ponkapog papers-第7节

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hink？　　The　poetry　of　Shelley　might　have　been　composed　in　the　moon　by　a　slightly　deranged；　well…meaning　per…　son。　　If　you　wanted　a　sound　mind　in　a　sound　metrical　body；　why　there　was　Mr。　Pope's　〃Essay　on　Man。〃　　There　was　something　winsome　and　by…gone　in　the　general　make…up　of　Tom　Folio。　No　man　living　in　the　world　ever　seemed　to　me　to　live　so　much　out　of　it；　or　to　live　more　com…　fortably。　　　　　　At　times　I　half　suspected　him　of　a　conva…　lescent　amatory　disappointment。　　Perhaps　long　before　I　knew　him　he　had　taken　a　little　senti…　mental　journey；　the　unsuccessful　end　of　which　had　touched　him　with　a　gentle　sadness。　　It　was　something　far　off　and　softened　by　memory。　　If　Tom　Folio　had　any　love…affair　on　hand　in　my　day；　it　must　have　been　of　an　airy；　platonic　sort　a　chaste　secret　passion　for　Mistress　Peg　Wof…　fington　or　Nell　Gwyn；　or　possibly　Mr。　Wal…　ler's　Saccharissa。　　　　　　Although　Tom　Folio　was　not　a　collector　that　means　dividends　and　bank　balanceshe　had　a　passion　for　the　Past　and　all　its　belongings；　with　a　virtuoso's　knowledge　of　them。　　A　fan　painted　by　Vanloo；　a　bit　of　rare　Nankin　（he　had　caught　from　Charles　Lamb　the　love　of　old　china）；　or　an　undoctored　stipple　of　Bartolozzi；　gave　him　delight　in　the　handling；　though　he　might　not　aspire　to　ownership。　　I　believe　he　would　will…　ingly　have　drunk　any　horrible　decoction　from　a　silver　teapot　of　Queen　Anne's　time。　　These　things　were　not　for　him　in　a　coarse；　materialistic　sense；　in　a　spiritual　sense　he　held　possession　of　them　in　fee…simple。　　I　learned　thus　much　of　his　tastes　one　day　during　an　hour　we　spent　together　in　the　rear　showroom　of　a　dealer　in　antiquities。　　　　　　I　have　spoken　of　Tom　Folio　as　lonely；　but　I　am　inclined　to　think　that　I　mis…stated　it。　　He　had　hosts　of　friends　who　used　to　climb　the　rather　steep　staircase　leading　to　that　modest　third…story　front　room　which　I　have　imagined　for　hima　room　with　Turkey…red　curtains；　I　like　to　believe；　and　a　rare　engraving　of　a　scene　from　Mr。　Ho…　garth's　excellent　moral　of　〃The　Industrious　and　Idle　Apprentices〃　pinned　against　the　chimney　breast。　　Young　Chatterton；　who　was　not　always　the　best　of　company；　dropped　in　at　intervals。　There　Mr。　Samuel　Pepys　had　a　special　chair　reserved　for　him　by　the　window；　where　he　could　catch　a　glimpse　of　the　pretty　housemaid　over　the　way；　chatting　with　the　policeman　at　the　area　railing。　　Dr。　Johnson　and　the　unworldly　author　of　〃The　Deserted　Village〃　were　frequent　visit…　ors；　sometimes　appearing　together　arm…in…arm；　with　James　Boswell；　Esq。；　of　Auchinleck；　fol…　lowing　obsequiously　behind。　　