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第32章

a personal record-第32章

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truth is that what I had in view was not a naval career; but the



sea。  There seemed no way open to it but through France。  I had



the language; at any rate; and of all the countries in Europe it



is with France that Poland has most connection。  There were some



facilities for having me a little looked after; at first。 



Letters were being written; answers were being received;



arrangements were being made for my departure for Marseilles;



where an excellent fellow called Solary; got at in a round about



fashion through various French channels; had promised



good…naturedly to put le jeune homme in the way of getting a



decent ship for his first start if he really wanted a taste of ce



metier de chien。







I watched all these preparations gratefully; and kept my own



counsel。  But what I told the last of my examiners was perfectly



true。  Already the determined resolve that 〃if a seaman; then an



English seaman〃 was formulated in my head; though; of course; in



the Polish language。  I did not know six words of English; and I



was astute enough to understand that it was much better to say



nothing of my purpose。  As it was I was already looked upon as



partly insane; at least by the more distant acquaintances。 The



principal thing was to get away。  I put my trust in the



good…natured Solary's very civil letter to my uncle; though I was



shocked a little by the phrase about the metier de chien。







This Solary (Baptistin); when I beheld him in the flesh; turned



out a quite young man; very good…looking; with a fine black;



short beard; a fresh complexion; and soft; merry black eyes。  He



was as jovial and good natured as any boy could desire。  I was



still asleep in my room in a modest hotel near the quays of the



old port; after the fatigues of the journey via Vienna; Zurich;



Lyons; when he burst in; flinging the shutters open to the sun of



Provence and chiding me boisterously for lying abed。  How



pleasantly he startled me by his noisy objurgations to be up and



off instantly for a 〃three years' campaign in the South Seas!〃  O



magic words!  〃Une campagne de trois ans dans les mers du



sud〃that is the French for a three years' deep…water voyage。







He gave me a delightful waking; and his friendliness was



unwearied; but I fear he did not enter upon the quest for a ship



for me in a very solemn spirit。  He had been at sea himself; but



had left off at the age of twenty…five; finding he could earn his



living on shore in a much more agreeable manner。  He was related



to an incredible number of Marseilles well…to…do families of a



certain class。  One of his uncles was a ship…broker of good



standing; with a large connection among English ships; other



relatives of his dealt in ships' stores; owned sail…lofts; sold



chains and anchors; were master…stevedores; calkers; shipwrights。







His grandfather (I think) was a dignitary of a kind; the Syndic



of the Pilots。  I made acquaintances among these people; but



mainly among the pilots。  The very first whole day I ever spent



on salt water was by invitation; in a big half…decked pilot…boat;



cruising under close reefs on the lookout; in misty; blowing



weather; for the sails of ships and the smoke of steamers rising



out there; beyond the slim and tall Planier lighthouse cutting



the line of the wind…swept horizon with a white perpendicular



stroke。  They were hospitable souls; these sturdy Provencal



seamen。  Under the general designation of le petit ami de



Baptistin I was made the guest of the corporation of pilots; and



had the freedom of their boats night or day。  And many a day and



a night; too; did I spend cruising with these rough; kindly men;



under whose auspices my intimacy with the sea began。  Many a time



〃the little friend of Baptistin〃 had the hooded cloak of the



Mediterranean sailor thrown over him by their honest hands while



dodging at night under the lee of Chateau daft on the watch for



the lights of ships。  Their sea tanned faces; whiskered or



shaved; lean or full; with the intent; wrinkled sea eyes of the



pilot breed; and here and there a thin gold hoop at the lobe of a



hairy ear; bent over my sea infancy。  The first operation of



seamanship I had an opportunity of observing was the boarding of



ships at sea; at all times; in all states of the weather。  They



gave it to me to the full。  And I have been invited to sit in



more than one tall; dark house of the old town at their



hospitable board; had the bouillabaisse ladled out into a thick



plate by their high…voiced; broad…browed wives; talked to their



daughtersthick…set girls; with pure profiles; glorious masses



of black hair arranged with complicated art; dark eyes; and



dazzlingly white teeth。







I had also other acquaintances of quite a different sort。  One of



them; Madame Delestang; an imperious; handsome lady in a



statuesque style; would carry me off now and then on the front



seat of her carriage to the Prado; at the hour of fashionable



airing。  She belonged to one of the old aristocratic families in



the south。  In her haughty weariness she used to make me think of



Lady Dedlock in Dickens's 〃Bleak House;〃 a work of the master for



which I have such an admiration; or rather such an intense and



unreasoning affection; dating from the days of my childhood; that



its very weaknesses are more precious to me than the strength of



other men's work。  I have read it innumerable times; both in



Polish and in English; I have read it only the other day; and; by



a not very surprising inversion; the Lady Dedlock of the book



reminded me strongly of the 〃belle Madame Delestang。〃







Her husband (as I sat facing them both); with his thin; bony nose



and a perfectly bloodless; narrow physiognomy clamped together;



as it were; by short; formal side whiskers; had nothing of Sir



Leicester Dedlock's 〃grand air〃 and courtly solemnity。  He



belonged to the haute bourgeoisie only; and was a banker; with



whom a modest credit had been opened for my needs。  He was such



an ardentno; such a frozen…up; mummified Royalist that he used



in current conversation turns of speech contemporary; I should



say; with the good Henri Quatre; and when talking of money



matters; reckoned not in francs; like the common; godless herd of



post…Revolutionary Frenchmen; but in obsolete and forgotten



ecusecus of all money units in the world!as though Louis



Quatorze were still promenading in royal splendour the gardens of



Versailles; and Monsieur de Colbert busy with the direction of



maritime affairs。  You must admit that in a banker of the



nineteenth century it was a quaint idiosyncrasy。  Luckily; in the



counting…house (it occupied part of the ground floor of the



Delestang town residence; in a silent; shady street) the accounts



were kept in modern money; so that I never had any difficulty in



making my wants known to the grave; low…voiced; decorous;



Legitimist (I suppose) clerks; sitting in the perpetual gloom of



heavily barred windows behind the sombre; ancient counters;



beneath lofty ceilings with heavily molded cornices。  I always



felt; on going out; as though I had been in the temple of some



very dignified but completely temporal religion。  And it was



generally on these occasions that under the great carriage



gateway Lady DedI mean Madame Delestangcatching sight of my



raised hat; would beckon me with an amiable imperiousness to the



side of the carriage; and suggest with an air of amused



nonchalance; 〃Venez donc faire un tour avec nous;〃 to which the



husband would add an encouraging 〃C

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