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The Lesson of the Master 



        by Henry James







He had been told the ladies were at church; but this was corrected

by what he saw from the top of the steps … they descended from a

great height in two arms; with a circular sweep of the most

charming effect … at the threshold of the door which; from the long

bright gallery; overlooked the immense lawn。  Three gentlemen; on

the grass; at a distance; sat under the great trees; while the

fourth figure showed a crimson dress that told as a 〃bit of colour〃

amid the fresh rich green。  The servant had so far accompanied Paul

Overt as to introduce him to this view; after asking him if he

wished first to go to his room。  The young man declined that

privilege; conscious of no disrepair from so short and easy a

journey and always liking to take at once a general perceptive

possession of a new scene。  He stood there a little with his eyes

on the group and on the admirable picture; the wide grounds of an

old country…house near London … that only made it better … on a

splendid Sunday in June。  〃But that lady; who's SHE?〃 he said to

the servant before the man left him。



〃I think she's Mrs。 St。 George; sir。〃



〃Mrs。 St。 George; the wife of the distinguished … 〃  Then Paul

Overt checked himself; doubting if a footman would know。



〃Yes; sir … probably; sir;〃 said his guide; who appeared to wish to

intimate that a person staying at Summersoft would naturally be; if

only by alliance; distinguished。  His tone; however; made poor

Overt himself feel for the moment scantly so。



〃And the gentlemen?〃 Overt went on。



〃Well; sir; one of them's General Fancourt。〃



〃Ah yes; I know; thank you。〃  General Fancourt was distinguished;

there was no doubt of that; for something he had done; or perhaps

even hadn't done … the young man couldn't remember which … some

years before in India。  The servant went away; leaving the glass

doors open into the gallery; and Paul Overt remained at the head of

the wide double staircase; saying to himself that the place was

sweet and promised a pleasant visit; while he leaned on the

balustrade of fine old ironwork which; like all the other details;

was of the same period as the house。  It all went together and

spoke in one voice … a rich English voice of the early part of the

eighteenth century。  It might have been church…time on a summer's

day in the reign of Queen Anne; the stillness was too perfect to be

modern; the nearness counted so as distance; and there was

something so fresh and sound in the originality of the large smooth

house; the expanse of beautiful brickwork that showed for pink

rather than red and that had been kept clear of messy creepers by

the law under which a woman with a rare complexion disdains a veil。

When Paul Overt became aware that the people under the trees had

noticed him he turned back through the open doors into the great

gallery which was the pride of the place。  It marched across from

end to end and seemed … with its bright colours; its high panelled

windows; its faded flowered chintzes; its quickly…recognised

portraits and pictures; the blue…and…white china of its cabinets

and the attenuated festoons and rosettes of its ceiling … a

cheerful upholstered avenue into the other century。



Our friend was slightly nervous; that went with his character as a

student of fine prose; went with the artist's general disposition

to vibrate; and there was a particular thrill in the idea that

Henry St。 George might be a member of the party。  For the young

aspirant he had remained a high literary figure; in spite of the

lower range of production to which he had fallen after his first

three great successes; the comparative absence of quality in his

later work。  There had been moments when Paul Overt almost shed

tears for this; but now that he was near him … he had never met him

… he was conscious only of the fine original source and of his own

immense debt。  After he had taken a turn or two up and down the

gallery he came out again and descended the steps。  He was but

slenderly supplied with a certain social boldness … it was really a

weakness in him … so that; conscious of a want of acquaintance with

the four persons in the distance; he gave way to motions

recommended by their not committing him to a positive approach。

There was a fine English awkwardness in this … he felt that too as

he sauntered vaguely and obliquely across the lawn; taking an

independent line。  Fortunately there was an equally fine English

directness in the way one of the gentlemen presently rose and made

as if to 〃stalk〃 him; though with an air of conciliation and

reassurance。  To this demonstration Paul Overt instantly responded;

even if the gentleman were not his host。  He was tall; straight and

elderly and had; like the great house itself; a pink smiling face;

and into the bargain a white moustache。  Our young man met him

halfway while he laughed and said:  〃Er … Lady Watermouth told us

you were coming; she asked me just to look after you。〃  Paul Overt

thanked him; liking him on the spot; and turned round with him to

walk toward the others。  〃They've all gone to church … all except

us;〃 the stranger continued as they went; 〃we're just sitting here

… it's so jolly。〃  Overt pronounced it jolly indeed:  it was such a

lovely place。  He mentioned that he was having the charming

impression for the first time。



〃Ah you've not been here before?〃 said his companion。  〃It's a nice

little place … not much to DO; you know〃。  Overt wondered what he

wanted to 〃do〃 … he felt that he himself was doing so much。  By the

time they came to where the others sat he had recognised his

initiator for a military man and … such was the turn of Overt's

imagination … had found him thus still more sympathetic。  He would

naturally have a need for action; for deeds at variance with the

pacific pastoral scene。  He was evidently so good…natured; however;

that he accepted the inglorious hour for what it was worth。  Paul

Overt shared it with him and with his companions for the next

twenty minutes; the latter looked at him and he looked at them

without knowing much who they were; while the talk went on without

much telling him even what it meant。  It seemed indeed to mean

nothing in particular; it wandered; with casual pointless pauses

and short terrestrial flights; amid names of persons and places …

names which; for our friend; had no great power of evocation。  It

was all sociable and slow; as was right and natural of a warm

Sunday morning。



His first attention was given to the question; privately

considered; of whether one of the two younger men would be Henry

St。 George。  He knew many of his distinguished contemporaries by

their photographs; but had never; as happened; seen a portrait of

the great misguided novelist。  One of the gentlemen was

unimaginable … he was too young; and the other scarcely looked

clever enough; with such mild undiscriminating eyes。  If those eyes

were St。 George's the problem; presented by the ill…matched parts

of his genius would be still more difficult of solution。  Besides;

the deportment of their proprietor was not; as regards the lady in

the red dress; such as could be natural; toward the wife of his

bosom; even to a writer accused by several critics of sacrificing

too much to manner。  Lastly Paul Overt had a vague sense that if

the gentleman with the expressionless eyes bore the name that had

set his heart beating faster (he also had contradictory

conventional whiskers … the young admirer of the celebrity had

never in a mental vision seen HIS face in so vulgar a frame) he

would have given him a sign of recognition or of friendliness;

would have heard of him a little; would know something about

〃Ginistrella;〃 would have an impression of how that fresh fiction

had caught the eye of real criticism。  Paul Overt had a dread of

being grossly proud; but even morbid modesty might view the

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