the secret places of the heart-第27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！


　he　wanted　her　first　to　see　Shaftesbury；　a　little　old　Wessex　town　that　was　three　or　four　hundred　years　older　than　Salisbury；　perched　on　a　hill；　a　Saxon　town；　where　Alfred　had　gathered　his　forces　against　the　Danes　and　where　Canute；　who　had　ruled　over　all　Scandinavia　and　Iceland　and　Greenland；　and　had　come　near　ruling　a　patch　of　America；　had　died。　It　was　a　little　sleepy　place　now；　looking　out　dreamily　over　beautiful　views。　They　would　lunch　in　Shaftesbury　and　walk　round　it。　Then　they　would　go　in　the　afternoon　through　the　pleasant　west　country　where　the　Celts　had　prevailed　against　the　old　folk　of　the　Stonehenge　temple　and　the　Romans　against　the　Celts　and　the　Saxons　against　the　Romanized　Britons　and　the　Danes　against　the　Saxons；　a　war…scarred　landscape；　abounding　in　dykes　and　entrenchments　and　castles；　sunken　now　into　the　deepest　peace；　to　Glastonbury　to　see　what　there　was　to　see　of　a　marsh　village　the　Celts　had　made　for　themselves　three　or　four　hundred　years　before　the　Romans　came。　And　at　Glastonbury　also　there　were　the　ruins　of　a　great　Benedictine　church　and　abbey　that　had　once　rivalled　Salisbury。　Thence　they　would　go　on　to　Wells　to　see　yet　another　great　cathedral　and　to　dine　and　sleep。　Glastonbury　Abbey　and　Wells　Cathedral　brought　the　story　of　Europe　right　up　to　Reformation　times。　〃That　will　be　a　good　day　for　us；〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃It　will　be　like　turning　over　the　pages　of　the　history　of　our　family；　to　and　fro。　There　will　be　nothing　nearly　so　old　as　Avebury　in　it；　but　there　will　be　something　from　almost　every　chapter　that　comes　after　Stonehenge。　Rome　will　be　poorly　represented；　but　that　may　come　the　day　after　at　Bath。　And　the　next　day　too　I　want　to　show　you　something　of　our　old　River　Severn。　We　will　come　right　up　to　the　present　if　we　go　through　Bristol。　There　we　shall　have　a　whiff　of　America；　our　new　find；　from　which　the　tobacco　comes；　and　we　shall　be　reminded　of　how　we　set　sail　thitherwas　it　yesterday　or　the　day　before？　You　will　understand　at　Bristol　how　it　is　that　the　energy　has　gone　out　of　this　dreaming　landto　Africa　and　America　and　the　whole　wide　world。　It　was　the　good　men　of　Bristol；　by　the　bye；　with　their　trade　from　Africa　to　America；　who　gave　you　your　colour　problem。　Bristol　we　may　go　through　to…morrow　and　Gloucester；　mother　of　I　don't　know　how　many　American　Gloucesters。　Bath　we'll　get　in　somehow。　And　then　as　an　Anglo…American　showman　I　shall　be　tempted　to　run　you　northward　a　little　way　past　Tewkesbury；　just　to　go　into　a　church　here　and　there　and　show　you　monuments　bearing　little　shields　with　the　stars　and　stripes　upon　them；　a　few　stars　and　a　few　stripes；　the　Washington　family　monuments。〃　〃It　was　not　only　from　England　that　America　came；〃　said　Miss　Grammont。　〃But　England　takes　an　American　memory　back　most　easily　and　most　fullyto　Avebury　and　the　Baltic　Northmen；　past　the　emperors　and　the　Corinthian　columns　that　smothered　Latin　Europe。　。　。　。　For　you　and　me　anyhow　this　is　our　past；　this　was　our　childhood；　and　this　is　our　land。〃　He　interrupted　laughing　as　she　was　about　to　reply。　〃Well；　anyhow；〃　he　said；　〃it　is　a　beautiful　day　and　a　pretty　country　before　us　with　the　ripest　history　in　every　grain　of　its　soil。　So　we'll　send　a　wire　to　your　London　people　and　tell　them　to　send　their　instructions　to　Wells。〃　〃I'll　tell　Belinda；〃　she　said；　〃to　be　quick　with　her　packing。〃　Section　7　As　Miss　Grammont　and　Sir　Richmond　Hardy　fulfilled　the　details　of　his　excellent　programme　and　revised　their　impressions　of　the　past　and　their　ideas　about　the　future　in　the　springtime　sunlight　of　Wiltshire　and　Somerset；　with　Miss　Seyffert　acting　the　part　of　an　almost　ostentatiously　discreet　chorus；　it　was　inevitable　that　their　conversation　should　become；　by　imperceptible　gradations；　more　personal　and　intimate。　They　kept　up　the　pose；　which　was　supposed　to　represent　Dr。　Martineau's　philosophy；　of　being　Man　and　Woman　on　their　Planet　considering　its　Future；　but　insensibly　they　developed　the　idiosyncrasies　of　their　position。　They　might　profess　to　be　Man　and　Woman　in　the　most　general　terms；　but　the　facts　that　she　was　the　daughter　not　of　Everyman　but　old　Grammont　and　that　Sir　Richmond　was　the　angry　leader　of　a　minority　upon　the　Fuel　Commission　became　more　and　more　important。　〃What　shall　we　do　with　this　planet　of　ours？　〃　gave　way　by　the　easiest　transitions　to　〃What　are　you　and　I　doing　and　what　have　we　got　to　do？　How　do　you　feel　about　it　all？　What　do　you　desire　and　what　do　you　dare？〃　It　was　natural　that　Sir　Richmond　should　talk　of　his　Fuel　Commission　to　a　young　woman　whose　interests　in　fuel　were　even　greater　than　his　own。　