Assumption (1929)

HE COULD HAVE shouted and could not. The buffoon in the 10ft swung steadily on his stic and the o!ganist sat d!ea"ing with his hands in his #oc ets. He s#o e little$ and then al"ost hus ily$ with the low%&oiced ti"idity of a "an who sh!in s f!o" a!gu"ent$ who can !e#ly confidently to 'awn to (ing)s fou!th$ but whose faculties a!e f!o*en into bewilde!ed sus#ension by 'awn to +oo )s thi!d$ of the unha##y listene! who will not face a clash with the &ulga!$ unculti&ated$ te!!ibly clea! and #e!sonal ideas of the un!ead intelligen*ia. He indeed was not such a "an$ but his &oice was of such a "an, and occasionally$ when he chanced to be inte!ested in a discussion whose noisy &iolence would ha&e been #!oof against "ost !esonant inte!!u#tion of the beautifully banal ind$ he would e-e!cise his !e"a! able faculty of whis#e!ing the tu!"oil down. This whis#e!ing down$ li e all e-#losi&e feats of the ind$ was as the a#ogee of a Vi"y Light)s #a!abola$ co""anding undese!&ed attention because of its sudden b!illiance. The actual i"#osition of silence by an agent that d!ifted off itself into silence a few tables away was "e!ely the easy cli"a- of a long se!ies of subtle #!e#a!ations. all but i"#e!ce#tible twitches of i"#atience$ s"iles a!tistically su##!essed$ a swift affection of uninte!ested detach"ent$ all finely #!oduced and th!own into the heat of the conflict$ so that the "ost fie!cely obli&ious co"batant could not fail to be neatly and intole!ably i!!itated. Then$ when his wo! had been done and an ang!y lull was i""inent$ he whis#e!ed. As with all a!tists$ this casting of an effect in the teeth of his audience was the least difficult #a!t of his business, he had been wo! ing ha!d fo! the last half%hou!$ and no one had seen hi", that long chain of ins#i!ed gestu!e had been abso!bed unconsciously by e&e!y being within the wide o!bit of his cont!ol$ and acce#ted as no!"al and s#ontaneous. To a&oid the e-#ansion of the co""on#lace is not enough, the highest a!t !educes significance in o!de! to obtain that ine-#licable bo"bshell #e!fection. /efo!e no su#!e"e "anifestation of /eauty do we #!oceed co"fo!tably u# a stai!case of sensation$ and sit down "ildly on the to#"ost stai! to digest ou! g!atification. such is the #leasu!e of '!ettiness. 0e a!e ta en u# bodily and #itched b!eathless on the #ea of a shee! c!ag. which is the #ain of /eauty. 1ust as the c!eati&e a!tist "ust be #a!tly illusionist$ ou! whis#e!ing #!estidigitato! was #a!tly a!tist. A "e"be! of the /!owning 2ociety would say that he #layed on the souls of "en as on an inst!u"ent, a unani"ist$ that he i"#osed his #e!sonality on a g!ou#. /ut we "ust be ca!eful not to i"#ly that the least a#ostolic fe!&ou! colou!ed what was at its wo!st the #u!ely utilita!ian cont!i&ance of a "an who wished to gain hi"self a hea!ing$ and at its best an a"used e-#e!i"ent in a##lied #sychology. 3n the silence of his !oo" he was af!aid$ af!aid of that wild !ebellious su!ge that as#i!ed &iolently towa!ds !eali*ation in sound. He felt its i"#lacable caged !esent"ent$ its longing to be !eleased in one s#lendid d!un en sc!ea" and fused with the cos"ic disco!d. 3ts st!uggle fo! di&inity was as !eal as his own$ and as futile. He wonde!ed if the 'owe! which$ ha&ing denied hi" the conscious co"#letion of the "eanest "ong!el$ bade hi" fo!get his fine i"#e!fection beside it in the gutte!$ e&e! t!e"bled at the fo!ce of his !e&olt. 4eanwhile that flesh%loc ed sea of silence achie&ed a "ise!able consu""ation in d!iblets of sound$ as each falling leaf sa#s the #ainful &igou! of a t!ee in a c!uelly windless autu"n. The #!ocess was absu!d$ e-t!a&agantly absu!d$ li e boiling an egg o&e! a bonfi!e. /ut in his case it was not a wilful e-t!a&agance, he felt co"#assion as well as fea!, he d!eaded lest his #!isone! should esca#e$ he longed that it "ight esca#e, it to!e at his th!oat and he cho ed it bac in d!ead and so!!ow. 5ea! b!eeds fea!. he began to ha&e a ho!!o! of une-#ected #ain$ of slee#$ of anything that "ight !e"o&e the in&olunta!y inhibition. He d!ugged hi"self that he "ight slee# hea&ily$ silently, he sca!cely left his !oo"$ sca!cely s#o e$ thus denying e&en that !a!e t!ans"utation to the !ising tossing soundlessness that see"ed now to !end his whole being with the &iolence of its

