my mark twain-第9节

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manuscript　to　you；　it　was　with　a　thorough；　however　involuntary；
recognition　of　its　dramatic　qualities；　he　held　that　an　actor　added　fully
half　to　the　character　the　author　created。　　With　my　own　hurried　and　half…
hearted　reading　of　passages　which　I　wished　to　try　on　him　from　unprinted
chapters　（say；　out　of　'The　Undiscovered　Country'　or　'A　Modern　Instance'）
he　said　frankly　that　my　reading　could　spoil　anything。　　He　was　realistic；
but　he　was　essentially　histrionic；　and　he　was　rightly　so。　　What　we　have
strongly　conceived　we　ought　to　make　others　strongly　imagine；　and　we　ought
to　use　every　genuine　art　to　that　end。




XIV。

There　came　a　time　when　the　lecturing　which　had　been　the　joy　of　his　prime
became　his　loathing；　loathing　unutterable；　and　when　he　renounced　it　with
indescribable　violence。　　Yet　he　was　always　hankering　for　those　fleshpots
whose　savor　lingered　on　his　palate　and　filled　his　nostrils　after　his
withdrawal　from　the　platform。　　The　Authors'　Readings　when　they　had　won
their　brief　popularity　abounded　in　suggestion　for　him。　　Reading　from
one's　book　was　not　so　bad　as　giving　a　lecture　written　for　a　lecture's
purpose；　and　he　was　willing　at　last　to　compromise。　　He　had　a　magnificent
scheme　for　touring　the　country　with　Aldrich　and　Mr。　G。　W。　Cable　and
myself；　in　a　private　car；　with　a　cook　of　our　own；　and　every　facility　for
living　on　the　fat　of　the　land。　　We　should　read　only　four　times　a　week；　in
an　entertainment　that　should　not　last　more　than　an　hour　and　a　half。　　He
would　be　the　impresario；　and　would　guarantee　us　others　at　least　seventy…
five　dollars　a　day；　and　pay　every　expense　of　the　enterprise；　which　he
provisionally　called　the　Circus；　himself。　　But　Aldrich　and　I　were　now　no
longer　in　those　earlier　thirties　when　we　so　cheerfully　imagined
'Memorable　Murders'　for　subscription　publication；　we　both　abhorred　public
appearances；　and；　at　any　rate；　I　was　going　to　Europe　for　a　year。　　So　the
plan　fell　through　except　as　regarded　Mr。　Cable；　who；　in　his　way；　was　as
fine　a　performer　as　Clemens；　and　could　both　read　and　sing　the　matter　of
his　books。　　On　a　far　less　stupendous　scale　they　two　made　the　rounds　of
the　great　lecturing　circuit　together。　　But　I　believe　a　famous　lecture…
manager　had　charge　of　them　and　travelled　with　them。

He　was　a　most　sanguine　man；　a　most　amiable　person；　and　such　a　believer　in
fortune　that　Clemens　used　to　say　of　him；　as　he　said　of　one　of　his　early
publishers；　that　you　could　rely　upon　fifty　per　cent。　of　everything　he
promised。　　I　myself　many　years　later　became　a　follower　of　this　hopeful
prophet；　and　I　can　testify　that　in　my　case　at　least　he　was　able　to　keep
ninety…nine；　and　even　a　hundred；　per　cent。　of　his　word。　　It　was　I　who　was
much　nearer　failing　of　mine；　for　I　promptly　began　to　lose　sleep　from　the
nervous　stress　of　my　lecturing　and　from　the　gratifying　but　killing
receptions　afterward；　and　I　was　truly　in　that　state　from　insomnia　which
Clemens　recognized　in　the　brief　letter　I　got　from　him　in　the　Western
city；　after　half　a　dozen　wakeful　nights。　　He　sardonically　congratulated
me　on　having　gone　into　〃the　lecture　field；〃　and　then　he　said：　〃I　know
where　you　are　now。　　You　are　in　hell。〃

It　was　this　perdition　which　he　re…entered　when　he　undertook　that　round…
the…world　lecturing　tour　for　the　payment　of　the　debts　left　to　him　by　the
bankruptcy　of　his　firm　in　the　publishing　business。　　It　was　not　purely
perdition　for　him；　or；　rather；　it　was　perdition　for　only　one…half　of　him；
the　author…half　；　for　the　actor…half　it　was　paradise。　　The　author　who
takes　up　lecturing　without　the　ability　to　give　histrionic　support　to　the
literary　reputation　which　he　brings　to　the　crude　test　of　his　reader's
eyes　and　ears；　invokes　a　peril　and　a　misery　unknown　to　the　lecturer　who
has　made　his　first　public　from　the　platform。　　Clemens　was　victorious　on
the　platform　from　the　beginning；　and　it　would　be　folly　to　pretend　that　he
did　not　exult　in　his　triumphs　there。　　But　I　suppose；　with　the　wearing
nerves　of　middle　life；　he　hated　more　and　more　the　personal　swarming　of
interest　upon　him；　and　all　the　inevitable　clatter　of　the　thing。　　Yet　he
faced　it；　and　he　labored　round　our　tiresome　globe　that　he　might　pay　the
uttermost　farthing　of　debts　which　he　had　not　knowingly　contracted；　the
debts　of　his　partners　who　had　meant　well　and　done　ill；　not　because　they
were　evil；　but　because　they　were　unwise；　and　as　unfit　for　their　work　as
he　was。　　〃Pay　what　thou　owest。〃　　That　is　right；　even　when　thou　owest　it
by　the　error　of　others；　and　even　when　thou　owest　it　to　a　bank；　which　had
not　lent　it　from　love　of　thee；　but　in　the　hard　line　of　business　and　thy
need。

