memories and portraits-第9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！



courage；　that　he　should　thus　have　died　at　his　employment；　and　

doubtless　ambition　spoke　loudly　in　his　ear；　and　doubtless　love　

also；　for　it　seems　there　was　a　marriage　in　his　view　had　he　

succeeded。　　But　he　died；　and　his　paper　died　after　him；　and　of　all　

this　grace；　and　tact；　and　courage；　it　must　seem　to　our　blind　eyes　

as　if　there　had　come　literally　nothing。



These　three　students　sat；　as　I　was　saying；　in　the　corridor；　under　

the　mural　tablet　that　records　the　virtues　of　Macbean；　the　former　

secretary。　　We　would　often　smile　at　that　ineloquent　memorial　and　

thought　it　a　poor　thing　to　come　into　the　world　at　all　and　have　no　

more　behind　one　than　Macbean。　　And　yet　of　these　three；　two　are　gone　

and　have　left　less；　and　this　book；　perhaps；　when　it　is　old　and　

foxy；　and　some　one　picks　it　up　in　a　corner　of　a　book…shop；　and　

glances　through　it；　smiling　at　the　old；　graceless　turns　of　speech；　

and　perhaps　for　the　love　of　ALMA　MATER　（which　may　be　still　extant　

and　flourishing）　buys　it；　not　without　haggling；　for　some　pence　…　

this　book　may　alone　preserve　a　memory　of　James　Walter　Ferrier　and　

Robert　Glasgow　Brown。



Their　thoughts　ran　very　differently　on　that　December　morning；　they　

were　all　on　fire　with　ambition；　and　when　they　had　called　me　in　to　

them；　and　made　me　a　sharer　in　their　design；　I　too　became　drunken　

with　pride　and　hope。　　We　were　to　found　a　University　magazine。　　A　

pair　of　little；　active　brothers　…　Livingstone　by　name；　great　

skippers　on　the　foot；　great　rubbers　of　the　hands；　who　kept　a　book…

shop　over　against　the　University　building　…　had　been　debauched　to　

play　the　part　of　publishers。　　We　four　were　to　be　conjunct　editors　

and；　what　was　the　main　point　of　the　concern；　to　print　our　own　

works；　while；　by　every　rule　of　arithmetic　…　that　flatterer　of　

credulity　…　the　adventure　must　succeed　and　bring　great　profit。　　

Well；　well：　it　was　a　bright　vision。　　I　went　home　that　morning　

walking　upon　air。　　To　have　been　chosen　by　these　three　distinguished　

students　was　to　me　the　most　unspeakable　advance；　it　was　my　first　

draught　of　consideration；　it　reconciled　me　to　myself　and　to　my　

fellow…men；　and　as　I　steered　round　the　railings　at　the　Tron；　I　

could　not　withhold　my　lips　from　smiling　publicly。　　Yet；　in　the　

bottom　of　my　heart；　I　knew　that　magazine　would　be　a　grim　fiasco；　I　

knew　it　would　not　be　worth　reading；　I　knew；　even　if　it　were；　that　

nobody　would　read　it；　and　I　kept　wondering　how　I　should　be　able；　

upon　my　compact　income　of　twelve　pounds　per　annum；　payable　monthly；　

to　meet　my　share　in　the　expense。　　It　was　a　comfortable　thought　to　

me　that　I　had　a　father。



The　magazine　appeared；　in　a　yellow　cover；　which　was　the　best　part　

of　it；　for　at　least　it　was　unassuming；　it　ran　four　months　in　

undisturbed　obscurity；　and　died　without　a　gasp。　　The　first　number　

was　edited　by　all　four　of　us　with　prodigious　bustle；　the　second　

fell　principally　into　the　hands　of　Ferrier　and　me；　the　third　I　

edited　alone；　and　it　has　long　been　a　solemn　question　who　it　was　

that　edited　the　fourth。　　It　would　perhaps　be　still　more　difficult　

to　say　who　read　it。　　Poor　yellow　sheet；　that　looked　so　hopefully　

Livingtones'　window！　　Poor；　harmless　paper；　that　might　have　gone　to　

print　a　SHAKESPEARE　on；　and　was　instead　so　clumsily　defaced　with　

nonsense；　And；　shall　I　say；　Poor　Editors？　　I　cannot　pity　myself；　to　

whom　it　was　all　pure　gain。　　It　was　no　news　to　me；　but　only　the　

wholesome　confirmation　of　my　judgment；　when　the　magazine　struggled　

into　half…birth；　and　instantly　sickened　and　subsided　into　night。　　I　

had　sent　a　copy　to　the　lady　with　whom　my　heart　was　at　that　time　

somewhat　engaged；　and　who　did　all　that　in　her　lay　to　break　it；　and　

she；　with　some　tact；　passed　over　the　gift　and　my　cherished　

contributions　in　silence。　　I　will　not　say　that　I　was　pleased　at　

this；　but　I　will　tell　her　now；　if　by　any　chance　she　takes　up　the　

work　of　her　former　servant；　that　I　thought　the　better　of　her　taste。　　

I　cleared　the　decks　after　this　lost　engagement；　had　the　necessary　

interview　with　my　father；　which　passed　off　not　amiss；　paid　over　my　

share　of　the　expense　to　the　two　little；　active　brothers；　who　rubbed　

their　hands　as　much；　but　methought　skipped　rather　less　than　

formerly；　having　perhaps；　these　two　also；　embarked　upon　the　

enterprise　with　some　graceful　illusions；　and　then；　reviewing　the　

whole　episode；　I　told　myself　that　the　time　was　not　yet　ripe；　nor　

