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When the World Shook
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WhentheWorldShookChapterI

ArbuthnotDescribesHimselfIsupposethatI,HumphreyArbuthnot,shouldbeginthishistoryinwhichDestinyhascausedmetoplaysoprominentapart,withsomeshortaccountofmyselfandofmycircumstances。

IwasbornfortyyearsagointhisveryDevonshirevillageinwhichIwrite,butnotinthesamehouse。NowIliveinthePriory,anancientplaceandafineoneinitsway,withitspanelledrooms,itsbeautifulgardenswhere,inthismildclimate,inadditiontoourown,flourishsomanyplantswhichonewouldonlyexpecttofindincountriesthatlienearertothesun,anditsgreen,undulatingparkstuddedwithgreattimbertrees。Theview,too,isperfect;behindandaroundtherichDevonshirelandscapewithitshillsandvalleysanditsscarpedfacesofredsandstone,andatadistanceinfront,thesea。

Therearelittletownsquiteneartoo,thatliveforthemostpartonvisitors,butthesearesohiddenawaybythecontoursofthegroundthatfromthePrioryonecannotseethem。SuchisFulcombewhereIlive,thoughforobviousreasonsIdonotgiveititsrealname。

Manyyearsagomyfather,theRev。HumphreyArbuthnot,whoseonlychildIam,afterwhomalsoIamnamedHumphrey,wasthevicarofthisplacewithwhichourfamilyissaidtohavesomerathervaguehereditaryconnection。Ifso,itwasseveredintheCaroliantimesbecausemyancestorsfoughtonthesideofParliament。

Myfatherwasarecluse,andawidower,formymother,aScotswoman,diedatorshortlyaftermybirth。BeingveryHighChurchforthosedayshewasnotpopularwiththefamilythatownedthePriorybeforeme。Indeeditshead,asomewhatvulgarpersonofthenameofEnfieldwhohadmademoneyintrade,almostpersecutedhim,ashewasinapositiontodo,beingthelocalmagnateandtheowneroftherectorialtithes。

ImentionthisfactbecauseowingtoitasaboyImadeupmymindthatonedayIwouldbuythatplaceandsitinhisseat,awildenoughideaatthetime。Yetitbecameengrainedinme,asdosuchaspirationsofouryouth,andwhentheopportunityaroseinafteryearsIcarrieditout。PooroldEnfield!Hefellonevilfortunes,forintryingtobolsterupafavouritesonwhowasagambler,aspendthrift,andanungratefulscamp,intheendhewaspracticallyruinedandwhenthebadtimescame,wasforcedtoselltheFulcombeestate。Ithinkofhimkindlynow,forafterallhewasgoodtomeandgavememanyaday’sshootingandleavetofishfortroutintheriver。

Bythepoorpeople,however,ofallthedistrictround,fortheparishitselfisverysmall,myfatherwasmuchbeloved,althoughhedidpractiseconfession,wearvestmentsandsetlightedcandlesonthealtar,andwasevensaidtohaveopenlyexpressedthewish,towhichhoweverheneverattained,thathecouldseeacenserswinginginthechancel。Indeedthechurchwhich,asmonksbuiltit,isverylargeandfine,wasalwaysfullonSundays,thoughmanyoftheworshipperscamefromfaraway,someofthemdoubtlessoutofcuriositybecauseofitspapisticalrepute,alsobecause,inalearnedfashion,myfather’spreachingwasverygoodindeed。

FormypartIfeelthatIowemuchtotheseHigh—Churchviews。

Theyopenedcertaindoorstomeandtaughtmesomethingofthemysterieswhichlieatthebackofallreligionsandthereforehavetheirhomeintheinspiredsoulofmanwhencereligionsareborn。Onlythepityisthatinninety—ninecasesoutofahundredheneverdiscovers,neverevenguessesatthatentombedaspiration,neversinksashaftdownontothissecretbutmostpreciousveinofore。

Ihavesaidthatmyfatherwaslearned;butthisisamilddescription,forneverdidIknowanyonequitesolearned。Hewasoneofthosemenwhoissogoodallroundthathebecamepreeminent—eminentinnothing。Aclassicofthefirstwater,averyrespectablemathematician,anexpertintheology,astudentofsundryforeignlanguagesandliteratureinhislightermoments,aninquirerintosociology,atheoreticalmusicianthoughhisplayingoftheorganexcruciatedmostpeoplebecauseitwastoocorrect,areallyfirst—classauthorityuponflintinstrumentsandthebestgrowerofgardenvegetablesinthecounty,alsoofapples——suchweresomeofhisattainments。Thatwaswhatmadehissermonssopopular,sinceattimesoneortheotherofthesesubjectswouldbreakoutintothem,histheorybeingthatGodspoketousthroughallofthesethings。

