Alice: An Adultery

I distinctly heard— “ These are the spells by which to re-assume And empire o’er the disentangled doom ” He paused, sighing, then continued— “ To suffer woes which hope thinks infinite ; To forgive wrongs darker than death or night ; To defy power which seems omnipotent ; To love, and bear ; to hope till hope creates From its own wreck the thing it contemplates ; Neither to change, nor falter, nor repent : This, like thy glory, Titan, is to be Good, great, and joyous, beautiful, and free : This is alone Life, Joy, Empire, and Victory.” The last phrase pealed trumpet-wise : he sank back into thought. “ Yes,” he said slowly, “ neither to change, nor falter, nor repent.” I moved forward, and he saw me. “ Who are you ?” he asked. “ I am travelling in the East,” I said. “ I love Man also ; I have come to see you. Who are you ?” He laughed pleasantly. “ I am the child of many prayers.” There was a pause. I stood still, thinking. Here was surely the very strangest outcast of v