Page 121 - BraveNewWorld

IDPH 121

Absence, say, of Susan’s,
Absenee of Egeria’s
Arms and respective bosoms,

Lips and, ah, posteriors,
Slowly form a presence;
Whose? and, I ask, of what

So absurd an essence,
That something, which is not,
Nevertheless should populate

Empty night more solidly
Than that with which we copulate,
Why should it seem so squalidly?
Well, I gave them that as an example, and they reported me to the Principal.”

“I’m not surprised,” said Bernard. “It’s flatly against all their sleep- teaching.
Remember, they’ve had at least a quarter of a million warnings against solitu-
de.”
“I know. But I thought I’d like to see what the effect would be.”
“Well, you’ve seen now.”

Helmholtz only laughed. “I feel,” he said, after a silence, as though I were
just beginning to have something to write about. As though I were beginning
to be able to use that power I feel I’ve got inside me-that extra, latent power.
Something seems to be coming to me.” In spite of all his troubles, he seemed,
Bernard thought, profoundly happy.
Helmholtz and the Savage took to one another at once. So cordially indeed
that Bernard felt a sharp pang of jealousy. In all these weeks he had never
come to so close an intimacy with the Savage as Helmholtz immediately achi-
eved. Watching them, listening to their talk, he found himself sometimes re-
sentfully wishing that he had never brought them together. He was ashamed
of his jealousy and alternately made efforts of will and took soma to keep him-
self from feeling it. But the efforts were not very successful; and between the
soma-holidays there were, of necessity, intervals. The odius sentiment kept on
returning.
At his third meeting with the Savage, Helmholtz recited his rhymes on Solitude.

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