the days of my life-第97章

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　Societies　having　any　experience　worth　talking　of；　with　whom　we　could　bine。　And　as　you　know　nothing　is　more　futile；　or　more　dangerous；　than　advising　people　to　advance　money　on　purely　speculative　proposals。
I　have　asked　Booth…Tucker　to　send　you　a　copy　of　the　letter　from　Bernard　Holland　from　which　it　appears　that　the　mittee　desire　us　to　give　evidence　to　prove　that　men　taken　from　our　cities　will　settle　successfully　in　the　prairie　of　Canada！　Now　we　shall　be　very　reluctant　to　attempt　such　proof；　even　if　we　may　feel　strongly　that　the　work　could　be　done。　It　seems　to　us　scarcely　reasonable。　Moreover　evidence　w（d）　have　to　be　sought　in　Canada；　and　considerable　expense　w（d）　be　incurred。　It　w（d）　appear　that　in　some　way　there　is　a　wish　to　set　up　y（r）　Report　in　order　to　shoot　at　it！　That　is　hardly　what　you；　or　we；　were　led　to　expect。　However；　I　expect　to　be　in　Town　on　Friday　and　will　consider　what　can　be　done。　The　matter　is　so　important　that　we　must　not　unduly　hurry　it。
My　own　feeling　is　that　Gov（t）　has　already　ceased　any　serious　intention　in　this　matter　—　they　are　practically　in　a　state　of　suspended　animation。
I　must　see　you。　The　General　does　not　expect　to　be　in　London　until　the　end　of　this　motor　campaign　—　Sept。　9th。
Very　f’fully；
W。　Bramwell　Booth。
H。　Rider　Haggard；　Esq。
There　is　a　mass　of　further　documentary　evidence　on　this　question；　but　probably　the　above　examples　will　suffice　to　explain　everything　with　sufficient　clearness。　Such　letters　are　valuable　records　which　cannot　alter　or　gloze　the　truth。　I　have　only　to　add　that　old　General　Booth　was　personally　very　indignant　about　the　treatment　which　my　Report　received　—　so　indignant　that　he　refused　to　appear　to　give　evidence　before　the　mittee。　Indeed　his　people　would　not　allow　him　to　do　so；　because　they　said　they　were　sure　that　he　would　lose　his　temper。　More　than　once　he　declared　to　me　in　his　fierce　way　that；　from　knowledge　in　his　possession；　he　was　well　aware　that　the　appointment　of　this　mittee　was　“a　put…up　job。”　He　and　the　late　Mr。　Wilson…Fox　used　to　travel　up　to　town　together　in　the　mornings；　and　I　imagine　that　from　him　he　extracted　a　good　deal　of　information。　Also　he　had　other　means　of　getting　at　the　truth；　for　the　Salvation　Army　has　many　friends　in　high　places　and　among　the　various　parties。
That　is　all　I　have　to　say　about　this　fiasco。　My　Report　was　destroyed；　the　divided　remendations　of　the　Departmental　mittee；　such　as　they　were；　were　never　acted　on：　in　short；　all　came　to　nothing。　Meanwhile　the　problem　remains　as　pressing　as　ever　it　was。　Our　cities　are　still　crowded　with　hundreds　of　children　utterly　without　prospects；　except　such　as　are　afforded　by　the　hospital；　the　poorhouse；　and　the　gaol；　some　of　whom；　if　a　scheme　analogous　to　mine　had　been　adopted；　might　bee　healthy；　happy　and　prosperous　on　the　bountiful　land　of　Canada；　and　this　at　little　or　no　cost　to　the　Mother　Country　and　to　the　great　gain　of　the　Dominion。　On　the　other　hand；　the　emigration　agencies　are　still　busily　employed　in　picking　out　the　healthy　young　men　and　women　reared　and　educated　at　our　expense　from　the　already　depopulated　country　districts。　