the haunted bookshop(闹鬼的书店)-第17章
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look happy； surely they're amused？〃
〃They only think they are！〃 cried Mifflin。 〃They think they're
amused because they don't know what real amusement is！ Laughter and
prayer are the two noblest habits of man； they mark us off from the brutes。
To laugh at cheap jests is as base as to pray to cheap gods。 To laugh at
Fatty Arbuckle is to degrade the human spirit。〃
Titania thought she was getting in rather deep； but she had the
tenacious logic of every healthy girl。 She said：
〃But a joke that seems cheap to you doesn't seem cheap to the person
who laughs at it； or he wouldn't laugh。〃
Her face brightened as a fresh idea flooded her mind：
〃The wooden image a savage prays to may seem cheap to you； but it's
the best god he knows； and it's all right for him to pray to it。〃
〃Bully for you；〃 said Roger。 〃Perfectly true。 But I've got away
from the point I had in mind。 Humanity is yearning now as it never did
before for truth； for beauty； for the things that comfort and console and
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make life seem worth while。 I feel this all round me； every day。 We've
been through a frightful ordeal； and every decent spirit is asking itself
what we can do to pick up the fragments and remould the world nearer to
our heart's desire。 Look here； here's something I found the other day in
John Masefield's preface to one of his plays： 〃The truth and rapture of man
are holy things； not lightly to be scorned。 A carelessness of life and beauty
marks the glutton； the idler； and the fool in their deadly path across
history。〃 〃I tell you； I've done some pretty sober thinking as I've sat here
in my bookshop during the past horrible years。 Walt Whitman wrote a
little poem during the Civil WarYear that trembled and reeled beneath
me； said Walt； Must _I_ learn to chant the cold dirges of the baffled； and
sullen hymns of defeat？I've sat here in my shop at night； and looked
round at my shelves； looked at all the brave books that house the hopes
and gentlenesses and dreams of men and women； and wondered if they
were all wrong； discredited； defeated。 Wondered if the world were still
merely a jungle of fury。 I think I'd have gone balmy if it weren't for Walt
Whitman。 Talk about Mr。 BritlingWalt was the man who ‘saw it through。'
〃The glutton； the idler； and the fool in their deadly path across
history。 。 。 。 Aye； a deadly path indeed。 The German military men weren't
idlers； but they were gluttons and fools to the nth power。 Look at their
deadly path！ And look at other deadly paths； too。 Look at our slums； jails；
insane asylums。 。 。
〃I used to wonder what I could do to justify my comfortable existence
here during such a time of horror。 What right had I to shirk in a quiet
bookshop when so many men were suffering and dying through no fault of
their own？ I tried to get into an ambulance unit； but I've had no medical
training and they said they didn't want men of my age unless they were
experienced doctors。〃
〃I know how you felt；〃 said Titania； with a surprising look of
comprehension。 〃Don't you suppose that a great many girls； who
couldn't do anything real to help； got tired of wearing neat little uniforms
with Sam Browne belts？〃
〃Well；〃 said Roger； 〃it was a bad time。 The war contradicted and
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denied everything I had ever lived for。 Oh； I can't tell you how I felt
about it。 I can't even express it to myself。 Sometimes I used to feel as I
think that truly noble simpleton Henry Ford may have felt when he
organized his peace voyage that I would do anything； however stupid； to
stop it all。 In a world where everyone was so wise and cynical and cruel； it
was admirable to find a man so utterly simple and hopeful as Henry。 A
boob； they called him。 Well； I say bravo for boobs！ I daresay most of the
apostles were boobsor maybe they called them bolsheviks。〃
Titania had only the vaguest notion about bolsheviks； but she had seen
a good many newspaper cartoons。
〃I guess Judas was a bolshevik；〃 she said innocently。
〃Yes； and probably George the Third called Ben Franklin a bolshevik；〃
retorted Roger。 〃The trouble is； truth and falsehood don't come laid out
in black and whiteTruth and Huntruth； as the wartime joke had it。
Sometimes I thought Truth had vanished from the earth；〃 he cried bitterly。
〃Like everything else； it was rationed by the governments。 I taught myself
to disbelieve half of what I read in the papers。 I saw the world clawing
itself to shreds in blind rage。 I saw hardly any one brave enough to face
