the days of my life-第30章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


Since　that　time　there　have　been　other　and　cheaper　editions；　and　in　1899；　at　the　time　of　the　Boer　War；　that　part　of　the　book　that　deals　with　the　Transvaal　was　republished　at　one　shilling　and　sold　to　the　extent　of　some　thirty　thousand　copies。
To　this　day　there　is　a　certain　demand　for　the　book。　That　it　has　already　been　extensively　used　by　writers　dealing　with　this　epoch　of　African　affairs　in　works　of　reference　and　elsewhere　I　have　reason　to　know；　although　these　have　not　always　acknowledged　the　source　of　their　information　and　judgments。
So　it　es　about　that　my　only　effort　as　an　historian　was　not　made　in　vain；　although　at　first　it　seemed　futile　and　fruitless　enough。　I　may　add　that　certain　prophecies　set　down　in　its　pages　in　1882　have　since　that　time　been　remarkably　fulfilled。
If　they　＇i。e。　those　who　direct　the　destinies　of　the　Empire＇　do　not　＇take　certain　steps　alluded　to　above＇　it　is　now　quite　within　the　bounds　of　possibility　that　they　may　one　day　have　to　face　a　fresh　Transvaal　rebellion；　only　on　a　ten　times　larger　scale。
And　again：
Unless　they　＇i。e。　South　African　problems＇　are　treated　with　more　honest　intelligence；　and　on　a　more　settled　plan　than　it　has　hitherto　been　thought　necessary　to　apply　to　them；　the　British　taxpayer　will　find　that　he　has　by　no　means　heard　the　last　of　that　country　and　its　wars。
Some　twenty　years　after　I　wrote　these　words　England　did　have　to　face　a　Transvaal　war　on　a　ten　times　larger　scale；　and　the　British　taxpayer　did　hear　that　he　was　called　upon　to　pay　a　bill　of　some　three　hundred　millions　sterling。　Also　about　twenty　thousand　of　our　countrymen；　among　them　a　young　nephew　of　my　own；　were　summoned　to　lay　down　their　lives　on　the　African　veld。　Such　was　the　cost　to　the　Empire　of　the　reversal　of　Sir　Theophilus　Shepstone’s　policy　in　the　interests　of　an　English　political　party。
Whilst　we　were　at　Norwood　a　little　incident　occurred　which　resulted　in　my　being　a　writer　of　fiction。　At　the　church　which　my　wife　and　I　attended　we　saw　sitting　near　us　one　Sunday　a　singularly　beautiful　and　pure…faced　young　lady。　Afterwards　we　agreed　that　this　semi…divine　creature　—　on　whom　to　the　best　of　my　knowledge　I　have　never　set　eyes　again　from　that　day　to　this　—　ought　to　bee　the　heroine　of　a　novel。　So　then　and　there　we　took　paper；　and　each　of　us　began　to　write　the　said　novel。　I　think　that　after　she　had　pleted　two　or　three　folio　sheets　my　wife　ceased　from　her　fictional　labours。　But；　growing　interested；　I　continued　mine；　which　resulted　in　the　story　called　“Dawn。”
Years　afterwards；　in　1894　indeed；　on　the　occasion　of　the　issue　of　one　of　the　numerous　editions　of　that　tale；　I　inserted　the　following　little　dedication：
AFTER　MANY　YEARS
I　dedicate　this　my　first　story
to
That　Unknown　Lady；
once　seen；　but　unforgotten；　the
mould　and　model　of　Angela；
the　magic　of　whose　face　turned　my　mind
to　the　making　of　books。
Here　I　may　as　well　tell　the　history　of　this　book。　Some　of　it；　or　rather　of　the　first　draft　of　it；　I　think　I　wrote　at　Norwood。　Towards　Christmas　of　1882　my　wife　and　I　made　up　our　minds　to　return　to　this　house　at　Ditchingham；　which　was　standing　empty　and　furnished；　while　I　pursued　my　studies　at　the　Bar。　Hither　we　came　accordingly　a　little　while　before　the　birth　of　my　eldest　daughter。　She　was　named　Angela　after　the　heroine　of　my　novel；　which　shows　that　at　this　time　it　must　either　have　been　written　or　well　advanced。
