the aspern papers-第1部分

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The　Aspern　Papers

　　　　　　　　　by　Henry　James









　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　ASPERN　PAPERS





　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　I





I　had　taken　Mrs。　Prest　into　my　confidence；　in　truth　without

her　I　should　have　made　but　little　advance；　for　the　fruitful

idea　in　the　whole　business　dropped　from　her　friendly　lips。

It　was　she　who　invented　the　short　cut；　who　severed　the　Gordian　knot。

It　is　not　supposed　to　be　the　nature　of　women　to　rise　as　a　general　thing

to　the　largest　and　most　liberal　viewI　mean　of　a　practical　scheme；

but　it　has　struck　me　that　they　sometimes　throw　off　a　bold　conception

such　as　a　man　would　not　have　risen　towith　singular　serenity。

〃Simply　ask　them　to　take　you　in　on　the　footing　of　a　lodger〃

I　don't　think　that　unaided　I　should　have　risen　to　that。

I　was　beating　about　the　bush；　trying　to　be　ingenious；　wondering　by

what　combination　of　arts　I　might　become　an　acquaintance；　when　she

offered　this　happy　suggestion　that　the　way　to　become　an　acquaintance

was　first　to　become　an　inmate。　　Her　actual　knowledge　of　the　Misses

Bordereau　was　scarcely　larger　than　mine；　and　indeed　I　had　brought

with　me　from　England　some　definite　facts　which　were　new　to　her。

Their　name　had　been　mixed　up　ages　before　with　one　of　the　greatest

names　of　the　century；　and　they　lived　now　in　Venice　in　obscurity；

on　very　small　means；　unvisited；　unapproachable；　in　a　dilapidated

old　palace　on　an　out…of…the…way　canal：　　this　was　the　substance

of　my　friend's　impression　of　them。　　She　herself　had　been　established

in　Venice　for　fifteen　years　and　had　done　a　great　deal　of　good　there；

but　the　circle　of　her　benevolence　did　not　include　the　two　shy；

mysterious　and；　as　it　was　somehow　supposed；　scarcely　respectable　Americans

（they　were　believed　to　have　lost　in　their　long　exile　all　national　quality；

besides　having　had；　as　their　name　implied；　some　French　strain

in　their　origin）；　who　asked　no　favors　and　desired　no　attention。

In　the　early　years　of　her　residence　she　had　made　an　attempt

to　see　them；　but　this　had　been　successful　only　as　regards

the　little　one；　as　Mrs。　Prest　called　the　niece；　though　in　reality

as　I　afterward　learned　she　was　considerably　the　bigger　of　the　two。

She　had　heard　Miss　Bordereau　was　ill　and　had　a　suspicion　that　she

was　in　want；　and　she　had　gone　to　the　house　to　offer　assistance；

so　that　if　there　were　suffering　（and　American　suffering）；　she

should　at　least　not　have　it　on　her　conscience。　　The　〃little　one〃

received　her　in　the　great　cold；　tarnished　Venetian　sala；　the　central

hall　of　the　house；　paved　with　marble　and　roofed　with　dim　crossbeams；

and　did　not　even　ask　her　to　sit　down。　　This　was　not　encouraging　for　me；

who　wished　to　sit　so　fast；　and　I　remarked　as　much　to　Mrs。　Prest。

She　however　replied　with　profundity；　〃Ah；　but　there's　all　the　difference：

I　went　to　confer　a　favor　and　you　will　go　to　ask　one。　　If　they

are　proud　you　will　be　on　the　right　side。〃　　And　she　offered　to　show

me　their　house　to　begin　withto　row　me　thither　in　her　gondola。

I　let　her　know　that　I　had　already　been　to　look　at　it　half　a　dozen　times；

but　I　accepted　her　invitation；　for　it　charmed　me　to　hover　about　the　place。

I　had　made　my　way　to　it　the　day　after　my　arrival　in　Venice　（it　had　been

