castle rackrent-第4部分

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　said　he　had　been　convinced　by　what　he　had　heard　one　night；　that　the　Union　was　decidedly　against　the　wishes　of　the　majority　of　men　of　sense　and　property　in　the　nation。　　He　added　（and　surely　Mr。　Edgeworth's　opinion　should　go　for　something　still）　that　if　he　should　be　convinced　that　the　opinions　of　the　country　changed；　his　vote　would　be　in　its　favour。

His　biographer　tells　us　that　Mr。　Edgeworth　was　much　complimented　on　his　speech　by　BOTH　sides；　by　those　for　whom　he　voted；　and　also　by　those　who　found　that　the　best　arguments　on　the　other　side　of　the　question　had　been　undoubtedly　made　by　him。　　It　is　a　somewhat　complicated　statement　and　state　of　feeling　to　follow；　to　the　faithful　daughter　nothing　is　impossible　where　her　father　is　concerned。　　This　vote；　I　believe；　cost　Mr。　Edgeworth　his　peerage。　'When　it　was　known　that　he　had　voted　against　the　Union　he　became　suddenly　the　idol　of　those　who　would　previously　have　stoned　him；'　says　his　devoted　biographer。　　It　must　not；　however；　be　forgotten　that　Mr。　Edgeworth　had　refused　an　offer　of　L3000　for　his　seat　for　two　or　three　weeks；　during　that　momentous　period　when　every　vote　was　of　importance。　　Mr。　Pitt；　they　say；　spent　over　L2；000；000　in　carrying　the　measure　which　he　deemed　so　necessary。


IV

As　a　rule　people's　books　appeal　first　to　one's　imagination；　and　then　after　a　time；　if　the　books　are　good　books　and　alive；　not　stuffed　dummies　and　reproductions；　one　begins　to　divine　the　writers　themselves；　hidden　away　in　their　pages；　and　wrapped　up　in　their　hot…press　sheets　of　paper；　and　so　it　happened　by　chance　that　a　printed　letter　once　written　by　Maria　Edgeworth　to　Mrs。　Barbauld　set　the　present　reader　wondering　about　these　two　familiar　names；　and　trying　to　realise　the　human　beings　which　they　each　represented。　　Since　those　days　Miss　Edgeworth　has　become　a　personage　more　vivid　and　interesting　than　any　of　her　characters；　more　familiar　even　than　'Simple　Susan'　or　'Rosamond　of　the　Purple　Jar。'　　She　has　seemed　little　by　little　to　grow　into　a　friend；　as　the　writer　has　learnt　to　know　her　more　and　more　intimately；　has　visited　the　home　of　that　home…loving　woman；　has　held　in　her　hands　the　delightful　Family　Memoirs；　has　seen　the　horizons；　so　to　speak；　of　Maria　Edgeworth's　long　life。　　＇Now　published　and　edited　by　　Mr。　Hare　（Nov。　1894）。＇　　Several　histories　of　Miss　Edgeworth　have　been　lately　published　in　England。　　Miss　Zimmern　and　Miss　Oliver　in　America　have　each　written；　and　the　present　writer　has　written；　and　various　memoirs　and　letters　have　appeared　in　different　magazines　and　papers　with　allusions　and　descriptions　all　more　or　less　interesting。　　One　can　but　admire　the　spirit　which　animated　that　whole　existence；　the　cheerful；　kindly；　multiplied　interest　Maria　Edgeworth　took　in　the　world　outside；　as　well　as　in　the　wellbeing　of　all　those　around　her。　　Generations；　changes；　new　families；　new　experiences；　none　of　these　overwhelmed　her。　　She　seemed　to　move　in　a　crowd；　a　cheerful；　orderly　crowd；　keeping　in　tune　and　heart　with　its　thousand　claims；　with　strength　and　calmness　of　mind　to　bear　multiplied　sorrows　and　a　variety　of　care　with　courage；　and　an　ever…reviving　gift　of　spirited　interest。　　Her　history　is　almost　unique　in　its　curious　relationships；　its　changes　of　step…mothers；　its　warm　family　ties；　its　grasp　of　certain　facts　which　belong　to　all　time　rather　than　to　the　hour　itself。　　Miss　Edgeworth　lived　for　over　eighty　years；　busy；　beneficent；　modest；　and　intelligent　to　the　last。　　When　she　died　she　was　mourned　as　unmarried　women　of　eighty　are　not　often　mourned。

