09 - At a Winters Fire by Bernard Capes

Immerse yourself in the enchanting tales of Bernard Capes, crafted to captivate your imagination as you cozy up by the fireplace during the long, chilly days of winter. Let A. Gramour guide you through this collection of stories that promise to entertain and warm your spirit.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section number nine of that a Winter's Fire. This is
a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings from the public domain.
For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
Recording by Kevin Barbuda at a Winter's Fire by Bernard
Capes An Eddy on the Floor, Part one of Polyhister's narrative,

(00:23):
written for but never inserted in the Family magazine. The
eyes of Polyhister, as he sat before the fire at night,
took in the tawdry surroundings of his lodging house, with
nothing of that apathy of resignation to his personal and ange,
which of all moods is to Fortune, the god of spontaneity,
the most antipathetic. Indeed, he felt his wit like Romeo's,

(00:45):
to be of Chiverro, and his conviction that it needed
only the pull of circumstance to stretch it from an
inch arrow to an ell broad expressed but the very
wooing quality of a constitutional optimism. Now, this inherent optimism
is at least serviceable weapon. When it takes the form
of self reliance. It is always at hand in an emergency,
a guard of honor to the soul. The loneliness of

(01:08):
individual life, must learn self respect from within, not without,
and were all creeds to be mixed, that shrewism should
be found their precipitate. Therefore, Polyester was content to draw
grass green wreped curtains across the window panes, slothed with
wintry sleet, to place his feet upon a rug flade
of color to its dusty sinews, to admit to his

(01:30):
close fellowship and find a familiar comfort in them too.
Three separate lithographs of affected babies, inviting any canine confidences
but the bite one desired for them. And a dismal
dageratype of his landlady's deceased husband slowly perishing in peg tops,
and a yellow fog of despondency, out of which only
his boots and a very tall hat frowned, insistent the

(01:53):
tabernacles of enduring respectability. He was content because he knew
these were only incidents in his career. The slums to
be first traversed on the journey before the rounding breadths
of open country were reached, and the station in light
he purposed stopping it eventually was the terminus of prosperity
intellectual and material, with no present good fortune, but the

(02:14):
capacity for desiring it, with the right to affix a
letter or so like grace after Skilly to his name,
with the consciousness that, having overcome theoretical pharmaceutics masterfully, he
was now combating practical dispensing slavishly with full confidence. In
his social position. He stood under the shadow of high connections,
like the little winged victory in a conqueror's hand, he

(02:36):
chose to think to help him to eventual distinction. He
toasted his toes that sour winter evening, and reviewed in
comfort an army of prospects. Also his thoughts reverted indulgently
to the incidents and experiences of the previous night. He
had had the pleasure of an invitation to one of
those reunions or seances at the house in a fashionable

(02:57):
quarter of his distant connection, Lady Barbara Grill whereat. It
was his hostess's humor to gather together those many birds
of alien feather and incongruous habit that will flock from
the hedgerows to the least a little flattering crumb of attention,
and scarce one of them but thinks the simple feast
is spread for him alone. And of so cheap a
bit may a title lure Lady Barbara to do her justice.

(03:21):
Trades upon her position only in so far as shapes
itself the straight road to her desires. She is a
carpet adventurer, an explorer amongst the nerves of moral sensation,
to whom they discovery of an unshrodden mental track is
a pure delight, and the more delightful, the more ephemeral.
She flits from guest to guest, shooting out to each
of ill preposcus, as it were, and happy if its

(03:44):
point touches a speck of honey. She gathers from all
and stores the sweet iglomerates. Let us hope defeed upon
it in the winter of her life, when the hive
of her busy brain shall be thatched with snow, that
reference to so charming a personality should be in this place.
It's a digression. Is Polyhister's unhappiness. She affects his narrative

(04:04):
only inasmuch as he happened to meet her at her house,
a gentleman who for a time exerted a considerable influence
over his fortune. Here Polyhister's narrative must give place to
contain editorial Marginalia by Miss Lucy, who runs the family
magazine Polyhister. Indeed, she writes the conceit of some people.

(04:25):
He seems to take himself for a sort of admirable Crichton,
and all because of a chance of meeting with a
gentleman referred to a very interesting person, who is I
understand reforming our prisons brought him the author of an
appointment quite beyond his deserts. I was very glad to
hear of it, however, and I asked the creature to
contribute a paper recording his first impressions of this notable man,

(04:48):
instead of which he begins with an opinionated rigmarole about
himself and goes on from bad to worse by describing
a long conversation he had about prisoner form with that
horrid and masculine missus c whom all the officers called Charlie,
and who thinks that for men to grow humane is
a sign of their decadence. Of course, I shall cut

