the new machiavelli-第33节

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He　was　manifestly　chagrined。　　〃You're　a　fool；〃　he　said。



I　made　no　answer。



〃You're　a　damned　fool；〃　he　said。　　〃But　I　suppose　you've　got　to　do　

it。　　You　could　have　come　hereThat　don't　matter；　though；　now。　。　。　　

You'll　have　your　time　and　spend　your　money；　and　be　a　poor　half…

starved　clergyman；　mucking　about　with　the　women　all　the　day　and　

afraid　to　have　one　of　your　own　ever；　or　you'll　be　a　schoolmaster　or　

some　such　fool　for　the　rest　of　your　life。　　Or　some　newspaper　chap。　　　

That's　what　you'll　get　from　Cambridge。　　I'm　half　a　mind　not　to　let　

you。　　Eh？　　More　than　half　a　mind。　。　。　。〃



〃You've　got　to　do　the　thing　you　can；〃　he　said；　after　a　pause；　〃and　

likely　it's　what　you're　fitted　for。〃







4





I　paid　several　short　visits　to　Staffordshire　during　my　Cambridge　

days；　and　always　these　relations　of　mine　produced　the　same　effect　of　

hardness。　　　My　uncle's　thoughts　had　neither　atmosphere　nor　mystery。　　　

He　lived　in　a　different　universe　from　the　dreams　of　scientific　

construction　that　filled　my　mind。　　He　could　as　easily　have　

understood　Chinese　poetry。　　His　motives　were　made　up　of　intense　

rivalries　with　other　men　of　his　class　and　kind；　a　few　vindictive　

hates　springing　from　real　and　fancied　slights；　a　habit　of　

acquisition　that　had　become　a　second　nature；　a　keen　love　both　of　

efficiency　and　display　in　his　own　affairs。　　He　seemed　to　me　to　have　

no　sense　of　the　state；　no　sense　and　much　less　any　love　of　beauty；　no　

charity　and　no　sort　of　religious　feeling　whatever。　　He　had　strong　

bodily　appetites；　he　ate　and　drank　freely；　smoked　a　great　deal；　and　

occasionally　was　carried　off　by　his　passions　for　a　〃bit　of　a　spree〃　

to　Birmingham　or　Liverpool　or　Manchester。　　The　indulgences　of　these　

occasions　were　usually　followed　by　a　period　of　reaction；　when　he　was　

urgent　for　the　suppression　of　nudity　in　the　local　Art　Gallery　and　a　

harsh　and　forcible　elevation　of　the　superficial　morals　of　the　

valley。　　And　he　spoke　of　the　ladies　who　ministered　to　the　delights　

of　his　jolly…dog　period；　when　he　spoke　of　them　at　all；　by　the　

unprintable　feminine　equivalent。　　My　aunt　he　treated　with　a　kindly　

contempt　and　considerable　financial　generosity；　but　his　daughters　

tore　his　heart；　he　was　so　proud　of　them；　so　glad　to　find　them　money　

to　spend；　so　resolved　to　own　them；　so　instinctively　jealous　of　every　

man　who　came　near　them。



My　uncle　has　been　the　clue　to　a　great　number　of　men　for　me。　　He　was　

an　illuminating　extreme。　　I　have　learnt　what　not　to　expect　from　them　

through　him；　and　to　comprehend　resentments　and　dangerous　sudden　

antagonisms　I　should　have　found　incomprehensible　in　their　more　

complex　forms；　if　I　had　not　first　seen　them　in　him　in　their　feral　

state。



With　his　soft　felt　hat　at　the　back　of　his　head；　his　rather　heavy；　

rather　mottled　face；　his　rationally　thick　boots　and　slouching　tweed…

clad　form；　a　little　round…shouldered　and　very　obstinate　looking；　he　

strolls　through　all　my　speculations　sucking　his　teeth　audibly；　and　

occasionally　throwing　out　a　shrewd　aphorism；　the　intractable　

unavoidable　ore　of　the　new　civilisation。



Essentially　he　was　simple。　　Generally　speaking；　he　hated　and　

despised　in　equal　measure　whatever　seemed　to　suggest　that　he　

personally　was　not　the　most　perfect　human　being　conceivable。　　He　

hated　all　education　after　fifteen　because　he　had　had　no　education　

after　fifteen；　he　hated　all　people　who　did　not　have　high　tea　until　

he　himself　under　duress　gave　up　high　tea；　he　hated　every　game　except　

football；　which　he　had　played　and　could　judge；　he　hated　all　people　

who　spoke　foreign　languages　because　he　knew　no　language　but　

Staffordshire；　he　hated　all　foreigners　because　he　was　English；　and　

all　foreign　ways　because　they　were　not　his　ways。　　Also　he　hated　

particularly；　and　in　this　order；　Londoner's；　Yorkshiremen；　Scotch；　

Welch　and　Irish；　because　they　were　not　〃reet　Staffordshire；〃　and　he　

hated　all　other　Staffordshire　men　as　insufficiently　〃reet。〃　　He　

wanted　to　have　all　his　own　women　inviolate；　and　to　fancy　he　had　a　

call　upon　every　other　woman　in　the　world。　　He　wanted　to　have　the　

best　cigars　and　the　best　brandy　in　the　world　to　consume　or　give　away　

magnificently；　and　every　one　else　to　have　inferior　ones。　　（His　

billiard　table　was　an　extra　large　size；　specially　made　and　very　

inconvenient。）　　And　he　hated　Trade　Unions　because　they　interfered　

with　his　autocratic　direction　of　his　works；　and　his　workpeople　

