第 17 节
作者:
指点迷津 更新:2021-02-20 05:05 字数:9322
makes them willing to starve and to let their families starve
sooner than do any work they don't like。〃
〃INDEED you are quite wrong; Sidney。 There was a girl at the
Slade school who supported her mother and two sisters by her
drawing。 Besides; what can you do? People were made so。〃
〃Yes; I was made a landlord and capitalist by the folly of the
people; but they can unmake me if they will。 Meanwhile I have
absolutely no means of escape from my position except by giving
away my slaves to fellows who will use them no better than I; and
becoming a slave myself; which; if you please; you shall not
catch me doing in a hurry。 No; my beloved; I must keep my foot on
their necks for your sake as well as for my own。 But you do not
care about all this prosy stuff。 I am consumed with remorse for
having bored my darling。 You want to know why I am living here
like a hermit in a vulgar two…roomed hovel instead of tasting the
delights of London society with my beautiful and devoted young
wife。〃
〃But you don't intend to stay here; Sidney?〃
〃Yes; I do; and I will tell you why。 I am helping to liberate
those Manchester laborers who were my father's slaves。 To bring
that about; their fellow slaves all over the world must unite in
a vast international association of men pledged to share the
world's work justly; to share the produce of the work justly; to
yield not a farthingcharity apartto any full…grown and
able…bodied idler or malingerer; and to treat as vermin in the
commonwealth persons attempting to get more than their share of
wealth or give less than their share of work。 This is a very
difficult thing to accomplish; because working…men; like the
people called their betters; do not always understand their own
interests; and will often actually help their oppressors to
exterminate their saviours to the tune of 'Rule Britannia;' or
some such lying doggerel。 We must educate them out of that; and;
meanwhile; push forward the international association of laborers
diligently。 I am at present occupied in propagating its
principles。 Capitalism; organized for repressive purposes under
pretext of governing the nation; would very soon stop the
association if it understood our aim; but it thinks that we are
engaged in gunpowder plots and conspiracies to assassinate
crowned heads; and so; whilst the police are blundering in search
of evidence of these; our real work goes on unmolested。 Whether I
am really advancing the cause is more than I can say。 I use heaps
of postage stamps; pay the expenses of many indifferent
lecturers; defray the cost of printing reams of pamphlets and
hand…bills which hail the laborer flatteringly as the salt of the
earth; write and edit a little socialist journal; and do what
lies in my power generally。 I had rather spend my ill…gotten
wealth in this way than upon an expensive house and a retinue of
servants。 And I prefer my corduroys and my two…roomed chalet here
to our pretty little house; and your pretty little ways; and my
pretty little neglect of the work that my heart is set upon。 Some
day; perhaps; I will take a holiday; and then we shall have a new
honeymoon。〃
For a moment Henrietta seemed about to cry。 Suddenly she
exclaimed with enthusiasm: 〃I will stay with you; Sidney。 I will
share your work; whatever it may be。 I will dress as a dairymaid;
and have a little pail to carry milk in。 The world is nothing to
me except when you are with me; and I should love to live here
and sketch from nature。〃
He blenched; and partially rose; unable to conceal his dismay。
She; resolved not to be cast off; seized him and clung to him。
This was the movement that excited the derision of Wickens's boy
in the adjacent gravel pit。 Trefusis was glad of the
interruption; and; when he gave the boy twopence and bade him
begone; half hoped that he would insist on remaining。 But though
an obdurate boy on most occasions; he proved complaisant on this;
and withdrew to the high road; where he made over one of his
pennies to a phantom gambler; and tossed with him until recalled
from his dual state by the appearance of Fairholme's party。
In the meantime; Henrietta urgently returned to her proposition。
〃We should be so happy;〃 she said。 〃I would housekeep for you;
and you could work as much as you pleased。 Our life would be a
long idyll。〃
〃My love;〃 he said; shaking his head as she looked beseechingly
at him; 〃I have too much Manchester cotton in my constitution for
long idylls。 And the truth is; that the first condition of work
with me is your absence。 When you are with me; I can do nothing
