“And what would you have me do?” I asked curiously.
He was silent for a moment, and seemed to be earnestly, almost painfully considering,—then he answered,—
“My advice will seem to you singular, Geoffrey,—but if you want it, here it is. Give, as I said, the noble, and what the world would call the quixotic part of your nature full way,—do not sacrifice your higher sense of what is right and just for the sake of pandering to anyone’s power or influence,—and—say farewell to me! I am no use to you, save to humour your varying fancies, and introduce you to those great,—or small,—personages you wish to know for your own convenience or advantage,—believe me, it would be much better for you and much more consoling at the inevitable hour of death, if you were to let all this false and frivolous nonsense go, and me with it! Leave society to its own fool’s whirligig of distracted follies,—put Royalty in its true place, and show it that all its pomp, arrogance and glitter are worthless, and itself a nothing, compared to the upright standing of a brave soul in an honest man,—and, as Christ said to the rich ruler—‘Sell half that thou hast and give to the poor.’”
I was silent for a minute or so out of sheer surprise, while he watched me earnestly, his face pale and expectant. A curious shock of something like compunction startled my [p 293] conscience, and for a brief space I was moved to a vague regret,—regret that with all the enormous capability I possessed of doing good to numbers of my fellow-creatures with the vast wealth I owned, I had not attained to any higher moral attitude than that represented by the frivolous folk who make up what is called the ‘Upper Ten’ of society. I took the same egotistical pleasure in myself and my own doings as any of them,—and I was to the full as foolishly conventional, smooth-tongued and hypocritical as they. They acted their part and I acted mine,—none of us were ever our real selves for a moment. In very truth, one of the reasons why ‘fashionable’ men and women cannot bear to be alone is, that a solitude in which they are compelled to look face to face upon their secret selves becomes unbearable because of the burden they carry of concealed vice and accusing shame. My emotion soon passed however, and slipping my arm through Lucio’s, I smiled, as I answered—
“Your advice, my dear fellow, would do credit to a Salvationist preacher,—but it is quite valueless to me, because impossible to follow. To say farewell for ever to you, in the first place, would be to make myself guilty of the blackest ingratitude,—in the second instance, society, with all its ridiculous humbug, is nevertheless necessary for the amusement of myself and my future wife,—Royalty moreover, is accustomed to be flattered, and we shall not be hurt by joining in the general inane chorus;—thirdly, if I did as the visionary Jew suggested——”
“What visionary Jew?” he asked, his eyes sparkling coldly.
“Why, Christ of course!” I rejoined lightly.
The shadow of a strange smile parted his lips.
“It is the fashion to blaspheme!” he said,—“A mark of brilliancy in literature, and wit in society! I forgot! Pray go on,—if you did as Christ suggested——”
“Yes,—if I gave half my goods to the poor, I should not be thanked for it, or considered anything but a fool for my pains.”