SowasI。
Sheslippedonehandfree,andwasstrokingmyhairwithitinagentlemotherlyway。Ibowedmyhotheadonhershoulderandfeltadimsenseofpeace,arestfulnesswhichwasverypleasant。
"Youmusttakemetheresomeday,darling,"shewassaying。
"ItisnotonlythatIloveyousomuch,Iwanttoseeyourcountry——yourpeople——yourmother——"shepausedreverently。
"Oh,howIshallloveyourmother!"
Ihadnotbeeninlovemanytimes——myexperiencedidnotcomparewithTerry’s。ButsuchasIhadwassodifferentfromthisthatIwasperplexed,andfullofmixedfeelings:partlyagrowingsenseofcommongroundbetweenus,apleasantrestedcalmfeeling,whichIhadimaginedcouldonlybeattainedinoneway;andpartlyabewilderedresentmentbecausewhatIfoundwasnotwhatIhadlookedfor。
Itwastheirconfoundedpsychology!Heretheywerewiththisprofoundhighlydevelopedsystemofeducationsobredintothemthateveniftheywerenotteachersbyprofessiontheyallhadageneralproficiencyinit——itwassecondnaturetothem。
Andnochild,stormilydemandingacookie"betweenmeals,"
wasevermoresubtlydivertedintoaninterestinhouse—buildingthanwasIwhenIfoundanapparentlyimperativedemandhaddisappearedwithoutmynoticingit。
Andallthetimethosetendermothereyes,thosekeenscientificeyes,notingeveryconditionandcircumstance,andlearninghowto"taketimebytheforelock"andavoiddiscussionbeforeoccasionarose。
Iwasamazedattheresults。Ifoundthatmuch,verymuch,ofwhatIhadhonestlysupposedtobeaphysiologicalnecessitywasapsychologicalnecessity——orsobelieved。Ifound,aftermyideasofwhatwasessentialhadchanged,thatmyfeelingschangedalso。
Andmorethanall,Ifoundthis——afactorofenormousweight——thesewomenwerenotprovocative。Thatmadeanimmensedifference。
ThethingthatTerryhadsocomplainedofwhenwefirstcame——thattheyweren’t"feminine,"theylacked"charm,"nowbecameagreatcomfort。Theirvigorousbeautywasanaestheticpleasure,notanirritant。Theirdressandornamentshadnotatouchofthe"come—and—find—me"element。
EvenwithmyownEllador,mywife,whohadforatimeunveiledawoman’sheartandfacedthestrangenewhopeandjoyofdualparentage,sheafterwardwithdrewagainintothesamegoodcomradeshehadbeenatfirst。Theywerewomen,PLUS,andsomuchplusthatwhentheydidnotchoosetoletthewomannessappear,youcouldnotfinditanywhere。
Idon’tsayitwaseasyforme;itwasn’t。ButwhenImadeappealtohersympathiesIcameupagainstanotherimmovablewall。
Shewassorry,honestlysorry,formydistresses,andmadeallmannerofthoughtfulsuggestions,oftenquiteuseful,aswellasthewiseforesightIhavementionedabove,whichoftensavedalldifficultybeforeitarose;buthersympathydidnotalterherconvictions。
"IfIthoughtitwasreallyrightandnecessary,Icouldperhapsbringmyselftoit,foryoursake,dear;butIdonotwantto——notatall。Youwouldnothaveameresubmission,wouldyou?
Thatisnotthekindofhighromanticloveyouspokeof,surely?
Itisapity,ofcourse,thatyoushouldhavetoadjustyourhighlyspecializedfacultiestoourunspecializedones。"
Confoundit!Ihadn’tmarriedthenation,andItoldherso。
Butsheonlysmiledatherownlimitationsandexplainedthatshehadto"thinkinwe’s。"
Confounditagain!HereI’dhaveallmyenergiesfocusedononewish,andbeforeIknewitshe’dhavethemdissipatedinonedirectionoranother,somesubjectofdiscussionthatbeganjustatthepointIwastalkingaboutandendedmilesaway。
ItmustnotbeimaginedthatIwasjustrepelled,ignored,lefttocherishagrievance。Notatall。Myhappinesswasinthehandsofalarger,sweeterwomanhoodthanIhadeverimagined。Beforeourmarriagemyownardorhadperhapsblindedmetomuchofthis。
