第 17 节
作者:指点迷津      更新:2021-02-20 05:05      字数:9322
  makes them willing to starve and to let their families starve
  sooner than do any work they don't like。〃
  〃INDEED you are quite wrong; Sidney。 There was a girl at the
  Slade school who supported her mother and two sisters by her
  drawing。 Besides; what can you do? People were made so。〃
  〃Yes; I was made a landlord and capitalist by the folly of the
  people; but they can unmake me if they will。 Meanwhile I have
  absolutely no means of escape from my position except by giving
  away my slaves to fellows who will use them no better than I; and
  becoming a slave myself; which; if you please; you shall not
  catch me doing in a hurry。 No; my beloved; I must keep my foot on
  their necks for your sake as well as for my own。 But you do not
  care about all this prosy stuff。 I am consumed with remorse for
  having bored my darling。 You want to know why I am living here
  like a hermit in a vulgar two…roomed hovel instead of tasting the
  delights of London society with my beautiful and devoted young
  wife。〃
  〃But you don't intend to stay here; Sidney?〃
  〃Yes; I do; and I will tell you why。 I am helping to liberate
  those Manchester laborers who were my father's slaves。 To bring
  that about; their fellow slaves all over the world must unite in
  a vast international association of men pledged to share the
  world's work justly; to share the produce of the work justly; to
  yield not a farthingcharity apartto any full…grown and
  able…bodied idler or malingerer; and to treat as vermin in the
  commonwealth persons attempting to get more than their share of
  wealth or give less than their share of work。 This is a very
  difficult thing to accomplish; because working…men; like the
  people called their betters; do not always understand their own
  interests; and will often actually help their oppressors to
  exterminate their saviours to the tune of 'Rule Britannia;' or
  some such lying doggerel。 We must educate them out of that; and;
  meanwhile; push forward the international association of laborers
  diligently。 I am at present occupied in propagating its
  principles。 Capitalism; organized for repressive purposes under
  pretext of governing the nation; would very soon stop the
  association if it understood our aim; but it thinks that we are
  engaged in gunpowder plots and conspiracies to assassinate
  crowned heads; and so; whilst the police are blundering in search
  of evidence of these; our real work goes on unmolested。 Whether I
  am really advancing the cause is more than I can say。 I use heaps
  of postage stamps; pay the expenses of many indifferent
  lecturers; defray the cost of printing reams of pamphlets and
  hand…bills which hail the laborer flatteringly as the salt of the
  earth; write and edit a little socialist journal; and do what
  lies in my power generally。 I had rather spend my ill…gotten
  wealth in this way than upon an expensive house and a retinue of
  servants。 And I prefer my corduroys and my two…roomed chalet here
  to our pretty little house; and your pretty little ways; and my
  pretty little neglect of the work that my heart is set upon。 Some
  day; perhaps; I will take a holiday; and then we shall have a new
  honeymoon。〃
  For a moment Henrietta seemed about to cry。 Suddenly she
  exclaimed with enthusiasm: 〃I will stay with you; Sidney。 I will
  share your work; whatever it may be。 I will dress as a dairymaid;
  and have a little pail to carry milk in。 The world is nothing to
  me except when you are with me; and I should love to live here
  and sketch from nature。〃
  He blenched; and partially rose; unable to conceal his dismay。
  She; resolved not to be cast off; seized him and clung to him。
  This was the movement that excited the derision of Wickens's boy
  in the adjacent gravel pit。 Trefusis was glad of the
  interruption; and; when he gave the boy twopence and bade him
  begone; half hoped that he would insist on remaining。 But though
  an obdurate boy on most occasions; he proved complaisant on this;
  and withdrew to the high road; where he made over one of his
  pennies to a phantom gambler; and tossed with him until recalled
  from his dual state by the appearance of Fairholme's party。
  In the meantime; Henrietta urgently returned to her proposition。
  〃We should be so happy;〃 she said。 〃I would housekeep for you;
  and you could work as much as you pleased。 Our life would be a
  long idyll。〃
  〃My love;〃 he said; shaking his head as she looked beseechingly
  at him; 〃I have too much Manchester cotton in my constitution for
  long idylls。 And the truth is; that the first condition of work
  with me is your absence。 When you are with me; I can do nothing