because　they　were　not　obedient　and　untiring　mechanisms　to　do　his　

bidding。　　He　was；　in　fact；　a　very　naive；　vigorous　human　being。　　He　

was　about　as　much　civilised；　about　as　much　tamed　to　the　ideas　of　

collective　action　and　mutual　consideration　as　a　Central　African　

negro。



There　are　hordes　of　such　men　as　he　throughout　all　the　modern　

industrial　world。　　You　will　find　the　same　type　with　the　slightest　

modifications　in　the　Pas　de　Calais　or　Rhenish　Prussia　or　New　Jersey　

or　North　Italy。　　No　doubt　you　would　find　it　in　New　Japan。　　These　men　

have　raised　themselves　up　from　the　general　mass　of　untrained；　

uncultured；　poorish　people　in　a　hard　industrious　selfish　struggle。　　

To　drive　others　they　have　had　first　to　drive　themselves。　　They　have　

never　yet　had　occasion　nor　leisure　to　think　of　the　state　or　social　

life　as　a　whole；　and　as　for　dreams　or　beauty；　it　was　a　condition　of　

survival　that　they　should　ignore　such　cravings。　　All　the　distinctive　

qualities　of　my　uncle　can　be　thought　of　as　dictated　by　his　

conditions；　his　success　and　harshness；　the　extravagances　that　

expressed　his　pride　in　making　money；　the　uncongenial　luxury　that　

sprang　from　rivalry；　and　his　self…reliance；　his　contempt　for　broad　

views；　his　contempt　for　everything　that　he　could　not　understand。



His　daughters　were　the　inevitable　children　of　his　life。　　Queer　girls　

they　were！　　Curiously　〃spirited〃　as　people　phrase　it；　and　curiously　

limited。　　During　my　Cambridge　days　I　went　down　to　Staffordshire　

several　times。　　My　uncle；　though　he　still　resented　my　refusal　to　go　

into　his　business；　was　also　in　his　odd　way　proud　of　me。　　I　was　his　

nephew　and　poor　relation；　and　yet　there　I　was；　a　young　gentleman　

learning　all　sorts　of　unremunerative　things　in　the　grandest　manner；　

〃Latin　and　mook；〃　while　the　sons　of　his　neighhours；　not　nephews　

merely；　but　sons；　stayed　unpolished　in　their　native　town。　　Every　

time　I　went　down　I　found　extensive　changes　and　altered　relations；　

and　before　I　had　settled　down　to　them　off　I　went　again。　　I　don't　

think　I　was　one　person　to　them；　I　was　a　series　of　visitors。　　There　

is　a　gulf　of　ages　between　a　gaunt　schoolboy　of　sixteen　in　unbecoming　

mourning　and　two　vividly　self…conscious　girls　of　eighteen　and　

nineteen；　but　a　Cambridge　〃man〃　of　two　and　twenty　with　a　first　and　

good　tennis　and　a　growing　social　experience；　is　a　fair　contemporary　

for　two　girls　of　twenty…three　and　twenty…four。



A　motor…car　appeared；　I　think　in　my　second　visit；　a　bottle…green　

affair　that　opened　behind；　had　dark　purple　cushions；　and　was　

controlled　mysteriously　by　a　man　in　shiny　black　costume　and　a　flat　

cap。　　The　high　tea　had　been　shifted　to　seven　and　rechristened　

dinner；　but　my　uncle　would　not　dress　nor　consent　to　have　wine；　and　

after　one　painful　experiment；　I　gathered；　and　a　scene；　he　put　his　

foot　down　and　prohibited　any　but　high…necked　dresses。



〃Daddy's　perfectly　impossible；〃　Sybil　told　me。



The　foot　had　descended　vehemently！　　〃My　own　daughters！〃　he　had　said；　

〃dressed　up　like　〃and　had　arrested　himself　and　fumbled　and　

decided　to　say〃actresses；　and　showin'　their　fat　arms　for　every　

fool　to　stare　at！〃　　Nor　would　he　have　any　people　invited　to　dinner。　　

He　didn't；　he　had　explained；　want　strangers　poking　about　in　his　

house　when　he　came　home　tired。　　So　such　calling　as　occurred　went　on　

during　his　absence　in　the　afternoon。



One　of　the　peculiarities　of　the　life　of　these　ascendant　families　of　

the　industrial　class　to　which　wealth　has　come；　is　its　tremendous　

insulations。　　There　were　no　customs　of　intercourse　in　the　Five　

Towns。　　　All　the　isolated　prosperities　of　the　district　sprang　from　

economising；　hard　driven　homes；　in　which　there　was　neither　time　nor　

means　for　hospitality。　　Social　intercourse　centred　very　largely　upon　

the　church　or　chapel；　and　the　chapels　were　better　at　bringing　people　

together　than　the　Establishment　to　which　my　cousins　belonged。　　Their　

chief　outlet　to　the　wider　world　lay　therefore　through　the　

acquaintances　they　had　formed　at　school；　and　through　two　much　less　

prosperous　families　of　relations　who　lived　at　Longton　and　Hanley。　　A　

number　of　gossiping　friendships　with　old　school　mates　were　〃kept　

up；〃　and　my　cousins　would　〃spend　the　afternoon〃　or　even　spend　the　

day　with　these；　such　occasions　led　to　other　encounters　and　

interlaced　with　the　furtive　correspondences　and　snatched　meetings　

that　formed　the　emotional　thread　of　their　lives。　　When　the　billiard　

table　had　been　new；　my　uncle　had　taken　to　asking　in　a　few　approved