greville fane-第3节

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better；　with　Leolin　and　me；〃　Lady　Luard　had　been　known　to　remark；　but

it　appeared　that　some　of　Greville　Fane's　superstitions　were

incurable。　　She　didn't　live　in　Lady　Luard's　society；　and　the　best　was

not　good　enough　for　hershe　must　make　it　still　better。



I　could　see　that　this　necessity　grew　upon　her　during　the　years　she

spent　abroad；　when　I　had　glimpses　of　her　in　the　shifting　sojourns

that　lay　in　the　path　of　my　annual　ramble。　　She　betook　herself　from

Germany　to　Switzerland　and　from　Switzerland　to　Italy；　she　favoured

cheap　places　and　set　up　her　desk　in　the　smaller　capitals。　　I　took　a

look　at　her　whenever　I　could；　and　I　always　asked　how　Leolin　was

getting　on。　　She　gave　me　beautiful　accounts　of　him；　and　whenever　it

was　possible　the　boy　was　produced　for　my　edification。　　I　had　entered

from　the　first　into　the　joke　of　his　careerI　pretended　to　regard　him

as　a　consecrated　child。　　It　had　been　a　joke　for　Mrs。　Stormer　at

first；　but　the　boy　himself　had　been　shrewd　enough　to　make　the　matter

serious。　　If　his　mother　accepted　the　principle　that　the　intending

novelist　cannot　begin　too　early　to　see　life；　Leolin　was　not

interested　in　hanging　back　from　the　application　of　it。　　He　was　eager

to　qualify　himself；　and　took　to　cigarettes　at　ten；　on　the　highest

literary　grounds。　　His　poor　mother　gazed　at　him　with　extravagant　envy

and；　like　Desdemona；　wished　heaven　had　made　HER　such　a　man。　　She

explained　to　me　more　than　once　that　in　her　profession　she　had　found

her　sex　a　dreadful　drawback。　　She　loved　the　story　of　Madame　George

Sand's　early　rebellion　against　this　hindrance；　and　believed　that　if

she　had　worn　trousers　she　could　have　written　as　well　as　that　lady。

Leolin　had　for　the　career　at　least　the　qualification　of　trousers；　and

as　he　grew　older　he　recognised　its　importance　by　laying　in　an　immense

assortment。　　He　grew　up　in　gorgeous　apparel；　which　was　his　way　of

interpreting　his　mother's　system。　　Whenever　I　met　her　I　found　her

still　under　the　impression　that　she　was　carrying　this　system　out　and

that　Leolin's　training　was　bearing　fruit。　　She　was　giving　him

experience；　she　was　giving　him　impressions；　she　was　putting　a

gagnepain　into　his　hand。　　It　was　another　name　for　spoiling　him　with

the　best　conscience　in　the　world。　　The　queerest　pictures　come　back　to

me　of　this　period　of　the　good　lady's　life　and　of　the　extraordinarily

virtuous；　muddled；　bewildering　tenor　of　it。　　She　had　an　idea　that　she

was　seeing　foreign　manners　as　well　as　her　petticoats　would　allow；

but；　in　reality　she　was　not　seeing　anything；　least　of　all　fortunately

how　much　she　was　laughed　at。　　She　drove　her　whimsical　pen　at　Dresden

and　at　Florence；　and　produced　in　all　places　and　at　all　times　the　same

romantic　and　ridiculous　fictions。　　She　carried　about　her　box　of

properties　and　fished　out　promptly　the　familiar；　tarnished　old

puppets。　　She　believed　in　them　when　others　couldn't；　and　as　they　were

like　nothing　that　was　to　be　seen　under　the　sun　it　was　impossible　to

prove　by　comparison　that　they　were　wrong。　　You　can't　compare　birds

and　fishes；　you　could　only　feel　that；　as　Greville　Fane's　characters

had　the　fine　plumage　of　the　former　species；　human　beings　must　be　of

the　latter。



It　would　have　been　droll　if　it　had　not　been　so　exemplary　to　see　her

tracing　the　loves　of　the　duchesses　beside　the　innocent　cribs　of　her

children。　　The　immoral　and　the　maternal　lived　together　in　her

diligent　days　on　the　most　comfortable　terms；　and　she　stopped　curling

the　mustaches　of　her　Guardsmen　to　pat　the　heads　of　her　babes。　　She

was　haunted　by　solemn　spinsters　who　came　to　tea　from　continental

pensions；　and　by　unsophisticated　Americans　who　told　her　she　was　just

loved　in　THEIR　country。　　〃I　had　rather　be　just　paid　there；〃　she

usually　replied；　for　this　tribute　of　transatlantic　opinion　was　the

only　thing　that　galled　her。　　The　Americans　went　away　thinking　her

coarse；　though　as　the　author　of　so　many　beautiful　love…stories　she

was　disappointing　to　most　of　these　pilgrims；　who　had　not　expected　to

find　a　shy；　stout；　ruddy　lady　in　a　cap　like　a　crumbled　pyramid。　　She

wrote　about　the　affections　and　the　impossibility　of　controlling　them；

but　she　talked　of　the　price　of　pension　and　the　convenience　of　an

English　chemist。　　She　devoted　much　thought　and　many　thousands　of

francs　to　the　education　of　her　daughter；　who　spent　three　years　at　a

very　superior　school　at　Dresden；　receiving　wonderful　instruction　in

sciences；　arts　and　tongues；　and　who；　taking　a　different　line　from