  but make love to you。 You bewitch me。 When I escape from you for
  a moment; it is only to groan remorsefully over the hours you
  have tempted me to waste and the energy you have futilized。〃
  〃If you won't live with me you had no right to marry me。〃
  〃True。 But that is neither your fault nor mine。 We have found
  that we love each other too much that our intercourse hinders
  our usefulnessand so we must part。 Not for ever; my dear; only
  until you have cares and business of your own to fill up your
  life and prevent you from wasting mine。〃
  〃I believe you are mad;〃 she said petulantly。 〃The world is mad
  nowadays; and is galloping to the deuce as fast as greed can goad
  it。 I merely stand out of the rush; not liking its destination。
  Here comes a barge; the commander of which is devoted to me
  because he believes that I am organizing a revolution for the
  abolition of lock dues and tolls。 We will go aboard and float
  down to Lyvern; whence you can return to London。 You had better
  telegraph from the junction to the college; there must be a hue
  and cry out after us by this time。 You shall have my address; and
  we can write to one another or see one another whenever we
  please。 Or you can divorce me for deserting you。〃
  〃You would like me to; I know;〃 said Henrietta; sobbing。
  〃I should die of despair; my darling;〃 he said complacently。
  〃Ship aho…o…o…y! Stop crying; Hetty; for God's sake。 You lacerate
  my very soul。〃
  〃Ah…o…o…o…o…o…o…oy; master!〃 roared the bargee。
  〃Good arternoon; sir;〃 said a man who; with a short whip in his
  hand; trudged beside the white horse that towed the barge。 〃Come
  up!〃 he added malevolently to the horse。
  〃I want to get on board; and go up to Lyvern with you;〃 said
  Trefusis。 〃He seems a well fed brute; that。〃
  〃Better fed nor me;〃 said the man。 〃You can't get the work out of
  a hunderfed 'orse that you can out of a hunderfed man or woman。
  I've bin in parts of England where women pulled the barges。 They
  come cheaper nor 'orses; because it didn't cost nothing to get
  new ones when the old ones we wore out。〃
  〃Then why not employ them?〃 said Trefusis; with ironical gravity。
  〃The principle of buying laborforce in the cheapest market and
  selling its product in the dearest has done much to make
  Englishmenwhat they are。〃
  〃The railway comp'nies keeps 'orspittles for the like of 'IM;〃
  said the man; with a cunning laugh; indicating the horse by
  smacking him on the belly with the butt of the whip。 〃If ever you
  try bein' a laborer in earnest; governor; try it on four legs。
  You'll find it far preferable to trying on two。〃
  〃This man is one of my converts;〃 said Trefusis apart to
  Henrietta。 〃He told me the other day that since I set him
  thinking he never sees a gentleman without feeling inclined to
  heave a brick at him。 I find that socialism is often
  misunderstood by its least intelligent supporters and opponents
  to mean simply unrestrained indulgence of our natural propensity
  to heave bricks at respectable persons。 Now I am going to carry
  you along this plank。 If you keep quiet; we may reach the barge。
  If not; we shall reach the bottom of the canal。〃
  He carried her safely over; and exchanged some friendly words
  with the bargee。 Then he took Henrietta forward; and stood
  watching the water as they were borne along noiselessly between
  the hilly pastures of the country。
  〃This would be a fairy journey;〃 he said; 〃if one could forget
  the woman down below; cooking her husband's dinner in a stifling
  hole about as big as your wardrobe; and〃
  〃Oh; don't talk any more of these things;〃 she said crossly; 〃I
  cannot help them。 I have my own troubles to think of。 HER husband
  lives with her。〃
  〃She will change places with you; my dear; if you make her the
  offer。〃
  She had no answer ready。 After a pause he began to speak
  poetically of the scenery and to offer her loverlike speeches and
  compliments。 But she felt that he intended to get rid of her; and
  he knew that it was useless to try to hide that design from her。
  She turned away and sat down on a pile of bricks; only writhing
  angrily when he pressed her for a word。 As they neared the end of
  her voyage; and her intense protest against desertion remained;
  as she thought; only half expressed; her sense of injury grew
  almost unbearable。
  They landed on a wharf; and went through an unswept;
  deeply…rutted lane up to the main street of Lyvern。 Here he
  became Smilash again; walking deferentially a little before her;
  as if she had hired him to point out the way。 She then saw that
  her last opportunity of appealing to him had gone by; and she
  nearly burst into tears at t