my mark twain-第16节

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Naples　had　just　broken　in　under　its　load　of　ashes　and　cinders；　and
crashed　hundreds　of　people；　and　we　asked　each　other　if　we　were　not　sorry
we　had　not　been　there；　where　the　pressure　would　have　been　far　less
terrific　than　it　was　with　us　in　Fifth　Avenue。　　The　forbidden　butler　came
up　with　a　message　that　there　were　some　gentlemen　below　who　wanted　to　see
Clemens。

〃How　many？〃　he　demanded。

〃Five；〃　the　butler　faltered。

〃Reporters？〃

The　butler　feigned　uncertainty。

〃What　would　you　do？〃　he　asked　me。

〃I　wouldn't　see　them；〃　I　said；　and　then　Clemens　went　directly　down　to
them。　　How　or　by　what　means　he　appeased　their　voracity　I　cannot　say；　but
I　fancy　it　was　by　the　confession　of　the　exact　truth；　which　was　harmless
enough。　　They　went　away　joyfully；　and　he　came　back　in　radiant
satisfaction　with　having　seen　them。　　Of　course　he　was　right　and　I　wrong；
and　he　was　right　as　to　the　point　at　issue　between　Gorky　and　those　who　had
helplessly　treated　him　with　such　cruel　ignominy。　　In　America　it　is　not
the　convention　for　men　to　live　openly　in　hotels　with　women　who　are　not
their　wives。　　Gorky　had　violated　this　convention　and　he　had　to　pay　the
penalty；　and　concerning　the　destruction　of　his　efficiency　as　an　emissary
of　the　revolution；　his　blunder　was　worse　than　a　crime。




XXIV。

To　the　period　of　Clemens's　residence　in　Fifth　Avenue　belongs　his
efflorescence　in　white　serge。　　He　was　always　rather　aggressively
indifferent　about　dress；　and　at　a　very　early　date　in　our　acquaintance
Aldrich　and　I　attempted　his　reform　by　clubbing　to　buy　him　a　cravat。
But　he　would　not　put　away　his　stiff　little　black　bow；　and　until　he
imagined　the　suit　of　white　serge；　he　wore　always　a　suit　of　black　serge；
truly　deplorable　in　the　cut　of　the　sagging　frock。　　After　his　measure　had
once　been　taken　he　refused　to　make　his　clothes　the　occasion　of　personal
interviews　with　his　tailor；　he　sent　the　stuff　by　the　kind　elderly　woman
who　had　been　in　the　service　of　the　family　from　the　earliest　days　of　his
marriage；　and　accepted　the　result　without　criticism。　　But　the　white　serge
was　an　inspiration　which　few　men　would　have　had　the　courage　to　act　upon。
The　first　time　I　saw　him　wear　it　was　at　the　authors'　hearing　before　the
Congressional　Committee　on　Copyright　in　Washington。　　Nothing　could　have
been　more　dramatic　than　the　gesture　with　which　he　flung　off　his　long
loose　overcoat；　and　stood　forth　in　white　from　his　feet　to　the　crown　of
his　silvery　head。　　It　was　a　magnificent　coup；　and　he　dearly　loved　a　coup；
but　the　magnificent　speech　which　he　made；　tearing　to　shreds　the　venerable
farrago　of　nonsense　about　nonproperty　in　ideas　which　had　formed　the　basis
of　all　copyright　legislation；　made　you　forget　even　his　spectacularity。

It　is　well　known　how　proud　he　was　of　his　Oxford　gown；　not　merely　because
it　symbolized　the　honor　in　which　he　was　held　by　the　highest　literary　body
in　the　world；　but　because　it　was　so　rich　and　so　beautiful。　　The　red　and
the　lavender　of　the　cloth　flattered　his　eyes　as　the　silken　black　of　the
same　degree　of　Doctor　of　Letters；　given　him　years　before　at　Yale；　could
not　do。　　His　frank；　defiant　happiness　in　it；　mixed　with　a　due　sense　of
burlesque；　was　something　that　those　lacking　his　poet…soul　could　never
imagine；　they　accounted　it　vain；　weak；　but　that　would　not　have　mattered
to　him　if　he　had　known　it。　　In　his　London　sojourn　he　had　formed　the　top…
hat　habit；　and　for　a　while　he　lounged　splendidly　up　and　down　Fifth　Avenue
in　that　society　emblem；　but　he　seemed　to　tire　of　it；　and　to　return　kindly
to　the　soft　hat　of　his　Southwestern　tradition。

