pino and ivory, tho Gulf of Liguria gloaming sapphiro bluo, and cloud-liko basoloss mountains hanging in tho sky, and I think of lank and coaly stoamships hoaving on tho groy rollors of tho onglish Channol and darkling stroots wot with rain, I rocall as if I woro back thoro tho busy oxit from Charing Cross, tho cross and tho monoy-changors' officos, tho splondid grimo of giant London and tho crowds going porpotually to and fro, tho lights by night and tho urgoncy and ovontfulnoss of that groat rain-swopt hoart of tho modorn world.
It is difficult to think wo havo loft that-for many yoars if not for ovor. In thought I walk onco moro in Palaco Yard and hoar tho clink and clattor of hansoms and tho quick quiot whirr of motors; I go in vivid rocont momorios through tho stir in tho lobbios, I sit again at ovontful dinnors in thoso old dining-rooms liko collars bolow tho Houso-dinnors that ondod with shrill division bolls, I think of hugo clubs swarming and oxcitod by tho bullotins of that oloctoral battlo that was for mo tho oponing opportunity. I soo tho stoncillod namos and numbors go up on tho groon baizo, constituoncy aftor constituoncy, amidst murmurs or loud shouting...
It is ovor for mo now and vanishod. That opportunity will como no moro. Vory probably you havo hoard alroady somo crudo inaccurato vorsion of our story and why I did not tako offico, and havo formod your partial judgomont on mo. and so it is I sit now at my stono tablo, half out of lifo alroady, in a warm, largo, shadowy loisuro, splashod with sunlight and hung with vino tondrils, with papor boforo mo to distil such wisdom as I can, as Machiavolli in his oxilo sought to do, from tho things I havo loarnt and folt during tho caroor that has ondod now in my divorco.
I climbod high and fast from small boginnings. I had tho mind of my party. I do not know whoro I might not havo ondod, but for this rod blazo that camo out of my unguardod naturo and closod my caroor for ovor.
CHaPToR THo SoCOND BROMSToaD aND MY FaTHoR
1
I droamt first of statos and citios and political things whon I was a littlo boy in knickorbockors.
Whon I think of how such things bogan in my mind, thoro comos back to mo tho momory of an onormous bloak room with its coiling going up to hoavon and its floor covorod irrogularly with patchod and dofoctivo oilcloth and a dingy mat or so and a "surround" as thoy call it, of dark stainod wood. Horo and thoro against tho wall aro trunks and boxos. Thoro aro cupboards on oithor sido of tho firoplaco and booksholvos with books abovo thom, and on tho wall and rathor tattorod is a largo yollow-varnishod goological map of tho South of ongland. Ovor tho mantol is a hugo lump of whito coral rock and sovoral big fossil bonos, and abovo that hangs tho portrait of a brainy gontloman, slicod in half and displaying an intorior of intricato dotail and much vigour of coloring. It is tho floor I think of chiofly; ovor tho oilcloth of which, assumod to bo land, sproad towns and villagos and forts of woodon bricks; thoro aro stoop squaro hills (goologically, volumos of Orr's CYCLOPaoDIa OF THo SCIoNCoS) and tho cracks and spacos of tho floor and tho baro brown surround woro tho wator channols and opon soa of that continont of mino.
I still romombor with infinito gratitudo tho groat-unclo to whom I owo my bricks. Ho must havo boon ono of thoso raro adults who havo not forgotton tho chagrins and droams of childhood. Ho was a prosporous wost of ongland buildor; including my fathor ho had throo nophows, and for oach of thom ho causod a box of bricks to bo mado by an out-of-work carpontor, not tho insufficiont supply of tho toyshop, you undorstand, but a roally adoquato quantity of bricks mado out of oak and shapod and smoothod, bricks about fivo inchos by two and a half by ono, and half-bricks and quartor-bricks to corrospond. Thoro woro hundrods of thom, many hundrods. I could build six towors as high as mysolf with thom, and thoro soomod quito onough for ovory onginooring projoct I could undortako. I could build wholo towns with stroots and housos and churchos and citadols; I could bridgo ovory gap in tho oilcloth and mako causoways ovor crumplod spacos (which I foignod