the research magnificent-第62部分

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t。　Petersburg　upon　its　Neva　was　like　a　savage　untamed　London　on　a　larger　Thames；　they　were　seagull…haunted　tidal　cities；　like　no　other　capitals　in　Europe。　The　shipping　and　buildings　mingled　in　their　effects。　　Like　London　it　looked　over　the　heads　of　its　own　people　to　a　limitless　polyglot　empire。　　And　Russia　was　an　aristocratic　land；　with　a　middle…class　that　had　no　pride　in　itself　as　a　class；　it　had　a　British　toughness　and　incompetence；　a　British　disregard　of　logic　and　meticulous　care。　Russia；　like　England；　was　outside　Catholic　Christendom；　it　had　a　state　church　and　the　opposition　to　that　church　was　not　secularism　but　dissent。　　One　could　draw　a　score　of　such　contrasted　parallels。　And　now　it　was　in　a　state　of　intolerable　stress；　that　laid　bare　the　elemental　facts　of　a　great　social　organization。　　It　was　having　its　South　African　war；　its　war　at　the　other　end　of　the　earth；　with　a　certain　defeat　instead　of　a　dubious　victory。　。　。　。　〃There　is　far　more　freedom　for　the　personal　life　in　Russia　than　in　England；〃　said　Prothero；　a　little　irrelevantly。　Benham　went　on　with　his　discourse　about　Russia。　。　。　。　〃At　the　college　of　Troitzka；〃　said　Prothero；　〃which　I　understand　is　a　kind　of　monster　Trinity　unencumbered　by　a　University；　Binns　tells　me　that　although　there　is　a　profession　of　celibacy　within　the　walls；　the　arrangements　of　the　town　and　more　particularly　of　the　various　hotels　are　conceived　in　a　spirit　of　extreme　liberality。〃　Benham　hardly　attended　at　all　to　these　interruptions。　He　went　on　to　point　out　the　elemental　quality　of　the　Russian　situation。　　He　led　up　to　the　assertion　that　to　go　to　Russia；　to　see　Russia；　to　try　to　grasp　the　broad　outline　of　the　Russian　process；　was　the　manifest　duty　of　every　responsible　intelligence　that　was　free　to　do　as　much。　　And　so　he　was　going；　and　if　Prothero　cared　to　come　too　〃Yes；〃　said　Prothero；　〃I　should　like　to　go　to　Russia。〃