There　appear　to　be　three　drafts　of　this　work；　the　first　of　which　（inplete）　is　named　“Angela；”　after　the　heroine；　the　second；　five　hundred　and　fifty…four　closely　written　foolscap　sheets　long（！）；　estimated；　I　observe；　upon　the　title…page　to　print　into　about　a　thousand　pages；　called　“There　Remaih　a　Rest”；　and　the　third；　bound　MS。　（unnamed）；　four　hundred　and　niy…three　foolscap　sheets。　The　history　of　them　is　briefly　as　follows。　With　pain　and　labour　I　wrote　the　work　—　five　hundred　and　fifty…four　foolscap　sheets　do　take　some　labour　in　the　actual　matter　of　calligraphy；　without　considering　the　mental　effort。　Then　I　sent　the　result　to　sundry　publishers　—　who　they　were　I　entirely　forget。　Evidently；　however；　Smith　and　Elder　must　have　been　one　of　them；　as　is　shown　by　the　allusion　to　James　Payn　in　a　letter　from　the　late　Mr。　Cordy　Jeaffreson；　which　I　shall　presently　quote。
These　publishers；　or　their　readers；　had　no　great　opinion　of　“Angela”　or　“There　Remaih　a　Rest；”　by　whichever　title　it　was　then　called。　After　these　rebuffs　most　people　would　have　put　that　mighty　mass　of　manuscript　into　the　fire　or　an　upstairs　cupboard。　But　I　must　have　been　a　persistent　young　man　thirty　years　or　so　ago；　and　I　did　not　take　this　course。　On　the　contrary；　I　consulted　Mr。　Trubner；　with　whom　I　had　bee　personally　acquainted　since　the　publication　of　“Cetewayo　and　his　White　Neighbours。”　Indeed　he　and　I　struck　up　some　kind　of　a　friendship；　as　is　shown　by　the　fact　that　he　gave　me　his　photograph　in　a　little　olive…wood　frame；　which　photograph　has　stood　on　a　shelf　in　my　room　from　that　day　to　this。　It　is　a　clever　old　face　which　is　pictured　there；　and　he　was　a　clever　old　man。　He　used　to　tell　me　anecdotes　in　his　queer；　half…German　talk　about　the　literary　celebrities　of　bygone　days；　and　I　remember　that　his　description　of　George　Eliot　was　extremely　epigrammatic　and　amusing。　This；　however；　I　will　not　repeat。　He　was　good　enough　to　take　some　interest　in　the　story；　and　to　suggest　that　it　should　be　sent　to　the　late　Mr。　Cordy　Jeaffreson　for　his　opinion。　This　was　done；　and　on　April　27；　1883；　Jeaffreson　sent　me　his　opinion；　which　is　so　thorough　and　able　that　I　erely　omitting　his　detailed　criticism　of　the　work。
24　Carlton　Road；　Maida　Vale；　N。W。：
April　27；　1883。
Dear　Sir；　—　I　have　read　your　story　deliberately　and　read　it　with　considerable　interest；　which　would　of　course　have　been　greater　had　I　read　it　in　type。
Payn　was　not　wrong。　Your　opening　chapters　have　a　superabundance　of　action；　and　several　highly　dramatic　positions；　but　they　lack　dramatic　interest；　i。e。　the　interest　that　es　from　an　exhibition　of　the　influence　of　character　upon　character。　Novels　being　what　they　are　just　now；　it　is　small　praise　to　say　that　Angela’s　love…story　is　better　than　two…thirds　of　the　stories　that　are　published。　I　could　say　much　more　in　its　favour。　Still　I　urge　you　not　to　publish　it　in　its　present　rude　form。　Indeed；　the　story　has　caused　me　to　take　so　much　interest　in　its　writer　that　I　could　almost　entreat　you　not　to　publish　it。