ButifIbegantodriftintoananalysisofmyfather’sabilities,Ishouldneverstop。Itwouldtakeabooktodescribethem。Andyetmarkthis,withthemallhisnameisasdeadtotheworldto—dayasthoughhehadneverbeen。Lightreflectedfromahundredfacetsdissipatesitselfinspaceandislost;thatconcentratedinonetremendousraypiercestothestars。

NowIamgoingtobefrankaboutmyself,forwithoutfranknesswhatisthevalueofsucharecordasthis?Thenitbecomessimplyanotherconvention,orratherconventionalmethodofexpressingtheoctoroonkindoftruthswithwhichthehighlycivilisedracesfeedthemselves,asfastidiousladieseatcakesandbreadfromwhichallbutthesmallestparticleofnourishmenthasbeenextracted。

Thefactis,therefore,thatIinheritedmostofmyfather’sabilities,excepthisloveforflintinstrumentswhichalwaysboredmetodistraction,becausealthoughtheyarebyassociationreallythemosthumanofthings,somehowtometheyneverconveyanyideaofhumanity。InadditionIhaveapracticalsidewhichhelacked;hadhepossesseditsurelyhemusthavebecomeanarchbishopinsteadofdyingthevicarofanunknownparish。AlsoIhaveaspiritualsense,mayhapmysticalwouldbeabetterterm,whichwithallthisreligionwasmissingfrommyfather’snature。

ForIthinkthatnotwithstandinghischarityanddevotionheneverquitegotawayfromtheshellofthings,nevercrackeditandsethisteethinthekernelwhichalonecanfeedoursouls。

Hiskeenintellect,totakeanexample,recognisedeveryoneofthedifficultiesofourfaithandflashedhitherandthitherinthedarkness,seekingexplanation,seekinglight,tryingtoreconcile,toexplain。HewasnotgreatenoughtoputallthisasideandgostraighttotheinformingSoulbeneaththatstrivestoexpressitselfeverywhere,eventhroughthosehuskswhicharecalledtheWorld,theFleshandtheDevil,andasyetdoesnotalwaysquitesucceed。

Itisthisbogglingoverexteriors,thispeeringintopitfalls,thisdesiretoprovethatwhatsuchsensesaswehavetellusisimpossible,isinfactpossible,whichcausestheoverthrowofmanyanearnest,seekingheartandrendersitswork,conductedonfalselines,quitenugatory。ThesewilltrusttothemselvesandtheirownintelligenceandnotbecontenttospringfromthecliffsofhumanexperienceintotheeverlastingarmsofthatInfinitewhicharestretchedouttoreceivethemandtogivethemrestandthekeysofknowledge。Whenwillmanlearnwhatwastaughttohimofold,thatfaithistheonlyplankwherewithhecanfloatuponthisseaandthathismiserableworksavailhimnothing;alsothatitisaplankmadeofmanysortsofwood,perhapstosuitourdifferentweights?

Sotobehonest,inasenseIbelievemyselftobemyfather’ssuperior,andIknowthatheagreedwithme。PerhapsthisisowingtothebloodofmyScotchmotherwhichmixedwellwithhisown;perhapsbecausetheessentialspiritgiventome,thoughcastinhismould,wasinfactquitedifferent——orofanotheralloy。Dowe,Iwonder,reallyunderstandthattherearemillionsandbillionsofthesealloys,somanyindeedthatNature,orwhateverisbehindNature,neverusesthesametwiceover?Thatiswhynotwohumanbeingsareoreverwillbequiteidentical。

Theirflesh,thebodyoftheirhumiliation,isidenticalinall,anychemistwillproveittoyou,butthatwhichanimatesthefleshisdistinctanddifferentbecauseitcomesfromthehomeofthatinfinitevarietywhichisnecessarytotheultimateevolutionofthegoodandbadthatwesymboliseasheavenandhell。

