a personal record-第14节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





liberal…minded　Benedictines　who　directed　the　only　public　school



of　some　standing　then　in　the　south；　he　had　also　read　deeply　the



authors　of　the　eighteenth　century。　　In　him　Christian　charity　was



joined　to　a　philosophical　indulgence　for　the　failings　of　human



nature。　　But　the　memory　of　those　miserably　anxious　early　years；



his　young　man's　years　robbed　of　all　generous　illusions　by　the



cynicism　of　the　sordid　lawsuit；　stood　in　the　way　of　forgiveness。　



He　never　succumbed　to　the　fascination　of　the　great　shoot；　and　X；



his　heart　set　to　the　last　on　reconciliation；　with　the　draft　of



the　will　ready　for　signature　kept　by　his　bedside；　died　intestate。







The　fortune　thus　acquired　and　augmented　by　a　wise　and　careful



management　passed　to　some　distant　relatives　whom　he　had　never



seen　and　who　even　did　not　bear　his　name。







Meantime　the　blessing　of　general　peace　descended　upon　Europe。　



Mr。　Nicholas　B。；　　bidding　good…bye　to　his　hospitable　relative；



the　〃fearless〃　Austrian　officer；　departed　from　Galicia；　and



without　going　near　his　native　place；　where　the　odious　lawsuit　was



still　going　on；　proceeded　straight　to　Warsaw　and　entered　the　army



of　the　newly　constituted　Polish　kingdom　under　the　sceptre　of



Alexander　I；　Autocrat　of　all　the　Russias。







This　kingdom；　created　by　the　Vienna　Congress　as　an　acknowledgment



to　a　nation　of　its　former　independent　existence；　included　only



the　central　provinces　of　the　old　Polish　patrimony。　　A　brother　of



the　Emperor；　the　Grand　Duke　Constantine　（Pavlovitch）；　its　Viceroy



and　Commander…in…Chief；　married　morganatically　to　a　Polish　lady



to　whom　he　was　fiercely　attached；　extended　this　affection　to　what



he　called　〃My　Poles〃　in　a　capricious　and　savage　manner。　　Sallow



in　complexion；　with　a　Tartar　physiognomy　and　fierce　little　eyes；



he　walked　with　his　fists　clenched；　his　body　bent　forward；　darting



suspicious　glances　from　under　an　enormous　cocked　hat。　　His



intelligence　was　limited；　and　his　sanity　itself　was　doubtful。　



The　hereditary　taint　expressed　itself；　in　his　case；　not　by　mystic



leanings　as　in　his　two　brothers；　Alexander　and　Nicholas　（in　their



various　ways；　for　one　was　mystically　liberal　and　the　other



mystically　autocratic）；　but　by　the　fury　of　an　uncontrollable



temper　which　generally　broke　out　in　disgusting　abuse　on　the



parade　ground。　　He　was　a　passionate　militarist　and　an　amazing



drill…master。　　He　treated　his　Polish　army　as　a　spoiled　child



treats　a　favourite　toy；　except　that　he　did　not　take　it　to　bed



with　him　at　night。　　It　was　not　small　enough　for　that。　　But　he



played　with　it　all　day　and　every　day；　delighting　in　the　variety



of　pretty　uniforms　and　in　the　fun　of　incessant　drilling。　　This



childish　passion；　not　for　war；　but　for　mere　militarism；　achieved



a　desirable　result。　　The　Polish　army；　in　its　equipment；　in　its



armament；　and　in　its　battle…field　efficiency；　as　then　understood；



became；　by　the　end　of　the　year　1830；　a　first…rate　tactical



instrument。　　Polish　peasantry　（not　serfs）　served　in　the　ranks　by



enlistment；　and　the　officers　belonged　mainly　to　the　smaller



nobility。　　Mr。　Nicholas　B。；　with　his　Napoleonic　record；　had　no



difficulty　in　obtaining　a　lieutenancy；　but　the　promotion　in　the



Polish　army　was　slow；　because；　being　a　separate　organization；　it



took　no　part　in　the　wars　of　the　Russian　Empire　against　either



Persia　or　Turkey。　　Its　first　campaign；　against　Russia　itself；　was



to　be　its　last。　　In　1831；　on　the　outbreak　of　the　Revolution；　Mr。



Nicholas　B。　was　the　senior　captain　of　his　regiment。　　Some　time



before　he　had　been　made　head　of　the　remount　establishment



quartered　outside　the　kingdom　in　our　southern　provinces；　whence



almost　all　the　horses　for　the　Polish　cavalry　were　drawn。　　For　the



first　time　since　he　went　away　from　home　at　the　age　of　eighteen　to



begin　his　military　life　by　the　battle　of　Friedland；　Mr。　Nicholas



B。　breathed　the　air　of　the　〃Border；〃　his　native　air。　　Unkind　fate



was　lying　in　wait　for　him　among　the　scenes　of　his　youth。　　At　the



first　news　of　the　rising　in　Warsaw　all　the　remount　establishment；



officers；　〃vets。；〃　and　the　very　troopers；　were　put　promptly　under



arrest　and　hurried　off　in　a　body　beyond　the　Dnieper　to　the



nearest　town　in　Russia　proper。　　From　there　they　were　dispersed　to



the　distant　parts　of　the　empire。　　On　this　occasion　poor　Mr。



Nicholas　B。　penetrated　into　Russia　much　farther　than　he　ever　did



in　the　times　of　Napoleonic　invasion；　if　much　less　willingly。　



Astrakan　was　his　destination。　　He　remained　there　three　years；



allowed　to　live　at　large　in　the　town；　but　having　to　report



himself　every　day　at　noon　to　the　military　commandant；　who　used　to



detain　him　frequently　for　a　pipe　and　a　chat。　　It　is　difficult　to



form　a　just　idea　of　what　a　chat　with　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　could　have



