DOI Artikel:
Traill, Henry D.: The papers of Basil Fillimer
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21806#0033
By H. D. Traill 29
“ No ? But confound it,” I cried, out of patience, “ there are
only these two alternatives in every case of this kind.”
“ My dear Jack,” said Basil, after a few moments’ contemplation
ol me, “you have confounded it yourself. You are confusing act
with motive. It is true there are only two possible replies to the
question I asked Miss Seiden ; but the series af alternating motives
for either answer is infinite.”
cc Infinite ? ” echoed I, aghast.
“ Yes,” said Basil, dreamily. “ It is obviously infinite, though
the human faculties in their present stage of development can only
follow a few Steps of it. Would you really care to know,” he con-
tinued kindly, after a pause, “ the way in which I arrived at my
conclusion ? ”
“ I should like it of all things,” I said.
“ Then you had better just take a pencil and a sheet of paper,”
said Basil. “You will excuse the Suggestion, but to any one un-
familiar with these trains of thought some aid of the kind is posi-
tively necessary. Now, then, let us begin with the simplest case,
that of a girl of selfish instincts and blunt sensibilities, who
looks out for as good a match, from the pecuniary point of view,
as she can make, and doesn’t very much care to conceal the
fact.”
(“ Eleanor down to the ground,” I thought to myself.)
“ She would have said Yes to my question, wouldn’t she ? ”
“ No doubt.”
“ Very well, then, kindly mark that Case AC
I did so.
“ Next, we come to a girl of a somewhat higher type, not per-
haps indifferent to pecuniary considerations, but still too proud to
endure the suspicion of having acted upon them in the matter of
marriage. She would answer No, wouldn’t she ? ”
“ Yes,”
“ No ? But confound it,” I cried, out of patience, “ there are
only these two alternatives in every case of this kind.”
“ My dear Jack,” said Basil, after a few moments’ contemplation
ol me, “you have confounded it yourself. You are confusing act
with motive. It is true there are only two possible replies to the
question I asked Miss Seiden ; but the series af alternating motives
for either answer is infinite.”
cc Infinite ? ” echoed I, aghast.
“ Yes,” said Basil, dreamily. “ It is obviously infinite, though
the human faculties in their present stage of development can only
follow a few Steps of it. Would you really care to know,” he con-
tinued kindly, after a pause, “ the way in which I arrived at my
conclusion ? ”
“ I should like it of all things,” I said.
“ Then you had better just take a pencil and a sheet of paper,”
said Basil. “You will excuse the Suggestion, but to any one un-
familiar with these trains of thought some aid of the kind is posi-
tively necessary. Now, then, let us begin with the simplest case,
that of a girl of selfish instincts and blunt sensibilities, who
looks out for as good a match, from the pecuniary point of view,
as she can make, and doesn’t very much care to conceal the
fact.”
(“ Eleanor down to the ground,” I thought to myself.)
“ She would have said Yes to my question, wouldn’t she ? ”
“ No doubt.”
“ Very well, then, kindly mark that Case AC
I did so.
“ Next, we come to a girl of a somewhat higher type, not per-
haps indifferent to pecuniary considerations, but still too proud to
endure the suspicion of having acted upon them in the matter of
marriage. She would answer No, wouldn’t she ? ”
“ Yes,”