I　take　it　you　are　a　young　man。　You　are　certainly　a　novice　in　literature：　and　like　most　beginners　in　the　really　difficult　art　of　novel…writing　you　have　plied　your　pen　under　the　notion　that　novels　are　dashed　off。　Inferior　novels　are　so　written；　but　you　have　the　making　of　a　good　novelist　in　you；　if　you　are　seriously　bent　on　being　one。　It　would　therefore　be　ill　for　you　in　several　ways　to　make　your　debut　with　a　tale　that　would　do　you　injustice。　I　don’t　counsel　you　to　try　again　with　new　materials。　I　advise　you　to　make　your　present　essay；　what　it　might　be　made；　a　work　of　art　and　a　really　good　performance。
You　have　written　it　with　your　left　hand　without　strenuous　pains；　you　must　rewrite　it　with　your　right　hand；　throwing　all　your　force　into　it。　If　you　produce　it　in　its　present　crude　state　you　will　do　so　only　to　regret　in　a　few　weeks　you　did　not　burn　it。　If　you　rewrite　it　slowly　with　your　right　hand　—　suppressing　much；　expanding　much；　making　every　chapter　a　picture　by　itself；　and　polishing　up　every　sentence　so　that　each　page　bears　testimony　to　the　power　of　its　producer　—　the　story　will　be　the　beginning　of　such　a　literary　career　as　I　conceive　you　to　be　desirous　of　running。　Get　the　better　of　the　mon　notion　that　novels　may　be　dashed　off　—　by　remembering　how　often　Lord　Lytton　rewrote　“Pelham；”　thinking　over　every　part　of　it；　now　pressing　and　now　expanding　the　narrative；　before　he　ventured　to　give　it　to　the　world。　Go　to　the　Charles　Dickens　rooms　in　the　S。　Kensington　Museum　and　observe　the　erasures；　the　insertions；　the　amendments　of　every　paragraph　of　his　writing　。　。　。　。
Here　follows　a　long　and　able　criticism　of　the　story。
Having　read　your　MS。　I　have　packed　it　and　will　do　anything　you　like　with　it　—　with　the　exception　of　sending　it　to　a　publisher　in　its　present　state。　You　will　succeed　in　literary　enterprise　if　it　will　be　your　ambition　to　do　so。
Your　story　disposes　me　to　think　you　have　that　ambition。　It　also　causes　me　to　hope　that　I　may　make　the　author’s　acquaintance。　If　you　call　on　me　when　you　are　in　town　I　shall　be　delighted　to　ask　your　pardon　for　writing　to　you　with　such　unmannerly　frankness　and　self…sufficiency。
Believe　me　to　be；　my　dear　sir；
Yours　very　sincerely；
John　Cordy　Jeaffreson。
What　an　extraordinarily　kind　heart　must　have　been　that　of　Mr。　Jeaffreson！　He　was　a　very　busy　man；　producing　as　he　did　works　of　fiction　and　of　biography；　in　addition　to　his　antiquarian　labours　that　involved　the　deciphering　of　thousands　of　old　documents；　by　means　of　all　which　toil　he　earned　a　moderate　ine。　Yet　he　found　time　on　behalf　of　an　individual　totally　unknown　to　him；　or　to　anybody　else　in　this　country；　to　labour　through　several　hundred　not　too　legible　sheets　of　manuscript；　and　to　write　a　masterly　criticism　of　their　contents。　Moreover；　for　all　this　trouble　he　refused　to　accept　any　reward。　Certainly　it　has　been　my　fortune　to　make　acquaintance　with　much　malice　in　the　world；　but　on　the　other　hand　I　have　met　with　signal　kindness　at　the　hands　of　those　engaged　in　literary　pursuits；　and　of　such　kindnesses　I　can　recall　no　more　striking　example　than　this　act　of　Mr。　Jeaffreson；　of　whom　I　shall　always　entertain　the　most　affectionate　memory。
