large/1868/reginald_0709_librivox_64kb_mp3/reginald_10_saki_64kb_7
large/1868/reginald_0709_librivox_64kb_mp3/reginald_10_saki_64kb
English
1868
Madame herself was in an inspiring mood, with the air of a sphinx who knew all things and preferred to forget most of them. As a War Minister she might have been celebrated, but she was content to be merely rich. MADAME HERSELF WAS IN AN INSPIRING MOOD WITH THE AIR OF A SPHINX WHO KNEW ALL THINGS AND PREFERRED TO FORGET MOST OF THEM AS A WAR MINISTER SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN CELEBRATED BUT SHE WAS CONTENT TO BE MERELY RICH
pon too free an indulgence in the truth. Children are given us to discourage our better emotions. That is why the stage, with all its efforts, can never be as artificial as life; even in an Ibsen drama one must reveal to the audience things that one would suppress before the children or servants. Fate may have ordained the truth-telling from the commencement and should justly bear some of the blame; but in having no children the Woman was guilty, at least, of contributory negligence. Little by little she felt she was becoming a slave to what had once been merely an idle propensity; and one day she knew. Every woman tells ninety per cent. of the truth to her dressmaker; the other ten per cent. is the irreducible minimum of deception beyond which no self-respecting client trespasses. Madame Draga's establishment was a meeting-ground for naked truths and over-dressed fictions, and it was here, the Woman felt, that she might make a final effort to recall the artless mendacity of past days. N UNCONSCIOUS CHECK UPON TOO FREE AN INDULGENCE IN THE TRUTH CHILDREN HAVE GIVEN US TO DISCOURAGE OUR BETTER EMOTIONS THAT IS WHY THE STAGE WITH ALL ITS EFFORTS CAN NEVER BE AS ARTIFICIAL AS LIFE EVEN IN AN IBSEN DRAMA ONE MUST REVEAL TO THE AUDIENCE THINGS THAT ONE WOULD SUPPRESS BEFORE THE CHILDREN OR SERVANTS FATE MAY HAVE ORDAINED THE TRUTH TELLING FROM THE COMMENCEMENT AND SHOULD JUSTLY BEAR SOME OF THE BLAME BUT IN HAVING NO CHILDREN THE WOMAN WAS GUILTY AT LEAST OF CONTRIBUTORY NEGLIGENCE LITTLE BY LITTLE SHE FELT SHE WAS BECOMING A SLAVE TO WHAT HAD ONCE BEEN MERELY AN IDLE PROPENSITY AND ONE DAY SHE KNEW EVERY WOMAN TELLS NINETY PER CENT OF THE TRUTH TO HER DRESSMAKER THE OTHER TEN PER CENT IS THE IRREDUCIBLE MINIMUM OF DECEPTION BEYOND WHICH NO SELF RESPECTING CLIENT AUSPICES MADAME DRAGER'S ESTABLISHMENT WAS A MEETING GROUND FOR NAKED TRUTHS AND OVERDRESSED FICTIONS AND IT WAS HERE THE WOMAN FELT THAT SHE MIGHT MAKE A FINAL EFFORT TO RECALL THE ARTLESS MENDACITY OF PAST DAYS
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