American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories, American
It was after the music, and what a creature overladen with “art jewelry”
called “the eats,” harrowing Ferdinand with the vulgar word, that he
delivered his message, sitting not far from Mrs. Watson in the carefully
graduated light.
It was, upon the whole, a cheerful message, Ferdinand's. It was...
succinctly... Love.
Ferdinand was not pessimistic or cynical about Love. It was all around
us, he thought, if we could only see it, could only feel it, could only
open our beings for its reception.
“If we could only see into the hearts! If we could only see into the
homes!” said Ferdinand. If we could only see, it was Ferdinand's belief,
we should see Love there, unexpected treasures of Love, waiting dormant
for the arousing touch; slumbering, as Endymion slumbered, until Diana's
kiss awakened him.
“Mush!” muttered one of the captive husbands to the young violinist.
But the young violinist scowled; he was in accord with Ferdinand. “Mush,
slush, and gush!” whispered the first captive husband to the second
captive husband. But captive husband number two only nodded and grinned
in an idiotic way; he was lucky enough to be quite deaf, and no matter
where his wife took him he could sit and think of his Liberty Bonds,
without being bothered by the lion of the hour....
The world, Ferdinand went on, was trembling on the verge of a great
spiritual awakening. The Millennium was about to stoop and kiss it, as
Morning kissed the mountain tops. It was coming soon. Already the first
faint streaks of the new dawn were in the orient sky... for eyes that
could see them. Ah, if one could only see! In more and more bosoms, the
world around, Love was becoming conscious of itself, Love was beginning
to understand that there was love in other bosoms, too! At this point,
at least a dozen bosoms, among those bosoms present, heaved with sighs.
Heart was reaching out to Heart in a new confidence, Ferdinand said.
One knew what was in one's own heart; but hitherto one had often been so
blind that one did not realize that the same thing was in the hearts of
one's fellows. Ah, if one could only see!
Maeterlinck saw, Ferdinand said.
“Ah, Maeterlinck!” whispered the bosoms.
Yes, Maeterlinck saw, said Ferdinand. Nietzsche, said Ferdinand, had
possessed a bosom full of yearning for all humanity, but he had been
driven back upon himself and embittered by the world... by the German
world in which he lived, said Ferdinand. So Nietzsche's strength had
little sweetness in it, and Nietzsche had not lived to see the new light
in the orient sky.
“Ah, Nietzsche!” moaned several sympathetic bosoms.
Bergson knew, Ferdinand opined. Several of the women present did not
quite catch the connection between Bergson and Ferdinand's message, but
they assumed that everyone else caught it. Bergson's was a name they
knew and... and in a moment Ferdinand was on more familiar ground
again. Tagore knew, said Ferdinand.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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