IwasmadlyinlovewithnotsomuchwhatwasthereaswithwhatIsupposedtobethere。NowIfoundanendlesslybeautifulundiscoveredcountrytoexplore,andinitthesweetestwisdomandunderstanding。ItwasasifIhadcometosomenewplaceandpeople,withadesiretoeatatallhours,andnootherinterestsinparticular;andasifmyhosts,insteadofmerelysaying,"Youshallnoteat,"hadpresentlyarousedinmealivelydesireformusic,forpictures,forgames,forexercise,forplayinginthewater,forrunningsomeingeniousmachine;and,inthemultitudeofmysatisfactions,Iforgottheonepointwhichwasnotsatisfied,andgotalongverywelluntilmealtime。
Oneofthecleverestandmostingeniousofthesetrickswasonlycleartomemanyyearsafter,whenweweresowhollyatoneonthissubjectthatIcouldlaughatmyownpredicamentthen。
Itwasthis:Yousee,withus,womenarekeptasdifferentaspossibleandasfeminineaspossible。Wemenhaveourownworld,withonlymeninit;wegettiredofourultra—malenessandturngladlytotheultra—femaleness。Also,inkeepingourwomenasfeminineaspossible,weseetoitthatwhenweturntothemwefindthethingwewantalwaysinevidence。Well,theatmosphereofthisplacewasanythingbutseductive。Theverynumbersofthesehumanwomen,alwaysinhumanrelation,madethemanythingbutalluring。When,inspiteofthis,myhereditaryinstinctsandrace—traditionsmademelongforthefeminineresponseinEllador,insteadofwithdrawingsothatIshouldwanthermore,shedeliberatelygavemealittletoomuchofhersociety。
——alwaysde—feminized,asitwere。Itwasawfullyfunny,really。
HerewasI,withanIdealinmind,forwhichIhotlylonged,andherewasshe,deliberatelyobtrudingintheforegroundofmyconsciousnessaFact——afactwhichIcoollyenjoyed,butwhichactuallyinterferedwithwhatIwanted。Iseenowclearlyenoughwhyacertainkindofman,likeSirAlmrothWright,resentstheprofessionaldevelopmentofwomen。Itgetsinthewayofthesexideal;ittemporarilycoversandexcludesfemininity。
Ofcourse,inthiscase,IwassofondofElladormyfriend,ofElladormyprofessionalcompanion,thatInecessarilyenjoyedhersocietyonanyterms。Only——whenIhadhadherwithmeinherde—femininecapacityforasixteen—hourday,Icouldgotomyownroomandsleepwithoutdreamingabouther。
Thewitch!Ifeveranybodyworkedtowooandwinandholdahumansoul,shedid,greatsuperwomanthatshewas。Icouldn’tthenhalfcomprehendtheskillofit,thewonder。ButthisIsoonbegantofind:thatunderallourcultivatedattitudeofmindtowardwomen,thereisanolder,deeper,more"natural"feeling,therestfulreverencewhichlooksuptotheMothersex。
Sowegrewtogetherinfriendshipandhappiness,ElladorandI,andsodidJeffandCelis。
WhenitcomestoTerry’spartofit,andAlima’s,I’msorry——
andI’mashamed。OfcourseIblamehersomewhat。Shewasn’tasfineapsychologistasEllador,andwhat’smore,Ithinkshehadafar—descendedatavistictraceofmoremarkedfemaleness,neverapparenttillTerrycalleditout。Butwhenallissaid,itdoesn’texcusehim。Ihadn’trealizedtothefullTerry’scharacter——Icouldn’t,beingaman。
Thepositionwasthesameaswithus,ofcourse,onlywiththesedistinctions。Alima,ashademorealluring,andseveralshadeslessableasapracticalpsychologist;Terry,ahundredfoldmoredemanding——andproportionatelylessreasonable。
Thingsgrewstrainedverysoonbetweenthem。Ifancyatfirst,whentheyweretogether,inhergreathopeofparentageandhiskeenjoyofconquest——thatTerrywasinconsiderate。Infact,Iknowit,fromthingshesaid。
"Youneedn’ttalktome,"hesnappedatJeffoneday,justbeforeourweddings。"ThereneverwasawomanyetthatdidnotenjoybeingMASTERED。Allyourprettytalkdoesn’tamounttoahillo’beans——IKNOW。"AndTerrywouldhum:
I’vetakenmyfunwhereIfoundit。
I’veroguedandI’verangedinmytime,andThethingsthatIlearnedfromtheyellowandblack,They’avehelpedmea’eapwiththewhite。
Jeffturnedsharplyandlefthimatthetime。Iwasabitdisquietedmyself。
PooroldTerry!Thethingshe’dlearneddidn’thelphimaheapinHerland。Hisideawastotake——hethoughtthatwastheway。
Hethought,hehonestlybelieved,thatwomenlikeit。NotthewomenofHerland!NotAlima!
