelwhichseemedtobeveryprecious,fromthemannerinwhichheheldit。

’LadyConstantine?’heaskedsoftly。

’Yes,’shesaid,inherexcitementholdingoutbothherhands,thoughhehadplainlynotexpectedhertoofferone。

’Didyouwatchthestar?’

’I’lltellyoueverythingindetail;but,pray,yourerrandfirst!’

’Yes,it’sallright。Didyouwatcheverynight,notmissingone?’

’Iforgottogo——twice,’shemurmuredcontritely。

’Oh,LadyConstantine!’hecriedindismay。’Howcouldyouservemeso!whatshallIdo?’

’Pleaseforgiveme!Indeed,Icouldnothelpit。Ihadwatchedandwatched,andnothinghappened;andsomehowmyvigilancerelaxedwhenIfoundnothingwaslikelytotakeplaceinthestar。’

’Buttheverycircumstanceofitnothavinghappened,madeitallthemorelikelyeveryday。’

’Haveyou——seen——’shebeganimploringly。

Swithinsighed,loweredhisthoughtstosublunarythings,andtoldbrieflythestoryofhisjourney。SirBlountConstantinewasnotinLondonattheaddresswhichhadbeenanonymouslysenther。Itwasamistakeofidentity。ThepersonwhohadbeenseenthereSwithinhadsoughtout。HeresembledSirBlountstrongly;buthewasastranger。

’HowcanIrewardyou!’sheexclaimed,whenhehaddone。

’InnowaybutbygivingmeyourgoodwishesinwhatIamgoingtotellyouonmyownaccount。’Hespokeintonesofmysteriousexultation。’Thisparcelisgoingtomakemyfame!’

’Whatisit?’

’Ahugeobject—glassforthegreattelescopeIamsobusyabout!

Suchamagnificentaidtosciencehasneverenteredthiscountybefore,youmaydepend。’

Heproducedfromunderhisarmthecarefullycuddled—uppackage,whichwasinshapearoundflatdisk,likeadinner—plate,tiedinpaper。

Proceedingtoexplainhisplanstohermorefully,hewalkedwithhertowardsthedoorbywhichshehademerged。Itwasalittlesidewicketthroughawalldividingtheopenparkfromthegardenterraces。Hereforamomentheplacedhisvaliseandparcelonthecopingofthestonebalustrade,tillhehadbiddenherfarewell。

Thenheturned,andinlayingholdofhisbagbythedimlightpushedtheparcelovertheparapet。Itfellsmashuponthepavedwalktenoradozenfeetbeneath。

’Oh,goodheavens!’hecriedinanguish。

’What?’

’Myobject—glassbroken!’

’Isitofmuchvalue?’

’ItcostallIpossess!’

Heranroundbythestepstothelowerlawn,LadyConstantinefollowing,ashecontinued,’Itisamagnificenteight—inchfirstqualityobjectlens!ItookadvantageofmyjourneytoLondontogetit!Ihavebeensixweeksmakingthetubeofmilledboard;andasIhadnotenoughmoneybytwelvepoundsforthelens,Iborroweditofmygrandmotheroutofherlastannuitypayment。Whatcanbe,canbedone!’

’Perhapsitisnotbroken。’

Hefeltontheground,foundtheparcel,andshookit。Aclickingnoiseissuedfrominside。Swithinsmotehisforeheadwithhishand,andwalkedupanddownlikeamadfellow。

’Mytelescope!Ihavewaitedninemonthsforthislens。Nowthepossibilityofsettingupareallypowerfulinstrumentisover!Itistoocruel——howcouldithappen!……LadyConstantine,Iamashamedofmyself,——beforeyou。Oh,but,LadyConstantine,ifyouonlyknewwhatitistoapersonengagedinsciencetohavethemeansofclinchingatheorysnatchedawayatthelastmoment!ItisIagainsttheworld;andwhentheworldhasaccidentsonitssideinadditiontoitsnaturalstrength,whatchanceforme!’

Theyoungastronomerleantagainstthewall,andwassilent。HismiserywasofanintensityandkindwiththatofPalissy,inthesestruggleswithanadversefate。

’Don’tmindit,——praydon’t!’saidLadyConstantine。’Itisdreadfullyunfortunate!Youhavemywholesympathy。Canitbemended?’

’Mended,——no,no!’

’Cannotyoudowithyourpresentonealittlelonger?’

’Itisaltogetherinferior,cheap,andbad!’

’I’llgetyouanother,——yes,indeed,Iwill!Allowmetogetyouanotherassoonaspossible。I’lldoanythingtoassistyououtofyourtrouble;forIammostanxioustoseeyoufamous。Iknowyouwillbeagreatastronomer,inspiteofthismishap!Come,sayI

maygetanewone。’

Swithintookherhand。Hecouldnottrusthimselftospeak。

SomedayslateralittleboxofpeculiarkindcametotheGreatHouse。ItwasaddressedtoLadyConstantine,’withgreatcare。’

Shehaditpartlyopenedandtakentoherownlittlewriting—room;

andafterlunch,whenshehaddressedforwalking,shetookfromtheboxapaperparcelliketheonewhichhadmetwiththeaccident。

