The Scarlet Shawl Author:Richard Jefferies Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. |OTIVES are perhaps the scarcest things in real life. The first question asked in a court of law is, What was the motive of the crime ? Mach... more »iavelli and his school would teach us to search for the motives of men and women, and shape our course accordingly. For ordinary events, and in nine times out of ten extraordinary ones, this is a sheer fallacy. People don't trouble themselves to have motives. Not one in a hundred ever steadily pursues an object. It is too much trouble to keep the mind always fixed; the tension is unbearable. Circumstances, impulses, the most trifling occurrences, decide the majority of people in their daily life. Gerard Wootton, Esq., could never have given a reason for his visiting Aunt Milly. It THE SCARLET SHAWL. 41 was quite true that he was her trustee, and as such had the handling of her money, about which she absolutely understood nothing at all, and it was exceedingly pleasant to have several thousands at his, or rather her bankers, ready at a moment's notice to meet his numerous demands. But that was not the reason. He was not mercenary, at least not meanly so; that was not his vice, as it is the all-besetting vice of so many who pride themselves on their piety. He would not have flattered the old lady for the sake of her money—not if he had been starving. He did not come there for amusement—at least, not in the usual sense. It was the dullest house he knew, and there were morning prayers at which every guest was supposed to be present—a thing he detested. He did not come for the hunting— the hunt in the neighbourhood was a sham, and the fellows all cads; nor for the sea, nor indeed for any other perceptible motive. His visits were determined by the most trifling circumstances or train of reverie; but when he did come, and s...« less