Little Women - 912 Freedom Library

Little Womenshould be indulged in all sorts of vagaries till he has lived itdown. He felt that his blighted affections were quite deadnow, and though he should never cease to be a faithfulmourner, there was no occasion to wear his weedsostentatiously. Jo wouldn’t love him, but he might makeher respect and admire him by doing something whichshould prove that a girl’s no had not spoiled his life. Hehad always meant to do something, and Amy’s advice wasquite unnecessary. He had only been waiting till theaforesaid blighted affections were decently interred. Thatbeing done, he felt that he was ready to ‘hide his strickenheart, and still toil on’.As Goethe, when he had a joy or a grief, put it into asong, so Laurie resolved to embalm his love sorrow inmusic, and to compose a Requiem which should harrowup Jo’s soul and melt the heart of every hearer. Thereforethe next time the old gentleman found him getting restlessand moody and ordered him off, he went to Vienna,where he had musical friends, and fell to work with thefirm determination to distinguish himself. But whether thesorrow was too vast to be embodied in music, or musictoo ethereal to uplift a mortal woe, he soon discoveredthat the Requiem was beyond him just at present. It wasevident that his mind was not in working order yet, and738 of 861