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- 10070
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- 2026-01-30T20:48:52.921Z
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- 10012
- text
- III.
Now the matter of the house had remained in precisely the above-stated
awaiting predicament, down to the time of Pierre's great
life-revolution, the receipt of Isabel's letter. And though, indeed,
Pierre could not but naturally hesitate at still accepting the use of
the dwelling, under the widely different circumstances in which he now
found himself; and though at first the strongest possible spontaneous
objections on the ground of personal independence, pride, and general
scorn, all clamorously declared in his breast against such a course;
yet, finally, the same uncompunctuous, ever-adaptive sort of motive
which had induced his original acceptation, prompted him, in the end,
still to maintain it unrevoked. It would at once set him at rest from
all immediate tribulations of mere bed and board; and by affording him a
shelter, for an indefinite term, enable him the better to look about
him, and consider what could best be done to further the permanent
comfort of those whom Fate had intrusted to his charge.
Irrespective, it would seem, of that wide general awaking of his
profounder being, consequent upon the extraordinary trials he had so
aggregatively encountered of late; the thought was indignantly suggested
to him, that the world must indeed be organically despicable, if it held
that an offer, superfluously accepted in the hour of his abundance,
should now, be rejected in that of his utmost need. And without at all
imputing any singularity of benevolent-mindedness to his cousin, he did
not for a moment question, that under the changed aspect of affairs,
Glen would at least pretend the more eagerly to welcome him to the
house, now that the mere thing of apparent courtesy had become
transformed into something like a thing of positive and urgent
necessity. When Pierre also considered that not himself only was
concerned, but likewise two peculiarly helpless fellow-beings, one of
them bound to him from the first by the most sacred ties, and lately
inspiring an emotion which passed all human precedent in its mixed and
mystical import; these added considerations completely overthrew in
Pierre all remaining dictates of his vague pride and false independence,
if such indeed had ever been his.
Though the interval elapsing between his decision to depart with his
companions for the city, and his actual start in the coach, had not
enabled him to receive any replying word from his cousin; and though
Pierre knew better than to expect it; yet a preparative letter to him he
had sent; and did not doubt that this proceeding would prove
well-advised in the end.
In naturally strong-minded men, however young and inexperienced in some
things, those great and sudden emergencies, which but confound the timid
and the weak, only serve to call forth all their generous latentness,
and teach them, as by inspiration, extraordinary maxims of conduct,
whose counterpart, in other men, is only the result of a long,
variously-tried and pains-taking life. One of those maxims is, that
when, through whatever cause, we are suddenly translated from opulence
to need, or from a fair fame to a foul; and straightway it becomes
necessary not to contradict the thing--so far at least as the mere
imputation goes,--to some one previously entertaining high conventional
regard for us, and from whom we would now solicit some genuine helping
offices; then, all explanation or palation should be scorned;
promptness, boldness, utter gladiatorianism, and a defiant non-humility
should mark every syllable we breathe, and every line we trace.
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