Icanseehernow——onedayintheveryfirstweekoftheirmarriage,settingforthtoherday’sworkwithlongdeterminedstridesandhard—setmouth,andstickingclosetoEllador。
Shedidn’twishtobealonewithTerry——youcouldseethat。
Butthemoreshekeptawayfromhim,themorehewantedher——naturally。
Hemadeatremendousrowabouttheirseparateestablishments,triedtokeepherinhisrooms,triedtostayinhers。Butthereshedrewthelinesharply。
Hecameawayonenight,andstampedupanddownthemoonlitroad,swearingunderhisbreath。Iwastakingawalkthatnighttoo,butIwasn’tinhisstateofmind。Tohearhimrageyou’dnothavebelievedthathelovedAlimaatall——you’dhavethoughtthatshewassomequarryhewaspursuing,somethingtocatchandconquer。
Ithinkthat,owingtoallthosedifferencesIspokeof,theysoonlostthecommongroundtheyhadatfirst,andwereunabletomeetsanelyanddispassionately。Ifancytoo——thisispureconjecture——thathehadsucceededindrivingAlimabeyondherbestjudgment,herrealconscience,andthatafterthatherownsenseofshame,thereactionofthething,madeherbitterperhaps。
Theyquarreled,reallyquarreled,andaftermakingituponceortwice,theyseemedtocometoarealbreak——shewouldnotbealonewithhimatall。Andperhapsshewasabitnervous,Idon’tknow,butshegotMoadinetocomeandstaynextdoortoher。Also,shehadasturdyassistantdetailedtoaccompanyherinherwork。
Terryhadhisownideas,asI’vetriedtoshow。Idaresayhethoughthehadarighttodoashedid。Perhapsheevenconvincedhimselfthatitwouldbebetterforher。Anyhow,hehidhimselfinherbedroomonenight……
ThewomenofHerlandhavenofearofmen。Whyshouldtheyhave?Theyarenottimidinanysense。Theyarenotweak;
andtheyallhavestrongtrainedathleticbodies。OthellocouldnothaveextinguishedAlimawithapillow,asifshewereamouse。
Terryputinpracticehispetconvictionthatawomanlovestobemastered,andbysheerbruteforce,inalltheprideandpassionofhisintensemasculinity,hetriedtomasterthiswoman。
Itdidnotwork。IgotaprettyclearaccountofitlaterfromEllador,butwhatweheardatthetimewasthenoiseofatremendousstruggle,andAlimacallingtoMoadine。Moadinewasclosebyandcameatonce;oneortwomorestronggravewomenfollowed。
Terrydashedaboutlikeamadman;hewouldcheerfullyhavekilledthem——hetoldmethat,himself——buthecouldn’t。Whenheswungachairoverhisheadonesprangintheairandcaughtit,twothrewthemselvesbodilyuponhimandforcedhimtothefloor;
itwasonlytheworkofafewmomentstohavehimtiedhandandfoot,andthen,insheerpityforhisfutilerage,toanesthetizehim。
Alimawasinacoldfury。Shewantedhimkilled——actually。
TherewasatrialbeforethelocalOverMother,andthiswoman,whodidnotenjoybeingmastered,statedhercase。
Inacourtinourcountryhewouldhavebeenheldquite"withinhisrights,"ofcourse。Butthiswasnotourcountry;itwastheirs。Theyseemedtomeasuretheenormityoftheoffensebyitseffectuponapossiblefatherhood,andhescornedeventoreplytothiswayofputtingit。
Hedidlethimselfgoonce,andexplainedindefinitetermsthattheywereincapableofunderstandingaman’sneeds,aman’sdesires,aman’spointofview。Hecalledthemneuters,epicenes,bloodless,sexlesscreatures。Hesaidtheycouldofcoursekillhim——assomanyinsectscould——butthathedespisedthemnonetheless。
Andallthosesterngravemothersdidnotseemtomindhisdespisingthem,notintheleast。
Itwasalongtrial,andmanyinterestingpointswerebroughtoutastotheirviewsofourhabits,andafterawhileTerryhadhissentence。Hewaited,grimanddefiant。Thesentencewas:
"Youmustgohome!"
CHAPTER12
ExpelledWehadallmeanttogohomeagain。IndeedwehadNOTmeant——notbyanymeans——tostayaslongaswehad。Butwhenitcametobeingturnedout,dismissed,sentawayforbadconduct,wenoneofusreallylikedit。
Terrysaidhedid。Heprofessedgreatscornofthepenaltyandthetrial,aswellasalltheothercharacteristicsof"thismiserablehalf—country。"Butheknew,andweknew,thatinany"whole"
countryweshouldneverhavebeenasforgivinglytreatedaswehadbeenhere。
"Ifthepeoplehadcomeafterusaccordingtothedirectionsweleft,there’dhavebeenquiteadifferentstory!"saidTerry。
Wefoundoutlaterwhynoreservepartyhadarrived。Allourcarefuldirectionshadbeendestroyedinafire。Wemighthavealldiedthereandnooneathomehaveeverknownourwhereabouts。
Terrywasunderguardnow,allthetime,knownasunsafe,convictedofwhatwastothemanunpardonablesin。
Helaughedattheirchillhorror。"Parcelofoldmaids!"hecalledthem。"They’realloldmaids——childrenornot。Theydon’tknowthefirstthingaboutSex。"