Thisshehidunderhermantle,asifshehadstolenit;and,goingoutslowlyacrossthelawn,passedthroughthelittledoorbeforespokenof,andwassoonhasteninginthedirectionoftheRings—Hillcolumn。

Therewasabrightsunoverheadonthatafternoonofearlyspring,anditsraysshedanunusualwarmthonsouth—westaspects,thoughshadyplacesstillretainedthelookandfeelofwinter。Rookswerealreadybeginningtobuildnewnestsortomendupoldones,andclamorouslycalledinneighbourstogiveopinionsondifficultiesintheirarchitecture。LadyConstantineswervedoncefromherpath,asifshehaddecidedtogotothehomesteadwhereSwithinlived;butonsecondthoughtsshebentherstepstothecolumn。

Drawingnearitshelookedup;butbyreasonoftheheightoftheparapetnobodycouldbeseenthereonwhodidnotstandontiptoe。

Shethought,however,thatheryoungfriendmightpossiblyseeher,ifhewerethere,andcomedown;andthathewasthereshesoonascertainedbyfindingthedoorunlocked,andthekeyinside。Nomovement,however,reachedherearsfromabove,andshebegantoascend。

Meanwhileaffairsatthetopofthecolumnhadprogressedasfollows。Theafternoonbeingexceptionallyfine,Swithinhadascendedabouttwoo’clock,and,seatinghimselfatthelittletablewhichhehadconstructedonthespot,hebeganreadingoverhisnotesandexaminingsomeastronomicaljournalsthathadreachedhiminthemorning。Thesunblazedintothehollowroof—spaceasintoatub,andthesideskeptouteverybreeze。ThoughthemonthwasFebruarybelowitwasMayintheabacusofthecolumn。Thisstateoftheatmosphere,andthefactthatonthepreviousnighthehadpursuedhisobservationstillpasttwoo’clock,producedinhimattheendofhalfanhouranoverpoweringinclinationtosleep。

Spreadingonthelead—workathickrugwhichhekeptupthere,heflunghimselfdownagainsttheparapet,andwassooninastateofunconsciousness。

Itwasabouttenminutesafterwardsthatasoftrustleofsilkenclothescameupthespiralstaircase,and,hesitatingonwards,reachedtheorifice,whereappearedtheformofLadyConstantine。

Shedidnotatfirstperceivethathewaspresent,andstoodstilltoreconnoitre。Hereyeglancedoverhistelescope,nowwrappedup,histableandpapers,hisobserving—chair,andhiscontrivancesformakingthebestofadeficiencyofinstruments。Allwaswarm,sunny,andsilent,exceptthatasolitarybee,whichhadsomehowgotwithinthehollowoftheabacus,wassingingroundinquiringly,unabletodiscernthatascentwastheonlymodeofescape。Inanothermomentshebeheldtheastronomer,lyinginthesunlikeasailorinthemain—top。

LadyConstantinecoughedslightly;hedidnotawake。Shethenentered,and,drawingtheparcelfrombeneathhercloak,placeditonthetable。Afterthisshewaited,lookingforalongtimeathissleepingface,whichhadaveryinterestingappearance。Sheseemedreluctanttoleave,yetwantedresolutiontowakehim;and,pencillinghisnameontheparcel,shewithdrewtothestaircase,wherethebrushingofherdressdecreasedtosilenceassherecededroundandroundonherwaytothebase。

Swithinstillslepton,andpresentlytherustlebeganagaininthefar—downinteriorofthecolumn。Thedoorcouldbeheardclosing,andtherustlecamenearer,showingthatshehadshutherselfin,——

nodoubttolessentheriskofanaccidentalsurprisebyanyroamingvillager。WhenLadyConstantinereappearedatthetop,andsawtheparcelstilluntouchedandSwithinasleepasbefore,sheexhibitedsomedisappointment;butshedidnotretreat。

Lookingagainathim,hereyesbecamesosentimentallyfixedonhisfacethatitseemedasifshecouldnotwithdrawthem。Therelay,intheshapeofanAntinous,noamoroso,nogallant,butaguilelessphilosopher。Hispartedlipswerelipswhichspoke,notoflove,butofmillionsofmiles;thosewereeyeswhichhabituallygazed,notintothedepthsofothereyes,butintootherworlds。Withinhistemplesdweltthoughts,notofwoman’slooks,butofstellaraspectsandtheconfigurationofconstellations。

Thus,tohisphysicalattractivenesswasaddedtheattractivenessofmentalinaccessibility。Theennoblinginfluenceofscientificpursuitswasdemonstratedbythespeculativepuritywhichexpresseditselfinhiseyeswheneverhelookedatherinspeaking,andinthechildlikefaultsofmannerwhicharosefromhisobtusenesstotheirdifferenceofsex。Hehadnever,sincebecomingaman,lookedevensolowastothelevelofaLadyConstantine。Hisheavenatpresentwastrulyintheskies,andnotinthatonlyotherplacewheretheysayitcanbefound,intheeyesofsomedaughterofEve。WouldanyCirceorCalypso——andifso,whatone?——evercheckthispale—hairedscientist’snocturnalsailingsintotheinterminablespacesoverhead,andhurlallhismightycalculationsoncosmicforceandstellarfireintoLimbo?Oh,thepityofit,ifsuchshouldbethecase!

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