the new machiavelli- 第15部分

Bethnal　Green　Museum；　Petticoat　Lane　and　all　sorts　of　out…of…the…way　

places　together。



We　confessed　shyly　to　one　another　a　common　secret　vice；　〃Phantom　

warfare。〃　　When　we　walked　alone；　especially　in　the　country；　we　had　

both　developed　the　same　practice　of　fighting　an　imaginary　battle　

about　us　as　we　walked。　　As　we　went　along　we　were　generals；　and　our　

attacks　pushed　along　on　either　side；　crouching　and　gathering　behind　

hedges；　cresting　ridges；　occupying　copses；　rushing　open　spaces；　

fighting　from　house　to　house。　　The　hillsides　about　Penge　were　

honeycombed　in　my　imagination　with　the　pits　and　trenches　I　had　

created　to　cheek　a　victorious　invader　coming　out　of　Surrey。　　For　him　

West　Kensington　was　chiefly　important　as　the　scene　of　a　desperate　

and　successful　last　stand　of　insurrectionary　troops　（who　had　seized　

the　Navy；　the　Bank　and　other　advantages）　against　a　royalist　army

reinforced　by　Germansadvancing　for　reasons　best　known　to　

themselves　by　way　of　Harrow　and　Ealing。　　It　is　a　secret　and　solitary　

game；　as　we　found　when　we　tried　to　play　it　together。　　We　made　a　

success　of　that　only　once。　　All　the　way　down　to　Margate　we　schemed　

defences　and　assailed　and　fought　them　as　we　came　back　against　the　

sunset。　　Afterwards　we　recapitulated　all　that　conflict　by　means　of　a　

large　scale　map　of　the　Thames　and　little　paper　ironclads　in　plan　cut　

out　of　paper。



A　subsequent　revival　of　these　imaginings　was　brought　about　by　

Britten's　luck　in　getting；　through　a　friend　of　his　father's；　

admission　for　us　both　to　the　spectacle　of　volunteer　officers　

fighting　the　war　game　in　Caxton　Hall。　　We　developed　a　war　game　of　

our　own　at　Britten's　home　with　nearly　a　couple　of　hundred　lead　

soldiers；　some　excellent　spring　cannons　that　shot　hard　and　true　at　

six　yards；　hills　of　books　and　a　constantly　elaborated　set　of　rules。　　

For　some　months　that　occupied　an　immense　proportion　of　our　leisure。　　

Some　of　our　battles　lasted　several　days。　　We　kept　the　game　a　

profound　secret　from　the　other　fellows。　　They　would　not　have　

understood。



And　we　also　began；　it　was　certainly　before　we　were　sixteen；　to　

write；　for　the　sake　of　writing。　　We　liked　writing。　　We　had　

discovered　Lamb　and　the　best　of　the　middle　articles　in　such　weeklies　

as　the　SATURDAY　GAZETTE；　and　we　imitated　them。　　Our　minds　were　full　

of　dim　uncertain　things　we　wanted　to　drag　out　into　the　light　of　

expression。　　Britten　had　got　hold　of　IN　MEMORIAM；　and　I　had　

disinterred　Pope's　ESSAY　ON　MAN　and　RABBI　BEN　EZRA；　and　these　things　

had　set　our　theological　and　cosmic　solicitudes　talking。　　I　was　

somewhere　between　sixteen　and　eighteen；　I　know；　when　he　and　I　walked　

along　the　Thames　Embankment　confessing　shamefully　to　one　another　

that　we　had　never　read　Lucretius。　　We　thought　every　one　who　mattered　

had　read　Lucretius。



When　I　was　nearly　sixteen　my　mother　was　taken　ill　very　suddenly；　and　

died　of　some　perplexing　complaint　that　involved　a　post…mortem　

examination；　it　was；　I　think；　the　trouble　that　has　since　those　days　

been　recognised　as　appendicitis。　　This　led　to　a　considerable　change　

in　my　circumstances；　the　house　at　Penge　was　given　up；　and　my　

Staffordshire　uncle　arranged　for　me　to　lodge　during　school　terms　

with　a　needy　solicitor　and　his　wife　in　Vicars　Street；　S。　W。；　about　a　

