the new machiavelli-第44章

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at　that　I　think　he　would　have　remained　for　the　rest　of　his　life　if　

he　had　not　encountered　Altiora。



But　Altiora　Macvitie　was　an　altogether　exceptional　woman；　an　

extraordinary　mixture　of　qualities；　the　one　woman　in　the　world　who　

could　make　something　more　out　of　Bailey　than　that。　　She　had　much　of　

the　vigour　and　handsomeness　of　a　slender　impudent　young　man；　and　an　

unscrupulousness　altogether　feminine。　　She　was　one　of　those　women　

who　are　waiting　inwhat　is　the　word？muliebrity。　　She　had　courage　

and　initiative　and　a　philosophical　way　of　handling　questions；　and　

she　could　be　bored　by　regular　work　like　a　man。　　She　was　entirely　

unfitted　for　her　sex's　sphere。　　She　was　neither　uncertain；　coy　nor　

hard　to　please；　and　altogether　too　stimulating　and　aggressive　for　

any　gentleman's　hours　of　ease。　　Her　cookery　would　have　been　about　as　

sketchy　as　her　handwriting；　which　was　generally　quite　illegible；　and　

she　would　have　made；　I　feel　sure；　a　shocking　bad　nurse。　　Yet　you　

mustn't　imagine　she　was　an　inelegant　or　unbeautiful　woman；　and　she　

is　inconceivable　to　me　in　high　collars　or　any　sort　of　masculine　

garment。　　But　her　soul　was　bony；　and　at　the　base　of　her　was　a　vanity　

gaunt　and　greedy！　　When　she　wasn't　in　a　state　of　personal　untidiness　

that　was　partly　a　protest　against　the　waste　of　hours　exacted　by　the　

toilet　and　partly　a　natural　disinclination；　she　had　a　gypsy　

splendour　of　black　and　red　and　silver　all　her　own。　　And　somewhen　in　

the　early　nineties　she　met　and　married　Bailey。



I　know　very　little　about　her　early　years。　　She　was　the　only　daughter　

of　Sir　Deighton　Macvitie；　who　applied　the　iodoform　process　to　

cotton；　and　only　his　subsequent　unfortunate　attempts　to　become　a　

Cotton　King　prevented　her　being　a　very　rich　woman。　　As　it　was　she　

had　a　tolerable　independence。　　She　came　into　prominence　as　one　of　

the　more　able　of　the　little　shoal　of　young　women　who　were　led　into　

politico…philanthropic　activities　by　the　influence　of　the　earlier　

novels　of　Mrs。　Humphry　Wardthe　Marcella　crop。　　　She　went　

〃slumming〃　with　distinguished　vigour；　which　was　quite　usual　in　those　

daysand　returned　from　her　experiences　as　an　amateur　flower　girl　

with　clear　and　original　views　about　the　problemwhich　is　and　always　

had　been　unusual。　　She　had　not　married；　I　suppose　because　her　

standards　were　high；　and　men　are　cowards　and　with　an　instinctive　

appetite　for　muliebrity。　　She　had　kept　house　for　her　father　by　

speaking　occasionally　to　the　housekeeper；　butler　and　cook　her　mother　

had　left　her；　and　gathering　the　most　interesting　dinner　parties　she　

could；　and　had　married　off　four　orphan　nieces　in　a　harsh　and　

successful　manner。　　After　her　father's　smash　and　death　she　came　out　

as　a　writer　upon　social　questions　and　a　scathing　critic　of　the　

Charity　Organisation　Society；　and　she　was　three　and　thirty　and　a　

little　at　loose　ends　when　she　met　Oscar　Bailey；　so　to　speak；　in　the　

CONTEMPORARY　REVIEW。　　The　lurking　woman　in　her　nature　was　fascinated　

by　the　ease　and　precision　with　which　the　little　man　rolled　over　all　

sorts　of　important　and　authoritative　people；　she　was　the　first　to　

discover　a　sort　of　imaginative　bigness　in　his　still　growing　mind；　

the　forehead　perhaps　carried　him　off　physically；　and　she　took　

occasion　to　meet　and　subjugate　him；　and；　so　soon　as　he　had　

sufficiently　recovered　from　his　abject　humility　and　a　certain　panic　

at　her　attentions；　marry　him。



This　had　opened　a　new　phase　in　the　lives　of　Bailey　and　herself。　　The　

two　supplemented　each　other　to　an　extraordinary　extent。　　Their　

subsequent　career　was；　I　think；　almost　entirely　her　invention。　　She　

was　aggressive；　imaginative；　and　had　a　great　capacity　for　ideas；　

while　he　was　almost　destitute　of　initiative；　and　could　do　nothing　

with　ideas　except　remember　and　discuss　them。　　She　was；　if　not　exact；　

at　least　indolent；　with　a　strong　disposition　to　save　energy　by　

sketchingeven　her　handwriting　showed　thatwhile　he　was　

