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The Book I’ve Just Read

William Somerset Maugham’s short stories are very fascinating. Not long ago I’ve read one of his short stories, it is the storyabout a man who is very rich, very powerful, very intellegent, very successful in his career and yet he is unhappy. Hisname is Lord Mountdrago (the story says: he was an able anddistinguished man who was appointed Secretary of Foreign Affairswhen he was under forty. He was considered the most capablepolitican in the Conservative Party and for a long time directedthe foreign policy of his country). One day he comes to Dr. Audlin who is a psychotherapist and whose reputation as apsychotherapist is very good. Dr. Audlin seems to be able to helpalmost everybody (the story says: he could relief certain pains bythe touch of his cool, soft hands and by talking to his patients, often induced sleep in those who were suffering from sleeplessness. He spoke slowly. His voice had no particularcolor, but it was musical, soft and lulling. Dr. Audlin foundthat by

speaking to people in that low monotonous voice of his, by looking at them with his pale, quiet eyes, by stroking theirforeheads with his long firm hands he could sometimes do thingsthat seemed miraculous). Lord Mountdrago had a strange dreams. They get on his nerves. And he was afraid that he will go mad orcommit suicide if it would go on like that every night. He said thathis decision can affect the welfare of the country. When Dr. Audlin askes to describe one of his dreams, he begins: «the first dreamI had was about a month ago. I dreamt that i was at a party atConnemara House. It was an official party. The King and the Queenwere to be there and many prominent people too. Suddenly I saw alittle man there called Owen Griffiths, who is a member ofparlament from the Labour Party and to tell you the truth, I wassurprised to see him there. The Connemaras were at the top of amarble staircase receiving their guests… Suddenly I noticedthat the King and the Queen had come, turned my back on theConnemaras and understood that I had got my trousers on. You can’tunderstand what i felt at that moment, an agony of shame.
I awokein a cold sweat and understood what it was only a dream».

Dr. Audlin can’t diagnose the case and soon he learns thatLord Mountrago has ruined his opponent in the House of Commons. Whose name is Owen Griffiths. He did it cruelly and mercilessly. Hisconscience protested that injury he caused to Griffiths. Thestory has a tragic end. Lord Mountdrago is unable to get rid ofhis terrible dreams. He commits suicide. His antagonist suddenlydies too. The newspaper wrote that his death was supposed to bedue to natural reason but we know that his death wassupernaturally conditioned by Lord Mountdrago’s tragic end. Inconclusion we come to after having read that supernational forceseffect our lives. No matter how sensitive or insensitive we mightbe to them. Thus the moral of the story is that doing good is theonly certainly happy action of a man’s life.

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