some reminiscences-第13节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





the　loss　of　so　many　thousands　of　lives。　　But　his　phlegmatic



physiognomy　lighted　up　when　he　spoke　of　his　only　wound；　with



something　resembling　satisfaction。　　You　will　see　that　there　was



some　reason　for　it　when　you　learn　that　he　was　wounded　in　the



heel。　　〃Like　his　Majesty　the　Emperor　Napoleon　himself；〃　he



reminded　his　hearers　with　assumed　indifference。　　There　can　be　no



doubt　that　the　indifference　was　assumed；　if　one　thinks　what　very



distinguished　sort　of　wound　it　was。　　In　all　the　history　of



warfare　there　are；　I　believe；　only　three　warriors　publicly　known



to　have　been　wounded　in　the　heelAchilles　and　Napoleondemi…



gods　indeedto　whom　the　familial　piety　of　an　unworthy　descendant



adds　the　name　of　the　simple　mortal；　Nicholas　B。







The　Hundred　Days　found　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　staying　with　a　distant



relative　of　ours；　owner　of　a　small　estate　in　Galicia。　　How　he　got



there　across　the　breadth　of　an　armed　Europe　and　after　what



adventures　I　am　afraid　will　never　be　known　now。　　All　his　papers



were　destroyed　shortly　before　his　death；　but　if　there　was　amongst



them；　as　he　affirmed；　a　concise　record　of　his　life；　then　I　am



pretty　sure　it　did　not　take　up　more　than　a　half…sheet　of　foolscap



or　so。　　This　relative　of　ours　happened　to　be　an　Austrian　officer；



who　had　left　the　service　after　the　battle　of　Austerlitz。　　Unlike



Mr。　Nicholas　B。；　who　concealed　his　decorations；　he　liked　to



display　his　honourable　discharge　in　which　he　was　mentioned　as



unschreckbar　（fearless）　before　the　enemy。　　No　conjunction　could



seem　more　unpromising；　yet　it　stands　in　the　family　tradition　that



these　two　got　on　very　well　together　in　their　rural　solitude。







When　asked　whether　he　had　not　been　sorely　tempted　during　the



Hundred　Days　to　make　his　way　again　to　France　and　join　the　service



of　his　beloved　Emperor；　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　used　to　mutter：　　〃No



money。　　No　horse。　　Too　far　to　walk。〃







The　fall　of　Napoleon　and　the　ruin　of　national　hopes　affected



adversely　the　character　of　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　　He　shrank　from



