Maurice

E,. M . F O R S T E R

A NOVEL

W W *NORTON & COMPANY INC

New York London

Copyright @ 1971 by the trusteesof the Iate E. M. Forster Rebed as a Norton paperback 1987 Printed in the United States of America Library of Con-

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Dedicated to a Happier Year

PART

1

Onceatermthewholeschaolwentforawantthat Ptosaythethreemutwtookpart~swellasallthe boys. It w d y a pleasant outing, and everyone looked forwardtoit,forgot&s~andbehavedwitbfreedom.Lest d&dpltaeshonld&,ittook~justbehethehoMays, when leniency does no harm,and indeed it seemed more like a twat at home than sdmd, for Mrs Abrahams, the Principal's wife, would meet them at the tea place wfth some lady friends, a d be hospitable and motherly. Mr Abrahams was a preparatory sckaalmof the old-fashfwed sorb He oared neither.for work nor games, but fed his bays well and saw that they did not mfsbehave. The rest he left CtheparemCa,anddidnotspecalatehawmuchthep~ts were hvfngtohim.Amtdmutualcomplimentstheboyspassedout into a p ow school,healthy but l m h d , to recaive upon un~~theEtRtblows0fthe~Id.TherebmnchtoL.m srlaforapethY h e d m a n d ~ Abrahadspuptlsdid~ r dobsdlyin'thdongmn,becameparentsfnthefrttun,andfn sonte cases senthim their sons. Mr Reed,the junior assisbnt, was a mastPo of the same type, only stupider, while Mr Dude, the stinior, acted as a stimuIant, and prevated the whole mncarn from going to sleep,They did not lllte him much, but lcnew that he was necessary, Mr Dude was an able man, orthodox, but not mtaf teach with tfte world, nor incapable of seeing both sides

MAURICE

of a qaestfon. H e m unsuitablefor parent#and the denserbop, batgwdfortheBrstfonn,and had men cmchedpapjlsinto a scholar&@ Nor was he a bad or-, Wbile a k t h gto hold therein0 and topreder Mr Read, Mr Abrahams really allowed Mr Dude a freehand and ended by taking him into partnership. Mr Dude alwayshad sonding onhis mind. On tMe oocasion itwasHaII,oneof theobrbays, who wasleavbgthemnto go to a pubh s o h d He wanted to have a "good talV with Ha& ~the~g.His&gaao~~itwauldlernre themr~to&sandthePrfnofpal~thathehadakeady CalbedtoHall,andtbattheboywaddprefeototakeMslastwalk wfthMs~oal-~~wiispaobable,brrtMrDode~ aevladetenedfnmrdcdngWhatis~Hesmeedandwasai. lent A&Readlmewwhatthe*goodWwuldbe,bol:earlyin thedr aqdnmmt l q had aoached on a oertafn theme p r a b &mally.

Mt Readbaddisappzwed.'Thinice,"hehadsaid.The

Wdpal neither knew nor d d have wlahed to know, Patting fmmhispupDswiaentheywem~heforgattheybadde velopedfntom~They~edtohfma~smalllnxtcclmple@ltketbeNewCIlinea~Smyboyf.Andtheywere etmeagfeatormdewtandthaa~because~never ~edandseldomdied.Cellbateand~thebonp;p ~anpgsredbeforeMm,its~e~~varyfngh~-h tofortyatatlme.1seenonsefn~ansdrrcstlon.Baysb ganbetore educatioawas thought of."Mr Dudewoutd smile, for hewassoakedin8~0~0n.

From this to the boys.

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"Sir,mayIholdyowhand. .Sir,youpremfsedme....hth Bdr, Abrabams's bands were bagged and all Mr Reads. Oh sir, did you hear thatP He tbfDks Mr Read has three hands1 Idtdn't,Iaid'hged.~~lG~epeP

