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the thousand at trade sales, procured11 by transfer from America, or even—now that national costumes are dying out—from France and Germany. These attempts at art were intended to pass into the hands of children—not the favoured children reared on the charming fancies of Caldecott and Kate Greenaway; but homelier, more stolid12, and easily satisfied children. Such art was also for the masses of the people who cannot pay for original art, save in its first uncertain developments, when the stagier it is, the blacker, the bolder, the more meretriciously13 pretty or fantastically horrible, the better it is relished14 by its public. Even the stereotyped15 representations of the coarser fashion-plates, and the eccentric symbols and arbitrary groups employed in the humbler trade advertisements which the magnates in such advertising17 have left far behind, were food for Hester's unresting pencil. She might have injured herself irreparably by such illegitimate practice had she not studied as faithfully as she designed, with something of a stern, merciless severity, hunting out and correcting in her studies the errors of her crude work.
Stress of circumstances had lent what the French would have called a brutal18 side to Hester's natural candour and sincerity19. It was one comfort that she was still more brutal to herself than to the rest of the world.
[190]
When Rose Millar showed her sister-artist some of Rose's sketches20, Hester gave them a glance and a toss aside one after the other.
"There is nothing in that," she said coolly, "though I can see you have taken some trouble with it. This is not so bad. No, don't show that thing to anybody else—it will do you harm." Her highest praise was the "not bad" of mildest negative approval. "When you go to the class to-morrow morning," predicted the slashing21 critic, "you may depend upon it you will be turned back to a course of free-hand, or to copying from the round again. I don't mean that Mr. St. Foy will be as plain-spoken as I have been; he is a great deal too much afraid of hurting your feelings and his own, and of losing a pupil, though he is not what I should call either a bad man or a bad teacher. He is just like the rest; but wait and see if he does not politely turn you back to very nearly the beginning."
"I have had good teachers before," said Rose, crumpling22 up her nose and her forehead tightly, and swelling23 a little with wounded self-respect as well as wounded vanity. "It is queer, to say the least, if all my teachers were in a conspiracy24 to push me on to what I was not fit for, and to give me work altogether beyond my powers."
"You asked my opinion," said Hester Jennings,
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with inflexible25 calmness, "and I am not surprised that you do not like it when you have got it—few people do. The truth is not generally palatable26. Not that I go in for infallibility of judgment27. Wait and see what Mr. St. Foy does—not says—to-morrow."
"But why were the others—one of them an exhibitor at the Academy and the Grosvenor—so much mistaken?" inquired Rose, with natural indignation.
"How can I tell? But I hope you do not imagine that exhibitors are necessarily geniuses, or not as other men, or that they must be able to do a little bit of tolerable teaching when it pays them to condescend28 to it? Mr. St. Foy never exhibits—very likely for the good reason that his pictures are not accepted; but it does not follow on that account that he cannot paint a fairly good picture—better even than some which are hung on the line—and teach very tolerably to boot."
This was a new, bewildering doctrine29, and a thoroughly30 disheartening state of matters, to which Rose, extinguished as she was on her own merits, did not make any reply.
"What I think, if you care to hear further what I think," said Hester, with a dry smile, "is that in not taking time and in being wild to paint a complete picture—something which everybody
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could recognize as a picture, and your friends admire—as if such a thing can be done to any good purpose for years and years—you have fallen into the disastrous31 habit of forgetting, or of only half remembering, what you learnt before, as you went on learning more. At least, that is the only way in which I can account for the wretchedness of some of your drawing, and the badness of your perspective, when you have got so far as to have a feeling for a scale of colour and the tone of a picture."
"Well, I suppose I can learn it all over again," said Rose, with a mixture of spirit and doggedness, forcing herself not to betray further resentment32, and to swallow a little girlish weakness at the uncompromising treatment she was receiving. What would May and Dora say? But she durst not trust herself to think of them.
"Of course," answered Hester, opening widely a pair of singularly clear keen eyes. "Do you think I should have taken the trouble to say as much if I had thought otherwise?"
It was the one dubious33 compliment which Rose extracted, without meaning it, from the fault-finder.
