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第7章

the island pharisees-第7章

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believe me; monsieur;〃 he went on; opening another door; 〃when you

come down to houses of this sort you must have a vice; it's as

necessary as breath is to the lungs。  No matter what; you must have a

vice to give you a little solace'un peu de soulagement'。  Ah; yes!

before you judge these swine; reflect on life!  I've been through it。

Monsieur; it is not nice never to know where to get your next meal。

Gentlemen who have food in their stomachs; money in their pockets;

and know where to get more; they never think。  Why should they'pas

de danger'!  All these cages are the same。  Come down; and you shall

see the pantry。〃  He took Shelton through the kitchen; which seemed

the only sitting…room of the establishment; to an inner room

furnished with dirty cups and saucers; plates; and knives。  Another

fire was burning there。  〃We always have hot water;〃 said the

Frenchman; 〃and three times a week they make a fire down there〃he

pointed to a cellar〃for our clients to boil their vermin。  Oh; yes;

we have all the luxuries。〃



Shelton returned to the kitchen; and directly after took leave of the

little Frenchman; who said; with a kind of moral button…holing; as if

trying to adopt him as a patron:



〃Trust me; monsieur; if he comes backthat young manhe shall have

your letter without fail。  My name is Carolan Jules Carolan; and I

am always at your service。〃









CHAPTER IV



THE PLAY



Shelton walked away; he had been indulging in a nightmare。  〃That old

actor was drunk;〃 thought he; 〃and no doubt he was an Irishman;

still; there may be truth in what he said。  I am a Pharisee; like all

the rest who are n't in the pit。  My respectability is only luck。

What should I have become if I'd been born into his kind of life?〃

and he stared at a stream of people coming from the Stares; trying to

pierce the mask of their serious; complacent faces。  If these ladies

and gentlemen were put into that pit into which he had been looking;

would a single one of them emerge again?  But the effort of picturing

them there was too much for him; it was too fartoo ridiculously

far。



One particular couple; a large; fine man and wife; who; in the midst

of all the dirt and rumbling hurry; the gloomy; ludicrous; and

desperately jovial streets; walked side by side in well…bred silence;

had evidently bought some article which pleased them。  There was

nothing offensive in their manner; they seemed quite unconcerned at

the passing of the other people。  The man had that fine solidity of

shoulder and of waist; the glossy self…possession that belongs to

those with horses; guns; and dressing…bags。  The wife; her chin

comfortably settled in her fur; kept her grey eyes on the ground;

and; when she spoke; her even and unruffled voice reached Shelton's

ears above all the whirring of the traffic。  It was leisurely

precise; as if it had never hurried; had never been exhausted; or

passionate; or afraid。  Their talk; like that of many dozens of fine

couples invading London from their country places; was of where to

dine; what theatre they should go to; whom they had seen; what they

should buy。  And Shelton knew that from day's end to end; and even in

their bed; these would be the subjects of their conversation。  They

were the best…bred people of the sort he met in country houses and

accepted as of course; with a vague discomfort at the bottom of his

soul。  Antonia's home; for instance; had been full of them。  They

were the best…bred people of the sort who supported charities; knew

everybody; had clear; calm judgment; and intolerance of all such

conduct as seemed to them 〃impossible;〃 all breaches of morality;

such as mistakes of etiquette; such as dishonesty; passion; sympathy

(except with a canonised class of objectsthe legitimate sufferings;

for instance; of their own families and class)。  How healthy they

were!  The memory of the doss…house worked in Shelton's mind like

poison。  He was conscious that in his own groomed figure; in the

undemonstrative assurance of his walk; he bore resemblance to the

couple he apostrophised。  〃Ah!〃 he thought; 〃how vulgar our

refinement is!〃  But he hardly believed in his own outburst。  These

people were so well mannered; so well conducted; and so healthy; he

could not really understand what irritated him。  What was the matter

with them?  They fulfilled their duties; had good appetites; clear

consciences; all the furniture of perfect citizens; they merely

lacked…feelers; a loss that; he had read; was suffered by plants and

animals which no longer had a need for using them。  Some rare

national faculty of seeing only the obvious and materially useful had

destroyed their power of catching gleams or scents to right or left。



The lady looked up at her husband。  The light of quiet; proprietary

affection shone in her calm grey eyes; decorously illumining her

features slightly reddened by the wind。  And the husband looked back

at her; calm; practical; protecting。  They were very much alike。  So

doubtless he looked when he presented himself in snowy shirt…sleeves

for her to straighten the bow of his white tie; so nightly she would

look; standing before the full…length mirror; fixing his gifts upon

her bosom。  Calm; proprietary; kind!  He passed them and walked

behind a second less distinguished couple; who manifested a mutual

dislike as matter…of…fact and free from nonsense as the unruffled

satisfaction of the first; this dislike was just as healthy; and

produced in Shelton about the same sensation。  It was like knocking

at a never…opened door; looking at a circlecouple after couple all

the same。  No heads; toes; angles of their souls stuck out anywhere。

In the sea of their environments they were drowned; no leg braved the

air; no arm emerged wet and naked waving at the skies; shop…persons;

aristocrats; workmen; officials; they were all respectable。  And he

himself as respectable as any。



He returned; thus moody; to his rooms and; with the impetuosity which

distinguished him when about to do an unwise thing; he seized a pen

and poured out before Antonia some of his impressions:



。 。 。 。 Mean is the word; darling; we are mean; that's what 's the

matter with us; dukes and dustmen; the whole human speciesas mean

as caterpillars。  To secure our own property and our own comfort; to

dole out our sympathy according to rule just so that it won't really

hurt us; is what we're all after。  There's something about human

nature that is awfully repulsive; and the healthier people are; the

more repulsive they seem to me to be 。 。 。 。



He paused; biting his pen。  Had he one acquaintance who would not

counsel him to see a doctor for writing in that style?  How would the

world go round; how could Society exist; without common…sense;

practical ability; and the lack of sympathy?



He looked out of the open window。  Down in the street a footman was

settling the rug over the knees of a lady in a carriage; and the

decorous immovability of both their faces; which were clearly visible

to him; was like a portion of some well…oiled engine。



He got up and walked up and down。  His rooms; in a narrow square

skirting Belgravia; were unchanged since the death of his father had

made him a man of means。  Selected for their centrality; they were

furnished in a very miscellaneous way。  They were not bare; but close

inspection revealed that everything was damaged; more or less; and

there was absolutely nothing that seemed to have an interest taken in

it。  His goods were accidents; presents; or the haphazard

acquisitions of a pressing need。  Nothing; of course; was frowsy; but

everything was somewhat dusty; as if belonging to a man who never

rebuked a servant。  Above all; there was nothing that indicated

hobbies。



Three days later he had her answer to his letter:



。  。  。  I don't think I understand what you mean by 〃the healthier

people are; the more repulsive they seem to be〃; one must be healthy

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