some reminiscences-第15章

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proper　measures　to　remove　the　same。〃　　A　deputation　to　that　effect



visited　X；　who　treated　them　to　excellent　wines；　but　absolutely



refused　his　ear　to　their　remonstrances。　　As　to　the　proposals　for



arbitration　he　simply　laughed　at　them；　yet　the　whole　province



must　have　been　aware　that　fourteen　years　before；　when　he　married



the　widow；　all　his　visible　fortune　consisted　（apart　from　his



social　qualities）　in　a　smart　four…horse　turn…out　with　two



servants；　with　whom　he　went　about　visiting　from　house　to　house；



and　as　to　any　funds　he　might　have　possessed　at　that　time　their



existence　could　only　be　inferred　from　the　fact　that　he　was　very



punctual　in　settling　his　modest　losses　at　cards。　　But　by　the



magic　power　of　stubborn　and　constant　assertion；　there　were　found



presently；　here　and　there；　people　who　mumbled　that　surely　〃there



must　be　something　in　it。〃　　However；　on　his　next　name…day　（which



he　used　to　celebrate　by　a　great　three…days'　shooting…party）；　of



all　the　invited　crowd　only　two　guests　turned　up；　distant



neighbours　of　no　importance；　one　notoriously　a　fool；　and　the



other　a　very　pious　and　honest　person　but　such　a　passionate　lover



of　the　gun　that　on　his　own　confession　he　could　not　have　refused



an　invitation　to　a　shooting…party　from　the　devil　himself。　　X　met



this　manifestation　of　public　opinion　with　the　serenity　of　an



unstained　conscience。　　He　refused　to　be　crushed。　　Yet　he　must



have　been　a　man　of　deep　feeling；　because；　when　his　wife　took



openly　the　part　of　her　children；　he　lost　his　beautiful



tranquillity；　proclaimed　himself　heart…broken　and　drove　her　out



of　the　house；　neglecting　in　his　grief　to　give　her　enough　time　to



pack　her　trunks。







This　was　the　beginning　of　a　lawsuit；　an　abominable　marvel　of



chicane；　which　by　the　use　of　every　legal　subterfuge　was　made　to



last　for　many　years。　　It　was　also　the　occasion　for　a　display　of



much　kindness　and　sympathy。　　All　the　neighbouring　houses　flew



open　for　the　reception　of　the　homeless。　　Neither　legal　aid　nor



material　assistance　in　the　prosecution　of　the　suit　was　ever



wanting。　　X；　on　his　side；　went　about　shedding　tears　publicly　over



his　stepchildren's　ingratitude　and　his　wife's　blind　infatuation；



but　as　at　the　same　time　he　displayed　great　cleverness　in　the　art



of　concealing　material　documents　（he　was　even　suspected　of　having



burnt　a　lot　of　historically　interesting　family　papers）；　this



scandalous　litigation　had　to　be　ended　by　a　compromise　lest　worse



should　befall。　　It　was　settled　finally　by　a　surrender；　out　of　the



disputed　estate；　in　full　satisfaction　of　all　claims；　of　two



villages　with　the　names　of　which　I　do　not　intend　to　trouble　my



readers。　　After　this　lame　and　impotent　conclusion　neither　the



wife　nor　the　stepsons　had　anything　to　say　to　the　man　who　had



presented　the　world　with　such　a　successful　example　of　self…help



based　on　character；　determination　and　industry；　and　my　great…



grandmother；　her　health　completely　broken　down；　died　a　couple　of



years　later　in　Carlsbad。　　Legally　secured　by　a　decree　in　the



possession　of　his　plunder；　X　regained　his　wonted　serenity　and



went　on　living　in　the　neighbourhood　in　a　comfortable　style　and　in



apparent　peace　of　mind。　　His　big　shoots　were　fairly　well　attended



again。　　He　was　never　tired　of　assuring　people　that　he　bore　no



grudge　for　what　was　past；　he　protested　loudly　of　his　constant



affection　for　his　wife　and　stepchildren。　　It　was　true　he　said



that　they　had　tried　their　best　to　strip　him　as　naked　as　a　Turkish



saint　in　the　decline　of　his　days；　and　because　he　had　defended



himself　from　spoliation；　as　anybody　else　in　his　place　would　have



done；　they　had　abandoned　him　now　to　the　horrors　of　a　solitary　old



age。　　Nevertheless；　his　love　for　them　survived　these　cruel　blows。



