greville fane-第3部分

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that　Leolin's　training　was　bearing　fruit。　　She　was　giving　him

experience；　she　was　giving　him　impressions；　she　was　putting　a

gagnepain　into　his　hand。　　It　was　another　name　for　spoiling　him　with

the　best　conscience　in　the　world。　　The　queerest　pictures　come　back　to

me　of　this　period　of　the　good　lady's　life　and　of　the　extraordinarily

virtuous；　muddled；　bewildering　tenor　of　it。　　She　had　an　idea　that　she

was　seeing　foreign　manners　as　well　as　her　petticoats　would　allow；

but；　in　reality　she　was　not　seeing　anything；　least　of　all　fortunately

how　much　she　was　laughed　at。　　She　drove　her　whimsical　pen　at　Dresden

and　at　Florence；　and　produced　in　all　places　and　at　all　times　the　same

romantic　and　ridiculous　fictions。　　She　carried　about　her　box　of

properties　and　fished　out　promptly　the　familiar；　tarnished　old

puppets。　　She　believed　in　them　when　others　couldn't；　and　as　they　were

like　nothing　that　was　to　be　seen　under　the　sun　it　was　impossible　to

prove　by　comparison　that　they　were　wrong。　　You　can't　compare　birds

and　fishes；　you　could　only　feel　that；　as　Greville　Fane's　characters

had　the　fine　plumage　of　the　former　species；　human　beings　must　be　of

the　latter。



It　would　have　been　droll　if　it　had　not　been　so　exemplary　to　see　her

tracing　the　loves　of　the　duchesses　beside　the　innocent　cribs　of　her

children。　　The　immoral　and　the　maternal　lived　together　in　her

diligent　days　on　the　most　comfortable　terms；　and　she　stopped　curling

the　mustaches　of　her　Guardsmen　to　pat　the　heads　of　her　babes。　　She

was　haunted　by　solemn　spinsters　who　came　to　tea　from　continental

pensions；　and　by　unsophisticated　Americans　who　told　her　she　was　just

loved　in　THEIR　country。　　〃I　had　rather　be　just　paid　there；〃　she

usually　replied；　for　this　tribute　of　transatlantic　opinion　was　the

only　thing　that　galled　her。　　The　Americans　went　away　thinking　her

coarse；　though　as　the　author　of　so　many　beautiful　love…stories　she

was　disappointing　to　most　of　these　pilgrims；　who　had　not　expected　to

find　a　shy；　stout；　ruddy　lady　in　a　cap　like　a　crumbled　pyramid。　　She

wrote　about　the　affections　and　the　impossibility　of　controlling　them；

but　she　talked　of　the　price　of　pension　and　the　convenience　of　an

English　chemist。　　She　devoted　much　thought　and　many　thousands　of

francs　to　the　education　of　her　daughter；　who　spent　three　years　at　a

very　superior　school　at　Dresden；　receiving　wonderful　instruction　in

sciences；　arts　and　tongues；　and　who；　taking　a　different　line　from

Leolin；　was　to　be　brought　up　wholly　as　a　femme　du　monde。　　The　girl

was　musical　and　philological；　she　made　a　specialty　of　languages　and

learned　enough　about　them　to　be　inspired　with　a　great　contempt　for

her　mother's　artless　accents。　　Greville　Fane's　French　and　Italian

were　droll；　the　imitative　faculty　had　been　denied　her；　and　she　had　an

unequalled　gift；　especially　pen　in　hand；　of　squeezing　big　mistakes

into　small　opportunities。　　She　knew　it；　but　she　didn't　care；

correctness　was　the　virtue　in　the　world　that；　like　her　heroes　and

heroines；　she　valued　least。　　Ethel；　who　had　perceived　in　her　pages

some　remarkable　lapses；　undertook　at　one　time　to　revise　her　proofs；

but　I　remember　her　telling　me　a　year　after　the　girl　had　left　school

that　this　function　had　been　very　briefly　exercised。　　〃She　can't　read