been　like。　　There　must　have　been　much　compressed　rage　under　his



taciturnity；　for　the　commandant　communicated　to　him　the　news　from



the　theatre　of　war；　and　this　news　was　such　as　it　could　bethat



is；　very　bad　for　the　Poles。　　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　received　these



communications　with　outward　phlegm；　but　the　Russian　showed　a　warm



sympathy　for　his　prisoner。　　〃As　a　soldier　myself　I　understand





your　feelings。　　You；　of　course；　would　like　to　be　in　the　thick　of



it。　　By　heavens！　I　am　fond　of　you。　　If　it　were　not　for　the　terms



of　the　military　oath　I　would　let　you　go　on　my　own　responsibility。







What　difference　could　it　make　to　us；　one　more　or　less　of　you？〃







At　other　times　he　wondered　with　simplicity。







〃Tell　me；　Nicholas　Stepanovitch〃　（my　great…grandfather's　name　was



Stephen；　and　the　commandant　used　the　Russian　form　of　polite



address）〃tell　me　why　is　it　that　you　Poles　are　always　looking



for　trouble？　　What　else　could　you　expect　from　running　up　against



Russia？〃







He　was　capable；　too；　of　philosophical　reflections。







〃Look　at　your　Napoleon　now。　　A　great　man。　　There　is　no　denying　it



that　he　was　a　great　man　as　long　as　he　was　content　to　thrash　those



Germans　and　Austrians　and　all　those　nations。　　But　no！　　He　must　go



to　Russia　looking　for　trouble；　and　what's　the　consequence？　　Such



as　you　see　me；　I　have　rattled　this　sabre　of　mine　on　the　pavements



of　Paris。〃







After　his　return　to　Poland　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　described　him　as　a



〃worthy　man　but　stupid；〃　whenever　he　could　be　induced　to　speak　of



the　conditions　of　his　exile。　　Declining　the　option　offered　him　to



enter　the　Russian　army；　he　was　retired　with　only　half　the　pension



of　his　rank。　　His　nephew　（my　uncle　and　guardian）　told　me　that　the



first　lasting　impression　on　his　memory　as　a　child　of　four　was　the



glad　excitement　reigning　in　his　parents'　house　on　the　day　when



Mr。　Nicholas　B。　arrived　home　from　his　detention　in　Russia。







Every　generation　has　its　memories。　　The　first　memories　of　Mr。



Nicholas　B。　might　have　been　shaped　by　the　events　of　the　last



partition　of　Poland；　and　he　lived　long　enough　to　suffer　from　the



last　armed　rising　in　1863；　an　event　which　affected　the　future　of



all　my　generation　and　has　coloured　my　earliest　impressions。　　His



brother；　in　whose　house　he　had　sheltered　for　some　seventeen　years



his　misanthropical　timidity　before　the　commonest　problems　of



life；　having　died　in　the　early　fifties；　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　had　to



screw　his　courage　up　to　the　sticking…point　and　come　to　some



decision　as　to　the　future。　　After　a　long　and　agonizing　hesitation



he　was　persuaded　at　last　to　become　the　tenant　of　some　fifteen



hundred　acres　out　of　the　estate　of　a　friend　in　the　neighbourhood。







The　terms　of　the　lease　were　very　advantageous；　but　the　retired



situation　of　the　village　and　a　plain；　comfortable　house　in　good



repair　were；　I　fancy；　the　greatest　inducements。　　He　lived　there



quietly　for　about　ten　years；　seeing　very　few　people　and　taking　no



part　in　the　public　life　of　the　province；　such　as　it　could　be



under　an　arbitrary　bureaucratic　tyranny。　　His　character　and　his



patriotism　were　above　suspicion；　but　the　organizers　of　the　rising



in　their　frequent　journeys　up　and　down　the　province　scrupulously



avoided　coming　near　his　house。　　It　was　generally　felt　that　the



repose　of　the　old　man's　last　years　ought　not　to　be　disturbed。　



Even　such　intimates　as　my　paternal　grandfather；　comrade…in…arms



during　Napoleon's　Moscow　campaign；　and　later　on　a　fellow　officer



in　the　Polish　army；　refrained　from　visiting　his　crony　as　the　date



of　the　outbreak　approached。　　My　paternal　grandfather's　two　sons



and　his　only　daughter　were　all　deeply　involved　in　the



revolutionary　work；　he　himself　was　of　that　type　of　Polish　squire



wh