Commonplace Book

'"...the truth is always sad," Colthurst said quite gently. "The great fundamental facts are not only sad - they are almost hideous. That is why nature tries to hide them under leaves and flowers, and glories of colour, and of light and shadow, and why we try to hide them under poetry and art. That is why, taking it at a lower level, we lay out gardens, make fountains play, light up lamps. In a commonplace way even these trivialities help to hide the 'accepted hells beneath', the ugly bases of our life..."'

from The Wages of Sin by Lucas Malet (Book II, Chapter VI)