the pupil-第2章

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naturally　be　of　the　best；　it　didn't　cost　too　much。　　After　a　little

he　WAS　glad；　forgetting　at　times　his　own　needs　in　the　interest

inspired　by　the　child's　character　and　culture　and　the　pleasure　of

making　easy　terms　for　him。



During　the　first　weeks　of　their　acquaintance　Morgan　had　been　as

puzzling　as　a　page　in　an　unknown　language　…　altogether　different

from　the　obvious　little　Anglo…Saxons　who　had　misrepresented

childhood　to　Pemberton。　　Indeed　the　whole　mystic　volume　in　which

the　boy　had　been　amateurishly　bound　demanded　some　practice　in

translation。　　To…day；　after　a　considerable　interval；　there　is

something　phantasmagoria；　like　a　prismatic　reflexion　or　a　serial

novel；　in　Pemberton's　memory　of　the　queerness　of　the　Moreens。　　If

it　were　not　for　a　few　tangible　tokens　…　a　lock　of　Morgan's　hair　cut

by　his　own　hand；　and　the　half…dozen　letters　received　from　him　when

they　were　disjoined　…　the　whole　episode　and　the　figures　peopling　it

would　seem　too　inconsequent　for　anything　but　dreamland。　　Their

supreme　quaintness　was　their　success　…　as　it　appeared　to　him　for　a

while　at　the　time；　since　he　had　never　seen　a　family　so　brilliantly

equipped　for　failure。　　Wasn't　it　success　to　have　kept　him　so

hatefully　long？　　Wasn't　it　success　to　have　drawn　him　in　that　first

morning　at　dejeuner；　the　Friday　he　came　…　it　was　enough　to　MAKE　one

superstitious　…　so　that　he　utterly　committed　himself；　and　this　not

by　calculation　or　on　a　signal；　but　from　a　happy　instinct　which　made

them；　like　a　band　of　gipsies；　work　so　neatly　together？　　They　amused

him　as　much　as　if　they　had　really　been　a　band　of　gipsies。　　He　was

still　young　and　had　not　seen　much　of　the　world　…　his　English　years

had　been　properly　arid；　therefore　the　reversed　conventions　of　the

Moreens　…　for　they　had　THEIR　desperate　proprieties　…　struck　him　as

topsy…turvy。　　He　had　encountered　nothing　like　them　at　Oxford；　still

less　had　any　such　note　been　struck　to　his　younger　American　ear

during　the　four　years　at　Yale　in　which　he　had　richly　supposed

himself　to　be　reacting　against　a　Puritan　strain。　　The　reaction　of

the　Moreens；　at　any　rate；　went　ever　so　much　further。　　He　had

thought　himself　very　sharp　that　first　day　in　hitting　them　all　off

in　his　mind　with　the　〃cosmopolite〃　label。　　Later　it　seemed　feeble


and　colourless　…　confessedly　helplessly　provisional。



He　yet　when　he　first　applied　it　felt　a　glow　of　joy　…　for　an

instructor　he　was　still　empirical　…　rise　from　the　apprehension　that

living　with　them　would　really　he　to　see　life。　　Their　sociable

strangeness　was　an　intimation　of　that　…　their　chatter　of　tongues；

their　gaiety　and　good　humour；　their　infinite　dawdling　（they　were

always　getting　themselves　up；　but　it　took　forever；　and　Pemberton

had　once　found　Mr。　Moreen　shaving　in　the　drawing…room）；　their

French；　their　Italian　and；　cropping　up　in　the　foreign　fluencies；

their　cold　tough　slices　of　American。　　They　lived　on　macaroni　and

coffee　…　they　had　these　articles　prepared　in　perfection　…　but　they

knew　recipes　for　a　hundred　other　dishes。　　They　overflowed　with

music　and　song；　were　always　humming　and　catching　each　other　up；　and

had　a　sort　of　professional　acquaintance　with　Continental　cities。

They　talked　of　〃good　places〃　as　if　they　had　been　pickpockets　or

strolling　players。　　They　had　at　Nice　a　villa；　a　carriage；　a　piano

and　a　banjo；　and　they　went　to　official　parties。　　They　were　a

perfect　calendar　of　the　〃days〃　of　their　friends；　which　Pemberton

knew　them；　when　they　were　indisposed；　to　get　out　of　bed　to　go　to；

and　which　made　the　week　larger　than　life　when　Mrs。　Moreen　talked　of

