四季隨筆-the private papers of henry ryecroft(英文版)

第23部分 (第2/7頁)

all　events　an　acceptable　share　in　the　profits　of　his　work。　A　shrewd　and　vigorous　man　of　business　such　as　Dickens；　aided　by　a　lawyer　who　was　his　devoted　friend；　could　do　even　better；　and；　in　reaping　sometimes　more　than　his　publisher；　redress　the　ancient　injustice。　But　pray；　what　of　Charlotte　Bronte？　Think　of　that　grey；　pinched　life；　the　latter　years　of　which　would　have　been　so　brightened　had　Charlotte　Bronte　received　but；　let　us　say；　one　third　of　what；　in　the　same　space　of　time；　the　publisher　gained　by　her　books。　I　know　all　about　this；　alas！　no　man　better。　None　the　less　do　I　loathe　and　sicken　at　the　manifold　baseness；　the　vulgarity　unutterable；　which；　as　a　result　of　the　new　order；　is　blighting　our　literary　life。　It　is　not　easy　to　see　how；　in　such　an　atmosphere；　great　and　noble　books　can　ever　again　e　into　being。　May　it；　perhaps；　be　hoped　that　once　again　the　multitude　will　be　somehow　touched　with　disgust？……that　the　market　for　〃literary〃　news　of　this　costermonger　sort　will　some　day　fail？

Dickens。　Why；　there　too　was　a　disclosure　of　literary　methods。　Did　not　Forster　make　known　to　all　and　sundry　exactly　how　Dickens'　work　was　done；　and　how　the　bargains　for　its　production　were　made？　The　multitudinous　public　saw　him　at　his　desk；　learnt　how　long　he　sat　there；　were　told　that　he　could　not　get　on　without　having　certain　little　ornaments　before　his　eyes；　and　that　blue　ink　and　a　quill　pen　were　indispensable　to　his　writing；　and　did　all　this　information　ever　chill　the　loyalty　of　a　single　reader？　There　was　a　difference；　in　truth；　between　the　picture　of　Charles　Dickens　sitting　down　to　a　chapter　of　his　current　novel；　and　that　of　the　broad…based　Trollope　doing　his　so　many　words　to　the　fifteen　minutes。　Trollope；　we　know；　wronged　himself　by　the　tone　and　manner　of　his　reminiscences；　but　t