"The rain was coming down in its old fashion, tapping on a million roofs, and occasionally effecting an entry." (E. M. Forester)

"The rain was coming down in its old fashion, tapping on a million roofs, and occasionally effecting an entry. It beat down the smoke and caused the fumes of petrol and the smell of wet clothes to linger mixed on the streets of London. In the great forecourt of the Museum it could fall uninterruptedly, plumb onto the draggled doves and the helmets of the police. So dark was the afternoon that some of the lights had been turned on inside, and the great buildings suggested a tomb, miraculously illuminated by spirits of the dead."

SOURCE: "Maurice" (E. M. Forester)

"Maurice" was written in 1913 when E. M. Forester was at the peak of his creative powers. Not until after his death, however, was this unexpurgated masterpiece published. The reason for the delay was painfully simple. The theme of the novel is homosexual love.