the new machiavelli-第35章

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with　great　decision　and　effect；　and　hovered　on　the　edge　of　tennis　

foursomes　where　it　was　manifest　to　the　dullest　intelligence　that　my　

presence　was　unnecessary。　　Then　I　went　off　to　find　some　readable　

book　in　the　place；　but　apart　from　miscellaneous　popular　novels；　some　

veterinary　works；　a　number　of　comic　books；　old　bound　volumes　of　THE　

ILLUSTRATED　LONDON　NEWS　and　a　large；　popular　illustrated　History　of　

England；　there　was　very　little　to　be　found。　　My　anut　talked　to　me　in　

a　casual　feeble　way；　chiefly　about　my　motber's　last　illness。　　The　

two　bad　seen　very　little　of　each　other　for　many　years；　she　made　no　

secret　of　it　that　the　ineligible　qualities　of　my　father　were　the　

cause　of　the　estrangement。　　The　only　other　society　in　the　house　

during　the　day　was　an　old　and　rather　decayed　Skye　terrier　in　

constant　conflict　with　what　were　no　doubt　imaginary　fleas。　　I　took　

myself　off　for　a　series　of　walks；　and　acquired　a　considerable　

knowledge　of　the　scenery　and　topography　of　the　Potteries。



It　puzzled　my　aunt　that　I　did　not　go　westward；　where　it　was　country…

side　and　often　quite　pretty；　with　hedgerows　and　fields　and　copses　

and　flowers。　　But　always　I　went　eastward；　where　in　a　long　valley　

industrialism　smokes　and　sprawls。　　That　was　the　stuff　to　which　I　

turned　by　nature；　to　the　human　effort；　and　the　accumulation　and　jar　

of　men's　activities。　　And　in　such　a　country　as　that　valley　social　

and　economic　relations　were　simple　and　manifest。　　Instead　of　the　

limitless　confusion　of　London's　population；　in　which　no　man　can　

trace　any　but　the　most　slender　correlation　between　rich　and　poor；　in　

which　everyone　seems　disconnected　and　adrift　from　everyone；　you　can　

see　here　the　works；　the　potbank　or　the　ironworks　or　what　not；　and　

here　close　at　hand　the　congested；　meanly…housed　workers；　and　at　a　

little　distance　a　small　middle…class　quarter；　and　again　remoter；　the　

big　house　of　the　employer。　　It　was　like　a　very　simplified　diagram

after　the　untraceable　confusion　of　London。



I　prowled　alone；　curious　and　interested；　through　shabby　back　streets　

of　mean　little　homes；　I　followed　canals；　sometimes　canals　of　

mysteriously　heated　waters　with　ghostly　wisps　of　steam　rising　

against　blackened　walls　or　a　distant　prospect　of　dustbin…fed　

vegetable　gardens；　I　saw　the　women　pouring　out　from　the　potbanks；　

heard　the　hooters　summoning　the　toilers　to　work；　lost　my　way　upon　

slag　heaps　as　big　as　the　hills　of　the　south　country；　dodged　trains　

at　manifestly　dangerous　level　crossings；　and　surveyed　across　dark　

intervening　spaces；　the　flaming　uproar；　the　gnome…like　activities　of　

iron　foundries。　　I　heard　talk　of　strikes　and　rumours　of　strikes；　and　

learnt　from　the　columns　of　some　obscure　labour　paper　I　bought　one　

day；　of　the　horrors　of　the　lead　poisoning　that　was　in　those　days　one　

of　the　normal　risks　of　certain　sorts　of　pottery　workers。　　Then　back　

I　came；　by　the　ugly　groaning　and　clanging　steam　tram　of　that　period；　

to　my　uncle's　house　and　lavish　abundance　of　money　and　more　or　less　

furtive　flirtations　and　the　tinkle　of　Moskowski　and　Chaminade。　　It　

was；　I　say；　diagrammatic。　　One　saw　the　expropriator　and　the　

expropriatedas　if　Marx　had　arranged　the　picture。　　It　was　as　

jumbled　and　far　more　dingy　and　disastrous　than　any　of　the　confusions　

of　building　and　development　that　had　surrounded　my　youth　at　

Bromstead　and　Penge；　but　it　had　a　novel　quality　of　being　explicable。　　

I　found　great　virtue　in　the　word　〃exploitation。〃



There　stuck　in　my　mind　as　if　it　was　symbolical　of　the　whole　thing　

the　twisted　figure　of　a　man；　whose　face　had　been　horribly　scaldedI　

can't　describe　how；　except　that　one　eye　was　just　expressionless　

whiteand　he　ground　at　an　organ　bearing　a　card　which　told　in　weak　

and　bitterly　satirical　phrasing　that　he　had　been　scalded　by　the　hot　

water　from　the　tuyeres　of　the　blast　furnace　of　Lord　Pandram's　works。　　

He　had　been　scalded　and　quite　inadequately　compensated　and　

