my mark twain-第14节

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the　Ark　to　whatever　point　they　decided　to　settle　at　provisionally。　　But
the　good　talk；　the　rich　talk；　the　talk　that　could　never　suffer　poverty　of
mind　or　soul；　was　there；　and　we　jubilantly　found　ourselves　again　in　our
middle　youth。　　It　was　the　mighty　moment　when　Clemens　was　building　his
engines　of　war　for　the　destruction　of　Christian　Science；　which
superstition　nobody；　and　he　least　of　all；　expected　to　destroy。　　It　would
not　be　easy　to　say　whether　in　his　talk　of　it　his　disgust　for　the
illiterate　twaddle　of　Mrs。　Eddy's　book；　or　his　admiration　of　her　genius
for　organization　was　the　greater。　　He　believed　that　as　a　religious
machine　the　Christian　Science　Church　was　as　perfect　as　the　Roman　Church
and　destined　to　be；　more　formidable　in　its　control　of　the　minds　of　men。
He　looked　for　its　spread　over　the　whole　of　Christendom；　and　throughout
the　winter　he　spent　at　Riverdale　he　was　ready　to　meet　all　listeners　more
than　half…way　with　his　convictions　of　its　powerful　grasp　of　the　average
human　desire　to　get　something　for　nothing。　　The　vacuous　vulgarity　of　its
texts　was　a　perpetual　joy　to　him；　while　he　bowed　with　serious　respect　to
the　sagacity　which　built　so　securely　upon　the　everlasting　rock　of　human
credulity　and　folly。

An　interesting　phase　of　his　psychology　in　this　business　was　not　only　his
admiration　for　the　masterly；　policy　of　the　Christian　Science　hierarchy；
but　his　willingness　to　allow　the　miracles　of　its　healers　to　be　tried　on
his　friends　and　family；　if　they　wished　it。　　He　had　a　tender　heart　for　the
whole　generation　of　empirics；　as　well　as　the　newer　sorts　of　scientitians；
but　he　seemed　to　base　his　faith　in　them　largely　upon　the　failure　of　the
regulars　rather　than　upon　their　own　successes；　which　also　he　believed　in。
He　was　recurrently；　but　not　insistently；　desirous　that　you　should　try
their　strange　magics　when　you　were　going　to　try　the　familiar　medicines。




XXII。

The　order　of　my　acquaintance；　or　call　it　intimacy；　with　Clemens　was　this：
our　first　meeting　in　Boston；　my　visits　to　him　in　Hartford；　his　visits　to
me　in　Cambridge；　in　Belmont；　and　in　Boston；　our　briefer　and　less　frequent
meetings　in　Paris　and　New　York；　all　with　repeated　interruptions　through
my　absences　in　Europe；　and　his　sojourns　in　London；　Berlin；　Vienna；　and
Florence；　and　his　flights　to　the　many　ends；　and　odds　and　ends；　of　the
earth。　　I　will　not　try　to　follow　the　events；　if　they　were　not　rather　the
subjective　experiences；　of　those　different　periods　and　points　of　time
which　I　must　not　fail　to　make　include　his　summer　at　York　Harbor；　and　his
divers　residences　in　New　York；　on　Tenth　Street　and　on　Fifth　Avenue；　at
Riverdale；　and　at　Stormfield；　which　his　daughter　has　told　me　he　loved
best　of　all　his　houses　and　hoped　to　make　his　home　for　long　years。

Not　much　remains　to　me　of　the　week　or　so　that　we　had　together　in　Paris
early　in　the　summer　of　1904。　　The　first　thing　I　got　at　my　bankers　was　a
cable　message　announcing　that　my　father　was　stricken　with　paralysis；　but
urging　my　stay　for　further　intelligence；　and　I　went　about；　till　the　final
summons　came；　with　my　head　in　a　mist　of　care　and　dread。　　Clemens　was　very
kind　and　brotherly　through　it　all。　　He　was　living　greatly　to　his　mind　in
one　of　those　arcaded　little　hotels　in　the　Rue　de　Rivoli；　and　he　was　free
from　all　household　duties　to　range　with　me。　　We　drove　together　to　make
calls　of　digestion　at　many　houses　where　he　had　got　indigestion　through
his　reluctance　from　their　hospitality；　for　he　hated　dining　out。　　But；
as　he　explained；　his　wife　wanted　him　to　make　these　visits；　and　he　did　it；
as　he　did　everything　she　wanted。　　'At　one　place；　some　suburban　villa；
he　could　get　no　answer　to　his　ring；　and　he　〃hove〃　his　cards　over　the　gate
just　as　it　opened；　and　he　had　the　shame　of　explaining　in　his
unexplanatory　French　to　the　man　picking　them　up。　　He　was　excruciatingly
helpless　with　his　cabmen；　but　by　very　cordially　smiling　and　casting
himself　on　the　drivers'　mercy　he　always　managed　to　get　where　he　wanted。
The　family　was　on　the　verge　of　their　many　moves；　and　he　was　doing　some
small　errands；　he　said　that　the　others　did　the　main　things；　and　left　him
to　do　what　the　cat　might。

