the new machiavelli-第16章

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！



his　image　in　the　air〃　oh；　a　confounded　buttered　slide　of　

sentiment；　to　guide　us。　　I　tell　you　I'm　going　to　think　about　it　and　

talk　about　it　until　I　see　a　little　more　daylight　than　I　do　at　

present。　　I'm　twenty…two。　　Things　might　happen　to　me　anywhen。　　You　

men　can　go　out　into　the　world　if　you　like；　to　sin　like　fools　and　

marry　like　fools；　not　knowing　what　you　are　doing　and　ashamed　to　ask。　　

You'll　take　the　consequences；　too；　I　expect；　pretty　meekly；　

sniggering　a　bit；　sentimentalising　a　bit；　likelike　Cambridge　

humorists。　。　。　。　　I　mean　to　know　what　I'm　doing。〃



He　paused　to　drink；　and　I　think　I　cut　in　with　ideas　of　my　own。　　But　

one　is　apt　to　forget　one's　own　share　in　a　talk；　I　find；　more　than　

one　does　the　clear…cut　objectivity　of　other　people's；　and　I　do　not　

know　how　far　I　contributed　to　this　discussion　that　followed。　　I　am；　

however；　pretty　certain　that　it　was　then　that　ideal　that　we　were　

pleased　to　call　aristocracy　and　which　soon　became　the　common　

property　of　our　set　was　developed。　　It　was　Esmeer；　I　know；　who　laid　

down　and　maintained　the　proposition　that　so　far　as　minds　went　there　

were　really　only　two　sorts　of　man　in　the　world；　the　aristocrat　and　

the　man　who　subdues　his　mind　to　other　people's。



〃'I　couldn't　THINK　of　it；　Sir；'〃　said　Esmeer　in　his　elucidatory　

tones；　〃that's　what　a　servant　says。　　His　mind　even　is　broken　in　to　

run　between　fences；　and　he　admits　it。　　WE'VE　got　to　he　able　to　think　

of　anything。　　And　'such　things　aren't　for　the　Likes　of　Us！'　　That's　

another　servant's　saying。　　Well；　everything　IS　for　the　Likes　of　Us。　　

If　we　see　fit；　that　is。〃



A　small　fresh…coloured　man　in　grey　objected。



〃Well；〃　exploded　Hatherleigh；　〃if　that　isn't　so　what　the　deuce　are　

we　up　here　for？　　Instead　of　working　in　mines？　　If　some　things　aren't　

to　be　thought　about　ever！　　We've　got　the　privilege　of　all　these　

extra　years　for　getting　things　straight　in　our　heads；　and　then　we　

won't　use　'em。　　Good　God！　what　do　you　think　a　university's　for？〃　。　。　。



Esmeer's　idea　came　with　an　effect　of　real　emancipation　to　several　of　

us。　　We　were　not　going　to　be　afraid　of　ideas　any　longer；　we　were　

going　to　throw　down　every　barrier　of　prohibition　and　take　them　in　

and　see　what　came　of　it。　　We　became　for　a　time　even　intemperately　

experimental；　and　one　of　us；　at　the　bare　suggestion　of　an　eminent　

psychic　investigator；　took　hashish　and　very　nearly　died　of　it　within　

a　fortnight　of　our　great　elucidation。



The　chief　matter　of　our　interchanges　was　of　course　the　discussion　of　

sex。　　Once　the　theme　had　been　opened　it　became　a　sore　place　in　our　

intercourse；　none　of　us　seemed　able　to　keep　away　from　it。　　Our　

imaginations　got　astir　with　it。　　We　made　up　for　lost　time　and　went　

round　it　and　through　it　and　over　it　exhaustively。　　I　recall　

prolonged　discussion　of　polygamy　on　the　way　to　Royston；　muddy　

November　tramps　to　Madingley；　when　amidst　much　profanity　from　

Hatherleigh　at　the　serious　treatment　of　so　obsolete　a　matter；　we　

weighed　the　reasons；　if　any；　for　the　institution　of　marriage。　　The　

fine　dim　night…time　spaces　of　the　Great　Court　are　bound　up　with　the　

inconclusive　finales　of　mighty　hot…eared　wrangles；　the　narrows　of　

Trinity　Street　and　Petty　Cury　and　Market　Hill　have　their　particular　

associations　for　me　with　that　spate　of　confession　and　free　speech；　

that　almost　painful　goal　delivery　of　long　pent　and　crappled　and　

sometimes　crippled　ideas。



And　we　went　on　a　reading　party　that　Easter　to　a　place　called　

Pulborough　in　Sussex；　where　there　is　a　fishing　inn　and　a　river　that　