effo!t. He felt he was losing$ #laying into the hands of the ene"y by the &e!y se&e!ity of his !est!ictions. /y da""ing the st!ea" of whis#e!s he had !aised the le&el of the flood$ and he new the day would co"e when it could no longe! be denied. 2till he was silent$ in silence listening fo! the fi!st "u!"u! of the to!!ent that "ust dest!oy hi". At this "o"ent the 0o"an ca"e to hi". . . . He was listening in the dus when she ca"e$ listening so intently that he did not hea! he! ente!. 5!o" the doo! she s#o e to hi"$ and he winced at the !egula!ity of he! clea!$ steady s#eech. 3t was the usual sto!y$ &ulga!ly told. ad"i!ation fo! his genius$ sy"#athy with his suffe!ing$ only a wo"an could unde!stand. 6 He clenched his hands in a fu!y against the eno!"ous i"#e!tinence of wo"en$ thei! noisy int!usi&e cu!ious enthusias"$ li e the s#ontaneous e-#!ession of ad"i!ation bu!sting f!o" A"e!ican hea!ts befo!e 4ichelangelo)s to"b in 2anta C!oce. The &oice d!oned on$ wa&e!ed$ sto##ed. He s etched a ti!ed gestu!e of acce#tation$ and #!e#a!ed to withd!aw once "o!e within that te!!ifying silent i""obility. 2he tu!ned on the light and ad&anced ca!elessly into the !oo". An i!!u#tion of de"ons would ha&e not scatte!ed his intentness so utte!ly. 2he sat down befo!e hi" at the table$ and leaned fo!wa!d with he! 7aws in the cu#s of he! hands. He loo ed at he! &eno"ously$ and was st!uc in s#ite of hi"self by the e-t!ao!dina!y #allo! of he! li#s$ of which the lowe! #!ot!uded slightly and cu!led u#wa!ds conte"#tuously to co"#!ess the u##e!$ !esulting in a faintly unde!shot local sensuality which went st!angely with the e-t!e"e cold #u!ity st!etching sadly f!o" the low b!oad b!ow to the closed nost!ils. He thought of 8eo!ge 4e!edith and !eco&e!ed so"ething of his cal". The eyes we!e so dee#ly set as to be al"ost ca&e!nous, the light falling on the chee bones th!ew the" bac into a "isty shadow. 3n daylight they we!e st!ange$ al"ost !e#ulsi&e$ de!i&ing a #itiless #enet!ation f!o" the !i" of white showing natu!ally abo&e the g!een%flec ed #u#il. 9ow as she leaned fo!wa!d beneath the light$ they we!e #ools of obscu!ity. 2he wo!e a close%fitting hat of faded g!een felt. he thought he had ne&e! seen such cha!"ing shabbiness. 6 0hen at last she went away he felt that so"ething had gone out f!o" hi"$ so"ething he could not s#a!e$ but still less could g!udge$ so"ething of the desi!e to li&e$ so"ething of the un!easonable tenacity with which he sh!an f!o" dissolution. 2o each e&ening$ in conte"#lation and abso!#tion of this wo"an$ he lost a #a!t of his essential ani"ality. so that the wate! !ose$ te!!ifying hi". 2till he fought on all day$ ho#elessly$ "echanically$ only !ela-ing with twilight$ to listen fo! he! co"ing to loosen yet anothe! stone in the clu"sy da" set u# and sustained by hi"$ f!ightened and co!!u#tible. Until at last$ fo! the fi!st ti"e$ he was unconditioned by the 2atanic di"ensional T!inity$ he was !eleased$ achie&ed$ the blue flowe!$ Vega$ 8OD. . . . Afte! a ti"eless #a!enthesis he found hi"self alone in his !oo"$ s#ent with ecstasy$ to!n by the bitte! loathing of that which he had conde"ned to the hu"anity of silence. Thus each night he died and was 8od$ each night !e&i&ed and was to"$ to" and batte!ed with inc!easing g!ie&ousness$ so that he hunge!ed to be i!!et!ie&ably engulfed in the light of ete!nity$ one with the bi!dless cloudless colou!less s ies$ in infinite fulfil"ent. Then it ha##ened. 0hile the wo"an was conte"#lating the face that she had o&e!laid with death$ she was swe#t aside by a g!eat sto!" of sound$ sha ing the &e!y house with its #!olonged$ t!iu"#hant &ehe"ence$ cli"bing in a di**y$ bubbling scale$ until$ dis#e!sed$ it fused into the b!eath of the fo!est and the th!obbing c!y of the sea. They found he! ca!essing his wild dead hai!.