'Whenyonhaveqnitehisk3-l~

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MAURICE

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Tmp>owauKwiLh)Iall~There were czies of disappointmentThe other mastem, seeing thatitwasnogood, calledthepack ofF, andmarshaNed them along the W towards the downs. Hall, Mumphntt sprang to Mr Ducie's side, and felt too old to t a b his hand. He was a p h q , psatty lad, not in any way remarkabla In this he resembledhisfather,whohadpnssedinthe~tw~&te ye- beJom vanished into a p u w school, m e & begotta m a n d t w o ~ a n d d y d i e d o f ~ M r Hall had been a good dtizea, but Iethxgic Mr Dude had fP fonned himself about him befare they beg& the wan^ wen, IIas w g a pi-jaw, ebP" 1don't how,+Mr Abraham' given me one with Those Holy Fields'.Mrs AbrahamSI given me sleeve hlrs. The fellom have given me a set of G u a t d up to two dollars. Look, sir1 Theones~viththeparrotonthepillaron'' "Splendid, bplendidl What did Mr Abrahams say? Told yon yon t ~ e r ea miserableB I hope.The boy laughed. He did not understand MIDude,but ]mew tbatbwasmeanbgtobefmmy. He felt at easebecauseitwas hislastdayats&ool,andevenif hedidwmnghewouldnot get into a row. Besides, Mr Abdams had declared him a success. W e am proud of him; he will do us honour at Sunningtonm:he had seen the beginning of the Mer to his mother. And the boys had showered presents on him, dedarfng he was brave. A great mfstake-he wasn't brave: he was afraid of the dark. But no one tmew this. Well, what did Mr Abrahams myP"repeatedMt Dude,when thyreached thesands. Along taDr tbreateaed, and the boy ~hewasupontheWtRithhlsM&bnthelareftrthat wlshlngisuselesswhenboymeetsman. "A& Abrabams told me to copy my father, sir?

MAURICE

"wwJ*f+= 1 am never to do anythiug I &add be aohamed to hrnnt nwther seemedo. No6aecen go wrong then, and the pblto

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sohooIwfnbevery~from~TM Mr Abraham say how?" I -All kinds of d i c u l t i ~ o rlike e the W O T ~ ~ . * I I W d he tell you what the world fs IikeP" 'No." W d you mk hid" "No,sir? ~wasn't~sensibleofyon,HaUCleartMngsapMr AbaabamsandIareheretoansweryoarqu&ns. What do yoa suppaw the world-the world of p m u p people is like?" "Ican2 tall, I'm a boy," he said, v q s f n d y . "Amthey vey I I

treachemas,airf+=

MrDrtdewasamusedendaskedhfmwhat~esof treacheryhebadseez~HerepUedthatgmvn-uppeopletKolJd not be onldnd to boys, but were they not always cheating one amthwP Losing hb schoolboy manner, he began to talk llke a cMld, and became fandful&d musing. Mr Dude lay down on the sand to listen to him, lit Ma pipe, and looked up to the sky. Thelittle waking-place where they lived was now far behind, the rest ofthe sohool away in fmnt The day was gray end wludless, with little dlstfnotfon clouds and sua 710a~~wlthyontmoth~pdonptyaaPheintermpbed,~g that tbe boy had gained d d e n c e . Yes, sir.* "Haw you any elder brothe~P" Wo, sfi\--only M a and Kitty? "Any llnckif+=

"No," "SOp don't lmow many menP''

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MAURICE

%atherkwpsaooechmand~inthe~butd comse you mean @emen. Mother has threa maid-semaats to bkaftex thehouse, buttheyaresoidlethatthey~lrotmd Ada's [email protected] i s my eldest little dskr." %ow old are y o u r "Fourteenand three p." 'Well, you're an ignorant little beggar? They laughed. Afbr a pause he said, ''When I was your age, my father told me soma thing that pmed very usehi and helped me a good ddmThfs was untrue: his father had. never tald him anything. But he needed a prelude to what he was @g to say. pidhe, sir?" 8 h d I ttdl you what it wasY -Phse, slr." 1amgoingbfitoyonforahmbasifI~)rOrn ~,MMamicelIshalldymbyyoaireal~wTheo,very sfmpq.dktndly,heappmacbdthemysteryafwn.Hespob oE male a d female, created by God fn the beghtng ia order that the earth might be peopled, and of the period when the male and female receive their powers. "You are just becoming a man now, Maurfce; that ie why I am Miug you about W.It is not a thing that your mother can tell yoy and you should not mention it to her nor to any lady, and if at your neat school bop mention it to you,just shut them up; tell them you know. Have you heard about it befad" 1Vo,sir."

Wot a wordy Wo, sir." StiN smoking his pipe, Mr Dnde got up, and choosfng a Bnoothpiec%ofsanddreftrdiagtamsuponitwithMswa~dngstidt'Tbiswitlmalceiteesi~~hedtodreboy,whowatched dully: it bore no relation to his eqdences. He was attentive+as

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MAURICE

t~88~wheOhewestheonIyoneintheJaes,andhelmew that the subject was sedow and related to hi9 own body. But he oonlanothimselfrelateit;itfalltopdeoaPrursoonasMrI)ads ! p ~ i t t o g e k , W I s m i m ~ e n u m . & ~ h e h i o dI ~ tarpidbrainwouldnotaw~Pn~wasthem,butnotintel- 1 Iigence,andmanhoodwasstenlfngonhfm,nsit$tKays~fa atrano&Uselesstobre&inapomdrattraacaUdeastodesaibe $ however & M d y and 8ympaiheticalIy. The boy assents andisdraggdbackintosleep,aottobeenUcedtherebe60leMs I

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hoar.

