The Project Gutenberg EBook of To-morrow?, by Victoria Cross

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Title: To-morrow?

Author: Victoria Cross

Posting Date: April 22, 2009 [EBook #3609]
Release Date: January, 2002
First Posted: June 13, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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To-morrow?

By

Victoria Cross

"Cras te victurum, cras dicis Postume semper
Dic mihi cras istud, Postume quando venit?
Quam longe cras istud, ubi est? aut unde petendum?
Cras istud quanti dic mihi, possit emi?
Cras vives? hodie jam vivere, Postume, serum est
Ille sapit, quisquis Postume, vixit heri."

MART. v. lviii.

CHAPTER I.

"REJECTED! rejected!"

I crushed the letter spasmodically in my hand as I walked mechanically
up and down the length of the dining-room, a rage of anger filling my
brain and the blood thundering in my ears.

"Rejected! and that not for the first time. Another year and a half's
work flung away--simply flung away, and I am no nearer recognition than
ever. Incredible it seems that they won't accept that."

I stopped under the gasalier and glanced again through the letter I had
just received.

"DEAR SIR,--With reference to your last MS., we regret to say we cannot
undertake its publication, owing to the open way in which you express
your unusual religious views and your contempt for existing
institutions.

"At the same time, our reader expresses his admiration for your style,
and his regret that your unmistakably brilliant genius should be
directed towards unsatisfactory subjects.--We are," etc., etc.

The blood flowed hotly over my face, and my teeth closed hard upon my
lip.

Always the same thing! rejection from every quarter.

The last clause in the letter, which might have brought some momentary
gratification to a man less certain, less absolutely sure of his own
powers than I was, could bring none to me.

It only served to make sharper the edge of my keen disappointment.
Brilliant genius! I read the words with the shadow of a satirical s