shift of the conversational burden to rise and
remove the plates. Mor helped him. It was stewed fruit and ice-cream to follow.
The ice-cream was rather melted.
‘In fact, you can’t teach teach children to paint,’ said Bledyard. ‘They
already know how to paint. It is the only art that comes naturally to all human
beings.’
‘What about music?’ said Mor. He wanted to get into the conversation.
‘I know,’ said Miss Carter simultaneously. ‘My father didn’t teach me in that
sense till I was quite old. But then he was very severe. I can remember being
made to paint the same thing again and again.’
‘But they forget it later,’ said Bledyard. It was characteristic of Bledyard s
conversation that he did not always attend to remarks made by his interlocutor,
but pursued his own train of thought aloud. This was sometimes confusing until
one got used to it. ‘They forget how forget how to paint at about the time when
they lose their innocence. They have to learn all over again after that. What
does that prove? Painting is man’s most fundamental mode of apprehension. We
are incarnate incarnate creatures, our mode of knowledge is sensible, and
vision is sovereign over the other senses. Before man could speak he could
draw.’ It was also characteristic of Bledyard that whereas he might sit completely
silent for long periods at a social gathering, if once he did start to talk he
would dominate the conversation.
Miss Carter was not embarrassed by Bledyard. She watched him with lips parted.
She clearly found him fascinating. Mor set aside his plate. The ice-cream was
tasteless. He hated ice-cream anyway.
‘If you will excuse me,’ said Mr Everard, ‘I will start making the coffee. It
takes a little time to prepare in my special coffee-machine. No, no, stay where
you are. You haven’t finished your fruit, I see. Cheese and biscuits are on the
table, so do help yourselves if you want any. I shall just be getting the
coffee quite quietly.’
Evvy escaped from the table. He had lately acquired a coffee-machine, from
which Mor had had great hopes; however, since Evvy never put even half of the
correct amount of coffee into the machine, the results were just as deplorable
as before.
‘You think we give significance to the world by representing it?’ said Miss
Carter to Bledyard. ‘No, thank you,’ she said to Mor, who was offering her a
biscuit.
Mor gloomily undid the silver paper from a limp triangle of processed cheese.
‘Representation is an ambiguous word,’ said Bledyard. ‘To represent something
something is a task which must be undertaken with humility. What is the first
and most fundamental truth which an incarnate being must realize? That he is a
thing, a material object in space and time, and that as such he will come to an
end. What is the next next truth which he must realize? That he is related on
the one hand to God, who is not a thing, and on the other hand to other things
which surround him. Now these other things things,’ Bledyard raised his spoon
to emphasize his words, ‘are some of them mere things, and others of them
God-related things like himself.’
Over by the hearth, Mr Everard seemed to be having some trouble with the
coffee-machine. Mor saw with foreboding that he seemed to be pouring in a lot
of water at the last moment.
‘Shall we repair?’ said Evvy. ‘The coffee is almost ready.’ Bledyard, Mor, and
Miss Carter rose from the table.
‘It is distinctly indicated indicated in the Bible,’ said Bledyard, ‘that the
works of nature are placed upon this earth for the benefit of man. Is that not
so, Mis-ter Ever-ard?’
Evvy jumped at being suddenly appealed to. ‘That is so, Mr Bledyard,’ he said.
‘Er, Miss Carter, pray sit here. Do you take milk in your coffee?’
‘Yes, please,’ said Miss Carter.
‘It is also the case,’ said Bledyard, ‘that the Bible commands commands us to
abstain from the creation of graven images.’
‘I hope you don’t mind
remove the plates. Mor helped him. It was stewed fruit and ice-cream to follow.
The ice-cream was rather melted.
‘In fact, you can’t teach teach children to paint,’ said Bledyard. ‘They
already know how to paint. It is the only art that comes naturally to all human
beings.’
‘What about music?’ said Mor. He wanted to get into the conversation.
‘I know,’ said Miss Carter simultaneously. ‘My father didn’t teach me in that
sense till I was quite old. But then he was very severe. I can remember being
made to paint the same thing again and again.’
‘But they forget it later,’ said Bledyard. It was characteristic of Bledyard s
conversation that he did not always attend to remarks made by his interlocutor,
but pursued his own train of thought aloud. This was sometimes confusing until
one got used to it. ‘They forget how forget how to paint at about the time when
they lose their innocence. They have to learn all over again after that. What
does that prove? Painting is man’s most fundamental mode of apprehension. We
are incarnate incarnate creatures, our mode of knowledge is sensible, and
vision is sovereign over the other senses. Before man could speak he could
draw.’ It was also characteristic of Bledyard that whereas he might sit completely
silent for long periods at a social gathering, if once he did start to talk he
would dominate the conversation.
Miss Carter was not embarrassed by Bledyard. She watched him with lips parted.
She clearly found him fascinating. Mor set aside his plate. The ice-cream was
tasteless. He hated ice-cream anyway.
‘If you will excuse me,’ said Mr Everard, ‘I will start making the coffee. It
takes a little time to prepare in my special coffee-machine. No, no, stay where
you are. You haven’t finished your fruit, I see. Cheese and biscuits are on the
table, so do help yourselves if you want any. I shall just be getting the
coffee quite quietly.’
Evvy escaped from the table. He had lately acquired a coffee-machine, from
which Mor had had great hopes; however, since Evvy never put even half of the
correct amount of coffee into the machine, the results were just as deplorable
as before.
‘You think we give significance to the world by representing it?’ said Miss
Carter to Bledyard. ‘No, thank you,’ she said to Mor, who was offering her a
biscuit.
Mor gloomily undid the silver paper from a limp triangle of processed cheese.
‘Representation is an ambiguous word,’ said Bledyard. ‘To represent something
something is a task which must be undertaken with humility. What is the first
and most fundamental truth which an incarnate being must realize? That he is a
thing, a material object in space and time, and that as such he will come to an
end. What is the next next truth which he must realize? That he is related on
the one hand to God, who is not a thing, and on the other hand to other things
which surround him. Now these other things things,’ Bledyard raised his spoon
to emphasize his words, ‘are some of them mere things, and others of them
God-related things like himself.’
Over by the hearth, Mr Everard seemed to be having some trouble with the
coffee-machine. Mor saw with foreboding that he seemed to be pouring in a lot
of water at the last moment.
‘Shall we repair?’ said Evvy. ‘The coffee is almost ready.’ Bledyard, Mor, and
Miss Carter rose from the table.
‘It is distinctly indicated indicated in the Bible,’ said Bledyard, ‘that the
works of nature are placed upon this earth for the benefit of man. Is that not
so, Mis-ter Ever-ard?’
Evvy jumped at being suddenly appealed to. ‘That is so, Mr Bledyard,’ he said.
‘Er, Miss Carter, pray sit here. Do you take milk in your coffee?’
‘Yes, please,’ said Miss Carter.
‘It is also the case,’ said Bledyard, ‘that the Bible commands commands us to
abstain from the creation of graven images.’
‘I hope you don’t mind
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