THE YOUNG DIANA
MARIE CORELLI
THE YOUNG DIANA
AN EXPERIMENT OF THE FUTURE
BY
MARIE CORELLI
AUTHOR OF “THE LIFE EVERLASTING,” “INNOCENT,”“ROMANCE OF TWO WORLDS,” “BARABBAS,”ETC.
TORONTO
WILLIAM BRIGGS
Copyright, Canada, 1918,
By Marie Corelli
THE YOUNG DIANA
THE YOUNG DIANA
CHAPTER I
Once upon a time, in earlier and less congesteddays of literary effort, an Author was accustomed toaddress the Public as “Gentle Reader.” It was acivil phrase, involving a pretty piece of flattery. Itimplied three things: first, that if the Reader werenot “gentle,” the Author’s courtesy might persuadehim or her to become so—secondly, that criticism,whether favourable or the reverse, might perhaps begenerously postponed till the reading of the bookwas finished,—and thirdly, that the Author had nowish to irritate the Reader’s feelings, but rathersought to prepare and smooth the way to a friendlyunderstanding. Now I am at one with my predecessorsin all these delicate points of understanding,and as I am about to relate what every person ofmerely average intelligence is likely to regard as anincredible narrative, I think it as well to begin politely,in the old-fashioned “grand” manner of appeal,which is half apologetic, and half conciliatory.“Gentle Reader,” therefore, I pray you to be friendswith me! Do not lose either patience or temper whilefollowing the strange adventures of a very strangewoman,—though in case you should be disappointedin seeking for what you will not find, let me say atonce that my story is not of the Sex Problem type.No! My heroine is not perverted from the paths ofdecency and order, or drawn to a bad end; in fact,I cannot bring her to an end at all, as she is still verymuch alive and doing uncommonly well for herself.Any end for Diana May would seem not onlyincongruous, but manifestly impossible.
Life, as we all know, is a curious business. It islike a stage mask with two faces,—the one comic,the other tragic. The way we look at it depends onthe way it looks at us. Some of us have seen iton both sides, and are neither edified nor impressed.
Then, again—life is a series of “sensations.” Wewho live now are always describing life. They wholived long ago did the same. It seems that noneof us have ever found, or can ever find, anythingbetter to occupy ourselves withal. All through theages the millions of human creatures who once wereborn and who are now dead, passed their time onthis planet in experiencing “sensations,” and relatingtheir experiences to one another, each tellinghis or her little “tale of woe” in a different way. Soanxious were they, and so anxious are we, to explainthe special and individual manner in which ourmental and physical vibrations respond to the particularcircumstances in which we find ourselves,that all systems of religion, government, science, artand philosophy have been, and are,