mark twain, a biography, 1900-1907-第26章

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of　his　own。　　He　proposed　to　double　the　value　and　interest　of　our
employment　by　letting　his　dictations　continue　the　form　of　those　earlier
autobiographical　chapters；　begun　with　Redpath　in　1885；　and　continued
later　in　Vienna　and　at　the　Villa　Quarto。　　He　said　he　did　not　think　he
could　follow　a　definite　chronological　program；　that　he　would　like　to
wander　about；　picking　up　this　point　and　that；　as　memory　or　fancy
prompted；　without　any　particular　biographical　order。　　It　was　his　purpose；
he　declared；　that　his　dictations　should　not　be　published　until　he　had
been　dead　a　hundred　years　or　morea　prospect　which　seemed　to　give　him　an
especial　gratification。　＇As　early　as　October；　1900；　he　had　proposed　to
Harper　&　Brothers　a　contract　for　publishing　his　personal　memoirs　at　the
expiration　of　one　hundred　years　from　date；　and　letters　covering　the
details　were　exchanged　with　Mr。　Rogers。　　The　document；　however；　was　not
completed。＇

He　wished　to　pay　the　stenographer；　and　to　own　these　memoranda；　he　said；
allowing　me　free　access　to　them　for　any　material　I　might　find　valuable。　
I　could　also　suggest　subjects　for　dictation；　and　ask　particulars　of　any
special　episode　or　period。　　I　believe　this　covered　the　whole　arrangement；
which　did　not　require　more　than　five　minutes；　and　we　set　to　work　without
further　prologue。

I　ought　to　state　that　he　was　in　bed　when　we　arrived；　and　that　he　remained
there　during　almost　all　of　these　earlier　dictations；　clad　in　a　handsome
silk　dressing…gown　of　rich　Persian　pattern；　propped　against　great　snowy
pillows。　　He　loved　this　loose　luxury　and　ease；　and　found　it　conducive　to
thought。　　On　the　little　table　beside　him；　where　lay　his　cigars；　papers；
pipes；　and　various　knickknacks；　shone　a　reading…lamp；　making　more
brilliant　the　rich　coloring　of　his　complexion　and　the　gleam　of　his
shining　hair。　　There　was　daylight；　too；　but　it　was　north　light；　and　the
winter　days　were　dull。　　Also　the　walls　of　the　room　were　a　deep；
unreflecting　red；　and　his　eyes　were　getting　old。　　The　outlines　of　that
vast　bed　blending　into　the　luxuriant　background；　the　whole　focusing　to
the　striking　central　figure；　remain　in　my　mind　to…daya　picture　of
classic　value。

He　dictated　that　morning　some　matters　connected　with　the　history　of　the
Comstock　mine；　then　he　drifted　back　to　his　childhood；　returning　again　to
the　more　modern　period；　and　closed；　I　think；　with　some　comments　on
current　affairs。　　It　was　absorbingly　interesting；　his　quaint；　unhurried
fashion　of　speech；　the　unconscious　movement　of　his　hands；　the　play　of　his
features　as　his　fancies　and　phrases　passed　in　mental　review　and　were
accepted　or　waved　aside。　　We　were　watching　one　of　the　great　literary
creators　of　his　time　in　the　very　process　of　his　architecture。　　We
constituted　about　the　most　select　audience　in　the　world　enjoying　what
was；　likely　enough；　its　most　remarkable　entertainment。　　When　he　turned　at
last　and　inquired　the　time　we　were　all　amazed　that　two　hours　and　more　had
slipped　away。

〃And　how　much　I　have　enjoyed　it！〃　he　said。　　〃It　is　the　ideal　plan　for
this　kind　of　work。　　Narrative　writing　is　always　disappointing。　　The
moment　you　pick　up　a　pen　you　begin　to　lose　the　spontaneity　of　the
personal　relation；　which　contains　the　very　essence　of　interest。　　With
shorthand　dictation　one　can　talk　as　if　he　were　at　his　own　dinner…table
always　a　most　inspiring　place。　　I　expect　to　dictate　all　the　rest　of　my
life；　if　you　good　people　are　willing　to　come　and　listen　to　it。〃

