The Country of the Blind by H.G. Wells
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]
clear- cut face, and lacked that satisfying, glossy smoothness that_is_the blind man's ideal of feminine beauty; but Nunez thought her beautiful at first, and presently the most beautiful thing in_the whole creation . her closed eyelids were_not sunken and red after_the common way of_the valley, but lay as_though they_might open again at any moment; and she had long eyelashes, which were considered a grave disfigurement . and her voice was strong, and did_not satisfy the acute hearing of_the valley swains . so_that she had no lover .

there came a time when Nunez thought that, could he win her, he_would_be resigned to live in_the valley for all the rest of_his days .

he watched her; he sought opportunities of doing her little services, and presently he_found that she observed him . once at a rest- day gathering they sat side by side in_the dim starlight, and_the music was sweet . his hand came upon hers and he dared to clasp it . then very tenderly she returned his pressure . and one day, as_they were at their meal in_the darkness, he_felt her hand very softly seeking him, and as it chanced the fire leapt then and he_saw the tenderness of her face .

he sought to_speak to her .

he went to her one day when she was sitting in_the summer moonlight spinning . the light made her a thing of silver and mystery . he sat down at her feet and told her he loved her, and told her how beautiful she seemed to him . he had a lover's voice, he spoke with a tender reverence that came near to awe, and she had never before been touched by adoration . she made him no definite answer, but it_was clear his words pleased her .

after_that he talked to her whenever he_could take an opportunity . the valley became the world for him, and_the world beyond the mountains where men lived in sunlight seemed no more than a fairy tale he_would some day pour into her ears . very tentatively and timidly he spoke to her of sight .

sight seemed to her the most poetical of fancies, and she listened to_his description of_the stars and_the mountains and her own sweet white-lit beauty as_though it_was a guilty indulgence . she did_not believe, she_could only half understand, but she was mysteriously delighted, and it seemed to him that she completely understood .

his love lost its awe and took courage . presently he_was for demanding her of Yacob and_the elders in marriage, but she became fearful and delayed . and it_was one of her elder sisters who first told Yacob that Medina-sarot and Nunez were in love .

there_was from_the first very great opposition to_the marriage of Nunez and Medina-sarot; not so_much because they valued her as because they held him as a being apart, an idiot, incompetent thing below the permissible level of a man . her sisters opposed it bitterly as bringing discredit on them all; and old Yacob, though he had formed a sort of liking for_his clumsy, obedient serf, shook his head and said the thing could_not_be . the young men were all angry at_the idea of corrupting the race, and one went so_far as_to revile and strike Nunez . he struck back . then for_the first time he_found an advantage in seeing, even by twilight, and after_that fight was over no one was disposed to raise a hand against him . but they still found his marriage impossible .

old Yacob had a tenderness for_his last little daughter, and was grieved to_have her weep upon his shoulder .

" you_see, my dear, he's an idiot . he has delusions; he_can't do anything right ."

" I_know," wept Medina-sarot ." but he's better than he_was . he's getting better . and he's strong, dear father, and kind-- stronger and kinder than any I other man in_the_world . and he loves me-- and, father, I love him ."

old Yacob was greatly distressed to_find her inconsolable, and, besides-- what made it more distressing-- he liked Nunez for many things . so he went and sat in_the windowless council- chamber with_the other elders and watched the trend of_the talk, and said, at_the proper time, " he's better than he_was . very likely, some day, we_shall find him as sane as ourselves ."

then afterwards one_of_the elders, who thought deeply, had an idea . he was_the great doctor among_these people, their medicine- man, and he had a very philosophical and inventive mind, and_the idea of curing Nunez of_his peculiarities appealed to him . one day when Yacob was present he returned to_the topic of Nunez .

" I_have examined Bogota," he_said, " and_the case is clearer to_me . i_think very probably he_might_be cured ."

" that_is what I_have always hoped," said old Yacob .

" his brain is affected," said the blind doctor .

the elders murmured assent .

" now, what affects it ? "

"Ah ! " said old Yacob .

"_This_," said the doctor, answering his own question ." those queer things that_are called the eyes, and which exist to_make an agreeable soft depression in_the face, are diseased, in_the case of Bogota, in_such_a_way as_to affect his brain . they_are greatly distended, he has eyelashes, and_his eyelids move, and consequently his brain is in a state of constant irritation and distraction ."

" yes ? " said old Yacob ." yes ? "

" and i_think I_may say with reasonable certainty that, in_order to cure him completely, all that we_need do is a simple and easy surgical operation-- namely, to remove these irritant bodies ."

" and then he_will_be sane ? "

" then he_will_be perfectly sane, and a quite admirable citizen ."

" thank heaven for science ! " said old Yacob, and went forth at once to_tell Nunez of_his happy hopes .

but Nunez's manner of receiving the good news struck him as being cold and disappointing .

" one might think," he_said, " from_the tone you take, that you_did_not care for_my daughter ."

it_was Medina-sarot who persuaded Nunez to_face the blind surgeons .

"_You do_not want me," he_said, " to lose my gift of sight ? "

she shook her head .

" my world is sight ."

her head drooped lower .

" there_are the beautiful things, the beautiful little things-- the flowers, the lichens among_the rocks, the lightness and softness on a piece of fur, the far sky with its drifting down of clouds, the sunsets and_the stars . and there_is you . for_you alone it_is good to_have sight, to_see your sweet, serene face, your kindly lips, your dear, beautiful hands folded together .. . it_is these eyes of_mine you won, these eyes that hold me to_you, that_these idiots seek . instead, I_must touch you, hear you, and never see you again . I_must come under that roof of rock and stone and darkness, that horrible roof under which your imagination stoops .. . no; you_would_not_have me do_that ? "

a disagreeable doubt had arisen in him . he stopped, and left the thing a question .

