the new machiavelli-第57章

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ineffectual　changes　in　the　policy　of　his　papers；　and　a　haunting　

pursuit　by　parallel　columns　in　the　liberal　press　that　never　abashed　

him　in　the　slightest　degree。　　By　an　accident　I　plumbed　the　folly　in　

himbut　I　feel　I　never　plumbed　his　wisdom。　　I　remember　him　one　day　

after　a　lunch　at　the　Barhams'　saying　suddenly；　out　of　profound　

meditation　over　the　end　of　a　cigar；　one　of　those　sentences　that　seem　

to　light　the　whole　interior　being　of　a　man。　　〃Some　day；〃　he　said　

softly；　rather　to　himself　than　to　me；　and　A　PROPOS　of　nothing〃some　

day　I　will　raise　the　country。〃



〃Why　not？〃　I　said；　after　a　pause；　and　leant　across　him　for　the　

little　silver　spirit…lamp；　to　light　my　cigarette。　。　。　。



Then　the　Tories　had　for　another　section　the　ancient　creations；　and　

again　there　were　the　financial　peers；　men　accustomed　to　reserve；　and　

their　big　lawyers；　accustomed　towell；　qualified　statement。　　And　

below　the　giant　personalities　of　the　party　were　the　young　bloods；　

young；　adventurous　men　of　the　type　of　Lord　Tarvrille；　who　had　seen　

service　in　South　Africa；　who　had　travelled　and　hunted；　explorers；　

keen　motorists；　interested　in　aviation；　active　in　army　organisation。　　

Good；　brown…faced　stuff　they　were；　but　impervious　to　ideas　outside　

the　range　of　their　activities；　more　ignorant　of　science　than　their　

chaffeurs；　and　of　the　quality　of　English　people　than　welt…

politicians；　contemptuous　of　school　and　university　by　reason　of　the　

Gateses　and　Flacks　and　Codgers　who　had　come　their　way；　witty；　light…

hearted；　patriotic　at　the　Kipling　level；　with　a　certain　aptitude　for　

bullying。　　They　varied　in　insensible　gradations　between　the　noble　

sportsmen　on　the　one　hand；　and　men　like　Gane　and　the　Tories　of　our　

Pentagram　club　on　the　other。　　You　perceive　how　a　man　might　exercise　

his　mind　in　the　attempt　to　strike　an　average　of　public　

serviceability　in　this　miscellany！　　And　mixed　up　with　these；　mixed　

up　sometimes　in　the　same　man；　was　the　pure　reactionary；　whose　

predominant　idea　was　that　the　village　schools　should　confine　

themselves　to　teaching　the　catechism；　hat…touching　and　courtesying；　

and　be　given　a　holiday　whenever　beaters　were　in　request。　。　。　。



I　find　now　in　my　mind　as　a　sort　of　counterpoise　to　Evesham　the　

figure　of　old　Lord　Wardingham；　asleep　in　the　largest　armchair　in　the　

library　of　Stamford　Court　after　lunch。　　One　foot　rested　on　one　of　

those　thingsI　think　they　are　called　gout　stools。　　He　had　been　

playing　golf　all　the　morning　and　wearied　a　weak　instep；　at　lunch　he　

had　sat　at　my　table　and　talked　in　the　overbearing　manner　permitted　

to　irascible　important　men　whose　insteps　are　painful。　　Among　other　

things　he　had　flouted　the　idea　that　women　would　ever　understand　

statecraft　or　be　more　than　a　nuisance　in　politics；　denied　flatly　

that　Hindoos　were　capable　of　anything　whatever　except　excesses　in　

population；　regretted　he　could　not　censor　picture　galleries　and　

circulating　libraries；　and　declared　that　dissenters　were　people　who　

pretended　to　take　theology　seriously　with　the　express　purpose　of　

upsetting　the　entirely　satisfactory　compromise　of　the　Established　

Church。　　〃No　sensible　people；　with　anything　to　gain　or　lose；　argue　

about　religion；〃　he　said。　　〃They　mean　mischief。〃　　Having　delivered　

his　soul　upon　these　points；　and　silenced　the　little　conversation　to　

the　left　of　him　from　which　they　had　arisen；　he　became；　after　an　

appreciative　encounter　with　a　sanguinary　woodcock；　more　amiable；　

responded　to　some　respectful　initiatives　of　Crupp's；　and　related　a　

number　of　classical　anecdotes　of　those　blighting　snubs；　vindictive　