WhenTerrysaidSEX,sexwithaverylarge_S_,hemeantthemalesex,naturally;itsspecialvalues,itsprofoundconvictionofbeing"thelifeforce,"itscheerfulignoringofthetruelifeprocess,anditsinterpretationoftheothersexsolelyfromitsownpointofview。
IhadlearnedtoseethesethingsverydifferentlysincelivingwithEllador;andasforJeff,hewassothoroughlyHerlandizedthathewasn’tfairtoTerry,whofrettedsharplyinhisnewrestraint。
Moadine,graveandstrong,assadlypatientasamotherwithadegeneratechild,keptsteadywatchonhim,withenoughotherwomencloseathandtopreventanoutbreak。Hehadnoweapons,andwellknewthatallhisstrengthwasofsmallavailagainstthosegrim,quietwomen。
Wewereallowedtovisithimfreely,buthehadonlyhisroom,andasmallhigh—walledgardentowalkin,whilethepreparationsforourdeparturewereunderway。
Threeofusweretogo:Terry,becausehemust;I,becausetwoweresaferforourflyer,andthelongboattriptothecoast;
Ellador,becauseshewouldnotletmegowithouther。
IfJeffhadelectedtoreturn,Celiswouldhavegonetoo——theywerethemostabsorbedoflovers;butJeffhadnodesirethatway。
"WhyshouldIwanttogobacktoallournoiseanddirt,ourviceandcrime,ourdiseaseanddegeneracy?"hedemandedofmeprivately。Weneverspokelikethatbeforethewomen。
"Iwouldn’ttakeCelisthereforanythingonearth!"heprotested。
"She’ddie!She’ddieofhorrorandshametoseeourslumsandhospitals。HowcanyouriskitwithEllador?You’dbetterbreakittohergentlybeforeshereallymakesuphermind。"
Jeffwasright。IoughttohavetoldhermorefullythanIdid,ofallthethingswehadtobeashamedof。Butitisveryhardtobridgethegulfofasdeepadifferenceasexistedbetweenourlifeandtheirs。Itriedto。
"Lookhere,mydear,"Isaidtoher。"Ifyouarereallygoingtomycountrywithme,you’vegottobepreparedforagoodmanyshocks。It’snotasbeautifulasthis——thecities,Imean,thecivilizedparts——ofcoursethewildcountryis。"
"Ishallenjoyitall,"shesaid,hereyesstarrywithhope。
"Iunderstandit’snotlikeours。Icanseehowmonotonousourquietlifemustseemtoyou,howmuchmorestirringyoursmustbe。
Itmustbelikethebiologicalchangeyoutoldmeaboutwhenthesecondsexwasintroduced——afargreatermovement,constantchange,withnewpossibilitiesofgrowth。"
Ihadtoldherofthelaterbiologicaltheoriesofsex,andshewasdeeplyconvincedofthesuperioradvantagesofhavingtwo,thesuperiorityofaworldwithmeninit。
"Wehavedonewhatwecouldalone;perhapswehavesomethingsbetterinaquietway,butyouhavethewholeworld——allthepeopleofthedifferentnations——allthelongrichhistorybehindyou——allthewonderfulnewknowledge。Oh,Ijustcan’twaittoseeit!"
WhatcouldIdo?Itoldherinsomanywordsthatwehadourunsolvedproblems,thatwehaddishonestyandcorruption,viceandcrime,diseaseandinsanity,prisonsandhospitals;anditmadenomoreimpressiononherthanitwouldtotellaSouthSeaIslanderaboutthetemperatureoftheArcticCircle。Shecouldintellectuallyseethatitwasbadtohavethosethings;butshecouldnotFEELit。
WehadquiteeasilycometoaccepttheHerlandlifeasnormal,becauseitwasnormal——noneofusmakeanyoutcryovermerehealthandpeaceandhappyindustry。Andtheabnormal,towhichweareallsosadlywellacclimated,shehadneverseen。
Thetwothingsshecaredmosttohearabout,andwantedmosttosee,werethese:thebeautifulrelationofmarriageandthelovelywomenwhoweremothersandnothingelse;beyondtheseherkeen,activemindhungeredeagerlyfortheworldlife。
"I’malmostasanxioustogoasyouareyourself,"sheinsisted,"andyoumustbedesperatelyhomesick。"
Iassuredherthatnoonecouldbehomesickinsuchaparadiseastheirs,butshewouldhavenoneofit。
"Oh,yes——Iknow。It’slikethoselittletropicalislandsyou’vetoldmeabout,shininglikejewelsinthebigbluesea——Ican’twaittoseethesea!Thelittleislandmaybeasperfectasagarden,butyoualwayswanttogetbacktoyourownbigcountry,don’tyou?
Evenifitisbadinsomeways?"
Elladorwasmorethanwilling。Buttheneareritcametoourreallygoing,andtomyhavingtotakeherbacktoour"civilization,"
afterthecleanpeaceandbeautyoftheirs,themoreIbegantodreadit,andthemoreItriedtoexplain。
OfcourseIhadbeenhomesickatfirst,whilewewereprisoners,beforeIhadEllador。AndofcourseIhad,atfirst,ratheridealizedmycountryanditsways,indescribingit。Also,Ihadalwaysacceptedcertainevilsasintegralpartsofourcivilizationandneverdweltonthematall。EvenwhenItriedtotellhertheworst,Ineverrememberedsomethings——which,whenshecametoseethem,impressedheratonce,astheyhadneverimpressedme。
