I often wonder that human vanity
has not done away with alcoholism. Men are vain animals, yet a
good-looking fellow, who could never pass a mirror without stealing a
quiet look, will cheerfully go on drugging himself until every feature
is transformed. I have seen the process of facial degradation carried
through in so many cases that I can tell within a little how long a man
has been a drinker, and that with no other guide than the standard of
graduated depravity which is in my mind, and which I instinctively
consult. Devine must have been attractive to women, for they certainly
did their best to spoil him, if one may judge by the collection of faded
notes which he retains. He met his fate at last. A pretty, sentimental
girl fell in love with him, and pressed him to make an appointment with
her, so the dashing young actor arranged to meet the love-stricken
damsel at Hampton Court. The flowers of the chestnuts were splendid,
and the spirit of May was in the air. "I seem to see the same sunshine
and the same flowers very often, even when I'm too jumpy to know what is
going on all round," said the poor, battered man.
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