goes　under　a　bridge。　　It　was　a　late　Easter　and　a　blazing　one；　and　we　

boated　and　bathed　and　talked　of　being　Hellenic　and　the　beauty　of　the　

body　until　at　moments　it　seemed　to　us　that　we　were　destined　to　

restore　the　Golden　Age；　by　the　simple　abolition　of　tailors　and　

outfitters。



Those　undergraduate　talks！　how　rich　and　glorious　they　seemed；　how　

splendidly　new　the　ideas　that　grew　and　multiplied　in　our　seething　

minds！　　We　made　long　afternoon　and　evening　raids　over　the　Downs　

towards　Arundel；　and　would　come　tramping　back　through　the　still　keen　

moonlight　singing　and　shouting。　　We　formed　romantic　friendships　with　

one　another；　and　grieved　more　or　less　convincingly　that　there　were　

no　splendid　women　fit　to　be　our　companions　in　the　world。　　But　

Hatherleigh；　it　seemed；　had　once　known　a　girl　whose　hair　was　

gloriously　red。　　〃My　God！〃　said　Hatherleigh　to　convey　the　quality　of　

her；　just　simply　and　with　projectile　violence：　〃My　God！



Benton　had　heard　of　a　woman　who　lived　with　a　man　refusing　to　be　

married　to　himwe　thought　that　splendid　beyond　measure；I　cannot　

now　imagine　why。　　She　was　〃like　a　tender　goddess；〃　Benton　said。　　A　

sort　of　shame　came　upon　us　in　the　dark　in　spite　of　our　liberal　

intentions　when　Benton　committed　himself　to　that。　　And　after　such　

talk　we　would　fall　upon　great　pauses　of　emotional　dreaming；　and　if　

by　chance　we　passed　a　girl　in　a　governess　cart；　or　some　farmer's　

daughter　walking　to　the　station；　we　became　alertly　silent　or　

obstreperously　indifferent　to　her。　　For　might　she　not　be　just　that　

one　exception　to　the　banal　decency；　the　sickly　pointless　

conventionality；　the　sham　modesty　of　the　times　in　which　we　lived？



We　felt　we　stood　for　a　new　movement；　not　realising　how　perennially　

this　same　emancipation　returns　to　those　ancient　courts　beside　the　

Cam。　　We　were　the　anti…decency　party；　we　discovered　a　catch　phrase　

that　we　flourished　about　in　the　Union　and　made　our　watchword；　

namely；　〃stark　fact。〃　　We　hung　nude　pictures　in　our　rooms　much　as　if　

they　had　been　flags；　to　the　earnest　concern　of　our　bedders；　and　I　

disinterred　my　long…kept　engraving　and　had　it　framed　in　fumed　oak；　

and　found　for　it　a　completer　and　less　restrained　companion；　a　

companion　I　never　cared　for　in　the　slightest　degree。　。　。　。



This　efflorescence　did　not　prevent；　I　think　indeed　it　rather　helped；　

our　more　formal　university　work；　for　most　of　us　took　firsts；　and　

three　of　us　got　Fellowships　in　one　year　or　another。　　There　was　

Benton　who　had　a　Research　Fellowship　and　went　to　Tubingen；　there　was　

Esmeer　and　myself　who　both　became　Residential　Fellows。　　I　had　taken　

the　Mental　and　Moral　Science　Tripos　（as　it　was　then）；　and　three　

years　later　I　got　a　lectureship　in　political　science。　　In　those　days　

it　was　disguised　in　the　cloak　of　Political　Economy。







2





It　was　our　affectation　to　be　a　little　detached　from　the　main　stream　

of　undergraduate　life。　　We　worked　pretty　hard；　but　by　virtue　of　our　

beer；　our　socialism　and　suchlike　heterodoxy；　held　ourselves　to　be　

differentiated　from　the　swatting　reading　man。　　None　of　us；　except　

Baxter；　who　was　a　rowing　blue；　a　rather　abnormal　blue　with　an　

appetite　for　ideas；　took　games　seriously　enough　to　train；　and　on　the　

other　hand　we　intimated　contempt　for　the　rather　mediocre；　

deliberately　humorous；　consciously　gentlemanly　and　consciously　wild　

undergraduate　men　who　made　up　the　mass　of　Cambridge　life。　　After　the　

manner　of　youth　we　were　altogether　too　hard　on　our　contemporaries。　　

We　battered　our　caps　and　tore　our　gowns　lest　they　should　seem　new；　

and　we　despised　these　others　extremely　for　doing　exactly　the　same　

