memoir of fleeming jenkin-第14章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



pair　were　close　friends；　'W。　T。　and　a　pipe　render　everything　

agreeable；'　writes　Barron　in　his　diary　in　1823；　and　in　1833；　after　

Barron　had　moved　to　London　and　Taylor　had　tasted　the　first　public　

failure　of　his　powers；　the　latter　wrote：　　'To　my　ever　dearest　Mr。　

Barron　say；　if　you　please；　that　I　miss　him　more　than　I　regret　him　…　

that　I　acquiesce　in　his　retirement　from　Norwich；　because　I　could　

ill　brook　his　observation　of　my　increasing　debility　of　mind。'　　This　

chosen　companion　of　William　Taylor　must　himself　have　been　no　

ordinary　man；　and　he　was　the　friend　besides　of　Borrow；　whom　I　find　

him　helping　in　his　Latin。　　But　he　had　no　desire　for　popular　

distinction；　lived　privately；　married　a　daughter　of　Dr。　Enfield　of　

Enfield's　SPEAKER；　and　devoted　his　time　to　the　education　of　his　

family；　in　a　deliberate　and　scholarly　fashion；　and　with　certain　

traits　of　stoicism；　that　would　surprise　a　modern。　　From　these　

children　we　must　single　out　his　youngest　daughter；　Eliza；　who　

learned　under　his　care　to　be　a　sound　Latin；　an　elegant　Grecian；　and　

to　suppress　emotion　without　outward　sign　after　the　manner　of　the　

Godwin　school。　　This　was　the　more　notable；　as　the　girl　really　

derived　from　the　Enfields；　whose　high…flown　romantic　temper；　I　wish　

I　could　find　space　to　illustrate。　　She　was　but　seven　years　old；　

when　Alfred　Austin　remarked　and　fell　in　love　with　her；　and　the　

union　thus　early　prepared　was　singularly　full。　　Where　the　husband　

and　wife　differed；　and　they　did　so　on　momentous　subjects；　they　

differed　with　perfect　temper　and　content；　and　in　the　conduct　of　

life；　and　in　depth　and　durability　of　love；　they　were　at　one。　　Each　

full　of　high　spirits；　each　practised　something　of　the　same　

repression：　　no　sharp　word　was　uttered　in　their　house。　　The　same　

point　of　honour　ruled　them；　a　guest　was　sacred　and　stood　within　the　

pale　from　criticism。　　It　was　a　house；　besides；　of　unusual　

intellectual　tension。　　Mrs。　Austin　remembered；　in　the　early　days　of　

the　marriage；　the　three　brothers；　John；　Charles；　and　Alfred；　

marching　to　and　fro；　each　with　his　hands　behind　his　back；　and　

'reasoning　high'　till　morning；　and　how；　like　Dr。　Johnson；　they　

would　cheer　their　speculations　with　as　many　as　fifteen　cups　of　tea。　　

And　though；　before　the　date　of　Fleeming's　visit；　the　brothers　were　

separated；　Charles　long　ago　retired　from　the　world　at　Brandeston；　

and　John　already　near　his　end　in　the　'rambling　old　house'　at　

Weybridge；　Alfred　Austin　and　his　wife　were　still　a　centre　of　much　

intellectual　society；　and　still；　as　indeed　they　remained　until　the　

last；　youthfully　alert　in　mind。　　There　was　but　one　child　of　the　

marriage；　Anne；　and　she　was　herself　something　new　for　the　eyes　of　

the　young　visitor；　brought　up；　as　she　had　been；　like　her　mother　

before　her；　to　the　standard　of　a　man's　acquirements。　　Only　one　art　

had　she　been　denied；　she　must　not　learn　the　violin　…　the　thought　

was　too　monstrous　even　for　the　Austins；　and　indeed　it　would　seem　as　

if　that　tide　of　reform　which　we　may　date　from　the　days　of　Mary　

Wollstonecraft　had　in　some　degree　even　receded；　for　though　Miss　

Austin　was　suffered　to　learn　Greek；　the　accomplishment　was　kept　

secret　like　a　piece　of　guilt。　　But　whether　this　stealth　was　caused　

by　a　backward　movement　in　public　thought　since　the　time　of　Edward　

Barron；　or　by　the　change　from　enlightened　Norwich　to　barbarian　

London；　I　have　no　means　of　judging。



When　Fleeming　presented　his　letter；　he　fell　in　love　at　first　sight　

with　Mrs。　Austin　and　the　life；　and　atmosphere　of　the　house。　　There　

was　in　the　society　of　the　Austins；　outward；　stoical　conformers　to　

the　world；　something　gravely　suggestive　of　essential　eccentricity；　

something　unpretentiously　breathing　of　intellectual　effort；　that　

could　not　fail　to　hit　the　fancy　of　this　hot…brained　boy。　　The　

unbroken　enamel　of　courtesy；　the　self…restraint；　the　dignified　

kindness　of　these　married　folk；　had　besides　a　particular　attraction　

