The Moon and Sixpence

pgirls; old fellows who might have stepped out of the pages of Honore de Balzac; members, male and female, of the professions which make their profit of the fra

w Paris wel

ur honeymoon. I h

did you find o

ed to me. I wante

due solemnity we dropped w

once why I had come to see you,"

dy would come along sooner or later.

retty well what

ot read

to set about my mission. The eloquent phrases I had arranged, pathetic or ind

for you thi

't know,"

t it over, and then we'l

sita

ou that your wife is

get ov

me, but I did my best not to show it. I adopted the tone used by my Uncle Henry, a clergyman,

d my talking t

his head,

that you should tr

N

omplaint to mak

on

his fashion, after seventeen years of marri

stro

. I was prepared to be persuasive, touching, and hortatory, admonitory and expostulating, if need be vituperative even, indignant and sarcastic; but what the

n?" asked

to cur

e that, there doesn't se

think t

out my embassy with any great s

can't leave a wo

y n

he going

teen years. Why shouldn't she

can

her

economic position of woman, of the contract, tacit and overt, which a man accepts by his

care for he

it," he

is answer such a cheerful effrontery that I had to bite my lips in order not to laugh. I reminde

one you any harm. They didn't ask to be brought into the world. If

jority of children have. Besides, somebody will look after them. When

fully nice kids. Do you mean to say you don't

kids, but now they're growing up I have

just i

are

eem in the l

m n

anothe

think you a p

t t

o you to know that people

N

ade my question, natural though it was, se

lows? Are you sure it won't begin to worry you? Everyone has some sort of a conscience, and soon

some time for him to speak. At las

you to sa

you're a da

ife and children," I retorted, somewhat piqued. "I

stone? I haven't any money. I'

e. It was true that his hotel pointed

ing to do when y

n so

ade all I said seem rather foolish. I paused for a little while to

not unattractive. I can recommend her as an excellent wife. If she

as aiming at. He had some reason to conceal the fact that he had run away with a woma

her to divorce you. She's quite made up her mind. You can

was certainly not feigned. The smile aband

re. It doesn't matter a twopenny

aug

uch fools as all that. We happen to k

t of laughter. He laughed so uproariously that people sitti

nything very a

my," he

e grew bitte

think a man leaves only because he wants others. Do you thin

u didn't leave your wi

ourse

word of

ked for that. It was

word of

od's name have y

t to p

he was mad. It must be remembered that I was very young, and I looked u

ou're

me think it was hi

u ever p

into business because he said there was no money in art. I began to paint a

Mrs. Strickland thought you we

t's

n't you

d to keep i

you p

come over here. I couldn't get what I

ll do any good when he starts at your a

er than I could wh

u think you ha

ested on the passing throng, but I do not

got to

taking an aw

omething strange in them, so th

re you? Tw

t he was a man whose youth was past, a stockbroker with a position of respectability, a wife and two

must confess the chances are a million to one against it. It'll be an a

o paint," h

o give up everything? After all, in any other walk in life it doesn't matter if you're not very goo

ted fool,

unless it's folly

a man falls into the water it doesn't matter how he swims

e seemed really to be possessed of a devil, and I felt that it might suddenly turn and rend him. Yet he looked ordinary enough. My eyes, resting on him curiously, caused him no embarrassment. I wondered what a stranger would have taken him to be, sitting there in his old Norfolk jacket an

ck to your wife?

ev

hat's happened and start afresh. She'

n go to

tter blackguard? You don't care if she a

a d

give greater force to my next remark

most unmiti

hat off your chest, le