Alice found in Beverley a large target for
the missiles of her clever and tantalizing perversity. He in turn
practiced a native dignity and an acquired superiority of manner
to excellent effect. It was a meeting of Greek with Greek in a new
Arcadia. To him here was Diana, strong, strange, simple, even
crude almost to naturalness, yet admirably pure in spirit and
imbued with highest womanly aspirations. To her Beverley
represented the great outside area of life. He came to her from
wonderland, beyond the wide circle of houseless woods and
prairies. He represented gorgeous cities, teeming parks of
fashion, boulevards, salons, halls of social splendor, the
theater, the world of woman's dreams.
Now, there is an antagonism, vague yet powerful, generated between
natures thus cast together from the opposite poles of experience
and education: an antagonism practically equivalent to the most
vigorous attraction. What one knows the other is but half aware
of; neither knowledge nor ignorance being mutual, there is a
scintillation of exchange, from opposing vantage grounds, followed
by harmless snaps of thunder. Culture and refinement take on airs--
it is the deepest artificial instinct of enlightenment to pose--
in the presence of naturalness; and there is a certain style of
ignorance which attitudinizes before the gate of knowledge.
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