the unbearable bassington-第2章

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bridge　structure　had　all　been　carefully　thought　out。　　Only　…　it　was　

an　unfortunate　circumstance　that　Comus　should　have　been　the　span　on　

which　everything　balanced。



Francesca's　husband　had　insisted　on　giving　the　boy　that　strange　

Pagan　name；　and　had　not　lived　long　enough　to　judge　as　to　the　

appropriateness；　or　otherwise；　of　its　significance。　　In　seventeen　

years　and　some　odd　months　Francesca　had　had　ample　opportunity　for　

forming　an　opinion　concerning　her　son's　characteristics。　　The　

spirit　of　mirthfulness　which　one　associates　with　the　name　certainly　

ran　riot　in　the　boy；　but　it　was　a　twisted　wayward　sort　of　mirth　of　

which　Francesca　herself　could　seldom　see　the　humorous　side。　　In　her　

brother　Henry；　who　sat　eating　small　cress　sandwiches　as　solemnly　as　

though　they　had　been　ordained　in　some　immemorial　Book　of　

Observances；　fate　had　been　undisguisedly　kind　to　her。　　He　might　so　

easily　have　married　some　pretty　helpless　little　woman；　and　lived　at　

Notting　Hill　Gate；　and　been　the　father　of　a　long　string　of　pale；　

clever　useless　children；　who　would　have　had　birthdays　and　the　sort　

of　illnesses　that　one　is　expected　to　send　grapes　to；　and　who　would　

have　painted　fatuous　objects　in　a　South　Kensington　manner　as　

Christmas　offerings　to　an　aunt　whose　cubic　space　for　lumber　was　

limited。　　Instead　of　committing　these　unbrotherly　actions；　which　

are　so　frequent　in　family　life　that　they　might　almost　be　called　

brotherly；　Henry　had　married　a　woman　who　had　both　money　and　a　sense　

of　repose；　and　their　one　child　had　the　brilliant　virtue　of　never　

saying　anything　which　even　its　parents　could　consider　worth　

repeating。　　Then　he　had　gone　into　Parliament；　possibly　with　the　

idea　of　making　his　home　life　seem　less　dull；　at　any　rate　it　

redeemed　his　career　from　insignificance；　for　no　man　whose　death　can　

produce　the　item　〃another　by…election〃　on　the　news　posters　can　be　

wholly　a　nonentity。　　Henry；　in　short；　who　might　have　been　an　

embarrassment　and　a　handicap；　had　chosen　rather　to　be　a　friend　and　

counsellor；　at　times　even　an　emergency　bank　balance；　Francesca　on　

her　part；　with　the　partiality　which　a　clever　and　lazily…inclined　

woman　often　feels　for　a　reliable　fool；　not　only　sought　his　counsel　

but　frequently　followed　it。　　When　convenient；　moreover；　she　repaid　

his　loans。



Against　this　good　service　on　the　part　of　Fate　in　providing　her　with　

Henry　for　a　brother；　Francesca　could　well　set　the　plaguy　malice　of　

the　destiny　that　had　given　her　Comus　for　a　son。　　The　boy　was　one　of　

those　untameable　young　lords　of　misrule　that　frolic　and　chafe　

themselves　through　nursery　and　preparatory　and　public…school　days　

with　the　utmost　allowance　of　storm　and　dust　and　dislocation　and　the　

least　possible　amount　of　collar…work；　and　come　somehow　with　a　laugh　

through　a　series　of　catastrophes　that　has　reduced　everyone　else　

concerned　to　tears　or　Cassandra…like　forebodings。　　Sometimes　they　

sober　down　in　after…life　and　become　uninteresting；　forgetting　that　

they　were　ever　lords　of　anything；　sometimes　Fate　plays　royally　into　

their　hands；　and　they　do　great　things　in　a　spacious　manner；　and　are　

thanked　by　Parliaments　and　the　Press　and　acclaimed　by　gala…day　

crowds。　　But　in　most　cases　their　tragedy　begins　when　they　leave　

school　and　turn　themselves　loose　in　a　world　that　has　grown　too　

civilised　and　too　crowded　and　too　empty　to　have　any　place　for　them。　　

And　they　are　very　many。



Henry　Greech　had　made　an　end　of　biting　small　sandwiches；　and　

settled　down　like　a　dust…storm　refreshed；　to　discuss　one　of　the　

fashionably　prevalent　topics　of　the　moment；　the　prevention　of　

destitution。



〃It　is　a　question　that　is　only　being　nibbled　at；　smelt　at；　one　

might　say；　at　the　present　moment；〃　he　observed；　〃but　it　is　one　that　

will　have　to　engage　our　serious　attention　and　consideration　before　

long。　　The　first　thing　that　we　shall　have　to　do　is　to　get　out　of　

