the new machiavelli-第37节

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of　delicate　discontent；　the　suggestion　of　exile。　　Even　a　kind　of　

weakness　in　her　was　sympathetic。　　She　told　tremendously　against　her　

background。　　She　was；　I　say；　like　a　protesting　blue　flower　upon　a　

cinder　heap。　　It　is　curious；　too；　how　she　connects　and　mingles　with　

the　furious　quarrel　I　had　with　my　uncle　that　very　evening。　　That　

came　absurdly。　　Indirectly　Margaret　was　responsible。　　My　mind　was　

running　on　ideas　she　had　revived　and　questions　she　had　set　

clamouring；　and　quite　inadvertently　in　my　attempt　to　find　solutions　

I　talked　so　as　to　outrage　his　profoundest　feelings。　。　。　。







7





What　a　preposterous　shindy　that　was！



I　sat　with　him　in　the　smoking…room；　propounding　what　I　considered　to　

be　the　most　indisputable　and　non…contentious　propositions　

conceivableuntil；　to　my　infinite　amazement；　he　exploded　and　called　

me　a　〃damned　young　puppy。〃



It　was　seismic。



〃Tremendously　interesting　time；〃　I　said；　〃just　in　the　beginning　of　

making　a　civilisation。〃



〃Ah！〃　he　said；　with　an　averted　face；　and　nodded；　leaning　forward　

over　his　cigar。



I　had　not　the　remotest　thought　of　annoying　him。



〃Monstrous　muddle　of　things　we　have　got；〃　I　said；　〃jumbled　streets；　

ugly　population；　ugly　factories〃



〃You'd　do　a　sight　better　if　you　had　to　do　with　it；〃　said　my　uncle；　

regarding　me　askance。



〃Not　me。　　But　a　world　that　had　a　collective　plan　and　knew　where　it　

meant　to　be　going　would　do　a　sight　better；　anyhow。　　We're　all　

swimming　in　a　flood　of　ill…calculated　chances〃



〃You'll　be　making　out　I　organised　that　business　down　thereby　

chancenext；〃　said　my　uncle；　his　voice　thick　with　challenge。



I　went　on　as　though　I　was　back　in　Trinity。



〃There's　a　lot　of　chance　in　the　making　of　all　great　businesses；〃　I　

said。



My　uncle　remarked　that　that　showed　how　much　I　knew　about　businesses。　　　

If　chance　made　businesses；　why　was　it　that　he　always　succeeded　and　

grew　while　those　fools　Ackroyd　and　Sons　always　took　second　place？　　

He　showed　a　disposition　to　tell　the　glorious　history　of　how　once　

Ackroyd's　overshadowed　him；　and　how　now　he　could　buy　up　Ackroyd's　

three　times　over。　　But　I　wanted　to　get　out　what　was　in　my　mind。



〃Oh！〃　I　said；　〃as　between　man　and　man　and　business　and　business；　

some　of　course　get　the　pull　by　this　quality　or　thatbut　it's　forces　

quite　outside　the　individual　case　that　make　the　big　part　of　any　

success　under　modern　conditions。　　YOU　never　invented　pottery；　nor　

any　process　in　pottery　that　matters　a　rap　in　your　works；　it　wasn't　

YOUR　foresight　that　joined　all　England　up　with　railways　and　made　it　

possible　to　organise　production　on　an　altogether　different　scale。　　

You　really　at　the　utmost　can't　take　credit　for　much　more　than　being　

the　sort　of　man　who　happened　to　fit　what　happened　to　be　the　

requirements　of　the　time；　and　who　happened　to　be　in　a　position　to　

take　advantage　of　them〃



It　was　then　my　uncle　cried　out　and　called　me　a　damned　young　puppy；　

and　became　involved　in　some　unexpected　trouble　of　his　own。



I　woke　up　as　it　were　from　my　analysis　of　the　situation　to　discover　

him　bent　over　a　splendid　spittoon；　cursing　incoherently；　retching　a　

little；　and　spitting　out　the　end　of　his　cigar　which　he　had　bitten　

off　in　his　last　attempt　at　self…control；　and　withal　fully　prepared　

as　soon　as　he　had　cleared　for　action　to　give　me　just　all　that　he　

considered　to　be　the　contents　of　his　mind　upon　the　condition　of　

mine。



Well；　why　shouldn't　I　talk　my　mind　to　him？　　He'd　never　had　an　

outside　view　of　himself　for　years；　and　I　resolved　to　stand　up　to　

him。　　We　went　at　it　hammer　and　tongs！　　It　became　clear　that　he　

supposed　me　to　be　a　Socialist；　a　zealous；　embittered　hater　of　all　

ownershipand　also　an　educated　man　of　the　vilest；　most　

pretentiously　superior　description。　　　His　principal　grievance　was　

that　I　thought　I　knew　everything；　to　that　he　recurred　again　and　

again。　。　。　。



We　had　been　maintaining　an　armed　truce　with　each　other　since　my　

resolve　to　go　up　to　Cambridge；　and　now　we　had　out　all　that　had　

accumulated　between　us。　　There　had　been　stupendous　accumulations。　。　。　。



The　particular　things　we　said　and　did　in　that　bawlmg　encounter　

matter　nothing　at　all　in　this　story。　　I　can't　now　estimate　how　near　

we　came　to　fisticuffs。　　It　ended　with　my　saying；　after　a　pungent　

reminder　of　benefits　conferred　and　remembered；　that　I　didn't　want　to　

stay　another　hour　in　his　house。　　I　went　upstairs；　in　a　state　of　

