the secret places of the heart-第16章

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uiries　so　as　to　make　the　revelation　of　a　latent　antipathy　as　easy　as　possible。　He　made　several　not　very　well…devised　beginnings。　At　the　fifth　Sir　Richmond　was　suddenly　conclusive。　〃It's　no　use；〃　he　said；　〃I　can't　fiddle　about　any　more　with　my　motives　to…day。〃　An　awkward　silence　followed。　On　reflection　Sir　Richmond　seemed　to　realize　that　this　sentence　needed　some　apology。　〃I　admit；〃　he　said；　〃that　this　expedition　has　already　been　a　wonderfully　good　thing　for　me。　These　confessions　have　made　me　look　into　all　sorts　of　things…squarely。　But　〃I'm　not　used　to　talking　about　myself　or　even　thinking　directly　about　myself。　What　I　say；　I　afterwards　find　disconcerting　to　recall。　I　want　to　alter　it。　I　can　feel　myself　wallowing　into　a　mess　of　modifications　and　qualifications。〃　〃Yes；　but〃　〃I　want　a　rest　anyhow。　。　。　。〃　There　was　nothing　for　Dr。　Martineau　to　say　to　that。　The　two　gentlemen　smoked　for　some　time　in　a　slightly　uncomfortable　silence。　Dr。　Martineau　cleared　his　throat　twice　and　lit　a　second　cigar。　They　then　agreed　to　admire　the　bridge　and　think　well　of　Maidenhead。　Sir　Richmond　communicated　hopeful　news　about　his　car；　which　was　to　arrive　the　next　morning　before　tenhe'd　just　ring　the　fellow　up　presently　to　make　sureand　Dr。　Martineau　retired　early　and　went　rather　thoughtfully　to　bed。　The　spate　of　Sir　Richmond's　confidences；　it　was　evident；　was　over。　Section　4　Sir　Richmond's　car　arrived　long　before　ten；　brought　down　by　a　young　man　in　a　state　of　scared　alacritySir　Richmond　had　done　some　vigorous　telephoning　before　turning　in；the　Charmeuse　set　off　in　a　repaired　and　chastened　condition　to　town；　and　after　a　leisurely　breakfast　our　two　investigators　into　the　springs　of　human　conduct　were　able　to　resume　their　westward　journey。　They　ran　through　scattered　Twyford　with　its　pleasant　looking　inns　and　through　the　commonplace　urbanities　of　Reading；　by　Newbury　and　Hungerford's　pretty　bridge　and　up　long　wooded　slopes　to　Savernake　forest；　where　they　found　the　road　heavy　and　dusty；　still　in　its　war…time　state；　and　so　down　a　steep　hill　to　the　wide　market　street　which　is　Marlborough。　They　lunched　in　Marlborough　and　went　on　in　the　afternoon　to　Silbury　Hill；　that　British　pyramid；　the　largest　artificial　mound　in　Europe。　They　left　the　car　by　the　roadside　and　clambered　to　the　top　and　were　very　learned　and　inconclusive　about　the　exact　purpose　of　this　vast　heap　of　chalk　and　earth；　this　heap　that　men　had　made　before　the　temples　at　Karnak　were　built　or　Babylon　had　a　name。　Then　they　returned　to　the　car　and　ran　round　by　a　winding　road　into　the　wonder　of　Avebury。　They　found　a　clean　little　inn　there　kept　by　pleasant　people；　and　they　garaged　the　car　in　the　cowshed　and　took　two　rooms　for　the　night　that　they　might　the　better　get　the　atmosphere　of　the　ancient　place。　Wonderful　indeed　it　is；　a　vast　circumvallation　that　was　already　two　thousand　years　old　before　the　dawn　of　British　history；　a　great　wall　of　earth　with　its　ditch　most　strangely　on　its　inner　and　not　on　its　outer　side；　and　within　this　enclosure　gigantic　survivors　of　the　great　circles　of　unhewn　stone　that；　even　as　late　as　Tudor　days；　were　almost　complete。　