the brutalizing absurdity as it really was； and describe it。 I saw the
glutton； the idler； and the fool applauding； while brave and simple men
walked in the horrors of hell。 The stay…at…home poets turned it to pretty
lyrics of glory and sacrifice。 Perhaps half a dozen of them have told the
truth。 Have you read Sassoon？ Or Latzko's Men in War； which was so
damned true that the government suppressed it？ Humph！ Putting Truth
on rations！〃
He knocked out his pipe against his heel； and his blue eyes shone with
a kind of desperate earnestness。
〃But I tell you； the world is going to have the truth about War。 We're
going to put an end to this madness。 It's not going to be easy。 Just now；
in the intoxication of the German collapse； we're all rejoicing in our new
happiness。 I tell you； the real Peace will be a long time coming。 When
you tear up all the fibres of civilization it's a slow job to knit things
together again。 You see those children going down the street to school？
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Peace lies in their hands。 When they are taught in school that War is the
most loathsome scourge humanity is subject to； that it smirches and fouls
every lovely occupation of the mortal spirit； then there may be some hope
for the future。 But I'd like to bet they are having it drilled into them that
war is a glorious and noble sacrifice。
〃The people who write poems about the divine frenzy of going over
the top are usually those who dipped their pens a long； long way from the
slimy duckboards of the trenches。 It's funny how we hate to face realities。
I knew a commuter once who rode in town every day on the 8。13。 But he
used to call it the 7。73。 He said it made him feel more virtuous。〃
There was a pause； while Roger watched some belated urchins
hurrying toward school。
〃I think any man would be a traitor to humanity who didn't pledge
every effort of his waking life to an attempt to make war impossible in
future。〃
〃Surely no one would deny that；〃 said Titania。 〃But I do think the
war was very glorious as well as very terrible。 I've known lots of men
who went over； knowing well what they were to face； and yet went gladly
and humbly in the thought they were going for a true cause。〃
〃A cause which is so true shouldn't need the sacrifice of millions of
fine lives；〃 said Roger gravely。 〃Don't imagine I don't see the dreadful
nobility of it。 But poor humanity shouldn't be asked to be noble at such a
cost。 That's the most pitiful tragedy of it all。 Don't you suppose the
Germans thought they too were marching off for a noble cause when they
began it and forced this misery on the world？ They had been educated to
believe so； for a generation。 That's the terrible hypnotism of war； the brute
mass…impulse； the pride and national spirit； the instinctive simplicity of
men that makes them worship what is their own above everything else。
I've thrilled and shouted with patriotic pride； like everyone。 Music and
flags and men marching in step have bewitched me； as they do all of us。
And then I've gone home and sworn to root this evil instinct out of my
soul。 God help us let's love the world； love humanitynot just our own
country！ That's why I'm so keen about the part we're going to play at the
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Peace Conference。 Our motto over there will be America Last！ Hurrah
for us； I say； for we shall be the only nation over there with absolutely no
axe to grind。 Nothing but a pax to grind！〃
It argued well for Titania's breadth of mind that she was not dismayed
nor alarmed at the poor bookseller's anguished harangue。 She surmised
sagely that he was cleansing his bosom of much perilous stuff。 In some
mysterious way she had learned the greatest and rarest of the spirit's gifts
toleration。
〃You can't help loving your country；〃 she said。
〃Let's go indoors；〃 he answered。 〃You'll catch cold out here。 I want
to show you my alcove of books on the war。〃
〃Of course one can't help loving one's country；〃 he added。 〃I love mine
so much that I want to see her take the lead in making a new era possible。
She has sacrificed least for war； she should be ready to sacrifice most for
peace。 As for me；〃 he said； smiling； 〃I'd be willing to sacrifice the whole
Republican party！〃
〃I don't see why you call the war an absurdity；〃 said Titania。 〃We HAD
to beat Germany； or where would civilization have been？〃
〃We had to beat Germany； yes； but the absurdity lies in the fact that we
had to beat ourselves in doing it。 The first thing you'll find； when the
Peace Conference gets to work； will be that we shall have t