Further,Ihadandtoacertainextentstillhaveanotheradvantageovermyfather,whichcertainlycametomefrommymother,whowas,asIjudgefromalldescriptionsandsuchlikenessesasremainofher,anextremelyhandsomewoman。Iwasbornmuchbetterlooking。Hewassmallanddark,alittlemanwithdeep—seteyesandbeetlingbrows。Iamalsodark,buttallabovetheaverage,andwellmade。IdonotknowthatIneedsaymoreaboutmypersonalappearance,tomenotaveryattractivesubject,butthefactremainsthattheycalledme"handsomeHumphrey"attheUniversity,andIwasthecaptainofmycollegeboatandwonmanyprizesatathleticsportswhenIhadtimetotrainforthem。

UntilIwentuptoOxfordmyfathereducatedme,partlybecauseheknewthathecoulddoitbetterthananyoneelse,andpartlytosaveschoolexpenses。Theexperimentwasverysuccessful,asmyloveofalloutdoorsportsandofanysmallhazardousadventurethatcametomyhand,alsoofassociatingwithfisherfolkwhomthedangersofthedeepmakemenamongmen,savedmefrombecomingamilksop。FortherestIlearnedmorefrommyfather,whomIalwaysdesiredtopleasebecauseIlovedhim,thanI

shouldhavedoneatthebestandmostcostlyofschools。ThiswasshownwhenatlastIwenttocollegewithascholarship,forthereIdidverywellindeed,assearchwouldstillreveal。

HereIhadbettersetoutsomeofmyshortcomings,whichintheirsumhavemadeafailureofme。Yes,afailureinthehighestsense,thoughItrustwhatStevensoncalls"afaithfulfailure。"Thesehavetheirrootinfastidiousnessandthatlackofperseverance,whichreallymeansalackoffaith,againusingthewordinitshigherandwidersense。Forifonehadrealfaithonewouldalwayspersevere,knowingthatineveryworkundertakenwithhighaim,thereisanelementofnobility,howeverhumbleandunrecognisedthatworkmayseemtobe。GodafterallistheGodofWork,itiswrittenlargeuponthefaceoftheUniverse。I

willnotexpanduponthethought;itwouldleadmetoofarafield,butthosewhohaveunderstandingwillknowwhatImean。

AsregardswhatIinterpretasfastidiousness,thisisnotveryeasytoexpress。Perhapsadefinitionwillhelp。Iamlikeamanwithanover—developedsenseofsmell,whowhenwalkingthroughaforeigncity,howevercleanandwellkept,canalwayscatchtheevilsavoursthatareinseparablefromsuchcities。More,hiskeenperceptionoftheminterfereswithallotherperceptionsandspoilshiswalks。Theresultisthatinafteryears,wheneverhethinksofthatbeautifulcity,heremembers,notitshistoricbuildingsoritswideboulevards,orwhateverithastoboast,butratheritsancient,fish—likesmell。Atleastheremembersthatfirstowingtothisdefectinhistemperament。

Soitiswitheverything。Alovelywomanisspoiledforsuchaonebecausesheeatstoomuchorhastoohighavoice;hedoesnotcareforhisshootingbecausethesceneryisflat,orforhisfishingbecausethegnatsbiteaswellasthetrout。Inshortheisoutoftunewiththeworldasitis。Moreover,thisisaqualitywhich,whereitexists,cannotbeovercome;itaffectsday—labourersaswellasgentlemenatlarge。Itisbredinthebone。

Probablythesecondfailure—breedingfault,lackofperseverance,hasitsrootsinthefirst,atanyrateinmycase。

Atleastonleavingcollegewithsomereputation,IwascalledtotheBarwhere,owingtocertainsolicitorandotherconnections,Ihadagoodopening。Also,owingtotheexcellenceofmymemoryandpowersofwork,Ibeganverywell,makingmoneyevenduringmyfirstyear。Then,asithappened,acertaincasecamemywayand,myleaderfallingillsuddenlyafteritwasopened,wasleftinmyhands。ThemanwhosecauseIwaspleadingwas,Ithink,oneofthebiggestscoundrelsitispossibletoconceive。Itwasawillcaseandifhewon,theeffectwouldbetobeggartwomostestimablemiddle—agedwomenwhowerejustlyentitledtotheproperty,towhichendpersonallyIamconvincedhehadcommittedforgery;theperjurythataccompanieditIdonotevenmention。