The　present　owner　of　Edgeworthstown　told　us　that　he　could　just　remember　her；　lying　dead　upon　her　bed；　and　her　face　upon　the　pillow；　and　the　sorrowful　tears　of　the　household；　and　how　he　and　the　other　little　children　were　carried　off　by　a　weeping　aunt　into　the　woods；　to　comfort　and　distract　them　on　the　funeral　day。　　He　also　told　us　of　an　incident　prior　to　this　event　which　should　not　be　overlooked。　　How　he　himself；　being　caught　red…handed；　at　the　age　of　four　or　thereabouts；　with　his　hands　in　a　box　of　sugar…　plums；　had　immediately　confessed　the　awful　fact　that　he　had　been　about　to　eat　them；　and　he　was　brought　then　and　there　before　his　Aunt　Maria　for　sentence。　　She　at　once　decided　that　he　had　behaved　Nobly　in　speaking　the　truth；　and　that　he　must　be　rewarded　in　kind　for　his　praiseworthy　conduct；　and　be　allowed　to　keep　the　sugar…　plums！

This　little　story　after　half　a　century　certainly　gives　one　pleasure　still　to　recall；　and　proves；　I　think；　that　cakes　may　be　enjoyed　long　after　they　have　been　eaten；　and　also　that　there　is　a　great　deal　to　be　said　for　justice　with　lollipops　in　the　scale。　But　what　would　Rosamond's　parents　have　thought　of　such　a　decision？　　One　shudders　to　think　of　their　disapproval；　or　of　that　of　dear　impossible　Mr。　Thomas　Day；　with　his　trials　and　experiments　of　melted　sealing…wax　upon　little　girls'　bare　arms；　and　his　glasses　of　tar…water　so　inflexibly　administered。　　Miss　Edgeworth；　who　suffered　from　her　eyes；　recalls　how　Mr。　Day　used　to　bring　the　dose；　the　horrible　tar…water；　every　morning　with　a　'Drink　this；　Miss　Maria！'　　and　how　she　dared　not　resist；　though　she　thought　she　saw　something　of　kindness　and　pity　beneath　all　his　apparent　severity。

Severity　was　the　order　of　those　times。　　The　reign　of　sugar…plums　had　scarcely　begun。　　It　was　not；　as　now；　only　ignorance　and　fanaticism　that　encouraged　the　giving　of　pain；　it　was　the　universal　custom。　　People　were　still　hanged　for　stealing；　women　were　still　burntso　we　have　been　assuredin　St。　Stephen's　Green；　though；　it　is　true；　they　were　considerately　strangled　first。　　Children　were　bullied　and　tortured　with　the　kindest　intentions；　even　Maria　Edgeworth　at　her　fashionable　school　was　stretched　in　a　sort　of　machine　to　make　her　grow；　Mr。　Day；　as　we　know；　to　please　the　lady　of　his　affections；　passed　eight　hours　a　day　in　the　stocks　in　order　to　turn　out　his　knock…knees。　　One　feels　that　a　generation　of　ladies　and　gentlemen　who　submitted　to　such　inflictions　surely　belonged　to　a　race　of　heroes　and　heroines；　and　that；　if　the　times　were　difficult　and　trying；　the　people　also　were　stronger　to　endure　them；　and　must　have　been　much　better　fitted　with　nerves　than　we　are。