A　whole　village；　a　church；　a　pretty　manor　house　have　been　built；　for　the　most　part；　out　of　the　ancient　megaliths；　the　great　wall　is　sufficient　to　embrace　them　all　with　their　gardens　and　paddocks；　four　cross…roads　meet　at　the　village　centre。　There　are　drawings　of　Avebury　before　these　things　arose　there；　when　it　was　a　lonely　wonder　on　the　plain；　but　for　the　most　part　the　destruction　was　already　done　before　the　MAYFLOWER　sailed。　To　the　southward　stands　the　cone　of　Silbury　Hill；　its　shadow　creeps　up　and　down　the　intervening　meadows　as　the　seasons　change。　Around　this　lonely　place　rise　the　Downs；　now　bare　sheep　pastures；　in　broad　undulations；　with　a　wart…like　barrow　here　and　there；　and　from　it　radiate；　creeping　up　to　gain　and　hold　the　crests　of　the　hills；　the　abandoned　trackways　of　that　forgotten　world。　These　trackways；　these　green　roads　of　England；　these　roads　already　disused　when　the　Romans　made　their　highway　past　Silbury　Hill　to　Bath；　can　still　be　traced　for　scores　of　miles　through　the　land；　running　to　Salisbury　and　the　English　Channel；　eastward　to　the　crossing　at　the　Straits　and　westward　to　Wales；　to　ferries　over　the　Severn；　and　southwestward　into　Devon　and　Cornwall。　The　doctor　and　Sir　Richmond　walked　round　the　walls；　surveyed　the　shadow　cast　by　Silbury　upon　the　river　flats；　strolled　up　the　down　to　the　northward　to　get　a　general　view　of　the　village；　had　tea　and　smoked　round　the　walls　again　in　the　warm　April　sunset。　The　matter　of　their　conversation　remained　prehistoric。　Both　were　inclined　to　find　fault　with　the　archaeological　work　that　had　been　done　on　the　place。　〃Clumsy　treasure　hunting；〃　Sir　Richmond　said。　〃They　bore　into　Silbury　Hill　and　expect　to　find　a　mummified　chief　or　something　sensational　of　that　sort；　and　they　don't；　and　they　report　nothing。　They　haven't　sifted　finely　enough；　they　haven't　thought　subtly　enough。　These　walls　of　earth　ought　to　tell　what　these　people　ate；　what　clothes　they　wore；　what　woods　they　used。　Was　this　a　sheep　land　then　as　it　is　now；　or　a　cattle　land？　Were　these　hills　covered　by　forests？　I　don't　know。　These　archaeologists　don't　know。　Or　if　they　do　they　haven't　told　me；　which　is　just　as　bad。　I　don't　believe　they　know。　〃What　trade　came　here　along　these　tracks？　So　far　as　I　know；　they　had　no　beasts　of　burthen。　But　suppose　one　day　someone　were　to　find　a　potsherd　here　from　early　Knossos；　or　a　fragment　of　glass　from　Pepi's　Egypt。〃　The　place　had　stirred　up　his　imagination。　He　wrestled　with　his　ignorance　as　if　he　thought　that　by　talking　he　might　presently　worry　out　some　picture　of　this　forgotten　world；　without　metals；　without　beasts　of　burthen；　without　letters；　without　any　sculpture　that　has　left　a　trace；　and　yet　with　a　sense　of　astronomical　fact　clear　enough　to　raise　the　great　gnomon　of　Silbury；　and　with　a　social　system　complex　enough　to　give　the　large　and　orderly　community　to　which　the　size　of　Avebury　witnesses　and　the　traffic　to　which　the　green　roads　testify。　The　doctor　had　not　realized　before　the　boldness　and　liveliness　of　his　companion's　mind。　