green mansions-第2部分

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　juxtaposition　of　word…sounds　set　up　in　the　recipient　continuing　emotion　or　gratificationthis　is　the　essence　of　style；　and　Hudson's　writing　has　pre…eminently　this　double　quality。　　From　almost　any　page　of　his　books　an　example　might　be　taken。　　Here　is　one　no　better　than　a　thousand　others；　a　description　of　two　little　girls　on　a　beach：　〃They　were　dressed　in　black　frocks　and　scarlet　blouses；　which　set　off　their　beautiful　small　dark　faces；　their　eyes　sparkled　like　black　diamonds；　and　their　loose　hair　was　a　wonder　to　see；　a　black　mist　or　cloud　about　their　heads　and　necks　composed　of　threads　fine　as　gossamer；　blacker　than　jet　and　shining　like　spun　glasshair　that　looked　as　if　no　comb　or　brush　could　ever　tame　its　beautiful　wildness。　　And　in　spirit　they　were　what　they　seemed：　such　a　wild；　joyous；　frolicsome　spirit；　with　such　grace　and　fleetness；　one　does　not　look　for　in　human　beings；　but　only　in　birds　or　in　some　small　bird…like　volatile　mammala　squirrel　or　a　spider…monkey　of　the　tropical　forest；　or　the　chinchilla　of　the　desolate　mountain　slopes；　the　swiftest；　wildest；　loveliest；　most　airy；　and　most　vocal　of　small　beauties。〃　　Or　this；　as　the　quintessence　of　a　sly　remark：　〃After　that　Mantel　got　on　to　his　horse　and　rode　away。　　It　was　black　and　rainy；　but　he　had　never　needed　moon　or　lantern　to　find　what　he　sought　by　night；　whether　his　own　house；　or　a　fat　cowalso　his　own；　perhaps。〃　　So　one　might　go　on　quoting　felicity　for　ever　from　this　writer。　　He　seems　to　touch　every　string　with　fresh　and　uninked　fingers；　and　the　secret　of　his　power　lies；　I　suspect；　in　the　fact　that　his　words：　〃Life　being　more　than　all　else　to　me　。　　。　　。〃　　are　so　utterly　true。

I　do　not　descant　on　his　love　for　simple　folk　and　simple　things；　his　championship　of　the　weak；　and　the　revolt　against　the　cagings　and　cruelties　of　life；　whether　to　men　or　birds　or　beasts；　that　springs　out　of　him　as　if　against　his　will；　because；　having　spoken　of　him　as　one　with　a　vital　philosophy　or　faith；　I　don't　wish　to　draw　red　herrings　across　the　main　trail　of　his　worth　to　the　world。　　His　work　is　a　vision　of　natural　beauty　and　of　human　life　as　it　might　be；　quickened　and　sweetened　by　the　sun　and　the　wind　and　the　rain；　and　by　fellowship　with　all　the　other　forms　of　life…　…the　truest　vision　now　being　given　to　us；　who　are　more　in　want　of　it　than　any　generation　has　ever　been。　　A　very　great　writer；　andto　my　thinkingthe　most　valuable　our　age　possesses。