the　dilettante　and　academic　way　of　approaching　it。　　We　must　collect　

and　assimilate　hard　facts。　　It　is　a　subject　that　ought　to　appeal　to　

all　thinking　minds；　and　yet；　you　know；　I　find　it　surprisingly　

difficult　to　interest　people　in　it。〃



Francesca　made　some　monosyllabic　response；　a　sort　of　sympathetic　

grunt　which　was　meant　to　indicate　that　she　was；　to　a　certain　

extent；　listening　and　appreciating。　　In　reality　she　was　reflecting　

that　Henry　possibly　found　it　difficult　to　interest　people　in　any　

topic　that　he　enlarged　on。　　His　talents　lay　so　thoroughly　in　the　

direction　of　being　uninteresting；　that　even　as　an　eye…witness　of　

the　massacre　of　St。　Bartholomew　he　would　probably　have　infused　a　

flavour　of　boredom　into　his　descriptions　of　the　event。



〃I　was　speaking　down　in　Leicestershire　the　other　day　on　this　

subject；〃　continued　Henry；　〃and　I　pointed　out　at　some　length　a　

thing　that　few　people　ever　stop　to　consider　…　〃



Francesca　went　over　immediately　but　decorously　to　the　majority　that　

will　not　stop　to　consider。



〃Did　you　come　across　any　of　the　Barnets　when　you　were　down　there？〃　

she　interrupted；　〃Eliza　Barnet　is　rather　taken　up　with　all　those　

subjects。〃



In　the　propagandist　movements　of　Sociology；　as　in　other　arenas　of　

life　and　struggle；　the　fiercest　competition　and　rivalry　is　

frequently　to　be　found　between　closely　allied　types　and　species。　　

Eliza　Barnet　shared　many　of　Henry　Greech's　political　and　social　

views；　but　she　also　shared　his　fondness　for　pointing　things　out　at　

some　length；　there　had　been　occasions　when　she　had　extensively　

occupied　the　strictly　limited　span　allotted　to　the　platform　oratory　

of　a　group　of　speakers　of　whom　Henry　Greech　had　been　an　impatient　

unit。　　He　might　see　eye　to　eye　with　her　on　the　leading　questions　of　

the　day；　but　he　persistently　wore　mental　blinkers　as　far　as　her　

estimable　qualities　were　concerned；　and　the　mention　of　her　name　was　

a　skilful　lure　drawn　across　the　trail　of　his　discourse；　if　

Francesca　had　to　listen　to　his　eloquence　on　any　subject　she　much　

preferred　that　it　should　be　a　disparagement　of　Eliza　Barnet　rather　

than　the　prevention　of　destitution。



〃I've　no　doubt　she　means　well；〃　said　Henry；　〃but　it　would　be　a　good　

thing　if　she　could　be　induced　to　keep　her　own　personality　a　little　

more　in　the　background；　and　not　to　imagine　that　she　is　the　

necessary　mouthpiece　of　all　the　progressive　thought　in　the　

countryside。　　I　fancy　Canon　Besomley　must　have　had　her　in　his　mind　

when　he　said　that　some　people　came　into　the　world　to　shake　empires　

and　others　to　move　amendments。〃



Francesca　laughed　with　genuine　amusement。



〃I　suppose　she　is　really　wonderfully　well　up　in　all　the　subjects　

she　talks　about；〃　was　her　provocative　comment。



Henry　grew　possibly　conscious　of　the　fact　that　he　was　being　drawn　

out　on　the　subject　of　Eliza　Barnet；　and　he　presently　turned　on　to　a　

more　personal　topic。



〃From　the　general　air　of　tranquillity　about　the　house　I　presume　

Comus　has　gone　back　to　Thaleby；〃　he　observed。



〃Yes；〃　said　Francesca；　〃he　went　back　yesterday。　　Of　course；　I'm　

very　fond　of　him；　but　I　bear　the　separation　well。　　When　he's　here　

it's　rather　like　having　a　live　volcano　in　the　house；　a　volcano　that　

in　its　quietest　moments　asks　incessant　questions　and　uses　strong　

scent。〃



〃It　is　only　a　temporary　respite；〃　said　Henry；　〃in　a　year　or　two　he　

will　be　leaving　school；　and　then　what？〃



Francesca　closed　her　eyes　with　the　air　of　one　who　seeks　to　shut　out　

a　distressing　vision。　　She　was　not　fond　of　looking　intimately　at　

the　future　in　the　presence　of　another　person；　especially　when　the　

future　was　draped　in　doubtfully　auspicious　colours。



〃And　then　what？〃　persisted　Henry。



〃Then　I　suppose　he　will　be　upon　my　hands。〃



〃Exactly。〃



〃Don't　sit　there　looking　judicial。　　I'm　quite　ready　to　listen　to　

suggestions　if　you've　any　to　make。〃



〃In　the　case　of　any　ordinary　boy；〃　said　Henry；　〃I　might　make　lots　

of　suggestions　as　to　the　finding　of　suitable　employment。　　From　what　

we　know　of　Comus　it