first visit to new england-第13章

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shadow）　of　Europe　had　not　fallen。　　I　told　him　I　thought　the　West　must
finally　be　characterized　by　the　Germans；　whom　we　had　in　great　numbers；
and；　purely　from　my　zeal　for　German　poetry；　I　tried　to　allege　some　proofs
of　their　present　influence；　though　I　could　think　of　none　outside　of
politics；　which　I　thought　they　affected　wholesomely。　　I　knew　Hawthorne
was　a　Democrat；　and　I　felt　it　well　to　touch　politics　lightly；　but　he　had
no　more　to　say　about　the　fateful　election　then　pending　than　Holmes　or
Lowell　had。

With　the　abrupt　transition　of　his　talk　throughout；　he　began　somehow　to
speak　of　women；　and　said　he　had　never　seen　a　woman　whom　he　thought　quite
beautiful。　　In　the　same　way　he　spoke　of　the　New　England　temperament；　and
suggested　that　the　apparent　coldness　in　it　was　also　real；　and　that　the
suppression　of　emotion　for　generations　would　extinguish　it　at　last。　　Then
he　questioned　me　as　to　my　knowledge　of　Concord；　and　whether　I　had　seen
any　of　the　notable　people。　　I　answered　that　I　had　met　no　one　but　himself；
as　yet；　but　I　very　much　wished　to　see　Emerson　and　Thoreau。　　I　did　not
think　it　needful　to　say　that　I　wished　to　see　Thoreau　quite　as　much
because　he　had　suffered　in　the　cause　of　John　Brown　as　because　he　had
written　the　books　which　had　taken　me；　and　when　he　said　that　Thoreau
prided　himself　on　coming　nearer　the　heart　of　a　pine…tree　than　any　other
human　being；　I　could　say　honestly　enough　that　I　would　rather　come　near
the　heart　of　a　man。　　This　visibly　pleased　him；　and　I　saw　that　it　did　not
displease　him；　when　he　asked　whether　I　was　not　going　to　see　his　next
neighbor；　Mr。　Alcott；　and　I　confessed　that　I　had　never　heard　of　him。
That　surprised　as　well　as　pleased　him；　be　remarked；　with　whatever
intention；　that　there　was　nothing　like　recognition　to　make　a　man　modest；
and　he　entered　into　some　account　of　the　philosopher；　whom　I　suppose　I
need　not　be　much　ashamed　of　not　knowing　then；　since　his　influence　was　of
the　immediate　sort　that　makes　a　man　important　to　his　townsmen　while　he　is
still　strange　to　his　countrymen。

Hawthorne　descanted　a　little　upon　the　landscape；　and　said　certain　of　the
pleasant　fields　below　us　be　longed　to　him；　but　he　preferred　his　hill…top；
and　if　he　could　have　his　way　those　arable　fields　should　be　grown　up　to
pines　too。　　He　smoked　fitfully；　and　slowly；　and　in　the　hour　that　we　spent
together；　his　whiffs　were　of　the　desultory　and　unfinal　character　of　his
words。　　When　we　went　down；　he　asked　me　into　his　house　again；　and　would
have　me　stay　to　tea；　for　which　we　found　the　table　laid。　　But　there　was　a
great　deal　of　silence　in　it　all；　and　at　times；　in　spite　of　his　shadowy
kindness；　I　felt　my　spirits　sink。　　After　tea；　he　showed　me　a　book　case；
where　there　were　a　few　books　toppling　about　on　the　half…filled　shelves；
and　said；　coldly；　〃This　is　my　library。〃　　I　knew　that　men　were　his　books；
and　though　I　myself　cared　for　books　so　much；　I　found　it　fit　and　fine　that
he　should　care　so　little；　or　seem　to　care　so　little。　　Some　of　his　own
romances　were　among　the　volumes　on　these　shelves；　and　when　I　put　my
finger　on　the　'Blithedale　Romance'　and　said　that　I　preferred　that　to　the
others；　his　face　lighted　up；　and　he　said　that　he　believed　the　Germans
liked　that　best　too。

Upon　the　whole　we　parted　such　good　friends　that　when　I　offered　to　take
leave　he　asked　me　how　long　I　was　to　be　in　Concord；　and　not　only　bade　me
come　to　see　him　again；　but　said　he　would　give　me　a　card　to　Emerson；　if　I
liked。　　I　answered；　of　course；　that　I　should　like　it　beyond　all　things；
and　he　wrote　on　the　back　of　his　card　something　which　I　found；　when　I　got
away；　to　be；　〃I　find　this　young　man　worthy。〃　　The　quaintness；　the　little
stiffness　of　it；　if　one　pleases　to　call　it　so；　was　amusing　to　one　who　was
not　without　his　sense　of　humor；　but　the　kindness　filled　me　to　the　throat
with　joy。　　In　fact；　I　entirely　liked　Hawthorne。　　He　had　been　as　cordial
as　so　shy　a　man　could　show　himself；　and　I　perceived；　with　the　repose
that　nothing　else　can　give；　the　entire　sincerity　of　his　soul。

