man and superman-第22章
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arrived about two minutes after I had received her letter and
read it。
ANN。 Rhoda has written to you！
TANNER。 With full particulars。
OCTAVIUS。 Never mind him； Ann。 You were right； quite right。 Ann
was only doing her duty； Jack； and you know it。 Doing it in the
kindest way； too。
ANN。 ＇going to Octavius＇ How kind you are； Tavy！ How helpful！
How well you understand！
Octavius beams。
TANNER。 Ay： tighten the coils。 You love her； Tavy； don't you？
OCTAVIUS。 She knows I do。
ANN。 Hush。 For shame； Tavy！
TANNER。 Oh； I give you leave。 I am your guardian； and I commit
you to Tavy's care for the next hour。
ANN。 No； Jack。 I must speak to you about Rhoda。 Ricky： will you
go back to the house and entertain your American friend？ He's
rather on Mamma's hands so early in the morning。 She wants to
finish her housekeeping。
OCTAVIUS。 I fly； dearest Ann ＇he kisses her hand＇。
ANN。 ＇tenderly＇ Ricky Ticky Tavy！
He looks at her with an eloquent blush； and runs off。
TANNER。 ＇bluntly＇ Now look here； Ann。 This time you've landed
yourself； and if Tavy were not in love with you past all
salvation he'd have found out what an incorrigible liar you are。
ANN。 You misunderstand； Jack。 I didn't dare tell Tavy the truth。
TANNER。 No： your daring is generally in the opposite direction。
What the devil do you mean by telling Rhoda that I am too vicious
to associate with her？ How can I ever have any human or decent
relations with her again； now that you have poisoned her mind in
that abominable way？
ANN。 I know you are incapable of behaving badly。
TANNER。 Then why did you lie to her？
ANN。 I had to。
TANNER。 Had to！
ANN。 Mother made me。
TANNER。 ＇his eye flashing＇ Ha！ I might have known it。 The mother！
Always the mother！
ANN。 It was that dreadful book of yours。 You know how timid
mother is。 All timid women are conventional： we must be
conventional； Jack； or we are so cruelly； so vilely misunderstood。
Even you； who are a man； cannot say what you think without being
misunderstood and vilifiedyes： I admit it： I have had to vilify
you。 Do you want to have poor Rhoda misunderstood and vilified to
the same way？ Would it be right for mother to let her expose
herself to such treatment before she is old enough to judge for
herself？
TANNER。 In short； the way to avoid misunderstanding is for
everybody to lie and slander and insinuate and pretend as hard as
they can。 That is what obeying your mother comes to。
ANN。 I love my mother； Jack。
TANNER。 ＇working himself up into a sociological rage＇ Is that any
reason why you are not to call your soul your own？ Oh； I protest
against this vile abjection of youth to age！ look at fashionable
society as you know it。 What does it pretend to be？ An exquisite
dance of nymphs。 What is it？ A horrible procession of wretched
girls； each in the claws of a cynical； cunning； avaricious；
disillusioned； ignorantly experienced； foul…minded old woman whom
she calls mother； and whose duty it is to corrupt her mind and
sell her to the highest bidder。 Why do these unhappy slaves marry
anybody； however old and vile； sooner than not marry at all？
Because marriage is their only means of escape from these
decrepit fiends who hide their selfish ambitions； their jealous
hatreds of the young rivals who have supplanted them； under the
mask of maternal duty and family affection。 Such things are
abominable： the voice of nature proclaims for the daughter a
father's care and for the son a mother's。 The law for father and
son and mother and daughter is not the law of love： it is the
law of revolution； of emancipation； of final supersession of the
old and worn…out by the young and capable。 I tell you； the first
duty of manhood and womanhood is a Declaration of Independence：
the man who pleads his father's authority is no man： the woman
who pleads her mother's authority is unfit to bear citizens to a
free people。
ANN。 ＇watching him with quiet curiosity＇ I suppose you will go in
seriously for politics some day； Jack。
TANNER。 ＇heavily let down＇ Eh？ What？ Wh？ ＇Collecting his
