第45章

AllsortsofthingscametotheHardinghamandofferedthemselvestomyuncle。Gordon-Nasmythstandsbutonlybecauseheplayedapartatlastinthecrisisofourfortunes。Somuchcametousthatitseemedtomeattimesasthoughthewholeworldofhumanaffairswasreadytoprostituteitselftoourrealandimaginarymillions。AsIlookback，Iamstilldazzledandincreduloustothinkofthequalityofouropportunities。

Wedidthemostextraordinarythings；thingsthatitseemsabsurdtometoleavetoanycasualmanofwealthandenterprisewhocarestodothem。Ihadsomeamazingperceptionsofjusthowmodernthoughtandthesupplyoffacttothegeneralmindmaybecontrolledbymoney。Amongotherthingsthatmyuncleofferedfor，hetriedveryhardtobuytheBritishMedicalJournalandtheLancet，andrunthemonwhathecalledmodernlines，andwhentheyresistedhimhetalkedveryvigorouslyforatimeoforganisingarivalenterprise。Thatwasaverymagnificentideaindeedinitsway；itwouldhavegivenatremendousadvantageinthehandlingofinnumerablespecialtiesandindeedIscarcelyknowhowfaritwouldnothaveputthemedicalprofessioninourgrip。Itstillamazesme——Ishalldieamazed——thatsuchathingcanbepossibleinthemodernstate。Ifmyunclefailedtobringthethingoff，someoneelsemaysucceed。ButIdoubt，evenifhehadgotboththeseweeklies，whetherhispeculiarstylewouldhavesuitedthem。Thechangeofpurposewouldhaveshown。Hewouldhavefounditdifficulttokeepuptheirdignity。

HecertainlydidnotkeepupthedignityoftheSacredGrove，animportantcriticalorganwhichheacquiredoneday——bysaying“snap“——foreighthundredpounds。Hegotit“lock，stockandbarrel“——underoneorotherofwhichthreeaspectstheeditorwasincluded。Evenatthatpriceitdidn’tpay。IfyouarealiterarypersonyouwillrememberthebrightnewcoverhegavethatrepresentativeorganofBritishintellectualculture，andhowhissoundbusinessinstinctsjarredwiththeexaltedpretensionsofavanishingage。OneoldwrapperIdiscoveredtheotherdayruns：——

AHithertoUnpublishedLetterfromWalterPater。

CharlotteBronte’sMaternalGreatAunt。

ANewCatholicHistoryofEngland。

TheGeniusofShakespeare。

Correspondence：——TheMendelianHypothesis；TheSplitInfinitive；

“Commence。”or“Begin；“Claverhouse；SocialismandtheIndividual；TheDignityofLetters。

Folk-loreGossip。

TheStage；theParadoxofActing。

TravelBiography，Verse，Fiction，etc。

IsupposeitissomelingeringtracesoftheBladesovertraditiontomethatmakesthiscombinationoflettersandpillsseemsoincongruous，justasIsupposeitisalingeringtraceofPlutarchandmyineradicableboyishimaginationthatatbottomourStateshouldbewise，saneanddignified，thatmakesmethinkacountrywhichleavesitsmedicalandliterarycriticism，orindeedanysuchvitallyimportantcriticism，entirelytoprivateenterpriseandopentotheadvancesofanypurchasermustbeinafranklyhopelesscondition。Theseareidealconceptionsofmine。

Asamatteroffact，nothingwouldbemoreentirelynaturalandrepresentativeoftherelationsoflearning，thoughtandtheeconomicsituationintheworldatthepresenttimethanthiscoveroftheSacredGrove——thequietconservatismoftheoneelementembeddedintheaggressivebrillianceoftheother；thecontrastednotesofboldphysiologicalexperimentandextremementalimmobility。

Therecomesback，too，amongtheseHardinghammemories，animpressionofadrizzlingNovemberday，andhowwelookedoutofthewindowsuponaprocessionoftheLondonunemployed。

Itwaslikelo