Jane Gilchrist "Corydon Waits"
The characters are nameless except for: Miss Betty, a silly gossip who remembers having heard tell of a demon; Corydon, himself a demon; and Father Maxwell, who either struggles with a demon and loses or succumbs to a demon and loses. He was not in a fair fight.
The woman and the man are archetypal persons of privilege, able to do as they please. Ordinary rules do not apply to them. They feel no social obligation. The man is a criminal and a loving husband and father. The woman is a thrill-seeker and a loving wife but not a loving mother.
Were the man not a criminal able to order a man killed, he might be considered a tragic victim of his wife's demon. Even so, his cancer might be called punishment enough.
The young priest loses the quality of mercy once he sees Father Maxwell naked and dead on the stairs. Perhaps that loss is the worst loss in the tale.
Let us hope that in the deaf mute's desk at home she keeps a reference so she can get a new job.
The boy is left alone. I have a feeling that Miss Betty might rescue him. A silly gossip might well give him a sense of fun. He has not lived in a place with a sense of fun.
The woman and the man are archetypal persons of privilege, able to do as they please. Ordinary rules do not apply to them. They feel no social obligation. The man is a criminal and a loving husband and father. The woman is a thrill-seeker and a loving wife but not a loving mother.
Were the man not a criminal able to order a man killed, he might be considered a tragic victim of his wife's demon. Even so, his cancer might be called punishment enough.
The young priest loses the quality of mercy once he sees Father Maxwell naked and dead on the stairs. Perhaps that loss is the worst loss in the tale.
Let us hope that in the deaf mute's desk at home she keeps a reference so she can get a new job.
The boy is left alone. I have a feeling that Miss Betty might rescue him. A silly gossip might well give him a sense of fun. He has not lived in a place with a sense of fun.