the　man　ready；　and　to　work　I　went　again　with　my　penny　version…

books；　having　fallen　back　in　one　day　from　the　printed　author　to　the　

manuscript　student。





III





From　this　defunct　periodical　I　am　going　to　reprint　one　of　my　own　

papers。　　The　poor　little　piece　is　all　tail…foremost。　　I　have　done　

my　best　to　straighten　its　array；　I　have　pruned　it　fearlessly；　and　

it　remains　invertebrate　and　wordy。　　No　self…respecting　magazine　

would　print　the　thing；　and　here　you　behold　it　in　a　bound　volume；　

not　for　any　worth　of　its　own；　but　for　the　sake　of　the　man　whom　it　

purports　dimly　to　represent　and　some　of　whose　sayings　it　preserves；　

so　that　in　this　volume　of　Memories　and　Portraits；　Robert　Young；　the　

Swanston　gardener；　may　stand　alongside　of　John　Todd；　the　Swanston　

shepherd。　　Not　that　John　and　Robert　drew　very　close　together　in　

their　lives；　for　John　was　rough；　he　smelt　of　the　windy　brae；　and　

Robert　was　gentle；　and　smacked　of　the　garden　in　the　hollow。　　

Perhaps　it　is　to　my　shame　that　I　liked　John　the　better　of　the　two；　

he　had　grit　and　dash；　and　that　salt　of　the　Old　Adam　that　pleases　

men　with　any　savage　inheritance　of　blood；　and　he　was　a　way…farer　

besides；　and　took　my　gipsy　fancy。　　But　however　that　may　be；　and　

however　Robert's　profile　may　be　blurred　in　the　boyish　sketch　that　

follows；　he　was　a　man　of　a　most　quaint　and　beautiful　nature；　whom；　

if　it　were　possible　to　recast　a　piece　of　work　so　old；　I　should　like　

well　to　draw　again　with　a　maturer　touch。　　And　as　I　think　of　him　and　

of　John；　I　wonder　in　what　other　country　two　such　men　would　be　found　

dwelling　together；　in　a　hamlet　of　some　twenty　cottages；　in　the　

woody　fold　of　a　green　hill。









CHAPTER　V。　AN　OLD　SCOTCH　GARDENER





I　THINK　I　might　almost　have　said　the　last：　somewhere；　indeed；　in　

the　uttermost　glens　of　the　Lammermuir　or　among　the　southwestern　

hills　there　may　yet　linger　a　decrepid　representative　of　this　bygone　

good　fellowship；　but　as　far　as　actual　experience　goes；　I　have　only　

met　one　man　in　my　life　who　might　fitly　be　quoted　in　the　same　breath　

with　Andrew　Fairservice；　…　though　without　his　vices。　　He　was　a　man　

whose　very　presence　could　impart　a　savour　of　quaint　antiquity　to　

the　baldest　and　most　modern　flower…plots。　　There　was　a　dignity　

about　his　tall　stooping　form；　and　an　earnestness　in　his　wrinkled　

face　that　recalled　Don　Quixote；　but　a　Don　Quixote　who　had　come　

through　the　training　of　the　Covenant；　and　been　nourished　in　his　

youth　on　WALKER'S　LIVES　and　THE　HIND　LET　LOOSE。



Now；　as　I　could　not　bear　to　let　such　a　man　pass　away　with　no　sketch　

preserved　of　his　old…fashioned　virtues；　I　hope　the　reader　will　take　

this　as　an　excuse　for　the　present　paper；　and　judge　as　kindly　as　he　

can　the　infirmities　of　my　description。　　To　me；　who　find　it　so　

difficult　to　tell　the　little　that　I　know；　he　stands　essentially　as　

a　GENIUS　LOCI。　　It　is　impossible　to　separate　his　spare　form　and　old　

straw　hat　from　the　garden　in　the　lap　of　the　hill；　with　its　rocks　

overgrown　with　clematis；　its　shadowy　walks；　and　the　splendid　

breadth　of　champaign　that　one　saw　from　the　north…west　corner。　　The　

garden　and　gardener　seem　part　and　parcel　of　each　other。　　When　I　

take　him　from　his　right　surroundings　and　try　to　make　him　appear　for　

me　on　paper；　he　looks　unreal　and　phantasmal：　the　best　that　I　can　

say　may　convey　some　notion　to　those　that　never　saw　him；　but　to　me　

it　will　be　ever　impotent。



The　first　time　that　I　saw　him；　I　fancy　Robert　was　pretty　old　

already：　he　had　certainly　begun　to　use　his　years　as　a　stalking　

horse。　　Latterly　he　was　beyond　all　the　impudencies　of　logic；　

considering　a　reference　to　the　parish　register　worth　all　the　

reasons　in　the　world；　〃I　AM　OLD　AND　WELL　STRICKEN　IN　YEARS；〃　he　was　

wont　to　say；　and　I　never　found　any　one　bold　enough　to　answer　the　

argument。　　Apart　from　this　vantage　that　he　kept　over　all　who　were　

not　yet　octogenarian；　he　had　some　other　drawbacks　as　a　gardener。　　

He　shrank　the　very　place　he　cultivated。　　The　dignity　and　reduced　

gentility　of　his　appearance　made　the　small　garden　cut　a　sorry　

figure。　　He　was　full　of　tales　of　greater　situations　in　his　younger　

days。　　He　spoke　of　castles　and　parks　with　a　humbling　familiarity。　　

He　told　of　places　where　under…gardeners　had　trembled　at　his　looks；　

where　there　were　meres　and　swanneries；　labyrinths　of　walk　and　

wildernesses　of　sad　shrubbery　in　his　control；　till　you　could　not　

help　feeling　that　it　was　condescension　on　his　part　to　dress　your　

humbler　garden　plots。　　You　were　thrown　at　once　into　an　invidious