the research magnificent-第20章

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3

It　is　not　to　be　supposed　that　Benham　came　to　town　only　with　a　general　theory　of　aristocracy。　　He　had　made　plans　for　a　career。　Indeed；　he　had　plans　for　several　careers。　　None　of　them　when　brought　into　contrast　with　the　great　spectacle　of　London　retained　all　the　attractiveness　that　had　saturated　them　at　their　inception。　They　were　all　more　or　less　political　careers。　　Whatever　a　democratic　man　may　be；　Prothero　and　he　had　decided　that　an　aristocratic　man　is　a　public　man。　　He　is　made　and　protected　in　what　he　is　by　laws　and　the　state　and　his　honour　goes　out　to　the　state。　　The　aristocrat　has　no　right　to　be　a　voluptuary　or　a　mere　artist　or　a　respectable　nonentity；　or　any　such　purely　personal　things。　　Responsibility　for　the　aim　and　ordering　of　the　world　is　demanded　from　him　as　imperatively　as　courage。　Benham's　deliberate　assumption　of　the　equestrian　role　brought　him　into　contact　with　a　new　set　of　acquaintances；　conscious　of　political　destinies。　　They　were　amiable；　hard　young　men；　almost　affectedly　unaffected；　they　breakfasted　before　dawn　to　get　in　a　day's　hunting；　and　they　saw　to　it　that　Benham's　manifest　determination　not　to　discredit　himself　did　not　lead　to　his　breaking　his　neck。　　Their　bodies　were　beautifully　tempered；　and　their　minds　were　as　flabby　as　Prothero's　body。　　Among　them　were　such　men　as　Lord　Breeze　and　Peter　Westerton；　and　that　current　set　of　Corinthians　who　supposed　themselves　to　be　resuscitating　the　Young　England　movement　and　Tory　Democracy。　　Poor　movements　which　indeed　have　never　so　much　lived　as　suffered　chronic　resuscitation。　　These　were　days　when　Tariff　Reform　was　only　an　inglorious　possibility　for　the　Tory　Party；　and　Young　England　had　yet　to　demonstrate　its　mental　quality　in　an　anti…　socialist　campaign。　　Seen　from　the　perspectives　of　Cambridge　and　Chexington；　the　Tory　party　was　still　a　credible　basis　for　the　adventure　of　a　young　man　with　an　aristocratic　theory　in　his　mind。　These　were　the　days　when　the　strain　and　extremity　of　a　dangerous　colonial　war　were　fresh　in　people's　minds；　when　the　quality　of　the　public　consciousness　was　braced　up　by　its　recent　response　to　unanticipated　demands。　　The　conflict　of　stupidities　that　had　caused　the　war　was　overlaid　and　forgotten　by　a　hundred　thousand　devotions；　by　countless　heroic　deaths　and　sufferings；　by　a　pacification　largely　conceived　and　broadly　handled。　　The　nation　had　displayed　a　belated　regard　for　its　honour　and　a　sustained　passion　for　great　unities。　　It　was　still　possible　for　Benham　to　regard　the　empire　as　a　splendid　opportunity；　and　London　as　the　conceivable　heart　of　the　world。　　He　could　think　of　Parliament　as　a　career；　and　of　a　mingling　of　aristocratic　socialism　based　on　universal　service　with　a　civilizing　imperialism　as　a　purpose。　。　。　。　But　his　thoughts　had　gone　wider　and　deeper　than　that。　。　。　。　Already　when　Benham　came　to　London　he　had　begun　to　dream　of　possibilities　that　went　beyond　the　accidental　states　and　empires　of　to…day。　　Prothero's　mind；　replete　with　historical　detail；　could　find　nothing　but　absurdity　in　the　alliances　and　dynasties　and　loyalties　of　our　time。　　〃Patched　up　things；　Benham；　temporary；　pretentious。　All　very　well　for　the　undignified　man；　the　democratic　man；　to　take　shelter　under；　all　very　well　for　the　humourist　to　grin　and　bear；　all　very　well　for　the　crowd　and　the　quack；　but　not　for　the　aristocrat　No！his　mind　cuts　like　steel　and　burns　like　fire。　　Lousy　sheds　they　are；　plastered　hoardings　。　。　。　and　such　a　damned　nuisance　too！　　For　any　one　who　wants　to　do　honourable　things！　　With　their　wars　and　their　diplomacies；　their　tariffs　and　their　encroachments；　all　their　humbugging　struggles；　their　bloody　and　monstrous　struggles；　that　finally　work　out　to　no　end　at　all。　。　。　。　　If　you　are　going　for　the　handsome　thing　in　life　then　the　world　has　to　be　a　united　world；　Benham；　as　a　matter　of　course。　　That　was　settled　when　the　railways　and　the　telegraph　came。　　Telephones；　wireless　telegraphy；　aeroplanes　insist　on　it。　　We've　got　to　mediatise　all　this　stuff；　all　these　little　crowns　and　boundaries　and　creeds；　and　so　on；　that　stand　in　the　way。　　Just　as　Italy　had　to　be　united　in　spite　of　all　the　rotten　little　dukes　and　princes　and　republics；　just　as　Germany　had　to　be　united　in　spite　of　its　scores　of　kingdoms　and　duchies　and　liberties；　so　now　the　world。　　Things　as　they　are　may　be　fun　for　lawyers　and　politicians　and　court　people　anddouaniers；　they　may　suit　the　loan…　mongers　and　the　armaments　shareholders；　they　may　even　be　more　comfortable　for　the　middle…aged；　but　what；　except　as　an　inconvenience；　does　that　matter　to　you　or　me？　Prothero　always　pleased　Benham　when　he　swept　away　empires。　　There　was　always　a　point　when　the　rhetoric　broke　into　gesture。　〃We've　got　to　sweep　them　away；　Benham；〃　he　said；　with　a　wide　gesture　of　his　arm。　　〃We've　got　to　sweep　them　all　away。〃　Prothero　helped　himself　to　some　more　whiskey；　and　spoke　hastily；　because　he　was　afraid　some　one　else　might　begin。　　He　was　never　safe　from　interruption　in　his　own　room。　　The　other　young　men　present　sucked　at　their　pipes　and　regarded　him　doubtfully。　　They　were　never　quite　certain　whether　Prothero　was　a　prophet　or　a　fool。　　They　could　not　understand　a　mixed　type；　and　he　was　so　manifestly　both。　〃The　only　sane　political　work　for　an　intelligent　man　is　to　get　the　world…state　ready。　　For　that　we　have　to　prepare　an　aristocracy〃　〃Your　world…state　will　be　aristocratic？〃　some　one　interpolated。　〃Of　course　it　will　be　aristocratic。　　How　can　uninformed　men　think　all　round　the　globe？　　Democracy　dies　five　miles　from　the　parish　pump。　　It　will　be　an　aristocratic　republic　of　all　the　capable　men　in　the　world。　。　。　。〃　〃Of　course；〃　he　added；　pipe　in　mouth；　as　he　poured　out　his　whiskey；　〃it's　a　big　undertaking。　　It's　an　affair　of　centuries。　。　。　。〃　And　then；　as　a　further　afterthought：　〃All　the　more　reason　for　getting　to　work　at　it。　。　。　。〃　In　his　moods　of　inspiration　Prothero　would　discourse　through　the　tobacco　smoke　until　that　great　world…state　seemed　imminentand　Part　Two　in　the　Tripos　a　thing　relatively　remote。　　He　would　talk　until　the　dimly…lit　room　about　him　became　impalpable；　and　the　young　men　squatting　about　it　in　elaborately　careless　attitudes　caught　glimpses　of　cities　that　are　still　to　be；　bridges　in　wild　places；　deserts　tamed　and　oceans　conquered；　mankind　no　longer　wasted　by　bickerings；　going　forward　to　the　conquest　of　the　stars。　。　。　。　An　aristocratic　world…state；　this　political　dream　had　already　taken　hold　of　Benham's　imagination　when　he　came　to　town。　　But　it　was　a　dream；　something　that　had　never　existed；　something　that　indeed　may　never　materialize；　and　such　dreams；　though　they　are　vivid　enough　in　a　study　at　night；　fade　and　vanish　at　the　rustle　of　a　daily　newspaper　or　the　sound　of　a　passing　band。　　To　come　back　again。　。　。　。　　So　it　was　with　Benham。　　Sometimes　he　was　set　clearly　towards　this　world…　state　that　Prothero　had　talked　into　possibility。　　Sometimes　he　was　simply　abreast　of　the　patriotic　and　socially　constructive　British　Imperialism　of　Breeze　and　Westerton。　　And　there　were　moods　when　the　two　things　were　confused　in　his　mind；　and　the　glamour　of　world　dominion　rested　wonderfully　on　the　slack　and　straggling　British　Empire　of　Edward　the　Seventhand　Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling　and　Mr。　Chamberlain。　　He　did　go　on　for　a　time　honestly　entertaining　both　these　projects　in　his　mind；　each　at　its　different　level；　the　greater　impalpable　one　and　the　lesser　concrete　one　within　it。　　In　some　unimaginable　way　he　could　suppose　that　the　one　by　some　miracle　of　ennoblementand　neglecting　the　Frenchman；　the　Russian；　the　German；　the　American；　the　Indian；　the　Chinaman；　and；　indeed；　the　greater　part　of　mankind　from　the　problemmight　become　the　other。　。　。　。　All　of　which　is　recorded　here；　without　excess　of　comment；　as　it　happened；　and　as；　in　a　mood　of　astonished　reminiscences；　he　came　finally　to　perceive　it；　and　set　it　down　for　White's　meditative　perusal。