Miss　Edgeworth's　life　has　been　so　often　told　that　I　will　not　attempt　to　recapitulate　the　story　at　any　length。　　She　well　deserved　her　reputation。　　Her　thoughts　were　good；　her　English　was　good；　her　stories　had　the　charm　of　sincerity；　and　her　audience　of　children　was　a　genuine　audience；　less　likely　to　be　carried　away　by　fashion　than　more　advanced　critics　might　be。　　There　is　a　curious　matter…of…fact　element　in　all　she　wrote；　combined　with　extraordinary　quickness　and　cleverness；　and　it　must　be　remembered；　in　trying　to　measure　her　place　in　literature；　that　in　her　day　the　whole　great　school　of　English　philosophical　romance　was　in　its　cradle；　George　Eliot　was　not　in　existence；　my　father　was　born　in　the　year　in　which　THE　ABSENTEE　was　published。　　Sir　Walter　Scott　has　told　us　that　it　was　Miss　Edgeworth's　writing　which　first　suggested　to　him　the　idea　of　writing　about　Scotland　and　its　national　life。　　Tourgenieff　in　the　same　way　says　that　it　was　after　reading　her　books　on　Ireland　that　he　began　to　write　of　his　own　country　and　of　Russian　peasants　as　he　did。　　Miss　Edgeworth　was　the　creator　of　her　own　special　world　of　fiction；　though　the　active　Mr。　Edgeworth　crossed　the　t's　and　dotted　the　i's；　interpolated；　expurgated；　to　his　own　and　Maria's　satisfaction。　　She　was　essentially　a　modest　woman；　she　gratefully　accepted　his　criticism　and　emendations。　　Mr。　Clark　Russell　quotes　Sydney　Smith；　who　declared　that　Mr。　Edgeworth　must　have　written　or　burst。　　'A　discharge　of　ink　was　an　evacuation　absolutely　necessary　to　avoid　fatal　and　plethoric　congestion。'　　The　only　wonder　is　that；　considering　all　they　went　through；　his　daughter's　stories　survived　to　tell　their　tale；　and　to　tell　it　so　well；　with　directness　and　conviction；　that　best　of　salt　in　any　literary　work。　　A　letter　Maria　wrote　to　her　cousin　will　be　remembered。　　'I　beg；　dear　Sophy；'　she　says；　'that　you　will　not　call　my　stories　by　the　sublime　name　of　my　works；　I　shall　else　be　ashamed　when　the　little　mouse　comes　forth。'

Maria's　correspondence　is　delightful；　and　conveys　us　right　away　into　that　bygone　age。　　The　figures　rapidly　move　across　her　scene；　talking　and　unconsciously　describing　themselves　as　they　go；　you　see　them　all　through　the　eyes　of　the　observant　little　lady。　　She　did　not　go　very　deep；　she　seems　to　me　to　have　made　kindly　acquaintance　with　some；　to　have　admired　others　with　artless　enthusiasm。　　I　don't　think　she　troubled　herself　much　about　complication　of　feeling；　she　liked　people　to　make　repartees；　or　to　invent　machines；　to　pay　their　bills；　and　to　do　their　duty　in　a　commonplace　and　cheerfully　stoical　fashion。　　But　then　Maria　Edgeworth　certainly　did　not　belong　to　our　modern　schools；　sipping　the　emetic　goblet　to　give　flavour　to　daily　events；　nor　to　that　still　more　alarming　and　spreading　clique　of　DEGENERES　who　insist　upon　administering　such　doses　to　others　to　relieve　the　tedium　of　the　road　of　life。

Perhaps　we　in　our　time　scarcely　do　justice　to　Miss　Edgeworth's　extraordinary　cleverness　and　brightness　of　apprehension。　　There　is　more　fun　than　humour　in　her　work；　and　those　were　the　days　of　good　rollicking　jokes　and　laughter。　　Details　change　so　quickly　that　it　is　almost　impossible　to　grasp　entirely　the　aims　and　intentions　of　a　whole　set　of　people　just　a　little　different　from　ourselves　in　every　single　thing；　who　held　their　heads　differently；　who　pointed　their　toes　differently；　who　addressed　each　other　in　a　language　just　a　little　unlike　our　own。　　The　very　meanings　of　the　words　shift　from　one　generation　to　another；　and　we　are　perhaps　more　really　in　harmony　with　our　great…great…　grandfathers　than　with　the　more　immediate　generations。

Her　society　was　charming；　so　every　one　agrees；　and　her　acquaintance　with　all　the　most　remarkable　men　of　her　time　must　not　be　forgotten；　nor　the　genuine　regard　with　which　she　inspired　all　who　came　across　her　path。

'In　external　appearance　she　is　quite　the　fairy　of　our　nursery　tale；　the　WHIPPETY　STOURIE；　if　you　remember　such　a　sprite；　who　came　flying　through　the　window　to　work　all　sorts　of　marvels；'　writes　Sir　Walter。　　'I　will　never　believe　but　what　she　has　a　wand　in　her　pocket；　and　pulls　it　out　to　conjure　a　l