Mr Dude, whatevar his sdesos,was sympathetic Indeed he to Mau- 1 rice,anddfdnot~thathemusteitheruudmtad~g! ab~helmeduAntb*lam(hsabnha/heuld..but one must get it over, one mustn't make a mystery of it Thea t amtethegreutthfn~~~Hewas~uent,havingtalked j toboysinthiswaybefom,andhehewtheklndof~on i ~~0uldask.Maurio8dmot&:hedysaid,'l~ee,I wIsee,"andat-MrDPnieWhedidnotrieaHeertI amhtdhlm.Thereplieswerr3~~.Tb~boy'smemory i was good and-so curfaus a fabric is the human--heevem de \lr was too s y m p a e he atMbuted cultivated f&&o

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o e l o p e d a ~ ~ ~ a s m f a c e ~ t o r e s p o l P; d t o I

h ~ ~ o f t h e m a a ' ~ I n t h e e n d h e d i d & o a e .o r hroqu~~about~andtheywep8tothe~~Dwie was much pleased. That's right,'' he said. "You need never be papled ar bothmdnow.' I b e and life still remained, and he touched on them ae they strolledfarwardbythecalo&sea. Hespokeoftheidealman ~ w i t h 8 ~ ~ ~ H e ~ t h e g l O I y o f W o m r m '. E n g;egedtobededMpbpmorehrnnaOpandb~ ooloured up bebind the strong spectachq his cheek flushed. To love a noble woman, to protect and serve he told the i

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MAURICE Httb bay, was the crown of life. "Youcan't understand now,you will some day, a d when you do tmdezstand it, remembep the

pooroldpedapgaewhopntyoaonthetradLItaUhmp~ g e . t k r - d k d God's in his haven, All's xi& with the world. Male and female1 Ah w o n d d w "IthinkIshennot~,"remarkedMaurfca 'Thisdaytenyears~IimriteyouandyourWifetodinner with my wife and me. Will you acceptP" Wh skF He smiled with pleasata "It's a bargain, thenP It was at all events a g o d joke to end with. Mamlce was dattwd and begaa tocontemplateznarriaga Butwbilethey\~aesssfngo~MrDudestopped, arulbeldbis c h e e k ~ t l t o u $ ~ ~ ~ a c Heturnedandlookedatthe hed. hgerrpanseofsandbehiod. 9never scrnbkd oatthose idad diagram,"heA d slowly, Attbefmtheredofthebay~epeoplewem~ them, alsb by the edge of thesea. Their comse wmrld talw them by the very spot whem Mr Dude had ill-ted sex, and one of them was a lady. H e ran back sweatjng with fear. Sir, wm? it be all rightp" Marice aied.The tide11 have d them by now." W H e a v e n s ...thankGod... thetIM~&hg.~ Andmddedyforan fustantof the, theboydespfsedbim. "Liar: he thought.Zlar, coward, he's toId me nothing.'' Then darkness rolledup again, the darkness that is primeval but

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noteternal,andyieIdstoitsawnpainfuldawn

2

Mautic8's mother Uved near London, in a cumfort=

abtaaPrnmg~*ThmLmdhb~ had been born, and thence bis father had gone up to budma every day, thither retumhg. They nearly left when the c h d wasbuilt,buttheybecameaomsbmedtoit,astoewrythb~ and even fouad it a cammiace. Church was the only place Mrs Hall had to go to-the shop delivered, The statfon was wt far either, nor was a tolarable day school for the girls. It was a land of fadlities, where nothing bad to be stdven for, and stm cess was indistinguishable from hiltma Maurice liked his home, and r e c o p t d hb mother as its pre sidingpnbs. Without hartberewoaldbenoS0ftcb;aiRortaod or easy games, and he was grateful to her for providing so much, and b e d her. He liked his sisters alsa When he d v e d they ranout with QSeS of joy, took&his greatcoat,and dmppedit f o r t h e ~ o n t h e f l o a r o thehdLItwasdcetobethe f centre of attraction and show off about school. His Guatemala stamps were a d m h l - s o were 'Those Holy Fields" and a HaL . beln photograph that Mr bade had ghren him. After tea the weather dead, and MIS Hal1 put on her galoshes and walked with him m d the grouuds. They went kissing one another and

. "Mmnmie .,.

-g-Y*

"Monte.