4

But　to　the　enthusiasm　of　the　young；　dreams　have　something　of　the　substance　of　reality　and　realities；　something　of　the　magic　of　dreams。　　The　London　to　which　Benham　came　from　Cambridge　and　the　disquisitions　of　Prothero　was　not　the　London　of　a　mature　and　disillusioned　vision。　　It　was　London　seen　magnified　and　distorted　through　the　young　man's　crystalline　intentions。　　It　had　for　him　a　quality　of　multitudinous；　unquenchable　activity。　　Himself　filled　with　an　immense　appetite　for　life；　he　was　unable　to　conceive　of　London　as　fatigued。　　He　could　not　suspect　these　statesmen　he　now　began　to　meet　and　watch；　of　jaded　wills　and　petty　spites；　he　imagined　that　all　the　important　and　influential　persons　in　this　large　world　of　affairs　were　as　frank　in　their　private　lives　and　as　unembarrassed　in　their　financial　relationships　as　his　untainted　self。　　And　he　had　still　to　reckon　with　stupidity。　　He　believed　in　the　statecraft　of　leader…writers　and　the　sincerity　of　political　programmes。　　And　so　regarded；　what　an　avenue　to　Empire　was　Whitehall！　　How　momentous　was　the　sunrise　in　St。　James's　Park；　and　how　significant　the　clustering　knot　of　listeners　and　speakers　beneath　the　tall　column　that　lifts　our　Nelson　to　the　windy　sky！　For　a　time　Benham　was　in　love　with　the　idea　of　London。　　He　got　maps　of　London　and　books　about　London。　　He　made　plans　to　explore　its　various　regions。　　He　tried　to　grasp　it　all；　from　the　conscious　picturesqueness　of　its　garden