There is
about it none of the elevation that accompanies tragedy; there is
about it no nemesis, no destiny. Here were two noble people--for I
am convinced that both Edward and Leonora had noble
natures--here, then, were two noble natures, drifting down life, like
fireships afloat on a lagoon and causing miseries, heart-aches,
agony of the mind and death. And they themselves steadily
deteriorated. And why? For what purpose? To point what lesson?
It is all a darkness.
There is not even any villain in the story--for even Major Basil, the
husband of the lady who next, and really, comforted the
unfortunate Edward --even Major Basil was not a villain in this
piece. He was a slack, loose, shiftless sort of fellow--but he did
not do anything to Edward. Whilst they were in the same station
in Burma he borrowed a good deal of money--though, really, since
Major Basil had no particular vices, it was difficult to know why
he wanted it. He collected--different types of horses' bits from the
earliest times to the present day--but, since he did not prosecute
even this occupation with any vigour, he cannot have needed
much money for the acquirement, say, of the bit of Genghis
Khan's charger--if Genghis Khan had a charger.
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