Leolin；　was　to　be　brought　up　wholly　as　a　femme　du　monde。　　The　girl

was　musical　and　philological；　she　made　a　specialty　of　languages　and

learned　enough　about　them　to　be　inspired　with　a　great　contempt　for

her　mother's　artless　accents。　　Greville　Fane's　French　and　Italian

were　droll；　the　imitative　faculty　had　been　denied　her；　and　she　had　an

unequalled　gift；　especially　pen　in　hand；　of　squeezing　big　mistakes

into　small　opportunities。　　She　knew　it；　but　she　didn't　care；

correctness　was　the　virtue　in　the　world　that；　like　her　heroes　and

heroines；　she　valued　least。　　Ethel；　who　had　perceived　in　her　pages

some　remarkable　lapses；　undertook　at　one　time　to　revise　her　proofs；

but　I　remember　her　telling　me　a　year　after　the　girl　had　left　school

that　this　function　had　been　very　briefly　exercised。　　〃She　can't　read

me；〃　said　Mrs。　Stormer；　〃I　offend　her　taste。　　She　tells　me　that　at

Dresdenat　schoolI　was　never　allowed。〃　　The　good　lady　seemed

surprised　at　this；　having　the　best　conscience　in　the　world　about　her

lucubrations。　　She　had　never　meant　to　fly　in　the　face　of　anything；

and　considered　that　she　grovelled　before　the　Rhadamanthus　of　the

English　literary　tribunal；　the　celebrated　and　awful　Young　Person。　　I

assured　her；　as　a　joke；　that　she　was　frightfully　indecent　（she　hadn't

in　fact　that　reality　any　more　than　any　other）　my　purpose　being　solely

to　prevent　her　from　guessing　that　her　daughter　had　dropped　her　not

because　she　was　immoral　but　because　she　was　vulgar。　　I　used　to　figure

her　children　closeted　together　and　asking　each　other　while　they

exchanged　a　gaze　of　dismay：　　〃Why　should　she　BE　soand　so　FEARFULLY

sowhen　she　has　the　advantage　of　our　society？　　Shouldn't　WE　have

taught　her　better？〃　　Then　I　imagined　their　recognising　with　a　blush

and　a　shrug　that　she　was　unteachable；　irreformable。　　Indeed　she　was；

poor　lady；　but　it　is　never　fair　to　read　by　the　light　of　taste　things

that　were　not　written　by　it。　　Greville　Fane　had；　in　the　topsy…turvy；

a　serene　good　faith　that　ought　to　have　been　safe　from　allusion；　like

a　stutter　or　a　faux　pas。



She　didn't　make　her　son　ashamed　of　the　profession　to　which　he　was

destined；　however；　she　only　made　him　ashamed　of　the　way　she　herself

exercised　it。　　But　he　bore　his　humiliation　much　better　than　his

sister；　for　he　was　ready　to　take　for　granted　that　he　should　one　day

restore　the　balance。　　He　was　a　canny　and　far…seeing　youth；　with

appetites　and　aspirations；　and　he　had　not　a　scruple　in　his

composition。　　His　mother's　theory　of　the　happy　knack　he　could　pick　up

deprived　him　of　the　wholesome　discipline　required　to　prevent　young

idlers　from　becoming　cads。　　He　had；　abroad；　a　casual　tutor　and　a

snatch　or　two　of　a　Swiss　school；　but　no　consecutive　study；　no

prospect　of　a　university　or　a　degree。　　It　may　be　imagined　with　what

zeal；　as　the　years　went　on；　he　entered　into　the　pleasantry　of　there

being　no　manual　so　important　to　him　as　the　massive　book　of　life。　　It

was　an　expensive　volume　to　peruse；　but　Mrs。　Stormer　was　willing　to

lay　out　a　sum　in　what　she　would　have　called　her　premiers　frais。

Ethel　disapprovedshe　thought　this　education　far　too　unconventional

for　an　English　gentleman。　　Her　voice　was　for　Eton　and　Oxford；　or　for

any　public　school　（she　would　have　resigned　herself）　with　the　army　to

follow。　　But　Leolin　never　was　afraid　of　his　sister；　and　they　visibly

disliked；　though　they　sometimes　agreed　to　assist；　each　other。　　They

could　combine　to　work　the　oracleto　keep　their　mother　at　her　desk。



When　she　came　back　to　England；　telling　me　she　had　got　all　the

continent　could　give　her；　Leolin　was　a　broad…shouldered；　red…faced

young　man；　with　an　immense　wardrobe　and　an　extraordinary　assurance　of

manner。　　She　was　fondly　obstinate　about　her　having　taken　the　right

course　with　him；　and　proud　of　all　that　he　knew　and　had　seen。　　He　was

now　quite　ready　to　begin；　and　a　little　while　later　she　told　me　he　HAD

begun。　　He　had　written　something　tremendously　clever；　and　it　was

coming　out　in　the　Cheapside。　　I　believe　it　came　out；　I　had　no　time　to

look　for　it；　I　never　heard　anything　about　it。　　I　took　for　granted

that　if　this　contribution　had　passed　through　his　mother's　hands　it

had　practically　become　a　specimen　of　her　own　genius；　and　it　was

interesting　to　consider　Mrs。　Stormer's　future　in　the　light　of　her

having　to　write　her　son's　novels　as　well　as　her　own。　　This　was　not

the　way　she　looked　at　it　herself；　she　took　the　charming　ground　that

he　would　help　her　to　write　hers。　　She　used　to　tell　me　that　he

supplied　passages　of　the　greate