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Experiments in Convalescence
Hewaspuzzledanddepressedby"APortraitoftheArtistasaYoungMan";intenselyinterestedby"JoanandPeter"and"TheUndyingFire,"andrathersurprisedbyhisdiscoverythroughacriticnamedMenckenofseveralexcellentAmericannovels:"VandoverandtheBrute,""TheDamnationofTheronWare,"and"JennieGerhardt."Mackenzie,Chesterton,Galsworthy,Bennett,hadsunkinhisappreciationfromsagacious,life-saturatedgeniusestomerelydivertingcontemporaries.Shaw’saloofclarityandbrilliantconsistencyandthegloriouslyintoxicatedeffortsofH.G.Wellstofitthekeyofromanticsymmetryintotheelusivelockoftruth,alonewonhisraptattention.
HewantedtoseeMonsignorDarcy,towhomhehadwrittenwhenhelanded,buthehadnotheardfromhim;besidesheknewthatavisittoMonsignorwouldentailthestoryofRosalind,andthethoughtofrepeatingitturnedhimcoldwithhorror.
InhissearchforcoolpeopleherememberedMrs.Lawrence,averyintelligent,verydignifiedlady,aconverttothechurch,andagreatdevoteeofMonsignor’s.
Hecalledheronthe’phoneoneday.Yes,sherememberedhimperfectly;no,Monsignorwasn’tintown,wasinBostonshethought;he’dpromisedtocometodinnerwhenhereturned.Couldn’tAmorytakeluncheonwithher?
"IthoughtI’dbettercatchup,Mrs.Lawrence,"hesaidratherambiguouslywhenhearrived.
"Monsignorwasherejustlastweek,"saidMrs.Lawrenceregretfully."Hewasveryanxioustoseeyou,buthe’dleftyouraddressathome."
