the new machiavelli-第69节

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displayed　at　times　a　quite　wicked　unscrupulousness　in　the　use　of　his　

subtle　mind。　　I　would　sit　on　the　Liberal　benches　and　watch　him；　and　

listen　to　his　urbane　voice；　fascinated　by　him。　　Did　he　really　care？　　

Did　anything　matter　to　him？　　And　if　it　really　mattered　nothing；　why　

did　he　trouble　to　serve　the　narrowness　and　passion　of　his　side？　　Or　

did　he　see　far　beyond　my　scope；　so　that　this　petty　iniquity　was　

justified　by　greater；　remoter　ends　of　which　I　had　no　intimation？



They　accused　him　of　nepotism。　　His　friends　and　family　were　certainly　

well　cared　for。　　In　private　life　he　was　full　of　an　affectionate　

intimacy；　he　pleased　by　being　charmed　and　pleased。　　One　might　think　

at　times　there　was　no　more　of　him　than　a　clever　man　happily　

circumstanced；　and　finding　an　interest　and　occupation　in　politics。　　

And　then　came　a　glimpse　of　thought；　of　imagination；　like　the　sight　

of　a　soaring　eagle　through　a　staircase　skylight。　　Oh；　beyond　

question　he　was　great！　　No　other　contemporary　politician　had　his　

quality。　　In　no　man　have　I　perceived　so　sympathetically　the　great　

contrast　between　warm；　personal　things　and　the　white　dream　of　

statecraft。　　Except　that　he　had　it　seemed　no　hot　passions；　but　only　

interests　and　fine　affections　and　indolences；　he　paralleled　the　

conflict　of　my　life。　　He　saw　and　thought　widely　and　deeply；　but　at　

times　it　seemed　to　me　his　greatness　stood　over　and　behind　the　

reality　of　his　life；　like　some　splendid　servant；　thinking　his　own　

thoughts；　who　waits　behind　a　lesser　master's　chair。　。　。　。







8





Of　course；　when　Evesham　talked　of　this　ideal　of　the　organised　state　

becoming　so　finely　true　to　practicability　and　so　clearly　stated　as　

to　have　the　compelling　conviction　of　physical　science；　he　spoke　

quite　after　my　heart。　　Had　he　really　embodied　the　attempt　to　realise　

that；　I　could　have　done　no　more　than　follow　him　blindly。　　But　

neither　he　nor　I　embodied　that；　and　there　lies　the　gist　of　my　story。　　

And　when　it　came　to　a　study　of　others　among　the　leading　Tories　and　

Imperialists　the　doubt　increased；　until　with　some　at　last　it　was　

possible　to　question　whether　they　had　any　imaginative　conception　of　

constructive　statecraft　at　all；　whether　they　didn't　opaquely　accept　

the　world　for　what　it　was；　and　set　themselves　single…mindedly　to　

make　a　place　for　themselves　and　cut　a　figure　in　it。



There　were　some　very　fine　personalities　among　them：　there　were　the　

great　peers　who　had　administered　Egypt；　India；　South　Africa；　

FramboyaCromer；　Kitchener；　Curzon；　Milner；　Gane；　for　example。　　So　

far　as　that　easier　task　of　holding　sword　and　scales　had　gone；　they　

had　shown　the　finest　qualities；　but　they　had　returned　to　the　

perplexing　and　exacting　problem　of　the　home　country；　a　little　

glorious；　a　little　too　simply　bold。　　They　wanted　to　arm　and　they　

wanted　to　educate；　but　the　habit　of　immediate　necessity　made　them　

far　more　eager　to　arm　than　to　educate；　and　their　experience　of　

heterogeneous　controls　made　them　overrate　the　need　for　obedience　in　

a　homogeneous　country。　　They　didn't　understand　raw　men；　ill…trained　

men；　uncertain　minds；　and　intelligent　women；　and　these　are　the　

things　that　matter　in　England。　。　。　。　　There　were　also　the　great　

business　adventurers；　from　Cranber　to　Cossington　（who　was　now　Lord　

Paddockhurst）。　　My　mind　remained　unsettled；　and　went　up　and　down　the　

scale　between　a　belief　in　their　far…sighted　purpose　and　the　

perception　of　crude　vanities；　coarse　ambitions；　vulgar　

competitiveness；　and　a　mere　habitual　persistence　in　the　pursuit　of　

gain。　　For　a　time　I　saw　a　good　deal　of　CossingtonI　wish　I　had　kept　

a　diary　of　his　talk　and　gestures；　to　mark　how　he　could　vary　from　day　

to　day　between　a　POSEUR；　a　smart　tradesman；　and　a　very　bold　and　

wide…thinking　political　schemer。　　He　had　a　vanity　of　sweeping　

actions；　motor　car　pounces；　Napoleonic　rushes；　that　led　to　violent　

ineffectual　changes　in　the　policy　of　his　papers；　and　a　haunting　

pursuit　by　parallel　columns　in　the　liberal　press　that　never　abashed　

him　in　the　slightest　degree。　　By　an　accident　I　plumbed　the　folly　in　

himbut　I　feel　I　never　plumbed　his　wisdom。　　I　remember　him　one　day　

after　a　lunch　at　the　Barhams'　saying　suddenly；　out　of　profound　

meditation　over　the　end　of　a　cigar；　one　of　those　sentences　that　seem　

to　light　the　whole　interior　being　of　a　man。　　〃Some　day；〃　he　said　

softly；　rather　to　himself　than　to　me；　and　A　PROPOS　of　nothing〃some　

