The Equinox (Volume I, Number VI)

THE ORDEAL OF IDA PENDRAGON of faith.‘ Mere eyesight tells us that a plaster mould is truer to nature than the greatest masterpiece of Phidias; so does science, with her gross calipers. Sensible men prefer a good photograph of nature to a bad landscape. The photograph shows them the view of their own normal eye through the medium of an accepted symbolism; the picture shows the view of an indifferent bad soul through a medium of mud. But Corotl But Whistler! But Morrice ! Corot sees a wood, and paints Pan; Bougereau sees a pretty model, and paints a pretty model. He doesn’t paint Woman. Morrice paints the Venice of Byron, of our historic and voluptuous dreams; not the Venice of the Yankee and the churning steamers. Raphael found Madonna in his mistress ; Rembrandt a queen of sombre passion and seduction in his wife. In one way or another we must get to God’s meaning through a medium that itself is meaningless.” " Just as through dejeuner we get to the dessert ! " laughed Ida, who had something more to say than her face showed. All through lunch she had allured the big black savage, until beneath her glances he was in agony. ΑΗ the primitive passions fought one another in his heart. He could have killed Rolles for the very nonchalance of his small-talk It hurt him that anyone should speak to Ida save in words of love. Equally, he could have killed him {or a trace of inflec- tion in his voice. Edgar Rolles understood his torture, understood the sup- pressed intensity of Ida’s purpose, though he could not guess its nature. Somehow he distrusted the event. “ Take literature I ᾽᾽he went on, in that even vigilant voice of his. “ Take Zola with his million marshalled facts. What 139