retorts　and　scandalous　miscarriages　of　justice　that　are　so　dear　to　

the　forensic　mind。　　Now　he　reposed。　　He　was　breathing　heavily　with　

his　mouth　a　little　open　and　his　head　on　one　side。　　One　whisker　was　

turned　back　against　the　comfortable　padding。　　His　plump　strong　hands　

gripped　the　arms　of　his　chair；　and　his　frown　was　a　little　assuaged。　　

How　tremendously　fed　up　he　looked！　　Honours；　wealth；　influence；　

respect；　he　had　them　all。　　How　scornful　and　hard　it　had　made　his　

unguarded　expression！



I　note　without　comment　that　it　didn't　even　occur　to　me　then　to　wake　

him　up　and　ask　him　what　HE　was　up　to　with　mankind。







9





One　countervailing　influence　to　my　drift　to　Toryism　in　those　days　

was　Margaret's　quite　religious　faith　in　the　Liberals。　　I　realised　

that　slowly　and　with　a　mild　astonishment。　　It　set　me；　indeed；　even　

then　questioning　my　own　change　of　opinion。　　We　came　at　last　

incidentally；　as　our　way　was；　to　an　exchange　of　views。　　It　was　as　

nearly　a　quarrel　as　we　had　before　I　came　over　to　the　Conservative　

side。　　It　was　at　Champneys；　and　I　think　during　the　same　visit　that　

witnessed　my　exploration　of　Lady　Forthundred。　　It　arose　indirectly；　

I　think；　out　of　some　comments　of　mine　upon　our　fellow…guests；　but　it　

is　one　of　those　memories　of　which　the　scene　and　quality　remain　more　

vivid　than　the　things　said；　a　memory　without　any　very　definite　

beginning　or　end。　　It　was　afternoon；　in　the　pause　between　tea　and　

the　dressing　bell；　and　we　were　in　Margaret's　big　silver…adorned；　

chintz…bright　room；　looking　out　on　the　trim　Italian　garden。　。　。　。　　

Yes；　the　beginning　of　it　has　escaped　me　altogether；　but　I　remember　

it　as　an　odd　exceptional　little　wrangle。



At　first　we　seem　to　have　split　upon　the　moral　quality　of　the　

aristocracy；　and　I　had　an　odd　sense　that　in　some　way　too　feminine　

for　me　to　understand　our　hostess　had　aggrieved　her。　　She　said；　I　

know；　that　Champneys　distressed　her；　made　her　〃eager　for　work　and　

reality　again。〃



〃But　aren't　these　people　real？〃



〃They're　so　superficial；　so　extravagant！〃



I　said　I　was　not　shocked　by　their　unreality。　　They　seemed　the　least　

affected　people　I　had　ever　met。　　〃And　are　they　really　so　

extravagant？〃　I　asked；　and　put　it　to　her　that　her　dresses　cost　quite　

as　much　as　any　other　woman's　in　the　house。



〃It's　not　only　their　dresses；〃　Margaret　parried。　　〃It's　the　scale　

and　spirit　of　things。〃



I　questioned　that。　　〃They're　cynical；〃　said　Margaret；　staring　before　

her　out　of　the　window。



I　challenged　her；　and　she　quoted　the　Brabants；　about　whom　there　had　

been　an　ancient　scandal。　　She'd　heard　of　it　from　Altiora；　and　it　was　

also　Altiora　who'd　given　her　a　horror　of　Lord　Carnaby；　who　was　also　

with　us。　　〃You　know　his　reputation；〃　said　Margaret。　　〃That　Normandy　

girl。　　Every　one　knows　about　it。　　I　shiver　when　I　look　at　him。　　He　

seemsoh！　like　something　not　of　OUR　civilisation。　　He　WILL　come　and　

say　little　things　to　me。〃



〃Offensive　things？〃



〃No；　politenesses　and　things。　　Of　course　his　manners　arequite　

right。　　That　only　makes　it　worse；　I　think。　　It　shows　he　might　have　

helpedall　that　happened。　　I　do　all　I　can　to　make　him　see　I　don't　

like　him。　　But　none　of　the　others　make　the　slightest　objection　to　

him。〃



〃Perhaps　these　people　imagine　something　might　be　said　for　him。〃



〃That's　just　it；〃　said　Margaret。



〃Charity；〃　I　suggested。



〃I　don't　like　that　sort　of　toleration。〃



I　was　oddly　annoyed。　　〃Like　eating　with　publicans　and　sinners；〃　I　

said。　　〃No！　。　。　。



But　scandals；　and　the　contempt　for　rigid　standards　their　condonation　

displayed；　weren't　more　than　the　sharp　edge　of　the　trouble。　　〃It's　

