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a mortal antipathy-第27章

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I am sorry to hear that it has not proved effectual in putting a stop

to the abuse of a deserving class of men。  It ought to have done it;

it was well conceived; and its public manifesto was a masterpiece。

(I saw by his expression that he was its author。)



〃'I see I can trust you;' he said。  'I will unbosom myself freely of

some of the grievances attaching to the position of the individual to

whom you have applied the term 〃Literary Celebrity。〃



〃'He is supposed to be a millionaire; in virtue of the immense sales

of his books; all the money from which; it is taken for granted; goes

into his pocket。  Consequently; all subscription papers are handed to

him for his signature; and every needy stranger who has heard his

name comes to him for assistance。



〃'He is expected to subscribe for all periodicals; and is goaded by

receiving blank formulae; which; with their promises to pay; he is

expected to fill up。



〃'He receives two or three books daily; with requests to read and

give his opinion about each of them; which opinion; if it has a word

which can be used as an advertisement; he will find quoted in all the

newspapers。



〃'He receives thick masses of manuscript; prose and verse; which he

is called upon to examine and pronounce on their merits; these

manuscripts having almost invariably been rejected by the editors to

whom they have been sent; and having as a rule no literary value

whatever。



〃'He is expected to sign petitions; to contribute to journals; to

write for fairs; to attend celebrations; to make after…dinner

speeches; to send money for objects he does not believe in to places

he never heard of。



〃'He is called on to keep up correspondences with unknown admirers;

who begin by saying they have no claim upon his time; and then

appropriate it by writing page after page; if of the male sex; and

sheet after sheet; if of the other。



〃'If a poet; it is taken for granted that he can sit down at any

moment and spin off any number of verses on any subject which may be

suggested to him; such as congratulations to the writer's great…

grandmother on her reaching her hundredth year; an elegy on an infant

aged six weeks; an ode for the Fourth of July in a Western township

not to be found in Lippincott's last edition; perhaps a valentine for

some bucolic lover who believes that wooing in rhyme is the way to

win the object of his affections。'



〃Is n't it so?  I asked the Celebrity。



〃'I would bet on the prose lover。  She will show the verses to him;

and they will both have a good laugh over them。'





〃I have only reported a small part of the conversation I had with the

Literary Celebrity。  He was so much taken up with his pleasing self…

contemplation; while I made him air his opinions and feelings and

spread his characteristics as his laundress spreads and airs his

linen on the clothes…line; that I don't believe it ever occurred to

him that he had been in the hands of an interviewer until he found

himself exposed to the wind and sunshine in full dimensions in the

columns of The People's Perennial and Household Inquisitor。'〃



After the reading of this paper; much curiosity was shown as to who

the person spoken of as the 〃Literary Celebrity〃 might be。  Among the

various suppositions the startling idea was suggested that he was

neither more nor less than the unexplained personage known in the

village as Maurice Kirkwood。  Why should that be his real name?  Why

should not he be the Celebrity; who had taken this name and fled to

this retreat to escape from the persecutions of kind friends; who

were pricking him and stabbing him nigh to death with their daggers

of sugar candy?



The Secretary of the Pansophian Society determined to question the

Interviewer the next time she met him at the Library; which happened

soon after the meeting when his paper was read。



〃I do not know;〃 she said; in the course of a conversation in which

she had spoken warmly of his contribution to the literary

entertainment of the Society; 〃that you mentioned the name of the

Literary Celebrity whom you interviewed so successfully。〃



〃I did not mention him; Miss Vincent;〃 he answered; 〃nor do I think

it worth while to name him。  He might not care to have the whole

story told of how he was handled so as to make him communicative。

Besides; if I did; it would bring him a new batch of sympathetic

letters; regretting that he was bothered by those horrid

correspondents; full of indignation at the bores who presumed to

intrude upon him with their pages of trash; all the writers of which

would expect answers to their letters of condolence。〃



The Secretary asked the Interviewer if he knew the young gentleman

who called himself Maurice Kirkwood。



〃What;〃 he answered; 〃the man that paddles a birch canoe; and rides

all the wild horses of the neighborhood?  No; I don't know him; but I

have met him once or twice; out walking。  A mighty shy fellow; they

tell me。  Do you know anything particular about him?〃



〃Not much。  None of us do; but we should like to。  The story is that

be has a queer antipathy to something or to somebody; nobody knows

what or whom。〃



〃To newspaper correspondents; perhaps;〃 said the interviewer。  〃What

made you ask me about him?  You did n't think he was my 'Literary

Celebrity;' did you?〃



〃I did not know。  I thought he might be。  Why don't you interview

this mysterious personage?  He would make a good sensation for your

paper; I should think。〃



〃Why; what is there to be interviewed in him?  Is there any story of

crime; or anything else to spice a column or so; or even a few

paragraphs; with?  If there is; I am willing to handle him

professionally。〃



〃I told you he has what they call an antipathy。  I don't know how

much wiser you are for that piece of information。〃



〃An antipathy!  Why; so have I an antipathy。  I hate a spider; and as

for a naked caterpillar;I believe I should go into a fit if I had

to touch one。  I know I turn pale at the sight of some of those great

green caterpillars that come down from the elm…trees in August and

early autumn。〃



〃Afraid of them?〃 asked the young lady。



〃Afraid?  What should I be afraid of?  They can't bite or sting。  I

can't give any reason。  All I know is that when I come across one of

these creatures in my path I jump to one side; and cry out;

sometimes using very improper words。  The fact is; they make me crazy

for the moment。〃



〃I understand what you mean;〃 said Miss Vincent。  〃I used to have the

same feeling about spiders; but I was ashamed of it; and kept a

little menagerie of spiders until I had got over the feeling; that

is; pretty much got over it; for I don't love the creatures very

dearly; though I don't scream when I see one。〃



〃What did you tell me; Miss Vincent; was this fellow's particular

antipathy?〃



That is just the question。  I told you that we don't know and we

can't guess what it is。  The people here are tired out with trying to

discover some good reason for the young man's keeping out of the way

of everybody; as he does。  They say he is odd or crazy; and they

don't seem to be able to tell which。  It would make the old ladies of

the village sleep a great deal sounder;yes; and some of the young

ladies; too;if they could find out what this Mr。 Kirkwood has got

into his head; that he never comes near any of the people here。〃



〃I think I can find out;〃 said the Interviewer; whose professional

ambition was beginning to be excited。  〃I never came across anybody

yet that I could n't get something out of。  I am going to stay here a

week or two; and before I go I will find out the secret; if there is

any; of this Mr。 Maurice Kirkwood。〃



We must leave the Interviewer to his contrivances until they present

us with some kind of result; either in the shape of success or

failure。









XI



THE INTERVIEWER ATTACKS THE SPHINX。



When Miss Euthymia Tower sent her oar off in flashing splinters; as

she pulled her last stroke in the boat…race; she did not know what a

strain she was putting upon it。  She did know that she was doing her

best; but how great the force of her best was she was not aware until

she saw its effects。  Unconsciousness belonged to her robust nature;

in all its manifestations。  She did not pride herself on her

knowledge; nor reproach herself for her ignorance。  In every way she

formed a striking contrast to her friend; Miss Vincent。  Every word

they spoke betrayed the difference between them: the sharp tones of

Lurida's head…voice; penetrative; aggressive; sometimes irritating;

revealed the corresponding traits of mental and moral character; the

quiet; conversational contralto of Euthymia was the index of a nature

restful and sympathetic。



The friendships of young girls prefigure the closer relations which

will one day come in and dissolve their earlier intimacies。  The

depende
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