Now,inmyeffortsatexplanation,IbegantoseebothwaysmorekeenlythanIhadbefore;toseethepainfuldefectsofmyownland,themarvelousgainsofthis。
Inmissingmenwethreevisitorshadnaturallymissedthelargerpartoflife,andhadunconsciouslyassumedthattheymustmissittoo。Ittookmealongtimetorealize——Terryneverdidrealize——howlittleitmeanttothem。WhenwesayMEN,MAN,MANLY,MANHOOD,andalltheothermasculinederivatives,wehaveinthebackgroundofourmindsahugevaguecrowdedpictureoftheworldandallitsactivities。Togrowupand"beaman,"
to"actlikeaman"——themeaningandconnotationiswideindeed。
Thatvastbackgroundisfullofmarchingcolumnsofmen,ofchanginglinesofmen,oflongprocessionsofmen;ofmensteeringtheirshipsintonewseas,exploringunknownmountains,breakinghorses,herdingcattle,ploughingandsowingandreaping,toilingattheforgeandfurnace,digginginthemine,buildingroadsandbridgesandhighcathedrals,managinggreatbusinesses,teachinginallthecolleges,preachinginallthechurches;
ofmeneverywhere,doingeverything——"theworld。"
AndwhenwesayWOMEN,wethinkFEMALE——thesex。
Buttothesewomen,intheunbrokensweepofthistwo—
thousand—year—oldfemininecivilization,thewordWOMANcalledupallthatbigbackground,sofarastheyhadgoneinsocialdevelopment;andthewordMANmeanttothemonlyMALE——thesex。
OfcoursewecouldTELLthemthatinourworldmendideverything;butthatdidnotalterthebackgroundoftheirminds。
Thatman,"themale,"didallthesethingswastothemastatement,makingnomorechangeinthepointofviewthanwasmadeinourswhenwefirstfacedtheastoundingfact——tous——thatinHerlandwomenwere"theworld。"
Wehadbeenlivingtheremorethanayear。Wehadlearnedtheirlimitedhistory,withitsstraight,smooth,upreachinglines,reachinghigherandgoingfasteruptothesmoothcomfortoftheirpresentlife。Wehadlearnedalittleoftheirpsychology,amuchwiderfieldthanthehistory,butherewecouldnotfollowsoreadily。Wewerenowwellusedtoseeingwomennotasfemalesbutaspeople;peopleofallsorts,doingeverykindofwork。
ThisoutbreakofTerry’s,andthestrongreactionagainstit,gaveusanewlightontheirgenuinefemininity。ThiswasgivenmewithgreatclearnessbybothElladorandSomel。Thefeelingwasthesame——sickrevulsionandhorror,suchaswouldbefeltatsomeclimacticblasphemy。
Theyhadnofaintestapproachtosuchathingintheirminds,knowingnothingofthecustomofmaritalindulgenceamongus。
Tothemtheonehighpurposeofmotherhoodhadbeenforsolongthegoverninglawoflife,andthecontributionofthefather,thoughknowntothem,sodistinctlyanothermethodtothesameend,thattheycouldnot,withalltheireffort,getthepointofviewofthemalecreaturewhosedesiresquiteignoreparentageandseekonlyforwhatweeuphoniouslyterm"thejoysoflove。"
WhenItriedtotellElladorthatwomentoofeltso,withus,shedrewawayfromme,andtriedhardtograspintellectuallywhatshecouldinnowaysympathizewith。
"Youmean——thatwithyou——lovebetweenmanandwomanexpressesitselfinthatway——withoutregardtomotherhood?
Toparentage,Imean,"sheaddedcarefully。
"Yes,surely。Itislovewethinkof——thedeepsweetlovebetweentwo。Ofcoursewewantchildren,andchildrencome——
butthatisnotwhatwethinkabout。"
"But——but——itseemssoagainstnature!"shesaid。"Noneofthecreaturesweknowdothat。Dootheranimals——inyourcountry?"
"Wearenotanimals!"Irepliedwithsomesharpness。
"Atleastwearesomethingmore——somethinghigher。Thisisafarnoblerandmorebeautifulrelation,asIhaveexplainedbefore。
Yourviewseemstousrather——shallIsay,practical?Prosaic?
Merelyameanstoanend!Withus——oh,mydeargirl——cannotyousee?Cannotyoufeel?Itisthelast,sweetest,highestconsummationofmutuallove。"
Shewasimpressedvisibly。Shetrembledinmyarms,asIheldherclose,kissingherhungrily。ButthereroseinhereyesthatlookIknewsowell,thatremoteclearlookasifshehadgonefarawayeventhoughIheldherbeautifulbodysoclose,andwasnowonsomesnowymountainregardingmefromadistance。
"Ifeelitquiteclearly,"shesaidtome。"Itgivesmeadeepsympathywithwhatyoufeel,nodoubtmorestronglystill。ButwhatIfeel,evenwhatyoufeel,dearest,doesnotconvincemethatitisright。UntilIamsureofthat,ofcourseIcannotdoasyouwish。"
Ellador,attimeslikethis,alwaysremindedmeofEpictetus。
"Iwillputyouinprison!"saidhismaster。"Mybody,youmean,"
repliedEpictetuscalmly。"Iwillcutyourheadoff,"saidhismaster。"HaveIsaidthatmyheadcouldnotbecutoff?"A
difficultperson,Epictetus。
Whatisthismiraclebywhichawoman,eveninyourarms,maywithdrawherself,utterlydisappeartillwhatyouholdisasinaccessibleasthefaceofacliff?
