英文文学The Real Thing 真品.docx

英文文学The Real Thing 真品.docx

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英文文学TheRealThing真品

【英文文学】TheRealThing真品

ChapterI.

Whentheporter’swife（sheusedtoanswerthehouse-bell）,announced“Agentleman—withalady,sir,”Ihad,asIoftenhadinthosedays,forthewishwasfathertothethought,animmediatevisionofsitters.Sittersmyvisitorsinthiscaseprovedtobe;butnotinthesenseIshouldhavepreferred.However,therewasnothingatfirsttoindicatethattheymightnothavecomeforaportrait.Thegentleman,amanoffifty,veryhighandverystraight,withamoustacheslightlygrizzledandadarkgreywalking-coatadmirablyfitted,bothofwhichInotedprofessionally—Idon’tmeanasabarberoryetasatailor—wouldhavestruckmeasacelebrityifcelebritiesoftenwerestriking.ItwasatruthofwhichIhadforsometimebeenconsciousthatafigurewithagooddealoffrontagewas,asonemightsay,almostneverapublicinstitution.Aglanceattheladyhelpedtoremindmeofthisparadoxicallaw:

shealsolookedtoodistinguishedtobea“personality.”Moreoveronewouldscarcelycomeacrosstwovariationstogether.

Neitherofthepairspokeimmediately—theyonlyprolongedthepreliminarygazewhichsuggestedthateachwishedtogivetheotherachance.Theywerevisiblyshy;theystoodtherelettingmetakethemin—which,asIafterwardsperceived,wasthemostpracticalthingtheycouldhavedone.Inthiswaytheirembarrassmentservedtheircause.Ihadseenpeoplepainfullyreluctanttomentionthattheydesiredanythingsogrossastoberepresentedoncanvas;butthescruplesofmynewfriendsappearedalmostinsurmountable.Yetthegentlemanmighthavesaid“Ishouldlikeaportraitofmywife,”andtheladymighthavesaid“Ishouldlikeaportraitofmyhusband.”Perhapstheywerenothusbandandwife—thisnaturallywouldmakethemattermoredelicate.Perhapstheywishedtobedonetogether—inwhichcasetheyoughttohavebroughtathirdpersontobreakthenews.

“WecomefromMr.Rivet,”theladysaidatlast,withadimsmilewhichhadtheeffectofamoistspongepassedovera“sunk”pieceofpainting,aswellasofavagueallusiontovanishedbeauty.Shewasastallandstraight,inherdegree,ashercompanion,andwithtenyearslesstocarry.Shelookedassadasawomancouldlookwhosefacewasnotchargedwithexpression;thatishertintedovalmaskshowedfrictionasanexposedsurfaceshowsit.Thehandoftimehadplayedoverherfreely,butonlytosimplify.Shewasslimandstiff,andsowell-dressed,indarkbluecloth,withlappetsandpocketsandbuttons,thatitwasclearsheemployedthesametailorasherhusband.Thecouplehadanindefinableairofprosperousthrift—theyevidentlygotagooddealofluxuryfortheirmoney.IfIwastobeoneoftheirluxuriesitwouldbehovemetoconsidermyterms.

“Ah,ClaudeRivetrecommendedme?

”Iinquired;andIaddedthatitwasverykindofhim,thoughIcouldreflectthat,asheonlypaintedlandscape,thiswasnotasacrifice.

Theladylookedveryhardatthegentleman,andthegentlemanlookedroundtheroom.Thenstaringattheflooramomentandstrokinghismoustache,herestedhispleasanteyesonmewiththeremark:

“Hesaidyouweretherightone.”

“Itrytobe,whenpeoplewanttosit.”

“Yes,weshouldliketo,”saidtheladyanxiously.

“Doyoumeantogether?

”

Myvisitorsexchangedaglance.“IfyoucoulddoanythingwithME,Isupposeitwouldbedouble,”thegentlemanstammered.

“Ohyes,there’snaturallyahigherchargefortwofiguresthanforone.”

“Weshouldliketomakeitpay,”thehusbandconfessed.

“That’sverygoodofyou,”Ireturned,appreciatingsounwontedasympathy—forIsupposedhemeantpaytheartist.

Asenseofstrangenessseemedtodawnonthelady.“Wemeanfortheillustrations—MrRivetsaidyoumightputonein.”

“Putonein—anillustration?

”Iwasequallyconfused.

“Sketchheroff,youknow,”saidthegentleman,colouring.

ItwasonlythenthatIunderstoodtheserviceClaudeRivethadrenderedme;hehadtoldthemthatIworkedinblackandwhite,formagazines,forstory-books,forsketchesofcontemporarylife,andconsequentlyhadfrequentemploymentformodels.Thesethingsweretrue,butitwasnotlesstrue（Imayconfessitnow—whetherbecausetheaspirationwastoleadtoeverythingortonothingIleavethereadertoguess）,thatIcouldn’tgetthehonours,tosaynothingoftheemoluments,ofagreatpainterofportraitsoutofmyhead.My“illustrations”weremypot-boilers;Ilookedtoadifferentbranchofart（farandawaythemostinterestingithadalwaysseemedtome）,toperpetuatemyfame.Therewasnoshameinlookingtoitalsotomakemyfortune;butthatfortunewasbysomuchfurtherfrombeingmadefromthemomentmyvisitorswishedtobe“done”fornothing.Iwasdisappointed;forinthepictorialsenseIhadimmediatelySEENthem.Ihadseizedtheirtype—IhadalreadysettledwhatIwoulddowithit.Somethingthatwouldn’tabsolutelyhavepleasedthem,Iafterwardsreflected.

