Chapter VIII

Marionetta observed the next day a remarkable perturbation in

Scythrop, for which she could not imagine any probable cause. She was

willing to believe at first that it had some transient and trifling

source, and would pass off in a day or two; but, contrary to this

expectation, it daily increased. She was well aware that Scythrop had

a strong tendency to the love of mystery, for its own sake; that is

to say, he would employ mystery to serve a purpose, but would first

choose his purpose by its capability of mystery. He seemed now to have

more mystery on his hands than the laws of the system allowed, and to

wear his coat of darkness with an air of great discomfort. All her

little playful arts lost by degrees much of their power either to

irritate or to soothe; and the first perception of her diminished

influence produced in her an immediate depression of spirits, and a

consequent sadness of demeanour, that rendered her very interesting to

Mr Glowry; who, duly considering the improbability of accomplishing

his wishes with respect to Miss Toobad (which improbability naturally

increased in the diurnal ratio of that young lady's absence), began

to reconcile himself by degrees to the idea of Marionetta being his

daughter.

Marionetta made many ineffectual attempts to extract from Scythrop the

secret of his mystery; and, in despair of drawing it from himself,

began to form hopes that she might find a clue to it from Mr Flosky,

who was Scythrop's dearest friend, and was more frequently than any

other person admitted to his solitary tower. Mr Flosky, however, had

ceased to be visible in a morning. He was engaged in the composition

of a dismal ballad; and, Marionetta's uneasiness overcoming her

scruples of decorum, she determined to seek him in the apartment which

he had chosen for his study. She tapped at the door, and at the sound

'Come in,' entered the apartment. It was noon, and the sun was shining

in full splendour, much to the annoyance of Mr Flosky, who had

obviated the inconvenience by closing the shutters, and drawing

the window-curtains. He was sitting at his table by the light of a

solitary candle, with a pen in one hand, and a muffineer in the other,

with which he occasionally sprinkled salt on the wick, to make it burn

blue. He sat with 'his eye in a fine frenzy rolling,' and turned his

inspired gaze on Marionetta as if she had been the ghastly ladie of

a magical vision; then placed his hand before his eyes, with an

appearance of manifest pain--shook his head--withdrew his hand--rubbed

his eyes, like a waking man--and said, in a tone of ruefulness most

jeremitaylorically pathetic, 'To what am I to attribute this very

unexpected pleasure, my dear Miss O'Carroll?'

MARIONETTA

I must apologise for intruding on you, Mr Flosky; but the interest

which I--you--take in my cousin Scythrop--

MR FLOSKY

Pardon me, Miss O'Carroll; I do not take any interest in any person or

thing on the face of the earth; which sentiment, if you analyse it,

you will find to be the quintessence of the most refined philanthropy.

MARIONETTA

I will take it for granted that it is so, Mr Flosky; I am not

conversant with metaphysical subtleties, but--

MR FLOSKY

Subtleties! my dear Miss O'Carroll. I am sorry to find you

participating in the vulgar error of the reading public, to whom

an unusual collocation of words, involving a juxtaposition of

antiperistatical ideas, immediately suggests the notion of

hyperoxysophistical paradoxology.

MARIONETTA

Indeed, Mr Flosky, it suggests no such notion to me. I have sought you

for the purpose of obtaining information.

MR FLOSKY (shaking his head)

No one ever sought me for such a purpose before.

MARIONETTA

I think, Mr Flosky--that is, I believe--that is, I fancy--that is, I

imagine--

MR FLOSKY

The [Greek: toytesti], the id est, the cioe, the c'est a dire,

the that is, my dear Miss O'Carroll, is not applicable in this

case--if you will permit me to take the liberty of saying so. Think

is not synonymous with believe--for belief, in many most important

particulars, results from the total absence, the absolute negation of

thought, and is thereby the sane and orthodox condition of mind; and

thought and belief are both essentially different from fancy, and

fancy, again, is distinct from imagination. This distinction between

fancy and imagination is one of the most abstruse and important points

of metaphysics. I have written seven hundred pages of promise to

elucidate it, which promise I shall keep as faithfully as the bank

will its promise to pay.