The　dictations　thus　begun　continued　steadily　from　week　to　week；　and
always　with　increasing　charm。　　We　never　knew　what　he　was　going　to　talk
about；　and　it　was　seldom　that　he　knew　until　the　moment　of　beginning；　then
he　went　drifting　among　episodes；　incidents；　and　periods　in　his
irresponsible　fashion；　the　fashion　of　table…conversation；　as　he　said；　the
methodless　method　of　the　human　mind。　　It　was　always　delightful；　and
always　amusing；　tragic；　or　instructive；　and　it　was　likely　to　be　one　of
these　at　one　instant；　and　another　the　next。　　I　felt　myself　the　most
fortunate　biographer　in　the　world；　as　undoubtedly　I　was；　though　not　just
in　the　way　that　I　first　imagined。

It　was　not　for　several　weeks　that　I　began　to　realize　that　these　marvelous
reminiscences　bore　only　an　atmospheric　relation　to　history；　that　they
were　aspects　of　biography　rather　than　its　veritable　narrative；　and　built
largelysometimes　whollyfrom　an　imagination　that；　with　age；　had
dominated　memory；　creating　details；　even　reversing　them；　yet　with　a
perfect　sincerity　of　purpose　on　the　part　of　the　narrator　to　set　down　the
literal　and　unvarnished　truth。　　It　was　his　constant　effort　to　be　frank
and　faithful　to　fact；　to　record；　to　confess；　and　to　condemn　without
stint。　　If　you　wanted　to　know　the　worst　of　Mark　Twain　you　had　only　to　ask
him　for　it。　　He　would　give　it；　to　the　last　syllableworse　than　the
worst；　for　his　imagination　would　magnify　it　and　adorn　it　with　new
iniquities；　and　if　he　gave　it　again；　or　a　dozen　times；　he　would　improve
upon　it　each　time；　until　the　thread　of　history　was　almost　impossible　to
trace　through　the　marvel　of　that　fabric；　and　he　would　do　the　same　for
another　person　just　as　willingly。　　Those　vividly　real　personalities　that
he　marched　and　countermarched　before　us　were　the　most　convincing
creatures　in　the　world；　the　most　entertaining；　the　most　excruciatingly
humorous；　or　wicked；　or　tragic；　but；　alas；　they　were　not　always　safe　to
include　in　a　record　that　must　bear　a　certain　semblance　to　history。　　They
often　disagreed　in　their　performance；　and　even　in　their　characters；　with
the　documents　in　the　next　room；　as　I　learned　by　and　by　when　those
records；　disentangled；　began　to　rebuild　the　structure　of　the　years。

His　gift　of　dramatization　had　been　exercised　too　long　to　be　discarded
now。　　The　things　he　told　of　Mrs。　Clemens　and　of　Susy　were　true
marvelously　and　beautifully　true；　in　spirit　and　in　aspectand　the　actual
detail　of　these　mattered　little　in　such　a　record。　　The　rest　was　history
only　as　'Roughing　It'　is　history；　or　the　'Tramp　Abroad'；　that　is　to　say；
it　was　fictional　history；　with　fact　as　a　starting…point。　　In　a　prefatory
note　to　these　volumes　we　have　quoted　Mark　Twain's　own　lovely　and
whimsical　admission；　made　once　when　he　realized　his　deviations：

〃When　I　was　younger　I　could　remember　anything；　whether　it　happened　or
not；　but　I　am　getting　old；　and　soon　I　shall　remember　only　the　latter。〃

At　another　time　he　paraphrased　one　of　Josh　Billings's　sayings　in　the
remark：　〃It　isn't　so　astonishing；　the　number　of　things　that　I　can
remember；　as　the　number　of　things　I　can　remember　that　aren't　so。〃

I　do　not　wish　to　say；　by　any　means；　that　his　so…called　autobiography　is　a
mere　fairy　tale。　　It　is　far　from　that。　　It　is　amazingly　truthful　in　the
character…picture　it　represents　of　the　man　himself。　　It　is　only　not
reliableand　it　is　sometimes　even　unjustas　detailed　history。　　Yet；
curiously　enough；　there　were　occasional　chapters　that　were
photographically　exact；　and　fitted　precisely　with　the　more　positive；　if
less　picturesque；　materials。　　It　is　also　true　that　such　chapters　were
likely　to　be　episodes　intrinsically　so　perfect　as　to　not　require　the
touch　of　art。

In　the　talks　which　we　usually　had；　when　the　dictations　were　ended　and
Miss　Hobby　had　gone；　I　gathered　much　that　was　of　still　greater　value。　
Imagination　was　temporarily　dispossessed；　as　it　were；　and；　whether
expounding　some　theory　or　summarizing　some　event；　he　cared　little　for
literary　effect；　and　only　for　the　idea　and　the　moment　immediately
present。