puerile　fury；　to　pack　and　go　off　to　the　Railway　Hotel；　while　he；　

with　ironical　civility；　telephoned　for　a　cab。



〃Good　riddance！〃　shouted　my　uncle；　seeing　me　off　into　the　night。



On　the　face　of　it　our　row　was　preposterous；　but　the　underlying　

reality　of　our　quarrel　was　the　essential　antagonism；　it　seemed　to　

me；　in　all　human　affairs；　the　antagonism　between　ideas　and　the　

established　method；　that　is　to　say；　between　ideas　and　the　rule　of　

thumb。　　The　world　I　hate　is　the　rule…of…thumb　world；　the　thing　I　and　

my　kind　of　people　exist　for　primarily　is　to　battle　with　that；　to　

annoy　it；　disarrange　it；　reconstruct　it。　　We　question　everything；　

disturb　anything　that　cannot　give　a　clear　justification　to　our　

questioning；　because　we　believe　inherently　that　our　sense　of　

disorder　implies　the　possibility　of　a　better　order。　　Of　course　we　

are　detestable。　　My　uncle　was　of　that　other　vaster　mass　who　accept　

everything　for　the　thing　it　seems　to　be；　hate　enquiry　and　analysis　

as　a　tramp　hates　washing；　dread　and　resist　change；　oppose　

experiment；　despise　science。　　The　world　is　our　battleground；　and　all　

history；　all　literature　that　matters；　all　science；　deals　with　this　

conflict　of　the　thing　that　is　and　the　speculative　〃if〃　that　will　

destroy　it。



But　that　is　why　I　did　not　see　Margaret　Seddon　again　for　five　years。







CHAPTER　THE　SECOND



MARGARET　IN　LONDON







1





I　was　twenty…seven　when　I　met　Margaret　again；　and　the　intervening　

five　years　had　been　years　of　vigorous　activity　for　me；　if　not　of　

very　remarkable　growth。　　When　I　saw　her　again；　I　could　count　myself　

a　grown　man。　　I　think；　indeed；　I　counted　myself　more　completely　

grown　than　I　was。　　At　any　rate；　by　all　ordinary　standards；　I　had　

〃got　on〃　very　well；　and　my　ideas；　if　they　had　not　changed　very　

greatly；　had　become　much　more　definite　and　my　ambitions　clearer　and　

bolder。



I　had　long　since　abandoned　my　fellowship　and　come　to　London。　　I　had　

published　two　books　that　had　been　talked　about；　written　several　

articles；　and　established　a　regular　relationship　with　the　WEEKLY　

REVIEW　and　the　EVENING　GAZETTE。　　I　was　a　member　of　the　Eighty　Club　

and　learning　to　adapt　the　style　of　the　Cambridge　Union　to　larger　

uses。　　The　London　world　had　opened　out　to　me　very　readily。　　I　had　

developed　a　pleasant　variety　of　social　connections。　　I　had　made　the　

acquaintance　of　Mr。　Evesham；　who　had　been　attracted　by　my　NEW　RULER；　

and　who　talked　about　it　and　me；　and　so　did　a　very　great　deal　to　make　

a　way　for　me　into　the　company　of　prominent　and　amusing　people。　　I　

dined　out　quite　frequently。　　The　glitter　and　interest　of　good　London　

dinner　parties　became　a　common　experience。　　I　liked　the　sort　of　

conversation　one　got　at　them　extremely；　the　little　glow　of　duologues　

burning　up　into　more　general　discussions；　the　closing…in　of　the　men　

after　the　going　of　the　women；　the　sage；　substantial　masculine　

gossiping；　the　later　resumption　of　effective　talk　with　some　pleasant　

woman；　graciously　at　her　best。　　I　had　a　wide　range　of　houses；　

Cambridge　had　linked　me　to　one　or　two　correlated　sets　of　artistic　

and　literary　people；　and　my　books　and　Mr。　Evesham　and　opened　to　me　

the　big　vague　world　of　〃society。〃　　I　wasn't　aggressive　nor　

particularly　snobbish　nor　troublesome；　sometimes　I　talked　well；　and　

if　I　had　nothing　interesting　to　say　I　said　as　little　as　possible；　

and　I　had　a　youthful　gravity　of　manner　that　was　liked　by　hostesses。　　

And　the　other　side　of　my　nature　that　first　flared　through　the　cover　

of　restraints　at　Locarno；　that　too　had　had　opportunity　to　develop　

along　the　line　London　renders　practicable。　　I　had　had　my　experiences　

and　secrets　and　adventures　among　that　fringe　of　ill…mated　or　erratic　

or　discredited　women　the　London　world　possesses。　　The　thing　had　long　

ago　ceased　to　be　a　matter　of　magic　or　mystery；　and　had　become　a　

question　of　appetites　and　excitement；　and　among　other　things　the　

excitement　of　not　being　found　out。



I　write　rather　doubtfully　of　my　growing　during　this　period。　　Indeed　

I　find　it　hard　to　judge　whether　I　can　say　that　I　grew　at　all　in　any　

real　sense　of　the　word；　between　three　and　twenty　and　twenty…seven。　　

It　seems　to　me　now　to　have　been　rather　a　phase　of　realisation　and　

clarification。　　All　the　broad　lines　of　my　thought　were　laid　down；　I　

am　sure；　by　the　date　of　my　Locarno　adventure；　but　in　those　five　

years　I　discussed　things　over　and　over　again　with　myself　and　others；　

filled　out　with　concrete　fact　forms