ThreePeachStones
Observeachild;anyonewilldo.Youwillseethatnotadaypassesinwhichhedoesnotfindsomethingorothertomakehimhappy,thoughhemaybeintearsthenextmoment.Thenlookataman;anyoneofuswilldo.Youwillnoticethatweeksandmonthscanpassinwhicheverydayisgreetedwithnothingmorethanresignation,andenduredwithpoliteindifference.Indeed,mostmenareasmiserableassinners,thoughtheyaretooboredtosin?—perhapstheirsinistheirindifference.Butitistruethattheysoseldomsmilethatwhentheydowedonotrecognisetheirface,sodistorteditisfromthefixedmaskwetakeforgranted.Andeventhenamancannotsmilelikeachild,forachildsmileswithhiseyes,whereasamansmileswithhislipsalone.Itisnotasmile,butagrin;somethingtodowithhumour,butlittletodowithhappiness.Andthen,asanyonecansee,thereisapoint(butwhocandefinethatpoint?)whenamanbecomesanoldman,andthenhewillsmileagain.
Itwouldseemthathappinessissomethingtodowithsimplicity,andthatitistheabilitytoextractpleasurefromthesimplestthings—suchasapeachstone,forinstance.
Itisobviousthatitisnothingtodowithsuccess.ForSirHenryStewartwascertainlysuccessful.ItistwentyyearsagosincehecamedowntoourvillagefromLondon,andboughtacoupleofoldcottages,whichhehadknockedintoone.Heusedhishouseasaweekendrefuge.Hewasabarrister.Andthevillagefollowedhisbrilliantcareerwithsomethingalmostamountingtopaternalspride.
IremembersometenyearsagowhenhewasmadeaKing』sCounsel,AmosandI,seeinghimgetofftheLondontrain,wenttocongratulatehim.Wegrinnedwithpleasure;hemerelylookedasmiserableasthoughhe』dreceivedapenalsentence.Itwasthesamewhenhewasknighted;heneversmiledabit,hedidn』tevenbothertocelebratewitharoundofdrinksatthe「BlueFox」.Hetookhissuccessasachilddoeshismedicine.Andnotoneofhisachievementsbroughtevenaghostofasmiletohistiredeyes.
Iaskedhimoneday,soonafterhe』dretiredtopotterabouthisgarden,whatitwasliketoachieveallone』sambitions.Helookeddownathisrosesandwentonwateringthem.Thenhesaid,「Theonlyvalueinachievingone』sambitionisthatyouthenrealisethattheyarenotworthachieving.」Quicklyhemovedtheconversationontoamorepracticallevel,andwithinamomentwewerebacktoasafediscussionontheweather.Thatwastwoyearsago.
Irecallthisincident,foryesterday,Iwaspassinghishouse,andhaddrawnupmycartjustoutsidehisgardenwall.Ihadpulledinfromtheroadfornootherreasonthantoletabuspassme.AsIsattherefillingmypipe,Isuddenlyheardashoutofsheerjoycomefromtheothersideofthewall.
Ipeeredover.TherestoodSirHenrydoingnothinglessthanatribalwardanceofsheerunashamedecstasy.Evenwhenheobservedmybewilderedfacestaringoverthewallhedidnotseemputoutorembarrassed,butshoutedformetoclimbover.