(05:08):
the whole of their talk together. It is a blessed
privilege to be an editor. And jumped to the part
where Polyhister describes the notable person's visit to him which
was due to his the NPS having the night before
overheard some of the conversation between those two. Polyhister's narrative
continued now as Polyhister sat, he humored his recollection in

(05:30):
the intervals of scribbling verses to the beauzia of a
Sir and miss l with some of Charlie's characteristic last
night utterances. She had dated man's decadence from the moment
when he began to poor fellow irreclaimable savagery on the
score of ridity. She had repudiated the old humbug of
sex superiority because she had seen it fall in its
face to howl over trodden worm, with the result that

(05:53):
it discovered itself hollow behind like the elf maiden. She
had said, once you taught us divinely our gu dementum baculenum,
said she, for you are the sons of God, you know.
But you have since so insisted upon the rights of
humanity that we have learned ourselves in the phrase, and
that the earthy have the best right to precedence on
the earth. And thereupon Charlie had launched into abuse of

(06:15):
what she called the latest masculine fad prison reform to wit,
and a heated discussion between her and Polyhister had ensued,
in the midst of which he had happened to glance
behind her to find that very notable person who was
the subject of this narrative, vouchsafing a silent attention to
her dietribe and then but at this period to his cogenations,

(06:36):
Polyhister's landlady entered the card which he presented his consideration,
Major James shrike h m prison d all astonishment, Polyhister
bade his visitor up. He entered briskly, fur collared, hat
in hand and bowed as he stood on the threshold.
He was a very short man, snub nosed, rusty, whiskered

(06:59):
indubitably and unimpressively. A cockney in appearance. He might have
walked out of a cruikshank e shink. Polyester was beginning,
May I inquire while the other took him up with
a vehement frankness that he found engaging at once. This
is a great intrusion. Will you pardon me? I heard
some remarks of yours last night that deeply interested me.

(07:19):
I obtained your name and address of our hostess, and
took the liberty of Oh, pray be seated. Say no more,
my kinswoman's introduction is all sufficient. I am happy as
having caught your attention in so motley a crowd. She
doesn't forgive the impertinence take herself seriously enough, Lady Barbara,
then you found her out. Ah, you're not offended, not

(07:43):
in the least good. It was a motley assemblage, as
you say, Yet have inclined to think I found my
pearl in the oyster, I'm afraid, I interrupted. Eh, No, no,
not at all, only some idle scribbling, i'd finished. You
are a poet, only a lunatic. I haven't taken my degree. Ah,
it's a noble gift, the gift of song, precious through

(08:05):
its rarity. Polyhister caught a note of emotion in his
visitor's voice and glanced at him curiously. Surely he thought
that vulgar, ruddy little face is transfigured, but said the
stranger coming to earth. I am lingering beside the mark.
I must try to justify my solecism in manners by
a straight reference to the object of my visit, that is,

(08:29):
in the first instance, a matter of business. Business. I
am a man with a purpose, seeking the hopefulest means
to an end. Plainly, if I could procure you the
post of resident doctor at D jail, would you be
disposed to accept it? Polyhister looked his utter astonishment. I
can effect no surprise at yours, said the visitor, attentively

(08:50):
regarding Polyhister. It is perfectly natural. Let me forestall some
unnecessary expression of it. My offer seems unaccountable to you,
seeing how we never met till last night. But I
don't move entirely in the dark. I have ventured in
the interval to inform myself as to the details of
your career. I was entirely one with much of your
expression of opinion as to the treatment of criminals, in

(09:13):
which you controverted the crude and unpleasant skepticism of the
lady you talked with, poor New Charlie. Combining the two,
I come to the immediate conclusion that you are the
man for my purpose. You have dumbfounded me. I don't
know what to answer. You have views I know as
the prison treatment. Will you sketch them? Will you talk
on while I try to bring my scattered wits to

(09:34):
a focus. Certainly I will let me in the first instance,
recall to you a few words of your own. There
ran somewhat in this fashion. Is not the man of
practical genius, the man who is most apt at solving
the little problems of resourcefulness in life? Do you remember them? Perhaps?
I do in a cruder form. They attracted me at once.

(09:56):
It is upon such a postulate I base my practice.
Their moral is this, to know the antidote to the
moment of snake bites, that is, to have the intuition
of divinity. We shall rise to it some day, no doubt,
and climb the hither side of the new Olympus, who
knows over the crest the spirit of creation may be ours.
Polyister nodded still at sea, and the other went on

(10:18):
with a smile. I once knew a world famous engineer
with whom I used to breakfast occasionally. He had a
patent egg boiler on the table, with a little double
sided ladle underneath to hold the spirit. He complained that
his egg was always undercooked. I said, why not reverse
the ladle so as to bring the deeper cup uppermost.
He was charmed with my perspicacity. The solution had never