but make love to you。 You bewitch me。 When I escape from you for
a moment; it is only to groan remorsefully over the hours you
have tempted me to waste and the energy you have futilized。〃
〃If you won't live with me you had no right to marry me。〃
〃True。 But that is neither your fault nor mine。 We have found
that we love each other too much that our intercourse hinders
our usefulnessand so we must part。 Not for ever; my dear; only
until you have cares and business of your own to fill up your
life and prevent you from wasting mine。〃
〃I believe you are mad;〃 she said petulantly。 〃The world is mad
nowadays; and is galloping to the deuce as fast as greed can goad
it。 I merely stand out of the rush; not liking its destination。
Here comes a barge; the commander of which is devoted to me
because he believes that I am organizing a revolution for the
abolition of lock dues and tolls。 We will go aboard and float
down to Lyvern; whence you can return to London。 You had better
telegraph from the junction to the college; there must be a hue
and cry out after us by this time。 You shall have my address; and
we can write to one another or see one another whenever we
please。 Or you can divorce me for deserting you。〃
〃You would like me to; I know;〃 said Henrietta; sobbing。
〃I should die of despair; my darling;〃 he said complacently。
〃Ship aho…o…o…y! Stop crying; Hetty; for God's sake。 You lacerate
my very soul。〃
〃Ah…o…o…o…o…o…o…oy; master!〃 roared the bargee。
〃Good arternoon; sir;〃 said a man who; with a short whip in his
hand; trudged beside the white horse that towed the barge。 〃Come
up!〃 he added malevolently to the horse。
〃I want to get on board; and go up to Lyvern with you;〃 said
Trefusis。 〃He seems a well fed brute; that。〃
〃Better fed nor me;〃 said the man。 〃You can't get the work out of
a hunderfed 'orse that you can out of a hunderfed man or woman。
I've bin in parts of England where women pulled the barges。 They
come cheaper nor 'orses; because it didn't cost nothing to get
new ones when the old ones we wore out。〃
〃Then why not employ them?〃 said Trefusis; with ironical gravity。
〃The principle of buying laborforce in the cheapest market and
selling its product in the dearest has done much to make
Englishmenwhat they are。〃
〃The railway comp'nies keeps 'orspittles for the like of 'IM;〃
said the man; with a cunning laugh; indicating the horse by
smacking him on the belly with the butt of the whip。 〃If ever you
try bein' a laborer in earnest; governor; try it on four legs。
You'll find it far preferable to trying on two。〃
〃This man is one of my converts;〃 said Trefusis apart to
Henrietta。 〃He told me the other day that since I set him
thinking he never sees a gentleman without feeling inclined to
heave a brick at him。 I find that socialism is often
misunderstood by its least intelligent supporters and opponents
to mean simply unrestrained indulgence of our natural propensity
to heave bricks at respectable persons。 Now I am going to carry
you along this plank。 If you keep quiet; we may reach the barge。
If not; we shall reach the bottom of the canal。〃
He carried her safely over; and exchanged some friendly words
with the bargee。 Then he took Henrietta forward; and stood
watching the water as they were borne along noiselessly between
the hilly pastures of the country。
〃This would be a fairy journey;〃 he said; 〃if one could forget
the woman down below; cooking her husband's dinner in a stifling
hole about as big as your wardrobe; and〃
〃Oh; don't talk any more of these things;〃 she said crossly; 〃I
cannot help them。 I have my own troubles to think of。 HER husband
lives with her。〃
〃She will change places with you; my dear; if you make her the
offer。〃
She had no answer ready。 After a pause he began to speak
poetically of the scenery and to offer her loverlike speeches and
compliments。 But she felt that he intended to get rid of her; and
he knew that it was useless to try to hide that design from her。
She turned away and sat down on a pile of bricks; only writhing
angrily when he pressed her for a word。 As they neared the end of
her voyage; and her intense protest against desertion remained;
as she thought; only half expressed; her sense of injury grew
almost unbearable。
They landed on a wharf; and went through an unswept;
deeply…rutted lane up to the main street of Lyvern。 Here he
became Smilash again; walking deferentially a little before her;
as if she had hired him to point out the way。 She then saw that
her last opportunity of appealing to him had gone by; and she
nearly burst into tears at t