Evening star., 1939-01-19
BY H. G.. WELLS,
CHAPTER XII.
Problem Child.

with 1t, and now he doesn't know
what to do with himself" replied
her husband.
But isn't he putting the world
IN order at tremendous rate? Ey-
erybody says so."
mo. We are. At least, the others
are. All that he does is to watch
and make the keyhole minister of
his, Thlrp, watch-that nobody any,
where turns any official authority
conceded him into power. And
Thlrp-well, Thirp bothers him with
suspicious. Things are going well
with the world, but unless they 20 a
little wrong what is the use of
Thirp? Thirp sees to that. Thirp
keeps him irritated and uneasy, and
he has no distractions. I'm sorry,
darling Phoebe-you know I love
you, you know how I love you
but I don't want my ugly little
Thunger-god to eliminate in mis-
cry. He has made the whole spec
tacle of life rich and ridiculous for
me. And now he is-he has a
sort of grayness. He is bored or
angry or afraid-afraid of things
coming back-all day, and at night
they give him drugs-and the best
OF drugs lower you and give you
dreams. know he has dreams. I
didn't think things would take this
turn With him, and it distresses me.
1t dlstresses me, my dear. Love me,
love my Rud, Phoebe. I did a lot
to make him what he Is. You help
me with Rud."
How can I help?"
Natural Interest In Men.
advice, the wisdom of your SEX
Give me ideas what to do for him.
You are all born with a natural
instinct In us. You are 20 years
younger than I, and all the wages
wiser"
TT is good for men to have such
beliefs" said Phoebe But you must
tell me first what you think, and
then I will tell you just how right
you are"
THAT may be the way of it," said
Chiffan.
'Well?" -----...---....---..,
IT said Rud has been driven by
fear. He has been driven by an ex-
treme dread of domination. He
cannot endure the thought of any
one having domination over him.
Until he became World Director
he never felt safe about that. He
needs constant reinsurance still.
That is plain enough even for you
to see, my dear"
did you say just now that was
oil the ages wiser than you?"
Eyes. When things are put before
you. But what have only glimpsed
by fits and starts about him-until
quite recently-is something else.
Rud, I realize, has profound, may
be innate dread of the closest of all
forms of domination-love"
Go on"
His capacity for love-if he ever
had much capacity for love-has
atrophied. Or you can put it, if you
like, in quite another way. 1t has
vanished and then returned in a
vague, cloudy desire to be appreci-
ated, obeyed-loved by all the world.
Without any return. All this ac-
cumulating desire for public adora-
ton, all this increasing exhibition
Ism -"
He thought profoundly.
Domination Over Other.
You see, Phoebe; you and I as
suage each others egotisms. To
very considerable extent. Unless they
get wasted, or crippled or perverted
In some way, men and women get
together as you and I have got to-
gether at last We get dcmina-
ton over one another. And SO long
as things seem fair and equal we
don't resent that. We begin with lik-
Ing and ve-making-yes, we keep
on with love-making-but the chem
tstry Of body and mind works so as
to give us a control over each others
self-respect That's the sane
way Of life. For any one with a ra-
tional imagination. When a man is
happy with his woman and a woman
is happy with her man and they are
happy in their friends, neither of
them aches-as he does-to possess
the world and the sun and the moon.
Am I right?"
sweetheart, you are right.
though it took you some years of
sedulouS research -"
Chlffan waved aside what threat
ened to be troublesome depression.
you kept out of my way he said.
The point about Rud, Phoebe. is
Just what you have said to me. There
Is nobody in the world to say to him
sweetheart, you are rightr"
And that aches?"
"Damnably. 1t is the fundamental
ache. The better you are fed and
clothed and gratif1ed, the more that
ache Tor reassuring appreciation
takes hold of you. The core of
happiness is to have some one with
whom you are essentially right and
important-hoWever wrong and in
effective you are. Rud hasn't loved
doesn't love and doesn't know how
to love-"
Dread Is Ruling Motive,
Now why2" said Phoebe, with
her chin between her two fists
Il said that his ruling motive is
dread. Something happened. Some
thing humiliating, Quite early per-
haps. But something that turned
him back upon himself"
"Narcissism. -
IF you like to call it hat A
trifle too floral for my taste, We
want word-Why not sautosex,,alo
He Is afraid Of women. He dare not
risk an approach to them. He is
afraid of humiliation, he is dark
ened by a dread of them. And. nv
dear, dimly, he wants what you give
us. He missed the coarse enter.
prise Of adolescence, which lays the
foundations Of confidence. He feels