Adultery -- Fiction; Artists -- Fiction; Illegitimate children -- Fiction; Painters -- Fiction; Young women -- Fiction
Jenny, I would give my life if you could meet me on the cliff and be as
you were then, and kiss me and love me for one day, one hour. Always I am
thinking of what it might have been if you had lived and been mine, and
it seems to me that a boundless joy has been wasted. Oh, you are dead,
and your death has made me so poor. I have only my dream of you, but if I
compare my poverty with others’ riches it is ever so much more glorious.
Not to save my life would I cease to love you and dream of you and mourn
you.
* * * * *
Gunnar Heggen did not know that in the great storm of his heart he
had lifted his arms towards heaven and was whispering to himself. The
anemones he had picked were still in his hand, but he did not know it.
The soldiers on the wall laughed at him, but he did not see. He pressed
the flowers to his heart, and whispered gently to himself as he walked
slowly from the grave toward the cypress grove.
THE END
Transcriber’s Note
The following changes have been made to the text to correct suspected
printing errors.
Page 27, “Sweedish” changed to “Swedish” (The Swedish sculptor
sat)
Page 57, “Hebben” changed to “Heggen” (“If ever I meet that
cad,” said Heggen)
Page 64, “give” changed to “gives” (reading always gives me a
headache)
Page 69, “it” changed to “in” (When we walked about in the east
end)
Page 75, “tobagganing” changed to “tobogganing” (I suppose the
children are tobogganing)
Page 96, “captially” changed to “capitally” (Francesca suits
her capitally)
Page 98, “cleargyman” changed to “clergyman” (the fat,
red-haired clergyman)
Page 124, “smell” changed to “small” (the small shops)
Page 130, “This a” changed to “This is a” (This is a good
studio, is it not?)
Page 141, “work it” changed to “work in it” (I suppose it is
because they are made to work in it.)
Page 151, “esctasy” changed to “ecstasy” (to be hidden under
the ecstasy)
Page 153, “come” changed to “came” (when she came to my studio)
Page 163, repeated word “no” removed (but it was no good)
Page 173, “in” changed to “is” (he is not despotic or brutal)
Page 202, “a” changed to “an” (She had accepted an invitation)
Page 204, “bridgegroom” changed to “bridegroom” (watch and wait
for the bridegroom)
Page 211, “obiterate” changed to “obliterate” (could not
obliterate the past months)
Page 237, “chysanthemums” changed to “chrysanthemums” (the
dahlias and chrysanthemums stood black and rotting)
Page 246, “fourty” changed to “forty” (exactly forty-four days)
Page 250, “Quant’s” changed to “Quant’è” (_Quant’è bella
giovenezza, che se fugge tuttavia_)
Page 277, “Colesseum” changed to “Colosseum” (the ruins of the
Colosseum)
Page 292, “apalling” changed to “appalling” (A strange,
appalling woman)
Minor corrections to punctuation are not noted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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