Mine Already

Excerpt from G.V.Desani's foreword(!) to his All About H.Hatterr

I wanted to worship beauty. Sane reflection, and I realised that beauty costs, expense and effort. Even the wish to see the sun set in the Himalayas was a wish unfulfilled without a ticket to, boarding the very early train to, and the uphill climbing. 

Why trouble? Why not dream instead ? Convinced, I provided me an arm-chair, and induced experience. Thus I realised Beauty,  and Beauty-experience. Such visions.

My late father, heard of this. He walked me into my corner of the house, tactics! and offered to cut me off with a shilling. Which threat was my cue to speak. 

'From now I'll be guided, Sir kinsman. I'll be up early. In bed till noon's a fault I'll daily mend. Change my diet too. Much milk, I appreciate, isn't good for me. Just allow me three days' lamentation, and no more day-dreams! Count on me to do the Admirable Acts. My goal's to acquire properties, goods. By craft, by cunning, I have both; by legal sanction, by religious warrant, on my side, both,  by right imperial motive, and any old otherwise, I know how!'

He asked me if I was serious. How did I propose going about it?

By doing the approved acts. I'll organise. I'll lead. Enthusiasm is the key-note. Man's got to increase the size of things, bigger and bigger! Got to go fast, faster and faster! Got to add to the available things, more and more! Excelsior! 

The interview over. Three days' reflection and Sanity. To achieve ease by so much unease! To want and fight for things that all want (an unsocial act), to stick to the family and later on raise an & co. of my own, whom I must prefer to any other man's (an unsocial act), to cause competition, to spend a life-time doing , when the armchair is there, mine already!

 Resolved, I'd be content with smaller and smaller, go slower and slower, have lesser and lesser. If necessary, the least. 

He accused me of bad faith, cut me off, and kept the shilling.