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第21章

memories and portraits-第21章

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admired disorder of their combination。  A talker of a different 

calibre; though belonging to the same school; is Burly。  Burly is a 

man of a great presence; he commands a larger atmosphere; gives the 

impression of a grosser mass of character than most men。  It has 

been said of him that his presence could be felt in a room you 

entered blindfold; and the same; I think; has been said of other 

powerful constitutions condemned to much physical inaction。  There 

is something boisterous and piratic in Burly's manner of talk which 

suits well enough with this impression。  He will roar you down; he 

will bury his face in his hands; he will undergo passions of revolt 

and agony; and meanwhile his attitude of mind is really both 

conciliatory and receptive; and after Pistol has been out Pistol'd; 

and the welkin rung for hours; you begin to perceive a certain 

subsidence in these spring torrents; points of agreement issue; and 

you end arm…in…arm; and in a glow of mutual admiration。  The outcry 

only serves to make your final union the more unexpected and 

precious。  Throughout there has been perfect sincerity; perfect 

intelligence; a desire to hear although not always to listen; and 

an unaffected eagerness to meet concessions。  You have; with Burly; 

none of the dangers that attend debate with Spring…Heel'd Jack; who 

may at any moment turn his powers of transmigration on yourself; 

create for you a view you never held; and then furiously fall on 

you for holding it。  These; at least; are my two favourites; and 

both are loud; copious; intolerant talkers。  This argues that I 

myself am in the same category; for if we love talking at all; we 

love a bright; fierce adversary; who will hold his ground; foot by 

foot; in much our own manner; sell his attention dearly; and give 

us our full measure of the dust and exertion of battle。  Both these 

men can be beat from a position; but it takes six hours to do it; a 

high and hard adventure; worth attempting。  With both you can pass 

days in an enchanted country of the mind; with people; scenery and 

manners of its own; live a life apart; more arduous; active and 

glowing than any real existence; and come forth again when the talk 

is over; as out of a theatre or a dream; to find the east wind 

still blowing and the chimney…pots of the old battered city still 

around you。  Jack has the far finer mind; Burly the far more 

honest; Jack gives us the animated poetry; Burly the romantic 

prose; of similar themes; the one glances high like a meteor and 

makes a light in darkness; the other; with many changing hues of 

fire; burns at the sea…level; like a conflagration; but both have 

the same humour and artistic interests; the same unquenched ardour 

in pursuit; the same gusts of talk and thunderclaps of 

contradiction。



Cockshot (5) is a different article; but vastly entertaining; and 

has been meat and drink to me for many a long evening。  His manner 

is dry; brisk and pertinacious; and the choice of words not much。  

The point about him is his extraordinary readiness and spirit。  You 

can propound nothing but he has either a theory about it ready…

made; or will have one instantly on the stocks; and proceed to lay 

its timbers and launch it in your presence。  〃Let me see;〃 he will 

say。  〃Give me a moment。  I SHOULD have some theory for that。〃  A 

blither spectacle than the vigour with which he sets about the 

task; it were hard to fancy。  He is possessed by a demoniac energy; 

welding the elements for his life; and bending ideas; as an athlete 

bends a horse…shoe; with a visible and lively effort。  He has; in 

theorising; a compass; an art; what I would call the synthetic 

gusto; something of a Herbert Spencer; who should see the fun of 

the thing。  You are not bound; and no more is he; to place your 

faith in these brand…new opinions。  But some of them are right 

enough; durable even for life; and the poorest serve for a cock shy 

… as when idle people; after picnics; float a bottle on a pond and 

have an hour's diversion ere it sinks。  Whichever they are; serious 

opinions or humours of the moment; he still defends his ventures 

with indefatigable wit and spirit; hitting savagely himself; but 

taking punishment like a man。  He knows and never forgets that 

people talk; first of all; for the sake of talking; conducts 

himself in the ring; to use the old slang; like a thorough 

〃glutton;〃 and honestly enjoys a telling facer from his adversary。  

Cockshot is bottled effervescency; the sworn foe of sleep。  Three…

in…the…morning Cockshot; says a victim。  His talk is like the 

driest of all imaginable dry champagnes。  Sleight of hand and 

inimitable quickness are the qualities by which he lives。  

Athelred; on the other hand; presents you with the spectacle of a 

sincere and somewhat slow nature thinking aloud。  He is the most 

unready man I ever knew to shine in conversation。  You may see him 

sometimes wrestle with a refractory jest for a minute or two 

together; and perhaps fail to throw it in the end。  And there is 

something singularly engaging; often instructive; in the simplicity 

with which he thus exposes the process as well as the result; the 

works as well as the dial of the clock。  Withal he has his hours of 

inspiration。  Apt words come to him as if by accident; and; coming 

from deeper down; they smack the more personally; they have the 

more of fine old crusted humanity; rich in sediment and humour。  

There are sayings of his in which he has stamped himself into the 

very grain of the language; you would think he must have worn the 

words next his skin and slept with them。  Yet it is not as a sayer 

of particular good things that Athelred is most to he regarded; 

rather as the stalwart woodman of thought。  I have pulled on a 

light cord often enough; while he has been wielding the broad…axe; 

and between us; on this unequal division; many a specious fallacy 

has fallen。  I have known him to battle the same question night 

after night for years; keeping it in the reign of talk; constantly 

applying it and re…applying it to life with humorous or grave 

intention; and all the while; never hurrying; nor flagging; nor 

taking an unfair advantage of the facts。  Jack at a given moment; 

when arising; as it were; from the tripod; can be more radiantly 

just to those from whom he differs; but then the tenor of his 

thoughts is even calumnious; while Athelred; slower to forge 

excuses; is yet slower to condemn; and sits over the welter of the 

world; vacillating but still judicial; and still faithfully 

contending with his doubts。



Both the last talkers deal much in points of conduct and religion 

studied in the 〃dry light〃 of prose。  Indirectly and as if against 

his will the same elements from time to time appear in the troubled 

and poetic talk of Opalstein。  His various and exotic knowledge; 

complete although unready sympathies; and fine; full; 

discriminative flow of language; fit him out to be the best of 

talkers; so perhaps he is with some; not quite with me … PROXIME 

ACCESSIT; I should say。  He sings the praises of the earth and the 

arts; flowers and jewels; wine and music; in a moonlight; 

serenading manner; as to the light guitar; even wisdom comes from 

his tongue like singing; no one is; indeed; more tuneful in the 

upper notes。  But even while he sings the song of the Sirens; he 

still hearkens to the barking of the Sphinx。  Jarring Byronic notes 

interrupt the flow of his Horatian humours。  His mirth has 

something of the tragedy of the world for its perpetual background; 

and he feasts like Don Giovanni to a double orchestra; one lightly 

sounding for the dance; one pealing Beethoven in the distance。  He 

is not truly reconciled either with life or with himself; and this 

instant war in his members sometimes divides the man's attention。  

He does not always; perhaps not often; frankly surrender himself in 

convers

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