the days of my life-第3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！


　where　imaginative　effort　is　concerned；　has　always　been　distasteful　to　me　—　my　health　would　never　have　borne　the　double　strain。
So　that　dream　had　to　be　abandoned；　for　which　I　am　sorry。　Indeed；　a　legislative　career　is　about　the　only　one　of　which　the　doors　are　not　shut　to　the　writer　of　fiction；　as　is　proved　by　many　instances；　notably　that　of　Disraeli。
Thus　it　cames　about　that　on　these　lines　I　have　failed　to　make　any　mark。　Fate　has　shut　those　doors　in　my　face。　The　truth　is　that　“man　knoweth　not　his　own　way”：　he　must　go　where　his　destiny　leads　him。　Either　so　or　he　is　afloat　upon　an　ocean　of　chance；　driven　hither　and　thither　by　its　waves；　till　at　length　his　frail　bark　is　overset　or　sinks　worn　out。　This；　however；　I　do　not　believe。　If　everything　else　in　the　universe　is　governed　by　law；　why　should　the　lot　of　man　alone　be　excepted　from　the　workings　of　law？
However　this　may　be；　as　heralds　say　in　talking　of　a　doubtful　descent；　whether　through　appointment　or　accidentally；　it　has　so　e　about　that；　although　I　have　done　other　things；　I　must　earn　my　livelihood　by　the　pen。　Now　of　this　I　should　not　have　plained　had　I　been　in　a　position　to　choose　my　own　subjects。　But　unhappily　those　subjects　which　attract　me；　such　as　agricultural　and　social　research；　are　quite　unremunerative。　Everybody　talks　of　the　resulting　volumes；　which　receive　full　and　solemn　review　in　all　the　newspapers；　but　very　few　people　buy　them　in　these　days。　So　far　as　I　am　aware；　remunerative　books　may　be　divided　roughly　into　three　classes：　（1）　School　or　technical　works；　which　must　be　purchased　by　scholars　preparing　for　examinations；　or　for　the　purposes　of　their　profession；　（2）　religious　works；　purchased　by　scholars　preparing　themselves　for　a　prosperous　career　in　another　world；　and　（3）　works　of　fiction；　purchased　—　or　rather　borrowed　from　libraries　（if　they　cost　more　than　fourpence…halfpenny1）　—　by　persons　wishing　to　be　amused。　It　has　been　my　lot　to　cater　for　the　last　of　these　three　classes；　and　as　there　is　other　work　which　I　should　have　much　preferred　to　do；　I　will　not　pretend　that　I　have　found；　or　find；　the　occupation　altogether　congenial；　perhaps　because　at　the　bottom　of　my　heart　I　share　some　of　the　British　contempt　for　the　craft　of　story…writing。
1　Written　in　1911。　—　Ed。
I　remember　a　few　years　ago　discussing　this　matter　fully　with　my　friend　Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling；　a　most　eminent　practitioner　of　that　craft；　and　finding　that　our　views　upon　it　were　very　similar；　if　not　identical。　He　pointed　out；　I　recollect；　that　all　fiction　is　in　its　essence　an　appeal　to　the　emotions；　and　that　this　is　not　the　highest　class　of　appeal。　Here；　however；　we　have　a　subject　that　might　be　argued　interminably　and　from　many　points　of　view；　especially　when　we　bear　in　mind　that　there　are　various　classes　of　imaginative　literature。　So　far　as　I　am　concerned　the　issue　is　that　though　I　feel　myself　more　strongly　drawn　to　other　pursuits；　such　as　administration　or　politics　or　even　law；　I　have　been　called　upon　to　earn　the　bread　of　myself　and　others　out　of　a　kind　of　by…product　of　my　brain　which　chances　to　be　saleable；　namely；　the　writing　of　fiction。
It　is　fortunate　for　writers　that　they　do　not　depend　wholly　upon　the　verdict　of　a　hundred　or　so　of　contemporary　critics。　The　history　of　literature　and　art　goes　to　show　that　contemporary　criticism　seldom　makes　and　never　can　destroy　a　reputation；　in　short；　that　Time　is　the　only　true　critic；　and　that　its　verdict　is　the　one　we　have　to　fear。　It　is　in　the　light　of　this　axiom　that　I　proceed　to　consider　my　own　humble　contributions　to　the　sum　of　romantic　literature。　I　can　assure　the　reader　that　I　approach　this　not　unamusing　task　without　any　prejudice　in　my　own　favour。　The　test　of　work　is　whether　it　will　or　will　not　live；　whether　it　contains　within　itself　the　vital　germ　necessary　to　a　long…continued　existence。
