in the cage-第4部分

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a　telegraphist　you　soon　ceased　to　be　astonished。　　Her　eye　for　types

amounted　nevertheless　to　genius；　and　there　were　those　she　liked　and

those　she　hated；　her　feeling　for　the　latter　of　which　grew　to　a

positive　possession；　an　instinct　of　observation　and　detection。

There　were　the　brazen　women；　as　she　called　them；　of　the　higher　and

the　lower　fashion；　whose　squanderings　and　graspings；　whose

struggles　and　secrets　and　love…affairs　and　lies；　she　tracked　and

stored　up　against　them　till　she　had　at　moments；　in　private；　a

triumphant　vicious　feeling　of　mastery　and　ease；　a　sense　of　carrying

their　silly　guilty　secrets　in　her　pocket；　her　small　retentive

brain；　and　thereby　knowing　so　much　more　about　them　than　they

suspected　or　would　care　to　think。　　There　were　those　she　would　have

liked　to　betray；　to　trip　up；　to　bring　down　with　words　altered　and

fatal；　and　all　through　a　personal　hostility　provoked　by　the

lightest　signs；　by　their　accidents　of　tone　and　manner；　by　the

particular　kind　of　relation　she　always　happened　instantly　to　feel。



There　were　impulses　of　various　kinds；　alternately　soft　and　severe；

to　which　she　was　constitutionally　accessible　and　which　were

determined　by　the　smallest　accidents。　　She　was　rigid　in　general　on

the　article　of　making　the　public　itself　affix　its　stamps；　and　found

a　special　enjoyment　in　dealing　to　that　end　with　some　of　the　ladies

who　were　too　grand　to　touch　them。　　She　had　thus　a　play　of

refinement　and　subtlety　greater；　she　flattered　herself；　than　any　of

which　she　could　be　made　the　subject；　and　though　most　people　were

too　stupid　to　be　conscious　of　this　it　brought　her　endless　small

consolations　and　revenges。　　She　recognised　quite　as　much　those　of

her　sex　whom　she　would　have　liked　to　help；　to　warn；　to　rescue；　to

see　more　of；　and　that　alternative　as　well　operated　exactly　through

the　hazard　of　personal　sympathy；　her　vision　for　silver　threads　and

moonbeams　and　her　gift　for　keeping　the　clues　and　finding　her　way　in

the　tangle。　　The　moonbeams　and　silver　threads　presented　at　moments

all　the　vision　of　what　poor　SHE　might　have　made　of　happiness。

Blurred　and　blank　as　the　whole　thing　often　inevitably；　or

mercifully；　became；　she　could　still；　through　crevices　and　crannies；

be　stupefied；　especially　by　what；　in　spite　of　all　seasoning；

touched　the　sorest　place　in　her　consciousness；　the　revelation　of

the　golden　shower　flying　about　without　a　gleam　of　gold　for　herself。

It　remained　prodigious　to　the　end；　the　money　her　fine　friends　were

able　to　spend　to　get　still　more；　or　even　to　complain　to　fine

friends　of　their　own　that　they　were　in　want。　　The　pleasures　they

proposed　were　equalled　only　by　those　they　declined；　and　they　made

their　appointments　often　so　expensively　that　she　was　left　wondering

at　the　nature　of　the　delights　to　which　the　mere　approaches　were　so

paved　with　shillings。　　She　quivered　on　occasion　into　the　perception

of　this　and　that　one　whom　she　would　on　the　chance　have　just　simply

liked　to　BE。　　Her　conceit；　her　baffled　vanity；　was　possibly

monstrous；　she　certainly　often　threw　herself　into　a　defiant

conviction　that　she　would　have　done　the　whole　thing　much　better。

But　her　greatest　comfort；　mostly；　was　her　comparative　vision　of　the

men；　by　whom　I　mean　the　unmistakeable　gentlemen；　for　she　had　no

