Married | Page 5

Nature smiles, content, for she knows of no other sin than the sin
against her law; she is on the side of the strong for her desire is for
strong children, even though she should have to kill the "eternal ego" of
the insignificant individual. And there is no prudery, no hesitation, no
fear of consequences, for nature has plenty of food for all her
children--except mankind.
* * * * *
After supper he went for a walk in the garden while his father sat down
at his bed-room window to smoke a pipe and read the evening paper.
He strolled along the paths, revelling in the delicious odours which a
plant only exhales when it is in full bloom, and which is the finest and
strongest extract of etheric oils, containing in a condensed form the full
strength of the individual, destined to become the representative of the
species. He listened to the nuptial song of the insects above the lime
trees, which rings in our ears like a funeral dirge: he heard the purring
call of the night-crow; the ardent mewing of the cat, which sounds as if
death, and not life, were wooing; the humming note of the dung-beetle,
the fluttering of the large moths, the thin peeping of the bats.
He stopped before a bed of narcissus, gathered one of the while, starry
flowers, and inhaled its perfume until he felt the blood hammering in
his temples. He had never examined this flower minutely. But during

the last term they had read Ovid's story of Narcissus. He had not
discovered a deeper meaning in the legend. What did it mean, this story
of a youth who, from unrequited love, turned his ardour upon himself
and was consumed by the flame when he fell in love with his own
likeness seen in a well? As he stood, examining the white, cup-shaped
petals, pale as the cheeks of an invalid with fine red lines such as one
may see in the faces of consumptives when a pitiless cough forces the
blood into the extremest and tiniest blood-vessels, he thought of a
school-fellow, a young aristocrat, who was a midshipman now; he
looked like that.
When he had inhaled the scent of the flower for some time, the strong
odour of cloves disappeared and left but a disagreeable, soapy smell
which made him feel sick.
He sauntered on to where the path turned to the right and finally lost
itself in an avenue planted on both sides with elm-trees whose branches
had grown together and formed an arch overhead. In the semi-darkness,
far down the perspective, he could see a large green swing, suspended
by ropes, slowly moving backwards and forwards. A girl stood on the
back board, gently swinging herself by bending her knees and throwing
her body forward, while she clung, with arms raised high above her
head, to the ropes at her side. He recognised the gardener's daughter, a
girl who had been confirmed last Easter and had just begun to wear
long skirts. To-night, however, she was dressed in one of her old
dresses which barely reached to her ankles.
The sight of the young man embarrassed her, for she remembered the
shortness of her skirt, but she nevertheless remained on the swing. He
advanced and looked at her.
"Go away, Mr. Theodore," said the girl, giving the swing a vigorous
push.
"Why should I?" answered the youth, who felt the draught of her
fluttering skirts on his throbbing temples.
"Because I want you to," said the girl.

"Let me come up, too, and I'll swing you, Gussie," pleaded Theodore,
springing on to the board.
Now he was standing on the swing, facing her. And when they rose
into the air, he felt her skirts flapping against his legs, and when they
descended, he bent over her and looked into her eyes which were
brilliant with fear and enjoyment. Her thin cotton blouse fitted tightly
and showed every line of her young figure; her smiling lips were
half-open, displaying two rows of sound white teeth, which looked as if
they would like to bite or kiss him.
Higher and higher rose the swing, until it struck the topmost branches
of the maple. The girl screamed and fell forward, into his arms; he was
pushed over, on to the seat. The trembling of the soft warm body which
nestled closely in his arms, sent an electric shock through his whole
nervous system; a black veil descended before his eyes and he would
have let her go if her left shoulder had not been tightly pressed against
his right arm.
The speed of the swing slackened. She rose and sat on the seat facing
him. And thus they remained with downcast eyes, not daring to look
one another