Well,hedidwin,thankstome,andtheestimablemiddle—agedladieswerebeggared,andasIheardafterwards,driventosuchextremitiesthatoneofthemdiedofhermiseryandtheotherbecamealodging—housekeeper。Thedetailsdonotmatter,butI

mayexplainthattheseladieswereunattractiveinappearanceandmannerandbrokedownbeneathmycross—examinationwhichmadethemappeartobetellingfalsehoods,whereastheywereonlycompletelyconfused。Further,Iinventedaningenioustheoryofthefactswhich,althoughthejudgeregardeditwithsuspicion,convincedanunusuallystupidjurywhogavemetheirverdict。

EverybodycongratulatedmeandatthetimeIwastriumphant,especiallyasmyleaderhaddeclaredthatourcasewasimpossible。Afterwards,however,myconsciencesmotemesorely,somuchsothatarguingfromthefalsepremiseofthisbusiness,IcametotheconclusionthatthepracticeoftheLawwasnotsuitedtoanhonestman。IdidnottakethelargeviewthatsuchmattersaveragethemselvesupandthatifIhaddoneharminthisinstance,Imightlivetodogoodinmanyothers,andperhapsbecomeajustjudge,evenagreatjudge。HereImaymentionthatinafteryears,whenIgrewrich,Irescuedthatsurvivingoldladyfromherlodging—house,althoughtothisdayshedoesnotknowthenameofheranonymousfriend。Sobydegrees,withoutsayinganything,forIkeptonmychambers,Islippedoutofpractice,tothegreatdisappointmentofeverybodyconnectedwithme,andtooktoauthorship。

Amarvelcametopass,myfirstbookwasanenormoussuccess。

Thewholeworldtalkedofit。Aleadingjournal,delightedtohavediscoveredsomeone,wroteitup;otherjournalsfollowedsuittobeinthemovement。Oneofthem,Iremember,whichhadalreadydismisseditwiththreeorfoursneeringlines,cameoutwithasecondandtwo—columnnotice。ItsoldlikewildfireandI

supposehadsomemerits,foritisstillread,thoughfewknowthatIwroteit,sincefortunatelyitwaspublishedunderapseudonym。

AgainIwasmuchelatedandsettoworktowriteanotherand,asIbelieve,amuchbetterbook。Butjealousieshadbeenexcitedbythisleapingintofameofatotallyunknownperson,whichwere,moreover,accentuatedthroughafoolisharticlethatI

publishedinanswertosomecriticisms,whereinIspokemymindwithaninsanefreedomandbitingsarcasm。IndeedIwasevenmadenoughtoquotenamesandtogivetheexampleoftheverypowerfuljournalwhichatfirstcarpedatmyworkandthengushedoveritwhenitbecamethefashion。Allofthismadememanybitterenemies,asIfoundoutwhenmynextbookappeared。

Itwastorntoshreds,itwasreviledassubversiveofmoralityandreligion,goodarrowsinthosedays。Itwascalledpuerile,half—educatedstuff——Ihalf—educated!More,anutterlyfalsechargeofplagiarismwascookedupagainstmeandsowellandvenomouslyrunthatvastnumbersofpeopleconcludedthatIwasathiefofthelowestorder。Lastly,myfather,fromwhomthesecretcouldnolongerbekept,sternlydisapprovedofboththesebookswhichIadmitwerewrittenfromaveryradicalandsomewhatanti—churchpointofview。Theresultwasourfirstquarrelandbeforeitwasmadeup,hediedsuddenly。

Nowagainfastidiousnessandmylackofperseverancedidtheirwork,andsolemnlyIsworethatIwouldneverwriteanotherbook,anoathwhichIhavekepttillthismoment,atleastsofaraspublicationisconcerned,andnowbreakonlybecauseIconsideritmydutysotodoandamnotanimatedbyanypecuniaryobject。

Thuscametoanendmysecondattemptatcarvingoutacareer。

BynowIhadgrownsavageandcynical,ratherrevengefulalso,I

fear。Knowingmyselftopossessconsiderableabilitiesinsundrydirections,Isatdown,asitwere,tothinkthingsoveranddigestmypastexperiences。Thenitwasthatthetruthofaveryancientadagestruckuponmymind,namely,thatmoneyispower。

HadIsufficientmoneyIcouldlaughatunjustcriticsforexample;indeedtheyortheirpaperswouldscarcelydaretocriticisemeforfearlestitshouldbeinmypowertodothemabadturn。AgainIcouldfollowmyownideasinlifeandperhapsworkgoodintheworld,andliveinsuchsurroundingsascommendedthemselvestome。Itwasasclearasdaylight,but——howtomakethemoney?