interest　in　the　spurious　or　the　shabby　and　no　mercy　at　all　for　the

poor。　　She　could　have　found　a　sixpence；　outside；　for　an　appearance

of　want；　but　her　fancy；　in　some　directions　so　alert；　had　never　a

throb　of　response　for　any　sign　of　the　sordid。　　The　men　she　did

track；　moreover；　she　tracked　mainly　in　one　relation；　the　relation

as　to　which　the　cage　convinced　her；　she　believed；　more　than

anything　else　could　have　done；　that　it　was　quite　the　most　diffused。



She　found　her　ladies；　in　short；　almost　always　in　communication　with

her　gentlemen；　and　her　gentlemen　with　her　ladies；　and　she　read　into

the　immensity　of　their　intercourse　stories　and　meanings　without

end。　　Incontestably　she　grew　to　think　that　the　men　cut　the　best

figure；　and　in　this　particular；　as　in　many　others；　she　arrived　at　a

philosophy　of　her　own；　all　made　up　of　her　private　notations　and

cynicisms。　　It　was　a　striking　part　of　the　business；　for　example；

that　it　was　much　more　the　women；　on　the　whole；　who　were　after　the

men　than　the　men　who　were　after　the　women：　　it　was　literally

visible　that　the　general　attitude　of　the　one　sex　was　that　of　the

object　pursued　and　defensive；　apologetic　and　attenuating；　while　the

light　of　her　own　nature　helped　her　more　or　less　to　conclude　as　to

the　attitude　of　the　other。　　Perhaps　she　herself　a　little　even　fell

into　the　custom　of　pursuit　in　occasionally　deviating　only　for

gentlemen　from　her　high　rigour　about　the　stamps。　　She　had　early　in

the　day　made　up　her　mind；　in　fine；　that　they　had　the　best　manners；

and　if　there　were　none　of　them　she　noticed　when　Captain　Everard　was

there；　there　were　plenty　she　could　place　and　trace　and　name　at

other　times；　plenty　who；　with　their　way　of　being　〃nice〃　to　her；　and

of　handling；　as　if　their　pockets　were　private　tills　loose　mixed

masses　of　silver　and　gold；　were　such　pleasant　appearances　that　she

could　envy　them　without　dislike。　　THEY　never　had　to　give　change

they　only　had　to　get　it。　　They　ranged　through　every　suggestion；

every　shade　of　fortune；　which　evidently　included　indeed　lots　of　bad

luck　as　well　as　of　good；　declining　even　toward　Mr。　Mudge　and　his

bland　firm　thrift；　and　ascending；　in　wild　signals　and　rocket…

flights；　almost　to　within　hail　of　her　highest　standard。　　So　from

month　to　month　she　went　on　with　them　all；　through　a　thousand　ups

and　downs　and　a　thousand　pangs　and　indifferences。　　What　virtually

happened　was　that　in　the　shuffling　herd　that　passed　before　her　by

far　the　greater　part　only　passeda　proportion　but　just　appreciable

stayed。　　Most　of　the　elements　swam　straight　away；　lost　themselves

in　the　bottomless　common；　and　by　so　doing　really　kept　the　page

clear。　　On　the　clearness　therefore　what　she　did　retain　stood

sharply　out；　she　nipped　and　caught　it；　turned　it　over　and　interwove

it。







CHAPTER　VI







She　met　Mrs。　Jordan　when　she　could；　and　learned　from　her　more　and

more　how　the　great　people；　under　her　gentle　shake　and　after　going

through　everything　with　the　mere　shops；　were　waking　up　to　the　gain

of　putting　into　the　hands　of　a　person　of　real　refinement　the

question　that　the　shop…people　spoke　of　so　vulgarly　as　that　of　the

floral　decorations。　　The　regular　dealers　in　these　decorations　were

all　very　well；　but　there　was　a　peculiar　magic　in　the　play　of　taste

of　a　lady　who　had　only　to　remember；　through　whatever　intervening

