Topic N7 ("The Book I've Just Read")
William Somerset Maugham's short stories are most fascinating.
Not long ago I read one of his short stories, it is the story
about a man who is very rich, very powerful, very intellegent,
very successful in his career and yet he is most unhappy. His
name is Lord Mountdrago (the story says: he was an able and
distinguished man who was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairs
when he was still under forty. He was considered the ablest
politican in the Conservative Party and for a long time directed
the foreign policy of his country). One day he comes to Dr.
Audlin who is a psychotherapist and whose reputation as a
psychotherapist is very good. Dr. Audlin seems to be able to help
almost everybody (the story says: he could relif certain pains by
the touch of his cool, soft hands and by talking to his patients
often induce sleep in those who were suffering from
sleeplessness. He spoke slowly. His voice had no particular
color, but it was musical, soft and lulling. Dr. Audlin found
that by speaking to people in that low monotonous voice of his,
by looking at them with his pale, quiet eyes, by stroking their
foreheads with his long firm hands he could sometimes do things
that seemed miraculous). Lord Mountdrago has a strange dreams.
They get on his nerves. And he is afraid that he will go mad or
commit suicide if it goes on like that every night. He says that
his decision can affect the welfare of the country. When Dr.
Audlin askes to describe one of his dreams, he begins: "the first
i had was about a month ago. I dreamt that i was at a party at
Connemara House. It was an official party. The King and the Queen
were to be there and many prominent people too. Suddenly i saw a
little man there called Owen Griffiths, who is a member of
parlament from the Labour Party and to tell you the truth, I was
surprised to see him there. The Connemaras were at the top of a
marble staircase receiving their gusets... Suddenly I noticed
that the King and the Queen had come, turned my back on the
Connemaras i understood that i had got my trouses on. You can't
understand what i felt at that monent, an agony of shame. I awoke
in a cold sweat and understood what it was only a dream".
Dr. Audlin can't diagnose the case and soon he learns that
Lord Mountrago has ruined his opponent in the House of Commons.
Whose name is Owen Griffiths. He did cruely and mercilessly. His
conscience has protested that injury he caused to Griffiths. The
story has a tragic end. Lord Mountdrago is unable to get rid of
his terrible dreams. He commits suicide. His antagonist suddenly
dies too. The newspaper wrote that his death was supposed to be
due to natural reason but we know that his death was
supernaturally conditioned by Lord Mountdrago's tragic end. In
conclusion we come to after having read that supernational forces
effect our lives. No matter how sensitive or insensitive we might
be to them. Thus the moral of the story is that doing good is the
only certainly happy action of a man's life.
K 0 A *.FRM *.MAC