Now；　although　it　may　seem　much　to　claim；　my　belief　is　that　some　of　my　tales　will　live。　Possibly　this　belief　is　quite　erroneous；　in　which　case　in　years　to　e　I　may　be　laughed　at　for　its　expression。　It　is　obvious　also　that　a　great　deal　of　what　I　have　written　is　doomed　to　swift　oblivion；　since；　even　if　it　were　all　equally　good；　in　the　crowded　days　that　are　to　e；　days　even　more　crowded　than　our　own；　posterity　will　not　need　much　of　the　work　of　any　individual。　If　he　is　remembered　at　all　it　will　be　by　but　a　few　books。　The　present　question　is；　What　chance　have　I　of　being　so　remembered；　and　I　can　only　hope　that　my　belief　in　the　vitality　of　at　any　rate　some　of　my　books　may　be　justified。
As　it　happens　with　reference　to　this　question　of　the　possible　endurance　of　my　work；　I　am　in　the　position　of　having　a　second　string　to　my　bow。　Years　ago　I　turned　my　attention　to　agriculture　and　to　all　the　group　of　problems　connected　with　the　land。　First　I　wrote　“A　Farmer’s　Year。”　My　object　in　piling　that　record　—　which；　if　I　live；　I　hope　to　amplify　some　day　by　the　addition　of　a　second　volume　on　the　same　plan　—　was　that　in　its　pages　future　generations　might　see　a　picture　of　the　conditions　under　which　agriculture　was　practised　in　England　at　the　end　of　the　nieenth　century。
Afterwards　I　attempted　something　much　more　ambitious；　namely；　a　full　account　of　agricultural　and　social　researches　carried　out　during　the　years　1901　and　1902；　which　was　published　under　the　title　of　“Rural　England。”　To　be　frank；　this　description　is　perhaps　a　little　too　inclusive；　seeing　that　all　England　is　not　described　in　the　multitudinous　pages　of　my　book。　It　deals；　however；　with　twenty…seven　counties　and　the　Channel　Islands；　or　one　more　than　were　treated　of　by　Arthur　Young　a　century　or　so　earlier。　After　this　prolonged　effort　exhaustion　overtook　me；　and　I　retired　to　spend　an　arduous　year　or　so　in　classifying　and　writing　down　my　experiences。　Even　now　I　have　not　abandoned　the　hope　of　dealing　with　the　remaining　counties；　and　after　these　with　Wales；　Scotland；　and　Ireland；　but　at　my　present　age　I　feel　that　it　grows　a　little　faint。　The　work　is　too　tremendous　and；　I　may　add；　too　costly；　since　what　can　be　earned　from　the　sale　of　such　volumes　will　not　even　suffice　to　pay　their　expenses　and　that　of　the　necessary　journeys。
Still　I　hope　that　my　work　may　help　to　show　to　posterity　through　the　mouths　of　many　witnesses　what　was　the　state　of　the　agriculture　and　the　farmers　of　England　at　the　mencement　of　the　twentieth　century。　I　trust；　therefore；　that　should　my　novels　be　forgotten　in　the　passage　of　years；　“Rural　England”　and　my　other　books　on　agriculture　may　still　serve　to　keep　my　memory　green。
Now　I　will　close　this　introduction　and　get　to　my　story。　I　fear　that　the　reader　may　think　it　all　somewhat　egotistical；　but　unfortunately　that　is　a　fault　inherent　in　an　autobiography；　and　one　without　which　it　would　be　more　or　less　futile。
Ditchingham：
August　10；　1911。
Chapter　1　CHILDHOOD
Danish　origin　of　the　Haggards　—　Early　history　in　Herts　and　Norfolk　—　H。　R。　H。‘s　father　and　mother　—　His　birth　at　Bradenham；　Norfolk　—　Early　characteristics　—　First　school　—　Garsington　Rectory；　Oxon；　and　Farmer　Quatermain　—　Lively　times　at　Dunkirk　—　Adventure　at　Treport　—　Cologne　—　His　uncle　Fowle。
There　has　always　been　a　tradition　in　my　family　that　we　sprang　from　a　certain　Sir　Andrew　Ogard；　or　Agard；　or　Haggard　（I　believe　his　name　is　spelt　in　all　three　ways