But to a man, like the Arab, such beauty
was only a flower, casually plucked, and carelessly thrown away.
Whatever pleasures he might find among them, they were not those of
friendship or society. When they were playing about him, he looked on
them with inattentive superiority: when they vied for his regard, he
sometimes turned away disgusted. As they had no knowledge, their talk
could take nothing from the tediousness of life; as they had no choice,
their fondness, or appearance of fondness, excited in him neither pride
nor gratitude; he was not exalted in his own esteem by the smiles of a
woman, who saw no other man, nor was much obliged by that regard, of
which he could never know the sincerity, and which he might often
perceive to be exerted, not so much to delight him, as to pain a rival.
That which he gave, and they received, as love, was only a careless
distribution of superfluous time, such love as man can bestow upon that
which he despises, such as has neither hope nor fear, neither joy nor
sorrow."
"You have reason, lady, to think yourself happy," said Imlac, "that you
have been thus easily dismissed. How could a mind, hungry for knowledge,
be willing, in an intellectual famine, to lose such a banquet as
Pekuah's conversation?"
"I am inclined to believe," answered Pekuah, "that he was, for sometime,
in suspense; for, notwithstanding his promise, whenever I proposed to
despatch a messenger to Cairo, he found some excuse for delay.
Pages:
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470