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第3节

the love affairs of a bibliomaniac(藏书癖者的爱情)-第3节


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Primer;'' a curious little; thin; square book in faded blue board covers。                      A 

good      many    times    I  have    wondered      whether     I  ought    not   to  have    the 

precious   little  thing   sumptuously  attired   in   the  finest   style  known   to   my 

binder;   indeed;   I   have   often   been   tempted   to   exchange   the   homely   blue 

board covers   for   flexible levant;  for it occurred to   me   that in this   way  I 

could testify to my regard for the treasured volume。                    I spoke of this one 

day to my friend Judge Methuen; for I have great respect for his judgment。 

     ‘‘It   would   be   a   desecration;''   said   he;   ‘‘to   deprive   the   book   of   its 

original binding。         What!      Would you tear off and cast away the covers 

which      have    felt  the   caressing    pressure     of  the   hands    of   those   whose 

memory  you revere?            The most sacred of sentiments should forbid that 

act of vandalism!'' 

     I   never   think   or   speak   of   the   ‘‘New   England     Primer''   that   I   do   not 

recall   Captivity   Waite;   for   it   was   Captivity   who   introduced   me   to   the 

Primer   that   day  in   the   springtime   of   sixty…three   years   ago。      She   was   of 

my age; a bright; pretty girla very pretty; an exceptionally pretty girl; as 

girls   go。    We   belonged   to   the   same   Sunday…school   class。          I   remember 

that upon this particular day she brought me a russet apple。                       It was she 

who discovered the Primer in the mahogany case; and what was not our 

joy as we turned over the tiny pages together and feasted our eyes upon 

the   vivid   pictures   and   perused   the   absorbingly   interesting   text!          What 

wonder that together we wept tears of sympathy at the harrowing recital of 

the fate of John Rogers! 



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                           THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF A BIBLIOMANIAC 



     Even at this remote date I cannot recall that experience with Captivity; 

involving      as  it  did  the  wood…cut      representing     the  unfortunate     Rogers 

standing   in   an   impossible   bonfire   and   being   consumed   thereby   in   the 

presence of his wife and their numerous progeny; strung along in a pitiful 

line    across   the   picture   for   artistic  effecteven     now;   I  say;   I  cannot 

contemplate that experience           and that wood…cut without feeling lumpy in 

my throat and moist about my eyes。 

     How      lasting   are  the   impressions      made    upon    the   youthful     mind! 

Through   the   many   busy   years   that   have   elapsed   since   first   I   tasted   the 

thrilling sweets of that miniature Primer I have not forgotten that ‘‘young 

Obadias; David; Josias; all were pious''; that ‘‘Zaccheus he did climb the 

Tree our Lord to see''; and that ‘‘Vashti for Pride was set aside''; and still 

with    many     a  sympathetic      shudder     and   tingle   do   I  recall   Captivity's 

overpowering   sense   of   horror;   and   mine;   as   we   lingered   long   over   the 

portraitures of Timothy flying from Sin; of Xerxes laid out in funeral garb; 

and of proud Korah's troop partly submerged。 

                            My                 Book                 and                Heart 

Must never part。 

       So runs one of the couplets in this little Primer…book; and right truly 

can I say that from the springtime day sixty…odd years ago; when first my 

heart went out in love to this little book; no change of scene or of custom 

no allurement of fashion; no demand of mature years; has abated that love。 

And herein is exemplified the advantage which the love of books has over 

the other kinds of love。 Women are by nature fickle; and so are men; their 

friendships      are  liable   to  dissipation    at  the  merest    provocation      or  the 

slightest pretext。 

     Not so; however; with books; for books cannot change。                    A thousand 

years hence they are what you find them to…day; speaking the same words; 

holding forth the same cheer; the same promise; the same comfort; always 

constant;   laughing   with   those   who   laugh   and   weeping   with   those   who 

weep。 

     Captivity Waite was an exception to the rule governing her sex。                  In all 

candor I must say that she approached closely to a realization of the ideals 

of   a   booka   sixteenmo;   if   you   please;   fair   to   look   upon;  of   clear;   clean 



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type;   well   ordered   and   well  edited;   amply   margined;    neatly   bound;    a 

human look whose text; as represented by her disposition and her mind; 

corresponded felicitously with the comeliness of her exterior。             This child 

was the great…great…granddaughter of Benjamin             Waite; whose family was 

carried off by Indians in 1677。        Benjamin followed the party to Canada; 

and after many months of search found and ransomed the captives。 

    The historian has properly said that the names of Benjamin Waite and 

his companion in their perilous journey through the wilderness to Canada 

should ‘‘be memorable in all the sad or happy homes of this Connecticut 

valley forever。''    The child who was my friend in youth; and to whom I 

may allude occasionally hereafter in my narrative; bore the name of one of 

the    survivors   of   this  Indian   outrage;    a  name    to   be  revered    as   a 

remembrancer of sacrifice and heroism。 



                                            II 



                        THE BIRTH OF A NEW PASSION 

    When I was thirteen years old I went to visit my Uncle Cephas。                 My 

grandmother   would   not  have   parted   with   me   even   for   that   fortnight   had 

she not actually been compelled to。          It happened that she was called to a 

meeting of the American Tract Society; and it was her intention to pay a 

visit to her cousin; Royall Eastman; after she had discharged the first and 

imperative duty she owed the society。          Mrs。 Deacon Ranney was to have 

taken    me   and   provided    for  my    temporal    and   spiritual  wants   during 

grandmother's absence; but at the last moment the deacon came down with 

one of his spells of quinsy; and no other alternative remained but to pack 

me off to Nashua; where my Uncle Cephas lived。 

    This    involved    considerable    expense;   for   the   stage  fare  was   three 

shillings each way: it came particularly hard on grandmother。               inasmuch 

as she had just paid her road tax and had not yet received her semi…annual 

dividends on her Fitchburg Railway stock。           Indifferent; however; to every 

sense    of  extravagance     and  to  all  other  considerations    except   those   of 

personal pride; I rode away atop of the stage…coach; full of exultation。            As 



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                          THE LOVE AFFAIRS OF A BIBLIOMANIAC 



we rattled past the Waite house I waved my cap to Captivity and indulged 

in the pleasing hope that she would be lonesome without me。                      Much of 

the satisfaction of going away arises from the thought that those you leave 

behind are likely to be wretchedly miserable during your absence。 

     My     Uncle    Cephas     lived   in  a   house    so  very    different   from    my 

grandmother's that it took me some time to get used to the place。                    Uncle 

Cephas      was    a  lawyer;    and   his   style   of  living   was    not   at  all  like 

grandmother's; he was to have been a minister; but at twelve years of age 

he attended the county fair; and that incident seemed to change the whole 

bent   of   his   life。 At   twenty…one   he   married   Samantha   Talbott;   and   that 

was another       blow to grandmother; who always declared that the Talbotts 

were   a   shiftless   lot。  However;   I   was   agreeably   impressed   with   Uncle 

Cephas      and   Aunt   'Manthy;     for  they   welcomed      me   very   cordially   and 

turned me over to my little cousins; Mary and Henry; and bade us three 

make merry to the best of our ability。            These first favorable impressions 

of my uncle's family were confirmed when I discovered that for supper we 

had hot biscuit and dried beef warmed   up in cream  gravy; a diet   which; 

with   all   due   respect   to   grandmother;   I   considered   much   more   desirable 

than dry bread and dried… apple sauce。 

     Aha; old Crusoe!        I see thee now in yonder case smiling out upon me 

as cheerily as thou didst smile those many years ago when to a little boy 

thou brought

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