an unsocial socialist-第62章

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〃I　do　not　care　for　Mr。　Erskine；〃　she　said；　hardly　able　to　control
her　voice；　〃but　I　will　marry　him　if　you　wish　it。〃

〃I　do　wish　it　earnestly；　Gertrude。〃

〃Then；　you　have　my　promise；〃　she　said；　again　with　some
bitterness。

〃But　you　will　not　forget　me？　Erskine　will　have　all　but　thata
tender　recollectionnothing。〃

〃Can　I　do　more　than　I　have　just　promised？〃

〃Perhaps　so；　but　I　am　too　selfish　to　be　able　to　conceive　anything
more　generous。　Our　renunciation　will　bind　us　to　one　another　as
our　union　could　never　have　done。〃

They　exchanged　a　long　look。　Then　he　took　out　his　watch；　and　began
to　speak　of　the　length　of　their　journey；　now　nearly　at　an　end。
When　they　arrived　in　London　the　first　person　they　recognized　on
the　platform　was　Mr。　Jansenius。

〃Ah！　you　got　my　telegram；　I　see；〃　said　Trefusis。　〃Many　thanks　for
coming。　Wait　for　me　whilst　I　put　this　lady　into　a　cab。〃

When　the　cab　was　engaged；　and　Gertrude；　with　her　maid；　stowed
within；　he　whispered　to　her　hurriedly：

〃In　spite　of　all；　I　have　a　leaden　pain　here〃　（indicating　his
heart）。　〃You　have　been　brave；　and　I　have　been　wise。　Do　not　speak
to　me；　but　remember　that　we　are　friends　always　and　deeply。〃

He　touched　her　hand；　and　turned　to　the　cabman；　directing　him
whither　to　drive。　Gertrude　shrank　back　into　a　corner　of　the
vehicle　as　it　departed。　Then　Trefusis；　expanding　his　chest　like　a
man　just　released　from　some　cramping　drudgery；　rejoined　Mr。
Jansenius。

〃There　goes　a　true　woman；〃　he　said。　〃I　have　been　persuading　her
to　take　the　very　best　step　open　to　her。　I　began　by　talking　sense；
like　a　man　of　honor；　and　kept　at　it　for　half　an　hour；　but　she
would　not　listen　to　me。　Then　I　talked　romantic　nonsense　of　the
cheapest　sort　for　five　minutes；　and　she　consented　with　tears　in
her　eyes。　Let　us　take　this　hansom。　Hi！　Belsize　Avenue。　Yes；　you
sometimes　have　to　answer　a　woman　according　to　her　womanishness；
just　as　you　have　to　answer　a　fool　according　to　his　folly。　Have
you　ever　made　up　your　mind；　Jansenius；　whether　I　am　an　unusually
honest　man；　or　one　of　the　worst　products　of　the　social
organization　I　spend　all　my　energies　in　assailingan　infernal
scoundrel；　in　short？〃

〃Now　pray　do　not　be　absurd；〃　said　Mr。　Jansenius。　〃I　wonder　at　a
man　of　your　ability　behaving　and　speaking　as　you　sometimes　do。〃

〃I　hope　a　little　insincerity；　when　meant　to　act　as　chloroformto
save　a　woman　from　feeling　a　wound　to　her　vanityis　excusable。
By…the…bye；　I　must　send　a　couple　of　telegrams　from　the　first
post…office　we　pass。　Well；　sir；　I　am　going　to　marry　Agatha；　as　I
sent　you　word。　There　was　only　one　other　single　man　and　one　other
virgin　down　at　Brandon　Beeches；　and　they　are　as　good　as　engaged。
And　so

〃'Jack　shall　have　Jill；　Nought　shall　go　ill；　The　man　shall　have
his　mare　again；　And　all　shall　be　well。'〃



