CHAPTER LVI
BY-AND-BY a subtle, indefinable malaise began to take possession
of him. I once saw a very young foal trying to eat some most
objectionable refuse, and unable to make up its mind whether it was
good or no. Clearly it wanted to be told. If its mother had seen
what it was doing she would have set it right in a moment, and as soon
as ever it had been told that what it was eating was filth, the foal
would have recognised it and never have wanted to be told again; but
the foal could not settle the matter for itself, or make up its mind
whether it liked what it was trying to eat or no, without assistance
from without. I suppose it would have come to do so by-and-by but it
was wasting time and trouble, which a single look from its mother
would have saved, just as wort will in time ferment of itself, but
will ferment much more quickly if a little yeast be added to it. In
the matter of knowing what gives us pleasure we are all like wort, and
if unaided from without can only ferment slowly and toilsomely.
My unhappy hero about this time was very much like the foal, or
rather he felt much what the foal would have felt if its mother and
all the other grown-up horses in the field had vowed that what it
was eating was the most excellent and nutritious food to be found
anywhere.
Pages:
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429