IV + 

Sebastian came very often to see Jane. He usually came after dinner, ringing up first to find if she would be at home. They both found a curious pleasure in each otherтАЩs company. To Sebastian Jane recounted her struggles with the role of Solveig, the difficulties of the music, the difficulty of pleasing Radmaager, the still greater difficulty of pleasing herself. To Jane, Sebastian imparted his ambitions, his present plans, his future vague ideas. + 

One evening, after they had both been silent after a long spell of talking, he said: + 

тАЬI can talk to you better than anyone I know, Jane. I donтАЩt quite know why, either.тАЭ + 

тАЬWell, in a way, weтАЩre both the same kind of person, arenтАЩt we?тАЭ + 

тАЬAre we?тАЭ + 

тАЬI think so. Not superficially, perhaps, but fundamentally. We both like truth. I think, as far as one can say that of oneself we both see things as they are.тАЭ + 

тАЬAnd you think most people donтАЩt?тАЭ + 

тАЬOf course they donтАЩt. Nell Vereker, for instance. She sees things as theyтАЩve been shown her, as she hopes they are.тАЭ + 

тАЬA slave of convention, you mean?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, but it works both ways. Joe, for instance, prides herself on being unconventional, but that makes just as much for narrowness and prejudice.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, if youтАЩre тАШaginтАЩ everything irrespective of what it is. Joe is like that. She must be a rebel. She never really examines a thing on its merits. And thatтАЩs what damns me so hopelessly in her eyes. IтАЩm successfulтБатАФand she admires failures. IтАЩm rich, so sheтАЩd gain instead of lose if she married me. And being a Jew doesnтАЩt count against you much nowadays.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs even fashionable,тАЭ said Jane laughing. + 

тАЬAnd yet, do you know, Jane, I always have a queer feeling that Joe really likes me?тАЭ + 

тАЬPerhaps she does. SheтАЩs the wrong age for you, Sebastian. That Swede at your party said something wonderfully trueтБатАФabout separation in time being worse than separation in space. If youтАЩre the wrong age for a person, nothing keeps you apart so hopelessly. You may be made for one another, but be born at the wrong time for each other. Does that sound nonsense? I believe when sheтАЩs about thirty-five, Joe could love youтБатАФthe real essential youтБатАФmadly. ItтАЩll take a woman to love you, Sebastian, not a girl.тАЭ + 

Sebastian was looking into the fire. It was a cold February day, and there were logs piled up on the coals. Jane hated gas fires. + 

тАЬHave you ever wondered, Jane, why we donтАЩt fall in love with each other, you and I? Platonic friendship doesnтАЩt usually work. And youтАЩre very attractive. ThereтАЩs a lot of the siren about youтБатАФquite unconscious, but itтАЩs there.тАЭ + 

тАЬPerhaps we should under normal conditions.тАЭ + 

тАЬArenтАЩt we under normal conditions? Oh! wait a minuteтБатАФI know what you mean. You mean the lineтАЩs already engaged.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. If you didnтАЩt love JoeтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬAnd if youтБатАФтАЭ + 

He stopped. + 

тАЬWell?тАЭ said Jane. тАЬYou knew, didnтАЩt you?тАЭ + 

тАЬYes, I suppose so. You donтАЩt mind talking about it?тАЭ + 

тАЬNot in the least. If a thingтАЩs there, what does it matter if you talk of it or not?тАЭ + 

тАЬAre you one of the people, Jane, who believe that if you want a thing enough you can make it happen?тАЭ + 

Jane considered. + 

тАЬNoтБатАФI donтАЩt think I am. So many things happen to you naturally that it keeps you busy withoutтБатАФwell, looking for things as well. When a thingтАЩs offered you, youтАЩve got to choose whether youтАЩll accept it or refuse it. ThatтАЩs destiny. And when youтАЩve made your choice you must abide by it without looking back.тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs the spirit of Greek tragedy. YouтАЩve got Electra into your bones, Jane.тАЭ He picked up a book from the table. тАЬPeer Gynt? YouтАЩre steeping yourself in Solveig, I see.тАЭ + 

тАЬYes. ItтАЩs more her opera than PeerтАЩs. You know, Sebastian, Solveig is a wonderfully fascinating characterтБатАФso impassive, so calm, and yet so utterly certain that her love for Peer is the only thing in heaven or earth. She knows that he wants and needs her though he never tells her so, she is abandoned and deserted by him, and manages to turn that desertion into a crowning proof of his love. By the way, that Whitsuntide music of RadmaagerтАЩs is perfectly glorious. You know: тАШBlessed is he who has made my life blessed!тАЩ To show that the love of a man can turn you into a kind of impassioned nun is difficult but rather wonderful.тАЭ + 

