the research magnificent-第26部分

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en　little　dukes　and　princes　and　republics；　just　as　Germany　had　to　be　united　in　spite　of　its　scores　of　kingdoms　and　duchies　and　liberties；　so　now　the　world。　　Things　as　they　are　may　be　fun　for　lawyers　and　politicians　and　court　people　anddouaniers；　they　may　suit　the　loan…　mongers　and　the　armaments　shareholders；　they　may　even　be　more　comfortable　for　the　middle…aged；　but　what；　except　as　an　inconvenience；　does　that　matter　to　you　or　me？　Prothero　always　pleased　Benham　when　he　swept　away　empires。　　There　was　always　a　point　when　the　rhetoric　broke　into　gesture。　〃We've　got　to　sweep　them　away；　Benham；〃　he　said；　with　a　wide　gesture　of　his　arm。　　〃We've　got　to　sweep　them　all　away。〃　Prothero　helped　himself　to　some　more　whiskey；　and　spoke　hastily；　because　he　was　afraid　some　one　else　might　begin。　　He　was　never　safe　from　interruption　in　his　own　room。　　The　other　young　men　present　sucked　at　their　pipes　and　regarded　him　doubtfully。　　They　were　never　quite　certain　whether　Prothero　was　a　prophet　or　a　fool。　　They　could　not　understand　a　mixed　type；　and　he　was　so　manifestly　both。　〃The　only　sane　political　work　for　an　intelligent　man　is　to　get　the　world…state　ready。　　For　that　we　have　to　prepare　an　aristocracy〃　〃Your　world…state　will　be　aristocratic？〃　some　one　interpolated。　〃Of　course　it　will　be　aristocratic。　　How　can　uninformed　men　think　all　round　the　globe？　　Democracy　dies　five　miles　from　the　parish　pump。　　It　will　be　an　aristocratic　republic　of　all　the　capable　men　in　the　world。　。　。　。〃　〃Of　course；〃　he　added；　pipe　in　mouth；　as　he　poured　out　his　whiskey；　〃it's　a　big　undertaking。　　It's　an　affair　of　centuries。　。　。　。〃　And　then；　as　a　further　afterthought：　〃All　the　more　reason　for　getting　to　work　at　it。　。　。　。〃　In　his　moods　of　inspiration　Prothero　would　discourse　through　the　tobacco　smoke　until　that　great　world…state　seemed　imminentand　Part　Two　in　the　Tripos　a　thing　relatively　remote。　　He　would　talk　until　the　dimly…lit　room　about　him　became　impalpable；　and　the　young　men　squatting　about　it　in　elaborately　careless　attitudes　caught　glimpses　of　cities　that　are　still　to　be；　bridges　in　wild　places；　deserts　tamed　and　oceans　conquered；　mankind　no　longer　wasted　by　bickerings；　going　forward　to　the　conquest　of　the　stars。　。　。　。　An　aristocratic　world…state；　this　political　dream　had　already　taken　hold　of　Benham's　imagination　when　he　came　to　town。　　But　it　was　a　dream；　something　that　had　never　existed；　something　that　indeed　may　never　materialize；　and　such　dreams；　though　they　are　vivid　enough　in　a　study　at　night；　fade　and　vanish　at　the　rustle　of　a　daily　newspaper　or　the　sound　of　a　passing　band。　　To　come　back　again。　。　。　。　　So　it　was　with　Benham。　　Sometimes　he　was　set　clearly　towards　this　world…　state　that　Prothero　had　talked　into　possibility。　　Sometimes　he　was　simply　abreast　of　the　patriotic　and　socially　constructive　British　Imperialism　of　Breeze　and　Westerton。　　And　there　were　moods　when　the　two　things　were　confused　in　his　mind；　and　the　glamour　of　world　dominion　rested　wonderfully　on　the　slack　and　straggling　British　Empire　of　Edward　the　Seventhand　Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling　and　Mr。　Chamberlain。　　He　did　go　on　for　a　time　honestly　entertaining　both　these　projects　in　his　mind；　each　at　its　different　level；　the　greater　impalpable　one　and　the　lesser　concrete　one　within　it。　　In　some　unimaginable　way　he　could　suppose　that　the　one　by　some　miracle　of　ennoblementand　neglecting　the　Frenchman；　the　Russian；　the　German；　the　American；　the　Indian；　the　Chinaman；　and；　indeed；　the　greater　part　of　mankind　from　the　problemmight　become　the　other。　。　。　。　All　of　which　is　recorded　here；　without　excess　of　comment；　as　it　happened；　and　as；　in　a　mood　of　astonished　reminiscences；　he　came　finally　to　perceive　it；　and　set　it　down　for　White's　meditative　perusal。