Nothing　could　have　been　further　from　the　behavior　of　this　very　great　man
than　any　sort　of　posing；　apparently；　or　a　wish　to　affect　me　with　a　sense
of　his　greatness。　　I　saw　that　he　was　as　much　abashed　by　our　encounter　as
I　was；　he　was　visibly　shy　to　the　point　of　discomfort；　but　in　no　ignoble
sense　was　he　conscious；　and　as　nearly　as　he　could　with　one　so　much　his
younger　he　made　an　absolute　equality　between　us。　　My　memory　of　him　is
without　alloy　one　of　the　finest　pleasures　of　my　life：　　In　my　heart　I　paid
him　the　same　glad　homage　that　I　paid　Lowell　and　Holmes；　and　he　did
nothing　to　make　me　think　that　I　had　overpaid　him。　　This　seems　perhaps
very　little　to　say　in　his　praise；　but　to　my　mind　it　is　saying　everything；
for　I　have　known　but　few　great　men；　especially　of　those　I　met　in　early
life；　when　I　wished　to　lavish　my　admiration　upon　them；　whom　I　have　not
the　impression　of　having　left　in　my　debt。　　Then；　a　defect　of　the　Puritan
quality；　which　I　have　found　in　many　New…Englanders；　is　that；　wittingly　or
unwittingly；　they　propose　themselves　to　you　as　an　example；　or　if　not
quite　this；　that　they　surround　themselves　with　a　subtle　ether　of
potential　disapprobation；　in　which；　at　the　first　sign　of　unworthiness　in
you；　they　helplessly　suffer　you　to　gasp　and　perish；　they　have　good
hearts；　and　they　would　probably　come　to　your　succor　out　of　humanity；　if
they　knew　how；　but　they　do　not　know　how。　　Hawthorne　had　nothing　of　this
about　him；　he　was　no　more　tacitly　than　he　was　explicitly　didactic。
I　thought　him　as　thoroughly　in　keeping　with　his　romances　as　Doctor　Holmes
had　seemed　with　his　essays　and　poems；　and　I　met　him　as　I　had　met　the
Autocrat　in　the　supreme　hour　of　his　fame。　　He　had　just　given　the　world
the　last　of　those　incomparable　works　which　it　was　to　have　finished　from
his　hand；　the　'Marble　Faun'　had　worthily　followed；　at　a　somewhat　longer
interval　than　usual；　the　'Blithedale　Romance'；　and　the　'House　of　Seven
Gables'；　and　the　'Scarlet　Letter'；　and　had；　perhaps　carried　his　name
higher　than　all　the　rest；　and　certainly　farther。　　Everybody　was　reading
it；　and　more　or　less　bewailing　its　indefinite　close；　but　yielding　him
that　full　honor　and　praise　which　a　writer　can　hope　for　but　once　in　his
life。　　Nobody　dreamed　that　thereafter　only　precious　fragments；　sketches
more　or　less　faltering；　though　all　with　the　divine　touch　in　them；　were
further　to　enrich　a　legacy　which　in　its　kind　is　the　finest　the　race　has
received　from　any　mind。　　As　I　have　said；　we　are　always　finding　new
Hawthornes；　but　the　illusion　soon　wears　away；　and　then　we　perceive　that
they　were　not　Hawthornes　at　all；　that　he　had　some　peculiar　difference
from　them；　which；　by　and…by；　we　shall　no　doubt　consent　must　be　his
difference　from　all　men　evermore。

I　am　painfully　aware　that　I　have　not　summoned　before　the　reader　the　image
of　the　man　as　it　has　always　stood　in　my　memory；　and　I　feel　a　sort　of
shame　for　my　failure。　　He　was　so　altogether　simple　that　it　seems　as　if　it
would　be　easy　to　do　so；　but　perhaps　a　spirit　from　the　other　world　would
be　simple　too；　and　yet　would　no　more　stand　at　parle；　or　consent　to　be
sketched；　than　Hawthorne。　　In　fact；　he　was　always　more　or　less　merging
into　the　shadow；　which　was　in　a　few　years　wholly　to　close　over　him；　there
was　nothing　uncanny　in　his　presence；　there　was　nothing　even　unwilling；
but　he　had　that　apparitional　quality　of　some　great　minds　which　kept
Shakespeare　largely　unknown　to　those　who　thought　themselves　his
intimates；　and　has　at　last　left　him　a　sort　of　doubt。　　There　was　nothing
teasing　or　wilfully　elusive　in　Hawthorne's　impalpability；　such　as　I
afterwards　felt　in　Thoreau；　if　he　was　not　there　to　your　touch；　it　was　no
fault　of　his；　it　was　because　your　touch　was　dull；　and　wanted　the　use　of
contact　with　such　natures。　　The　hand　passes　through　the　veridical　phantom
without　a　sense　of　its　presence；　but　the　phantom　is　none　the　less
veridical　for　all　that。




XVI。

I　kept　the　evening　of　the　day　I　met　Hawthorne　wholly　for　the　thoughts　of
him；　or　rather　for　that　reverberation　which　continues　in　the　young
sensibilities　after　some　important　encounter。　　It　must　have　been　the　next
morning　that　I　went　to　find　Thoreau；　and　I　am　dimly　aware　of　ma