Bethany
Page 23
Because one must not interpret. Never interpret another’s words or actions.
But they need an interpreter. They cannot hear each other.
Why do I say nothing?
Because Alex is not a wild animal but a human being.
But they are hunting her like an animal. We are hunting her.
Why do I say nothing?
Because … because Alex must learn the rules.
But people learn from kindness. This is cruelty.
Why am I allowing it? Why do I not defend her?
Why do I let him drive his cruel words into her, blow after unanswered blow, if not because I know that only by unleashing its destructiveness can this group be destroyed; that to soften the injustice of Alex’s hell would be to prolong my purgatory for ever.
So they are leaving. I bring them gifts. I give them food, sleeping bags, vegetables from the garden.
I will give them anything. Anything, as long as they go.
No sacrifice is too great. None.
What have I done?
A Note on the Author
Anita Mason was born in Bristol, England. She read English at Oxford, lived in London, and worked in the publishing field for five years.
She is the author of eight novels to date, as well as a number of short stories. Her novels include, The Illusionist (1983), The War Against Chaos (1988), The Racket (1990), Angel (1994), and The Yellow Cathedral (2002). The Illusionist was nominated for the 1983 Booker Prize in the UK.
Discover books by Anita Mason published by Bloomsbury Reader at
www.bloomsbury.com/AnitaMason
Angel
The Racket
The Yellow Cathedral
War against Chaos
For copyright reasons, any images not belonging to the original author have been
removed from this book. The text has not been changed, and may still contain
references to missing images.
This electronic edition published in 2013 by Bloomsbury Reader
Bloomsbury Reader is a division of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 50 Bedford Square,
London WC1B 3DP
First published in Great Britain 1981 by Hamish Hamilton
Copyright © 1981 Anita Mason
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eISBN: 9781448213696
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