scattered wits＇ What has that got to do with what I have been
saying？
ANN。 You talk so well。
TANNER。 Talk！ Talk！ It means nothing to you but talk。 Well； go
back to your mother； and help her to poison Rhoda's imagination
as she has poisoned yours。 It is the tame elephants who enjoy
capturing the wild ones。
ANN。 I am getting on。 Yesterday I was a boa constrictor： to…day I
am an elephant。
TANNER。 Yes。 So pack your trunk and begone； I have no more to say
to you。
ANN。 You are so utterly unreasonable and impracticable。 What can
I do？
TANNER。 Do！ Break your chains。 Go your way according to your own
conscience and not according to your mother's。 Get your mind
clean and vigorous； and learn to enjoy a fast ride in a motor car
instead of seeing nothing in it but an excuse for a detestable
intrigue。 Come with me to Marseilles and across to Algiers and to
Biskra； at sixty miles an hour。 Come right down to the Cape if
you like。 That will be a Declaration of Independence with a
vengeance。 You can write a book about it afterwards。 That will
finish your mother and make a woman of you。
ANN。 ＇thoughtfully＇ I don't think there would be any harm in
that； Jack。 You are my guardian： you stand in my father's place；
by his own wish。 Nobody could say a word against our travelling
together。 It would be delightful： thank you a thousand times；
Jack。 I'll come。
TANNER。 ＇aghast＇ You'll come！！！
ANN。 Of course。
TANNER。 But ＇he stops； utterly appalled； then resumes feebly＇
No： look here； Ann： if there's no harm in it there's no point in
doing it。
ANN。 How absurd you are！ You don't want to compromise me； do you？
TANNER。 Yes： that's the whole sense of my proposal。
ANN。 You are talking the greatest nonsense； and you know it。 You
would never do anything to hurt me。
TANNER。 Well； if you don't want to be compromised； don't come。
ANN。 ＇with simple earnestness＇ Yes； I will come； Jack； since you
wish it。 You are my guardian； and think we ought to see more of
one another and come to know one another better。 ＇Gratefully＇
It's very thoughtful and very kind of you； Jack； to offer me this
lovely holiday； especially after what I said about Rhoda。 You
really are goodmuch better than you think。 When do we start？
TANNER。 But
The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Mrs Whitefield
from the house。 She is accompanied by the American gentleman； and
followed by Ramsden and Octavius。
Hector Malone is an Eastern American； but he is not at all
ashamed of his nationality。 This makes English people of fashion
think well of him； as of a young fellow who is manly enough to
confess to an obvious disadvantage without any attempt to conceal
or extenuate it。 They feel that he ought not to be made to suffer
for what is clearly not his fault； and make a point of being
specially kind to him。 His chivalrous manners to women； and his
elevated moral sentiments； being both gratuitous and unusual；
strike them as being a little unfortunate； and though they find
his vein of easy humor rather amusing when it has ceased to
puzzle them （as it does at first）； they have had to make him
understand that he really must not tell anecdotes unless they
are strictly personal and scandalous； and also that oratory is an
accomplishment which belongs to a cruder stage of civilization
than that in which his migration has landed him。 On these points
Hector is not quite convinced： he still thinks that the British
are apt to make merits of their stupidities； and to represent
their various incapacities as points of good breeding。 English
life seems to him to suffer from a lack of edifying rhetoric
（which he calls moral tone）； English behavior to show a want of
respect for womanhood； English pronunciation to fail very
vulgarly in tackling such words as world； girl； bird； etc。；
English society to be plain spoken to an extent which stretches
occasionally to intolerable coarseness； and English intercourse
to need enlivening by games and stories and other pastimes； so he
does not feel called upon to acquire these defects after taking
great paths to cultivate himself in a first