returning　to　his　province。　　But　for　that　there　was　also　another



reason。　　Mr。　Nicholas　B。　and　his　brothermy　maternal



grandfatherhad　lost　their　father　early；　while　they　were　quite



children。　　Their　mother；　young　still　and　left　very　well　off；



married　again　a　man　of　great　charm　and　of　an　amiable　disposition



but　without　a　penny。　　He　turned　out　an　affectionate　and　careful



stepfather；　it　was　unfortunate　though　that　while　directing　the



boys'　education　and　forming　their　character　by　wise　counsel　he



did　his　best　to　get　hold　of　the　fortune　by　buying　and　selling



land　in　his　own　name　and　investing　capital　in　such　a　manner　as　to



cover　up　the　traces　of　the　real　ownership。　　It　seems　that　such



practices　can　be　successful　if　one　is　charming　enough　to　dazzle



one's　own　wife　permanently　and　brave　enough　to　defy　the　vain



terrors　of　public　opinion。　　The　critical　time　came　when　the　elder



of　the　boys　on　attaining　his　majority　in　the　year　1811　asked　for



the　accounts　and　some　part　at　least　of　the　inheritance　to　begin



life　upon。　　It　was　then　that　the　stepfather　declared　with　calm



finality　that　there　were　no　accounts　to　render　and　no　property　to



inherit。　　The　whole　fortune　was　his　very　own。　　He　was　very　good…



natured　about　the　young　man's　misapprehension　of　the　true　state



of　affairs；　but　of　course　felt　obliged　to　maintain　his　position



firmly。　　Old　friends　came　and　went　busily；　voluntary　mediators



appeared　travelling　on　most　horrible　roads　from　the　most　distant



corners　of　the　three　provinces；　and　the　Marshal　of　the　Nobility



（ex…officio　guardian　of　all　well…born　orphans）　called　a　meeting



of　landowners　to　〃ascertain　in　a　friendly　way　how　the



misunderstanding　between　X　and　his　stepsons　had　arisen　and　devise



proper　measures　to　remove　the　same。〃　　A　deputation　to　that　effect



visited　X；　who　treated　them　to　excellent　wines；　but　absolutely



refused　his　ear　to　their　remonstrances。　　As　to　the　proposals　for



arbitration　he　simply　laughed　at　them；　yet　the　whole　province



must　have　been　aware　that　fourteen　years　before；　when　he　married



the　widow；　all　his　visible　fortune　consisted　（apart　from　his



social　qualities）　in　a　smart　four…horse　turn…out　with　two



servants；　with　whom　he　went　about　visiting　from　house　to　house；



and　as　to　any　funds　he　might　have　possessed　at　that　time　their



existence　could　only　be　inferred　from　the　fact　that　he　was　very



punctual　in　settling　his　modest　losses　at　cards。　　But　by　the



magic　power　of　stubborn　and　constant　assertion；　there　were　found



presently；　here　and　there；　people　who　mumbled　that　surely　〃there



must　be　something　in　it。〃　　However；　on　his　next　name…day　（which



he　used　to　celebrate　by　a　great　three…days'　shooting…party）；　of



all　the　invited　crowd　only　two　guests　turned　up；　distant



neighbours　of　no　importance；　one　notoriously　a　fool；　and　the



other　a　very　pious　and　honest　person　but　such　a　passionate　lover



of　the　gun　that　on　his　own　confession　he　could　not　have　refused



an　invitation　to　a　shooting…party　from　the　devil　himself。　　X　met



this　manifestation　of　public　opinion　with　the　serenity　of　an



unstained　conscience。　　He　refused　to　be　crushed。　　Yet　he　must



have　been　a　man　of　deep　feeling；　because；　when　his　wife　took



openly　the　part　of　her　children；　he　lost　his　beautiful



tranquillity；　proclaimed　himself　heart…broken　and　drove　her　out



of　the　house；　neglecting　in　his　grief　to　give　her　enough　time　to



pack　her　trunks。







This　was　the　beginning　of　a　lawsuit；　an　abominable　marvel　of



chicane；　which　by　the　use　of　every　legal　subterfuge　was　made　to



last　for　many　years。　　It　was　also　the　occasion　for　a　display　of



much　kindness　and　sympathy。　　All　the　neighbouring　houses　flew



open　for　the　reception　of　the　homeless。　　Neither　legal　aid　nor



material　assistance　in　the　prosecution　of　the　suit　was　ever



wanting。　　X；　on　his　side；　went　about　shedding　tears　publicly　over



his　stepchildren's　ingratitude　and　his　wife's　blind　infatuation；



but　as　at　the　same　time　he　displayed　great　cleverness　in　the　art



of　concealing　material　documents　（he　was　even　suspected　of　having



burnt　a　lot　of　historically　interesting　family　papers）；　this



scandalous　litigation　had　to　be　ended　by　a　compromise　lest　worse



should　befall。　　It　was　settled　finally　by　a　surrender；　out　of　the



disputed　estate；　in　full　satisfaction　of　all　claims；　of　two



villages　with　the　names　of　which　I　do　not　intend　to　trouble　my



readers。　　After　this　lame　and　impotent　conclusion　neither　the



wife　nor　the　stepsons　had　anything　to　say　to　the　man　who　had



presented　the　world　with　such　a　successful　example　of　self…help



based　on　character；　determination　and　industry；　and　my　great…



grandmother；　her　health　completely　broken　down；　died　a　couple　of



years　later　in　Carlsbad。　　Legally　secured　by　a　decree　in　the



possession　of　his　plunder；　X　regained　his　wonted　serenity　and



went　on　living　in　the　neighbourhood　in　a　comfortable　style　and　in



apparent　peace　of　mind。　　His　big　shoots　were　fairly　well　attended



again。　　He　was　never　tired　of　assuring　people　that　he　bore　no



grudge　for　what　was　past；　he　protested　loudly　of　his　constant



affection　for　his　wife　and　stepchildren。　　It　was　true　he　said



that　they　had　tried　their　best　to　strip　him　as　naked　as　a　Turkish



saint　in　the　decline　of　his　days；　and　because　he　had　defended



himself　from　spoliation；　as　anybody　else　in　his　place　would　have



done；　they　had　abandoned　him　now　to　the　horrors　of　a　solitary　old



age。　　Nevertheless；　his　love　for　them　survived　these　cruel　blows。



And　there　might　have　been　some　truth　in　his　protestations。　　Very



soon　he　began　to　make　overtures　of　friendship　to　his　eldest



stepson；　my　maternal　grandfather；　and　when　these　were



peremptorily　rejected　he　went　on　renewing　them　again　and　again



with　characteristic　obstinacy。　　For　years　he　persisted　in　his



efforts　at　reconciliation；　promising　my　grandfather　to　execute　a



will　in　his　favour　if　he　only　would　be　friends　again　to　the



extent　of　calling　now　and　then　（it　was　fairly　close　neighbourhood



for　these　parts；　forty　miles　or　so）；　or　even　of　putting　in　an



appearance　for　the　great　shoot　on　the　name…day。　　My　grandfather



was　an　ardent　lover　of　every　sport。　　His　temperament　was　as　free



from　hardness　and　animosity　as　can　be　imagined。　　Pupil　of　the



liberal…minded　Benedictines　who　directed　the　only　public　school



of　some　standing　then　in　the　south；　he　had　also　read　deeply　the



authors　of　the　eighteenth　century。　　In　him　Christian　charity　was



joined　to　a　philosophical　indulgence　for　the　failings　of　huma