MARIONETTA

I assure you, Mr Flosky, I care no more about metaphysics than I do

about the bank; and, if you will condescend to talk to a simple girl

in intelligible terms--

MR FLOSKY

Say not condescend! Know you not that you talk to the most humble of

men, to one who has buckled on the armour of sanctity, and clothed

himself with humility as with a garment?

MARIONETTA

My cousin Scythrop has of late had an air of mystery about him, which

gives me great uneasiness.

MR FLOSKY

That is strange: nothing is so becoming to a man as an air of mystery.

Mystery is the very key-stone of all that is beautiful in poetry, all

that is sacred in faith, and all that is recondite in transcendental

psychology. I am writing a ballad which is all mystery; it is 'such

stuff as dreams are made of,' and is, indeed, stuff made of a dream;

for, last night I fell asleep as usual over my book, and had a vision

of pure reason. I composed five hundred lines in my sleep; so that,

having had a dream of a ballad, I am now officiating as my own Peter

Quince, and making a ballad of my dream, and it shall be called

Bottom's Dream, because it has no bottom.

MARIONETTA

I see, Mr Flosky, you think my intrusion unseasonable, and are

inclined to punish it, by talking nonsense to me. (Mr Flosky gave a

start at the word nonsense, which almost overturned the table.) I

assure you, I would not have intruded if I had not been very much

interested in the question I wish to ask you.--(Mr Flosky listened

in sullen dignity.)--My cousin Scythrop seems to have some secret

preying on his mind.--(Mr Flosky was silent.)--He seems very

unhappy--Mr Flosky.--Perhaps you are acquainted with the cause.--(Mr

Flosky was still silent.)--I only wish to know--Mr Flosky--if it is

any thing--that could be remedied by any thing--that any one--of whom

I know any thing--could do.

MR FLOSKY (after a pause)

There are various ways of getting at secrets. The most approved

methods, as recommended both theoretically and practically in

philosophical novels, are eavesdropping at key-holes, picking the

locks of chests and desks, peeping into letters, steaming wafers, and

insinuating hot wire under sealing wax; none of which methods I hold

it lawful to practise.

MARIONETTA

Surely, Mr Flosky, you cannot suspect me of wishing to adopt or

encourage such base and contemptible arts.

MR FLOSKY

Yet are they recommended, and with well-strung reasons, by writers of

gravity and note, as simple and easy methods of studying character,

and gratifying that laudable curiosity which aims at the knowledge of

man.

MARIONETTA

I am as ignorant of this morality which you do not approve, as of the

metaphysics which you do: I should be glad to know by your means, what

is the matter with my cousin; I do not like to see him unhappy, and I

suppose there is some reason for it.

MR FLOSKY

Now I should rather suppose there is no reason for it: it is the

fashion to be unhappy. To have a reason for being so would be

exceedingly common-place: to be so without any is the province of

genius: the art of being miserable for misery's sake, has been brought

to great perfection in our days; and the ancient Odyssey, which held

forth a shining example of the endurance of real misfortune, will

give place to a modern one, setting out a more instructive picture of

querulous impatience under imaginary evils.

MARIONETTA

Will you oblige me, Mr Flosky, by giving me a plain answer to a plain

question?

MR FLOSKY

It is impossible, my dear Miss O'Carroll. I never gave a plain answer

to a question in my life.

MARIONETTA

Do you, or do you not, know what is the matter with my cousin?

MR FLOSKY

To say that I do not know, would be to say that I am ignorant of

something; and God forbid, that a transcendental metaphysician, who

has pure anticipated cognitions of every thing, and carries the whole

science of geometry in his head without ever having looked into

Euclid, should fall into so empirical an error as to declare himself

ignorant of any thing: to say that I do know, would be to pretend to

positive and circumstantial knowledge touching present matter of fact,

which, when you consider the nature of evidence, and the various

lights in which the same thing may be seen--

MARIONETTA

I see, Mr Flosky, that either you have no information, or are

determined not to impart it; and I beg your pardon for having given

you this unnecessary trouble.

MR FLOSKY

My dear Miss O'Carroll, it would have given me great pleasure to have

said any thing that would have given you pleasure; but if any person

living could make report of having obtained any information on any

subject from Ferdinando Flosky, my transcendental reputation would be

ruined for ever.

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