Angels and Women (1924)

GREATER CHANGE 101
your eyes be closed to sights that will sear,
your hearing be dulled to the cry of pain
and woe; love and pity must hold no place in
your breast, and your heart must be turned
to stone.
"I am reckless and tired of life, or I would
not speak thus. Suspicion lurks in every alcove;
Revenge hides behind each column;
Envy and Jealousy walk the corridors;
Treachery and Conspiracy scarce conceal
their malignant forms in the tapestried
chambers; Torture and Murder gloat over
the work of the foul fiends in the vaults below.
You are beautiful. Take my advice,
and secure the protection of one of these
celestials; otherwise, you will not be safe for
one hour. Uronion, my lord, is scribe to
Hesperus the counselor, and has access to
the keys of the Palace. With him have I
wandered through its secret recesses, and
nerved my heart against despair by witnessing
woes greater than my own."
Touched by pity for this unhappy woman,