He　found　that　she　was　very　much　better　read　than　he　was　in　the　recent　literature　of　socialism；　and　that　she　had　what　he　considered　to　be　a　most　unfeminine　grasp　of　economic　ideas。　He　thought　her　attitude　towards　socialism　a　very　sane　one　because　it　was　also　his　own。　So　far　as　socialism　involved　the　idea　of　a　scientific　control　of　natural　resources　as　a　common　property　administered　in　the　common　interest；　she　and　he　were　very　greatly　attracted　by　it；　but　so　far　as　it　served　as　a　form　of　expression　for　the　merely　insubordinate　discontent　of　the　many　with　the　few；　under　any　conditions；　so　long　as　it　was　a　formula　for　class　jealousy　and　warfare；　they　were　both　repelled　by　it。　If　she　had　had　any　illusions　about　the　working　class　possessing　as　a　class　any　profounder　political　wisdom　or　more　generous　public　impulses　than　any　other　class；　those　illusions　had　long　since　departed。　People　were　much　the　same；　she　thought；　in　every　class；　there　was　no　stratification　of　either　rightness　or　righteousness。　He　found　he　could　talk　to　her　of　his　work　and　aims　upon　the　Fuel　Commission　and　of　the　conflict　and　failure　of　motives　he　found　in　himself；　as　freely　as　he　had　done　to　Dr。　Martineau　and　with　a　surer　confidence　of　understanding。　Perhaps　his　talks　with　the　doctor　had　got　his　ideas　into　order　and　made　them　more　readily　expressible　than　they　would　have　been　otherwise。　He　argued　against　the　belief　that　any　class　could　be　good　as　a　class　or　bad　as　a　class；　and　he　instanced　the　conflict　of　motives　he　found　in　all　the　members　of　his　Committee　and　most　so　in　himself。　He　repeated　the　persuasion　he　had　already　confessed　to　Dr。　Martineau　that　there　was　not　a　single　member　of　the　Fuel　Commission　but　had　a　considerable　drive　towards　doing　the　right　thing　about　fuel；　and　not　one　who　had　a　single…minded；　unencumbered　drive　towards　the　right　thing。　〃That；〃　said　Sir　Richmond；　〃is　what　makes　life　so　interesting　and；　in　spite　of　a　thousand　tragic　disappointments；　so　hopeful。　Every　man　is　a　bad　man；　every　man　is　a　feeble　man　and　every　man　is　a　good　man。　My　motives　come　and　go。　Yours　do　the　same。　We　vary　in　response　to　the　circumstances　about　us。　Given　a　proper　atmosphere；　most　men　will　be　public…spirited；　right…living；　generous。　Given　perplexities　and　darkness；　most　of　us　can　be　cowardly　and　vile。　People　say　you　cannot　change　human　nature　and　perhaps　that　is　true；　but　you　can　change　its　responses　endlessly。　The　other　day　I　was　in　Bohemia；　discussing　Silesian　coal　with　Benes；　and　I　went　to　see　the　Festival　of　the　Bohemian　Sokols。　Opposite　to　where　I　sat；　far　away　across　the　arena；　was　a　great　bank　of　men　of　the　Sokol　organizations；　an　unbroken　brown　mass　wrapped　in　their　brown　uniform　cloaks。　Suddenly　the　sun　came　out　and　at　a　word　the　whole　body　flung　back　their　cloaks；　showed　their　Garibaldi　shirts　and　became　one　solid　blaze　of　red。　It　was　an　amazing　transformation　until　one　understood　what　had　happened。　Yet　nothing　material　had　changed　but　the　sunshine。　And　given　a　change　in　laws　and　prevailing　ideas；　and　the　very　same　people　who　are　greedy　traders；　grasping　owners　and　revolting　workers　to…day　will　all　throw　their　cloaks　aside　and　you　will　find　them　working　together　cheerfully；　even　generously；　for　a　common　end。　They　aren't　traders　and　owners　and　workers　and　so　forth　by　any　inner　necessity。　Those　are　just　the　ugly　parts　they　play　in　the　present　drama。　Which　is　nearly　at　the　end　of　its　run。〃　〃That's　a　hopeful　view；〃　said　Miss　Grammont。　〃I　don't　see　the　flaw　in　itif　there　is　a　flaw。〃　〃There　isn't　one；　〃　said　Sir　Richmond。　〃It　is　my　chief　discovery　about　life。　I　began　with　the　question　of　fuel　and　the　energy　it　affords　mankind；　and　I　have　found　that　my　generalization　applies　to　all　human　affairs。　Human　beings　are　fools；　weaklings；　cowards；　passionate　idiots；I　grant　you。　That　is　the　brown　cloak　side　of　them；　so　to　speak。　But　they　are　not　such　fools　and　so　forth　that　they　can't　do　pretty　well　materially　if　once　we　hammer　out　a　sane　collective　method　of　getting　and　using　fuel。　Which　people　generally　will　understandin　the　place　of　our　present　methods　of　snatch　and　wrangle。　Of　that　I　am　absolutely　convinced。　Some　work；　some　help；　some　willingness　you　can　get　out　of　everybody。　That's　the　red。　And　the　same　principle　applies　to　most　labour　and　property　problems；　to　health；　to　education；　to　population；　social　relationships　and　war　and　peace。　We　haven't　got　the　right　system；　we　have　inefficient　half…baked　systems；　or　no　system　at　all；　and　a　wild　confusion　and　war　of　ideas　in　all　these　respects。　But　there　is　a　right　system　possible　none　the　less。　Let　us　only　hammer　our　way　through　to　the　sane　and　reasonable　organization　in　this　and　that　and　the　other　human　affairs；　and　once　we　have　got　it；　we　shall　have　got