Quotation from: The Arrow of Gold

Written by: Joseph Conrad


He interrupted himself for a comment. "I am something like that
myself. I believe it's a purely professional feeling. Carry one's
point whatever it is. Normally I couldn't kill a fly. My
sensibility is too acute for that. My heart is too tender also.
Much too tender. I am a Republican. I am a Red. As to all our
present masters and governors, all those people you are trying to
turn round your little finger, they are all horrible Royalists in
disguise. They are plotting the ruin of all the institutions to
which I am devoted. But I have never tried to spoil your little
game, Rita. After all, it's but a little game. You know very well
that two or three fearless articles, something in my style, you
know, would soon put a stop to all that underhand backing of your
king. I am calling him king because I want to be polite to you.
He is an adventurer, a blood-thirsty, murderous adventurer, for me,
and nothing else. Look here, my dear child, what are you knocking
yourself about for? For the sake of that bandit? Allons donc! A
pupil of Henry Allegre can have no illusions of that sort about any
man. And such a pupil, too! Ah, the good old days in the
Pavilion! Don't think I claim any particular intimacy. It was
just enough to enable me to offer my services to you, Rita, when
our poor friend died. I found myself handy and so I came. It so
happened that I was the first. You remember, Rita? What made it
possible for everybody to get on with our poor dear Allegre was his
complete, equable, and impartial contempt for all mankind. There
is nothing in that against the purest democratic principles; but
that you, Rita, should elect to throw so much of your life away for
the sake of a Royal adventurer, it really knocks me over. For you
don't love him. You never loved him, you know."

PREVIOUS GROUP HOME SITE HOME NEXT
Old Dominion University CS Dept
Designed by Joan A. Smith for the CRATE project
Created: 2007-2-22T12:35:29Z
Part of the CratePreservation Project
Change Tag: ~~ 0 ~~
Part of a series of experiments in web preservation under the direction of Michael L. Nelson, Ph.D.