Ihadsomecapitalastheresultofmyfather’sdeath,about?,000inall,plusalittlemorethatmytwobookshadbroughtin。InwhatwaycouldIemployittothebestadvantage?I

rememberedthatacousinofmyfatherandthereforemyown,wasasuccessfulstock—broker,alsothattherehadbeensomeaffectionbetweenthem。Iwenttohim,hewasagood,easy—naturedmanwhowasfranklygladtoseeme,andofferedtoput?,000intohisbusiness,forIwasnotmindedtoriskeverythingIhad,ifhewouldgivemeashareintheprofits。Helaughedheartilyatmyaudacity。

"Why,myboy,"hesaid,"beingtotallyinexperiencedatthisgame,youmightloseusmorethanthatinamonth。ButIlikeyourcourage,Ilikeyourcourage,andthetruthisthatIdowanthelp。Iwillthinkitoverandwritetoyou。"

HethoughtitoverandintheendofferedtotrymeforayearatafixedsalarywithapromiseofsomekindofapartnershipifIsuitedhim。Meanwhilemy?,000remainedinmypocket。

Iaccepted,notwithoutreluctancesincewiththeimpatienceofyouthIwantedeverythingatonce。Iworkedhardinthatofficeandsoonmasteredthebusiness,formyknowledgeoffigures——I

hadtakenafirst—classmathematicaldegreeatcollege——cametomyaid,asinawaydidmyacquaintancewithLawandLiterature。

MoreoverIhadacertainaptitudeforwhatiscalledhighfinance。Further,Fortune,asusual,showedmeafavourableface。

InoneyearIgotthepartnershipwithasmallshareinthelargeprofitsofthebusiness。Intwothepartnerabovemeretired,andItookhisplacewithathirdshareofthefirm。Inthreemycousin,satisfiedthatitwasinablehands,begantoceasehisattendanceattheofficeandbetookhimselftogardeningwhichwashishobby。InfourIpaidhimoutaltogether,althoughtodothisIhadtoborrowmoneyonourcredit,forbyagreementthetitleofthefirmwascontinued。Thencamethatextraordinarytimeofboomwhichmanywillremembertotheircost。Imadeaboldstrokeandwon。OnacertainSaturdaywhenthebooksweremadeup,Ifoundthatafterdischargingallliabilities,Ishouldnotbeworthmorethan?0,000。OnthefollowingSaturdaybuttwowhenthebooksweremadeup,Iwasworth?53,000!L’appetitvientenmangeant。Itseemednothingtomewhensomanywereworthmillions。

ForthenextyearIworkedasfewhavedone,andwhenIstruckabalanceattheendofit,IfoundthatonthemostconservativeestimateIwastheownerofamillionandahalfinhardcash,oritsequivalent。IwassotiredoutthatIrememberthisdiscoverydidnotexcitemeatall。Ifeltutterlywearyofallwealth—

huntingandoftheCityanditsways。Moreovermyoldfastidiousnessandlackofperseverancere—assertedthemselves。I

reflected,ratherlateinthedayperhaps,ontheruinthatthisspeculationwasbringingtothousands,ofwhichsomelamentableinstanceshadrecentlycometomynotice,andoncemoreconsideredwhetheritwereasuitablecareerforanuprightman。

Ihadwealth;whyshouldInottakeitandenjoylife?

Also——andheremybusinessacumencamein,Iwassurethatthesetimescouldnotlast。Itiseasytomakemoneyonarisingmarket,butwhenitisfallingthematterisverydifferent。InfiveminutesImadeupmymind。Isentformyjuniorpartners,forIhadtakenintwo,andtoldthemthatIintendedtoretireatonce。Theyweredismayedbothatmyloss,forreallyIwasthefirm,andbecause,astheypointedout,ifIwithdrewallmycapital,therewouldnotbesufficientlefttoenablethemtocarryon。

Oneofthem,abluntandhonestman,saidtomyfacethatitwouldbedishonourableofmetodoso。Iwasinclinedtoanswerhimsharply,thenrememberedthathiswordsweretrue。

"Verywell,"Isaid,"Iwillleaveyou?00,000onwhichyoushallpaymefivepercentinterest,butnoshareoftheprofits。"

