the letters-2-第63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！



caricature　fails。



All　this　keeps　me　from　my　work；　and　gives　me　the　unpleasant　side　of　

the　world。　　When　your　letters　are　disbelieved　it　makes　you　angry；　

and　that　is　rot；　and　I　wish　I　could　keep　out　of　it　with　all　my　

soul。　　But　I　have　just　got　into　it　again；　and　farewell　peace！



My　work　goes　along　but　slowly。　　I　have　got　to　a　crossing　place；　I　

suppose；　the　present　book；　SAINT　IVES；　is　nothing；　it　is　in　no　

style　in　particular；　a　tissue　of　adventures；　the　central　character　

not　very　well　done；　no　philosophic　pith　under　the　yarn；　and；　in　

short；　if　people　will　read　it；　that's　all　I　ask；　and　if　they　won't；　

damn　them！　　I　like　doing　it　though；　and　if　you　ask　me　why！　…　after　

that　I　am　on　WEIR　OF　HERMISTON　and　HEATHERCAT；　two　Scotch　stories；　

which　will　either　be　something　different；　or　I　shall　have　failed。　　

The　first　is　generally　designed；　and　is　a　private　story　of　two　or　

three　characters　in　a　very　grim　vein。　　The　second　…　alas！　the　

thought　…　is　an　attempt　at　a　real　historical　novel；　to　present　a　

whole　field　of　time；　the　race　…　our　own　race　…　the　west　land　and　

Clydesdale　blue　bonnets；　under　the　influence　of　their　last　trial；　

when　they　got　to　a　pitch　of　organisation　in　madness　that　no　other　

peasantry　has　ever　made　an　offer　at。　　I　was　going　to　call　it　THE　

KILLING　TIME；　but　this　man　Crockett　has　forestalled　me　in　that。　　

Well；　it'll　be　a　big　smash　if　I　fail　in　it；　but　a　gallant　attempt。　　

All　my　weary　reading　as　a　boy；　which　you　remember　well　enough；　will　

come　to　bear　on　it；　and　if　my　mind　will　keep　up　to　the　point　it　was　

in　a　while　back；　perhaps　I　can　pull　it　through。



For　two　months　past；　Fanny；　Belle；　Austin　（her　child）；　and　I　have　

been　alone；　but　yesterday；　as　I　mentioned；　Graham　Balfour　arrived；　

and　on　Wednesday　my　mother　and　Lloyd　will　make　up　the　party　to　its　

full　strength。　　I　wish　you　could　drop　in　for　a　month　or　a　week；　or　

two　hours。　　That　is　my　chief　want。　　On　the　whole；　it　is　an　

unexpectedly　pleasant　corner　I　have　dropped　into　for　an　end　of　it；　

which　I　could　scarcely　have　foreseen　from　Wilson's　shop；　or　the　

Princes　Street　Gardens；　or　the　Portobello　Road。　　Still；　I　would　

like　to　hear　what　my　ALTER　EGO　thought　of　it；　and　I　would　sometimes　

like　to　have　my　old　MAITRE　ES　ARTS　express　an　opinion　on　what　I　do。　　

I　put　this　very　tamely；　being　on　the　whole　a　quiet　elderly　man；　but　

it　is　a　strong　passion　with　me；　though　intermittent。　　Now；　try　to　

follow　my　example　and　tell　me　something　about　yourself；　Louisa；　the　

Bab；　and　your　work；　and　kindly　send　me　some　specimens　of　what　

you're　about。　　I　have　only　seen　one　thing　by　you；　about　Notre　Dame　

in　the　WESTMINSTER　or　ST。　JAMES'S；　since　I　left　England；　now　I　

suppose　six　years　ago。



I　have　looked　this　trash　over；　and　it　is　not　at　all　the　letter　I　

wanted　to　write　…　not　truck　about　officials；　ancestors；　and　the　

like　rancidness　…　but　you　have　to　let　your　pen　go　in　its　own　