Not　that　Tom　Folio　did　not　have　callers　vastly　more　aristo…　cratic；　though　he　could　have　had　none　plea…　santer　or　wholesomer。　　Sir　Philip　Sidney　（who　must　have　given　Folio　that　copy　of　the　〃Arca…　dia〃）；　the　Viscount　St。　Albans；　and　even　two　or　three　others　before　whom　either　of　these　might　have　doffed　his　bonnet；　did　not　disdain　to　gather　round　that　hearthstone。　　Fielding；　Smollett；　Sterne；　Defoe；　Dick　Steele；　Dean　Swiftthere　was　no　end　to　them！　　On　certain　nights；　when　all　the　stolid　neighborhood　was　lapped　in　slumber；　the　narrow　street　stretching　beneath　Tom　Folio's　windows　must　have　been　blocked　with　invisible　coaches　and　sedan…chairs；　and　illuminated　by　the　visionary　glare　of　torches　borne　by　shadowy　linkboys　hurrying　hither　and　thither。　　A　man　so　sought　after　and　companioned　cannot　be　described　as　lonely。　　　　　　My　memory　here　recalls　the　fact　that　he　had　a　few　friends　less　insubstantialthat　quaint　anatomy　perched　on　the　top　of　a　hand…organ；　to　whom　Tom　Folio　was　wont　to　give　a　bite　of　his　apple；　and　the　brown…legged　little　Neapolitan　who　was　always　nearly　certain　of　a　copper　when　this　multi…millionaire　strolled　through　the　slums　on　a　Saturday　afternoonSaturday　probably　being　the　essayist's　pay…day。　　The　withered　woman　of　the　peanut…stand　on　the　corner　over　against　Faneuil　Hall　Market　knew　him　for　a　friend；　as　did　also　the　blind　lead…pencil　merchant；　whom　Tom　Folio；　on　occasions；　safely　piloted　across　the　stormy　traffic　of　Dock　Square。　　No…　blesse　oblige！　He　was　no　stranger　in　those　purlieus。　　Without　designing　to　confuse　small　things　with　great；　I　may　say　that　a　certain　strip　of　pavement　in　North　Street　could　be　pointed　out　as　Tom　Folio's　Walk；　just　as　Addison's　Walk　is　pointed　out　on　the　banks　of　the　Cher…　well　at　Oxford。　　　　　　I　used　to　observe　that　when　Tom　Folio　was　not　in　quest　of　a　print　or　a　pamphlet　or　some　such　urgent　thing；　but　was　walking　for　mere　recreation；　he　instinctively　avoided　respectable　latitudes。　　He　liked　best　the　squalid；　ill…kept　thoroughfares　shadowed　by　tall；　smudgy　tene…　ment…houses　and　teeming　with　unprosperous；　noisy　life。　　Perhaps　he　had；　half　consciously；　a　sense　of　subtle　kinship　to　the　unsuccess　and　cheerful　resignation　of　it　all。　　　　　　Returning　home　from　abroad　one　October　morning　several　years　ago；　I　was　told　that　that　simple　spirit　had　passed　on。　　His　death　had　been　little　heeded；　but　in　him　had　passed　away　an　intangible　genuine　bit　of　Old　Bostonas　genuine　a　bit；　in　its　kind；　as　the　Autocrat　himself　a　personality　not　to　be　restored　or　replaced。　Tom　Folio　could　never　happen　again！

