beasts and superbeasts-第21节

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were　obliged　to　provide　the　members　of　their　orchestras　

with　painted　wooden　dogs　on　wheels；　in　order　that　the　

much…demanded　and　always　conceded　melody　should　be　

rendered　with　the　necessary　spectacular　effects；　and　the　

crash　of　bottles　and　forks　on　the　tables　at　the　mention　

of　the　big　borzoi　usually　drowned　the　sincerest　efforts　

of　drum　or　cymbals。　　Nowhere　and　at　no　time　could　one　get　

away　from　the　double　thump　that　brought　up　the　rear　of　

the　refrain；　revellers　reeling　home　at　night　banged　it　on　

doors　and　hoardings；　milkmen　clashed　their　cans　to　its　

cadence；　messenger　boys　hit　smaller　messenger　boys　

resounding　double　smacks　on　the　same　principle。　　And　the　

more　thoughtful　circles　of　the　great　city　were　not　deaf　

to　the　claims　and　significance　of　the　popular　melody。　　An　

enterprising　and　emancipated　preacher　discoursed　from　his　

pulpit　on　the　inner　meaning　of　〃Cousin　Teresa；〃　and　Lucas　

Harrowcluff　was　invited　to　lecture　on　the　subject　of　his　

great　achievement　to　members　of　the　Young　Mens'　Endeavour　

League；　the　Nine　Arts　Club；　and　other　learned　and　

willing…to…learn　bodies。　　In　Society　it　seemed　to　be　the　

one　thing　people　really　cared　to　talk　about；　men　and　

women　of　middle　age　and　average　education　might　be　seen　

together　in　corners　earnestly　discussing；　not　the　

question　whether　Servia　should　have　an　outlet　on　the　

Adriatic；　or　the　possibilities　of　a　British　success　in　

international　polo　contests；　but　the　more　absorbing　topic　

of　the　problematic　Aztec　or　Nilotic　origin　of　the　Teresa　

MOTIV。



〃Politics　and　patriotism　are　so　boring　and　so　out　of　

date；〃　said　a　revered　lady　who　had　some　pretensions　to　

oracular　utterance；　〃we　are　too　cosmopolitan　nowadays　to　

be　really　moved　by　them。　　That　is　why　one　welcomes　an　

intelligible　production　like　'Cousin　Teresa；'　that　has　a　

genuine　message　for　one。　　One　can't　understand　the　

message　all　at　once；　of　course；　but　one　felt　from　the　

very　first　that　it　was　there。　　I've　been　to　see　it　

eighteen　times　and　I'm　going　again　to…morrow　and　on　

Thursday。　　One　can't　see　it　often　enough。〃





*　*　*　*





〃It　would　be　rather　a　popular　move　if　we　gave　this　

Harrowcluff　person　a　knighthood　or　something　of　the　

sort；〃　said　the　Minister　reflectively。



〃Which　Harrowcluff？〃asked　his　secretary。



〃Which？　　There　is　only　one；　isn't　there？〃　said　the　

Minister；　〃the　'Cousin　Teresa'　man；　of　course。　　I　think　

every　one　would　be　pleased　if　we　knighted　him。　　Yes；　you　

can　put　him　down　on　the　list　of　certainties　…　under　the　

letter　L。〃



〃The　letter　L；〃　said　the　secretary；　who　was　new　to　

his　job；　〃does　that　stand　for　Liberalism　or　liberality？〃



Most　of　the　recipients　of　Ministerial　favour　were　

expected　to　qualify　in　both　of　those　subjects。



〃Literature；〃　explained　the　Minister。



And　thus；　after　a　fashion；　Colonel　Harrowcluff's　

expectation　of　seeing　his　son's　name　in　the　list　of　

Honours　was　gratified。





THE　YARKAND　MANNER





SIR　LULWORTH　QUAYNE　was　making　a　leisurely　progress　

through　the　Zoological　Society's　Gardens　in　company　with　

his　nephew；　recently　returned　from　Mexico。　　The　latter　

was　interested　in　comparing　and　contrasting　allied　types　

of　animals　occurring　in　the　North　American　and　Old　World　

fauna。



〃One　of　the　most　remarkable　things　in　the　wanderings　

of　species；〃　he　observed；　〃is　the　sudden　impulse　to　trek　

and　migrate　that　breaks　out　now　and　again；　for　no　

apparent　reason；　in　communities　of　hitherto　stay…at…home　

animals。〃



〃In　human　affairs　the　same　phenomenon　is　

occasionally　noticeable；〃　said　Sir　Lulworth；　〃perhaps　the　

most　striking　instance　of　it　occurred　in　this　country　

while　you　were　away　in　the　wilds　of　Mexico。　　I　mean　the　

wander　fever　which　suddenly　displayed　itself　in　the　

managing　and　editorial　staffs　of　certain　London　

newspapers。　　It　began　with　the　stampede　of　the　entire　

staff　of　one　of　our　most　brilliant　and　enterprising　

weeklies　to　the　banks　of　the　Seine　and　the　heights　of　

Montmartre。　　The　migration　was　a　brief　one；　but　it　

heralded　an　era　of　restlessness　in　the　Press　world　which　

lent　quite　a　new　meaning　to　the　phrase　'newspaper　

circulation。'　　Other　editorial　staffs　were　not　slow　to　

imitate　the　example　that　had　been　set　them。　　Paris　soon　

dropped　out　of　fashion　as　being　too　near　home；　Nurnberg；　

Seville；　and　Salonica　became　more　favoured　as　planting…

out　grounds　for　the　personnel　of　not　only　weekly　but　