" i_wish," she said, "sometimes----" she paused .

" yes," said he, a little apprehensively .

" i_wish sometimes-- you_would_not talk like that ."

" like what ? "

" I_know it's pretty-- it's your imagination .I love it, but now_----"

he_felt cold ."_Now ? " he_said faintly .

she sat quite still .

" you mean-- you_think-- i_should_be better, better perhaps-----"

he_was realising things very swiftly . he_felt anger, indeed, anger at_the dull course of fate, but also sympathy for her lack of understanding--a sympathy near akin to pity .

"_Dear_," he_said, and he could_see by her whiteness how intensely her spirit pressed against the things she_could_not say . he put his arms about her, he kissed her ear, and_they sat for a time in silence .

" if I were to consent to_this ? " he_said at last, in a voice that was very gentle .

she flung her arms about him, weeping wildly ."Oh, if_you_would," she sobbed, " if only you_would ! "

* * * * *

for a week before_the operation that was to raise him from_his servitude and inferiority to_the level of a blind citizen, Nunez knew nothing of sleep, and all through_the warm sunlit hours, while the others slumbered happily, he sat brooding or wandered aimlessly, trying to bring his mind to bear on_his dilemma . he had given his answer, he had given his consent, and still he_was not sure . and at last work- time was over, the sun rose in splendour over the golden crests, and_his last day of vision began for him . he had a few_minutes with Medina-sarot before she went apart to sleep .

" to- morrow," he_said, " I_shall see no more ."

" dear heart ! " she answered, and pressed his hands with all her strength .

" they_will hurt you but little," she said; " and you_are going through_this pain-- you_are going through it, dear lover, for_me .. . dear, if a woman's heart and life can do_it, i_will repay you . my dearest one, my dearest with_the tender voice, i_will repay ."

he_was drenched in pity for himself and her .

he held her in_his arms, and pressed his lips to hers, and looked on her sweet face for_the_last time ." good-bye ! " he whispered at_that dear sight, " good-bye ! "

and then in silence he turned away from her .

she_could hear his slow retreating footsteps, and something in_the rhythm of_them threw her into a passion of weeping .

he had fully meant to_go to a lonely place where the meadows were beautiful with white narcissus, and there remain until the hour of_his sacrifice should come, but as he went he lifted up his eyes and saw the morning, the morning like an angel in golden armour, marching down the steeps .. .

it seemed to him that before this splendour he, and this blind world in_the valley, and_his love, and all, were no more than a pit of sin .

he_did_not turn aside as he had meant to_do, but went on, and passed through_the wall of_the circumference and out upon_the rocks, and_his eyes were always upon_the sunlit ice and snow .

he_saw their infinite beauty, and_his imagination soared over them to_the things beyond he_was now to resign for ever .

he thought of_that great free world he_was parted from, the world that was his own, and he had a vision of_those further slopes, distance beyond distance, with Bogota, a place of multitudinous stirring beauty, a glory by day, a luminous mystery by night, a place of palaces and fountains and statues and white houses, lying beautifully in_the middle distance . he thought how for a day or so one might come down through passes, drawing ever nearer and nearer to its busy streets and ways . he thought of_the river journey, day by day, from great Bogota to_the still vaster world beyond, through towns and villages, forest and desert places, the rushing river day by day, until its banks receded and_the big steamers came splashing by, and one had reached the sea-- the limitless sea, with its thousand islands, its thousands of islands, and its ships seen dimly far away in their incessant journeyings round and about_that greater world . and there, unpent by mountains, one saw the sky-- the sky, not such a disc as one saw it here, but an arch of immeasurable blue, a deep of deeps in_which_the circling stars were floating .. .

his eyes scrutinised the great curtain of_the mountains with a keener inquiry .

for example, if one went so, up that gully and to_that chimney there, then one might come out high among those stunted pines that ran round in a sort of shelf and rose still higher and higher as it passed above the gorge . and then ? that talus might_be managed . thence perhaps a climb might_be found to_take him up_to_the precipice that came below the snow; and if_that chimney failed, then another farther to_the east might serve his purpose better . and then ? then one would_be out upon_the amber-lit snow there, and half- way up_to_the crest of_those beautiful desolations .

he glanced back at_the village, then turned right round and regarded it steadfastly .

he thought of Medina-sarot, and she had become small and remote .

he turned again towards the mountain wall, down which the day had come to him .

then very circumspectly he began to climb .

when sunset came he_was no longer climbing, but he_was far and high . he had_been higher, but he_was still very high . his clothes were torn, his limbs were blood- stained, he_was bruised in many places, but he lay as_if he were at his ease, and there_was a smile on_his face .

from where he rested the valley seemed as_if it were in a pit and nearly a mile below . already it_was dim with haze and shadow, though the mountain summits around him were things of light and fire . the mountain summits around him were things of light and fire, and_the little details of_the rocks near at hand were drenched with subtle beauty--a vein of green mineral piercing the grey, the flash of crystal faces here and there, a minute, minutely- beautiful orange lichen close beside his face . there were deep mysterious shadows in_the gorge, blue deepening into purple, and purple into a luminous darkness, and overhead was_the illimitable vastness of_the sky . but he heeded these things no longer, but lay quite inactive there, smiling as_if he were satisfied merely to_have escaped from_the valley of_the blind in_which he had thought to_be king .

the glow of_the sunset passed, and_the night came, and still he lay peacefully contented under the cold clear stars .

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]