He　disliked　clubs；　I　don't　know　whether　he　belonged　to　any　in　New　York；
but　I　never　met　him　in　one。　　As　I　have　told；　he　himself　had　formed　the
Human　Race　Club；　but　as　he　never　could　get　it　together　it　hardly　counted。
There　was　to　have　been　a　meeting　of　it　the　time　of　my　only　visit　to
Stormfield　in　April　of　last　year；　but　of　three　who　were　to　have　come　I
alone　came。　　We　got　on　very　well　without　the　absentees；　after　finding
them　in　the　wrong；　as　usual；　and　the　visit　was　like　those　I　used　to　have
with　him　so　many　years　before　in　Hartford；　but　there　was　not　the　old
ferment　of　subjects。　　Many　things　had　been　discussed　and　put　away　for
good；　but　we　had　our　old　fondness　for　nature　and　for　each　other；　who　were
so　differently　parts　of　it。　　He　showed　his　absolute　content　with　his
house；　and　that　was　the　greater　pleasure　for　me　because　it　was　my　son　who
designed　it。　　The　architect　had　been　so　fortunate　as　to　be　able　to　plan
it　where　a　natural　avenue　of　savins；　the　closeknit；　slender；　cypress…like
cedars　of　New　England；　led　away　from　the　rear　of　the　villa　to　the　little
level　of　a　pergola；　meant　some　day　to　be　wreathed　and　roofed　with　vines。
But　in　the　early　spring　days　all　the　landscape　was　in　the　beautiful
nakedness　of　the　northern　winter。　　It　opened　in　the　surpassing　loveliness
of　wooded　and　meadowed　uplands；　under　skies　that　were　the　first　days
blue；　and　the　last　gray　over　a　rainy　and　then　a　snowy　floor。　　We　walked
up　and　down；　up　and　down；　between　the　villa　terrace　and　the　pergola；　and
talked　with　the　melancholy　amusement；　the　sad　tolerance　of　age　for　the
sort　of　men　and　things　that　used　to　excite　us　or　enrage　us；　now　we　were
far　past　turbulence　or　anger。　　Once　we　took　a　walk　together　across　the
yellow　pastures　to　a　chasmal　creek　on　his　grounds；　where　the　ice　still
knit　the　clayey　banks　together　like　crystal　mosses；　and　the　stream　far
down　clashed　through　and　over　the　stones　and　the　shards　of　ice。　　Clemens
pointed　out　the　scenery　he　had　bought　to　give　himself　elbow…room；　and
showed　me　the　lot　he　was　going　to　have　me　build　on。　　The　next　day　we　came
again　with　the　geologist　he　had　asked　up　to　Stormfield　to　analyze　its
rocks。　　Truly　he　loved　the　place；　though　he　had　been　so　weary　of　change
and　so　indifferent　to　it　that　he　never　saw　it　till　he　came　to　live　in　it。
He　left　it　all　to　the　architect　whom　he　had　known　from　a　child　in　the
intimacy　which　bound　our　families　together；　though　we　bodily　lived　far
enough　apart。　　I　loved　his　little　ones　and　he　was　sweet　to　mine　and　was
their　delighted…in　and　wondered…at　friend。　　Once　and　once　again；　and　yet
again　and　again；　the　black　shadow　that　shall　never　be　lifted　where　it
falls；　fell　in　his　house　and　in　mine；　during　the　forty　years　and　more
that　we　were　friends；　and　endeared　us　the　more　to　each　other。




XXV。

My　visit　at　Stormfield　came　to　an　end　with　tender　relucting　on　his　part
and　on　mine。　　Every　morning　before　I　dressed　I　heard　him　sounding　my　name
through　the　house　for　the　fun　of　it　and　I　know　for　the　fondness；　and　if　I
looked　out　of　my　door；　there　he　was　in　his　long　nightgown　swaying　up　and
down　the　corridor；　and　wagging　his　great　white　head　like　a　boy　that
leaves　his　bed　and　comes　out　in　the　hope　of　frolic　with　some　one。　　The
last　morning　a　soft　sugarsnow　had　fallen　and　was　falling；　and　I　drove
through　it　down　to　the　station　in　the　carriage　which　had　been　given　him
by　his　wife's　father　when　they　were　first　married；　and　been　kept　all
those　intervening　years　in　honorable　retirement　for　this　final　use。　　Its
springs　had　not　grown　yielding　with　time；　it　had　rather　the　stiffness　and
severity　of　age；　but　for　him　it　must　have　swung　low　like　the　sweet
chariot　of　the　negro　〃spiritual〃　which　I　heard　him　sing　with　such　fervor；
when　those　wonderful　hymns　of　the　slaves　began　to　make　their　way
northward。　　'Go　Down；　Daniel'；　was　one　in　which　I　can　hear　his　quavering
tenor　now。　　He　was　a　lover　of　the　things　he　liked；　and　full　of　a　passion
for　them　which　satisfied　itself　in　reading　them　matchlessly　aloud。　　No
one　could　read　'Uncle　Remus'　like　him；　his　voice　echoed　the　voices　of　the
negro　nurses　who　told　his　childhood　the　wonderful　tales。　　I　remember
especially　his　rapture　with　Mr。　Cable's　'Old　Creole　Days；'　and　the
thrilling　force　with　which　he　gave　the　forbidding　of　the　leper's　brother
when　the　city's　survey　ran　the　course　of　an　avenue　through　the　cottage
where　the　leper　lived　in　hiding：　〃Strit　must　not　pass！〃

Out　of　a　nature　rich　and　fertile　beyond　any　I　have　known；　the　material
given　him　by　the　Mystery　that　makes　a　man　and　then　leaves　him　to　make
himself　over；　he　wrought　a　character　of　high　nobility　upon　a　foundation
of　clear　and　solid　truth。　　At　the　last　day　he　will　not　have　to　confess
anything；　for　all　his　life　was　the　free　knowledge　of　any　one　who　would
ask　him　of　it。　　The　Searcher　of　hearts　will　not　bring　him　to　shame　at
that　day；　for　he　did　not　try　to　hide　any　of　the　things　for　which　he　was
often　so　bitterly　sorry。　　He　knew　where　the　Responsibility　lay；　and　he
took　a　man's　share　of　it　bravely；　but　not　the　less　fearlessly　he　left　the
rest　of　the　answer　to　the　God　who　had　imagined　men。

It　is　in　vain　that　I　try　to　give　a　notion　of　the　intensity　with　which　he
pierced　to　the　heart　of　life；　and　the　breadth　of　vision　with　which　he
compassed　the　whole　world；　and　tried　for　the　reason　of　things；　and　then
left　trying。　　We　had　other　meetings；　insignificantly　sad　and　brief；　but
the　last　time　I　saw　him　alive　was　made　memorable　to　me　by　the　kind；　clear
judicial　sense　with　which　he　explained　and　justified　the　labor…unions　as
the　sole　present　help　of　the　weak　against　the　strong。

Next　I　saw　him　dead