Evening star., 1915-12-26
THE VIRGIN. IN
THE TOWER
TN her high bars-wa,led tower room.

TN her high bars-walled tower room,
with rounded windows looking 70
all horizons she holds vigil through
the watches Of the day and night as
the seasons pass and repass in their
linked and measured dance.
No nimsy textures hamper the wide
windows' serenity. no pictures blot the
plain wall spaces between. nor does q
single object for ornament impose It
self against the still background. Near
the eastern easement only q pale hang
ing OF silk falls in sullen length. as II
weary Of yelling and unveiling the dis
tant marvel OF the dawn.
50
The rounded room 10 entirely filled
by . high bed Of ribbed brass, plainly
draped with q coverlet of fllet lace. the
pillows. too. covered with the same.
Over the foot bars Of the bed IL flung
. quilted mass of pale rose silk, simple,
exquisite. soft One thinks Of q young
bees haunt under the fold of q wanton
flower.
The severity Of a dark stand of satin
wood 10 broken by Its burden or books
that lie heaped upon IL in various ma
lures and numbers. around the base Of
great lamp OF bronze incrusted with
silver.
Nothing at variance within 1t dis.
turbs the harmony OF the tower room:
no extraneous interests enter to mar
Blond. intellectual. clear-cut, with
grace OF body and lineaments singu.
iarly In tune with the severe clarity Of
tower at evening. Her little mules"
Of satin embroidered in oriental silks
clatter on the hard floor. The train of
her chilly dressing gown OF mauve
away from the throat Is caught and
wound in folds held closely about her
The hair. Of sparkling gold held high
with q pointed comb Of amber. and
head. is like a fine cloud made of mil
lions OF lustrous sun hbers. and be-
meath 1t the deep blue gaze is proud
ana ~ nercs because Of. Of the ten tenderness
the sullen hanging of pale silk over
the eastern window, leaving the other
windows uncovered to the blue dark
shining with stars
Long into the night lies she high In
her tower reading and dreaming. Her
days are passed in comparative eoli-
tude, although bordered by warm
ways. She is much with sorrow. who
broods over her protectingly, with
drawing her from the littlenesses Of iife's
cares.
4 Il
In the great new march of other
women, upon whose ears the call OF
outward things-action. opportunity.
wealth-beats as an insistent drum for
the feet to follow. she Joins not. Where
they take their talents to be hung and
bartered in the market place, to re-
ceive the praise of usefulness and in
dependence. she, the bearer Of intel
lectual endowment beyond the most.
remains inactive. untempted.
The inevitable separation comes
They, throwing their talents willingly
into the NAV of competition for the
sake Of whatever result. feel they are
winning their experience and increas-
ing their stewardship. She, incapable
integrity Of her intellect by fitting her
talents into grooves. turns away mute.
inscrutable, beautiful and solitary.
But in that invisible surrounding
world of which one Is so keenly aware
through ones latent finer conscious
ness, and OF which one has sudden
vistas where one sees men IN their
true measure. she Is seen in high re-
lief to hold her part. unaffected by the
lesser tests of more obvious standards.
In this invisible realm, where to be
is greater than to do. move, according
to a Just proportion. the real and in
ward selves of those who seem to be
linked apart They are perhaps. with
faces turned to the light, guardians OF
the true ideas themselves, while the
rest Of the world, with eyes upon re-
fiected objects. juggle with the
shadows. "A. w.