a belated guest-第3章

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friends　said　to　another　as　they　walked　home　together；　〃like　a　French
marquis　of　the　ancien　regime。〃　　〃Yes；〃　the　other　assented；　thoughtfully；
〃or　like　an　American　actor　made　up　for　the　part。〃

The　saying　closely　fitted　the　outward　fact；　but　was　of　a　subtle　injustice
in　its　implication　of　anything　histrionic　in　Harte's　nature。　　Never　was
any　man　less　a　'poseur'；　he　made　simply　and　helplessly　known　what　he　was
at　any　and　every　moment；　and　he　would　join　the　witness　very　cheerfully　in
enjoying　whatever　was　amusing　in　the　disadvantage　to　himself。　　In　the
course　of　events；　which　were　in　his　case　so　very　human；　it　came　about　on
a　subsequent　visit　of　his　to　Boston　that　an　impatient　creditor　decided　to
right　himself　out　of　the　proceeds　of　the　lecture　which　was　to　be　given；
and　had　the　law　corporeally　present　at　the　house　of　the　friend　where
Harte　dined；　and　in　the　anteroom　at　the　lecture…hall；　and　on　the
platform；　where　the　lecture　was　delivered　with　beautiful　aplomb　and
untroubled　charm。　　He　was　indeed　the　only　one　privy　to　the　law's　presence
who　was　not　the　least　affected　by　it；　so　that　when　his　host　of　an　earlier
time　ventured　to　suggest；　〃Well；　Harte；　this　is　the　old　literary
tradition；　this　is　the　Fleet　business　over　again；〃　he　joyously　smote　his
thigh　and　crowed　out；　〃Yes；　the　Fleet！〃　　No　doubt　he　tasted　all　the
delicate　humor　of　the　situation；　and　his　pleasure　in　it　was　quite
unaffected。

If　his　temperament　was　not　adapted　to　the　harsh　conditions　of　the　elder
American　world；　it　might　very　well　be　that　his　temperament　was　not
altogether　in　the　wrong。　　If　it　disabled　him　for　certain　experiences　of
life；　it　was　the　source　of　what　was　most　delightful　in　his　personality；
and　perhaps　most　beautiful　in　his　talent。　　It　enabled　him　to　do　such
things　as　he　did　without　being　at　all　anguished　for　the　things　he　did　not
do；　and　indeed　could　not。　　His　talent　was　not　a　facile　gift；　he　owned
that　he　often　went　day　after　day　to　his　desk；　and　sat　down　before　that
yellow　post…office　paper　on　which　he　liked　to　write　his　literature；　in
that　exquisitely　refined　script　of　his；　without　being　able　to　inscribe　a
line。　　It　may　be　owned　for　him　that　though　he　came　to　the　East　at　thirty…
four；　which　ought　to　have　been　the　very　prime　of　his　powers；　he　seemed　to
have　arrived　after　the　age　of　observation　was　past　for　him。　　He　saw
nothing　aright；　either　in　Newport；　where　he　went　to　live；　or　in　New　York；
where　he　sojourned；　or　on　those　lecturing　tours　which　took　him　about　the
whole　country；　or　if　he　saw　it　aright；　he　could　not　report　it　aright；　or
would　not。　　After　repeated　and　almost　invariable　failures　to　deal　with
the　novel　characters　and　circumstances　which　he　encountered　he　left　off
trying；　and　frankly　went　back　to　the　semi…mythical　California　he　had　half
discovered；　half　created；　and　wrote　Bret　Harte　over　and　over　as　long　as
he　lived。　　This；　whether　he　did　it　from　instinct　or　from　reason；　was　the
best　thing　he　could　do；　and　it　went　as　nearly　as　might　be　to　satisfy　the
insatiable　English　fancy　for　the　wild　America　no　longer　to　be　found　on
our　map。

It　is　imaginable　of　Harte　that　this　temperament　defended　him　from　any
bitterness　in　the　disappointment　he　may　have　shared　with　that　simple
American　public　which　in　the　early　eighteen…seventies　expected　any　and
everything　of　him　in　fiction　and　drama。　　The　long　breath　was　not　his；　he
could　not　write　a　novel；　though　he　produced　the　like　of　one　or　two；　and
his　plays　were　too　bad　for　the　stage；　or　else　too　good　for　it。　　At　any
rate；　they　could　not　keep　it；　even　when　they　got　it；　and　they　denoted　the
fatigue　or　the　indifference　of　their　author　in　being　dramatizations　of
his　longer　or　shorter　fictions；　and　not　originally　dramatic　efforts。
The　direction　in　which　his　originality　lasted　longest；　and　most
strikingly　affirmed　his　power；　was　in　the　direction　of　his　verse。

