《Four Years》第14章

debated。　e。。。　fresh　from　paris　would　sometimes　say？？we　are　concerned　with　nothing　but　impressions；
but　that　itself　was　a　generalisation　and　met　but　stony　silence。　conversation　constantly　dwindled　into　do　you　like　so　and　sos　last　book？　no；　i　prefer　the　book　before　it；　and　i　think　that　but　for　its　irish　members；　who　said　whatever　came　into　their　heads；　the　club　would　not　have　survived　its　first　difficult　months。　i　knew？？now　ashamed　that　i　thought　like　a　man　of　letters；　now　exasperated　at　their　indifference　to　the　fashion　of　their　own　river　bed？？that　swinburne　in　one　way；　browning　in　another；　and　tennyson　in　a　third；　had　filled　their　work　with　what　i　called　impurities；　curiosities　about　politics；　about　science；　about　history；　about　religion；　and　that　we　must　create　once　more　the　pure　work。
our　clothes　were　for　the　most　part　unadventurous　like　our　conversation；　though　i　indeed　wore　a　brown　velveteen　coat；　a　loose　tie　and　a　very　old　inverness　cape；　discarded　by　my　father　twenty　years　before　and　preserved　by　my　sligo？born　mother　whose　actions　were　unreasoning　and　habitual　like　the　seasons。　but　no　other　member　of　the　club；　except　le　gallienne；　who　wore　a　loose　tie；　and　symons；　who　had　an　inverness　cape　that　was　quite　new　&　almost　fashionable；　would　have　shown　himself　for　the　world　in　any　costume　but　that　of　an　english　gentleman。　one　should　be　quite　unnoticeable；　johnson　explained　to　me。　those　who　conformed　most　carefully　to　the　fashion　in　their　clothes　generally　departed　furthest　from　it　in　their　hand？writing；　which　was　small；　neat　and　studied；　one　poet？？which　i　forget？？having　founded　his　upon　the　handwriting　of　george　herbert。　dowson　and　symons　i　was　to　know　better　in　later　years　when　symons　became　a　very　dear　friend；　and　i　never　got　behind　john　davidsons　scottish　roughness　and　exasperation；　though　i　saw　much　of　him；　but　from　the　first　i　devoted　myself　to　lionel　johnson。　he　and　horne　and　image　and　one　or　two　others　shared　a　man？servant　and　an　old　house　in　charlotte　street；　fitzroy　square；　typical　figures　of　transition；　doing　as　an　achievement　of　learning　and　of　exquisite　taste　what　their　predecessors　did　in　careless　abundance。　all　were　pre？raphaelite；　and　sometimes　one　might　meet　in　the　rooms　of　one　or　other　a　ragged　figure；　as　of　some　fallen　dynasty；　simeon　solomon；　the　pre？　raphaelite　painter；　once　the　friend　of　rossetti　and　of　swinburne；　but　fresh　now　from　some　low　public　house。　condemned　to　a　long　term　of　imprisonment　for　a　criminal　offence；　he　had　sunk　into　drunkenness　and　misery。　introduced　one　night；　however；　to　some　man　who　mistook　him；　in　the　dim　candle　light；　for　another　solomon；　a　successful　academic　painter　and　r。　a。；　he　started　to　his　feet　in　a　rage　with　sir；　do　you　dare　to　mistake　me　for　that　mountebank？　though　not　one　had　harkened　to　the　feeblest　caw；　or　been　spattered　by　the　smallest　dropping　from　any　huxley；　tyndall；　carolus　duran；　bastien？lepage　bundle　of　old　twigs；　i　began　by　suspecting　them　of　lukewarmness；　and　even　backsliding；　and　i　owe　it　to　that　suspicion　that　i　never　became　intimate　with　horne；　who　lived　to　bee　the　greatest　english　authority　upon　italian　life　in　the　fourteenth　century　and　to　write　the　one　standard　work　on　botticelli。　connoisseur　in　several　arts；　he　had　designed　a　little　church　in　the　manner　of　inigo　jones　for　a　burial　ground　near　the　marble　arch。
though　i　now　think　his　little　church　a　masterpiece；　its　style　was　more　than　a　century　too　late　to　hit　my　fancy　at　two　or　three　and　twenty；　and　i　accused　him　of　leaning　towards　that　eighteenth　century　that　taught　a　school　of　dolts　to　smooth；　inlay；　and　clip；　and　fit　till；　like　the　certain　wands　of　jacobs　wit；　their　verses　tallied。
another　fanaticism　delayed　my　friendship　with　two　men；　who　are　now　my　friends　and　in　certain　matters　my　chief　instructors。　somebody；　probably　lionel　johnson；　brought　me　to　the　studio　of　charles　ricketts　and　charles　shannon；　certainly　heirs　of　the　great　generation；　and　the　first　thing　i　saw　was　a　shannon　picture　of　a　lady　and　child　arrayed　in　lace；　silk　and　satin；　suggesting　that　hated　century。　my　eyes　were　full　of　some　more　mythological　mother　and　child　and　i　would　have　none　of　it；　and　i　told　shannon　that　he　had　not　painted　amother　and　child　but　elegant　people　expecting　visitors　and　i　thought　that　a　great　reproach。　somebody　writing　in　the　germ　had　said　that　a　picture　of　a　pheasant　and　an　apple　was　merely　a　picture　of　something　to　eat；　and　i　was　so　angry　with　the　indifference　to　subject；　which　was　the　monplace　of　all　art　criticism　since　bastien？lepage；　that　i　could　at　times　see　nothing　else　but　subject。　i　thought　that；　though　it　might　not　matter　to　the　man　himself　whether　he　loved　a　white　woman　or　a　black；　a　female　pickpocket　or　a　regular　municant　of　the　church　of　england；　if　only　he　loved　strongly；　it　certainly　did　matter　to　his　relations　and　even　under　some　circumstances　to　his　whole　neighbourhood。　sometimes　indeed；　like　some　father　in　moliere；　i　ignored　the　lovers　feelings　altogether　and　even　refused　to　admit　that　a　trace　of　the　devil；　perhaps　a　trace　of　colour；　may　lend　piquancy；　especially　if　the　connection　be　not　permanent。
among　these　men；　of　whom　so　many　of　the　greatest　talents　were　to　live　such　passionate　lives　and　die　such　tragic　deaths；　one　serene　man；　t。　w。　rolleston；　seemed　always　out　of　place。　it　was　i　brought　him　there；　intending　to　set　him　to　some　work　in　ireland　later　on。　i　have　known　young　dublin　working　men　slip　out　of　their　workshop　to　see　the　second　thomas　davis　passing　by；　and　even　remember　a　conspiracy；　by　some　three　or　four；　to　make　him　the　leader　of　the　irish　race　at　home　&　abroad；　and　all　because　he　had　regular　features；　and　when　all　is　said；　alexander　the　great　&　alcibiades　were　personable　men；　and　the　founder　of　the　christian　religion　was　the　only　man　who　was　neither　a　little　too　tall　nor　a　little　too　short　but　exactly　six　feet　high。　we　in　ireland　thought　as　do　the　plays　and　ballads；　not　understanding　that；　from　the　first　moment　wherein　nature　foresaw　the　birth　of　bastien？lepage；　she　has　only　granted　great　creative　power　to　men　whose　faces　are　contorted　with　extravagance　or　curiosity　or　dulled　with　some　protecting　stupidity。
i　had　now　met　all　those　who　were　to　make　the　nineties