dusk；　all　her　own　little　tables；　little　bowls　and　little　jars　and

little　other　arrangements；　and　the　wonderful　thing　she　had　made　of

the　garden　of　the　vicarage。　　This　small　domain；　which　her　young

friend　had　never　seen；　bloomed　in　Mrs。　Jordan's　discourse　like　a

new　Eden；　and　she　converted　the　past　into　a　bank　of　violets　by　the

tone　in　which　she　said　〃Of　course　you　always　knew　my　one　passion！〃

She　obviously　met　now；　at　any　rate；　a　big　contemporary　need；

measured　what　it　was　rapidly　becoming　for　people　to　feel　they　could

trust　her　without　a　tremor。　　It　brought　them　a　peace　thatduring

the　quarter　of　an　hour　before　dinner　in　especialwas　worth　more　to

them　than　mere　payment　could　express。　　Mere　payment；　none　the　less；

was　tolerably　prompt；　she　engaged　by　the　month；　taking　over　the

whole　thing；　and　there　was　an　evening　on　which；　in　respect　to　our

heroine；　she　at　last　returned　to　the　charge。　　〃It's　growing　and

growing；　and　I　see　that　I　must　really　divide　the　work。　　One　wants

an　associateof　one's　own　kind；　don't　you　know？　　You　know　the　look

they　want　it　all　to　have？of　having　come；　not　from　a　florist；　but

from　one　of　themselves。　　Well；　I'm　sure　YOU　could　give　itbecause

you　ARE　one。　　Then　we　SHOULD　win。　　Therefore　just　come　in　with　me。〃



〃And　leave　the　P。O。？〃



〃Let　the　P。O。　simply　bring　you　your　letters。　　It　would　bring　you

lots；　you'd　see：　　orders；　after　a　bit；　by　the　score。〃　　It　was　on

this；　in　due　course；　that　the　great　advantage　again　came　up：　　〃One

seems　to　live　again　with　one's　own　people。〃　　It　had　taken　some

little　time　（after　their　having　parted　company　in　the　tempest　of

their　troubles　and　then；　in　the　glimmering　dawn；　finally　sighted

each　other　again）　for　each　to　admit　that　the　other　was；　in　her

private　circle；　her　only　equal；　but　the　admission　came；　when　it　did

come；　with　an　honest　groan；　and　since　equality　was　named；　each

found　much　personal　profit　in　exaggerating　the　other's　original

grandeur。　　Mrs。　Jordan　was　ten　years　the　older；　but　her　young

friend　was　struck　with　the　smaller　difference　this　now　made：　　it

had　counted　otherwise　at　the　time　when；　much　more　as　a　friend　of

her　mother's；　the　bereaved　lady；　without　a　penny　of　provision　and

with　stopgaps；　like　their　own；　all　gone；　had；　across　the　sordid

landing　on　which　the　opposite　doors　of　the　pair　of　scared　miseries

opened　and　to　which　they　were　bewilderedly　bolted；　borrowed　coals

and　umbrellas　that　were　repaid　in　potatoes　and　postage…stamps。　　It

had　been　a　questionable　help；　at　that　time；　to　ladies　submerged；

floundering；　panting；　swimming　for　their　lives；　that　they　were

ladies；　but　such　an　advantage　could　come　up　again　in　proportion　as

others　vanished；　and　it　had　grown　very　great　by　the　time　it　was　the

only　ghost　of　one　they　possessed。　　They　had　literally　watched　it

take　to　itself　a　portion　of　the　substance　of　each　that　had

departed；　and　it　became　prodigious　now；　when　they　could　talk　of　it

together；　when　they　could　look　back　at　it　across　a　desert　of

accepted　derogation；　and　when；　above　all；　they　could　together　work

up　a　credulity　about　it　that　neither　could　otherwise　work　up。

Nothing　was　really　so　marked　as　that　they　felt　the　need　to

cultivate　this　legend　much　more　after　having　found　their　feet　and

stayed　their　stomachs　in　the　ultimate　obscure　than　they　had　done　in

the　upper　air　of　mere　frequent　shocks