described　to　me　in　advance　by　the　friend　in　England　to　whom　I　owed

definite　information　as　to　their　possession　of　the　papers）；　and　I

had　besieged　it　with　my　eyes　while　I　considered　my　plan　of　campaign。

Jeffrey　Aspern　had　never　been　in　it　that　I　knew　of；　but　some　note

of　his　voice　seemed　to　abide　there　by　a　roundabout　implication；

a　faint　reverberation。



Mrs。　Prest　knew　nothing　about　the　papers；　but　she　was　interested

in　my　curiosity；　as　she　was　always　interested　in　the　joys　and

sorrows　of　her　friends。　　As　we　went；　however；　in　her　gondola；

gliding　there　under　the　sociable　hood　with　the　bright　Venetian

picture　framed　on　either　side　by　the　movable　window；　I　could

see　that　she　was　amused　by　my　infatuation；　the　way　my　interest

in　the　papers　had　become　a　fixed　idea。　　〃One　would　think　you

expected　to　find　in　them　the　answer　to　the　riddle　of　the　universe；〃

she　said；　and　I　denied　the　impeachment　only　by　replying　that　if　I

had　to　choose　between　that　precious　solution　and　a　bundle　of

Jeffrey　Aspern's　letters　I　knew　indeed　which　would　appear　to　me

the　greater　boon。　　She　pretended　to　make　light　of　his　genius；

and　I　took　no　pains　to　defend　him。　　One　doesn't　defend　one's　god：

one's　god　is　in　himself　a　defense。　　Besides；　today；　after　his　long

comparative　obscuration；　he　hangs　high　in　the　heaven　of　our　literature；

for　all　the　world　to　see；　he　is　a　part　of　the　light　by　which　we　walk。

The　most　I　said　was　that　he　was　no　doubt　not　a　woman's　poet：

to　which　she　rejoined　aptly　enough　that　he　had　been　at　least

Miss　Bordereau's。　The　strange　thing　had　been　for　me　to　discover

in　England　that　she　was　still　alive：　　it　was　as　if　I　had　been　told

Mrs。　Siddons　was；　or　Queen　Caroline；　or　the　famous　Lady　Hamilton；

for　it　seemed　to　me　that　she　belonged　to　a　generation　as　extinct。

〃Why；　she　must　be　tremendously　oldat　least　a　hundred；〃　I　had　said；

but　on　coming　to　consider　dates　I　saw　that　it　was　not　strictly

necessary　that　she　should　have　exceeded　by　very　much　the　common　span。

Nonetheless　she　was　very　far　advanced　in　life；　and　her　relations　with

Jeffrey　Aspern　had　occurred　in　her　early　womanhood。　　〃That　is　her　excuse；〃

said　Mrs。　Prest；　half…sententiously　and　yet　also　somewhat　as　if　she

were　ashamed　of　making　a　speech　so　little　in　the　real　tone　of　Venice。

As　if　a　woman　needed　an　excuse　for　having　loved　the　divine　poet！

He　had　been　not　only　one　of　the　most　brilliant　minds　of　his　day

（and　in　those　years；　when　the　century　was　young；　there　were；

as　everyone　knows；　many）；　but　one　of　the　most　genial　men　and　one

of　the　handsomest。



The　niece；　according　to　Mrs。　Prest；　was　not　so　old；　and　she

risked　the　conjecture　that　she　was　only　a　grandniece。

This　was　possible；　I　had　nothing　but　my　share　in　the　very　limited

knowledge　of　my　English　fellow　worshipper　John　Cumnor；　who　had

never　seen　the　couple。　　The　world；　as　I　say；　had　recognized

Jeffrey　Aspern；　but　Cumnor　and　I　had　recognized　him　most。

The　multitude；　today；　flocked　to　his　temple；　but　of　that

temple　he　and　I　regarded　ourselves　as　the　ministers。

We　held；　justly；　as　I　think；　that　we　had　done　more　for　his　memory

than　anyone　else；　and　we　had　done　it　by　opening　lights　into　his　life。

He　had　nothing　to　fear　from　us　because　he　had　nothing　to　fear

from　the　truth；　which　alone　at　such　a　distance　of　time　we

could　be　interested　in　establishing。　　His　early　death　had　been