“Ah,you’re—you’re—a—?

”Ibegan,assoonasIhadmasteredmysurprise.Icouldn’tbringoutthedingyword“models”;itseemedtofitthecasesolittle.

“Wehaven’thadmuchpractice,”saidthelady.

“We’vegottoDOsomething,andwe’vethoughtthatanartistinyourlinemightperhapsmakesomethingofus,”herhusbandthrewoff.Hefurthermentionedthattheydidn’tknowmanyartistsandthattheyhadgonefirst,ontheoff-chance（hepaintedviewsofcourse,butsometimesputinfigures—perhapsIremembered）,toMr.Rivet,whomtheyhadmetafewyearsbeforeataplaceinNorfolkwherehewassketching.

“Weusedtosketchalittleourselves,”theladyhinted.

“It’sveryawkward,butweabsolutelyMUSTdosomething,”herhusbandwenton.

“Ofcourse,we’renotsoVERYyoung,”sheadmitted,withawansmile.

WiththeremarkthatImightaswellknowsomethingmoreaboutthem,thehusbandhadhandedmeacardextractedfromaneatnewpocket-book（theirappurtenanceswereallofthefreshest）andinscribedwiththewords“MajorMonarch.”Impressiveasthesewordsweretheydidn’tcarrymyknowledgemuchfurther;butmyvisitorpresentlyadded:

“I’veleftthearmy,andwe’vehadthemisfortunetoloseourmoney.Infactourmeansaredreadfullysmall.”

“It’sanawfulbore,”saidMrs.Monarch.

Theyevidentlywishedtobediscreet—totakecarenottoswaggerbecausetheyweregentlefolks.Iperceivedtheywouldhavebeenwillingtorecognisethisassomethingofadrawback,atthesametimethatIguessedatanunderlyingsense—theirconsolationinadversity—thattheyHADtheirpoints.Theycertainlyhad;buttheseadvantagesstruckmeaspreponderantlysocial;suchforinstanceaswouldhelptomakeadrawing-roomlookwell.However,adrawing-roomwasalways,oroughttobe,apicture.

Inconsequenceofhiswife’sallusiontotheirageMajorMonarchobserved:

“Naturally,it’smoreforthefigurethatwethoughtofgoingin.Wecanstillholdourselvesup.”OntheinstantIsawthatthefigurewasindeedtheirstrongpoint.His“naturally”didn’tsoundvain,butitlightedupthequestion.“SHEhasgotthebest,”hecontinued,noddingathiswife,withapleasantafter-dinnerabsenceofcircumlocution.Icouldonlyreply,asifwewereinfactsittingoverourwine,thatthisdidn’tpreventhisownfrombeingverygood;whichledhiminturntorejoin:

“Wethoughtthatifyoueverhavetodopeoplelikeus,wemightbesomethinglikeit.SHE,particularly—foraladyinabook,youknow.”

Iwassoamusedbythemthat,togetmoreofit,Ididmybesttotaketheirpointofview;andthoughitwasanembarrassmenttofindmyselfappraisingphysically,asiftheywereanimalsonhireorusefulblacks,apairwhomIshouldhaveexpectedtomeetonlyinoneoftherelationsinwhichcriticismistacit,IlookedatMrs.Monarchjudiciallyenoughtobeabletoexclaim,afteramoment,withconviction:

“Ohyes,aladyinabook!

”Shewassingularlylikeabadillustration.

“We’llstandup,ifyoulike,”saidtheMajor;andheraisedhimselfbeforemewithareallygrandair.

Icouldtakehismeasureataglance—hewassixfeettwoandaperfectgentleman.Itwouldhavepaidanyclubinprocessofformationandinwantofastamptoengagehimatasalarytostandintheprincipalwindow.Whatstruckmeimmediatelywasthatincomingtometheyhadrathermissedtheirvocation;theycouldsurelyhavebeenturnedtobetteraccountforadvertisingpurposes.Icouldn’tofcourseseethethingindetail,butIcouldseethemmakesomeone’sfortune—Idon’tmeantheirown.Therewassomethinginthemforawaistcoat-maker,anhotel-keeperorasoap-vendor.Icouldimagine“Wealwaysuseit”pinnedontheirbosomswiththegreatesteffect;Ihadavisionofthepromptitudewithwhichtheywouldlaunchatabled’hote.

Mrs.Monarchsatstill,notfrompridebutfromshyness,andpresentlyherhusbandsaidtoher:

“Getupmydearandshowhowsmartyouare.”Sheobeyed,butshehadnoneedtogetuptoshowit.Shewalkedtotheendofthestudio,andthenshecamebackblushing,withherflutteredeyesonherhusband.IwasremindedofanincidentIhadaccidentallyhadaglimpseofinParis—beingwithafriendthere,adramatistabouttoproduceaplay—whenanactresscametohimtoasktobeintrustedwithapart.Shewentthroughherpacesbeforehim,walkedupanddownasMrs.Monarchwasdoing.Mrs.Monarchdiditquiteaswell,butIabstainedfromapplauding.Itwasveryoddtoseesuchpeopleapplyforsuchpoorpay.Shelookedasifshehadtenthousandayear.Herhusbandhadusedthewordthatdescribedher:

shewas,intheLondoncurrentjargon,essentiallyandtypically“smart.”Herfigurewas,inthesameorderofideas,conspicuouslyandirreproachably