Mauritius

Chapter 36

After diagnosis and treatment, there was nothing he could do.I don't know if you can do it. "

Mr. Jones read the material.

"I hope I'm not in the wrong place?"

"Exactly. 70.00% of my patients are your type. Is this a recent write up?"

"I wrote it last night."

"Is it accurate?"

"Oh, the names and places have of course been changed."

Mr. Lasker Jones did not seem to take it for granted.About "Mr. Cumberland"—the pseudonym Morris had given Clive—he asked a few questions, and wondered if there had been any sexual activity between the two of them.The strange thing is that this word came out of his mouth without offending anyone.He neither praised, nor blamed, nor showed mercy.When Maurice suddenly vented his dissatisfaction with society, he didn't realize it either.Maurice, longing for sympathy--he hadn't heard a word of it in a year--was glad that the doctor said nothing of the kind.Because in this way, his will will be depressed.

He asked, "What is the name of my disease? Is there a name?"

"Congenital homosexuality."

"What is the degree of innateness? Well, is there any way?"

"Oh, of course, if you agree."

"To be honest, I have an ancient prejudice against hypnotism."

"I'm afraid you'll retain that prejudice even after you've tried it, Mr. Hall. I can't promise you a cure. I've told you about my other patients—70.00% five—but the cure rate Only hit 50.00% of that."

His confession gave Maurice confidence.No quack doctor would say the same. "Let's try it too." He said with a smile. "What should I do?"

"You just have to stay where you are. I'm going to do some experiments to see how deep-rooted your tendency is. Then (if you want to) you just have to come back regularly. Mr. Hall! I'll try to put you into a hypnotic state, and if successful, I will suggest something to you. (We hope) the effect of this suggestion will last and become part of your normal state when you wake up. You must not resist I."

"Okay, let's get started."

Thereupon Mr. Lasker Jones left his table and sat down impersonally on the arm of Morris's chair.Maurice felt as if his teeth were being pulled out, and for a while nothing happened.After a while, however, he saw a point of light on the stove, and the rest of the room went dark.He could see what he was looking at and nothing else.He could still hear the doctor's voice and his own.Apparently he was about to go into a hypnotic state, and the achievement made him proud.

"I don't think you're quite in the mood yet."

"No, I didn't."

The doctor made a few more gestures. "What about now?"

"I'm about to enter."

"Is it fully in?"

Maurice admitted it was so, but he felt uncertain. "Now that you have fully entered the state, what do you think of my consulting room, do you like it?"

"It's a nice house."

"Not too dark?"

"Pretty dark."

"But you can see the painting, see?"

So Maurice saw a painting on the opposite wall, though he knew it didn't exist.

.Look at it carefully, Mr. Hall.Get close, but watch out for cracks in the carpet. "

"How wide is the crack?"

"You can jump over."

Maurice saw at once where the crack was and jumped over it, though he did not believe it was necessary.

"Excellent—so, what do you think it is, and who is it—?"

"Who is drawn—"

"Edna May."

"Mr. Edna May."

"No, Mr. Hall, it's Miss Edna May."

"That's Mr Edna May."

"Isn't she beautiful?"

"I want to go home and find my mother." Both of them were amused by this sentence, and it was the doctor who laughed first.

"Miss Edna May is not only beautiful, but attractive."

"She doesn't attract me," said Maurice forcefully.

"Oh, Mr. Hall, what an impertinence you say. Look at her beautiful hair."

"I like short hair best."

"why?"

"Because I can stroke it—" Then he began to cry.He returned to his chair and came to life.Tears wet his cheeks, but he felt as usual, and the babble was off.

"Oops, I had a dream when you woke me up. I better tell you that I thought I saw a face and heard someone say, 'This is your friend.. is that right? I have often had the feeling—I can’t say—that it was such a dream that came toward me in sleep. But it never came to me.”

"Did it get close to you just now?"

"Very close, is that a bad sign?"

"No, ah, no—you're suggestive, you're frank—I showed you a painting on the wall."

Maurice nodded, he had forgotten all about it.After a pause, he took out two guineas and asked the doctor to make another appointment.It was arranged that Maurice would call next week, during which time Mr. Lasker Jones asked him to remain at peace in the country where he was sojourning.

Maurice had no doubt that Clive and Anne would welcome him, still less doubt that they would do just enough for him.Peng Jie is an emetic.It helped him escape the past that had seemed so good and happy—the toxic years, and cured him of his softness and kindness.He said, ok, he'll go back.He will telegraph to his friends and catch the afternoon express.

"Mr. Hall, you're going to exercise in moderation. Play a little tennis, or go for a walk with your gun."

Before leaving, Maurice said, "I've reconsidered. Maybe I won't go back."

"why?"

"Well, I think it's silly to travel twice in one day."

"Would you rather stay in your own home?"

"Yes—no—no, yes, I'll go back to Penji."

Maurice thought it was a lot of fun when he got back to Penj.Because he found out that the young couple was leaving home to engage in a 24-hour election campaign.Now he cared less for Clive than Clive cared for him.That kiss disenchanted him.What a frivolous, overly formal kiss it was.well!Moreover, it is so representative.Clive once taught him: The less you have, the more you are thought to have more.Not only was half greater than the whole—a Cambridge-era Morris would have swallowed it whole—but now he was offered a quarter, and told him it was greater than half.Does this boy think I, Maurice, are made of paper?

Clive explained that if Maurice had let him know he would be back he would not have gone, and said he would return when the cricket match was on anyway.Anne asked quietly, "How's luck?" Maurice answered, "So-so." So she decided to take him under her protection, and offered to invite the young lady to Pengjie. "Mr. Hall, is she very charming? I'm sure she has piercing brown eyes." However, Clive called her away.Maurice stayed and spent the evening with Mrs Durham and Mr Borenius.

Maurice felt strangely restless.It reminded him of the night when he first entered Cambridge and went to Risley's room by himself.By the time he left for London, the rain had stopped.He wanted to walk around in the evening, watching the sunset and listening to the trees dripping.The evening primroses were ghostly, yet perfect, blooming in the bushes and spreading all over the sky, and their fragrance made his heart skip a beat.Clive had shown him evening primroses before, but had never told him how fragrant the flowers were.He loved being outside, with robins and bats, and walking around bareheaded.By the time the gong was struck and the dress had to be put on for another meal, the curtains of the Auburn Room were drawn shut.No, he is not the same as before.His whole body and mind began to realign, as real as the time Birmingham Death had looked away.All credit to Mr. Lasker Jones!The change he made was a conscious effort which, with luck, might put him in the arms of Miss Tonks.

While he was rambling, the man whom he had reprimanded that morning approached, touched his cap, and asked him if he would hunt to-morrow.It was obvious that he would not go hunting, for there was a cricket match the next day.But the other person asked to pave the way for an apology, in the following form: "I am sure I am very sorry that I did not satisfy you and Mr. London, sir." Maurice, no longer holding grudges, said: "Never mind , Scudder.” Scudder was a new hire—a part of Politics and Anne’s life that had expanded since they came to Penj.He was smarter than old Mr. Ayers, the butler, and he knew it.He suggested that five shillings was too much, so he didn't take it.He didn't say why he accepted the ten shillings!He added: "Glad to see you back so soon, sir." Maurice felt that there was something wrong with that, and repeated, "Never mind, Scudder," and went into the house.

Since there were only three of us, we didn't have to wear a tuxedo for dinner, just a tuxedo.Although he had respected such rules for many years, he suddenly found it all ridiculous.