some reminiscences-第32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！





where　an　excellent　fellow　called　Solary；　got　at　in　a　roundabout



fashion　through　various　French　channels；　had　promised　good…



naturedly　to　put　le　jeune　homme　in　the　way　of　getting　a　decent



ship　for　his　first　start　if　he　really　wanted　a　taste　of　ce　metier



de　chien。







I　watched　all　these　preparations　gratefully；　and　kept　my　own



counsel。　　But　what　I　told　the　last　of　my　examiners　was　perfectly



true。　　Already　the　determined　resolve；　that　〃if　a　seaman；　then　an



English　seaman；〃　was　formulated　in　my　head　though；　of　course；　in



the　Polish　language。　　I　did　not　know　six　words　of　English；　and　I



was　astute　enough　to　understand　that　it　was　much　better　to　say



nothing　of　my　purpose。　　As　it　was　I　was　already　looked　upon　as



partly　insane；　at　least　by　the　more　distant　acquaintances。　The



principal　thing　was　to　get　away。　　I　put　my　trust　in　the　good…



natured　Solary's　very　civil　letter　to　my　uncle；　though　I　was



shocked　a　little　by　the　phrase　about　the　metier　de　chien。







This　Solary　（Baptistin）；　when　I　beheld　him　in　the　flesh；　turned



out　a　quite　young　man；　very　good…looking；　with　a　fine　black；



short　beard；　a　fresh　complexion；　and　soft；　merry　black　eyes。　　He



was　as　jovial　and　good…natured　as　any　boy　could　desire。　　I　was



still　asleep　in　my　room　in　a　modest　hotel　near　the　quays　of　the



old　port；　after　the　fatigues　of　the　journey　via　Vienna；　Zurich；



Lyons；　when　he　burst　in　flinging　the　shutters　open　to　the　sun　of



Provence　and　chiding　me　boisterously　for　lying　abed。　　How



pleasantly　he　startled　me　by　his　noisy　objurgations　to　be　up　and



off　instantly　for　a　〃three　years'　campaign　in　the　South　Seas。〃　　O



magic　words！　　Une　campagne　de　trois　ans　dans　les　mers　du　sud〃



that　is　the　French　for　a　three　years'　deep…water　voyage。







He　gave　me　a　delightful　waking；　and　his　friendliness　was



unwearied；　but　I　fear　he　did　not　enter　upon　the　quest　for　a　ship



for　me　in　a　very　solemn　spirit。　　He　had　been　at　sea　himself；　but



had　left　off　at　the　age　of　twenty…five；　finding　he　could　earn　his



living　on　shore　in　a　much　more　agreeable　manner。　　He　was　related



to　an　incredible　number　of　Marseilles　well…to…do　families　of　a



certain　class。　　One　of　his　uncles　was　a　ship…broker　of　good



standing；　with　a　large　connection　amongst　English　ships；　other



relatives　of　his　dealt　in　ships'　stores；　owned　sail…lofts；　sold



chains　and　anchors；　were　master…stevedores；　caulkers；



shipwrights。　　His　grandfather　（I　think）　was　a　dignitary　of　a



kind；　the　Syndic　of　the　Pilots。　　I　made　acquaintances　amongst



these　people；　but　mainly　amongst　the　pilots。　　The　very　first



whole　day　I　ever　spent　on　salt　water　was　by　invitation；　in　a　big



half…decked　pilot…boat；　cruising　under　close　reefs　on　the　look…



out；　in　misty；　blowing　weather；　for　the　sails　of　ships　and　the



smoke　of　steamers　rising　out　there；　beyond　the　slim　and　tall



Planier　lighthouse　cutting　the　line　of　the　wind…swept　horizon



with　a　white　perpendicular　stroke。　　They　were　hospitable　souls；



these　sturdy　Provencal　seamen。　　Under　the　general　designation　of



le　petit　ami　de　Baptistin　I　was　made　the　guest　of　the　Corporation



of　Pilots；　and　had　the　freedom　of　their　boats　night　or　day。　　And



many　a　day　and　a　night　too　did　I　spend　cruising　with　these　rough；



kindly　men；　under　whose　auspices　my　intimacy　with　the　sea　began。



Many　a　time　〃the　little　friend　of　Baptistin〃　had　the　hooded　cloak



of　the　Mediterranean　sailor　thrown　over　him　by　their　honest　hands



while　dodging　at　night　under　the　lee　of　Chateau　d'If　on　the　watch



for　the　lights　of　ships。　　Their　sea…tanned　faces；　whiskered　or



shaved；　lean　or　full；　with　the　intent　wrinkled　sea…eyes　of　the



pilot…breed；　and　here　and　there　a　thin　gold　hoop　at　the　lobe　of　a



hairy　ear；　bent　over　my　sea…infancy。　　The　first　operation　of