them　with　Paula　and　Amy。　　Their　initiations　gave　their　new　inmate

at　first　an　almost　dazzling　sense　of　culture。　　Mrs。　Moreen　had

translated　something　at　some　former　period　…　an　author　whom　it　made

Pemberton　feel　borne　never　to　have　heard　of。　　They　could　imitate

Venetian　and　sing　Neapolitan；　and　when　they　wanted　to　say　something

very　particular　communicated　with　each　other　in　an　ingenious

dialect　of　their　own；　an　elastic　spoken　cipher　which　Pemberton　at

first　took　for　some　patois　of　one　of　their　countries；　but　which　he

〃caught　on　to〃　as　he　would　not　have　grasped　provincial　development

of　Spanish　or　German。



〃It's　the　family　language　…　Ultramoreen；〃　Morgan　explained　to　him

drolly　enough；　but　the　boy　rarely　condescended　to　use　it　himself；

though　he　dealt　in　colloquial　Latin　as　if　he　had　been　a　little

prelate。



Among　all　the　〃days〃　with　which　Mrs。　Moreen's　memory　was　taxed　she

managed　to　squeeze　in　one　of　her　own；　which　her　friends　sometimes

forgot。　　But　the　house　drew　a　frequented　air　from　the　number　of

fine　people　who　were　freely　named　there　and　from　several　mysterious

men　with　foreign　titles　and　English　clothes　whom　Morgan　called　the

princes　and　who；　on　sofas　with　the　girls；　talked　French　very　loud　…

though　sometimes　with　some　oddity　of　accent　…　as　if　to　show　they

were　saying　nothing　improper。　　Pemberton　wondered　how　the　princes

could　ever　propose　in　that　tone　and　so　publicly：　　he　took　for

granted　cynically　that　this　was　what　was　desired　of　them。　　Then　he

recognised　that　even　for　the　chance　of　such　an　advantage　Mrs。

Moreen　would　never　allow　Paula　and　Amy　to　receive　alone。　　These

young　ladies　were　not　at　all　timid；　but　it　was　just　the　safeguards

that　made　them　so　candidly　free。　　It　was　a　houseful　of　Bohemians

who　wanted　tremendously　to　be　Philistines。



In　one　respect；　however；　certainly　they　achieved　no　rigour　…　they

were　wonderfully　amiable　and　ecstatic　about　Morgan。　　It　was　a

genuine　tenderness；　an　artless　admiration；　equally　strong　in　each。

They　even　praised　his　beauty；　which　was　small；　and　were　as　afraid

of　him　as　if　they　felt　him　of　finer　clay。　　They　spoke　of　him　as　a

little　angel　and　a　prodigy　…　they　touched　on　his　want　of　health

with　long　vague　faces。　　Pemberton　feared　at　first　an　extravagance

that　might　make　him　hate　the　boy；　but　before　this　happened　he　had

become　extravagant　himself。　　Later；　when　he　had　grown　rather　to

hate　the　others；　it　was　a　bribe　to　patience　for　him　that　they　were

at　any　rate　nice　about　Morgan；　going　on　tiptoe　if　they　fancied　he

was　showing　symptoms；　and　even　giving　up　somebody's　〃day〃　to

procure　him　a　pleasure。　　Mixed　with　this　too　was　the　oddest　wish　to

make　him　independent；　as　if　they　had　felt　themselves　not　good

enough　for　him。　　They　passed　him　over　to　the　new　members　of　their

circle　very　much　as　if　wishing　to　force　some　charity　of　adoption　on

so　free　an　agent　and　get　rid　of　their　own　charge。　　They　were

delighted　when　they　saw　Morgan　take　so　to　his　kind　playfellow；　and

could　think　of　no　higher　praise　for　the　young　man。　　It　was　strange

how　they　contrived　to　reconcile　the　appearance；　and　indeed　the

essential　fact；　of　adoring　the　child　with　their　eagerness　to　wash

their　hands　of　him。　　Did　they　want　to　get　rid　of　him　before　he

should　find　them　out？　　Pemberton　was　finding　them　out　month　by

month。　　The　boy's　fond　family；　however　this　might　be；　turned　their

backs　with　exaggerated　delicacy；　as　if　to　avoid　the　reproach　of

interfering。　　Seeing　in　time　how　little　he　had　in　common　with　them

…　it　was　by　THEM　he　first　observed　it；　they　proclaimed　it　with

complete　humility　…　his　companion　was　moved　to　speculate　on　the

mysteries　of　transmission；　the　far　jumps　of　heredity。　　Where　his