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MAURICE "Now I must give m y Morrie a lovely time.*

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-vvhfm's George?"Such a spladid report from Mr Abrahams. He says yon mind birn of your poor father.. Now what shall we do these holidaysT q lnte here besLg ~gboy..~Sheem~bim,more~t~than

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evm. -rhere~nothfoglllrehome,asevayoaeBn&Y~tomatoe+* she liked recithg dm names of vegetables. ' T o m a W Isdkhes,b m d i , onions-" 'Tomatoes, broccoli, onions, purple potatoes, white potata%*

droned the little boy. WP~~P''

"Mother, where's GeorgeiP W e left lastwe&" W h y did George leaveP"he asked. %ewasgettiDg~ald.Howe~al~~yschaagestheboyevery . twoyt?als.D "Oh," 'Turnip tops: she continued, -toes again, beebroob . Mode, how would you Iike to pay a Iittle vidt to grandpapa and Aunt Ida if they ask us? I want you to have a very nice tIme this holiday,d e ~ ~ - y have o u been so good, but then Mr Abrahams is

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dagOOdmao;pu~yomfatherwasat~schooltoo,and we are seading you to your fathds old public school toothat yoa may Fap l&% Y m dear fatherin every way." A sob Wermptsd her.

*

"hiorria, dcuung-"

Thelltdeboywasintears. 'hily pet, what ie it?"

MAURICE

don't^... I d o n ' t ~ . . . " "Why, Manrim. P He shook his head. She wae grieved at her faflure to makehim happys and began to cry too. The girls ran out, e d a h b g , "Mothers what's wrong with MauriceP "Oh,don't," he wailed. get out- a ~d~ov~~saidMrsBanaerc~fonforevery-

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T m mxtida ~etoyourmom,Mode-Ohmyswe&thlsisdytoo drdfaL-

"No-I'm all right," He chcbed his teeth, and a great mess of sonow that had overwhhed him by rising to the swface began to sfnk He could feel it going down into his heart until hetffasco~afitnolonp.TmallrightPHeloolced around bim fiercely and dried his eyes. Tll play Halma, I ~ " ~ t h e p i ~ ~ s e t , ~ ~ 8 ~ t a l k i n the g a s b e i b , ClhrGliah~tffasover. He beat Ada, who worshipped him, and Kittys who dtd and theaminto thegardenagahtoseetbecoachman.%ow dye do,How& How's Mw H d P How d'ye do, Mrs HoweII," end so on, speaking in a patronizing voice, diikent &om that

heusedtogsotbfok.Thenaltesingba&%n'tit a n e w g m h

bayp* . Yes, Master Maurid WaSGemgetoooldP"

"No,~MamLcaHewantedtobeOtsrhimsdf.v

-oh,y~n~heg$ve~~ 'That's right.-

'hiothersaid he was too old and you gave him notha'' "No, Master Mauricaa % y p woodstaclcsll be glad," said Mra How& Mamfce

MAURICE

asdthelate~baphad~dtoplayaboutin&~ll~ 'They are Mothes's woa&tdq not yam," said Maurice and ~fndoora~he~-notaeenaea,thou~;hf..p~

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tdedtobesotooneawfher.Theyltadbesn~tsaUthefr lives,andlikedagendemantobeasMaqehasquite away with~aIrendy,"thq,~the~'Uore~bi9~.' TheBarrys,whoarmetodirmer,t~eredthesameopinion.Dr Barry was an old friend., or rather neighbour, of the theyJand took a mdxate interestin them. No ane amldbe deeply interesteainthe~gi#gheliked4hehadMntaof~tinh~ bmtthegidswa~eibed,audheboldhiswffe~tbat Manrice ought to have h e n there too."And atop there all his &As hewill, Likehisfath~.WhatistheuseofsuchpeopleP" When M a d 0 8 did go to Id,it waa ~ t l yThat . room always frightened him.He had bwn such a man all the evening, but the old feeling came over bim as s m as hh mother had klssed Mm good night. The trouble was the IooIdng--glass. He did not mind seeing his face in it, nor csstlng a sbadow on the *~buthedidmindseedngMsshadowonthe~gre flactedintheglasaHewooldananglethecandlesoasbavold the cmMnatiap aad then dare himsel€to put it back and be gdpped with fear. He knew what it was, it remhded Mm of nothtnghonible.Buthewasafraid.Inthedhewoulddash aut the candle and leap Wo bed. Total darlmess he could bear, butthismomhadthefrntherdafectaf~goppositea~ lamp.Ongoodnights thelightwoaldpene$atethecllrtafnotm~&,bntsometbnesblotslbslmllsfelloverthefum€ture His heart beat videndyJand he lay in bmr, with all his household t h e at hand As he opened his eyes to look whether the Mots had gnrwn mah, he remembered Geoqe. Something stirred in the unfathomable depths of his heart. He whtspered, "George,