me；〃　said　Mrs。　Stormer；　〃I　offend　her　taste。　　She　tells　me　that　at

Dresdenat　schoolI　was　never　allowed。〃　　The　good　lady　seemed

surprised　at　this；　having　the　best　conscience　in　the　world　about　her

lucubrations。　　She　had　never　meant　to　fly　in　the　face　of　anything；

and　considered　that　she　grovelled　before　the　Rhadamanthus　of　the

English　literary　tribunal；　the　celebrated　and　awful　Young　Person。　　I

assured　her；　as　a　joke；　that　she　was　frightfully　indecent　（she　hadn't

in　fact　that　reality　any　more　than　any　other）　my　purpose　being　solely

to　prevent　her　from　guessing　that　her　daughter　had　dropped　her　not

because　she　was　immoral　but　because　she　was　vulgar。　　I　used　to　figure

her　children　closeted　together　and　asking　each　other　while　they

exchanged　a　gaze　of　dismay：　　〃Why　should　she　BE　soand　so　FEARFULLY

sowhen　she　has　the　advantage　of　our　society？　　Shouldn't　WE　have

taught　her　better？〃　　Then　I　imagined　their　recognising　with　a　blush

and　a　shrug　that　she　was　unteachable；　irreformable。　　Indeed　she　was；

poor　lady；　but　it　is　never　fair　to　read　by　the　light　of　taste　things

that　were　not　written　by　it。　　Greville　Fane　had；　in　the　topsy…turvy；

a　serene　good　faith　that　ought　to　have　been　safe　from　allusion；　like

a　stutter　or　a　faux　pas。



She　didn't　make　her　son　ashamed　of　the　profession　to　which　he　was

destined；　however；　she　only　made　him　ashamed　of　the　way　she　herself

exercised　it。　　But　he　bore　his　humiliation　much　better　than　his

sister；　for　he　was　ready　to　take　for　granted　that　he　should　one　day

restore　the　balance。　　He　was　a　canny　and　far…seeing　youth；　with

appetites　and　aspirations；　and　he　had　not　a　scruple　in　his

composition。　　His　mother's　theory　of　the　happy　knack　he　could　pick　up

deprived　him　of　the　wholesome　discipline　required　to　prevent　young

idlers　from　becoming　cads。　　He　had；　abroad；　a　casual　tutor　and　a

snatch　or　two　of　a　Swiss　school；　but　no　consecutive　study；　no

prospect　of　a　university　or　a　degree。　　It　may　be　imagined　with　what

zeal；　as　the　years　went　on；　he　entered　into　the　pleasantry　of　there

being　no　manual　so　important　to　him　as　the　massive　book　of　life。　　It

was　an　expensive　volume　to　peruse；　but　Mrs。　Stormer　was　willing　to

lay　out　a　sum　in　what　she　would　have　called　her　premiers　frais。

Ethel　disapprovedshe　thought　this　education　far　too　unconventional

for　an　English　gentleman。　　Her　voice　was　for　Eton　and　Oxford；　or　for

any　public　school　（she　would　have　resigned　herself）　with　the　army　to

follow。　　But　Leolin　never　was　afraid　of　his　sister；　and　they　visibly

disliked；　though　they　sometimes　agreed　to　assist；　each　other。　　They

could　combine　to　work　the　oracleto　keep　their　mother　at　her　desk。



When　she　came　back　to　England；　telling　me　she　had　got　all　the

continent　could　give　her；　Leolin　was　a　broad…shouldered；　red…faced

young　man；　with　an　immense　wardrobe　and　an　extraordinary　assurance　of

manner。　　She　was　fondly　obstinate　about　her　having　taken　the　right

course　with　him；　and　proud　of　all　that　he　knew　and　had　seen。　　He　was

now　quite　ready　to　begin；　and　a　little　while　later　she　told　me　he　HAD

begun。　　He　had　written　something　tremendously　clever；　and　it　was

coming　out　in　the　Cheapside。　　I　believe　it　came　out；　I　had　no　time　to

look　for　it；　I　never　heard　anything　about　it。　　I　took　for　granted

that　if　this　contribution　had　passed　through　his　mother's　hands　it

