the research magnificent-第61部分

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　him　and　assure　him　of　their　gratitude。　　They　seemed　to　consider　him　as　a　representative　of　the　British　Government；　and　foreign　intervention　on　their　behalf　is　one　of　those　unfortunate　fixed　ideas　that　no　persecuted　Jews　seem　able　to　abandon。　Benham　found　himself；　refreshed　and　tended；　sitting　beside　a　wood　fire　in　an　inner　chamber　richly　flavoured　by　humanity　and　listening　to　a　discourse　in　evil　but　understandable　German。　　It　was　a　discourse　upon　the　wrongs　and　the　greatness　of　the　Jewish　people　and　it　was　delivered　by　a　compact　middle…aged　man　with　a　big　black　beard　and　long…lashed　but　animated　eyes。　　Beside　him　a　very　old　man　dozed　and　nodded　approval。　　A　number　of　other　men　crowded　the　apartment；　including　several　who　had　helped　to　hold　off　the　rioters　from　the　court。　　Some　could　follow　the　talk　and　ever　again　endorsed　the　speaker　in　Yiddish　or　Russian；　others　listened　with　tantalized　expressions；　their　brows　knit；　their　lips　moving。　It　was　a　discourse　Benham　had　provoked。　　For　now　he　was　at　the　very　heart　of　the　Jewish　question；　and　he　could　get　some　light　upon　the　mystery　of　this　great　hatred　at　first　hand。　　He　did　not　want　to　hear　tales　of　outrages；　of　such　things　he　knew；　but　he　wanted　to　understand　what　was　the　irritation　that　caused　these　things。　So　he　listened。　　The　Jew　dilated　at　first　on　the　harmlessness　and　usefulness　of　the　Jews。　〃But　do　you　never　take　a　certain　advantage？〃　Benham　threw　out。　〃The　Jews　are　cleverer　than　the　Russians。　　Must　we　suffer　for　that？〃　The　spokesman　went　on　to　the　more　positive　virtues　of　his　race。　Benham　suddenly　had　that　uncomfortable　feeling　of　the　Gentile　who　finds　a　bill　being　made　against　him。　　Did　the　world　owe　Israel　nothing　for　Philo；　Aron　ben　Asher；　Solomon　Gabriol；　Halevy；　Mendelssohn；　Heine；　Meyerbeer；　Rubinstein；　Joachim；　Zangwill？　　Does　Britain　owe　nothing　to　Lord　Beaconsfield；　Montefiore　or　the　Rothschilds？　　Can　France　repudiate　her　debt　to　Fould；　Gaudahaux；　Oppert；　or　Germany　to　Furst；　Steinschneider；　Herxheimer；　Lasker；　Auerbach；　Traube　and　Lazarus　and　Benfey？　。　。　。　Benham　admitted　under　the　pressure　of　urgent　tones　and　gestures　that　these　names　did　undoubtedly　include　the　cream　of　humanity；　but　was　it　not　true　that　the　Jews　did　press　a　little　financially　upon　the　inferior　peoples　whose　lands　they　honoured　in　their　exile？　The　man　with　the　black　beard　took　up　the　challenge　bravely。　〃They　are　merciful　creditors；〃　he　said。　　〃And　it　is　their　genius　to　possess　and　control。　　What　better　stewards　could　you　find　for　the　wealth　of　nations　than　the　Jews？　　And　for　the　honours？　　That　always　had　been　the　role　of　the　Jewsstewardship。　　Since　the　days　of　Joseph　in　Egypt。　。　。　。〃　Then　in　a　lower　voice　he　went　on　to　speak　of　the　deficiencies　of　the　Gentile　population。　　He　wished　to　be　just　and　generous　but　the　truth　was　the　truth。　　The　Christian　Russians　loved　drink　and　laziness；　they　had　no　sense　of　property；　were　it　not　for　unjust　laws　even　now　the　Jews　would　possess　all　the　land　of　South　Russia。　。　。　。　Benham　listened　with　a　kind　of　fascination。　　〃But；〃　he　said。　It　was　so。　　And　with　a　confidence　that　aroused　a　protest　or　so　from　the　onlookers；　the　Jewish　apologist　suddenly　rose　up；　opened　a　safe　close　beside　the　fire　and　produced　an　armful　of　documents。　