MAURICE GmgaNWho was W e P Nobody--just a common amant

MotfieraadAdaandKUlywerefarmorefmportent.Butb wastooli#letoargwthis.Hedidlrotevenhrawthatwhealte yielded to this sotrow he overcame the spactrat and fen asleep. II I

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Smdngton was the next stage in Wmice's uuwr. He 6.-ed it witlnmt attracting attmtion. He was

aatgoodat~~~k,~ghbthaahepretended,nard~ *@Bf&amaaIf~e-~they~bim,~ he had a Mght Madly face and m p o d d to attendm bat

theseweresomanyboyeofMstyp8-theyfannedthebaclrboneofthesdloalaadweocmnotnotEceeacbver&etbra.Hedid thedthia~keptfs-~caaed,nrsefnmrhto fonnoatheclasProelsidetLlIbecAmg~lyt0thesixth, audhebecameahauseprefgct,andlateraschoolp&ctand membar of the 3rst fifteen.Though clumsyshe had stwDgth and &dal p l d : at aicket he &d not do so well, Having been banfedasanewboy, hebulbdothers when~seemedunhappyorweak,notbeoatteehewasuudbatbecawetitwasthe thing to do. In a word, he was a medi0~8membea of a mediocre sdhoof a d M a faint and favourable impreah be b i d .)HanPWait a minute, tRatoh wm Hall? Oh yaq I remanber; clean nm fmnl&'' Beneathitsll, h e w a s M d Hehadhttheprecocious ~oftbobSldwhfabtmad~andePtplafnsthetmi~~g~afmfnscrucm!3MBptaadbeauty.Yhrt

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o f t k e ~ o f b a b e s d s a c k l i n ~."Bntnototltof . the mrmthoftheboyoftdxteea Mauricwfqpthe had ever becar .~donlyreallzedfnma~how~andcleardm

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MAURICE sensations of his earliest days must have besa He

sank far

below~emnovp,forbwae~gtheVallg.Of~ Shadow of Life. It lies between the legs@ mountains and the greater*andwithout breathingits fop no one can come &mu@. H e groped about in it longer than most boys. ~aRisobscureand~thebestsimDLtudefsa dream.M a w had two dreams at schooI; thsy wilI interpret bim. Inthefirstdtesmhefeltvq~Hewasplaying~ against a mmhdpt whose existam he resented. H e made an effort and the nodesdpt turned into George, tbat garden bay. But he bad to be careful or it would r e a p . George headed down the 0eld towards him, nakedand jumping over the woodstacks. "Ishall go mad if he turns wmmg now," said Mawice, andjustastheycdaredthishappened,andabmtaldisappintment woke him up. He did not connect it with Mt Dude's homny, still less with his second dream, but he thought he was going to be in, and a b m d s that it was somehow a punishment for something. The second dream fs more dif3cuIt to w e y . Nothing hap wed. He scarcely saw a face, s d y heard a voice say, That

hyourMendPandthenitwas~ver~bavingBIledhkn& beauty and taught him t d e m s . He could die for such a friend,hewouldaIbwsuchafriendtodieforbim; t h e y d make any s a d c e for each other, and count the world nothing, neither death nor dishm nor cn#(mess couId part them, be causeuthisismy~"Soonattawardshewasco~edand Med to pmade himself that the Mead must be CMst. But CWst has a mangy beard. Was he E Greek god, such as illustrates the classicsl dictionary? More probabla, but most p b ably he was just a man. Maurice forbore to d e b his dream furttrer.Hehaddra@itmaSaU&iwaSfttffouldmHe

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MAURICE

wwld newr meet at man nor hear that voice again, yet they becememozerealthan~ghelmewaandwonldaCtaany-"HaRl Dreaming,agninl A hundred ilnesl" w D&V~absoUaw Preaming agah Too late." &daczualypdlhimbacktothemfnbroaddayli@tand dmpa~Thmhedreimbibethefaceandthefaor ~,andwaulde+meggeyeamhgwith~dernew andlonging tobekfndtuevepte,bacamreMsfrfendwishedit,andtobe good that hia Mesd might become more fond of him, Misery wassomehawmicedapwitbaIlthis~ess.Itsemeda9 certab that he hadn't a M d as that he had one,and he tKauld hdalmxelyplocefm~atlrfbatine;therntothehmtdred

he& Mamice'ssecratlt6ecanbembdewtoodeaw;itwaspartb tal,partideaI,libMs

Assocmashisbodydev~hebecameo~Hesup poseds0mespedalansebaddesosndedon~Imthe06nld nothetpit,forevearwhemreoelvingtheHolyComm~~ ~wopldarisefnMsmind.~toneofthe~was ptm+thatfstosay,fastbedaarebisarrhralthmhadhabr*scandalTheblacksheephadbecm~the~