APPENDIX

LETTER　TO　THE　AUTHOR　FROM　MR。　SIDNEY　TREFUSIS。

My　Dear　Sir：　I　find　that　my　friends　are　not　quite　satisfied　with
the　account　you　have　given　of　them　in　your　clever　novel　entitled
〃　An　Unsocial　Socialist。〃　You　already　understand　that　I　consider
it　my　duty　to　communicate　my　whole　history；　without　reserve；　to
whoever　may　desire　to　be　guided　or　warned　by　my　experience；　and
that　I　have　no　sympathy　whatever　with　the　spirit　in　which　one　of
the　ladies　concerned　recently　told　you　that　her　affairs　were　no
business　of　yours　or　of　the　people　who　read　your　books。　When　you
asked　my　permission　some　years　ago　to　make　use　of　my　story；　I　at
once　said　that　you　would　be　perfectly　justified　in　giving　it　the
fullest　publicity　whether　I　consented　or　not；　provided　only　that
you　were　careful　not　to　falsify　it　for　the　sake　of　artistic
effect。　Now；　whilst　cheerfully　admitting　that　you　have　done　your
best　to　fulfil　that　condition；　I　cannot　help　feeling　that；　in
presenting　the　facts　in　the　guise　of　fiction；　you　have；　in　spite
of　yourself；　shown　them　in　a　false　light。　Actions　described　in
novels　are　judged　by　a　romantic　system　of　morals　as　fictitious　as
the　actions　themselves。　The　traditional　parts　of　this　system　are；
as　Cervantes　tried　to　show；　for　the　chief　part；　barbarous　and
obsolete；　the　modern　additions　are　largely　due　to　the　novel
readers　and　writers　of　our　own　centurymost　of　them
half…educated　women；rebelliously　slavish；　superstitious；
sentimental；　full　of　the　intense　egotism　fostered　by　their
struggle　for　personal　liberty；　and；　outside　their　families；　with
absolutely　no　social　sentiment　except　love。　Meanwhile；　man；
having　fought　and　won　his　fight　for　this　personal　liberty；　only
to　find　himself　a　more　abject　slave　than　before；　is　turning　with
loathing　from　his　egotist's　dream　of　independence　to　the
collective　interests　of　society；　with　the　welfare　of　which　he　now
perceives　his　own　happiness　to　be　inextricably　bound　up。　But　man
in　this　phase　（would　that　all　had　reached　it！）　has　not　yet
leisure　to　write　or　read　novels。　In　noveldom　woman　still　sets　the
moral　standard；　and　to　her　the　males；　who　are　in　full　revolt
against　the　acceptance　of　the　infatuation　of　a　pair　of　lovers　as
the　highest　manifestation　of　the　social　instinct；　and　against　the
restriction　of　the　affections　within　the　narrow　circle　of　blood
relationship；　and　of　the　political　sympathies　within　frontiers；
are　to　her　what　she　calls　heartless　brutes。　That　is　exactly　what
I　have　been　called　by　readers　of　your　novel；　and　that；　indeed；　is
exactly　what　I　am；　judged　by　the　fictitious　and　feminine　standard
of　morality。　Hence　some　critics　have　been　able　plausibly　to
pretend　to　take　the　book　as　a　satire　on　Socialism。　It　may；　for
what　I　know；　have　been　so　intended　by　you。　Whether　or　no；　I　am
sorry　you　made　a　novel　of　my　story；　for　the　effect　has　been
almost　as　if　you　had　misrepresented　me　from　beginning　to　end。

At　the　same　time；　I　acknowledge　that　you　have　stated　the　facts；
on　the　whole；　with　scrupulous　fairness。　You　have；　indeed；
flattered　me　very　strongly　by　representing　me　as　constantly
thinking　of　and　for　other　people；　whereas　the　rest　think　of
themselves　alone；　but　on　the　other　hand　you　have　contradictorily
called　me　〃unsocial；〃　which　is　certainly　the　last　adjective　I
should　have　expected　to　find　in　the　neighborhood　of　my　name。　I
deny；　it　is　true；　that　what　is　now　called　　〃society　〃　is　society
in　any　real　sense；　and　my　best　wish　for　it　is　that　it　may
dissolve　too　rapidly　to　make　it　worth　the　while　of　those　who　are
〃　not　in　society　〃to　facilitate　its　dissolution　by　violently
pounding　it　into　small　pieces。　But　no　reader　of　〃An　Unsocial
Socialist　〃　needs　to　be　told　how；　by　the　exercise　of　a　certain
considerate　tact　（which　on　the　outside；　perhaps；　seems　the
opposite　of　tact）；　I　have　contrived　to　maintain　genial　terms　with
men　and　women　of　all　classes；　even　those　whose　opinions　and
political　conduct　seemed　to　me　most　dangerous。

However；　I　do　not　here　propose　to　go　fully　into　my　own　position；
lest　I　should　seem　tedious；　and　be　accused；　not　for　the　first
time；　of　a　propensity　to　lecture　a　reproach　which　comes
naturally　enough　from　persons　whose　conceptions　are　never　too
wide　to　be　expressed　within　the　limits　of　a　sixpenny　telegram。　I
shall　confine　myself　to　correcting　a　few　misapprehensions　which
have；　I　am　told；　arisen　among　readers　who　from　inveterate　habit
cannot　bring　the　persons　and　events　of　a　novel　into　any　relation
with　the　actual　conditions　of　life。

In　the　first　place；　then；　I　desire　to　say　that　Mrs。　Erskine　is
not　dead　of　a　broken　heart。　Erskine　and　I　and　our　wives　are　very
much　in　and　out　at　one　another's　houses；　and　I　am　therefore　in　a
position　to　declare　that　Mrs。　Erskine；　having　escaped　by　her
marriage　from　the　vile　caste　in　which　she　was　relatively　poor　and
artificially　unhappy　and　ill…conditioned；　is　now；　as　the　pretty
wife　of　an　art…critic；　relatively　rich；　as　well　as　pleasant；
active；　and　in　sound　health。　Her　chief　trouble；　as　far　as　I　can
judge；　is　the　impossibility　of　shaking　off　her　distinguished
relatives；　who　furtively　quit　their　abject　splendor　to　drop　in
upon　her　for　dinner　and　a　little　genuine　human　society　much
oftener　than　is　convenient　to　poor　Erskine。　She　has　taken　a
patronizing　fancy　to　her　father；　the　Admiral；　who　accepts　her
condescension　gratefully　as　age　brings　more　and　more　home　to　him
the　futility　of