The Deluge Part 42

What more?

How Langdon eased his pain and soothed his vanity? Whenever an old Babylonian n.o.bleman had a misfortune, he used to order all his slaves to be lashed, that their shrieks and moans might join his in appeasing the G.o.d who was punis.h.i.+ng him. Langdon went back to Wall Street, and for months he made all within his power suffer; in his fury he smashed fortunes, lowered wages, raised prices, reveled in the blasts of a storm of impotent curses.

But you do not care to hear about that.

As for myself, what could I tell that you do not know or guess? Now that all men, even the rich, even the parasites of the bandits, groan under their tyranny and their taxes, is it strange that the resentment against me has disappeared, that my warnings are remembered, that I am popular? I might forecast what I purpose to do when the time is ripe. But I am not given to prophecy. I will only say that I think I shall, in due season, go into action again--profiting by my experience in the futility of trying to hasten evolution by revolution. Meanwhile--

As I write, I can look up from the paper, and out upon the lawn, at a woman--what a woman!--teaching a baby to walk. And, a.s.sisting her, there is a boy, himself not yet an expert at walking. I doubt if you'd have to glance twice at that boy to know he is my son. Well--I have borrowed a leaf from Mulholland's philosophy. I commend it to you.