seamanship　I　had　an　opportunity　of　observing　was　the　boarding　of



ships　at　sea；　at　all　times；　in　all　states　of　the　weather。　　They



gave　it　to　me　to　the　full。　　And　I　have　been　invited　to　sit　in



more　than　one　tall；　dark　house　of　the　old　town　at　their



hospitable　board；　had　the　bouillabaisse　ladled　out　into　a　thick



plate　by　their　high…voiced；　broad…browed　wives；　talked　to　their



daughtersthick…set　girls；　with　pure　profiles；　glorious　masses



of　black　hair　arranged　with　complicated　art；　dark　eyes；　and



dazzlingly　white　teeth。







I　had　also　other　acquaintances　of　quite　a　different　sort。　　One　of



them；　Madame　Delestang；　an　imperious；　handsome　lady　in　a



statuesque　style；　would　carry　me　off　now　and　then　on　the　front



seat　of　her　carriage　to　the　Prado；　at　the　hour　of　fashionable



airing。　　She　belonged　to　one　of　the　old　aristocratic　families　in



the　south。　　In　her　haughty　weariness　she　used　to　make　me　think　of



Lady　Dedlock　in　Dickens's　〃Bleak　House；〃　a　work　of　the　master　for



which　I　have　such　an　admiration；　or　rather　such　an　intense　and



unreasoning　affection；　dating　from　the　days　of　my　childhood；　that



its　very　weaknesses　are　more　precious　to　me　than　the　strength　of



other　men's　work。　　I　have　read　it　innumerable　times；　both　in



Polish　and　in　English；　I　have　read　it　only　the　other　day；　and；　by



a　not　very　surprising　inversion；　the　Lady　Dedlock　of　the　book



reminded　me　strongly　of　the　belle　Madame　Delestang。







Her　husband　（as　I　sat　facing　them　both）；　with　his　thin　bony　nose；



and　a　perfectly　bloodless；　narrow　physiognomy　clamped　together　as



it　were　by　short　formal　side…whiskers；　had　nothing　of　Sir



Leicester　Dedlock's　〃grand　air〃　and　courtly　solemnity。　　He



belonged　to　the　haute　bourgeoisie　only；　and　was　a　banker；　with



whom　a　modest　credit　had　been　opened　for　my　needs。　He　was　such　an



ardentno；　such　a　frozen…up；　mummified　Royalist　that　he　used　in



current　conversation　turns　of　speech　contemporary；　I　should　say；



with　the　good　Henri　Quatre；　and　when　talking　of　money　matters



reckoned　not　in　francs；　like　the　common；　godless　herd　of　post…



Revolutionary　Frenchmen；　but　in　obsolete　and　forgotten　ecusecus



of　all　money　units　in　the　world！as　though　Louis　Quatorze　were



still　promenading　in　royal　splendour　the　gardens　of　Versailles；



and　Monsieur　de　Colbert　busy　with　the　direction　of　maritime



affairs。　　You　must　admit　that　in　a　banker　of　the　nineteenth



century　it　was　a　quaint　idiosyncrasy。　　Luckily　in　the　counting…



house　（it　occupied　part　of　the　ground　floor　of　the　Delestang　town



residence；　in　a　silent；　shady　street）　the　accounts　were　kept　in



modern　money；　so　that　I　never　had　any　difficulty　in　making　my



wants　known　to　the　grave；　low…voiced；　decorous；　Legitimist　（I



suppose）　clerks；　sitting　in　the　perpetual　gloom　of　heavily　barred



windows　behind　the　sombre；　ancient　counters；　beneath　lofty



ceilings　with　heavily　moulded　cornices。　　I　always　felt　on　going



out　as　though　I　had　been　in　the　temple　of　some　very　dignified　but



completely　temporal　religion。　　And　it　was　generally　on　these



occasions　that　under　the　great　carriage　gateway　Lady　Ded　I　mean



Madame　Delestang；　catching　sight　of　my　raised　hat；　would　beckon



me　with　an　amiable　imperiousness　to　the　side　of　the　carriage；　and



suggest　with　an　air　of　amused　nonchalance；　〃Venez　donc　faire　un



tour　avec　nous；〃　to　which　the　husband　would　add　an　encouraging



〃C'est　ca。　　Allons；　montez；　jeune　homme。〃　　He　questioned　me



sometimes；　significantly　but　with　perfect　tact　and　delicacy；　as



to　the　way　I　employed　my　time；　and　never　failed　to　express　the



hope　that　I　wrote　regularly　to　my　〃honoured　uncle。〃　　I　made　no



secret　of　the　way　I　employed　my　time；　and　I　rather　fancy　that　my



artless　tales　of　the　pilots　and　so　on　entertained　Madame



Delestang；　so　far　as　that　ineffable　woman　could　be　entertained　by



the　pr