day　I　will　raise　the　country。〃



〃Why　not？〃　I　said；　after　a　pause；　and　leant　across　him　for　the　

little　silver　spirit…lamp；　to　light　my　cigarette。　。　。　。



Then　the　Tories　had　for　another　section　the　ancient　creations；　and　

again　there　were　the　financial　peers；　men　accustomed　to　reserve；　and　

their　big　lawyers；　accustomed　towell；　qualified　statement。　　And　

below　the　giant　personalities　of　the　party　were　the　young　bloods；　

young；　adventurous　men　of　the　type　of　Lord　Tarvrille；　who　had　seen　

service　in　South　Africa；　who　had　travelled　and　hunted；　explorers；　

keen　motorists；　interested　in　aviation；　active　in　army　organisation。　　

Good；　brown…faced　stuff　they　were；　but　impervious　to　ideas　outside　

the　range　of　their　activities；　more　ignorant　of　science　than　their　

chaffeurs；　and　of　the　quality　of　English　people　than　welt…

politicians；　contemptuous　of　school　and　university　by　reason　of　the　

Gateses　and　Flacks　and　Codgers　who　had　come　their　way；　witty；　light…

hearted；　patriotic　at　the　Kipling　level；　with　a　certain　aptitude　for　

bullying。　　They　varied　in　insensible　gradations　between　the　noble　

sportsmen　on　the　one　hand；　and　men　like　Gane　and　the　Tories　of　our　

Pentagram　club　on　the　other。　　You　perceive　how　a　man　might　exercise　

his　mind　in　the　attempt　to　strike　an　average　of　public　

serviceability　in　this　miscellany！　　And　mixed　up　with　these；　mixed　

up　sometimes　in　the　same　man；　was　the　pure　reactionary；　whose　

predominant　idea　was　that　the　village　schools　should　confine　

themselves　to　teaching　the　catechism；　hat…touching　and　courtesying；　

and　be　given　a　holiday　whenever　beaters　were　in　request。　。　。　。



I　find　now　in　my　mind　as　a　sort　of　counterpoise　to　Evesham　the　

figure　of　old　Lord　Wardingham；　asleep　in　the　largest　armchair　in　the　

library　of　Stamford　Court　after　lunch。　　One　foot　rested　on　one　of　

those　thingsI　think　they　are　called　gout　stools。　　He　had　been　

playing　golf　all　the　morning　and　wearied　a　weak　instep；　at　lunch　he　

had　sat　at　my　table　and　talked　in　the　overbearing　manner　permitted　

to　irascible　important　men　whose　insteps　are　painful。　　Among　other　

things　he　had　flouted　the　idea　that　women　would　ever　understand　

statecraft　or　be　more　than　a　nuisance　in　politics；　denied　flatly　

that　Hindoos　were　capable　of　anything　whatever　except　excesses　in　

population；　regretted　he　could　not　censor　picture　galleries　and　

circulating　libraries；　and　declared　that　dissenters　were　people　who　

pretended　to　take　theology　seriously　with　the　express　purpose　of　

upsetting　the　entirely　satisfactory　compromise　of　the　Established　

Church。　　〃No　sensible　people；　with　anything　to　gain　or　lose；　argue　

about　religion；〃　he　said。　　〃They　mean　mischief。〃　　Having　delivered　

his　soul　upon　these　points；　and　silenced　the　little　conversation　to　

the　left　of　him　from　which　they　had　arisen；　he　became；　after　an　

appreciative　encounter　with　a　sanguinary　woodcock；　more　amiable；　

responded　to　some　respectful　initiatives　of　Crupp's；　and　related　a　

number　of　classical　anecdotes　of　those　blighting　snubs；　vindictive　

retorts　and　scandalous　miscarriages　of　justice　that　are　so　dear　to　

the　forensic　mind。　　Now　he　reposed。　　He　was　breathing　heavily　with　

his　mouth　a　little　open　and　his　head　on　one　side。　　One　whisker　was　

turned　back　against　the　comfortable　padding。　　His　plump　strong　hands　

gripped　the　arms　of　his　chair；　and　his　frown　was　a　little　assuaged。　　

How　tremendously　fed　up　he　looked！　　Honours；　wealth；　influence；　

respect；　he　had　them　all。　　How　scornful　and　hard　it　had　made　his　

unguarded　expression！



I　note　without　comment　that　it　didn't　even　occur　to　me　then　to　wake　

him　up　and　ask　him　what　HE　was　up　to　with　mankind。







9





One　countervailing　influence　to　my　drift　to　Toryism　in　those　days　

was　Margaret's　quite　religious　faith　in　the　Liberals。　　I　realised　

that　slowly　and　with　a　mild　astonishment。　　It　set　me；　indeed；　even　

then　questioning　my　own　change　of　opinion。　　We　came　at　last　

incidentally；　as　our　way　was；　to　an　exchange　of　views。　　It　was　as　

nearly　a　quarrel　as　we　had　before　I　came　over　to　the　Conservative　

side。　　It　was　at　Champneys；　and　I　think　during　the　same　visit　that　

witnessed　my　exploration　of　Lady　Forthundred。　　It　arose　indirectly；　

I　think；　out　of　some　comments　of　mine　upon　our　fellow…guests；　but　it　

is　one　of　those　memories　of　which　the　scene　and　quality　remain　more　

vivid　than　the　things　said；　a　memory　without　any　very　definite　

beginning　or　end。　　It　was　afternoon；　in　the　pause　between　tea　and　

the　dressing　bell；　and　w