dismissed。　　And　Lord　Pandram　was　worth　half　a　million。



That　upturned　sightless　white　eye　of　his　took　possession　of　my　

imagination。　　I　don't　think　that　even　then　I　was　swayed　by　any　crude　

melodramatic　conception　of　injustice。　　I　was　quite　prepared　to　

believe　the　card　wasn't　a　punctiliously　accurate　statement　of　fact；　

and　that　a　case　could　be　made　out　for　Lord　Pandram。　　Still　there　in　

the　muddy　gutter；　painfully　and　dreadfully；　was　the　man；　and　he　was　

smashed　and　scalded　and　wretched；　and　he　ground　his　dismal　

hurdygurdy　with　a　weary　arm；　calling　upon　Heaven　and　the　passer…by　

for　help；　for　help　and　some　sort　of　rightingone　could　not　imagine　

quite　what。　　There　he　was　as　a　fact；　as　a　by…product　of　the　system　

that　heaped　my　cousins　with　trinkets　and　provided　the　comic　novels　

and　the　abundant　cigars　and　spacious　billiard…room　of　my　uncle's　

house。　　I　couldn't　disconnect　him　and　them。



My　uncle　on　his　part　did　nothing　to　conceal　the　state　of　war　that　

existed　between　himself　and　his　workers；　and　the　mingled　contempt　

and　animosity　he　felt　from　them。







3





Prosperity　had　overtaken　my　uncle。　　So　quite　naturally　he　believed　

that　every　man　who　was　not　as　prosperous　as　he　was　had　only　himself　

to　blame。　　He　was　rich　and　he　had　left　school　and　gone　into　his　

father's　business　at　fifteen；　and　that　seemed　to　him　the　proper　age　

at　which　everyone's　education　should　terminate。　　He　was　very　anxious　

to　dissuade　me　from　going　up　to　Cambridge；　and　we　argued　

intermittently　through　all　my　visit。



I　had　remembered　him　as　a　big　and　buoyant　man；　striding　

destructively　about　the　nursery　floor　of　my　childhood；　and　saluting　

my　existence　by　slaps；　loud　laughter；　and　questions　about　half　

herrings　and　half　eggs　subtly　framed　to　puzzle　and　confuse　my　mind。　　

I　didn't　see　him　for　some　years　until　my　father's　death；　and　then　he　

seemed　rather　smaller；　though　still　a　fair　size；　yellow　instead　of　

red　and　much　less　radiantly　aggressive。　　This　altered　effect　was　due　

not　so　much　to　my　own　changed　perspectives；　I　fancy；　as　to　the　facts　

that　he　was　suffering　for　continuous　cigar　smoking；　and　being　taken　

in　hand　by　his　adolescent　daughters　who　had　just　returned　from　

school。



During　my　first　visit　there　was　a　perpetual　series　ofthe　only　word　

is　rows；　between　them　and　him。　　Up　to　the　age　of　fifteen　or　

thereabouts；　he　had　maintamed　his　ascendancy　over　them　by　simple　

old…fashioned　physical　chastisement。　　Then　after　an　interlude　of　a　

year　it　had　dawned　upon　them　that　power　had　mysteriously　departed　

from　him。　　He　had　tried　stopping　their　pocket　money；　but　they　found　

their　mother　financially　amenable；　besides　which　it　was　fundamental　

to　my　uncle's　attitude　that　he　should　give　them　money　freely。　　Not　

to　do　so　would　seem　like　admitting　a　difficulty　in　making　it。　　So　

that　after　he　had　stopped　their　allowances　for　the　fourth　time　Sybil　

and　Gertrude　were　prepared　to　face　beggary　without　a　qualm。　　It　had　

been　his　pride　to　give　them　the　largest　allowance　of　any　girls　at　

the　school；　not　even　excepting　the　granddaughter　of　Fladden　the　

Borax　King；　and　his　soul　recoiled　from　this　discipline　as　it　had　

never　recoiled　from　the　ruder　method　of　the　earlier　phase。　　Both　

girls　had　developed　to　a　high　pitch　in　their　mutual　recriminations　a　

gift　for　damaging　retort；　and　he　found　it　an　altogether　deadlier　

thing　than　the　power　of　the　raised　voice　that　had　always　cowed　my　

aunt。　　Whenever　he　became　heated　with　them；　they　frowned　as　if　

involuntarily；　drew　in　their　breath　sharply；　said：　〃Daddy；　you　

really　must　not　say　〃　and　corrected　his　pronunciation。　　Then；　at　a　

great　advantage；　they　resumed　the　discussion。　。　。　。



My　uncle's　views　about　Cambridge；　however；　were　perfectly　clear　and　

definite。　　It　was　waste　of　time　and　money。　　It　was　all　damned　

foolery。　　Did　they　make　a　man　a　better　business　man？　　Not　a　bit　of　

it。　　He　gave　instances。　　It　spoilt　a　man　for　business　by　giving　him　

〃false　ideas。〃　　Some　men　said　that　at　college　a　man　formed　usef