"Bepatientwithme,dear,"sheurgedsweetly。"Iknowitishardforyou。AndIbegintosee——alittle——howTerrywassodriventocrime。"
"Oh,come,that’saprettyhardwordforit。Afterall,Alimawashiswife,youknow,"Iurged,feelingatthemomentasuddenburstofsympathyforpoorTerry。Foramanofhistemperament——andhabits——itmusthavebeenanunbearablesituation。
ButEllador,forallherwideintellectualgrasp,andthebroadsympathyinwhichtheirreligiontrainedthem,couldnotmakeallowanceforsuch——toher——sacrilegiousbrutality。
Itwasthemoredifficulttoexplaintoher,becausewethree,inourconstanttalksandlecturesabouttherestoftheworld,hadnaturallyavoidedtheseamyside;notsomuchfromadesiretodeceive,butfromwishingtoputthebestfootforemostforourcivilization,inthefaceofthebeautyandcomfortoftheirs。Also,wereallythoughtsomethingswereright,oratleastunavoidable,whichwecouldreadilyseewouldberepugnanttothem,andthereforedidnotdiscuss。Againtherewasmuchofourworld’slifewhichwe,beingusedtoit,hadnotnoticedasanythingworthdescribing。Andstillfurther,therewasaboutthesewomenacolossalinnocenceuponwhichmanyofthethingswedidsayhadmadenoimpressionwhatever。
IamthusexplicitaboutitbecauseitshowshowunexpectedlystrongwastheimpressionmadeuponElladorwhensheatlastenteredourcivilization。
Sheurgedmetobepatient,andIwaspatient。Yousee,Ilovedhersomuchthateventherestrictionsshesofirmlyestablishedleftmemuchhappiness。Wewerelovers,andthereissurelydelightenoughinthat。
Donotimaginethattheseyoungwomenutterlyrefused"theGreatNewHope,"astheycalledit,thatofdualparentage。Forthattheyhadagreedtomarryus,thoughthemarryingpartofitwasaconcessiontoourprejudicesratherthantheirs。Tothemtheprocesswastheholything——andtheymeanttokeepitholy。
ButsofaronlyCelis,herblueeyesswimminginhappytears,herheartliftedwiththattideofrace—motherhoodwhichwastheirsupremepassion,couldwithineffablejoyandprideannouncethatshewastobeamother。"TheNewMotherhood"theycalledit,andthewholecountryknew。Therewasnopleasure,noservice,nohonorinallthelandthatCelismightnothavehad。Almostlikethebreathlessreverencewithwhich,twothousandyearsago,thatdwindlingbandofwomenhadwatchedthemiracleofvirginbirth,wasthedeepaweandwarmexpectancywithwhichtheygreetedthisnewmiracleofunion。
Allmothersinthatlandwereholy。Tothem,forlongages,theapproachtomotherhoodhasbeenbythemostintenseandexquisiteloveandlonging,bytheSupremeDesire,theovermasteringdemandforachild。Everythoughttheyheldinconnectionwiththeprocessesofmaternitywasopentotheday,simpleyetsacred。Everywomanofthemplacedmotherhoodnotonlyhigherthanotherduties,butsofarhigherthattherewerenootherduties,onemightalmostsay。
Alltheirwidemutuallove,allthesubtleinterplayofmutualfriendshipandservice,theurgeofprogressivethoughtandinvention,thedeepestreligiousemotion,everyfeelingandeveryactwasrelatedtothisgreatcentralPower,totheRiverofLifepouringthroughthem,whichmadethemthebearersoftheverySpiritofGod。
OfallthisIlearnedmoreandmore——fromtheirbooks,fromtalk,especiallyfromEllador。Shewasatfirst,forabriefmoment,enviousofherfriend——athoughtsheputawayfromheratonceandforever。
"Itisbetter,"shesaidtome。"Itismuchbetterthatithasnotcometomeyet——tous,thatis。ForifIamtogowithyoutoyourcountry,wemayhave`adventuresbyseaandland,’asyousay[andasintruthwedid],anditmightnotbeatallsafeforababy。
Sowewon’ttryagain,dear,tillitissafe——willwe?"
Thiswasahardsayingforaverylovinghusband。
"Unless,"shewenton,"ifoneiscoming,youwillleavemebehind。
Youcancomeback,youknow——andIshallhavethechild。"
Thenthatdeepancientchillofmalejealousyofevenhisownprogenytouchedmyheart。
"I’dratherhaveyou,Ellador,thanallthechildrenintheworld。
I’dratherhaveyouwithme——onyourownterms——thannottohaveyou。"
Thiswasaverystupidsaying。OfcourseIwould!Forifshewasn’tthereIshouldwantallofherandhavenoneofher。Butifshewentalongasasortofsublimatedsister——onlymuchcloserandwarmerthanthat,really——whyIshouldhaveallofherbutthatonething。AndIwasbeginningtofindthatEllador’sfriendship,Ellador’scomradeship,Ellador’ssisterlyaffection,Ellador’sperfectlysincerelove——nonethelessdeepthatshehelditbackonadefinitelineofreserve——wereenoughtoliveonveryhappily。
Ifinditquitebeyondmetodescribewhatthiswomanwastome。Wetalkfinethingsaboutwomen,butinourheartsweknowthattheyareverylimitedbeings——mostofthem。
Wehonorthemfortheirfunctionalpowers,evenwhilewedishonorthembyouruseofit;wehonorthemfortheircarefullyenforcedvirtue,evenwhileweshowbyourownconducthowlittlewethinkofthatvirtue;wevaluethem,sincerely,forthepervertedmaternalactivitieswhichmakeourwivesthemostcomfortableofservants,boundtousforlifewiththewageswhollyatourowndecision,theirwholebusiness,outsideofthetemporarydutiesofsuchmotherhoodastheymayachieve,tomeetourneedsineveryway。Oh,wevaluethem,allright,"intheirplace,"
whichplaceisthehome,wheretheyperformthatmixtureofdutiessoablydescribedbyMrs。JosephineDodgeDaskamBacon,inwhichtheservicesof"amistress"arecarefullyspecified。
Sheisaveryclearwriter,Mrs。J。D。D。Bacon,andunderstandshersubject——fromherownpointofview。But——thatcombinationofindustries,whileconvenient,andinawayeconomical,doesnotarousethekindofemotioncommandedbythewomenofHerland。
Thesewerewomenonehadtolove"up,"veryhighup,insteadofdown。
Theywerenotpets。Theywerenotservants。Theywerenottimid,inexperienced,weak。
AfterIgotoverthejartomypride(whichJeff,Itrulythink,neverfelt——hewasabornworshipper,andwhichTerrynevergotover——hewasquiteclearinhisideasof"thepositionofwomen"),Ifoundthatloving"up"wasaverygoodsensationafterall。
Itgavemeaqueerfeeling,waydowndeep,asofthestirringofsomeancientdimprehistoricconsciousness,afeelingthattheywererightsomehow——thatthiswasthewaytofeel。Itwaslike——cominghometomother。Idon’tmeantheunderflannels—
and—doughnutsmother,thefussypersonthatwaitsonyouandspoilsyouanddoesn’treallyknowyou。Imeanthefeelingthataverylittlechildwouldhave,whohadbeenlost——foreversolong。Itwasasenseofgettinghome;ofbeingcleanandrested;
ofsafetyandyetfreedom;oflovethatwasalwaysthere,warmlikesunshineinMay,nothotlikeastoveorafeatherbed——alovethatdidn’tirritateanddidn’tsmother。
IlookedatElladorasifIhadn’tseenherbefore。"Ifyouwon’tgo,"Isaid,"I’llgetTerrytothecoastandcomebackalone。
Youcanletmedownarope。Andifyouwillgo——whyyoublessedwonder—woman——Iwouldratherlivewithyouallmylife——likethis——thantohaveanyotherwomanIeversaw,oranynumberofthem,todoasIlikewith。Willyoucome?"
