Alone

Alone

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Alone, by Norman Douglas
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Title: Alone
Author: Norman Douglas
Release Date: January, 2005 [EBook #7380] [This file was first posted
on April 22, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO Latin-1
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, ALONE ***

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Proofreading Team

ALONE
BY
NORMAN DOUGLAS
AUTHOR OF
"SOUTH WIND," "THEY WENT," "TOGETHER," ETC.

TO HIS FRIEND
EDWARD HUTTON
WHO PRINTED SOME OF THESE TRIVIALITIES
IN THAT "ANGLO-ITALIAN REVIEW"
WHICH DESERVED A BETTER FATE

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
MENTONE
LEVANTO
SIENA
PISA
VIAREGGIO (February)
VIAREGGIO (May)
ROME
OLEVANO
VALMONTONE
SANT' AGATA, SORRENTO
ROME
SORIANO
ALATRI
Introduction

What ages ago it seems, that "Great War"!
And what enthusiasts we were! What visionaries, to imagine that in
such an hour of emergency a man might discover himself to be fitted
for some work of national utility without that preliminary wire-pulling
which was essential in humdrum times of peace! How we lingered in
long queues, and stamped up and down, and sat about crowded, stuffy
halls, waiting, only waiting, to be asked to do something for our
country by any little guttersnipe who happened to have been jockeyed
into the requisite position of authority! What innocents....
I have memories of several afternoons spent at a pleasant place near St.
James's Park station, whither I went in search of patriotic employment.
It was called, I think, Board of Trade Labour Emergency Bureau (or
something equally lucid and concise), and professed to find work for
everybody. Here, in a fixed number of rooms, sat an uncertain number
of chubby young gentlemen, all of whom seemed to be of military age,
or possibly below it; the Emergency Bureau was then plainly--for it
may have changed later on--a hastily improvised shelter for privileged
sucklings, a kind of nursery on advanced Montessori methods. Well,
that was not my concern. One must trust the Government to know its
own business.
During my second or third visit to this hygienic and well-lighted
establishment I was introduced, most fortunately, into the sanctuary of
Mr. R----, whose name was familiar to me. Was he not his brother's
brother? He was. A real stroke of luck!
Mr. R----, a pink little thing, laid down the pen he had snatched up as I
entered the room, and began gazing at me quizzically through
enormous tortoise-shell-rimmed goggles, after the fashion of a
precocious infant who tries to look like daddy. What might he do for
me?
I explained.
We had a short talk, during which various forms were conscientiously
filled up as to my qualifications, such as they were. Of course, there
was nothing doing just then; but one never knows, does one? Would I
mind calling again?
Would I mind? I should think not. I should like nothing better. It did
one good to be in contact with this youthful optimist and listen to his
blithe and pleasing prattle; he was so hopeful, so philosophic, so cheery;

his whole nature seemed to exhale the golden words: "Never say die."
And no wonder. He ought to have been at the front, but some guardian
angel in the haute finance had dumped him into this soft and safe job: it
was enough to make anybody cheerful. One should be cautious, none
the less, how one criticises the action of the authorities. May be they
kept him at the Emergency Bureau for the express purpose of infusing
confidence, by his bright manner, into the minds of despondent patriots
like myself, and of keeping the flag flying in a general way--a task for
which he, a German Jew, was pre-eminently fitted.
Be that as it may, his consolatory tactics certainly succeeded in my case,
and I went home quite infected with his rosy cheeks and words. Yet, on
the occasion of my next visit a week or two later, there was still
nothing doing--not just then, though