Teleny or the Reverse of the Medal by Oscar Wilde, Anonymous Page A

weapon out of her; she was free, but senseless and faint.
    I was just upon the steps, when I heard the cry. Although I was not thinking of the poor girl, still, at once it seemed to me as if I recognized her voice, I flew up the steps, I rushed into the house, and I found the cook pale and trembling in the passage.
    'Where is Catherine?'
    'In her room—I—I think.'
    'Then, who screamed?'
    'But—but I don't know. Perhaps she did.'
    'And why don't you go to help her?'
    'The door is locked,' said she, looking aghast.
    I rushed to the door. I shook it with all my strength.
    'Catherine, open! What's the matter?'
    At the sound of my voice the poor girl came back to life.
    With another mighty shake I burst the lock. The door opened.
    I had just time enough to catch sight of the girl in her blood-stained chemise.
    Her loose hair was all dishevelled. Her eyes were gleaming with a wild fire. Her face was contorted by pain, shame, and madness. She looked like Cassandra after she had been violated by Ajax's soldiers.
    As she stood, not far from the window, her glances from the coachman fell upon me with loathing and scorn.
    She now knew what the love of men was. She rushed to the casement. I bounded towards her, but forestalling me, she leapt out before the coachman or myself could prevent her; and although I caught the end of her garment, her weight tore it, and I was left with a rag in my hand.
    We heard a heavy thud, a scream, a few groans, then silence.

    The girl had been true to her word.

6
    This shocking suicide of our maid absorbed all my thoughts for a few days, and gave me no slight amount of trouble and worry for some time afterwards.
    Besides, as I was no casuist, I asked myself whether I had not had some share in prompting her to commit such a rash act; I therefore tried to make amends to the coachman, at least, by helping him as much as I could out of his trouble. Moreover, if I had not been fond of the girl, I had really tried to love her, so that I was greatly upset by her death.
    My manager, who was far more my master than I was his, seeing the shattered state of my nerves, persuaded me to undertake a short business journey, which otherwise he would have had to make himself.
    All these circumstances obliged me to keep my thoughts away from Teleny, who had lately engrossed them so entirely. I therefore tried to come to the conclusion that I had quite forgotten him; and I was already congratulating myself on having mastered a passion that had rendered me contemptible in my own eyes.
    On my return home I not only shunned him, but I even avoided reading his name in the papers—nay, whenever I saw it on the bills in the street, I turned my head away from it, notwithstanding all the attraction it had for me; such was the fear I had of falling under his magic spell. And yet, was it possible for me to continue avoiding him? Would not the slightest accident bring us together again? And then—?
    I tried to believe that the power he had over me had vanished, and that it was not possible for him to acquire it again. Then, to make doubly sure, I resolved to cut him dead the first time we met. Moreover I was in hopes he would leave the town—for some time at least, if not forever.
    Not long after my return, I was with my mother in a box at the theatre, when all at once the door opened and Teleny appeared in the doorway.
    On seeing him I felt myself grow pale and then red, my knees seemed to be giving way, my heart began to beat with such mighty thumps that my breast was ready to burst. For a moment, I felt all my good resolutions give way; then, loathing myself for being so weak, I snatched up my hat, and—scarcely bowing to the young man—I rushed out of the box like a madman, leaving my mother to apologize for my strange behavior. No sooner was I out than I felt drawn back, and I almost returned to beg his forgiveness. Shame alone prevented me from doing so.
    When I re-entered the box, my mother, vexed and astonished, asked