(10:40):
occurred to him. You remember, too, no doubt the story
of Coleridge and the Horse Collar. We aim too much
at great developments. If we cultivate resourcefulness, the rest will follow.
Shall I state my system in nuqueer It is to
encourage this spirit of resourcefulness. Surely the habitual criminal has
it in a marked degree, yes, but abnormally developed in

(11:04):
a single direction. His one object is to out maneuver
it in a game of desperate and immoral chances. The
tactical spirit in him has none of the higher ambition
it has felt itself in the degree only that stops
at defiance. That is perfectly true. It is half self
conscious of an individuality that instinctively assumes the hopelessness of

(11:24):
a recognition by dullar installacts, leading to resentment through misguided vanity.
It falls all oblique. What is the cure for this?
I answer the teaching of a divine egotism. The subject
must be led to a pure devotion to self. What
he wishes to respect, he must be taught to make
beautiful and interesting. The policy of sacrifice to others has

(11:45):
so long stunted its moral nature because it is in
hypocritical policy. We are responsible to ourselves in the first instance,
and to argue an eternal system of blind self sacrifice
is to undervalue the fine gift of individuality in such
he sees, but an indefensible policy of force applied to
the advantage of the community. He is told to be good,

(12:05):
not that he may morally profit, but that others may
not suffer inconvenience. Polyhister was beginning to grasp, through his
confusion a certain clue of meaning in his visitor's rapid utterance.
The stranger spoke fluently, but in the dry positive voice
that characterizes men of will pray go on, Polyester said,

(12:26):
I am digesting in silence. We must endeavor to lead
him to respect of self by showing him what his
mind is capable of. I argue on no secretarian, no
religious grounds. Even is it possible to make a man's
self his most precious possession? Anyhow, I work to that end,
A doctor purges before building up with a tonic. I

(12:46):
eliminate canton hypocrisy, and then introduce self respect. It isn't
enough to employ a man's hands. Only initiation in some
labor that should prove wholesome and remunerative is a redeeming factor,
But it isn't all. His mind must work all also
and awaken to its capacities. If it rusts, the body
reverts to inhuman instincts. May I ask how you by

(13:08):
intercourse in my own person or through my officials, I
wish to have only those about me who are willing
to contribute to my designs, and with whom I can
work in absolute harmony. All my officers are chosen to
that end. No doubt, a dash of constitutional sentimentalism gives
color to my theories. I get it from a human
shact in me that circumstances have obliged me to put

(13:29):
a hoarding round. I begin to gather daylight. Quite so,
my patients are invited to exchange views with their guardians
in spirit of perfect friendliness, to solve little problems of
practical moment, to acquire the pride of self reliance. We
have competitions, such as certain newspapers open to the readers.
In a simple form, I draw up the questions myself.

(13:50):
The answers give me insight into the mental conditions of
the competitors. Upon insight I proceed. I am fortunate in
private means, and I am in a position to offer
modest prizes to the winners. Whenever such one is discharged,
he finds awaiting him the tools most handy to his vocation.
I bid him go forth in no pharisaical spirit, and
invite him to communicate with me. I wish the shadow

(14:11):
of the jail to extend no further than the road
whereon it lies. Henceforth we are acquaintances with a common
interest at heart. Isn't it monstrous that a state fixed
degree of misconduct should earn a man's social ostracism. Parents
are generally inclined to rule extra tenderness towards a child
whose peccadillos have brought him an extra whipping. For myself,
I have no faith in supervision. Give a culpra his

(14:34):
term and have done with it. I find the majority
you come back to me are ticket of leave? Men?
Have I said enough? I offer you the reversion of
the post. The present holder of it leaves in a
month's time. Please to determine here and at once, very
good I have decided you will accept. Yes, so far,

(14:55):
Pollyister wrote in the Bonny Days of Early Manhood, an
attempt made in a spectasm of enthusiasm inspired in him
and humored by his most engaging mentor, to record his
first impressions of a notable personality. Not many days after
its introduction to him. He has never taken up the
tail again until now, when an insistent sense as of
a task left unfinished, compels him to the effort over

(15:17):
his sweet mentor. The grass lies thick and flowers of
aged stalk a bloom perennially, And oh the difference to me,
to me, for it is time to drop the poor
conceit the pseudonym that once served its little purpose to
awaken tender derision. I take up the old and stained manuscript,
with its marginalia that are like the dim call from
a far away voice. And I know that, so I

(15:39):
am driven to record the sequel to that gay introduction.
It must be in a spirit of somberness, most deadly.
By contrast, I look at the faded opening words. The
fire of the first line of the narrative is long out.
The grate is cold, some forty years forty years, and
I think I have been a little chill during all
that time. But though the room rustle with the pantoms

(16:00):
and menace stock in the retrospect, I shall acquit my
conscience of its burden. Refusing to be bullied by the
Council of a Destiny that subpoenaed me entirely against my
will end of Section nine. This recording is in the
public domain.