dream days(恂知議晩徨)-及1准
梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ○ 賜 ★ 辛酔堀貧和鍬匈梓囚徒貧議 Enter 囚辛指欺云慕朕村匈梓囚徒貧圭鮗 ● 辛指欺云匈競何
!!!!隆堋響頼紗秘慕禰厮宴和肝写偬堋響
DREAM DAYS
DREAM DAYS
BY KENNETH GRAHAME
1
´ Page 2´
DREAM DAYS
THE TWENTY´FIRST OF
OCTOBER
In the matter of general culture and attainments察we youngsters stood
on pretty level ground。 True察 it was always happening that one of us
would be singled out at any moment察freakishly察and without regard to his
own preferences察to wrestle with the inflections of some idiotic language
long rightly dead察 while another察 from some fancied artistic tendency
which always failed to justify itself察might be told off without warning to
hammer out scales and exercises察 and to bedew the senseless keys with
tears of weariness or of revolt。 But in subjects common to either sex察and
held to be necessary even for him whose ambition soared no higher than to
crack a whip in a circus´ring in geography察 for instance察 arithmetic察 or
the weary doings of kings and queenseach would have scorned to excel。
And察 indeed察 whatever our individual gifts察 a general dogged
determination to shirk and to evade kept us all at much the same dead
levela level of ignorance tempered by insubordination。
Fortunately there existed a wide range of subjects察 of healthier tone
than those already enumerated察 in which we were free to choose for
ourselves察and which we would have scorned to consider education察and in
these we freely followed each his own particular line察often attaining an
amount of special knowledge which struck our ignorant elders as simply
uncanny。 For Edward察the uniforms察accoutrements察colours察and mottoes
of the regiments composing the British Army had a special glamour。 In
the matter of facings he was simply faultless察 among chevrons察 badges察
medals察and stars察he moved familiarly察he even knew the names of most
of the colonels in command察and he would squander sunny hours prone on
the lawn察heedless of challenge from bird or beast察poring over a tattered
Army List。 My own accomplishment was of another charactertook察as
it seemed to me察 a wider and a more untrammelled range。 Dragoons
might have swaggered in Lincoln green察 riflemen might have donned
sporrans over tartan trews察without exciting notice or comment from me。
2
´ Page 3´
DREAM DAYS
But did you seek precise information as to the fauna of the American
continent察 then you had come to the right shop。 Where and why the
bison ;wallowed;察how beaver were to be trapped and wild turkeys stalked察
the grizzly and how to handle him察 and the pretty pressing ways of the
constrictorin fine察the haunts and the habits of all that burrowed察strutted察
roared察 or wriggled between the Atlantic and the Pacificall this
knowledge I took for my province。 By the others my equipment was
fully recognized。 Supposing a book with a bear´hunt in it made its way
into the house察 and the atmosphere was electric with excitement察still察 it
was necessary that I should first decide whether the slot had been properly
described and properly followed up察ere the work could be stamped with
full approval。 A writer might have won fame throughout the civilized
globe for his trappers and his realistic backwoods察and all went for nothing。
If his pemmican were not properly compounded I damned his achievement察
and it was heard no more of。
Harold was hardly old enough to possess a special subject of his own。
He had his instincts察indeed察and at bird's´nesting they almost amounted to
prophecy。 Where we others only suspected eggs察surmised possible eggs察
hinted doubtfully at eggs in the neighbourhood察Harold went straight for
the right bush察 bough察 or hole as if he carried a divining´rod。 But this
faculty belonged to the class of mere gifts察and was not to be ranked with
Edward's lore regarding facings察and mine as to the habits of prairie´dogs察
both gained by painful study and extensive travel in those ;realms of
gold察─the Army List and Ballantyne。
Selina's subject察 quite unaccountably察 happened to be naval history。
There is no laying down rules as to subjects察 you just possess themor
rather察 they possess youand their genesis or protoplasm is rarely to be
tracked down。 Selina had never so much as seen the sea察 but for that
matter neither had I ever set foot on the American continent察the by´ways
of which I knew so intimately。 And just as I察if set down without warning
in the middle of the Rocky Mountains察would have been perfectly at home察
so Selina察if a genie had dropped her suddenly on Portsmouth Hard察could
have given points to most of its frequenters。 From the days of Blake
down to the death of Nelson she never condescended further Selina had
3
´ Page 4´
DREAM DAYS
taken spiritual part in every notable engagement of the British Navy察and
even in the dark days when she had to pick up skirts and flee察chased by an
ungallant De Ruyter or Van Tromp察 she was yet cheerful in the
consciousness that ere long she would be gleefully hammering the fleets
of the world察in the glorious times to follow。 When that golden period
arrived察Selina was busy indeed察and察while loving best to stand where the
splinters were flying the thickest。 she was also a careful and critical
student of seamanship and of manoeuvre。 She knew the order in which
the great line´of´battle ships moved into action察 the vessels they
respectively engaged察the moment when each let go its anchor察and which
of them had a spring on its cable while not understanding the phrase察she
carefully noted the fact察and she habitually went into an engagement on
the quarter´deck of the gallant ship that reserved its fire the longest。
At the time of Selina's weird seizure I was unfortunately away from
home察on a loathsome visit to an aunt察and my account is therefore feebly
compounded from hearsay。 It was an absence I never ceased to regret
scoring it up察 with a sense of injury察 against the aunt。 There was a
splendid uselessness about the whole performance that specially appealed
to my artistic sense。 That it should have been Selina察 too察 who should
break out this waySelina察who had just become a regular subscriber to
the ;Young Ladies' Journal察─and who allowed herself to be taken out to
strange teas with an air of resignation palpably assumedthis was a
special joy察and served to remind me that much of this dreaded convention
that was creeping over us might be察after all察only veneer。 Edward also
was absent察 getting licked into shape at school察 but to him the loss was
nothing。 With his stern practical bent he wouldn't have seen any sense in
itto recall one of his favourite expressions。 To Harold察 however察 for
whom the gods had always cherished a special tenderness察it was granted察
not only to witness察but also察priestlike察to feed the sacred fire itself。 And
if at the time he paid the penalty exacted by the sordid unimaginative ones
who temporarily rule the roast察 he must ever after察 one feels sure察 have
carried inside him some of the white gladness of the acolyte who察greatly
privileged察has been permitted to swing a censer at the sacring of the very
Mass。
4
´ Page 5´
DREAM DAYS
October was mellowing fast察and with it the year itself察full of tender
hints察 in woodland and hedgerow察 of a course well´nigh completed。
From all sides that still afternoon you caught the quick breathing and sob
of the runner nearing the goal。 Preoccupied and possessed察 Selina had
strayed down the garden and out into the pasture beyond察where察on a bit
of rising ground that dominated the garden on one side and the down