a a , ~ ~ d d a ~ m d ~ l l ~ a a t n 1 & ~ o i t - h l r foxtuue ar misfartune to have little apportanity of exdmgiug erq?erieoces with Me s W - He longed for smut, but hsard little a d contributedless,and his ehkdi n h d e s were^ solitary.~:theschoallfbrarywasimmacnlate,bntwhileat hia grandfather's he cnme across an m q q a t e d Martial, and shrmbled about in it with btdng ears. Thoa&ts: he had a dMy ItttIe collectton, Ader he desfsted fmm these after the navelty was avera&ding that t . b g h t him mcne fatigue

kpleasure,

MAURICE AnwbtCa,ifitcenbeund~tiookpla~~toah.aace, M~hadM~asleepfn&eValleyoftheShado\K,hb Maththe peaks af either range, and lmew neither tbfe nar that bfs s a - w were *hag likewisa The other half of bis life seemed W t e l y remote fmm obscenity. As henwe inthescboolhe began to makeareligionof

someotheoboy.Whenthisboy,whethes&myoun~thtlll ~ ~ ~ t , h e w o n l d ~ g a ~ y ¶ ~ ~ bermabletowarEHedarednotbekln&-ltwasnotthetbiDg 4lesstoexlpesshbadmkatlonin~And&eadored one would shake him OB before Iong, and reduce him to sullra H~~w~~~hehsdhis~ges.Othar~~eswo shippedhim,andwhenhe~thishewoaldshalse&brsm. The adoration wss mutual on one occapfoa, both yearning far thg.Imewnotwhat, but theresult was thesame.Theyqunrd e d h a few days. All that oame out of the chaos were the two feehugs of beauty and tendams that he had first felt fn a c t r e a m . T h g . ~ y e ~ y * ~ - p l a a ~ ~ = ~ leavesaadshownoSrgeof 0ower.Towards thecloseofhisedncationatGanningtonthegrowth~e&A&eck,a~feIl .upontlw complex pmeseq and very timidly the youth begnn tQlookannrndhim.

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He was aearly nineteen. He&oadontheplalemonRbDaYsredtin~a Greek Oration of his own compositfon. The hall was full of ~dth~~butMaudceafEectedtobeaddressing the Hague Conferenca, and to be pointing out to it the

fanyofibways.-whatstapi~isthLqOandresEuropeaafd, to talk of a W b g war? WbatP Is not Ares the son of Zeurr ~M~,warrendezsyoumbUstby~gyaia limbs, not fomoth like t h e of my oppanent."The Greek was vile: Marvlcs bad got the pdze an accuuut of the Though$ and barely thus. The errmidug master had sixetched a point in hfa fawntrsinoehewasleavhganda~blechepandmore over leavfng for Cambridge, where prize books on his shelves wauld help to advertise the school So he received Gmte's H b tory of G m w amid tremendous applatw. As he rehmd to his seat,~bichwsomxttobfs~~herealIzedthathehada@n become popular, and woxuleaed how. The clapping cuntinued --itgrewto an ovattoa; Ada and Kitty were pamdbg away with scarlet faces on the further side. Some of Ms friends, alsa Iea~cded"~".~~his~alldgularby~ authorities, but but Hauhutm W e l f mse and said a few words. H a l l t ~ e s o n e o andtheywould~e~erosase f~ to fed [email protected] ldwice was d e n t but bemum he was average. It cauld oele ,

MAURICE

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hbl$alfinblrfmagaPeopenmoptOhtmefhnrrards88~ y~gmd,ddd,qui~~~tpnY,deven$ttnmbe MlgintMsh&withop;tpwHis~~BharedhthbM. mph. On p v i o u visits he bad been bakdnl to them, %my, mater,botponandthelddsWmhavea~~rlrme'badbsen Msmmprkafter~~~whentbsyhadtrled~foinan 0 hfminhisdand@my:Ada hadcded Now AdaChdr ting~eablybtheCepteindhS~dgi#ywas bdnghaodedd,and&motheraae~tohfr~ ~rWIbB,~th8dl8pPofDhlD8I1$d~hDt~* EoeryaosandePeythingbtd~~~Wesdli8 dmwddP A f s s p ~ d h e s ~ ~ I k B o ~ p . t l a e i r ~ ~ h o m a , whomgbtMssyeaod&outhMs~aap,,"Colr-

-Mamfae,-yammmmih.vIa~aintaisc~xp~adninedib~af~~tsa' MarPicelaugbedandwe~aoptohim,rather~~borhb ~cewaskd.IkBamyhadlsbsdbimto~a~ nepasW,whohrd~tbs~thetterm,krthshaddona ~~wsenotthe~Bta~thathehadh8dlnore ~nawthrtftwas~~andb&ikamaa - ~ w b r Y s t h s n e d s t a p f n g o m ~ ~ ? ~

bddgeP' "So they say: "Sotheysay,LdqyPAndnhatQymsay?"