detachment　from　most　of　the　things　they　represented　had　come　from

was　more　than　an　observer　could　say　…　it　certainly　had　burrowed

under　two　or　three　generations。



As　for　Pemberton's　own　estimate　of　his　pupil；　it　was　a　good　while

before　he　got　the　point　of　view；　so　little　had　he　been　prepared　for

it　by　the　smug　young　barbarians　to　whom　the　tradition　of　tutorship；

as　hitherto　revealed　to　him；　had　been　adjusted。　　Morgan　was　scrappy

and　surprising；　deficient　in　many　properties　supposed　common　to　the

genus　and　abounding　in　others　that　were　the　portion　only　of　the

supernaturally　clever。　　One　day　his　friend　made　a　great　stride：　　it

cleared　up　the　question　to　perceive　that　Morgan　WAS　supernaturally

clever　and　that；　though　the　formula　was　temporarily　meagre；　this

would　be　the　only　assumption　on　which　one　could　successfully　deal

with　him。　　He　had　the　general　quality　of　a　child　for　whom　life　had

not　been　simplified　by　school；　a　kind　of　homebred　sensibility　which

might　have　been　as　bad　for　himself　but　was　charming　for　others；　and

a　whole　range　of　refinement　and　perception　…　little　musical

vibrations　as　taking　as　picked…up　airs　…　begotten　by　wandering

about　Europe　at　the　tail　of　his　migratory　tribe。　　This　might　not

have　been　an　education　to　recommend　in　advance；　but　its　results

with　so　special　a　subject　were　as　appreciable　as　the　marks　on　a

piece　of　fine　porcelain。　　There　was　at　the　same　time　in　him　a　small

strain　of　stoicism；　doubtless　the　fruit　of　having　had　to　begin

early　to　bear　pain；　which　counted　for　pluck　and　made　it　of　less

consequence　that　he　might　have　been　thought　at　school　rather　a

polyglot　little　beast。　　Pemberton　indeed　quickly　found　himself

rejoicing　that　school　was　out　of　the　question：　　in　any　million　of

boys　it　was　probably　good　for　all　but　one；　and　Morgan　was　that

millionth。　　It　would　have　made　him　comparative　and　superior　…　it

might　have　made　him　really　require　kicking。　　Pemberton　would　try　to

be　school　himself　…　a　bigger　seminary　than　five　hundred　grazing

donkeys；　so　that；　winning　no　prizes；　the　boy　would　remain

unconscious　and　irresponsible　and　amusing　…　amusing；　because；

though　life　was　already　intense　in　his　childish　nature；　freshness

still　made　there　a　strong　draught　for　jokes。　　It　turned　out　that

even　in　the　still　air　of　Morgan's　various　disabilities　jokes

flourished　greatly。　　He　was　a　pale　lean　acute　undeveloped　little

cosmopolite；　who　liked　intellectual　gymnastics　and　who　also；　as

regards　the　behaviour　of　mankind；　had　noticed　more　things　than　you

might　suppose；　but　who　nevertheless　had　his　proper　playroom　of

superstitions；　where　he　smashed　a　dozen　toys　a　day。







CHAPTER　III







At　Nice　once；　toward　evening；　as　the　pair　rested　in　the　open　air

after　a　walk；　and　looked　over　the　sea　at　the　pink　western　lights；

he　said　suddenly　to　his　comrade：　　〃Do　you　like　it；　you　know　…　being

with　us　all　in　this　intimate　way？〃



〃My　dear　fellow；　why　should　I　stay　if　I　didn't？〃



〃How　do　I　know　you'll　stay？　　I'm　almost　sure　you　won't；　very　long。〃



〃I　hope　you　don't　mean　to　dismiss　me；〃　said　Pemberton。



Morgan　debated；　looking　at　the　sunset。　　〃I　think　if　I　did　right　I

ought　to。〃



〃Well；　I　know　I'm　supposed　to　instruct　you　in　virtue；　but　in　that

case　don't　do　right。〃



〃'You're　very　young　…　fortunately；〃　Morgan　went　on；　turning　to　him

again。



〃Oh　yes；　compared　with　you！〃



〃Therefore　it　won't　matter　so　much　if　you　do　lose　a　lot　of　time。〃



〃That's　the　way　to　look　at　it；〃　said　Pemberton　accommodatingly。



They　were　silent　a　minute；　after　which　the　boy　asked：　　〃Do　you　like

my　father　and　my　mother　very　much？〃



〃Dear　me；　yes。