Shewaskeenforcoming。Sotheplanswenton。She’dhavelikedtowaitforthatMarvelofCelis’s,butTerryhadnosuchdesire。
Hewascrazytobeoutofitall。Itmadehimsick,hesaid,SICK;
thiseverlastingmother—mother—mothering。Idon’tthinkTerryhadwhatthephrenologistscall"thelumpofphiloprogenitiveness"
atallwelldeveloped。
"Morbidone—sidedcripples,"hecalledthem,evenwhenfromhiswindowhecouldseetheirsplendidvigorandbeauty;
evenwhileMoadine,aspatientandfriendlyasifshehadneverhelpedAlimatoholdandbindhim,satthereintheroom,thepictureofwisdomandserenestrength。"Sexless,epicene,undevelopedneuters!"hewentonbitterly。HesoundedlikeSirAlmwrothWright。
Well——itwashard。HewasmadlyinlovewithAlima,really;
moresothanhehadeverbeenbefore,andtheirtempestuouscourtship,quarrels,andreconciliationshadfannedtheflame。
Andthenwhenhesoughtbythatsupremeconquestwhichseemssonaturalathingtothattypeofman,toforcehertolovehimashermaster——tohavethesturdyathleticfuriouswomanriseupandmasterhim——sheandherfriends——itwasnowonderheraged。
Cometothinkofit,Idonotrecallasimilarcaseinallhistoryorfiction。Womenhavekilledthemselvesratherthansubmittooutrage;theyhavekilledtheoutrager;theyhaveescaped;ortheyhavesubmitted——sometimesseemingtogetonverywellwiththevictorafterward。Therewasthatadventureof"falseSextus,"forinstance,who"foundLucresecombingthefleece,underthemidnightlamp。"Hethreatened,asIremember,thatifshedidnotsubmithewouldslayher,slayaslaveandplacehimbesideherandsayhefoundhimthere。Apoordevice,italwaysseemedtome。
IfMr。Lucretiushadaskedhimhowhecametobeinhiswife’sbedroomoverlookinghermorals,whatcouldhehavesaid?
ButthepointisLucresesubmitted,andAlimadidn’t。
"Shekickedme,"confidedtheembitteredprisoner——hehadtotalktosomeone。"Iwasdoubledupwiththepain,ofcourse,andshejumpedonmeandyelledforthisoldharpy[Moadinecouldn’thearhim]andtheyhadmetrussedupinnotime。
IbelieveAlimacouldhavedoneitalone,"headdedwithreluctantadmiration。"She’sasstrongasahorse。Andofcourseaman’shelplesswhenyouhithimlikethat。Nowomanwithashadeofdecency——"
Ihadtogrinatthat,andevenTerrydid,sourly。Hewasn’tgiventoreasoning,butitdidstrikehimthatanassaultlikehisratherwaivedconsiderationsofdecency。
"I’dgiveayearofmylifetohaveheraloneagain,"hesaidslowly,hishandsclenchedtilltheknuckleswerewhite。
Butheneverdid。Sheleftourendofthecountryentirely,wentupintothefir—forestonthehighestslopes,andstayedthere。
Beforewelefthequitedesperatelylongedtoseeher,butshewouldnotcomeandhecouldnotgo。Theywatchedhimlikelynxes。
(Dolynxeswatchanybetterthanmousingcats,Iwonder!)
