the haunted bookshop(闹鬼的书店)-第11章
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〃What larks we'll have；〃 cried Titania。 〃I do think this is a cunning
place！〃
〃This is the bulletin board； where I put up notices about books that
interest me。 Here's a card I've just been writing。〃
Roger drew from his pocket a square of cardboard and affixed it to the
board with a thumbtack。 Titania read：
THE BOOK THAT SHOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE WAR
Now that the fighting is over is a good time to read Thomas Hardy's
The Dynasts。 I don't want to sell it； because it is one of the greatest
treasures I own。 But if any one will guarantee to read all three volumes；
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and let them sink into his mind； I'm willing to lend them。
If enough thoughtful Germans had read The Dynasts before July； 1914；
there would have been no war。
If every delegate to the Peace Conference could be made to read it
before the sessions begin； there will be no more wars。
R。 MIFFLIN。
〃Dear me；〃 said Titania； 〃Is it so good as all that？ Perhaps I'd better
read it。〃
〃It is so good that if I knew any way of doing so I'd insist on Mr。
Wilson reading it on his voyage to France。 I wish I could get it onto his
ship。 My； what a book！ It makes one positively ill with pity and terror。
Sometimes I wake up at night and look out of the window and imagine I
hear Hardy laughing。 I get him a little mixed up with the Deity； I fear。
But he's a bit too hard for you to tackle。〃
Titania was puzzled； and said nothing。 But her busy mind made a
note of its own： Hardy； hard to read； makes one ill； try it。
〃What did you think of the books I put in your room？〃 said Roger。 He
had vowed to wait until she made some comment unsolicited； but he could
not restrain himself。
〃In my room？〃 she said。 〃Why； I'm sorry； I never noticed them！〃
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Chapter IV
The Disappearing Volume
Well； my dear；〃 said Roger after supper that evening； 〃I think perhaps
we had better introduce Miss Titania to our custom of reading aloud。〃
〃Perhaps it would bore her？〃 said Helen。 〃You know it isn't
everybody that likes being read to。〃
〃Oh； I should love it！〃 exclaimed Titania。 〃I don't think anybody ever
read to me； that is not since I was a child。〃
〃Suppose we leave you to look after the shop；〃 said Helen to Roger； in
a teasing mood； 〃and I'll take Titania out to the movies。 I think Tarzan is
still running。〃
Whatever private impulses Miss Chapman may have felt； she saw by
the bookseller's downcast face that a visit to Tarzan would break his heart；
and she was prompt to disclaim any taste for the screen classic。
〃Dear me；〃 she said； 〃Tarzanthat's all that nature stuff by John
Burroughs； isn't it？ Oh； Mrs。 Mifflin； I think it would be very tedious。
Let's have Mr。 Mifflin read to us。 I'll get down my knitting bag。〃
〃You mustn't mind being interrupted；〃 said Helen。 〃When anybody
rings the bell Roger has to run out and tend the shop。〃
〃You must let me do it；〃 said Titania。 〃I want to earn my wages； you
know。〃
〃All right；〃 said Mrs。 Mifflin； 〃Roger； you settle Miss Chapman in the
den and give her something to look at while we do the dishes。〃
But Roger was all on fire to begin the reading。 〃Why don't we
postpone the dishes；〃 he said； 〃just to celebrate？〃
〃Let me help；〃 insisted Titania。 〃I should think washing up would be
great fun。〃
〃No； no； not on your first evening；〃 said Helen。 〃Mr。 Mifflin and I
will finish them in a jiffy。〃
So Roger poked up the coal fire in the den； disposed the chairs； and
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gave Titania a copy of Sartor Resartus to look at。 He then vanished into
the kitchen with his wife； whence Titania heard the cheerful clank of
crockery in a dishpan and the splashing of hot water。 〃The best thing
about washing up；〃 she heard Roger say； 〃is that it makes one's hands so
clean； a novel sensation for a second…hand bookseller。〃
She gave Sartor Resartus what is graphically described as a 〃once
over；〃 and then seeing the morning Times lying on the table； picked it up；
as she had not read it。 Her eye fell upon the column headed
LOST AND FOUND Fifty cents an agate line
and as she had recently lost a little pearl brooch； she ran hastily
through it。 She chuckled a little over
LOSTHotel Imperial lavatory； set of teeth。 Call or communicate
Steel； 134 East 43 St。 Reward； no questions asked。
Then she saw this：
LOSTCopy of Thomas Carlyle's 〃Oliver Cromwell；〃 between
Gissing Street； Brooklyn； and the Octagon Hotel。 If found before
