the new machiavelli-第17章

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death　sang　all　about　one；　joys　and　fears　on　such　a　scale；　in　such　an　

intricacy　as　never　Greek　nor　Roman　knew。　　The　interminable　

procession　of　horse　omnibuses　went　lumbering　past；　bearing　countless　

people　we　knew　not　whence；　we　knew　not　whither。　　Hansoms　clattered；　

foot　passengers　jostled　one；　a　thousand　appeals　of　shop　and　boarding　

caught　the　eye。　　The　multi…coloured　lights　of　window　and　street　

mingled　with　the　warm　glow　of　the　declining　day　under　the　softly　

flushing　London　skies；　the　ever…changing　placards；　the　shouting　

news…vendors；　told　of　a　kaleidoscopic　drama　all　about　the　globe。　　

One　did　not　realise　what　had　happened　to　us；　but　the　voice　of　Topham　

was　suddenly　drowned　and　lost；　he　and　his　minute；　remote　

gesticulations。　。　。　。



That　submerged　and　isolated　curriculum　did　not　even　join　on　to　

living　interests　where　it　might　have　done　so。　　　We　were　left　

absolutely　to　the　hints　of　the　newspapers；　to　casual　political　

speeches；　to　the　cartoons　of　the　comic　papers　or　a　chance　reading　of　

some　Socialist　pamphlet　for　any　general　ideas　whatever　about　the　

huge　swirling　world　process　in　which　we　found　ourselves。　　I　always　

look　back　with　particular　exasperation　to　the　cessation　of　our　

modern　history　at　the　year　1815。　　There　it　pulled　up　abruptly；　as　

though　it　had　come　upon　something　indelicate。　。　。　。



But；　after　all；　what　would　Topham　or　Flack　have　made　of　the　huge　

adjustments　of　the　nineteenth　century？　　Flack　was　the　chief　

cricketer　on　the　staff；　he　belonged　to　that　great　cult　which　

pretends　that　the　place　of　this　or　that　county　in　the　struggle　for　

the　championship　is　a　matter　of　supreme　importance　to　boys。　　He　

obliged　us　to　affect　a　passionate　interest　in　the　progress　of　county　

matches；　to　work　up　unnatural　enthusiasms。　　What　a　fuss　there　would　

be　when　some　well…trained　boy；　panting　as　if　from　Marathon；　appeared　

with　an　evening　paper！　　〃I　say；　you　chaps；　Middlesex　all　out　for　a　

hundred　and　five！〃



Under　Flack's　pressure　I　became；　I　confess；　a　cricket　humbug　of　the　

first　class。　　I　applied　myself　industriously　year　by　year　to　

mastering　scores　and　averages；　I　pretended　that　Lords　or　the　Oval　

were　the　places　nearest　Paradise　for　me。　　（I　never　went　to　either。）　　

Through　a　slight　mistake　about　the　county　boundary　I　adopted　Surrey　

for　my　loyalty；　though　as　a　matter　of　fact　we　were　by　some　five　

hundred　yards　or　so　in　Kent。　　It　did　quite　as　well　for　my　purposes。　　

I　bowled　rather　straight　and　fast；　and　spent　endless　hours　acquiring　

the　skill　to　bowl　Flack　out。　　He　was　a　bat　in　the　Corinthian　style；　

rich　and　voluminous；　and　succumbed　very　easily　to　a　low　shooter　or　

an　unexpected　Yorker；　hut　usually　he　was　caught　early　by　long　leg。　　

The　difficulty　was　to　bowl　him　before　he　got　caught。　　He　loved　to　

lift　a　ball　to　leg。　　After　one　had　clean　bowled　him　at　the　practice　

nets　one　deliberately　gave　him　a　ball　to　leg　just　to　make　him　feel　

nice　again。



Flack　went　about　a　world　of　marvels　dreaming　of　leg　hits。　　He　has　

been　observed；　going　across　the　Park　on　his　way　to　his　highly　

respectable　club　in　Piccadilly；　to　break　from　profound　musings　into　

a　strange　brief　dance　that　ended　with　an　imaginary　swipe　with　his　

umbrella；　a　roofer；　over　the　trees　towards　Buckingham　Palace。　　The　

hit　accomplished；　Flack　resumed　his　way。



Inadequately　instructed　foreigners　would　pass　him　in　terror；　

needlessly　alert。





6



These　schoolmasters　move　through　my　memory　as　always　a　little　

distant　and　more　than　a　little　incomprehensible。　　Except　when　they　

wore　flannels；　I　saw　them　almost　always　in　old　college　caps　and　

gowns；　a　uniform　which　greatly　increased　their　detachment　from　the　

world　of　actual　men。　　Gates；　the　head；　was　a　lean　loose…limbed　man；　

rather　stupid　I　discovered　when　I　reached　the　Sixth　and　came　into　

contact　with　him；　but　honest；　simple　and　very　eager　to　be　liberal…

minded。　　He　was　bald；　with　an　almost　conical　baldness；　with　a　