daily　papers　as　well。　　The　localities　were　perhaps　not　

always　well　chosen；　the　fact　of　a　leading　organ　of　

Evangelical　thought　being　edited　for　two　successive　

fortnights　from　Trouville　and　Monte　Carlo　was　generally　

admitted　to　have　been　a　mistake。　　And　even　when　

enterprising　and　adventurous　editors　took　themselves　and　

their　staffs　further　afield　there　were　some　unavoidable　

clashings。　　For　instance；　the　SCRUTATOR；　SPORTING　BLUFF；　

and　THE　DAMSELS'　OWN　PAPER　all　pitched　on　Khartoum　for　

the　same　week。　　It　was；　perhaps；　a　desire　to　out…distance　

all　possible　competition　that　influenced　the　management　

of　the　DAILY　INTELLIGENCER；　one　of　the　most　solid　and　

respected　organs　of　Liberal　opinion；　in　its　decision　to　

transfer　its　offices　for　three　or　four　weeks　from　Fleet　

Street　to　Eastern　Turkestan；　allowing；　of　course；　a　

necessary　margin　of　time　for　the　journey　there　and　back。　　

This　was；　in　many　respects；　the　most　remarkable　of　all　

the　Press　stampedes　that　were　experienced　at　this　time。　　

There　was　no　make…believe　about　the　undertaking；　

proprietor；　manager；　editor；　sub…editors；　leader…writers；　

principal　reporters；　and　so　forth；　all　took　part　in　what　

was　popularly　alluded　to　as　the　DRANG　NACH　OSTEN；　an　

intelligent　and　efficient　office…boy　was　all　that　was　

left　in　the　deserted　hive　of　editorial　industry。〃



〃That　was　doing　things　rather　thoroughly；　wasn't　

it？〃　said　the　nephew。



〃Well；　you　see；〃　said　Sir　Lulworth；　〃the　migration　

idea　was　falling　somewhat　into　disrepute　from　the　half…

hearted　manner　in　which　it　was　occasionally　carried　out。　　

You　were　not　impressed　by　the　information　that　such　and　

such　a　paper　was　being　edited　and　brought　out　at　Lisbon　

or　Innsbruck　if　you　chanced　to　see　the　principal　leader…

writer　or　the　art　editor　lunching　as　usual　at　their　

accustomed　restaurants。　　The　DAILY　INTELLIGENCER　was　

determined　to　give　no　loophole　for　cavil　at　the　

genuineness　of　its　pilgrimage；　and　it　must　be　admitted　

that　to　a　certain　extent　the　arrangements　made　for　

transmitting　copy　and　carrying　on　the　usual　features　of　

the　paper　during　the　long　outward　journey　worked　smoothly　

and　well。　　The　series　of　articles　which　commenced　at　Baku　

on　'What　Cobdenism　might　do　for　the　camel　industry'　ranks　

among　the　best　of　the　recent　contributions　to　Free　Trade　

literature；　while　the　views　on　foreign　policy　enunciated　

'from　a　roof　in　Yarkand'　showed　at　least　as　much　grasp　of　

the　international　situation　as　those　that　had　germinated　

within　half　a　mile　of　Downing　Street。　　Quite　in　keeping；　

too；　with　the　older　and　better　traditions　of　British　

journalism　was　the　manner　of　the　home…coming；　no　bombast；　

no　personal　advertisement；　no　flamboyant　interviews。　　

Even　a　complimentary　luncheon　at　the　Voyagers'　Club　was　

courteously　declined。　　Indeed；　it　began　to　be　felt　that　

the　self…effacement　of　the　returned　pressmen　was　being　

carried　to　a　pedantic　length。　　Foreman　compositors；　

advertisement　clerks；　and　other　members　of　the　non…

editorial　staff；　who　had；　of　course；　taken　no　part　in　the　

great　trek；　found　it　as　impossible　to　get　into　direct　

communication　with　the　editor　and　his　satellites　now　that　

they　had　returned　as　when　they　had　been　excusably　

inaccessible　in　Central　Asia。　　The　sulky；　overworked　

office…boy；　who　was　the　one　connecting　link　between　the　

editorial　brain　and　the　business　departments　of　the　

paper；　sardonically　explained　the　new　aloofness　as　the　

'Yarkand　manner。'　　Most　of　the　reporters　and　sub…editors　

seemed　to　have　been　dismissed　in　autocratic　fashion　since　

their　return　and　new　ones　engaged　by　letter；　to　these　the　

editor　and　his　immediate　associates　remained　an　unseen　

presence；　issuing　its　instructions　solely　through　the　

medium　of　curt　typewritten　notes。　　Something　mystic　and　

Tibetan　and　forbidden　had　replaced　the　human　bustle　and　

democratic　simplicity　of　pre…migration　days；　and　the　same　

experience　was　encountered　by　those　who　made　social　

overtures　to　the　returned　wanderers。　　The　most　brilliant　

hostess　of　Twentieth　Century　London　flung　the　pearl　of　

her　hospitality　into　the　unresponsive　trough　of　the　

editorial　letter…box；　it　seemed　as　if　nothing　short　of　a　

Royal　command　would　drag　the　hermit…souled　REVENANTS　from　

their　self…imposed　seclusion。　　People　began　to　talk　

unkindly　of　the　effect　of　high　altitudes　and　Eastern　

atmosphere　on　minds　and　temperaments　unused　to　such　

luxuries。　　The　Yarkand　manner　was　not　popul