JOHN　GALSWORTHY

September　1915　　Manaton：　Devon

　　　　　　Green　Mansions　by　W。　H。　Hudson

PROLOGUE

It　is　a　cause　of　very　great　regret　to　me　that　this　task　has　taken　so　much　longer　a　time　than　I　had　expected　for　its　completion。　　It　is　now　many　monthsover　a　year；　in　factsince　I　wrote　to　Georgetown　announcing　my　intention　of　publishing；　IN　A　VERY　FEW　MONTHS；　the　whole　truth　about　Mr。　Abel。　　Hardly　less　could　have　been　looked　for　from　his　nearest　friend；　and　I　had　hoped　that　the　discussion　in　the　newspapers　would　have　ceased；　at　all　events；　until　the　appearance　of　the　promised　book。　　It　has　not　been　so；　and　at　this　distance　from　Guiana　I　was　not　aware　of　how　much　conjectural　matter　was　being　printed　week　by　week　in　the　local　press；　some　of　which　must　have　been　painful　reading　to　Mr。　Abel's　friends。　　A　darkened　chamber；　the　existence　of　which　had　never　been　suspected　in　that　familiar　house　in　Main　Street；　furnished　only　with　an　ebony　stand　on　which　stood　a　cinerary　urn；　its　surface　ornamented　with　flower　and　leaf　and　thorn；　and　winding　through　it　all　the　figure　of　a　serpent；　an　inscription；　too；　of　seven　short　words　which　no　one　could　understand　or　rightly　interpret；　and　finally　the　disposal　of　the　mysterious　ashesthat　was　all　there　was　relating　to　an　untold　chapter　in　a　man's　life　for　imagination　to　work　on。　　Let　us　hope　that　now；　at　last；　the　romance…weaving　will　come　to　an　end。　　It　was；　however；　but　natural　that　the　keenest　curiosity　should　have　been　excited；　not　only　because　of　that　peculiar　and　indescribable　charm　of　the　man；　which　all　recognized　and　which　won　all　hearts；　but　also　because　of　that　hidden　chapterthat　sojourn　in　the　desert；　about　which　he　preserved　silence。　　It　was　felt　in　a　vague　way　by　his　intimates　that　he　had　met　with　unusual　experiences　which　had　profoundly　affected　him　and　changed　the　course　of　his　life。　　To　me　alone　was　the　truth　known；　and　I　must　now　tell；　briefly　as　possible；　how　my　great　friendship　and　close　intimacy　with　him　came　about。

When；　in　1887；　I　arrived　in　Georgetown　to　take　up　an　appointment　in　a　public　office；　I　found　Mr。　Abel　an　old　resident　there；　a　man　of　means　and　a　favourite　in　society。　　Yet　he　was　an　alien；　a　Venezuelan；　one　of　that　turbulent　people　on　our　border　whom　the　colonists　have　always　looked　on　as　their　natural　enemies。　　The　story　told　to　me　was　that　about　twelve　years　before　that　time　he　had　arrived　at　Georgetown　from　some　remote　district　in　the　interior；　that　he　had　journeyed　alone　on　foot　across　half　the　continent　to　the　coast；　and　had　first　appeared　among　them；　a　young　stranger；　penniless；　in　rags；　wasted　almost　to　a　skeleton　by　fever　and　misery　of　all　kinds；　his　face　blackened　by　long　exposure　to　sun　and　wind。　　Friendless；　with　but　little　English；　it　was　a　hard　struggle　for　him　to　live；　but　he　managed　somehow；　and　eventually　letters　from　Caracas　informed　him　that　a　considerable　property　of　which　he　had　been　deprived　was　once　more　his　own；　and　he　was　also　invited　to　return　to　his　country　to　take　his　part　in　the　government　of　the　Republic。　　But　Mr。　Abel；　though　young；　had　already　outlived　political　passions　and　aspirations；　and；　apparently；　even　the　love　of　his　country；　at　all　events；　he　elected　to　stay　where　he　washis　enemies；　he　would　say　smilingly；　were　his　best　friendsand　one　of　the　first　uses　he　made　of　his　fortune　was　to　buy　that　house　in　Main　Street　which　was　afterwards　like　a　home　to　me。

I　must　state　here　that　my　friend's　full　name　was　Abel　Guevez　de　Argensola；　but　in　his　early　days　in　Georgetown　he　was　called　by　his　Christian　name　only；　and　later　he　wished　to　be　known　simply　as　〃Mr。　Abel。〃