Sir　Richmond　insisted　that　the　climate　must　have　been　moister　and　milder　in　those　days；　he　covered　all　the　downlands　with　woods；　as　Savernake　was　still　covered；　beneath　the　trees　he　restored　a　thicker；　richer　soil。　These　people　must　have　done　an　enormous　lot　with　wood。　This　use　of　stones　here　was　a　freak。　It　was　the　very　strangeness　of　stones　here　that　had　made　them　into　sacred　things。　One　thought　too　much　of　the　stones　of　the　Stone　Age。　Who　would　carve　these　lumps　of　quartzite　when　one　could　carve　good　oak？　Or　beecha　most　carvable　wood。　Especially　when　one's　sharpest　chisel　was　a　flint。　〃It's　wood　we　ought　to　look　for；〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃Wood　and　fibre。〃　He　declared　that　these　people　had　their　tools　of　wood；　their　homes　of　wood；　their　gods　and　perhaps　their　records　of　wood。　〃A　peat　bog　here；　even　a　few　feet　of　clay；　might　have　pickled　some　precious　memoranda。　。　。　。　No　such　luck。　。　。　。　Now　in　Glastonbury　marshes　one　found　the　life　of　the　early　iron　agehalf　way　to　our　own　timesquite　beautifully　pickled。〃　Though　they　wrestled　mightily　with　the　problem；　neither　Sir　Richmond　nor　the　doctor　could　throw　a　gleam　of　light　upon　the　riddle　why　the　ditch　was　inside　and　not　outside　the　great　wall。　〃And　what　was　our　Mind　like　in　those　days？〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃That；　I　suppose；　is　what　interests　you。　A　vivid　childish　mind；　I　guess；　with　not　a　suspicion　as　yet　that　it　was　Man　ruling　his　Planet　or　anything　of　that　sort。〃　The　doctor　pursed　his　lips。　〃None；〃　he　delivered　judicially。　〃If　one　were　able　to　recall　one's　childhoodat　the　age　of　about　twelve　or　thirteenwhen　the　artistic　impulse　so　often　goes　into　abeyance　and　one　begins　to　think　in　a　troubled；　monstrous　way　about　God　and　Hell；　one　might　get　something　like　the　mind　of　this　place。〃　〃Thirteen。　You　put　them　at　that　already？　。　。　。　These　people；　you　think；　were　religious？〃　〃Intensely。　In　that　personal　way　that　gives　death　a　nightmare　terror。　And　as　for　the　fading　of　the　artistic　impulse；　they've　left　not　a　trace　of　the　paintings　and　drawings　and　scratchings　of　the　Old　Stone　people　who　came　before　them。〃　〃Adults　with　the　minds　of　thirteen…year…old　children。　Thirteen…year…old　children　with　the　strength　of　adultsand　no　one　to　slap　them　or　tell　them　not　to。　。　。　。　After　all；　they　probably　only　thought　of　death　now　and　then。　And　they　never　thought　of　fuel。　They　supposed　there　was　no　end　to　that。　So　they　used　up　their　woods　and　kept　goats　to　nibble　and　kill　the　new　undergrowth。　DID　these　people　have　goats？　〃　〃I　don't　know；〃　said　the　doctor。　So　little　is　known。〃　〃Very　like　children　they　must　have　been。　The　same　unending　days。　They　must　have　thought　that　the　world　went　on　for　ever…　just　as　they　knew　itlike　my　damned　Committee　does。　。　。　。　With　their　fuel　wasting　away　and　the　climate　changing　imperceptibly；　century　by　century。　。　。　。　Kings　and　important　men　followed　one　another　here　for　centuries　and　centuries。　。　。　。　They　had　lost　their　past　and　had　no　idea　of　any　future。　。　。　。　They　had　forgotten　how　they　came　into　the　land　。　。　。　When　I　was　a　child　I　believed　that　my　father's　garden　had　been　there　for　ever。　。　。　。　〃This　is　very　like　trying　to　remember　some　game　one　played　when　one　was　a　chi