midnight； Tuesday； Dec。 3； return to assistant chef； Octagon Hotel。
〃Why〃 she exclaimed； 〃Gissing Streetthat's here！ And what a funny
kind of book for an assistant chef to read。 No wonder their lunches have
been so bad lately！〃
When Roger and Helen rejoined her in the den a few minutes later she
showed the bookseller the advertisement。 He was very much excited。
〃That's a funny thing；〃 he said。 〃There's something queer about that
book。 Did I tell you about it？ Last Tuesday I know it was then
because it was the evening young Gilbert was here a man with a beard
came in asking for it； and it wasn't on the shelf。 Then the next night；
Wednesday； I was up very late writing； and fell asleep at my desk。 I must
have left the front door ajar； because I was waked up by the draught； and
when I went to close the door I saw the book sticking out a little beyond
the others； in its usual place。 And last night； when the Corn Cobs were
here； I went out to look up a quotation in it； and it was gone again。〃
〃Perhaps the assistant chef stole it？〃 said Titania。
〃But if so； why the deuce would he advertise having done so？〃 asked
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Roger。
〃Well； if he did steal it；〃 said Helen； 〃I wish him joy of it。 I tried to
read it once； you talked so much about it； and I found it dreadfully dull。〃
〃If he did steal it；〃 cried the bookseller； 〃I'm perfectly delighted。 It
shows that my contention is right： people DO really care for good books。
If an assistant chef is so fond of good books that he has to steal them； the
world is safe for democracy。 Usually the only books any one wants to steal
are sheer piffle； like Making Life Worth While by Douglas Fairbanks or
Mother Shipton's Book of Oracles。 I don't mind a man stealing books if
he steals good ones！〃
〃You see the remarkable principles that govern this business；〃 said
Helen to Titania。 They sat down by the fire and took up their knitting
while the bookseller ran out to see if the volume had by any chance
returned to his shelves。
〃Is it there？〃 said Helen； when he came back。
〃No；〃 said Roger； and picked up the advertisement again。 〃I wonder
why he wants it returned before midnight on Tuesday？〃
〃So he can read it in bed； I guess；〃 said Helen。 〃Perhaps he suffers
from insomnia。〃
〃It's a darn shame he lost it before he had a chance to read it。 I'd like to
have known what he thought of it。 I've got a great mind to go up and call
on him。〃
〃Charge it off to profit and loss and forget about it；〃 said Helen。 〃How
about that reading aloud？〃
Roger ran his eye along his private shelves； and pulled down a well…
worn volume。
〃Now that Thanksgiving is past；〃 he said； 〃my mind always turns to
Christmas； and Christmas means Charles Dickens。 My dear； would it
bore you if we had a go at the old Christmas Stories？〃
Mrs。 Mifflin held up her hands in mock dismay。 〃He reads them to
me every year at this time；〃 she said to Titania。 〃Still； they're worth it。 I
know good old Mrs。 Lirriper better than I do most of my friends。〃
〃What is it； the Christmas Carol？〃 said Titania。 〃We had to read that
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in school。〃
〃No；〃 said Roger； 〃the other stories； infinitely better。 Everybody gets
the Carol dinned into them until they're weary of it； but no one nowadays
seems to read the others。 I tell you； Christmas wouldn't be Christmas to
me if I didn't read these tales over again every year。 How homesick they
make one for the good old days of real inns and real beefsteak and real ale
drawn in pewter。 My dears； sometimes when I am reading Dickens I get a
vision of rare sirloin with floury boiled potatoes and plenty of horse…radish；
set on a shining cloth not far from a blaze of English coal〃
〃He's an incorrigible visionary；〃 said Mrs。 Mifflin。 〃To hear him talk
you might think no one had had a square meal since Dickens died。 You
might think that all landladies died with Mrs。 Lirriper。〃
〃Very ungrateful of him；〃 said Titania。 〃I'm sure I couldn't ask for
better potatoes； or a nicer hostess； than I've found in Brooklyn。〃
〃Well； well；〃 said Roger。 〃You are right； of course。 And yet
something went out of the world when Victorian England vanished；
something that will never come again。 Take the stagecoach drivers； for
instance。 What a racy； human type they were！ And what have we now
to compare with them？ Subway guards？ Taxicab drivers？ I have
hung around many an all…night lunchroom to hear the chauffeurs talk。 But
they are too much on the move； you can't get the picture of them