for　their　visitor。　　He　could　not　but　compare　what　he　saw；　with　what　

he　knew　of　his　mother　and　himself。　　Whatever　virtues　Fleeming　

possessed；　he　could　never　count　on　being　civil；　whatever　brave；　

true…hearted　qualities　he　was　able　to　admire　in　Mrs。　Jenkin；　

mildness　of　demeanour　was　not　one　of　them。　　And　here　he　found　per　

sons　who　were　the　equals　of　his　mother　and　himself　in　intellect　and　

width　of　interest；　and　the　equals　of　his　father　in　mild　urbanity　of　

disposition。　　Show　Fleeming　an　active　virtue；　and　he　always　loved　

it。　　He　went　away　from　that　house　struck　through　with　admiration；　

and　vowing　to　himself　that　his　own　married　life　should　be　upon　that　

pattern；　his　wife　（whoever　she　might　be）　like　Eliza　Barron；　himself　

such　another　husband　as　Alfred　Austin。　　What　is　more　strange；　he　

not　only　brought　away；　but　left　behind　him；　golden　opinions。　　He　

must　have　been　…　he　was；　I　am　told　…　a　trying　lad；　but　there　shone　

out　of　him　such　a　light　of　innocent　candour；　enthusiasm；　

intelligence；　and　appreciation；　that　to　persons　already　some　way　

forward　in　years；　and　thus　able　to　enjoy　indulgently　the　perennial　

comedy　of　youth；　the　sight　of　him　was　delightful。　　By　a　pleasant　

coincidence；　there　was　one　person　in　the　house　whom　he　did　not　

appreciate　and　who　did　not　appreciate　him：　　Anne　Austin；　his　future　

wife。　　His　boyish　vanity　ruffled　her；　his　appearance；　never　

impressive；　was　then；　by　reason　of　obtrusive　boyishness；　still　less　

so；　she　found　occasion　to　put　him　in　the　wrong　by　correcting　a　

false　quantity；　and　when　Mr。　Austin；　after　doing　his　visitor　the　

almost　unheard…of　honour　of　accompanying　him　to　the　door；　announced　

'That　was　what　young　men　were　like　in　my　time'　…　she　could　only　

reply；　looking　on　her　handsome　father；　'I　thought　they　had　been　

better　looking。'



This　first　visit　to　the　Austins　took　place　in　1855；　and　it　seems　it　

was　some　time　before　Fleeming　began　to　know　his　mind；　and　yet　

longer　ere　he　ventured　to　show　it。　　The　corrected　quantity；　to　

those　who　knew　him　well；　will　seem　to　have　played　its　part；　he　was　

the　man　always　to　reflect　over　a　correction　and　to　admire　the　

castigator。　　And　fall　in　love　he　did；　not　hurriedly　but　step　by　

step；　not　blindly　but　with　critical　discrimination；　not　in　the　

fashion　of　Romeo；　but　before　he　was　done；　with　all　Romeo's　ardour　

and　more　than　Romeo's　faith。　　The　high　favour　to　which　he　presently　

rose　in　the　esteem　of　Alfred　Austin　and　his　wife；　might　well　give　

him　ambitious　notions；　but　the　poverty　of　the　present　and　the　

obscurity　of　the　future　were　there　to　give　him　pause；　and　when　his　

aspirations　began　to　settle　round　Miss　Austin；　he　tasted；　perhaps　

for　the　only　time　in　his　life；　the　pangs　of　diffidence。　　There　was　

indeed　opening　before　him　a　wide　door　of　hope。　　He　had　changed　into　

the　service　of　Messrs。　Liddell　&　Gordon；　these　gentlemen　had　begun　

to　dabble　in　the　new　field　of　marine　telegraphy；　and　Fleeming　was　

already　face　to　face　with　his　life's　work。　　That　impotent　sense　of　

his　own　value；　as　of　a　ship　aground；　which　makes　one　of　the　agonies　

of　youth；　began　to　fall　from　him。　　New　problems　which　he　was　

endowed　to　solve；　vistas　of　new　enquiry　which　he　was　fitted　to　

explore；　opened　before　him　continually。　　His　gifts　had　found　their　

avenue　and　goal。　　And　with　this　pleasure　of　effective　exercise；　

there　must　have　sprung　up　at　once　the　hope　of　what　is　called　by　the　

world　success。　　But　from　these　low　beginnings；　it　was　a　far　look　

upward　to　Miss　Austin：　　the　favour　of　the　loved　one　seems　always　

more　than　problematical　to　any　lover；　the　consent　of　parents　must　

be　always　more　than　doubtful　to　a　young　man　with　a　small　salary　and　

no　capital　except　capacity　and　hope。　　But　Fleeming　was　not　the　lad　

to　lose　any　good　thing　for　the　lack　of　trial；　and　at　length；　in　the　

autumn　of　1857；　this　boyish…sized；　boyish…mannered；　and　

superlatively　ill…dressed　young　engineer；　entered　the　house　of　the　

Austins；　with　such　sinkings　as　we　may　fancy；　and　asked　leave　to　pay　

his