4

But　to　the　enthusiasm　of　the　young；　dreams　have　something　of　the　substance　of　reality　and　realities；　something　of　the　magic　of　dreams。　　The　London　to　which　Benham　came　from　Cambridge　and　the　disquisitions　of　Prothero　was　not　the　London　of　a　mature　and　disillusioned　vision。　　It　was　London　seen　magnified　and　distorted　through　the　young　man's　crystalline　intentions。　　It　had　for　him　a　quality　of　multitudinous；　unquenchable　activity。　　Himself　filled　with　an　immense　appetite　for　life；　he　was　unable　to　conceive　of　London　as　fatigued。　　He　could　not　suspect　these　statesmen　he　now　began　to　meet　and　watch；　of　jaded　wills　and　petty　spites；　he　imagined　that　all　the　important　and　influential　persons　in　this　large　world　of　affairs　were　as　frank　in　their　private　lives　and　as　unembarrassed　in　their　financial　relationships　as　his　untainted　self。　　And　he　had　still　to　reckon　with　stupidity。　　He　believed　in　the　statecraft　of　leader…writers　and　the　sincerity　of　political　programmes。　　And　so　regarded；　what　an　avenue　to　Empire　was　Whitehall！　　How　momentous　was　the　sunrise　in　St。　James's　Park；　and　how　significant　the　clustering　knot　of　listeners　and　speakers　beneath　the　tall　column　that　lifts　our　Nelson　to　the　windy　sky！　For　a　time　Benham　was　in　love　with　the　idea　of　London。　　He　got　maps　of　London　and　books　about　London。　　He　made　plans　to　explore　its　various　regions。　　He　tried　to　grasp　it　all；　from　the　conscious　picturesqueness　of　its　garden　suburbs　to　the　factories　of　Croydon；　from　the　clerk…villadoms　of　Ealing　to　the　inky　streams　of　Bow。　　In　those　days　there　were　passenger　steamboats　that　would　take　one　from　the　meadows　of　Hampton　Court　past　the　whole　spectacle　of　London　out　to　the　shipping　at　Greenwich　and　the　towed　liners；　the　incessant　tugs；　the　heaving　portals　of　the　sea。　。　。　。　　His　time　was　far　too　occupied　for　him　to　carry　out　a　tithe　of　these　expeditions　he　had　planned；　but　he　had　many　walks　that　bristled　with　impressions。　Northward　and　southward；　eastward　and　westward　a　dreaming　young　man　could　wander　into　a　wilderness　of　population；　polite　or　sombre；　poor；　rich；　or　middle…class；　but　all　ceaselessly　active；　all　urgently　pressing；　as　it　seemed；　to　their　part　in　the　drama　of　the　coming　years。　　He　loved　the　late　afternoon；　when　every　artery　is　injected　and　gorged　with　the　multitudinous　home…going　of　the　daily　workers；　he　loved　the　time　of　lighting　up；　and　the　clustering　excitements　of　the　late　hours。　　And　he　went　out　southward　and　eastward　into　gaunt　regions　of　reeking　toil。　　As　yet　he　knew　nothing　of　the　realities　of　industrialism。　　He　saw　only　the　beauty　of　the　great　chimneys　that　rose　against　the　sullen　smoke…barred　sunsets；　and　he　felt　only　the　romance　of　the　lurid　shuddering　flares　that　burst　out　from　squat　stacks　of　brickwork　and　lit　the　emptiness　of　strange　and　slovenly　streets。　。　。　。　And　this　London　was　only　the　foreground　of　the　great　scene　upon　which　he；　as　a　prosperous；　well…befriended　young　Englishman；　was　free　to　play　whatever　part　he　could。　　This　narrow　turbid　tidal　river　by　which　he　walked　ran　out　under　the　bridges　eastward　beneath　the　grey…blue　clouds　towards　Germany；　towards　Russia；　and　towards　Asia；　which　still　seemed　in　those　days　so　largely　the　Englishman's　Asia。　And　when　you　turned　about　at　Blackfriars　Bridge　this　sense　of　the　round　world　was　so　upon　you　that　you　faced　not　merely　Westminster；　but　the　icy　Atlantic　and　America；　which　one　could　yet　fancy　was　a　land　of　EnglishmenEnglishmen　a　little　estranged。　　At　any　rate　they　assimilated；　they　kept　the　tongue。　　Th