The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Research Magnificent, by H. G. Wells

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Research Magnificent

Author: H. G. Wells

Posting Date: August 3, 2008 [EBook #1138]
Release Date: December, 1997

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE RESEARCH MAGNIFICENT ***

Produced by Donald Lainson

THE RESEARCH MAGNIFICENT

by H. G. Wells

(1915)

CONTENTS

THE PRELUDE

ON FEAR AND ARISTOCRACY

THE STORY

I. THE BOY GROWS UP

II. THE YOUNG MAN ABOUT TOWN

III. AMANDA

IV. THE SPIRITED HONEYMOON

V. THE ASSIZE OF JEALOUSY

VI. THE NEW HAROUN AL RASCHID

THE RESEARCH MAGNIFICENT

THE PRELUDE

ON FEAR AND ARISTOCRACY

1

The story of William Porphyry Benham is the story of a man who was led
into adventure by an idea. It was an idea that took possession of his
imagination quite early in life, it grew with him and changed with him,
it interwove at last completely with his being. His story is its story.
It was traceably germinating in the schoolboy; it was manifestly present
in his mind at the very last moment of his adventurous life. He belonged
to that fortunate minority who are independent of daily necessities, so
that he was free to go about the world under its direction. It led him
far. It led him into situations that bordered upon the fantastic, it
made him ridiculous, it came near to making him sublime. And this idea
of his was of such a nature that in several aspects he could document
it. Its logic forced him to introspection and to the making of a record.

An idea that can play so large a part in a life must necessarily have
something of the complication and protean quality of life itself. It is
not to be stated justly in any formula, it is not to be rendered by an
epigram. As well one might show a man's skeleton for his portrait. Yet,
essentially, Benham's idea was simple. He had an incurable, an almost
innate persuasion that he had to live life nobly and thoroughly. His
commoner expression for that thorough living is "the aristocratic life."
But by "aristocratic" he meant so