had　practically　become　a　specimen　of　her　own　genius；　and　it　was

interesting　to　consider　Mrs。　Stormer's　future　in　the　light　of　her

having　to　write　her　son's　novels　as　well　as　her　own。　　This　was　not

the　way　she　looked　at　it　herself；　she　took　the　charming　ground　that

he　would　help　her　to　write　hers。　　She　used　to　tell　me　that　he

supplied　passages　of　the　greatest　value　to　her　own　workall　sorts　of

technical　things；　about　hunting　and　yachting　and　winethat　she

couldn't　be　expected　to　get　very　straight。　　It　was　all　so　much

practice　for　him　and　so　much　alleviation　for　her。　　I　was　unable　to

identify　these　pages；　for　I　had　long　since　ceased　to　〃keep　up〃　with

Greville　Fane；　but　I　was　quite　able　to　believe　that　the　wine…question

had　been　put；　by　Leolin's　good　offices；　on　a　better　footing；　for　the

dear　lady　used　to　mix　her　drinks　（she　was　perpetually　serving　the

most　splendid　suppers）　in　the　queerest　fashion。　　I　could　see　that　he

was　willing　enough　to　accept　a　commission　to　look　after　that

department。　　It　occurred　to　me　indeed；　when　Mrs。　Stormer　settled　in

England　again；　that　by　making　a　shrewd　use　of　both　her　children　she

might　be　able　to　rejuvenate　her　style。　　Ethel　had　come　back　to

gratify　her　young　ambition；　and　if　she　couldn't　take　her　mother　into

society　she　would　at　least　go　into　it　herself。　　Silently；　stiffly；

almost　grimly；　this　young　lady　held　up　her　head；　clenched　her　long

teeth；　squared　her　lean　elbows　and　made　her　way　up　the　staircases　she

had　elected。　　The　only　communication　she　ever　made　to　me；　the　only

effusion　of　confidence　with　which　she　ever　honoured　me；　was　when　she

said：　　〃I　don't　want　to　know　the　people　mamma　knows；　I　mean　to　know

others。〃　　I　took　due　note　of　the　remark；　for　I　was　not　one　of　the

〃others。〃　　I　couldn't　trace　therefore　the　steps　of　her　process；　I

could　only　admire　it　at　a　distance　and　congratulate　her　mother　on　the

results。　　The　results　were　that　Ethel　went　to　〃big〃　parties　and　got

people　to　take　her。　　Some　of　them　were　people　she　had　met　abroad；　and

others　were　people　whom　the　people　she　had　met　abroad　had　met。　　They

ministered　alike　to　Miss　Ethel's　convenience；　and　I　wondered　how　she

extracted　so　many　favours　without　the　expenditure　of　a　smile。　　Her

smile　was　the　dimmest　thing　in　the　world；　diluted　lemonade；　without

sugar；　and　she　had　arrived　precociously　at　social　wisdom；　recognising

that　if　she　was　neither　pretty　enough　nor　rich　enough　nor　clever

enough；　she　could　at　least　in　her　muscular　youth　be　rude　enough。

Therefore　if　she　was　able　to　tell　her　mother　what　really　took　place

in　the　mansions　of　the　great；　give　her　notes　to　work　from；　the　quill

could　be　driven　at　home　to　better　purpose　and　precisely　at　a　moment

when　it　would　have　to　be　more　active　than　ever。　　But　if　she　did　tell；

it　would　appear　that　poor　Mrs。　Stormer　didn't　believe。　　As　regards

many　points　this　was　not　a　wonder；　at　any　rate　I　heard　nothing　of

Greville　Fane's　having　developed　a　new　manner。　　She　had　only　one

manner　from　start　to　finish；　as　Leolin　would　have　said。



She　was　tired　at　last；　but　she　mentioned　to　me　that　she　couldn't

afford　to　pause。　　She　continued　to　speak　of　Leolin's　work　as　the

great　hope　of　their　future　（she　had　saved　no　money）　though　the　young

man　wore　to　my　sense　an　aspect　more　and　more　professional　if　you

like；　but　less　and　less　literary。　　At　the　end　of　a　couple　of　years