13

But　throughout　all　their　travel　together　that　summer　Benham　was　never　able　to　lift　Prothero　away　from　his　obsession。　　It　was　the　substance　of　their　talk　as　the　Holland　boat　stood　out　past　waiting　destroyers　and　winking　beacons　and　the　lights　of　Harwich；　into　the　smoothly　undulating　darkness　of　the　North　Sea；　it　rose　upon　them　again　as　they　sat　over　the　cakes　and　cheese　of　a　Dutch　breakfast　in　the　express　for　Berlin。　　Prothero　filled　the　Sieges　Allee　with　his　complaints　against　nature　and　society；　and　distracted　Benham　in　his　contemplation　of　Polish　agriculture　from　the　windows　of　the　train　with　turgid　sexual　liberalism。　　So　that　Benham；　during　this　period　until　Prothero　left　him　and　until　the　tragic　enormous　spectacle　of　Russia　in　revolution　took　complete　possession　of　him；　was　as　it　were　thinking　upon　two　floors。　　Upon　the　one　he　was　thinking　of　the　vast　problems　of　a　society　of　a　hundred　million　people　staggering　on　the　verge　of　anarchy；　and　upon　the　other　he　was　perplexed　by　the　feverish　inattention　of　Prothero　to　the　tremendous　things　that　were　going　on　all　about　them。　　It　was　only　presently　when　the　serenity　of　his　own　private　life　began　to　be　ruffled　by　disillusionment；　that　he　began　to　realize　the　intimate　connexion　of　these　two　systems　of　thought。　　Yet　Prothero　put　it　to　him　plainly　enough。　〃Inattentive；〃　said　Prothero；　〃of　course　I　am　inattentive。　　What　is　really　the　matter　with　all　thisthis　social　mess　people　are　in　here；　is　that　nearly　everybody　is　inattentive。　　These　Big　Things　of　yours；　nobody　is　thinking　of　them　really。　　Everybody　is　thinking　about　the　Near　Things　that　concern　himself。〃　〃The　bombs　they　threw　yesterday？　　The　Cossacks　and　the　whips？〃　〃Nudges。　　Gestures　of　inattention。　　If　everybody　was　thinking　of　the　Res　Publica　would　there　be　any　need　for　bombs？〃　He　pursued　his　advantage。　　〃It's　all　nonsense　to　suppose　people　think　of　politics　because　they　are　in　‘em。　　As　well　suppose　that　the　passengers　on　a　liner　understand　the　engines；　or　soldiers　a　war。　Before　men　can　think　of　to…morrow；　they　must　think　of　to…day。　Before　they　can　think　of　others；　they　must　be　sure　about　themselves。　First　of　all；　food；　the　private；　the　personal　economic　worry。　　Am　I　safe　for　food？　　Then　sex；　and　until　one　is　tranquil　and　not　ashamed；　not　irritated　and　dissatisfied；　how　can　one　care　for　other　people；　or　for　next　year　or　the　Order　of　the　World？　　How　can　one；　Benham？〃　He　seized　the　illustration　at　hand。　　〃Here　we　are　in　Warsawnot　a　month　after　bomb…throwing　and　Cossack　charging。　　Windows　have　still　to　be　mended；　smashed　doors　restored。　　There's　blood…stains　still　on　some　of　the　houses。　　There　are　hundreds　of　people　in　the　Citadel　and　in　the　Ochrana　prison。　　This　morning　there　were　executions。　　Is　it　anything　more　than　an　eddy　in　the　real　life　of　the　place？　　Watch　the　customers　in　the　shops；　the　crowd　in　the　streets；　the　men　in　the　cafes　who　stare　at　the　passing　women。　　They　are　all　swallowed　up　again　in　their　own　business。　　They　just　looked　up　as　the　Cossacks　galloped　past；　they　just　shifted　a　bit　when　the　bullets　spat。　。　。　。〃　And　when　the　streets　of　Moscow　were　agog　with　the　grotesque　amazing　adventure　of　the　Potemkin　mutineers；　Prothero　was　in　the　full　tide　of　the　private　romance　that　severed　him　from　Benham　and　sent　him　back　to　Cambridgechanged。　Before　they　reached　Moscow　Benham　was　already　becoming　accustomed　to　disregard　Prothero。　　He　was　looking　over　him　at　the　vast　heaving　trouble　of　Russia；　which　now　was　like　a　sea　that　tumbles　under　the　hurrying　darknesses　of　an　approaching　storm。　　In　those　days　it　looked　as　though　it　must　be　an　overwhelming　storm。　　He　was　drinking　in　the　wide　and　massive　Russian　effects；　the　drifting　crowds　in　the　entangling　streets；　the　houses　with　their　strange　lettering　in　black　and　gold；　the　innumerable　barbaric　churches；　the　wildly　driven　droshkys；　the　sombre　red　fortress　of　the　Kremlin；　with　its　bulbous　churches　clustering　up　into　the　sky；　the　crosses；　the　innumerable　gold　crosses；　the　mad　church　of　St。　Basil；　carrying　the　Russian　note　beyond　the　pitch　of　permissible　caricature；　and　in　this　setting　the　obscure　drama　of　clustering；　staring；　sash…wearing　peasants；　long…　haired　students；　sane…eyed　women；　a　thousand　varieties　of　uniform；　a　running　and　galloping　to　and　fro　of　messengers；　a　flutter　of　little　papers；　whispers；　shouts；　shots；　a　drama　elusive　and　portentous；　a　gathering　of　forces；　an　accumulation　of　tension　going　on　to　a　perpetual　clash　and　clamour　of　bells。　　Benham　had　brought　letters　of　introduction　to　a　variety　of　people；　some　had　vanished；　it　seemed。　They　were　〃away；〃　the　porters　said；　and　they　continued　to　be　〃away；〃it　was　the　formula；　he　learnt；　for　arrest；　others　were　evasive；　a　few　showed　themselves　extraordinarily　anxious　to　inform　him　about　things；　to　explain　themselves　and　things　about　them　exhaustively。　　One　young　student　took　him　to　various　meetings　and　showed　him　in　great　detail　the　scene　of　the　recent　murder　of　the　Grand　Duke　Sergius。　　The　buildings　opposite　the　old　French　cannons　were　still　under　repair。　　〃The　assassin　stood　just　here。　　The　bomb　fell　there；　look！　right　down　there　towards　the　gate；　that　was　where　they　found　his　arm。　　He　was　torn　to　fragments。　　He　was　scraped　up。　He　was　mixed　with　the　horses。　。　。　。〃　Every　one　who　talked　spoke　of　the　outbreak　of　revolution　as　a　matter　of　days　or　at　the　utmost　weeks。　　And　whatev