inexhaustibly　industrious　with　a　relentless　invariable　caligraphy　

that　grew　larger　and　clearer　as　the　years　passed　by。　　She　had　a　

considerable　power　of　charming；　she　could　be　just　as　nice　to　people

and　incidentally　just　as　nastyas　she　wanted　to　be。　　He　was　always　

just　the　same；　a　little　confidential　and　SOTTO　VOCE；　artlessly　rude　

and　egoistic　in　an　undignified　way。　　She　had　considerable　social　

experience；　good　social　connections；　and　considerable　social　

ambition；　while　he　had　none　of　these　things。　　She　saw　in　a　flash　her　

opportunity　to　redeem　his　defects；　use　his　powers；　and　do　large；　

novel；　rather　startling　things。　　She　ran　him。　　Her　marriage；　which　

shocked　her　friends　and　relations　beyond　measurefor　a　time　they　

would　only　speak　of　Bailey　as　〃that　gnome〃was　a　stroke　of　genius；　

and　forthwith　they　proceeded　to　make　themselves　the　most　formidable　

and　distinguished　couple　conceivable。　　P。　B。　P。；　she　boasted；　was　

engraved　inside　their　wedding　rings；　Pro　Bono　Publico；　and　she　meant　

it　to　be　no　idle　threat。　　She　had　discovered　very　early　that　the　

last　thing　influential　people　will　do　is　to　work。　　Everything　in　

their　lives　tends　to　make　them　dependent　upon　a　supply　of　

confidently　administered　detail。　　Their　business　is　with　the　window　

and　not　the　stock　behind；　and　in　the　end　they　are　dependent　upon　the　

stock　behind　for　what　goes　into　the　window。　　She　linked　with　that　

the　fact　that　Bailey　had　a　mind　as　orderly　as　a　museum；　and　an　

invincible　power　over　detail。　　She　saw　that　if　two　people　took　the　

necessary　pains　to　know　the　facts　of　government　and　administration　

with　precision；　to　gather　together　knowledge　that　was　dispersed　and　

confused；　to　be　able　to　say　precisely　what　had　to　be　done　and　what　

avoided　in　this　eventuality　or　that；　they　would　necessarily　become　a　

centre　of　reference　for　all　sorts　of　legislative　proposals　and　

political　expedients；　and　she　went　unhesitatingly　upon　that。



Bailey；　under　her　vigorous　direction；　threw　up　his　post　in　the　Civil　

Service　and　abandoned　sporadic　controversies；　and　they　devoted　

themselves　to　the　elaboration　and　realisation　of　this　centre　of　

public　information　she　had　conceived　as　their　role。　　They　set　out　to　

study　the　methods　and　organisation　and　realities　of　government　in　

the　most　elaborate　manner。　　They　did　the　work　as　no　one　had　ever　

hitherto　dreamt　of　doing　it。　　They　planned　the　research　on　a　

thoroughly　satisfying　scale；　and　arranged　their　lives　almost　

entirely　for　it。　　They　took　that　house　in　Chambers　Street　and　

furnished　it　with　severe　economy；　they　discovered　that　Scotch　

domestic　who　is　destined　to　be　the　guardian　and　tyrant　of　their　

declining　years；　and　they　set　to　work。　　Their　first　book；　〃The　

Permanent　Official；〃　fills　three　plump　volumes；　and　took　them　and　

their　two　secretaries　upwards　of　four　years　to　do。　　It　is　an　

amazingly　good　book；　an　enduring　achievement。　　In　a　hundred　

directions　the　history　and　the　administrative　treatment　of　the　

public　service　was　clarified　for　all　time。　。　。　。



They　worked　regularly　every　morning　from　nine　to　twelve；　they　

lunched　lightly　but　severely；　in　the　afternoon　they　〃took　exercise〃　

or　Bailey　attended　meetings　of　the　London　School　Board；　on　which　he　

served；　he　said；　for　the　purposes　of　studyhe　also　became　a　railway　

director　for　the　same　end。　　In　the　late　afternoon　Altiora　was　at　

home　to　various　callers；　and　in　the　evening　came　dinner　or　a　

reception　or　both。



Her　dinners　and　gatherings　were　a　very　important　feature　in　their　

scheme。　　She　got　together　all　sorts　of　interesting　people　in　or　

about　the　public　service；　she　mixed　the　obscurely　efficient　with　the　

ill…instructed　famous　and　the　rudderless　rich；　got　together　in　one　

room　more　of　the　factors　in　our　strange　jumble　of　a　public　life　than　

had　ever　met　easily　before。　　She　fed　them　with　a　shameless　austerity　

that　kept　the　conversation　brilliant；　on　a　soup；　a　plain　fish；　and　

mutton　or　boiled　fowl　and　milk　pudding；　with　nothing　to　drink　but　

whisky　and　soda；　an