Whatever　minds　there　may　be　about　Harte's　fiction　finally；　there　can
hardly　be　more　than　one　mind　about　his　poetry。　　He　was　indeed　a　poet；
whether　he　wrote　what　drolly　called　itself　〃dialect；〃　or　wrote　language；
he　was　a　poet　of　a　fine　and　fresh　touch。　　It　must　be　allowed　him　that　in
prose　as　well　he　had　the　inventive　gift；　but　he　had　it　in　verse　far　more
importantly。　　There　are　lines；　phrases；　turns　in　his　poems；
characterizations；　and　pictures　which　will　remain　as　enduringly　as
anything　American；　if　that　is　not　saying　altogether　too　little　for　them。
In　poetry　he　rose　to　all　the　occasions　he　made　for　himself；　though　he
could　not　rise　to　the　occasions　made　for　him；　and　so　far　failed　in　the
demands　he　acceded　to　for　a　Phi　Beta　Kappa　poem；　as　to　come　to　that
august　Harvard　occasion　with　a　jingle　so　trivial；　so　out　of　keeping；　so
inadequate　that　his　enemies；　if　he　ever　truly　had　any；　must　have　suffered
from　it　almost　as　much　as　his　friends。　　He　himself　did　not　suffer　from
his　failure；　from　having　read　before　the　most　elect　assembly　of　the
country　a　poem　which　would　hardly　have　served　the　careless　needs　of　an
informal　dinner　after　the　speaking　had　begun；　he　took　the　whole
disastrous　business　lightly；　gayly；　leniently；　kindly；　as　that　golden
temperament　of　his　enabled　him　to　take　all　the　good　or　bad　of　life。

The　first　year　of　his　Eastern　sojourn　was　salaried　in　a　sum　which　took
the　souls　of　all　his　young　contemporaries　with　wonder；　if　no　baser
passion；　in　the　days　when　dollars　were　of　so　much　farther　flight　than
now；　but　its　net　result　in　a　literary　return　to　his　publishers　was　one
story　and　two　or　three　poems。　　They　had　not　profited　much　by　his　book；
which；　it　will　doubtless　amaze　a　time　of　fifty　thousand　editions　selling
before　their　publication；　to　learn　had　sold　only　thirty…five　hundred　in
the　sixth　month　of　its　career；　as　Harte　himself；

　　　　　　　　　　〃With　sick　and　scornful　looks　averse；〃

confided　to　his　Cambridge　host　after　his　first　interview　with　the　Boston
counting…room。　　It　was　the　volume　which　contained　〃The　Luck　of　Roaring
Camp；〃　and　the　other　early　tales　which　made　him　a　continental；　and　then
an　all　but　a　world…wide　fame。　　Stories　that　had　been　talked　over；　and
laughed　over；　and　cried　over　all　up　and　down　the　land；　that　had　been
received　with　acclaim　by　criticism　almost　as　boisterous　as　their
popularity；　and　recognized　as　the　promise　of　greater　things　than　any　done
before　in　their　kind；　came　to　no　more　than　this　pitiful　figure　over　the
booksellers'　counters。　　It　argued　much　for　the　publishers　that　in　spite
of　this　stupefying　result　they　were　willing；　they　were　eager；　to　pay　him
ten　thousand　dollars　for　whatever；　however　much　or　little；　he　chose　to
write　in　a　year：　Their　offer　was　made　in　Boston；　after　some　offers
mortifyingly　mean；　and　others　insultingly　vague；　had　been　made　in　New
York。

It　was　not　his　fault　that　their　venture　proved　of　such　slight　return　in
literary　material。　　Harte　was　in　the　midst　of　new　and　alien　conditions；　…
…＇See　a　corollary　in　M。　Froude　who　visited　the　U。S。　for　a　few　months　and
then　published　a　comprehensive　analysis　of　the　nation　and　its　people。
Twain's　rebuttal　（Mr。　Froude's　Progress）　would　have　been　'a　propos'　for
Harte　in　Cambridge。　　D。W。＇　and　he　had　always　his　temperament　against
him；　as　well　as　the　reluctant　if　not　the　niggard　nature　of　his　muse。　　He
would　no　doubt　have　been　only　too　glad　to　do　more　than　he　did　for　the
money；　but　actually　if　not　literally　he　could　not　do　more。　　When　it　came
to　literature；　all　the　gay　improvidence　of　life　forsook　him；　and　be
became　a　stern；　rigorous；　exacting　self…master；　who　spared　himself
nothing　to　achieve　the　perfection　at　which　he　aimed。　　He　was　of　the　order
of　literary　men　like　Goldsmith　and　De　Quincey；　and　Sterne　and　Steele；　in
his　relations　with　the　outer　world；　but　in　his　relations　with　the　inner
world　he　was　one　of　the　most　duteous　and　exemplary　citizens。　　There　was
nothing　of　his　easy…going　hilarity　in　that　world；　there　he　was　of　a
Puritanic　severity；　and　of　a　conscience　that　forgave　him　no　pang。　　Other
California　writers　have　testified　to　the　fidelity　with　which　he　did　his
work　as　editor。　　He　made　himself　not　merely　the　arbiter　but　the
inspiration　of　his　contributors；　and　in　a　region　where　literature　had
hardly　yet　replaced　the　wild　sage…brush　of　frontier　jour