Decadent Dialogue

Mr. William Sharp, the discipla iu Englaud oí Maeterlinck, has written a volume of dramatic interludes wbich he oalls "Vistas." It may interest some readers who are not well acqnainted with the decadent species of dialogue to see the following scrap taken from the "Passing of Lilith, " which by some ia regarded as the most typical of the "Vistas:" ülnel - Lilith, heart of beauty, wilt thcu come? Lilith - I perish yourter. Uinel - Thou eanst not die. Thou art immortal. Lilith- 1 dreamed that I should die daily and a tliousand deaths. Ulnel - Love scorneth ïear. Lilith - Fear warneth love. Uïnol - ('ome. Lilith- Show me the portals of thy golden house. Uluel (troubled) - What wouldst thou? i Lilith- Thee. Ulnel- I must go henee. Already- lf thia dialogue has a tendency to bewilder the uututored and unpsychological mind, what will be the effect of tuis brief quotation from "The Whisperer?" ïhe Man - Who spoke? ïhe Whisperer - It is I. The Man - Who art thou? The Whisperer- I am of those-who watch. The Man - For whonr? (Sileuce.) The Man- For vbat? (Sileuce.) The Man - Art thou tbere? The Whisperer - I am here. The Man- I see thee nat. Where art thou? The Whisperer - I am the rhythii) of the wbiriing wheèla and the lalling hoofs, in tliü niiisu of innuinerous feet tnil the imirumr of myriad breatlis. The aparrows flickeriu the üght of my footfall, and the high suulight is in my eyes. This oonversation, be it nyted, is takin place ou a crowdeil modern Lonilon street. Most peoule vfould prefer even