grizzled　pointed　beard；　small　featured　and；　under　the　stresses　of　a　

Zeitgeist　that　demanded　liberality；　with　an　expression　of　puzzled　

but　resolute　resistance　to　his　own　unalterable　opinions。　　He　made　a　

tall　dignified　figure　in　his　gown。　　In　my　junior　days　he　spoke　to　me　

only　three　or　four　times；　and　then　he　annoyed　me　by　giving　me　a　

wrong　surname；　it　was　a　sore　point　because　I　was　an　outsider　and　not　

one　of　the　old　school　families；　the　Shoesmiths；　the　Naylors；　the　

Marklows；　the　Tophams；　the　Pevises　and　suchlike；　who　came　generation　

after　generation。　　I　recall　him　most　vividly　against　the　background　

of　faded　brown　book…backs　in　the　old　library　in　which　we　less　

destructive　seniors　were　trusted　to　work；　with　the　light　from　the　

stained…glass　window　falling　in　coloured　patches　on　his　face。　　It　

gave　him　the　appearance　of　having　no　colour　of　his　own。　　He　had　a　

habit　of　scratching　the　beard　on　his　cheek　as　he　talked；　and　he　used　

to　come　and　consult　us　about　things　and　invariably　do　as　we　said。　　

That；　in　his　phraseology；　was　〃maintaining　the　traditions　of　the　

school。〃



He　had　indeed　an　effect　not　of　a　man　directing　a　school；　but　of　a　

man　captured　and　directed　by　a　school。　　Dead　and　gone　Elizabethans　

had　begotten　a　monster　that　could　carry　him　about　in　its　mouth。



Yet　being　a　man；　as　I　say；　with　his　hair　a　little　stirred　by　a　

Zeitgeist　that　made　for　change；　Gates　did　at　times　display　a　

disposition　towards　developments。　　City　Merchants　had　no　modern　

side；　and　utilitarian　spirits　were　carping　in　the　PALL　MALL　GAZETTE　

and　elsewhere　at　the　omissions　from　our　curriculum；　and　particularly　

at　our　want　of　German。　　　Moreover；　four　classes　still　worked　

together　with　much　clashing　and　uproar　in　the　old　Big　Hall　that　had　

once　held　in　a　common　tumult　the　entire　school。　　Gates　used　to　come　

and　talk　to　us　older　fellows　about　these　things。



〃I　don't　wish　to　innovate　unduly；〃　he　used　to　say。　　But　we　ought　to　

get　in　some　German；　you　know；for　those　who　like　it。　　The　army　men　

will　be　wanting　it　some　of　these　days。〃



He　referred　to　the　organisation　of　regular　evening　preparation　for　

the　lower　boys　in　Big　Hall　as　a　〃revolutionary　change；〃　but　he　

achieved　it；　and　he　declared　he　began　the　replacement　of　the　hacked　

wooden　tables；　at　which　the　boys　had　worked　since　Tudor　days；　by　

sloping　desks　with　safety　inkpots　and　scientifically　adjustable　

seats；　〃with　grave　misgivings。〃　　And　though　he　never　birched　a　boy　

in　his　life；　and　was；　I　am　convinced；　morally　incapable　of　such　a　

scuffle；　he　retained　the　block　and　birch　in　the　school　through　all　

his　term　of　office；　and　spoke　at　the　Headmasters'　Conference　in　

temperate　approval　of　corporal　chastisement；　comparing　it；　dear　

soul！　to　the　power　of　the　sword。　。　。　。



I　wish　I　could；　in　some　measure　and　without　tediousness；　convey　the　

effect　of　his　discourses　to　General　Assembly　in　Big　Hall。　　But　that　

is　like　trying　to　draw　the　obverse　and　reverse　of　a　sixpence　worn　to　

complete　illegibility。　　His　tall　fine　figure　stood　high　on　the　days；　

his　thoughtful　tenor　filled　the　air　as　he　steered　his　hazardous　way　

through　sentences　that　dragged　inconclusive　tails　and　dropped　

redundant　prepositions。　　And　he　pleaded　ever　so　urgently；　ever　so　

finely；　that　what　we　all　knew　for　Sin　was　sinful；　and　on　the　whole　

best　avoided　altogether；　and　so　went　on　with　deepening　notes　and　

even　with　short　arresting　gestures　of　the　right　arm　and　hand；　to　

stir　and　exhort　us　towards　goodness；　towards　that　modern；　

unsectarian　goodness；　goodness　in　general　and　nothing　in　particular；　

which　the　Zeitgeist　seemed　to　indicate　in　those　transitional　years。





7



The　school　never　quite　got　hold　of　me。　　Partly　I　think　that　was　

because　I　was　a　day…boy　and　so　freer　than　most　of　the　boys；　partly　

because　of　a　temperamental　disposition　to　see　things　in　my　own　way　

and　have　my　private　dreams；　partly　because　I　was　a　little　

antagonised　by　the　family　traditions　that　ran　through　the　school。　　I