I walked with my eyes on the path, but out of the corners of them I saw a man hiding behind an olive tree. He did not move as we approached, but I fell that he was watching us. As soon as we had passed I heard a scamper. Wilson, like a hunted animal, had made for safely. That was the last I ever saw of him. He died last year. He had endured that life for six years. He was found one morning on the mountainside lying quite peacefully as though he had died in his sleep. From where he lay he had been able to see those two great rocks called the Faraglioni which stand out of the sea. It was full moon and he must have gone to see them by moonlight. Perhaps he died of the beauty of that sight..--- The Lotus Eater . W. Somerset Maugham
About This Quote

In this short story by Nobel Prize-winning author Richard Wright, a young man from the slums is accepted into the upper classes by the family of a wealthy man. He becomes a great friend of their son, and is invited to their home for a dinner. Eventually, however, the young man is sent away to a boarding school. The families have fallen out over a bet, and the young man's entering into their lives has been seen as a betrayal. The boy had been lying in wait for his chance to return to them and exact revenge.

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