340
PARTISAN REVIEW
a limited person who came to parties only to drink. But Delia was not
acquainted with this fact. At other and less decorous parties Horatio
Lapin. had often been accosted by young women of some beauty. He
had looked at the young lady, scrutinized his drink, and then in–
variably decided to have another drink. It was less trouble.
Oliver knew that Delia might soon begin to behave amorously
and conspicuously. He decided to do nothing, however.
~'Let
her have a good time," he said to himself warmly.
His eyes fell on the bookshelves and he saw a copy of
Axel's
Castle
by Edmund Wilson. He drew down the book, brushed through
the pages, and his eye and heart were caught by the following pass–
age, which he arose and recited as if it were blank verse:
It is at the death of Bergotte that Proust's narrator, in what is
perhaps the noblest passage of the book, affirms the reality of those
obligations, culminating in the obligation of the writer to do his
work as it ought to be done, which seem to derive from 'some
other world,' 'based .on goodness, scrupulousness, sacrifice,' so lit–
tle sanction can we recognize them as having in the uncertain and
selfish world of humanity- those 'laws which we have obeyed
because we have carried their precepts within us without know–
ing who inscribed them there- those laws to which we are
brought by every profound exercise of the intelligence, and
which are invisible- and are they really?- to fools'."
Oliver dropped his exalted tone of voice. He was in all truth
devoted very much to the sentiments he had quoted, but he did not
think that many others felt like that. Hence, after some hesitation, he
made a remark which was intended to diminish or discount his alle–
giance to Proust's words:
"These noble sentiments," he said in a tone of unpleasant clever–
ness, "would be more becoming, if Proust had not been homosexual,
dishonest, insincere, a snob, a literary politician, and a pet Jew".
Although some had been oppressed by the rapture with which
Oliver recited the passage, all were offended by his facile cynicism
and attack on Proust.
"He is the last one to cast the first stone," said Arthur to himself,
"especially after writing that review."
"His overworked conscience," said Shenandoah to himself, "has
just enjoyed some relief by spitting itself in the face."
In the other room, Grant Landis continue to devote himself to
the making of phone calls which might help the lot of the jailed
labor leaders.
