A Moonlight Fable

by H.G. Wells

　　

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This story is known under two names, The Beautiful Suit and A Moonlight Fable. This entry is for the convenience of the reader searching for the story under the second title.

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Per the notation above, the complete text of this story is located under the more popular title, The Beautiful Suit.

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There was once a little man whose mother made him a beautiful suitof clothes. It was green and gold and woven so that I cannotdescribe how delicate and fine it was, and there was a tie oforange fluffiness that tied up under his chin. And the buttonsin their newness shone like stars. He was proud and pleased by hissuit beyond measure, and stood before the long looking-glass whenfirst he put it on, so astonished and delighted with it that hecould hardly turn himself away.He wanted to wear it everywhere and show it to all sorts ofpeople. He thought over all the places he had ever visited and allthe scenes he had ever heard described, and tried to imagine whatthe feel of it would be if he were to go now to those scenes andplaces wearing his shining suit, and he wanted to go out forthwithinto the long grass and the hot sunshine of the meadow wearing it.Just to wear it! But his mother told him, "No." She told him hemust take great care of his suit, for never would he have anothernearly so fine; he must save it and save it and only wear it onrare and great occasions. It was his wedding suit, she said. Andshe took his buttons and twisted them up with tissue paper for feartheir bright newness should be tarnished, and she tacked littleguards over the cuffs and elbows and wherever the suit was mostlikely to come to harm. He hated and resisted these things, butwhat could he do? And at last her warnings and persuasions hadeffect and he consented to take off his beautiful suit and fold itinto its proper creases and put it away. It was almost as thoughhe gave it up again. But he was always thinking of wearing itand of the supreme occasion when some day it might be worn withoutthe guards, without the tissue paper on the buttons, utterly anddelightfully, never caring, beautiful beyond measure.

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A Moonlight Fable was featured as TheShort Story of the Day on Sun, Jan 01, 2012

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