broken…down　gait；　like　an　old　butcher's　pony；　stop　when　it　pleases；　

and　go　on　again　as　it　will。　…　Ever；　my　dear　Bob；　your　affectionate　

cousin；



R。　L。　STEVENSON。







Letter：　　TO　HENRY　JAMES







VAILIMA；　JULY　7TH；　1894。



DEAR　HENRY　JAMES；　…　I　am　going　to　try　and　dictate　to　you　a　letter　

or　a　note；　and　begin　the　same　without　any　spark　of　hope；　my　mind　

being　entirely　in　abeyance。　　This　malady　is　very　bitter　on　the　

literary　man。　　I　have　had　it　now　coming　on　for　a　month；　and　it　

seems　to　get　worse　instead　of　better。　　If　it　should　prove　to　be　

softening　of　the　brain；　a　melancholy　interest　will　attach　to　the　

present　document。　　I　heard　a　great　deal　about　you　from　my　mother　

and　Graham　Balfour；　the　latter　declares　that　you　could　take　a　First　

in　any　Samoan　subject。　　If　that　be　so；　I　should　like　to　hear　you　on　

the　theory　of　the　constitution。　　Also　to　consult　you　on　the　force　

of　the　particles　O　LO　'O　and　UA；　which　are　the　subject　of　a　dispute　

among　local　pundits。　　You　might；　if　you　ever　answer　this；　give　me　

your　opinion　on　the　origin　of　the　Samoan　race；　just　to　complete　the　

favour。



They　both　say　that　you　are　looking　well；　and　I　suppose　I　may　

conclude　from　that　that　you　are　feeling　passably。　　I　wish　I　was。　　

Do　not　suppose　from　this　that　I　am　ill　in　body；　it　is　the　numskull　

that　I　complain　of。　　And　when　that　is　wrong；　as　you　must　be　very　

keenly　aware；　you　begin　every　day　with　a　smarting　disappointment；　

which　is　not　good　for　the　temper。　　I　am　in　one　of　the　humours　when　

a　man　wonders　how　any　one　can　be　such　an　ass　as　to　embrace　the　

profession　of　letters；　and　not　get　apprenticed　to　a　barber　or　keep　

a　baked…potato　stall。　　But　I　have　no　doubt　in　the　course　of　a　week；　

or　perhaps　to…morrow；　things　will　look　better。



We　have　at　present　in　port　the　model　warship　of　Great　Britain。　　She　

is　called　the　CURACOA；　and　has　the　nicest　set　of　officers　and　men　

conceivable。　　They；　the　officers；　are　all　very　intimate　with　us；　

and　the　front　verandah　is　known　as　the　Curacoa　Club；　and　the　road　

up　to　Vailima　is　known　as　the　Curacoa　Track。　　It　was　rather　a　

surprise　to　me；　many　naval　officers　have　I　known；　and　somehow　had　

not　learned　to　think　entirely　well　of　them；　and　perhaps　sometimes　

ask　myself　a　little　uneasily　how　that　kind　of　men　could　do　great　

actions？　and　behold！　the　answer　comes　to　me；　and　I　see　a　ship　that　

I　would　guarantee　to　go　anywhere　it　was　possible　for　men　to　go；　and　

accomplish　anything　it　was　permitted　man　to　attempt。　　I　had　a　

cruise　on　board　of　her　not　long　ago　to　Manu'a；　and　was　delighted。　　

The　goodwill　of　all　on　board；　the　grim　playfulness　of　…　quarters；　

with　the　wounded　falling　down　at　the　word；　the　ambulances　hastening　

up　and　carrying　them　away；　the　Captain　suddenly　crying；　'Fire　in　

the　ward…room！'　and　the　squad　hastening　forward　with　the　hose；　and；　

last　and　most　curious　spectacle　of　all；　all　the　men　in　their　dust…

coloured　fatigue　clothes；　at　a　note　of　the　bugle；　falling　

simultaneously　flat　on　deck；　and　the　ship　proceeding　with　its　