-iWtbmow,-ssidth4h~y* "And aft= Cambridge, what? StOJ: ExdmgeP"' 1 m ~ e ~ y ~ W s d d p c n h u r r ~ a f l ~ m s h i f

allgoeswelt" %nd ldtsl you're let iby ~n#yd@ Mawice laughed again

h&d8

old -,'what9

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MAURICE "Who will present the expe&mt world with a Maurice the and h d y the tMP After which old age+ daisies. So that'syour notion of a csreer. Well,it isn't mine." "what's youfnotton, Doctor?'' caned giq. T o help the weak and right &e m g , my dear: he replfed, looking aaops at he.

Tmmit~fsanoU~asaMthehotrsem~s~ and Mrs EIall aped, -Oh no, it's not It isn't con&tentlymiu4 or I should be h k fng after my Dickie instead of hg&g on this scene of sp1e-ndam.* "Do bring dear Di&e to say hw d'ye do to mhWasked Mts Hall. % his father down here tooP" "Moth& Kitty w h b p d "Yes. My brother died last year: snid Dr Baq. The fnddent dipped your rnembly. War did not render bim robust by e x e ~ dsing bfs limb^^, as Maurice supposes. He got a shell in the stomach.He left them. 1thinkI)rBany@~ressarkedAda.1thfnlrhe's jedous." She was ri@ Dr Barry, who had been a lady Mller in Ms time, did resent the contirmanoe of young men. Poor MamL. ice encountezed him again, He had been saying goodbye to his b o m m a s W s wffe, who was a haadsome woman, very dvil to the older boys. They ehook hands warmly. On O n g away he hsard Dr Well, Maa yo* irresfstlble in love as in war," and caught his +ad "1: don't know what you mean,Dr B q . " %4 you young fedowsl Butter wouldn't melt in your mouth these days. Don't latow what I mean1 Prudfsh of a petticoat1 Be bank, mun, be h n k You don't taka anyone fn. The frank mind's tha pure mind I'm a medical man and an old man and I tell you

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that Manthatiebornofwomannrustgowithwomanifthe ~ 1 8 0 8 b t o ~ MaudoeMathe-swffe,-a vIoXent repulsfon fmm her, and blushed crimson. he hud re

membmed Mr Dude's diapm. A tranbb-dUg as h t i fulasasamw-nmtothesrnfaceofhismfnd,displayedite un~.nadb*-hedidmtask~ forMs~~88~yet,buttheldntwas~~hen, though he was, he longed to be a lUtle boy again, and to shrrll halfakkefarwerbytheaalourlasssea~rB8rrywanton kctmbg bim, and under the awes of a Menrdly m a w s said much that @V8 PdU.

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Hechoseacollep~byhischtefschaal fiiedChapmanandbothezoldS~~, end duringbfs &st year managedto expesfe3lcelittle in University life tbat was unfmik. He belrmged to an Old Boyd Qpb, -'d aQd l"ded to@=* and theg *yea g== kegtup~provinc&l&msaudslaag,satelbowtoalbowin tUg,aodwafkedaxminannabouttke~Now andthen tbqgotdrtmkandbuastedmystedouslyabautwomeqbuttheIr outlook remained that of the uppa Hth, and some of them kept itthi~ghilfe.~h~t~asn~fardbetwe~themandtbeother ~ b u t ~ w e r e t o ~ ~ t o b e p o p u l a t , t o o medim to lead, and they did not care to risk knowing men who had came from 0 t h publtc schools, All this dtsd Mam tce. He was ~ t u t f o n a l l ylay.Though none of his diBmlties had bear solved, none were a d d 4 which is m ~ g . Thehush~HewasktronbIedbycarnsltlumghts. Hestoodstillin the darlmessinstead of gmpingabout inik as

ifthlewasthedfarwhfchbodyandsoulhadbeemso~

preparen.

haing his secand year he nnderwent a chaage. IIe had moved @b cobge and it began to digest him. His days he might sped as befom, but when the gates dosed on bim at night a new process began. Even as a freshman he made the knpoxtant discovery that grown-up men behaw politeIy to one another unless there ie a reason for the contrary. Some thirdyear peaple had called cm him in his dip. He had expcted