It　was　with　that　return　upon　the　buoyant　billow　of　plasmon；　renewed　in
look　and　limb；　that　Clemens's　universally　pervasive　popularity　began　in
his　own　country。　　He　had　hitherto　been　more　intelligently　accepted　or
more　largely　imagined　in　Europe；　and　I　suppose　it　was　my　sense　of　this
that　inspired　the　stupidity　of　my　saying　to　him　when　we　came　to　consider
〃the　state　of　polite　learning　〃　among　us；　〃You　mustn't　expect　people　to
keep　it　up　here　as　they　do　in　England。〃　　But　it　appeared　that　his
countrymen　were　only　wanting　the　chance；　and　they　kept　it　up　in　honor　of
him　past　all　precedent。　　One　does　not　go　into　a　catalogue　of　dinners；
receptions；　meetings；　speeches；　and　the　like；　when　there　are　more　vital
things　to　speak　of。　　He　loved　these　obvious　joys；　and　he　eagerly　strove
with　the　occasions　they　gave　him　for　the　brilliancy　which　seemed　so
exhaustless　and　was　so　exhausting。　　His　friends　saw　that　he　was　wearing
himself　out；　and　it　was　not　because　of　Mrs。　Clemens's　health　alone　that
they　were　glad　to　have　him　take　refuge　at　Riverdale。　　The　family　lived
there　two　happy；　hopeless　years；　and　then　it　was　ordered　that　they　should
change　for　his　wife's　sake　to　some　less　exacting　climate。　　Clemens　was
not　eager　to　go　to　Florence；　but　his　imagination　was　taken　as　it　would
have　been　in　the　old…young　days　by　the　notion　of　packing　his　furniture
into　flexible　steel　cages　from　his　house　in　Hartford　and　unpacking　it
from　them　untouched　at　his　villa　in　Fiesole。　　He　got　what　pleasure　any
man　could　out　of　that　triumph　of　mind　over　matter；　but　the　shadow　was
creeping　up　his　life。　　One　sunny　afternoon　we　sat　on　the　grass　before　the
mansion；　after　his　wife　had　begun　to　get　well　enough　for　removal；　and　we
looked　up　toward　a　balcony　where　by…and…by　that　lovely　presence　made
itself　visible；　as　if　it　had　stooped　there　from　a　cloud。　　A　hand　frailly
waved　a　handkerchief；　Clemens　ran　over　the　lawn　toward　it；　calling
tenderly：　〃What？　　What？〃　as　if　it　might　be　an　asking　for　him　instead　of
the　greeting　it　really　was　for　me。　　It　was　the　last　time　I　saw　her；　if
indeed　I　can　be　said　to　have　seen　her　then；　and　long　afterward　when　I
said　how　beautiful　we　all　thought　her；　how　good；　how　wise；　how
wonderfully　perfect　in　every　relation　of　life；　he　cried　out　in　a　breaking
voice：　〃Oh；　why　didn't　you　ever　tell　her？　　She　thought　you　didn't　like
her。〃　　What　a　pang　it　was　then　not　to　have　told　her；　but　how　could　we
have　told　her？　　His　unreason　endeared　him　to　me　more　than　all　his　wisdom。

To　that　Riverdale　sojourn　belong　my　impressions　of　his　most　violent　anti…
Christian　Science　rages；　which　began　with　the　postponement　of　his　book；
and　softened　into　acceptance　of　the　delay　till　he　had　well…nigh　forgotten
his　wrath　when　it　come　out。　　There　was　also　one　of　those　joint　episodes
of　ours；　which；　strangely　enough；　did　not　eventuate　in　entire　failure；　as
most　of　our　joint　episodes　did。　　He　wrote　furiously　to　me　of　a　wrong
which　had　been　done　to　one　of　the　most　helpless　and　one　of　the　most
helped　of　our　literary　brethren；　asking　me　to　join　with　him　in　recovering
the　money　paid　over　by　that　brother's　publisher　to　a　false　friend　who　had
withheld　it　and　would　not　give　any　account　of　it。　　Our　hapless　brother
had　appealed　to　Clemens；　as　he　had　to　me；　with　the　facts；　but　not　asking
our　help；　probably　because　he　knew　he　need　not　ask；　and　Clemens　enclosed
to　me　a　very　taking…by…the…throat　message　which　he　proposed　sending　to
the　false　friend。　　For　once　I　had　some　sense；　and　answered　that　this
would　never　do；　for　we　had　really　no　power　in　the　matter；　and　I　contrived
a　letter　to　the　recreant　so　softly　diplomatic　that　I　shall　always　think
of　it　with　pride　when　my　honesties　no　longer　give　me　satisfaction；　saying
that　this　incident　had　come　to　our　knowledge；　and　suggesting　that　we　felt
sure　he　would　not　finally　wish　to　withhold　the　money。　　Nothing　more；
practically；　than　that；　but　that　was　enough；　there　came　promptly　back　a
letter　of　justification；　covering　a　very　substantial　check；　which　we
hilariously　forwarded　to　our　beneficiary。　　But　the　helpless　man　who　was
so　used　to　being　helped　did　not　answer　with　the　gladness　I；　at　least；
expected　of　him。　　He　acknowledged　the　check　as　he　would　any　ordinary
payment；　and　then　he　made　us　observe　that　there　was　still　a　large　sum　due
him　out　of　the　moneys　withheld。　　At　this　point　I　proposed　to　Clemens　that
we　should　let　the　nonchalant　victim　collect　the　remnant　himself。　　Clouds
of　sorrow　had　gathered　about　the　bowed　head　of　the　delinquent　since　we
began　on　him；　and　my　fickle　sympathies　were　turning　his　way　from　the
victim　who　was　really　to　blame　for　leaving　his　affairs　so　unguardedly　to
him　in　the　first　place。　　Clemens　made　some　sort　of　grit　assent；　and　we
dropped　the　matter。　　He　was　more　used　to　ingratitude　from　those　he　helped
than　I　was；　who　found　being　lain　down　upon　not　so　amusing　as　he　found　my
revolt。　　He　reckoned　I　was　right；　he　said；　and　after　that　I　think　we
never　recurred　to　the　incident。　　It　was　not　ingratitude　that　he　ever
minded；　it　was　treachery；　that　really　maddene