Foreword

Foreword
by Mark Easterbrook
There are two methods, it seems to me, of approaching this strange busi-ness of the Pale Horse. In spite of the dictum of the White King, it is diffi-cult to achieve simplicity¹. One cannot, that is to say, “Begin at the begin-ning, go on to the end, and then stop.” For where is the beginning?
To a historian, that always is the difficulty. At what point in history doesone particular portion of history begin.
In this case, you can begin at the moment when Father Gorman set forthfrom his presbytery to visit a dying woman. Or you can start before that,on a certain evening in Chelsea.
Perhaps, since I am writing the greater part of this narrative² myself, it isthere that I should begin.

1 simplicity   

n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯

参考例句：

• She dressed with elegant simplicity.她穿着朴素高雅。
• The beauty of this plan is its simplicity.简明扼要是这个计划的一大特点。

2 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。