It　was　at　such　times　that　he　allowed　me　to　make　those　inquiries　we　had
planned　in　the　beginning；　and　which　apparently　had　little　place　in　the
dictations　themselves。　　Sometimes　I　led　him　to　speak　of　the　genesis　of
his　various　books；　how　he　had　come　to　write　them；　and　I　think　there　was
not　a　single　case　where　later　I　did　not　find　his　memory　of　these　matters
almost　exactly　in　accord　with　the　letters　of　the　moment；　written　to
Howells　or　Twichell；　or　to　some　member　of　his　family。　　Such　reminiscence　
was　usually　followed　by　some　vigorous　burst　of　human　philosophy；　often
too　vigorous　for　print；　too　human；　but　as　dazzling　as　a　search…light　in
its　revelation。

It　was　during　this　earlier　association　that　he　propounded；　one　day；　his
theory　of　circumstance；　already　set　down；　that　inevitable　sequence　of
cause　and　effect；　beginning　with　the　first　act　of　the　primal　atom。　　He
had　been　dictating　that　morning　his　story　of　the　clairvoyant　dream　which
preceded　his　brother's　death；　and　the　talk　of　foreknowledge　had
continued。　　I　said　one　might　logically　conclude　from　such　a　circumstance
that　the　future　was　a　fixed　quantity。

〃As　absolutely　fixed　as　the　past；〃　he　said；　and　added　the　remark　already
quoted。　＇Chap。　lxxv＇　A　little　later　he　continued：

〃Even　the　Almighty　Himself　cannot　check　or　change　that　sequence　of　events
once　it　is　started。　　It　is　a　fixed　quantity；　and　a　part　of　the　scheme　is
a　mental　condition　during　certain　moments　usually　of　sleepwhen　the　mind
may　reach　out　and　grasp　some　of　the　acts　which　are　still　to　come。〃

It　was　a　new　angle　to　mea　line　of　logic　so　simple　and　so　utterly
convincing　that　I　have　remained　unshaken　in　it　to　this　day。　　I　have　never
been　able　to　find　any　answer　to　it；　nor　any　one　who　could　even　attempt　to
show　that　the　first　act　of　the　first　created　atom　did　not　strike　the　key…
note　of　eternity。

At　another　time；　speaking　of　the　idea　that　God　works　through　man；　he
burst　out：

〃Yes；　of　course；　just　about　as　much　as　a　man　works　through　his　microbes！〃

He　had　a　startling　way　of　putting　things　like　that；　and　it　left　not　much
to　say。

I　was　at　this　period　interested　a　good　deal　in　mental　healing；　and　had
been　treated　for　neurasthenia　with　gratifying　results。　　Like　most　of　the
world；　I　had　assumed；　from　his　published　articles；　that　he　condemned
Christian　Science　and　its　related　practices　out　of　hand。　　When　I
confessed；　rather　reluctantly；　one　day；　the　benefit　I　had　received；　he
surprised　me　by　answering：

〃Of　course　you　have　been　benefited。　　Christian　Science　is　humanity's
boon。　　Mother　Eddy　deserves　a　place　in　the　Trinity　as　much　as　any　member
of　it。　　She　has　organized　and　made　available　a　healing　principle　that　for
two　thousand　years　has　never　been　employed；　except　as　the　merest　kind　of
guesswork。　　She　is　the　benefactor　of　the　age。〃

It　seemed　strange；　at　the　time；　to　hear　him　speak　in　this　way　concerning
a　practice　of　which　he　was　generally　regarded　as　the　chief　public
antagonist。　　It　was　another　angle　of　his　many…sided　character。




CCXL

THE　DEFINITION　OF　A　GENTLEMAN

That　was　a　busy　winter　for　him　socially。　　He　was　constantly　demanded　for
this　thing　and　thatfor　public　gatherings；　dinnerseverywhere　he　was　a
central　figure。　　Once　he　presided　at　a　Valentine　dinner　given　by　some
Players　to　David　Munro。　　He　had　never　presided　at　a　dinner　before；　he
said；　and　he　did　it　in　his　own　way；　which　certainly　was　a　taking　one；
suitable　to　that　carefree　company　and　occasiona　real　Scotch　occasion；
with　the　Munro　tartan　everywhere；　the　table　banked　with　heather；　and　a
wild　piper　marching　up　and　down　in　the　anteroom；　blowing　savage　airs　in
honor　of　Scotland's　gentlest　son。

An　important　meeting　of　that　winter　was　at　Carnegie　Halla　great
gather