mile　and　a　half　from　the　school。　　So　it　was　I　came　right　into　

London；　I　had　almost　two　years　of　London　before　I　went　to　Cambridge。



Tehose　were　our　great　days　together。　　Afterwards　we　were　torn　apart；　

Britten　went　to　Oxford；　and　our　circumstances　never　afterwards　threw　

us　continuously　together　until　the　days　of　the　BLUE　WEEKLY。



As　boys；　we　walked　together；　read　and　discussed　the　same　books；　

pursued　the　same　enquiries。　　We　got　a　reputation　as　inseparables　and　

the　nickname　of　the　Rose　and　the　Lily；　for　Britten　was　short　and　

thick…set　with　dark　close　curling　hair　and　a　ruddy　Irish　type　of　

face；　I　was　lean　and　fair…haired　and　some　inches　taller　than　he。　　

Our　talk　ranged　widely　and　yet　had　certain　very　definite　

limitations。　　We　were　amazingly　free　with　politics　and　religion；　we　

went　to　that　little　meeting…house　of　William　Morris's　at　Hammersmith　

and　worked　out　the　principles　of　Socialism　pretty　thoroughly；　and　we　

got　up　the　Darwinian　theory　with　the　help　of　Britten's　medical…

student　brother　and　the　galleries　of　the　Natural　History　Museum　in　

Cromwell　Road。　　Those　wonderful　cases　on　the　ground　floor　

illustrating　mimicry；　dimorphism　and　so　forth；　were　new　in　our　

times；　and　we　went　through　them　with　earnest　industry　and　tried　over　

our　Darwinism　in　the　light　of　that。　　Such　topics　we　did　

exhaustively。　　But　on　the　other　hand　I　do　not　remember　any　

discussion　whatever　of　human　sex　or　sexual　relationships。　　There；　in　

spite　of　intense　secret　curiosities；　our　lips　were　sealed　by　a　

peculiar　shyness。　　And　I　do　not　believe　we　ever　had　occasion　either　

of　us　to　use　the　word　〃love。〃　　It　was　not　only　that　we　were　

instinctively　shy　of　the　subject；　but　that　we　were　mightily　ashamed　

of　the　extent　of　our　ignorance　and　uncertainty　in　these　matters。　　We　

evaded　them　elaborately　with　an　assumption　of　exhaustive　knowledge。



We　certainly　had　no　shyness　about　theology。　　We　marked　the　

emancipation　of　our　spirits　from　the　frightful　teachings　that　had　

oppressed　our　boyhood；　by　much　indulgence　in　blasphemous　wit。　　We　

had　a　secret　literature　of　irreverent　rhymes；　and　a　secret　art　of　

theological　caricature。　　Britten's　father　had　delighted　his　family　

by　reading　aloud　from　Dr。　Richard　Garnett's　TWILIGHT　OF　THE　GODS；　

and　Britten　conveyed　the　precious　volume　to　me。　　That　and　the　BAB　

BALLADS　were　the　inspiration　of　some　of　our　earliest　lucubrations。



For　an　imaginative　boy　the　first　experience　of　writing　is　like　a　

tiger's　first　taste　of　blood；　and　our　literary　flowerings　led　very　

directly　to　the　revival　of　the　school　magazine；　which　had　been　

comatose　for　some　years。　　But　there　we　came　upon　a　disappointment。





8



In　that　revival　we　associated　certain　other　of　the　Sixth　Form　boys；　

and　notably　one　for　whom　our　enterprise　was　to　lay　the　foundations　

of　a　career　that　has　ended　in　the　House　of　Lords；　Arthur　Cossington；　

now　Lord　Paddockhurst。　　Cossington　was　at　that　time　a　rather　heavy；　

rather　good…looking　boy　who　was　chiefly　eminent　in　cricket；　an　

outsider　even　as　we　were　and　preoccupied　no　doubt；　had　we　been　

sufficiently　detached　to　observe　him；　with　private　imaginings　very　

much　of　the　same　quality　and　spirit　as　our　own。　　He　was；　we　were　

inclined　to　think；　rather　a　sentimentalist；　rather　a　poseur；　he　

