novel notes-第30章

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elists；　dramatists；　poets　we　fatten　on　the　misery　of　our　fellow…creatures。　　God　created　man　and　woman；　and　the　woman　created　the　literary　man　when　she　put　her　teeth　into　the　apple。　　We　came　into　the　world　under　the　shadow　of　the　serpent。　　We　are　special　correspondents　with　the　Devil's　army。　We　report　his　victories　in　our　three…volume　novels；　his　occasional　defeats　in　our　five…act　melodramas。〃

〃All　of　which　is　very　true；〃　remarked　Jephson；　〃but　you　must　remember　it　is　not　only　the　literary　man　who　traffics　in　misfortune。　The　doctor；　the　lawyer；　the　preacher；　the　newspaper　proprietor；　the　weather　prophet；　will　hardly；　I　should　say；　welcome　the　millennium。　I　shall　never　forget　an　anecdote　my　uncle　used　to　relate；　dealing　with　the　period　when　he　was　chaplain　of　the　Lincolnshire　county　jail。　　One　morning　there　was　to　be　a　hanging；　and　the　usual　little　crowd　of　witnesses；　consisting　of　the　sheriff；　the　governor；　three　or　four　reporters；　a　magistrate；　and　a　couple　of　warders；　was　assembled　in　the　prison。　　The　condemned　man；　a　brutal　ruffian　who　had　been　found　guilty　of　murdering　a　young　girl　under　exceptionally　revolting　circumstances；　was　being　pinioned　by　the　hangman　and　his　assistant；　and　my　uncle　was　employing　the　last　few　moments　at　his　disposal　in　trying　to　break　down　the　sullen　indifference　the　fellow　had　throughout　manifested　towards　both　his　crime　and　his　fate。

My　uncle　failing　to　make　any　impression　upon　him；　the　governor　ventured　to　add　a　few　words　of　exhortation；　upon　which　the　man　turned　fiercely　on　the　whole　of　them。

〃'Go　to　hell；'　he　cried；　'with　your　snivelling　jaw。　　Who　are　you；　to　preach　at　me？　　YOU'RE　glad　enough　I'm　hereall　of　you。　　Why；　I'm　the　only　one　of　you　as　ain't　going　to　make　a　bit　over　this　job。　Where　would　you　all　be；　I　should　like　to　know；　you　canting　swine；　if　it　wasn't　for　me　and　my　sort？　　Why；　it's　the　likes　of　me　as　KEEPS　the　likes　of　you；'　with　which　he　walked　straight　to　the　gallows　and　told　the　hangman　to　'hurry　up'　and　not　keep　the　gentlemen　waiting。〃

〃There　was　some　'grit'　in　that　man；〃　said　MacShaughnassy。

〃Yes；〃　added　Jephson；　〃and　wholesome　wit　also。〃

MacShaughnassy　puffed　a　mouthful　of　smoke　over　a　spider　which　was　just　about　to　kill　a　fly。　　This　caused　the　spider　to　fall　into　the　river；　from　where　a　supper…hunting　swallow　quickly　rescued　him。

〃You　remind　me；〃　he　said；　〃of　a　scene　I　once　witnessed　in　the　office　of　The　Dailywell；　in　the　office　of　a　certain　daily　newspaper。　　It　was　the　dead　season；　and　things　were　somewhat　slow。　　An　endeavour　had　been　made　to　launch　a　discussion　on　the　question　'Are　Babies　a　Blessing？'　　The　youngest　reporter　on　the　staff；　writing　over　the　simple　but　touching　signature　of　'Mother　of　Six；'　had　led　off　with　a　scathing；　though　somewhat　irrelevant；　attack　upon　husbands；　as　a　class；　the　Sporting　Editor；　signing　himself　'Working　Man；'　and　garnishing　his　contribution　with　painfully　elaborated　orthographical　lapses；　arranged　to　give　an　air　of　verisimilitude　to　the　correspondence；　while；　at　the　same　time；　not　to　offend　the　susceptibilities　of　the　democracy　（from　whom　the　paper　derived　its　chief　support）；　had　replied；　vindicating　the　British　father；　and　giving　what　purported　to　be　stirring　midnight　experiences　of　his　own。　　The　Gallery　Man；　calling　himself；　with　a　burst　of　imagination；　'Gentleman　and　Christian；'　wrote　indignantly　that　he　considered　the　agitation　of　the　subject　to　be　both　impious　and　indelicate；　and　added　he　was　surprised　that　a　paper　holding　the　exalted；　and　deservedly　popular；　position　of　Theshould　have　opened　its　columns　to　the　brainless　vapourings　of　'Mother　of　Six'　and　'Working　Man。'

〃The　topic　had；　however；　fallen　flat。　　With　the　exception　of　one　man　who　had　invented　a　new　feeding…bottle；　and　thought　he　was　going　to　advertise　it　for　nothing；　the　outside　public　did　not　respond；　and　over　the　editorial　department　gloom　had　settled　down。

〃One　evening；　as　two　or　three　of　us　were　mooning　about　the　stairs；　praying　secretly　for　a　war　or　a　famine；　Todhunter；　the　town　reporter；　rushed　past　us　with　a　cheer；　and　burst　into　the　Sub…　editor's　room。　　We　followed。　　He　was　waving　his　notebook　above　his　head；　and　clamouring；　after　the　manner　of　people　in　French　exercises；　for　pens；　ink；　and　paper。

