Familiarize yourself
with elemental things. The whole earth reeks of humanity and its works.
One has to be old and tough to appraise them at their true worth. Tell
people to go to Hell, Denis, with their altar-pieces and museums and
clock-towers and funny little art-galleries."
Everybody is always giving me advice, thought Denis. And the worst of
it is, it's often sound.
A melodious voice added:
"If, after that lecture, you still have some crotchety appreciation
left for the works of man, you may be interested, when next you visit
the Old Town, to look at some busts and other curiosities of mine.
There is a little Greek bronze I would like to show you, though perhaps
we had better not talk too openly about it. Pray come. You will extract
pleasure from that statuette. And I will extract pleasure from your
company. Obvious sources of pleasure, aren't they, Keith?"
It was Count Caloveglia. He was referring to the Locri Faun, a
wonderful antique which had recently been found on his property near
the town of that name on the neighbouring mainland, and was about to be
secretly smuggled out of Italy.
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