〃Look！〃　he　said；　〃all　over　South　Russia　there　are　these！〃　Benham　was　a　little　slow　to　understand；　until　half　a　dozen　of　these　papers　had　been　thrust　into　his　hand。　　Eager　fingers　pointed；　and　several　voices　spoke。　　These　things　were　illegalities　that　might　some　day　be　legal；　there　were　the　records　of　loans　and　hidden　transactions　that　might　at　any　time　put　all　the　surrounding　soil　into　the　hands　of　the　Jew。　　All　South　Russia　was　mortgaged。　。　。　。　〃But　is　it　so？〃　asked　Benham；　and　for　a　time　ceased　to　listen　and　stared　into　the　fire。　Then　he　held　up　the　papers　in　his　hand　to　secure　silence　and；　feeling　his　way　in　unaccustomed　German；　began　to　speak　and　continued　to　speak　in　spite　of　a　constant　insurgent　undertone　of　interruption　from　the　Jewish　spokesman。　All　men；　Benham　said；　were　brothers。　　Did　they　not　remember　Nathan　the　Wise？　〃I　did　not　claim　him；〃　said　the　spokesman；　misunderstanding。　　〃He　is　a　character　in　fiction。〃　But　all　men　are　brothers；　Benham　maintained。　　They　had　to　be　merciful　to　one　another　and　give　their　gifts　freely　to　one　another。　Also　they　had　to　consider　each　other's　weaknesses。　　The　Jews　were　probably　justified　in　securing　and　administering　the　property　of　every　community　into　which　they　came；　they　were　no　doubt　right　in　claiming　to　be　best　fitted　for　that　task；　but　also　they　had　to　consider；　perhaps　more　than　they　did；　the　feelings　and　vanities　of　the　host　population　into　which　they　brought　these　beneficent　activities。　　What　was　said　of　the　ignorance；　incapacity　and　vice　of　the　Roumanians　and　Russians　was　very　generally　believed　and　accepted；　but　it　did　not　alter　the　fact　that　the　peasant；　for　all　his　incapacity；　did　like　to　imagine　he　owned　his　own　patch　and　hovel　and　did　have　a　curious　irrational　hatred　of　debt。　。　。　。　The　faces　about　Benham　looked　perplexed。　〃THIS；〃　said　Benham；　tapping　the　papers　in　his　hand。　　〃They　will　not　understand　the　ultimate　benefit　of　it。　　It　will　be　a　source　of　anger　and　fresh　hostility。　　It　does　not　follow　because　your　race　has　supreme　financial　genius　that　you　must　always　follow　its　dictates　to　the　exclusion　of　other　considerations。　。　。　。〃　The　perplexity　increased。　Benham　felt　he　must　be　more　general。　　He　went　on　to　emphasize　the　brotherhood　of　man；　the　right　to　equal　opportunity；　equal　privilege；　freedom　to　develop　their　idiosyncrasies　as　far　as　possible；　unhindered　by　the　idiosyncrasies　of　others。　　He　could　feel　the　sympathy　and　understanding　of　his　hearers　returning。　　〃You　see；〃　said　Benham；　〃you　must　have　generosity。　　You　must　forget　ancient　scores。　　Do　you　not　see　the　world　must　make　a　fresh　beginning？〃　He　was　entirely　convinced　he　had　them　with　him。　　The　heads　nodded　assent；　the　bright　eyes　and　lips　followed　the　slow　disentanglement　of　his　bad　German。　〃Free　yourselves　and　the　world；〃　he　said。　Applause。　〃And　so；〃　he　said　breaking　unconsciously　into　English；　〃let　us　begin　by　burning　these　BEASTLY　mortgages！〃　And　with　a　noble　and　dramatic　gesture　Benham　cast　his　handful　on　the　fire。　　The　assenting　faces　became　masks　of　horror。　　A　score　of　hands　clutched　at　those　precious　papers；　and　a　yell　of　dismay　and　anger　filled　the　room。　　Some　one　caught　at　his　throat　from　behind。　　〃Don't　kill　him！〃　cried　some　one。　　〃He　fought　for　us！〃

