The Wings of the Dove

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I started this thread to note examples of religious language used by James in this book so I'm going to go back and note a couple of examples that have come up inthe last few chapters before getting onto Chapter 25.

At the end of Chapter 21, Milly is once again compared to a priestess. Significantly, this ecocation occurs just before Merton tells the lie that signifies that he has passed the moment and entered into teh conspiracy against Milly:

Milly, three minutes after Kate had gone, returned in her array--her big black hat, so little superstitiously in the fashion, her fine black garments throughout, the swathing of her throat, which Densher vaguely took for an infinite number of yards of priceless lace, and which, its folded fabric kept in place by heavy rows of pearls, hung down to her feet like the stole of a priestess. He spoke to her at once of their friend's visit and flight. "She hadn't known she'd find me," he said--and said at present without difficulty. He had so rounded his corner that it wasn't a question of a word more or less. (Page 295 in my edition)

We've seen this before and it will come back below.

If we jump ahead to chapter 24, Milly thinks of the palazzo she has rented as "consecrated" by its owners:

They had preserved and consecrated, and she now--her part of it was shameless--appropriated and enjoyed. (P 325)

Immediately after this comes the priestess comparison again:

Palazzo Leporelli held its history still in its great lap, even like a painted idol, a solemn puppet hung about with decorations. Hung about with pictures and relics, the rich Venetian past, the ineffaceable character, was here the presence revered and served: which brings us back to our truth of a moment ago--the fact that, more than ever, this October morning, awkward novice though she might be, Milly moved slowly to and fro as the priestess of the worship. Certainly it came from the sweet taste of solitude, caught again and cherished for the hour; always a need of her nature, moreover, when things spoke to her with penetration. It was mostly in stillness they spoke to her best; amid voices she lost the sense. (P. 325)

 Chapter 25
And when we go to the next chapter we get a  couple more right away.

Lord Mark shows up and once again and wow, this is a scene. There is almost no action, just Lord Mark making his appeal and Milly considering but it is gripping reading.  as I've said before, it is like James spent too much time tying up details that, while possibly interesting, brought the flow of the story to a halt and now that he has moved to Venice he can move along nicely.

There are two bits of religious language that I noted here.  First Milly evokes the 23 psalm. It comes up in interesting circumstances for she admits a big secret to Lord Mark (I won't say what it is). It's a secret she has kept from others she feels closer to, most notably Kate. Then comes this:

She would have made the question itself impossible to others--impossible for example to such a man as Merton Densher; and she could wonder even on the spot what it was a sign of in her feeling for Lord Mark that from his lips it almost tempted her to break down. This was doubtless really because she cared for him so little; to let herself go with him thus, suffer his touch to make her cup overflow, would be the relief--since it was actually, for her nerves, a question of relief--that would cost her least.  

Oddly enough, given that this is a psalm famous for the comfort it brings, if we put Milly's quote back in context it seems quite sinister:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

After this it only remains for Lord Mark asks Milly to believe in him, a Christ-like request that several characters have made now:

"Is it inconceivable to you that you might try?"

"To be so favourably affected by you--?"

"To believe in me. To believe in me," Lord Mark repeated.

She elects not to and that doesn't feel like a good thing to me.