But
he had wanted something more than the commonplace power which fate
or fortune grants to many. He had wanted that power which lifts a man
high above his fellow-men, condemning him to solitude, perhaps, but,
in that fiercely beating light, revealing him to all men's gaze. If
life had drifted by him, it had been because he was too much of a
philosopher to attempt the impossible, too clever to publish his
incompetence to the world.
His inactivity had not been the result of lack of ambition, and yet,
as he stood there gazing down upon his work, it seemed to him that he
had never felt the stirrings of that passion before. With the power to
gratify his ambition, ambition sprang from glowing coals into a mighty
flame which roared and swept about him, darted into every corner
and crevice of his being, pulsated through his mind and spirit, and
temporarily drove out every other instinct and desire. He threw back
his head, his eyes flashing and his lips quivering. For the moment
he looked inspired, as he registered a vow to have his name known in
every corner of the civilized world.
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