By　thousands　these　depart；　to　return　no　more；　leaving　the　land　of　their　birth　the　poorer　for　their　loss。　One　night　some　years　ago　I　addressed　five　or　six　hundred　of　them　in　the　board　room　of　Euston　Station；　while　they　were　waiting　for　a　special　train　to　Liverpool；　and　thought　the　sight　and　the　occasion　extremely　sad。　But　so　it　is；　and　so　I　suppose　it　will　go　on　—　the　devouring　cities　growing　more　and　more　bloated；　and　the　starved　land　being　more　and　more　empty。
Well；　I　tried　my　best　to　help　in　the　matter　and　failed。　Whether　the　fault　was　mine　or　that　of　others　I　must　leave　the　reader　to　judge　upon　the　evidence　before　him。
Chapter　22　ROYAL　MISSION　ON　COAST　EROSION　AND　AFFORESTATIO
Operation　in　Nursing　Home　—　“Ayesha”　—　H。　R。　H。　often　asked　which　he　thinks　best　passages　in　his　works　—　An　ansber　of　Royal　mission　on　Coast　Erosion　—　Lloyd　George　—　Afforestation　added　to　the　reference　—　Scheme　presented　to　Government　—　Dropped　—　King　Edward’s　funeral　—　H。　R。　H。　undertook　a　report　for　Salvation　Army　—　Regeneration　—　General　William　Booth　—　His　death　—　H。　R。　H。　wrote　pamphlet　for　Archbishop　Benson　—　“Rural　Denmark”　—　The　Development　Board　—　Notes　of　interview　with　Lloyd　George　—　Knighthood　conferred　—　Offered　seat　on　Dominions　Royal　mission　—　Egypt　Again　—　“Marie”　—　Dedicated　to　Sir　Henry　Bulwer　—　End　of　Chronicle　of　H。　R。　H。
In　the　intervals　of　all　this　mission　business　I　retired　for　a　month　or　five　weeks　into　a　nursing　home　to　undergo　an　operation　which　the　effects　of　my　long　journey　made　necessary。
Never　shall　I　forget　that　place！　—　the　lodging…house…like　little　drawing…room　where　patients　were　received；　and　where　I　had　to　wait　in　my　dressing…gown　while　my　room　was　made　ready　for　the　operation；　the　dreadful　noise　caused　by　the　carriages　of　theatre…goers　returning　home　at　night　or　by　the　rattle　of　the　mail…carts　over　the　stone…paved　road；　the　continual　operations；　the　occasional　rush　of　the　nurses　when　it　was　announced　that　a　patient　was　passing　away；　and　so　forth。
I　had　never　taken　a　major　anaesthetic　before；　and　I　must　say　I　did　not　find　the　process　pleasant。　I　can　still　see　the　face　of　my　friend　Dr。　Lyne　Stivens；　and　the　jovial；　rubicund　countenance　of　the　late　Professor　Rose；　bending　over　me　as　through　a　mist；　both　grown　so　strangely　solemn；　and　feel　the　grip　of　my　hand　tightening　upon　that　of　the　nurse　which　afterwards　it　proved　almost　impossible　to　free。
Then　came　the　whirling　pit　and　the　blackness。　I　suppose　that　it　was　like　death；　only　I　hope　that　death　is　not　quite　so　dark！
From　this　blackness　I　awoke　in　a　state　of　utter　intoxication　to　find　the　nurses　of　the　establishment　gathered　round　me　with　sheets　of　paper　and　the　familiar；　hateful　autograph　books　in　which；　even　in　that　place　and　hour；　they　insisted　I　should　write。　Heaven　knows　what　I　set　down　therein：　I　imagine　they　must　have　been　foolish　words；　which　mayhap　one　day　will　be　brought　up　against　me。
Another　question：　Why　cannot　the　public　authorities　establish　really　suitable　nursing　homes　for　paying　patients？　This　would　be　a　great　boon　to　thousands；　and；　I　should　imagine；　self…supporting。