Clemens's　behavior　in　this　matter　redounded　to　his　glory　among　the
nations　of　the　whole　earth；　and　especially　in　this　nation；　so　wrapped　in
commerce　and　so　little　used　to　honor　among　its　many　thieves。　　He　had
behaved　like　Walter　Scott；　as　millions　rejoiced　to　know；　who　had　not
known　how　Walter　Scott　had　behaved　till　they　knew　it　was　like　Clemens。
No　doubt　it　will　be　put　to　his　credit　in　the　books　of　the　Recording
Angel；　but　what　the　Judge　of　all　the　Earth　will　say　of　it　at　the　Last　Day
there　is　no　telling。　　I　should　not　be　surprised　if　He　accounted　it　of
less　merit　than　some　other　things　that　Clemens　did　and　was：　less　than　his
abhorrence　of　the　Spanish　War；　and　the　destruction　of　the　South…African
republics；　and　our　deceit　of　the　Filipinos；　and　his　hate　of　slavery；　and
his　payment　of　his　portion　of　our　race's　debt　to　the　race　of　the　colored
student　whom　he　saw　through　college；　and　his　support　of　a　poor　artist　for
three　years　in　Paris；　and　his　loan　of　opportunity　to　the　youth　who　became
the　most　brilliant　of　our　actor…dramatists；　and　his　eager　pardon　of　the
thoughtless　girl　who　was　near　paying　the　penalty　of　her　impertinence　with
the　loss　of　her　place；　and　his　remembering　that　the　insolent　brakeman　got
so　few　dollars　a　month；　and　his　sympathy　for　working…men　standing　up　to
money　in　their　Unions；　and　even　his　pity　for　the　wounded　bird　throbbing
out　its　little　life　on　the　grass　for　the　pleasure　of　the　cruel　fool　who
shot　it。　　These　and　the　thousand　other　charities　and　beneficences　in
which　he　abounded；　openly　or　secretly；　may　avail　him　more　than　the
discharge　of　his　firm's　liabilities　with　the　Judge　of　all　the　Earth；　who
surely　will　do　right；　but　whose　measures　and　criterions　no　man　knows；　and
I　least　of　all　men。

He　made　no　great　show　of　sympathy　with　people　in　their　anxieties；　but　it
never　failed；　and　at　a　time　when　I　lay　sick　for　many　weeks　his　letters
were　of　comfort　to　those　who　feared　I　might　not　rise　again。　　His　hand　was
out　in　help　for　those　who　needed　help；　and　in　kindness　for　those　who
needed　kindness。　　There　remains　in　my　mind　the　dreary　sense　of　a　long；
long　drive　to　the　uttermost　bounds　of　the　South　End　at　Boston；　where　he
went　to　call　upon　some　obscure　person　whose　claim　stretched　in　a
lengthening　chain　from　his　early　days　in　Missouria　most　inadequate
person；　in　whose　vacuity　the　gloom　of　the　dull　day　deepened　till　it　was
almost　too　deep　for　tears。　　He　bore　the　ordeal　with　grim　heroism；　and
silently　smoked　away　the　sense　of　it；　as　we　drove　back　to　Cambridge；　in
his　slippered　feet；　sombrely　musing；　sombrely　swearing。　　But　he　knew　he
had　done　the　right；　the　kind　thing；　and　he　was　content。　　He　came　the
whole　way　from　Hartford　to　go　with　me　to　a　friendless　play　of　mine；　which
Alessandro　Salvini　was　giving　in　a　series　of　matinees　to　houses　never
enlarging　themselves　beyond　the　count　of　the　brave　two　hundred　who　sat　it
through；　and　he　stayed　my　fainting　spirit　with　a　cheer　beyond　flagons；
joining　me　in　my　joke　at　the　misery　of　it；　and　carrying　the　fun　farther。

Before　that　he　had　come　to　witness　the　aesthetic　suicide　of　Anna
Dickinson；　who　had　been　a　flaming　light　of　the　political　platform　in　the
war　days；　and　had　been　left　by　them　consuming　in　a　hapless　ambition　for
the　theatre。　　The　poor　girl　had　had　a　play　written　especially　for　her；
and　as　Anne　Boleyn　she　ranted　and　exhorted　through　the　five　acts；　drawing
ever　nearer　the　utter　defeat　of　the　anticlimax。　　We　could　hardly　look　at
each　other　for　pity；　Clemens　sitting　there　in　the　box　he　had　taken；　with
his　shaggy　head　out　over　the　corner　and　his　slippered　feet　curled　under
him：　he　either　went　to　a　place　in　his　slippers　or　he　carried　them　with
him；　and　put　them　on　as　soon　as　he　could　put　off　his　boots。　　When　it　was
so　that　we　could　not　longer　follow　her　failure　and　live；　he　began　to　talk
of　the　absolute　close　of　her　career　which　the　thing　was；　and　how　probably
she　had　no　conception　that　it　was　the　end。　　He　philosophized　the
mercifulness　of　the　fact；　and　of　the　ignorance　of　most　of　us；　when
mortally　sick　or　fatally　wounded。　　We　think　it　is　not　the　end；　because　we
have　never　ended　before；　and　we　do　not　see　how　we　can　end。　　Some　can　push
by　the　awful　hour　and　live　again；　but　for　Anna　Dickinson　there　could　be；
and　was；　no　such　palingenesis。　　Of　course　we　got　that　solemn　joy　out　of
reading　her　fate　aright　which　is　the　compensation　of　the　wise　spectator
in　witnessing　the　inexorable　doom　of　others。




XV。

When　Messrs。　Houghton　&　Mifflin　became　owners　of　The　Atlantic　Monthly；
Mr。　Houghton　fancied　having　some　breakfasts　and　dinners；　which　should
bring