　　　　　Strolling　to…day　through　the　streets　of　the　older　section　of　the　town；　I　miss　many　a　venerable　landmark　submerged　in　the　rising　tide　of　change；　but　I　miss　nothing　quite　so　much　as　I　do　the　sight　of　Tom　Folio　entering　the　doorway　of　the　Old　Corner　Bookstore；　or　carefully　taking　down　a　musty　volume　from　its　shelf　at　some　melan…　choly　old　book…stall　on　Cornhill。



FLEABODY　AND　OTHER　QUEER　NAMES

WHEN　an　English　novelist　does　us　the　honor　to　introduce　any　of　our　country…　men　into　his　fiction；　he　generally　displays　a　commendable　desire　to　present　something　typi…　cal　in　the　way　of　names　for　his　adopted　char…　actersto　give　a　dash　of　local　color；　as　it　were；　with　his　nomenclature。　　His　success　is　seldom　commensurate　to　the　desire。　　He　falls　into　the　error　of　appealing　to　his　invention；　instead　of　consulting　some　city　directory；　in　which　he　would　find　more　material　than　he　could　exhaust　in　ten　centuries。　　Charles　Reade　might　have　secured　in　the　pages　of　such　a　compendium　a　happier　title　than　Fullalove　for　his　Yankee　sea…captain；　though　I　doubt；　on　the　whole；　if　Anthony　Trollope　could　have　discovered　any…　thing　better　than　Olivia　Q。　Fleabody　for　the　young　woman　from　〃the　States〃　in　his　novel　called　〃Is　He　Popenjoy？〃　　　　　　To　christen　a　sprightly　young　female　advo…　cate　of　woman's　rights　Olivia　Q。　Fleabody　was　very　happy　indeed；　to　be　candid；　it　was　much　better　than　was　usual　with　Mr。　Trollope；　whose　understanding　of　American　life　and　manners　was　not　enlarged　by　extensive　travel　in　this　country。　An　English　tourist's　preconceived　idea　of　us　is　a　thing　he　brings　over　with　him　on　the　steamer　and　carries　home　again　intact；　it　is　as　much　a　part　of　his　indispensable　impedimenta　as　his　hat…　box。　　But　Fleabody　is　excellent；　it　was　prob…　ably　suggested　by　Peabody；　which　may　have　struck　Mr。　Trollope　as　comical　（just　as　Trollope　strikes　us　as　comical）；　or；　at　least；　as　not　seri…　ous。　　What　a　capital　name　Veronica　Trollope　would　be　for　a　hoydenish　young　woman　in　a　society　novel！　　I　fancy　that　all　foreign　names　are　odd　to　the　alien。　　I　remember　that　the　signs　above　shop…doors　in　England　and　on　the　Conti…　nent　used　to　amuse　me　often　enough；　when　I　was　over　there。　　It　is　a　notable　circumstance　that　extraordinary　names　never　seem　extraordi…　nary　to　the　persons　bearing　them。　　If　a　fellow…　creature　were　branded　Ebenezer　Cuttlefish　he　would　remain　to　the　end　of　his　days　quite　un…　conscious　of　anything　out　of　the　common。　　　　　　I　am　aware　that　many　of　our　American　names　are　sufficiently　queer；　but　English　writers　make　merry　over　them；　as　if　our　most　eccentric　were　not　thrown　into　the　shade　by　some　of　their　own。　No　American；　living　or　dead；　can　surpass　the　verbal　infelicity　of　Knatchbull…Hugessen；　for　ex…　ampleif　the　gentleman　will　forgive　me　for　conscripting　him。　　Quite　as　remarkable；　in　a　grimly　significant　way；　is　the　appellation　of　a　British　officer　who　was　fighting　the　Boers　in　the　Transvaal　in　the　year　of　blessed　memory　1899。　This　young　soldier；　who　highly　distinguished　himself　on　the　field；　was　known　to　his　brothers…　in…arms　as　Major　Pine　Coffin。　　I　trust　that　the　gallant　major　became　a　colonel　later　and　is　still　alive。　　It　would　eclipse　the　gayety　of　nations　to　lose　a　man　with　a　name　like　that。　　　　　　Several　years　ago　I　read　in　the　sober　police　reports　of　〃The　Pall　Mall　Gazette〃　an　account　of　a　young　man　named　George　F。　Onions；　who　was　arrested　（it　ought　to　have　been　by　〃a　peeler〃）　for　purloining　money　from　his　em…　ployers；　Messrs。　Joseph　Pickles　&　Son；　stuff　merchants；　of　Bradforddes　noms　bien　idyl…　liques！　What　mortal　could　have　a　more　ludi…　crous　name　than　Onions；　unless　it　were　Pickles；　or　Pickled　Onions？　　And　then　for　Onions　to　rob　Pickles！　　Could　there　be　a　more　incredible　coin…　cidence？　　As　a　coincidence　it　is　nearly　sublime。　No　story…writer　would　dare　to　present　that　fact　or　those　names　in　his　fiction；　neither　would　be　accepted　as　possible。　　Meanwhile　Olivia　Q。　Flea…　body　is　ben　trovato。



A　NOTE　ON　〃L'AIGLON〃

THE　night…scene　on　the　battlefield　of　Wa…　gram　in　〃L'Aiglon〃an　episode　whose　sharp　pathos　pierces　the　heart　and　the　imagina…　tion　like　the　point　of　a　rapierbears　a　striking　resemblance　to　a　pictur