affected　a　concise　emphatic　styl；　played　chess　very　well；　betrayed　

a　belief　in　will…power；　and　earned　Britten's　secret　hostility；　

Britten　being　a　sloven；　by　the　invariable　neatness　of　his　collars　

and　ties。　　He　came　into　our　magazine　with　a　vigour　that　we　found　

extremely　surprising　and　unwelcome。



Britten　and　I　had　wanted　to　write。　　We　had　indeed　figured　our　

project　modestly　as　a　manuscript　magazine　of　satirical；　liberal　and　

brilliant　literature　by　which　in　some　rather　inexplicable　way　the　

vague　tumult　of　ideas　that　teemed　within　us　was　to　find　form　and　

expression；　Cossington；　it　was　manifest　from　the　outset；　wanted　

neither　to　write　nor　writing；　but　a　magazine。　　I　remember　the　

inaugural　meeting　in　Shoesmith　major's　studywe　had　had　great　

trouble　in　getting　it　togetherand　how　effectually　Cossington　

bolted　with　the　proposal。



〃I　think　we　fellows　ought　to　run　a　magazine；〃　said　Cossington。　　〃The　

school　used　to　have　one。　　A　school　like　this　ought　to　have　a　

magazine。〃



〃The　last　one　died　in　'84；〃　said　Shoesmith　from　the　hearthrug。　　

〃Called　the　OBSERVER。　　Rot　rather。〃



〃Bad　title；〃　said　Cossington。



〃There　was　a　TATLER　before　that；〃　said　Britten；　sitting　on　the　

writing　table　at　the　window　that　was　closed　to　deaden　the　cries　of　

the　Lower　School　at　play；　and　clashing　his　boots　together。



〃We　want　something　suggestive　of　City　Merchants。〃



〃CITY　MERCHANDIZE；〃　said　Britten。



〃Too　fanciful。　　What　of　ARVONIAN？　　Richard　Arvon　was　our　founder；　

and　it　seems　almost　a　duty〃



〃They　call　them　all　…usians　or　…onians；〃　said　Britten。



〃I　like　CITY　MERCHANDIZE；〃　I　said。　　〃We　could　probably　find　a　

quotation　to　suggestoh！　mixed　good　things。〃



Cossington　regarded　me　abstractedly。



Don't　want　to　put　the　accent　on　the　City；　do　we？〃　said　Shoesmith；　

who　had　a　feeling　for　county　families；　and　Naylor　supported　him　by　a　

murmur　of　approval。



〃We　ought　to　call　it　the　ARVONIAN；〃　decided　Cossington；　〃and　we　

might　very　well　have　underneath；　'With　which　is　incorporated　the　

OBSERVER。'　　That　picks　up　the　old　traditions；　makes　an　appeal　to　old　

boys　and　all　that；　and　it　gives　us　something　to　print　under　the　

title。〃



I　still　held　out　for　CITY　MERCHANDIZE；　which　had　taken　my　fancy。　　

〃Some　of　the　chaps'　people　won't　like　it；〃　said　Naylor；　〃certain　not　

to。　　And　it　sounds　Rum。〃



〃Sounds　Weird；〃　said　a　boy　who　had　not　hitherto　spoken。



〃We　aren't　going　to　do　anything　Queer；〃　said　Shoesmith；　pointedly　

not　looking　at　Britten。



The　question　of　the　title　had　manifestly　gone　against　us。　　〃Oh！　HAVE　

it　ARVONIAN；〃　I　said。



〃And　next；　what　size　shall　we　have？〃　said　Cossington。



〃Something　like　MACMILLAN'S　MAGAZINEor　LONGMANS'；　LONGMANS'　is　

better　because　it　has　a　whole　page；　not　columns。　　It　makes　no　end　of　

difference　to　one's　effects。〃



〃What　effects？〃　asked　Shoesmith　abruptly。



〃Oh！　a　pause　or　a　white　line　or　anything。　　You've　got　to　write　

closer　for　a　double　column。　　It's　nuggetty。　　You　can't　get　a　swing　

on　your　prose。〃　　I　had　discussed　this　thoroughly　with　Britten。



〃If　the　fellows　are　going　to　write〃　began　Britten。



〃We　ought　to　keep　off　fine　writing；〃　said　Shoesmith。　　〃It's　cheek。　　

I　vote　we　don't　have　any。〃



〃We　sha'n't　get　any；〃　said　Cossington；　and　then　as　an　olive　branch　

to　me；　〃unless　Remington　does　a