Well——wehadtogettheflyerinorder,andbesuretherewasenoughfuelleft,thoughTerrysaidwecouldglideallright,downtothatlake,oncewegotstarted。We’dhavegonegladlyinaweek’stime,ofcourse,buttherewasagreatto—doalloverthecountryaboutEllador’sleavingthem。Shehadinterviewswithsomeoftheleadingethicists——wisewomenwithstilleyes,andwiththebestoftheteachers。Therewasastir,athrill,adeepexcitementeverywhere。
Ourteachingabouttherestoftheworldhasgiventhemallasenseofisolation,ofremoteness,ofbeingalittleoutlyingsampleofacountry,overlookedandforgottenamongthefamilyofnations。Wehadcalledit"thefamilyofnations,"andtheylikedthephraseimmensely。
Theyweredeeplyarousedonthesubjectofevolution;indeed,thewholefieldofnaturalsciencedrewthemirresistibly。
Anynumberofthemwouldhaveriskedeverythingtogotothestrangeunknownlandsandstudy;butwecouldtakeonlyone,andithadtobeEllador,naturally。
Weplannedgreatlyaboutcomingback,aboutestablishingaconnectingroutebywater;aboutpenetratingthosevastforestsandcivilizing——orexterminating——thedangeroussavages。
Thatis,wementalkedofthatlast——notwiththewomen。
Theyhadadefiniteaversiontokillingthings。
Butmeanwhiletherewashighcouncilbeingheldamongthewisestofthemall。Thestudentsandthinkerswhohadbeengatheringfactsfromusallthistime,collatingandrelatingthem,andmakinginferences,laidtheresultoftheirlaborsbeforethecouncil。
Littlehadwethoughtthatourcarefuleffortsatconcealmenthadbeensoeasilyseenthrough,withneverawordtoshowusthattheysaw。Theyhadfollowedupwordsofoursonthescienceofoptics,askedinnocentquestionsaboutglassesandthelike,andwereawareofthedefectiveeyesightsocommonamongus。
Withthelightesttouch,differentwomenaskingdifferentquestionsatdifferenttimes,andputtingallouranswerstogetherlikeapicturepuzzle,theyhadfiguredoutasortofskeletonchartastotheprevalenceofdiseaseamongus。Evenmoresubtlywithnoshowofhorrororcondemnation,theyhadgatheredsomething——farfromthetruth,butsomethingprettyclear——aboutpoverty,vice,andcrime。Theyevenhadagoodlynumberofourdangersallitemized,fromaskingusaboutinsuranceandinnocentthingslikethat。
Theywerewellpostedastothedifferentraces,beginningwiththeirpoison—arrownativesdownbelowandwideningouttothebroadracialdivisionswehadtoldthemabout。Neverashockedexpressionofthefaceorexclamationofrevolthadwarnedus;theyhadbeenextractingtheevidencewithoutourknowingitallthistime,andnowwerestudyingwiththemostdevoutearnestnessthemattertheyhadprepared。
Theresultwasratherdistressingtous。TheyfirstexplainedthematterfullytoEllador,asshewastheonewhopurposedvisitingtheRestoftheWorld。ToCelistheysaidnothing。Shemustnotbeinanywaydistressed,whilethewholenationwaitedonherGreatWork。
FinallyJeffandIwerecalledin。SomelandZavawerethere,andEllador,withmanyothersthatweknew。
Theyhadagreatglobe,quitefairlymappedoutfromthesmallsectionmapsinthatcompendiumofours。Theyhadthedifferentpeoplesoftheearthroughlyoutlined,andtheirstatusincivilizationindicated。Theyhadchartsandfiguresandestimates,basedonthefactsinthattraitorouslittlebookandwhattheyhadlearnedfromus。
Somelexplained:"Wefindthatinallyourhistoricperiod,somuchlongerthanours,thatwithalltheinterplayofservices,theexchangeofinventionsanddiscoveries,andthewonderfulprogresswesoadmire,thatinthiswidespreadOtherWorldofyours,thereisstillmuchdisease,oftencontagious。"
Weadmittedthisatonce。
"Alsothereisstill,invaryingdegree,ignorance,withprejudiceandunbridledemotion。"
Thistoowasadmitted。
"Wefindalsothatinspiteoftheadvanceofdemocracyandtheincreaseofwealth,thatthereisstillunrestandsometimescombat。"
Yes,yes,weadmitteditall。Wewereusedtothesethingsandsawnoreasonforsomuchseriousness。
"Allthingsconsidered,"theysaid,andtheydidnotsayahundredthpartofthethingstheywereconsidering,"weareunwillingtoexposeourcountrytofreecommunicationwiththerestoftheworld——asyet。IfElladorcomesback,andweapproveherreport,itmaybedonelater——butnotyet。
"Sowehavethistoaskofyougentlemen[theyknewthatwordwasheldatitleofhonorwithus],thatyoupromisenotinanywaytobetraythelocationofthiscountryuntilpermission——afterEllador’sreturn。"
Jeffwasperfectlysatisfied。Hethoughttheywerequiteright。
Healwaysdid。IneversawanalienbecomenaturalizedmorequicklythanthatmaninHerland。
Istudieditawhile,thinkingofthetimethey’dhaveifsomeofourcontagionsgotloosethere,andconcludedtheywereright。
SoIagreed。
Terrywastheobstacle。"IndeedIwon’t!"heprotested。"ThefirstthingI’lldoistogetanexpeditionfixeduptoforceanentranceintoMa—land。"
"Then,"theysaidquitecalmly,"hemustremainanabsoluteprisoner,always。"
"Anesthesiawouldbekinder,"urgedMoadine。
"Andsafer,"addedZava。
"Hewillpromise,Ithink,"saidEllador。
Andhedid。WithwhichagreementweatlastleftHerland。