Жовті шпалери

           Itdwellsinmymindso! 

           Iliehereonthisgreatimmovablebed—itisnaileddown,Ibelieve—andfollowthatpatternaboutbythehour. Itisasgoodasgymnastics,Iassureyou. Istart,we’llsay,atthebottom,downinthecornerovertherewhereithasnotbeentouched,andIdetermineforthethousandthtimethatIWILLfollowthatpointlesspatterntosomesortofaconclusion. 

           Iknowalittleoftheprincipleofdesign,andIknowthisthingwasnotarrangedonanylawsofradiation,oralternation,orrepetition,orsymmetry,oranythingelsethatIeverheardof. 

           Itisrepeated,ofcourse,bythebreadths,butnototherwise. 

           Lookedatinonewayeachbreadthstandsalone,thebloatedcurvesandflourishes—akindof"debasedRomanesque"withdeliriumtremens—gowaddlingupanddowninisolatedcolumnsoffatuity. 

           But,ontheotherhand,theyconnectdiagonally,andthesprawlingoutlinesrunoffingreatslantingwavesofoptichorror,likealotofwallowingseaweedsinfullchase. 

           Thewholethinggoeshorizontally,too,atleastitseemsso,andIexhaustmyselfintryingtodistinguishtheorderofitsgoinginthatdirection. 

           Theyhaveusedahorizontalbreadthforafrieze,andthataddswonderfullytotheconfusion. 

           Thereisoneendoftheroomwhereitisalmostintact,andthere,whenthecrosslightsfadeandthelowsunshinesdirectlyuponit,Icanalmostfancyradiationafterall—theinterminablegrotesquesseemtoformaroundacommoncentreandrushoffinheadlongplungesofequaldistraction.