Well；　I　took　his　advice。　From　a　tiny　note　on　the　first　page　of　the　manuscript　it　would　seem　that　I　began　to　rewrite　“Dawn”　or　“Angela；”　as　it　was　then　called；　on　May　15；　1883；　and　finished　the　last　of　the　four　hundred　and　niy…three　foolscap　sheets　on　September　5th　of　the　same　year。　That　is；　in　just　under　four　months；　in　addition　to　my　legal　studies　and　other　occupations　and　the　time　taken　in　attending　in　London　to　eat　my　dinners　at　Lincoln’s　Inn；　I　wrote　nearly　two　hundred　thousand　words。　Nowadays　the　average　length　of　a　novel　may　be　put　at　seventy…five　thousand　words；　or　even　less；　though　mine　are　longer。　But　in　the　early　eighties；　when　stories　were　brought　out　in　three　volumes　and　readers　had　more　patience　than　at　present；　it　was　otherwise。　I　toiled　at　that　book　morning；　noon；　and　night；　with　the　result　that　at　length　my　eyesight　gave　out；　and　I　was　obliged　to　finish　the　writing　of　it　in　a　darkened　room。
Still　I　did　finish　it　notwithstanding　the　pain　in　my　eyes；　and　then　went　to　London　to　see　an　oculist。　To　my　relief　he　told　me　I　was　not　going　blind　as　I　feared；　but　that　the　trouble　came　from　the　brain　which　was　overworked。　He　ordered　me　plete　rest　and　change；　during　which　I　was　not　to　read　anything。　So　we　went　for　a　month　to　Switzerland；　where　we　took　lodgings。　The　only　occupation　that　I　had　there　was　to　walk；　or；　when　this　was　not　feasible；　like　a　child　to　throw　a　ball　against　the　wall　of　the　room　and　see　how　often　I　could　catch　it　on　the　rebound。　However；　the　treatment　proved　effective。
The　book　being　finished；　or　nearly　finished；　and　the　heroine；　Angela；　rescued　from　the　untimely　death　to　which　she　was　consigned　in　the　first　version　and　happily　married　to　her　lover；　once　more　I　sought　the　assistance　of　Cordy　Jeaffreson；　who　gave　me　a　letter　introducing　me　to　Mr。　Arthur　Blackett　of　the　firm　of　Messrs。　Hurst　and　Blackett。　It　runs：
Dear　Blackett；　—　Some　months　since　I　read　the　MS。　of　a　novel　of　which　the　bearer　of　these　presents；　Mr。　Rider　Haggard　of　Ditchingham　House；　Bungay；　is　looking　for　a　publisher。　Mr。　Haggard　having　distinguished　himself　in　another　field　of　literature；　I　was　not　surprised　to　find　his　first　essay　in　prose　fiction　a　thing　of　no　ordinary　power。　It　was　a　tale　of　character；　pathos；　incident；　and　new　ground：　so　good　that　had　it　been　less　I　should　have　advised　him　to　publish　it　as　it　came　to　me。　The　goodness　of　the　story；　however；　made　me　urge　him　to　rewrite　it；　so　that　every　chapter　should　be　in　harmony　with　its　best　and　strongest　parts。　He　has　acted　on　my　advice；　and　if　the　result　of　his　renewed　labour　answers　my　anticipation；　he　has　produced　a　work　that　will　make　your　reader　rub　his　hands　and　say　“This　will　do。”　。　。　。
Messrs。　Hurst　and　Blackett　wrote　to　me；　and　well　do　I　remember　the　jubilation　with　which　I　read　the　letter：
We　shall　be　very　happy　to　undertake　the　publication　of　your　novel　on　the　following　terms。　To　produce　the　work　at　our　own　expense　and　risk。　To　pay　you　the　sum　of　40　pounds　on　the　sale　of　four　hundred　copies　and　30　pounds　on　the　sale　of　every　hundred　copies　after。　The　title　“Angela”　has　been　used　before　。　。　。　。
Needless　to　say　I　accepted　the　offer　with　gratitude　and　promised　to　find　another　title。　Three　days　later　the　agreement　arrived　under　which　I　sold　the　copyright　to　Messrs。　Hurst　and　Blackett　for　a　period　of　one　year　only　from　the　date　of　publication。　In　their　covering　letter　they　informed　me　that　they　only　proposed　to　print　five　hundred　copies　in　the　three…volume　form；　leaving　me　at　liberty　to　make　any　arrangements　I　liked　for　a　cheap　edition；　if　one　should　be　demanded。
About　this　time；　namely　just　after　he　had　read　the　MS。　of　“Angela；”　I　received　the　following　interesting　but　undated　letter　from　Mr。　Jeaffreson：
Dear　Sir；　—　Can’t　you　arrange　to　dine　with　us　at　seven　o’clock　on　the　10th　of　next　m