I　had　no　sooner　made　his　acquaintance　than　I　ceased　to　wonder　at　the　esteem　and　even　affection　with　which　he；　a　Venezuelan；　was　regarded　in　this　British　colony。　　All　knew　and　liked　him；　and　the　reason　of　it　was　the　personal　charm　of　the　man；　his　kindly　disposition；　his　manner　with　women；　which　pleased　them　and　excited　no　man's　jealousynot　even　the　old　hot…tempered　planter's；　with　a　very　young　and　pretty　and　light…headed　wifehis　love　of　little　children；　of　all　wild　creatures；　of　nature；　and　of　whatsoever　was　furthest　removed　from　the　common　material　interests　and　concerns　of　a　purely　commercial　community。　　The　things　which　excited　other　menpolitics；　sport；　and　the　price　of　crystalswere　outside　of　his　thoughts；　and　when　men　had　done　with　them　for　a　season；　when　like　the　tempest　they　had　〃blown　their　fill〃　in　office　and　club…room　and　house　and　wanted　a　change；　it　was　a　relief　to　turn　to　Mr。　Abel　and　get　him　to　discourse　of　his　worldthe　world　of　nature　and　of　the　spirit。

It　was；　all　felt；　a　good　thing　to　have　a　Mr。　Abel　in　Georgetown。　That　it　was　indeed　good　for　me　I　quickly　discovered。　　I　had　certainly　not　expected　to　meet　in　such　a　place　with　any　person　to　share　my　tastesthat　love　of　poetry　which　has　been　the　chief　passion　and　delight　of　my　life；　but　such　a　one　I　had　found　in　Mr。　Abel。　　It　surprised　me　that　he；　suckled　on　the　literature　of　Spain；　and　a　reader　of　only　ten　or　twelve　years　of　English　literature；　possessed　a　knowledge　of　our　modern　poetry　as　intimate　as　my　own；　and　a　love　of　it　equally　great。　　This　feeling　brought　us　together　and　made　us　twothe　nervous　olive…skinned　Hispano…American　of　the　tropics　and　the　phlegmatic　blue…eyed　Saxon　of　the　cold　northone　in　spirit　and　more　than　brothers。　Many　were　the　daylight　hours　we　spent　together　and　〃tired　the　sun　with　talking〃；　many；　past　counting；　the　precious　evenings　in　that　restful　house　of　his　where　I　was　an　almost　daily　guest。　　I　had　not　looked　for　such　happiness；　nor；　he　often　said；　had　he。　　A　result　of　this　intimacy　was　that　the　vague　idea　concerning　his　hidden　past；　that　some　unusual　experience　had　profoundly　affected　him　and　perhaps　changed　the　whole　course　of　his　life；　did　not　diminish；　but；　on　the　contrary；　became　accentuated；　and　was　often　in　my　mind。　　The　change　in　him　was　almost　painful　to　witness　whenever　our　wandering　talk　touched　on　the　subject　of　the　aborigines；　and　of　the　knowledge　he　had　acquired　of　their　character　and　languages　when　living　or　travelling　among　them；　all　that　made　his　conversation　most　engagingthe　lively；　curious　mind；　the　wit；　the　gaiety　of　spirit　tinged　with　a　tender　melancholyappeared　to　fade　out　of　it；　even　the　expression　of　his　face　would　change；　becoming　hard　and　set；　and　he　would　deal　you　out　facts　in　a　dry　mechanical　way　as　if　reading　them　in　a　book。　　It　grieved　me　to　note　this；　but　I　dropped　no　hint　of　such　a　feeling；　and　would　never　have　spoken　about　it　but　for　a　quarrel　which　came　at　last　to　make　the　one　brief　solitary　break　in　that　close　friendship　of　years。　　I　got　into　a　bad　state　of　health；　and　Abel　was　not　only　much　concerned　about　it；　but　annoyed；　as　if　I　had　not　treated　him　well　by　being　ill；　and　he　would　even　say　that　I　could　get　well　if　I　wished　to。　　I　did　not　take　this　seriously；　but　one　morning；