Hester's openly expressed desire was to be an artist out and out, to live like an artist, not to be troubled with the hindrances34 and petty restrictions35
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of an ordinary woman's life, which she was tempted36 to despise, to which, if she yielded at all in her mother's house, it was with scarcely concealed37 reluctance38 and aversion. Very likely she had only the most one-sided conception of the life she would have chosen. Certainly her notions of Bohemianism were about as ingenuous39 as "little May's" might have been; to go where art called her, to do what art demanded of her, to be art's humble16, diligent40, faithful servant all her days, without being held back and fettered41 on every hand by set meals, obtrusive42 servants, changes of dress, the obligation to pay and receive visits. The dream of her life was to get to Paris and have lessons in one of the French studios, where she was led to believe women have as good a chance of being well taught as men possess. She would prefer to live with some young women students like herself en fille—a modified—much modified version of en garçon. They would hire an étage in some cheap, convenient quarter, get the wife or daughter of the conciergerie to prepare breakfast and supper for them, dine at one of Duval's restaurants work all day, and sleep the sleep of the labouring woman at night. She said she knew quite well how such artists were considered in Paris, that they were regarded as vauriennes, to whom there was no occasion to pay the respect and consideration
[194]
which were reserved for the potent43 mesdames and the jeunes filles ingénues of society. But what had she to do with society? She belonged to the great republic of art, and had infinitely44 more to occupy her than to listen for what society would say. As to not being able to take care of herself and behave so that the slightest indignity45 to her would never be ventured upon, the bare mention of such a possibility was received by Hester with a wrath46 which bordered on fierceness, and for the most part silenced her opponents effectually. Any displeasure which Annie Millar had displayed on a similar supposition was mild by comparison.
Hester was not an only child. Mrs. Jennings had sons, all in the army or navy, the mother was proud to say; but none of them in those days of competitive examinations and expensive living was high enough up in the service to be able to help his mother. On the contrary, grown men, with men's callings, as they were, they found themselves under the necessity of taking help from her. There were also other daughters besides Hester married to men in professions as unexceptionable as those of their brothers-in-law, but neither were they in circumstances which could make them feel justified47 in granting the smallest subsidy48 to Mrs. Jennings. Only Hester toiled49 for her mother at every moment which she could take from her
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studies and her natural rest. Yet the two women, who had dwelt under the same roof since Hester's babyhood, who were united by the strongest and most sacred tie, were without one taste in common, were irreconcilably50 different in every mode of thought and impulse of feeling, were only alike in each being well-intentioned and desirous of fulfilling her intuitions and justifying51 her beliefs. Being wise, the pair agreed to differ. But oh! the pity of it where aims, ideals and standards, hopes and fears, were all equally wide apart.
Mrs. Jennings did not interfere52 with Hester's freedom farther than she could help. Hester had her own engagements, her own circle of friends.
It may not surprise those who are acquainted with the various versions of Hester Jennings to be met with in this generation, that she was a red-hot radical53 in contrast to her mother's conservatism—well-nigh a communiste, to whom woman's rights and wrongs meant a burning question of the day, which, next to her love of art, came very near to her heart. She was almost powerless to assist her sister women, so overworked was she on her own account, but whenever she could snatch a moment half a dozen clubs and societies claimed her for their own. She had really a wide personal knowledge of the working-women of London, employed and unemployed54.
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1
indefatigably
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| adv.不厌倦地，不屈不挠地 | |
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industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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3
distractions
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| n.使人分心的事[人]( distraction的名词复数 )；娱乐，消遣；心烦意乱；精神错乱 | |
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4
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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7
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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8
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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9
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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excavated
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| v.挖掘( excavate的过去式和过去分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘 | |
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11
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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12
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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13
meretriciously
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| adv.meretricious（浮华的；华而不实的；粉饰的；俗艳的；俗气的）的变形 | |
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14
relished
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| v.欣赏( relish的过去式和过去分词 )；从…获得乐趣；渴望 | |
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15
stereotyped
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| adj.(指形象、思想、人物等)模式化的 | |
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16
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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17
advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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18
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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21
slashing
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| adj.尖锐的；苛刻的；鲜明的；乱砍的v.挥砍( slash的现在分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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crumpling
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| 压皱，弄皱( crumple的现在分词 )； 变皱 | |
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swelling
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| n.肿胀 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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25
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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26
palatable
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| adj.可口的，美味的；惬意的 | |
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27
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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28
condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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30
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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31
disastrous
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| adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的 | |
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32
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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33
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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34
hindrances
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| 阻碍者( hindrance的名词复数 )； 障碍物； 受到妨碍的状态 | |
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restrictions
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| 约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则） | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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37
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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38
reluctance
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| n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿 | |
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39
ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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diligent
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| adj.勤勉的，勤奋的 | |
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41
fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
obtrusive
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| adj.显眼的；冒失的 | |
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43
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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44
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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indignity
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| n.侮辱，伤害尊严，轻蔑 | |
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46
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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47
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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subsidy
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| n.补助金，津贴 | |
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49
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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50
irreconcilably
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| （观点、目标或争议）不可调和的，不相容的 | |
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51
justifying
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| 证明…有理( justify的现在分词 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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52
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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53
radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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unemployed
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| adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的 | |
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