〃'What's　up？'　cried　the　Sub…editor；　catching　his　enthusiasm；　'influenza　again？'

〃'Better　than　that！'　shouted　Todhunter。　　'Excursion　steamer　run　down；　a　hundred　and　twenty…five　lives　lostfour　good　columns　of　heartrending　scenes。'

〃'By　Jove！'　said　the　Sub；　'couldn't　have　happened　at　a　better　time　either'and　then　he　sat　down　and　dashed　off　a　leaderette；　in　which　he　dwelt　upon　the　pain　and　regret　the　paper　felt　at　having　to　announce　the　disaster；　and　drew　attention　to　the　exceptionally　harrowing　account　provided　by　the　energy　and　talent　of　'our　special　reporter。'〃

〃It　is　the　law　of　nature；〃　said　Jephson：　　〃we　are　not　the　first　party　of　young　philosophers　who　have　been　struck　with　the　fact　that　one　man's　misfortune　is　another　man's　opportunity。〃

〃Occasionally；　another　woman's；〃　I　observed。

I　was　thinking　of　an　incident　told　me　by　a　nurse。　　If　a　nurse　in　fair　practice　does　not　know　more　about　human　naturedoes　not　see　clearer　into　the　souls　of　men　and　women　than　all　the　novelists　in　little　Bookland　put　togetherit　must　be　because　she　is　physically　blind　and　deaf。　　All　the　world's　a　stage；　and　all　the　men　and　women　merely　players；　so　long　as　we　are　in　good　health；　we　play　our　parts　out　bravely　to　the　end；　acting　them；　on　the　whole；　artistically　and　with　strenuousness；　even　to　the　extent　of　sometimes　fancying　ourselves　the　people　we　are　pretending　to　be。　　But　with　sickness　comes　forgetfulness　of　our　part；　and　carelessness　of　the　impression　we　are　making　upon　the　audience。　　We　are　too　weak　to　put　the　paint　and　powder　on　our　faces；　the　stage　finery　lies　unheeded　by　our　side。　The　heroic　gestures；　the　virtuous　sentiments　are　a　weariness　to　us。　In　the　quiet；　darkened　room；　where　the　foot…lights　of　the　great　stage　no　longer　glare　upon　us；　where　our　ears　are　no　longer　strained　to　catch　the　clapping　or　the　hissing　of　the　town；　we　are；　for　a　brief　space；　ourselves。

This　nurse　was　a　quiet；　demure　little　woman；　with　a　pair　of　dreamy；　soft　gray　eyes　that　had　a　curious　power　of　absorbing　everything　that　passed　before　them　without　seeming　to　look　at　anything。　　Gazing　upon　much　life；　laid　bare；　had　given　to　them　a　slightly　cynical　expression；　but　there　was　a　background　of　kindliness　behind。

During　the　evenings　of　my　convalescence　she　would　talk　to　me　of　her　nursing　experiences。　　I　have　sometimes　thought　I　would　put　down　in　writing　the　stories　that　she　told　me；　but　they　would　be　sad　reading。　The　majority　of　them；　I　fear；　would　show　only　the　tangled；　seamy　side　of　human　nature；　and　God　knows　there　is　little　need　for　us　to　point　that　out　to　each　other；　though　so　many　nowadays　seem　to　think　it　the　only　work　worth　doing。　　A　few　of　them　were　sweet；　but　I　think　they　were　the　saddest；　and　over　one　or　two　a　man　might　laugh；　but　it　would　not　be　a　pleasant　laugh。

〃I　never　enter　the　door　of　a　house　to　which　I　have　been　summoned；〃　she　said　to　me　one　evening；　〃without　wondering；　as　I　step　over　the　threshold；　what　the　story　is　going　to　be。　　I　always　feel　inside　a　sick…room　as　if　I　were　behind　the　scenes　of　life。　　The　people　come　and　go　about　you；　and　you　listen　to　them　talking　and　laughing；　and　you　look　into　your　patient's　eyes；　and　you　just　know　that　it's　all　a　play。〃

The　incident　that　Jephson's　remark　had　reminded　me　of；　she　told　me　one　afternoon；　as　I　sat　propped　up　by　the　fire；　trying　to　drink　a　glass　of　port　wine；　and　feeling　somewhat　depressed　at　discovering　I　did　not　like　it。

〃One　of　my　first　cases；〃　she　said；　〃was　a　surgical　operation。　　I　was　very　young　at　the　time；　and　I　made　rather　an　awkward　mistakeI　don't　mean　a　professional　mistakebut　a　mistake　nevertheless　that　I　ought　to　have　had　more　sense　than　to　make。

〃My　patient　was　a　good…looking；　pleasant…spoken　gentleman。　　The　wife　was　a　pretty；　dark　little　woman；　but　I　never　liked　her　from　the　first；　she　was　one　of　those　perfectly　proper；　frigid　women；　who　always　give　me　the　idea　that　they　were　born　in　a　church；　and　have　never　got　over　the　chill。　　However；　she　seemed　very　fond　of　him；　and　he　of　her；　and