And　there　might　have　been　some　truth　in　his　protestations。　　Very



soon　he　began　to　make　overtures　of　friendship　to　his　eldest



stepson；　my　maternal　grandfather；　and　when　these　were



peremptorily　rejected　he　went　on　renewing　them　again　and　again



with　characteristic　obstinacy。　　For　years　he　persisted　in　his



efforts　at　reconciliation；　promising　my　grandfather　to　execute　a



will　in　his　favour　if　he　only　would　be　friends　again　to　the



extent　of　calling　now　and　then　（it　was　fairly　close　neighbourhood



for　these　parts；　forty　miles　or　so）；　or　even　of　putting　in　an



appearance　for　the　great　shoot　on　the　name…day。　　My　grandfather



was　an　ardent　lover　of　every　sport。　　His　temperament　was　as　free



from　hardness　and　animosity　as　can　be　imagined。　　Pupil　of　the



liberal…minded　Benedictines　who　directed　the　only　public　school



of　some　standing　then　in　the　south；　he　had　also　read　deeply　the



authors　of　the　eighteenth　century。　　In　him　Christian　charity　was



joined　to　a　philosophical　indulgence　for　the　failings　of　human



nature。　　But　the　memory　of　these　miserably　anxious　early　years；



his　young　man's　years　robbed　of　all　generous　illusions　by　the



cynicism　of　the　sordid　lawsuit；　stood　in　the　way　of　forgiveness。



He　never　succumbed　to　the　fascination　of　the　great　shoot；　and　X；



his　heart　set　to　the　last　on　reconciliation　with　the　draft　of　the



will　ready　for　signature　kept　by　his　bedside；　died　intestate。



The　fortune　thus　acquired　and　augmented　by　a　wise　and　careful



management　passed　to　some　distant　relatives　whom　he　had　never



seen　and　who　even　did　not　bear　his　name。







Meantime　the　blessing　of　general　peace　descended　upon　Europe。



Mr。　Nicholas　B。；　bidding　good…bye　to　his　hospitable　relative；　the



〃fearless〃　Austrian　officer；　departed　from　Galicia；　and　without



going　near　his　native　place；　where　the　odious　lawsuit　was　still



going　on；　proceeded　straight　to　Warsaw　and　entered　the　army　of



the　newly　constituted　Polish　kingdom　under　the　sceptre　of



Alexander　I。；　Autocrat　of　all　the　Russias。







This　kingdom；　created　by　the　Vienna　Congress　as　an　acknowledgment



to　a　nation　of　its　former　independent　existence；　included　only



the　central　provinces　of　the　old　Polish　patrimony。　　A　brother　of



the　Emperor；　the　Grand　Duke　Constantine　（Pavlovitch）；　its　Viceroy



and　Commander…in…Chief；　married　morganatically　to　a　Polish　lady



to　whom　he　was　fiercely　attached；　extended　this　affection　to　what



he　called　〃My　Poles〃　in　a　capricious　and　savage　manner。　　Sallow



in　complexion；　with　a　Tartar　physiognomy　and　fierce　little　eyes；



he　walked　with　his　fists　clenched；　his　body　bent　forward；　darting



suspicious　glances　from　under　an　enormous　cocked　hat。　　His



intelligence　was　limited　and　his　sanity　itself　was　doubtful。　　The



hereditary　taint　expressed　itself；　in　his　case；　not　by　mystic



leanings　as　in　his　two　brothers；　Alexander　and　Nicholas　（in　their



various　ways；　for　one　was　mystically　liberal　and　the　other



mystically　autocratic）；　but　by　the　fury　of　an　uncontrollable



temper　which　generally　broke　out　in　disgusting　abuse　on　the



parade　ground。　　He　was　a　passionate　militarist　and　an　amazing



drill…master。　　He　treated　his　Polish　Army　as　a　spoiled　child



treats　a　favourite　toy；　except　that　he　did　not　take　it　to　bed



with　him　at　night。　　It　was　not　small　enough　for　that。　　But　he



played　with　it　all　day　and　every　day；　delighting　in　the　variety



of　pretty　uniforms　and　in　the　fun　of　incessant　drilling。　　This



childish　passion；　not　for　war　but　for　mere　militarism；　achieved　a



desirable　result。　　The　Polish　Army；　in　its　equipment；　in　its



armament　and　in　its　battlefield　efficiency；　as　then　understood；



became；　by　the　end　of　the　year　1830；　a　first…rate　tactical



instrument。　　Polish　peasantry　（not　serfs）　served　in　the　ranks　by



enlistment；　and　the　officers　belonged　mainly　to　the　smaller



nobility。