prostrate　crew　…　QUASI　to　ram　an　enemy；　our　dinner　at　night　in　a　

wild　open　anchorage；　the　ship　rolling　almost　to　her　gunwales；　and　

showing　us　alternately　her　bulwarks　up　in　the　sky；　and　then　the　

wild　broken　cliffy　palm…crested　shores　of　the　island　with　the　surf　

thundering　and　leaping　close　aboard。　　We　had　the　ward…room　mess　on　

deck；　lit　by　pink　wax　tapers；　everybody；　of　course；　in　uniform　but　

myself；　and　the　first　lieutenant　（who　is　a　rheumaticky　body）　

wrapped　in　a　boat　cloak。　　Gradually　the　sunset　faded　out；　the　

island　disappeared　from　the　eye；　though　it　remained　menacingly　

present　to　the　ear　with　the　voice　of　the　surf；　and　then　the　captain　

turned　on　the　searchlight　and　gave　us　the　coast；　the　beach；　the　

trees；　the　native　houses；　and　the　cliffs　by　glimpses　of　daylight；　a　

kind　of　deliberate　lightning。　　About　which　time；　I　suppose；　we　must　

have　come　as　far　as　the　dessert；　and　were　probably　drinking　our　

first　glass　of　port　to　Her　Majesty。　　We　stayed　two　days　at　the　

island；　and　had；　in　addition；　a　very　picturesque　snapshot　at　the　

native　life。　　The　three　islands　of　Manu'a　are　independent；　and　are　

ruled　over　by　a　little　slip　of　a　half…caste　girl　about　twenty；　who　

sits　all　day　in　a　pink　gown；　in　a　little　white　European　house　with　

about　a　quarter　of　an　acre　of　roses　in　front　of　it；　looking　at　the　

palm…trees　on　the　village　street；　and　listening　to　the　surf。　　This；　

so　far　as　I　could　discover；　was　all　she　had　to　do。　　'This　is　a　very　

dull　place；'　she　said。　　It　appears　she　could　go　to　no　other　village　

for　fear　of　raising　the　jealousy　of　her　own　people　in　the　capital。　　

And　as　for　going　about　'tafatafaoing；'　as　we　say　here；　its　cost　was　

too　enormous。　　A　strong　able…bodied　native　must　walk　in　front　of　

her　and　blow　the　conch　shell　continuously　from　the　moment　she　

leaves　one　house　until　the　moment　she　enters　another。　　Did　you　ever　

blow　the　conch　shell？　　I　presume　not；　but　the　sweat　literally　

hailed　off　that　man；　and　I　expected　every　moment　to　see　him　burst　a　

blood…vessel。　　We　were　entertained　to　kava　in　the　guest…house　with　

some　very　original　features。　　The　young　men　who　run　for　the　KAVA　

have　a　right　to　misconduct　themselves　AD　LIBITUM　on　the　way　back；　

and　though　they　were　told　to　restrain　themselves　on　the　occasion　of　

our　visit；　there　was　a　strange　hurly…burly　at　their　return；　when　

they　came　beating　the　trees　and　the　posts　of　the　houses；　leaping；　

shouting；　and　yelling　like　Bacchants。



I　tasted　on　that　occasion　what　it　is　to　be　great。　　My　name　was　

called　next　after　the　captain's；　and　several　chiefs　（a　thing　quite　

new　to　me；　and　not　at　all　Samoan　practice）　drank　to　me　by　name。



And　now；　if　you　are　not　sick　of　the　CURACOA　and　Manu'a；　I　am；　at　

least　on　paper。　　And　I　decline　any　longer　to　give　you　examples　of　

how　not　to　write。



By　the　by；　you　sent　me　long　ago　a　work　by　Anatole　France；　which　I　

confess　I　did　not　TASTE。　　Since　then　I　have　made　the　acquaintance　

of　the　ABBE　COIGNARD；　and