However；　of　one　of　these　nurses　at　any　rate；　a　widow；　I　have　grateful　recollections。　I　amused　myself；　and；　I　trust；　her；　by　reading　“Ayesha”　aloud　to　her　during　my　long　wakeful　hours　—　for　she　was　a　night　nurse。
This　book　“Ayesha；”　which　was　published　while　I　was　in　the　nursing　home；　is　a　sequel　to　“She；”　which；　in　obedience　to　my　original　plan；　I　had　deliberately　waited　for　twenty　years　to　write。　As　is　almost　always　the　case；　it　suffered　somewhat　from　this　fact；　at　any　rate　at　the　hands　of　those　critics　with　whom　it　is　an　article　of　faith　to　declare　that　no　sequel　can　be　good。　Still；　I　have　met　and　heard　from　many　people　who　like　“Ayesha”　better　than　they　do　“She。”
Lang　was　very　doubtful　about　this　book。　He　wrote：
You　may　think　me　a　hound；　but　I　only　found　out　as　I　went　to　bed　last　night　that　“Ayesha”　was　in　the　drawing…room。　Awfully　good　of　you　to　make　me　such　a　nice　dedication；　grammar　right　too；　which　I　name　because　in　a　very　jolly　book　egalement　dedie　to　me　the　grammar　is　wrong；　but　I　could　not　point　that　out　to　the　author。
I　am　almost　afraid　to　read　“She；”　as　at　61；00000　one　has　no　longer　the　joyous　credulity　of　forty；　and　even　your　imagination　is　out　of　the　fifth　form。　However；　plenty　of　boys　are　about；　and　I　hope　they　will　be　victims　of　the　enchantress。　。　。　。
I　was　therefore　correspondingly　relieved；　believing　as　I　do　that　Lang’s　judgment　on　imaginative　fiction　was　the　soundest　of　any　man　of　his　time；　and　knowing　his　habit　of　declaring　the　faith　that　was　in　him　without　fear；　favour；　or　prejudice；　when　on　the　following　day　I　received　another　note　in　which　he　said：
It　is　all　right：　I　am　Thrilled：　so　much　obliged。　I　thought　I　was　too　Old；　but　the　Eternal　Boy　is　still　on　the　job。　Unluckily　I　think　the　dam　reviewers　never　were　boys　—　most　of　them　the　Editor’s　nieces。　May　it　be　done　into　Thibetan。　Dolmen　business　in　Chapter　I　all　right！
I　have　often　been　asked；　and　have　been　careful　never　to　answer　the　question；　as　to　what　I　considered　the　best　passages　in　my　own　humble　writings。　It　is　a　very　favourite　query　of　the　casual　correspondent；　from　whom　I　receive；　on　an　average；　a　letter　a　day；　and　sometimes　many；　many　more。　Now　in　acknowledgment　of　them　all　I　reply　—　Ignosi’s　chant　in　“King　Solomon’s　Mines；”　as　it　appears　in　the　later　editions　of　that　book　（the　same　that　Stevenson　called　“a　very　noble　imitation”）；　the　somewhat　similar　chant　to　the　Sun　in　“Allan　Quatermain”；　the　scene　where　Eric　Brighteyes　finds　his　mother　dead　—　which　Lang　declared　was　“as　good　as　Homer”　—　and　the　subsequent　fight　in　the　hall　at　Middlehof；　the　description　of　the　wolves　springing　up　at　the　dead　body　in　the　cave　in　“Nada　the　Lily”；　the　transformation　in　the　chapter　called　“The　Change”　and　“The　Loosing　of　the　Powers”　in　“Ayesha”；　a　speech　made　by　the　heroine　Mameena　as　she　dies；　in　an　unpublished　work　called　“Child　of　Storm；”　with　the　rest　of　her　death　scene；　the　account　of　the　passion　of　John　and　Jess　as　they　swung　together　wrapt　in　each　other’s　arms　in　the　sinking　waggon　o