CHAPTER XIII

Overtwoyearspassed,andtheSchlegelhouseholdcontinuedtoleaditslifeofcultured,butnotignoble,ease,stillswimminggracefullyonthegreytidesofLondon.Concertsandplayssweptpastthem,moneyhadbeenspentandrenewed,reputationswonandlost,andthecityherself,emblematicoftheirlives,roseandfellinacontinualflux,whilehershallowswashedmorewidelyagainstthehillsofSurreyandoverthefieldsofHertfordshire.Thisfamousbuildinghadarisen,thatwasdoomed.To-dayWhitehallhadbeentransformeditwouldbetheturnofRegentStreetto-morrow.Andmonthbymonththeroadssmeltmorestronglyofpetrol,andweremoredifficulttocross,andhumanbeingsheardeachotherspeakwithgreaterdifficulty,breathedlessoftheair,andsawlessofthesky.Naturewithdrewtheleaveswerefallingbymidsummerthesunshonethroughdirtwithanadmiredobscurity. TospeakagainstLondonisnolongerfashionable.TheEarthasanartisticculthashaditsday,andtheliteratureofthenearfuturewillprobablyignorethecountryandseekinspirationfromthetown.Onecanunderstandthereaction.OfPanandtheelementalforces,thepublichasheardalittletoomuch—theyseemVictorian,whileLondonisGeorgian—andthosewhocarefortheearthwithsinceritymaywaitlongerethependulumswingsbacktoheragain.CertainlyLondonfascinates.Onevisualisesitasatractofquiveringgrey,intelligentwithoutpurpose,andexcitablewithoutloveasaspiritthathasalteredbeforeitcanbechronicledasaheartthatcertainlybeats,butwithnopulsationofhumanity.ItliesbeyondeverythingNature,withallhercruelty,comesnearertousthandothesecrowdsofmen.Afriendexplainshimselftheearthisexplicable—fromherwecame,andwemustreturntoher.ButwhocanexplainWestminsterBridgeRoadorLiverpoolStreetinthemorning—thecityinhaling—orthesamethoroughfaresintheevening—thecityexhalingherexhaustedair?Wereachindesperationbeyondthefog,beyondtheverystars,thevoidsoftheuniverseareransackedtojustifythemonster,andstampedwithahumanface.Londonisreligion’sopportunity—notthedecorousreligionoftheologians,butanthropomorphic,crude.Yes,thecontinuousflowwouldbetolerableifamanofourownsort—notanyonepompousortearful—werecaringforusupinthesky. TheLondonerseldomunderstandshiscityuntilitsweepshim,too,awayfromhismoorings,andMargaret’seyeswerenotopeneduntiltheleaseofWickhamPlaceexpired.Shehadalwaysknownthatitmustexpire,buttheknowledgeonlybecame