тАЬIs Radmaager pleased with you?тАЭ + 

тАЬSometimes he is. Yesterday, on the other hand, he consigned my soul to hell and shook me till my teeth rattled. He was perfectly right, too. I sang it all wrongтБатАФlike a melodramatic stage-struck girl. ItтАЩs got to be sheer force of willтБатАФrestraint. Solveig must be so soft and gentle, but really so terribly strong. ItтАЩs like Radmaager said the first day. SnowтБатАФsmooth snowтБатАФwith a wonderful clear design running through it.тАЭ + 

She went on to talk of VernonтАЩs work. + 

тАЬItтАЩs almost finished, you know. I want him to show it to Radmaager.тАЭ + 

тАЬWill he?тАЭ + 

тАЬI think so. Have you seen it?тАЭ + 

тАЬParts of it only.тАЭ + 

тАЬWhat do you think of it?тАЭ + 

тАЬIтАЩll hear what you think of it first, Jane. Your judgmentтАЩs as good as mine any day where music is concerned.тАЭ + 

тАЬItтАЩs crude. ThereтАЩs too much in itтБатАФtoo much good stuff. He hasnтАЩt learnt how to handle his materialтБатАФbut the material is thereтБатАФmasses and masses of it. Do you agree?тАЭ + 

Sebastian nodded. + 

тАЬAbsolutely. IтАЩm more sure than ever that Vernon is going toтБатАФwell, revolutionize things. But thereтАЩs a nasty time coming. HeтАЩll have to face the fact that what heтАЩs written isnтАЩt, when allтАЩs said and done, a commercial proposition.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou mean, it couldnтАЩt be produced?тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs what I mean.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou could produce it.тАЭ + 

тАЬYou mean, out of friendship?тАЭ + 

тАЬThatтАЩs what I meant.тАЭ + 

Sebastian got up and began to pace up and down. + 

тАЬTo my way of thinking, thatтАЩs unethical,тАЭ he said at last. + 

тАЬAnd also you donтАЩt like losing money.тАЭ + 

тАЬQuite true.тАЭ + 

тАЬBut you could afford to lose a certain amount withoutтБатАФwell, noticing it?тАЭ + 

тАЬI always notice losing money. It affectsтБатАФwell, my pride.тАЭ + 

Jane nodded. + 

тАЬI understand that. But I donтАЩt think, Sebastian, that you need lose money.тАЭ + 

тАЬMy dear JaneтБатАФтАЭ + 

тАЬDonтАЩt argue with me till you know what IтАЩm arguing about. YouтАЩre going to produce a certain amount of what the world calls тАШhighbrowтАЩ stuff at the little Holborn theatre, arenтАЩt you? Well, this summerтБатАФsay the beginning of JulyтБатАФproduce The Princess in the Tower forтБатАФsayтБатАФtwo weeks. DonтАЩt produce it from the point of view of an opera (donтАЩt tell Vernon this, by the wayтБатАФbut there, you wouldnтАЩt. YouтАЩre not an idiot), but from the point of view of a musical spectacular play. Unusual scenery and weird lighting effectsтБатАФyouтАЩre keen on lighting, I know. The Russian balletтБатАФthatтАЩs what youтАЩve got to aim at; thatтАЩs theтБатАФthe tone of it. Have good singers, but attractive ones to look at as well. And now, putting modesty in the background, IтАЩll tell you this. IтАЩll make a success of it for you.тАЭ + 

тАЬYouтБатАФas the princess?тАЭ + 

тАЬNo, my dear child, as the doll mender. ItтАЩs a weird characterтБатАФa character that will attract and arrest. The music of the doll mender is the best thing Vernon has done. Sebastian, youтАЩve always said I could act. TheyтАЩre going to let me sing at Covent Garden this season because I can act. I shall make a hit. I know I can actтБатАФand acting counts for a lot in opera. I canтБатАФI can sway people. I can make them feel. VernonтАЩs opera will need licking into shape from the dramatic point of view. Leave that to me. From the musical side, you and Radmaager may be able to make suggestionsтБатАФif heтАЩll take them. Musicians are the devil to deal with as we all know. The thing can be done, Sebastian.тАЭ + 

She leaned forward, her face vivid and impressive. SebastianтАЩs face grew more impassive as it always did when he was thinking hard. He looked appraisingly at Jane, weighing her, not from the personal standpoint, but from the impersonal. He believed in Jane, in her dynamic force, in her magnetism, in her wonderful power of communicating emotion over the footlights. + 

тАЬIтАЩll think it over,тАЭ he said quietly. тАЬThereтАЩs something in what you say.тАЭ + 

Jane laughed suddenly. + 

тАЬAnd youтАЩll be able to get me very cheap, Sebastian,тАЭ she said. + 

тАЬI shall expect to,тАЭ said Sebastian gravely. тАЬMy Jewish instincts must be appeased somehow. YouтАЩre putting this thing over on me, JaneтБатАФdonтАЩt imagine that I donтАЩt know it!тАЭ + 