their　whole　position；　their　selfish　predominance；　their　class　

conspiracy　against　the　mass　of　people；〃　said　Margaret。　　〃When　I　sit　

at　dinner　in　that　splendid　room；　with　its　glitter　and　white　

reflections　and　candlelight；　and　its　flowers　and　its　wonderful　

service　and　its　candelabra　of　solid　gold；　I　seem　to　feel　the　slums　

and　the　mines　and　the　over…crowded　cottages　stuffed　away　under　the　

table。〃



I　reminded　Margaret　that　she　was　not　altogether　innocent　of　unearned　

increment。



〃But　aren't　we　doing　our　best　to　give　it　back？〃　she　said。



I　was　moved　to　question　her。　　〃Do　you　really　think；〃　I　asked；　〃that　

the　Tories　and　peers　and　rich　people　are　to　blame　for　social　

injustice　as　we　have　it　to…day？　　Do　you　really　see　politics　as　a　

struggle　of　light　on　the　Liberal　side　against　darkness　on　the　Tory？〃



〃They　MUST　know；〃　said　Margaret。



I　found　myself　questioning　that。　　I　see　now　that　to　Margaret　it　must　

have　seemed　the　perversest　carping　against　manifest　things；　but　at　

the　time　I　was　concentrated　simply　upon　the　elucidation　of　her　view　

and　my　own；　I　wanted　to　get　at　her　conception　in　the　sharpest；　

hardest　lines　that　were　possible。　　It　was　perfectly　clear　that　she　

saw　Toryism　as　the　diabolical　element　in　affairs。　　The　thing　showed　

in　its　hopeless　untruth　all　the　clearer　for　the　fine；　clean　emotion　

with　which　she　gave　it　out　to　me。　　My　sleeping　peer　in　the　library　

at　Stamford　Court　and　Evesham　talking　luminously　behind　the　

Hartstein　flowers　embodied　the　devil；　and　my　replete　citizen　sucking　

at　his　cigar　in　the　National　Liberal　Club；　Willie　Crampton　

discussing　the　care　and　management　of　the　stomach　over　a　specially　

hygienic　lemonade；　and　Dr。　Tumpany　in　his　aggressive　frock…coat　

pegging　out　a　sort　of　copyright　in　Socialism；　were　the　centre　and　

wings　of　the　angelic　side。　　It　was　nonsense。　　But　how　was　I　to　put　

the　truth　to　her？



〃I　don't　see　things　at　all　as　you　do；〃　I　said。　　〃I　don't　see　things　

in　the　same　way。〃



〃Think　of　the　poor；〃　said　Margaret；　going　off　at　a　tangent。



〃Think　of　every　one；〃　I　said。　　〃We　Liberals　have　done　more　mischief　

through　well…intentioned　benevolence　than　all　the　selfishness　in　the　

world　could　have　done。　　We　built　up　the　liquor　interest。〃



〃WE！〃　cried　Margaret。　　〃How　can　you　say　that？　　It's　against　us。〃



〃Naturally。　　But　we　made　it　a　monopoly　in　our　clumsy　efforts　to　

prevent　people　drinking　what　they　liked；　because　it　interfered　with　

industrial　regularity〃



〃Oh！〃　cried　Margaret；　stung；　and　I　could　see　she　thought　I　was　

talking　mere　wickedness。



〃That's　it；〃　I　said。



〃But　would　you　have　people　drink　whatever　they　pleased？〃



〃Certainly。　　What　right　have　I　to　dictate　to　other　men　and　women？〃



〃But　think　of　the　children！〃



〃Ah！　there　you　have　the　folly　of　modern　Liberalism；　its　half…

cunning；　half…silly　way　of　getting　at　everything　in　a　roundabout　

fashion。　　If　neglecting　children　is　an　offence；　and　it　IS　an　

offence；　then　deal　with　it　as　such；　but　don't　go　badgering　and　

restricting　people　who　sell　something　that　may　possibly　in　some　

cases　lead　to　a　neglect　of　children。　　If　drunkenness　is　an　offence；　

punish　it；　but　don't　punish　a　man　for　selling　honest　drink　that　

perhaps　after　all　won't　make　any　one　drunk　at　all。　　Don't　intensify　

the　viciousness　of　the　public…house　by　assuming　the　place　isn't　fit　

for　women　and　children。　　That's　either　spite　or　folly。　　Make　the　

public…house　FIT　for　women　and　children。　　Make　it　a　real　public…

house。　　If　we　Liberals　go　on　as　we　are　going；　we　shall　presently　

want　to　stop　the　sale　of　ink　and　paper　because　those　things　tempt　

men　to　forger