things；　we　had　an　idea　of　ourselves　and　resented　beyond　measure　a　

similar　weakness　in　these　our　brothers。



There　was　a　type；　or　at　least　there　seemed　to　us　to　be　a　typeI'm　a　

little　doubtful　at　times　now　whether　after　all　we　didn't　create　it

for　which　Hatherleigh　invented　the　nickname　the　〃Pinky　Dinkys；〃　

intending　thereby　both　contempt　and　abhorrence　in　almost　equal　

measure。　　The　Pinky　Dinky　summarised　all　that　we　particularly　did　

not　want　to　be；　and　also；　I　now　perceive；　much　of　what　we　were　and　

all　that　we　secretly　dreaded　becoming。



But　it　is　hard　to　convey　the　Pinky　Dinky　idea；　for　all　that　it　meant　

so　much　to　us。　　We　spent　one　evening　at　least　during　that　reading　

party　upon　the　Pinky　Dinky；　we　sat　about　our　one　fire　after　a　walk　

in　the　rainit　was　our　only　wet　daysmoked　our　excessively　virile　

pipes；　and　elaborated　the　natural　history　of　the　Pinky　Dinky。　　We　

improvised　a　sort　of　Pinky　Dinky　litany；　and　Hatherleigh　supplied　

deep　notes　for　the　responses。



〃The　Pinky　Dinky　extracts　a　good　deal　of　amusement　from　life；〃　said　

some　one。



〃Damned　prig！　〃　said　Hatherleigh。



〃The　Pinky　Dinky　arises　in　the　Union　and　treats　the　question　with　a　

light　gay　touch。　　He　makes　the　weird　ones　mad。　　But　sometimes　he　

cannot　go　on　because　of　the　amusement　he　extracts。〃



〃I　want　to　shy　books　at　the　giggling　swine；〃　said　Hatherleigh。



〃The　Pinky　Dinky　says　suddenly　while　he　is　making　the　tea；　'We're　

all　being　frightfully　funny。　　It's　time　for　you　to　say　something　

now。'〃



〃The　Pinky　Dinky　shakes　his　head　and　says：　'I'm　afraid　I　shall　never　

be　a　responsible　being。'　　And　he　really　IS　frivolous。〃



〃Frivolous　but　not　vulgar；〃　said　Esmeer。



〃Pinky　Dinkys　are　chaps　who've　had　their　buds　nipped；〃　said　

Hatherleigh。　　〃They're　Plebs　and　they　know　it。　　They　haven't　the　

Guts　to　get　hold　of　things。　　And　so　they　worry　up　all　those　silly　

little　jokes　of　theirs　to　carry　it　off。〃　。　。　。



We　tried　bad　ones　for　a　time；　viciously　flavoured。



Pinky　Dinkys　are　due　to　over…production　of　the　type　that　ought　to　

keep　outfitters'　shops。　　Pinky　Dinkys　would　like　to　keep　outfitters'　

shops　with　whimsy　'scriptions　on　the　boxes　and　make　your　bill　out　

funny；　and　not　be　snobs　to　customers；　no！not　even　if　they　had　

titles。〃



〃Every　Pinky　Dinky's　people　are　rather　good　people；　and　better　than　

most　Pinky　Dinky's　people。　　But　he　does　not　put　on　side。〃



〃Pinky　Dinkys　become　playful　at　the　sight　of　women。〃



〃'Croquet's　my　game；'　said　the　Pinky　Dinky；　and　felt　a　man　

condescended。〃



〃But　what　the　devil　do　they　think　they're　up　to；　anyhow？〃　roared　old　

Hatherleigh　suddenly；　dropping　plump　into　bottomless　despair。



We　felt　we　had　still　failed　to　get　at　the　core　of　the　mystery　of　the　

Pinky　Dinky。



We　tried　over　things　about　his　religion。　　〃The　Pinky　Dinky　goes　to　

King's　Chapel；　and　sits　and　feels　in　the　dusk。　　Solemn　things！　　Oh　

HUSH！　　He　wouldn't　tell　you〃



〃He　COULDN'T　tell　you。〃



〃Religion　is　so　sacred　to　him　he　never　talks　about　it；　never　reads　

about　it；　never　thinks　about　it。　　Just　feels！〃



〃But　in　his　heart　of　hearts；　oh！　ever　so　deep；　the　Pinky　Dinky　has　a　

doubt〃



Some　one　protested。



〃Not　a　vulgar　doubt；〃　Esmeer　went　on；　〃but　a　kind　of　hesitation　

whether　the　Ancient　of　Days　is　really　exactly　what　one　would　call　

good　form。　。　。　。　　There's　a　lot　of　horrid　coarseness　got　into　the　

world　somehow。　　SOMEBODY　put　it　there。　。　。　。　　And　anyhow　there's　no　

particular　reason　why　a　man　should　be　seen　about　with　Him。　　He's　

jolly　Awful　of　course　and　all　that〃



〃The　Pinky　Dinky　for　all　his　fun　and　levity　has　a　clean　mind。〃



〃A　thoroughly　clean　mind。　　Not　like　Esmeer'sthe　Pig！〃



〃If