第 32 节
作者:生在秋天      更新:2023-05-17 13:24      字数:9283
  it。)
  Third sin:
  (a)    Travelling   in   carriage   of   superior   class   to   that   for   which   ticket
  was held。
  (b)    Refusing to pay difference when demanded by an official。 (Again
  George   disputes   the   accuracy  of   the   report。       He   turned   his   pockets   out;
  and   offered   the   man   all he   had;  which   was   about   eightpence in   German
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  money。      He offered to go into a third class; but there was no third class。
  He offered to go into the goods van; but they would not hear of it。)
  Fourth sin:
  (a)    Occupying seat; and not paying for same。
  (b)    Loitering about corridor。          (As they would not let him sit down
  without paying; and as he could not pay; it was difficult to see what else he
  could do。)
  But explanations are held as no excuse in Germany; and his journey
  from   Carlsruhe       to  Baden     was   one    of  the  most    expensive     perhaps     on
  record。
  Reflecting      upon    the  case   and   frequency   with      which    one   gets   into
  trouble   here   in   Germany;   one   is   led   to   the   conclusion   that   this   country
  would come as a boon and a blessing to the average young Englishman。
  To   the   medical   student;   to   the   eater   of   dinners   at   the   Temple;   to   the
  subaltern      on  leave;    life  in  London     is  a  wearisome       proceeding。      The
  healthy   Briton   takes   his   pleasure   lawlessly;   or   it   is   no   pleasure   to   him。
  Nothing that he may do affords to him any genuine satisfaction。                      To be in
  trouble of some sort is his only idea of bliss。              Now; England affords him
  small   opportunity  in   this   respect;   to   get himself  into   a  scrape   requires   a
  good deal of persistence on the part of the young Englishman。
  I spoke on this subject one day with our senior churchwarden。                     It was
  the morning of the 10th of November; and we were both of us glancing;
  somewhat        anxiously;    through     the  police    reports。    The     usual   batch    of
  young   men   had   been   summoned   for   creating   the   usual   disturbance   the
  night before   at   the   Criterion。     My   friend   the   churchwarden   has   boys   of
  his own; and a nephew of mine; upon whom I am keeping a fatherly eye;
  is   by   a   fond   mother   supposed   to   be   in   London   for   the   sole   purpose   of
  studying engineering。          No names we knew happened; by fortunate chance;
  to   be   in   the   list   of   those   detained   in   custody;   and;   relieved;   we   fell   to
  moralising upon the folly and depravity of youth。
  〃It   is   very   remarkable;〃   said   my   friend   the   churchwarden;   〃how   the
  Criterion   retains   its   position   in   this   respect。  It   was   just   so   when   I   was
  young; the evening always wound up with a row at the Criterion。〃
  〃So meaningless;〃 I remarked。
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  〃So   monotonous;〃   he   replied。        〃You   have   no   idea;〃   he   continued;   a
  dreamy expression stealing over his furrowed face; 〃how unutterably tired
  one   can   become   of   the   walk   from   Piccadilly   Circus   to   the   Vine   Street
  Police   Court。      Yet;   what   else   was   there   for   us   to   do?   Simply   nothing。
  Sometimes we would put out a street lamp; and a man would come round
  and light it again。       If one insulted a policeman; he simply took no notice。
  He did not even know he was being insulted; or; if he did; he seemed not
  to care。     You could fight a Covent Garden porter; if you fancied yourself
  at that sort of thing。      Generally speaking; the porter got the best of it; and
  when he did it cost you five shillings; and when he did not the price was
  half   a   sovereign。    I   could   never   see   much   excitement   in   that   particular
  sport。     I   tried   driving    a  hansom      cab   once。     That    has    always    been
  regarded   as   the   acme   of   modern   Tom   and   Jerryism。        I   stole   it   late   one
  night from outside a public…house in Dean Street; and the first thing that
  happened   to   me   was   that   I   was   hailed   in   Golden   Square  by  an   old   lady
  surrounded by  three   children; two of   them crying   and the   third one half
  asleep。     Before I could get away she had shot the brats into the cab; taken
  my   number;   paid       me;   so   she   said;  a   shilling  over   the   legal   fare;  and
  directed me to an address a little beyond what she called North Kensington。
  As a matter of fact; the place turned out to be the other side of Willesden。
  The horse was tired; and the journey took us well over two hours。                      It was
  the slowest lark I ever remember being concerned in。                   I tried one or twice
  to   persuade   the   children   to   let   me   take   them  back   to   the   old   lady: but
  every time I opened the trap…door to speak to them the youngest one; a boy;
  started screaming; and when I offered other drivers to transfer the job to
  them;   most   of   them   replied   in   the   words   of   a   song   popular   about   that
  period: 'Oh; George; don't you think you're going just a bit too far?'                    One
  man offered to take home to my wife any last message I might be thinking
  of; while another promised to organise a party to come and dig me out in
  the spring。      When I mounted the dickey I had imagined myself driving a
  peppery  old   colonel   to   some   lonesome   and   cabless   region;   half   a   dozen
  miles     from   where     he   wanted    to   go;  and    there   leaving    him   upon    the
  kerbstone to swear。         About that there might have been good sport or there
  might not; according to circumstances and the colonel。                   The idea of a trip
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  to an   outlying   suburb   in   charge of a   nursery  full   of helpless infants had
  never     occurred     to   me。     No;     London;〃     concluded      my    friend    the
  churchwarden with a sigh; 〃affords but limited opportunity to the lover of
  the illegal。〃
  Now; in Germany; on the other hand; trouble is to be had for the asking。
  There are many things in Germany that you must not do that are quite easy
  to do。    To any young Englishman yearning to get himself into a scrape;
  and finding himself hampered in his own country; I would advise a single
  ticket to Germany; a return; lasting as it does only a month; might prove a
  waste。
  In the Police Guide of the Fatherland he will find set forth a list of the
  things the doing of which will bring to him interest and excitement。                    In
  Germany you must not hang your bed out of window。 He might begin with
  that。   By waving his bed out of window he could get into trouble before
  he had his breakfast。       At home he might hang himself out of window; and
  nobody would mind much; provided he did not obstruct anybody's ancient
  lights or break away and injure any passer underneath。
  In   Germany      you    must   not   wear    fancy   dress   in   the  streets。   A
  Highlander of my acquaintance who came to pass the winter in Dresden
  spent the first few days of his residence there in arguing this question with
  the   Saxon   Government。        They   asked   him   what   he   was   doing   in   those
  clothes。    He   was   not   an   amiable   man。    He   answered;   he   was   wearing
  them。     They asked him why he was wearing them。                  He replied; to keep
  himself warm。        They told him frankly that they did not believe him; and
  sent him back to his lodgings in a closed landau。             The personal testimony
  of   the   English   Minister   was   necessary   to   assure   the   authorities   that   the
  Highland garb was the customary dress of many respectable; law…abiding
  British subjects。      They accepted the statement; as diplomatically bound;
  but retain their private opinion to this day。         The English tourist they have
  grown accustomed to; but a Leicestershire gentleman; invited to hunt with
  some     German     officers;   on   appearing    outside    his  hotel;  was    promptly
  marched off; horse and all; to explain his frivolity at the police court。
  Another   thing   you   must   not   do in   the   streets   of   German   towns is   to
  feed horses; mules; or donkeys; whether your own or those belonging to