"What fun," said I, pretending to laugh. "Let us try
again. Now, you take it up, and see if I can get it
again."
But he had had enough of that game. Yet he appeared
to be better humoured than before the incident, and I got
a few short answers to the questions which I put to him.
And here comes in the text which started me
preaching about lunacy at the beginning of this
letter. WHAT a marvellous thing it is! This man,
from all I can learn of him, has suddenly swung clean
over from one extreme of character to the other. Every
plus has in an instant become a minus. He's another
man, but in the same case. I am told that he used to be
(only a few months ago, mind you) most fastidious in
dress and speech. Now he is a foul-tongued rough! He
had a nice taste in literature. Now he stares at you if
you speak of Shakespeare. Queerest of all, he used to be
a very high-and-dry Tory in his opinions. He is fond now
of airing the most democratic views, and in a needlessly
offensive way. When I did get on terms with him at last,
I found that there was nothing on which he could be drawn
on to talk so soon as on politics. In substance, I am
bound to say that I think his new views are probably
saner than his old ones, but the insanity lies in his
sudden reasonless change and in his violent blurts of
speech.
It was some weeks, however, before I gained his
confidence, so far as to be able to hold a real
conversation with him.
Pages:
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79