Page 105 - BraveNewWorld

IDPH 105

to hint at the possibility of an invitation, and he could have whichever of them
he liked.

“Bernard’s asked me to meet the Savage next Wednesday,” Fanny announced
triumphantly.
“I’m so glad,” said Lenina. “And now you must admit that you were wrong
about Bernard. Don’t you think he’s really rather sweet?”
Fanny nodded. “And I must say,” she said, “I was quite agreeably surprised.”
The Chief Bottler, the Director of Predestination, three Deputy Assistant
Fertilizer-Generals, the Professor of Feelies in the College of Emotional Engi-
neering, the Dean of the Westminster Community Singery, the Supervisor of
Bokanovskification-the list of Bernard’s notabilities was interminable.
“And I had six girls last week,” he confided to Helmholtz Watson. “One on
Monday, two on Tuesday, two more on Friday, and one on Saturday. And if I’d
had the time or the inclination, there were at least a dozen more who were only
too anxious .”
Helmholtz listened to his boastings in a silence so gloomily disapproving that
Bernard was offended.
“You’re envious,” he said.
Helmholtz shook his head. “I’m rather sad, that’s all,” he answered.
Bernard went off in a huff. Never, he told himself, never would he speak to
Helmholtz again.
The days passed. Success went fizzily to Bernard’s head, and in the process
completely reconciled him (as any good intoxicant should do) to a world whi-
ch, up till then, he had found very unsatisfactory. In so far as it recognized him
as important, the order of things was good. But, reconciled by his success, he
yet refused to forego the privilege of criticizing this order. For the act of cri-
ticizing heightened his sense of importance, made him feel larger. Moreover,
he did genuinely believe that there were things to criticize. (At the same time,
he genuinely liked being a success and having all the girls he wanted.) Befo-
re those who now, for the sake of the Savage, paid their court to him, Bernard
would parade a carping unorthodoxy. He was politely listened to. But behind
his back people shook their heads. “That young man will come to a bad end,”
they said, prophesying the more confidently in that they themselves would in
due course personally see to it that the end was bad. “He won’t find another
Savage to help him out a second time,” they said. Meanwhile, however, there
was the first Savage; they were polite. And because they were polite, Bernard
felt positively gigantic-gigantic and at the same time light with elation, lighter
than air.

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