6

An　hour　later　Benham　returned　in　an　extraordinarily　dishevelled　and　battered　condition　to　his　hotel。　　He　found　his　friend　in　anxious　consultation　with　the　hotel　proprietor。　〃We　were　afraid　that　something　had　happened　to　you；〃　said　his　friend。　〃I　got　a　little　involved；〃　said　Benham。　〃Hasn't　some　one　clawed　your　cheek？〃　〃Very　probably；〃　said　Benham。　〃And　torn　your　coat？　　And　hit　you　rather　heavily　upon　the　neck？〃　〃It　was　a　complicated　misunderstanding；〃　said　Benham。　　〃Oh！　pardon！　I'm　rather　badly　bruised　upon　that　arm　you're　holding。〃

7

Benham　told　the　story　to　White　as　a　jest　against　himself。　〃I　see　now　of　course　that　they　could　not　possibly　understand　my　point　of　view；〃　he　said。　。　。　。　〃I'm　not　sure　if　they　quite　followed　my　German。　。　。　。　〃It's　odd；　too；　that　I　remember　saying；　‘Let's　burn　these　mortgages；'　and　at　the　time　I'm　almost　sure　I　didn't　know　the　German　for　mortgage。　。　。　。〃　It　was　not　the　only　occasion　on　which　other　people　had　failed　to　grasp　the　full　intention　behind　Benham's　proceedings。　　His　aristocratic　impulses　were　apt　to　run　away　with　his　conceptions　of　brotherhood；　and　time　after　time　it　was　only　too　manifest　to　White　that　Benham's　pallid　flash　of　anger　had　astonished　the　subjects　of　his　disinterested　observations　extremely。　　His　explorations　in　Hayti　had　been　terminated　abruptly　by　an　affair　with　a　native　policeman　that　had　necessitated　the　intervention　of　the　British　Consul。　　It　was　begun　with　that　suddenness　that　was　too　often　characteristic　of　Benham；　by　his　hitting　the　policeman。　　It　was　in　the　main　street　of　Cap　Haytit　of　representative　men。　　I　went　about　that　Westphalian　country　after　that；　with　the　conviction　that　headless；　soulless；　blood…drinking　metal　monsters　were　breeding　all　about　me。　　I　felt　that　science　was　producing　a　poisonous　swarm；　a　nest　of　black　dragons。　　They　were　crouching　here　and　away　there　in　France　and　England；　they　were　crouching　like　beasts　that　bide　their　time；　mewed　up　in　forts；　kennelled　in　arsenals；　hooded　in　tarpaulins　as　hawks　are　hooded。　。　。　。　　And　I　had　never　thought　very　much　about　them　before；　and　there　they　were；　waiting　until　some　human　fool　like　that　frock…coated　thing　of　spite；　and　fools　like　him　multiplied　by　a　million；　saw　fit　to　call　them　out　to　action。　　Just　out　of　hatred　and　nationalism　and　faction。　。　。　。〃　Then　came　a　queer　fancy。　〃Great　guns；　mines；　battleships；　all　that　cruelty…apparatus；　I　see　it　more　and　more　as　the　gathering　revenge　of　dead　joyless　matter　for　the　happiness　of　life。　　It　is　a　conspiracy　of　the　lifeless；　an　enormous　plot　of　the　rebel　metals　against　sensation。　　That　is　why　in　particular　half…living　people　seem　to　love　these　things。　　La　Ferriere　was　a　fastness　of　the　kind　of　tyranny　that　passes　out　of　human　experience；　the　tyranny　of　the　strong　man　over　men。　　Essen　comes；　the　new