Onthesetermswedissolvedthepartnershipandinayeartheyhadlostthe?00,000,fortheslumpcamewithavengeance。Itsavedthem,however,andto—daytheyareearningareasonableincome。ButIhaveneveraskedthemforthat?00,000。

ChapterII

BastinandBickleyBeholdmeoncemoreamanwithoutanoccupation,butnowthepossessorofabout?00,000。Itwasaveryconsiderablefortune,ifnotalargeoneinEngland;nothinglikethemillionsofwhichIhaddreamed,butstillenough。Tomakethemostofitandtobesurethatitremained,Iinvesteditverywell,mostlyinlargemortgagesatfourpercentwhich,ifthesecurityisgood,donotdepreciateincapitalvalue。NeveragaindidItouchasinglespeculativestock,whodesiredtothinknomoreaboutmoney。ItwasatthistimethatIboughttheFulcombeproperty。

Itcostmeabout?20,000ofmycapital,orwithalterations,repairs,etc。,say?50,000,onwhichsumitmaypayanettwoandahalfpercent,notmore。

This?,700oddIhavealwaysdevotedtotheupkeepoftheplace,whichisthereforeinfirst—rateorder。TherestIliveon,orsave。

Thesearrangements,withthebeautifyingandfurnishingofthehouseandtherestorationofthechurchinmemoryofmyfather,occupiedandamusedmeforayearorso,butwhentheywerefinishedtimebegantohangheavyonmyhands。Whatwastheuseofpossessingabout?0,000ayearwhentherewasnothinguponwhichitcouldbespent?Forafterallmyownwantswerefewandsimpleandtheacquisitionofvaluablepicturesandcostlyfurnitureislimitedbyspace。Oh!inmysmallwayIwaslikethewearyKingEcclesiast。ForItoomademegreatworksandhadpossessionsofgreatandsmallcattle(Itriedfarmingandlostmoneyoverit!)andgatheredmesilverandgoldandthepeculiartreasureofkings,whichIpresumemeanswhateveramaninauthoritychieflydesires,andsoforth。But"beholdallwasvanityandvexationofspirit,andtherewasnoprofitunderthesun。"

So,notwithstandingmywealthandhealthandthedeferencewhichistherichman’sportion,especiallywhenthelimitofhisrichesisnotknown,itcameaboutthatItoo"hatedlife,"andthiswhenIwasnotmuchoverthirty。Ididnotknowwhattodo;

forSocietyasthewordisgenerallyunderstood,Ihadnotaste;

itboredme;horse—racingandcardsIloathed,whohadalreadygambledtoomuchonabigscale。Thekillingofcreaturesunderthenameofsportpalleduponme,indeedIbegantodoubtifitwereright,whiletheofficeofajuniorcountymagistrateinaplacewheretherewasnocrime,onlyoccupiedmeanhourortwoamonth。

Lastlymyneighbourswerefewandwithallduedeferencetothem,extremelydull。AtleastIcouldnotunderstandthembecauseinthemtheredidnotseemtobeanythingtounderstand,andIamquitecertainthattheydidnotunderstandme。More,whentheycametolearnthatIwasradicalinmyviewsandhadwrittencertain"dreadful"andsomewhatsocialisticbooksintheformoffiction,theybothfearedandmistrustedmeasanenemytotheirparticularsectionoftherace。AsIhadnotmarriedandshowednoinclinationtodoso,theirwomenkindalso,outoftheirintimateknowledge,proclaimedthatIledanimmorallife,thoughalittlereflectionwouldhaveshownthemthattherewasnooneintheneighbourhoodwhichforatimeIseldomleft,whocouldpossiblyhavetemptedaneducatedcreaturetosuchcourses。

Terribleisthelotofamanwho,whilestillyoungandpossessingtheintellectnecessarytoachievement,isdeprivedofallambition。AndIhadnoneatall。Ididnotevenwishtopurchaseapeerageorabaronetcyinthisfashionorinthat,and,asinmyfather’scase,mytastesweresomanyandsocatholicthatIcouldnotlosemyselfinanyoneofthem。Theyneverbecamemorethandiversionstome。Ahobbyisonlyreallyamusingwhenitbecomesanobsession。

AtlengthmylonesomefriendlinessoppressedmesomuchthatI

tookstepstomitigateit。InmycollegelifeIhadtwoparticularfriendswhomIthinkImusthaveselectedbecausetheyweresoabsolutelydifferentfrommyself。

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫,醒来一梦似千年,重生于下堂妃身躯中的她,将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读

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