the　only　dark　spot　in　his　life；　unless　the　papers　in　Miss

Bordereau's　hands　should　perversely　bring　out　others。

There　had　been　an　impression　about　1825　that　he　had　〃treated

her　badly；〃　just　as　there　had　been　an　impression　that　he　had

〃served；〃　as　the　London　populace　says；　several　other　ladies

in　the　same　way。　　Each　of　these　cases　Cumnor　and　I　had　been

able　to　investigate；　and　we　had　never　failed　to　acquit　him

conscientiously　of　shabby　behavior。　　I　judged　him　perhaps

more　indulgently　than　my　friend；　certainly；　at　any　rate；

it　appeared　to　me　that　no　man　could　have　walked　straighter

in　the　given　circumstances。　　These　were　almost　always　awkward。

Half　the　women　of　his　time；　to　speak　liberally；　had　flung

themselves　at　his　head；　and　out　of　this　pernicious　fashion

many　complications；　some　of　them　grave；　had　not　failed　to　arise。

He　was　not　a　woman's　poet；　as　I　had　said　to　Mrs。　Prest；

in　the　modern　phase　of　his　reputation；　but　the　situation　had　been

different　when　the　man's　own　voice　was　mingled　with　his　song。

That　voice；　by　every　testimony；　was　one　of　the　sweetest　ever　heard。

〃Orpheus　and　the　Maenads！〃　was　the　exclamation　that　rose　to　my

lips　when　I　first　turned　over　his　correspondence。　　Almost　all

the　Maenads　were　unreasonable；　and　many　of　them　insupportable；

it　struck　me　in　short　that　he　was　kinder；　more　considerate　than；

in　his　place　（if　I　could　imagine　myself　in　such　a　place！）

I　should　have　been。



It　was　certainly　strange　beyond　all　strangeness；　and　I　shall　not

take　up　space　with　attempting　to　explain　it；　that　whereas　in　all

these　other　lines　of　research　we　had　to　deal　with　phantoms　and　dust；

the　mere　echoes　of　echoes；　the　one　living　source　of　information

that　had　lingered　on　into　our　time　had　been　unheeded　by　us。

Every　one　of　Aspern's　contemporaries　had；　according　to

our　belief；　passed　away；　we　had　not　been　able　to　look　into

a　single　pair　of　eyes　into　which　his　had　looked　or　to　feel

a　transmitted　contact　in　any　aged　hand　that　his　had　touched。

Most　dead　of　all　did　poor　Miss　Bordereau　appear；　and　yet　she

alone　had　survived。　　We　exhausted　in　the　course　of　months

our　wonder　that　we　had　not　found　her　out　sooner；　and　the

substance　of　our　explanation　was　that　she　had　kept　so　quiet。

The　poor　lady　on　the　whole　had　had　reason　for　doing　so。

But　it　was　a　revelation　to　us　that　it　was　possible　to　keep

so　quiet　as　that　in　the　latter　half　of　the　nineteenth　century

the　age　of　newspapers　and　telegrams　and　photographs　and　interviewers。

And　she　had　taken　no　great　trouble　about　it　either：

she　had　not　hidden　herself　away　in　an　undiscoverable　hole；

she　had　boldly　settled　down　in　a　city　of　exhibition。

The　only　secret　of　her　safety　that　we　could　perceive　was　that

Venice　contained　so　many　curiosities　that　were　greater　than　she。

And　then　accident　had　somehow　favored　her；　as　was　shown

for　example　in　the　fact　that　Mrs。　Prest　had　never　happened

to　mention　her　to　me；　though　I　had　spent　three　weeks

in　Veniceunder　her　nose；　as　it　werefive　years　before。

Mrs。　Prest　had　not　mentioned　this　much　to　anyone；

she　appeared　almost　to　have　forgotten　she　was　there。

Of　course　she　had　not　the　responsibilities　of　an　editor。

It　was　no　explanation　of　the　old　woman's　having　eluded　us　to　say

that　she　lived　abroad；　for　our　researches　had　again　and　again

taken　us　（not　only　by　correspondence　but　by　personal　inquiry）

to　France；　to　Germany；　t