Power
Page 21
Penn would survive for some severe elective test—and would win that as well; Penn, in the last moment, had a cord for Jerrimine stronger than the Cardinal imagined, a cord held by Jerrimine’s superiors—and he would survive in company with Jerrimine (for he had heard, as all had heard, of that long interview), Gover, and the others, and the Valor; he would have the Dichtung as well (for it would not pass, that raging bill, old Transcome’s motion), perhaps more unruly than before but, eventually, his to command—why, all that had happened had meant, for Penn, no more than half an hour’s addition to the talk on any issue Penn might touch. He would have all: the power of finance, now Thoth was safe, the Valor’s teeth clean-pulled, and safeguards certain to be set; the power, even, of the entertainers and the newsmen, who would follow the Valor into Penn’s world. He would survive, all the forms of power would be his. All the forms . . .
A revolution might be heralded by all the signs of the last days; and if it were, still would the forms remain. And only Penn, perhaps, would know that the forms were empty—if they were empty ... if they had always been . . .
If all his lifetime Norin had propped empty forms ...
Necessity: the word struck in his mind like a knife, shivered, and vanished as he took his seat. Members were watching him.
He had entered; the habits of his lifetime had returned. Once more his duty had become the Comity, the careful weighing of an act in all its circumstances, all effects upon all men —
But as he sat his habit dropped away; and, though all detail never came to him again, he stared full into the white horror of his knowledge. Of his children. Of the woman—who—was . . .
The—woman who was dead. And had died in the belief that he had been. . .
Good.
Virtuous.
Dutiful.
Norin shut his eyes. The babble of the Dichtung went on around him, and he did not hear it.
He had begun to become acquainted with the terrible fear that he would not quickly die.
37.
Hereupon Jesus said, I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. Some of the Pharisees heard this, such as were in his company, and they asked him, Are we blind too? If you were blind, Jesus told them, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, We can see clearly, that you cannot be rid of your guilt.
—The Gospel According to St. John,
IX: 39-41 (translated by Fr. Ronald Knox).
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Table of Contents
HISTORIAE PERSONAE
PART I. 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15
16.
PART II. 17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
PART III 29
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.