MAURICE

~tobregkhispIatesand~thephotopaphofhie mother, d when they did not he d phmbg how some daYheshauldbreak~jhos~vingtime.~themnnnenr ofthedonswemevanmorenmarkable.Ma~wasonlywaib i~gforsnchanat~mphem~tosafben.Hedfdnotenjop balngaudandmdaIt~agdnstbisnatmaButitwasneam sarpatsch~othemigathavegcmemrder,dhehadsup posedftwoddhavebean~mrroe~onthefarger battldeld of the Universiv. 0nceinsfde~his~multAplied.Peopletumed out to be dive. Hither& he had supposed that they toere what heprsCendedto~tpiecesofcardboadstampedwftba conventional desfgn-but as he strolled about the ooutts at night and saw through the windows some men singing and othenr ~ g d o t h e n , a t t h e i r ~ , t h e r e c e m e b y m p r o c eof ss rsason a conviction that thy were human being wfth fedin@ akin to his own. He had never lived frankly sfDce Mr Abrahams's schoaI, and despite Dr Barry did not mean to begin; but he saw that wbile deceiving otheas he bad been deceived, and mtstaken them for theemptycreatureshewantdthemtothinL hem.Nqthgrtoohad~~~."B~OLord,notsuchanip sfdeesmb."Assoonashethonghtaboutotherpeopleasred, Maurice became modest and consdous of sin: in all creatfon there could be no one as vile as bimselfr no wonder he pre tended to be a piece of cardboard; if ifas he was, he w d behoMdedoatdthe~God,beingal~eCh~too~an orda~didnatwmryhim:h e c o u l d n o t a m ~ d u n y ~ b g M c thassay, Joey F e h d & ' s , who kept

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iQtherocmrrwowsarofanyHenesMttaras covenby. Shortly eftertbis dhmqrhe went tohohwithbir Cormwallts, the k m .

[email protected]. ity, a relative of the Dean's, by name Risky. FMq is ley dark,

MAURICE t a l l d ~ ~ e m a d e s n ~ ~ ~ ~ * h -

&ced,arrdwhenhepke,w~was~,hetgsd shmg yet uxmady wp€xlatives.C b a oaogt ~ 3e~reand~MBnosh8s,iwllinghbntoside~the ~er.MbdomicethotlgPthedanttabft&st~~ in~t~gh.epein~frr~g,mdbesideshe~laot

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solletbothe~tbgd~,~~nodoubth~~to,din a minute shmU So C h a p ventured dona Finding Rbby

eQwdmuJLc,hebegantowftd~~a~~1&~tgoin~ bdng superbt," and w, on. "X doIm 1 mOh,aOy m l I n t h a t o a e e I ~ y o u r ~ u~~~Cha~youarafnneedaf~mcalIedMr ~ a n d p m m r h e d b i x n s a l f r m ~ e ~ ~ a t ~ ! " S ~ M r ~ h I?vepothlm&withmylowtakm ' t

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~satdmm,andRPsley~~attttertoMorsics ;d 8 P f 4 1 ~ & t ~ o f . n y r e p l Y t o ~ i i ~ o t ;his.anamnarheaFnanrea~wasd~y.~It~~~

I ~g.'NdwonZ&.'Yer't~~n'tdaWhatirtobedoneP~abwtmytngoo~?"safdtheDean J

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'Tosaym&hg?BonlblaYoumortkmdw mAxe~dways~~mayane~inqtdredChapmaa R£deyseidhewa4. wwer g8t ttrod d itP - aN~." : *tire *peop1eP" .'LNBosTF OYMd &atw

~ltotsuggest~veWyoaUntnte,~~'rebeamhg? It'~mtatyuui€Iam,~saidCha~wbwpshot-aemp ered.

Mamioedhb-

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"Iwme to a standstiU again. How amazingare the of tio on." "You seem to carry on better than most of us can,- remarked Maurice. He had not spoken before, and bis voice, which was low but very g d ,made Rislg.sbiwr. W a t d y . It is my forte. It Is the only th&g I care about, '-noc 9s that serious? "Everytbg I say is serious." And somehow Maurice lmew this was true.Ithadstru&bimatoncethatRlslg.wass~~~. "And are yw smiousr S)on9task me.* .

Theatantdyoubearmesa" %ubbish," p l e d the Dean. Chapman laughed t e m e l y . % u b W He questioned Maurim who, when he grasped

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thepaW,wasrmdersbodtoreplythat deedsaremmimpor- i I I' tant tban words. I "Whatis the d&renceP Words crne deeds. Do you mean to ' say that these five minutes in Corn-s rooms have done nothing for youP Win you eusr forget you have met me,for in-

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