Katherine Lauderdale; Vol. 2 of 2Crawford, F. Marion (Francis Marion)
General
Katherine Lauderdale; Vol. 2 of 2
Crawford, F. Marion (Francis Marion)
Families -- Fiction; Interpersonal relations -- Fiction; New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction; Upper class -- Fiction
“The other world is the inside of this one,” said Griggs, coming up to
the easel and looking at the painting. “That’s good, Crowdie,” he said,
thoughtfully. “It’s distinctly good. I mean that it’s like, that’s all.
Of course, I don’t know anything about painting--that’s your business.”
“Of course it is,” answered Crowdie; “I didn’t ask you to criticise. But
I’m glad if you think it’s like.”
“Yes. Don’t mind my telling you, Crowdie--Miss Lauderdale, I hope you’ll
forgive me--there’s a slight irregularity in the pupil of Miss
Lauderdale’s right eye--it isn’t exactly round. It affects the
expression. Do you see?”
“I never noticed it,” said Katharine in surprise.
“By Jove--you’re right!” exclaimed Crowdie. “What eyes you have,
Griggs!”
“It doesn’t affect your sight in the least,” said Griggs, “and nobody
would notice it, but it affects the expression all the same.”
“You saw it at once,” remarked Katharine.
“Oh--Griggs sees everything,” answered Crowdie. “He probably observed
the fact last night when he was introduced to you, and has been thinking
about it ever since.”
“Now you’ve interrupted him again,” said Katharine. “Do sit down again,
Mr. Griggs, and go on with what you were saying--about the other side of
the question.”
“The question of success?”
“Yes--and difficulties--and all that.”
“Delightfully vague--‘all that’! I can only give you an idea of what I
mean. The question of success involves its own value, and the ultimate
happiness of mankind. Do you see how big it is? It goes through
everything, and it has no end. What is success? Getting ahead of other
people, I suppose. But in what direction? In the direction of one’s own
happiness, presumably. Every one has a prime and innate right to be
happy. Ideas about happiness differ. With most people it’s a matter of
taste and inherited proclivities. All schemes for making all mankind
happy in one direction must fail. A man is happy when he feels that he
has succeeded--the sportsman when he has killed his game, the parson
when he believes he has saved a soul. We can’t all be parsons, nor all
good shots. There must be variety. Happiness is success, in each
variety, and nothing else. I mean, of course, belief in one’s own
success, with a reasonable amount of acknowledgment. It’s of much less
consequence to Crowdie, for instance, what you think, or I think, or
Mrs. Crowdie thinks about that picture, than it is to himself. But our
opinion has a certain value for him. With an amateur, public opinion is
everything, or nearly everything. With a good professional it is quite
secondary, because he knows much better than the public can, whether his
work is good or bad. He himself is his world--the public is only his
weather, fine one day and rainy the next. He prefers his world in fine
weather, but even when it rains he would not exchange it for any other.
He’s his own king, kingdom and court. He’s his own enemy, his own
conqueror, and his own captive--slave is a better word. In the course of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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