Chapter 39

IN February, 1855, Roebuck moved for a select committee toinquire into the condition of the Army before Sebastopol.

　　Lord John Russell, who was leader of the House, treated thisas a vote of censure¹, and resigned. Lord Palmerston resistedRoebuck's motion, and generously defended the Government hewas otherwise opposed to. But the motion was carried by amajority of 157, and Lord Aberdeen was turned out of office.

　　The Queen sent for Lord Derby, but without Lord Palmerston hewas unable to form a Ministry². Lord John was then appealedto, with like results; and the premiership was practicallyforced upon Palmerston, in spite of his unpopularity atCourt. Mr. Horsman was made Chief Secretary for Ireland; andthrough Mr. Ellice I became his private secretary.

　　Before I went to the Irish Office I was all but a stranger tomy chief. I had met him occasionally in the tennis court;but the net was always between us. He was a man with a greatdeal of manner, but with very little of what the French call'conviction.' Nothing keeps people at a distance moreeffectually than simulated sincerity⁴; Horsman was a master ofthe art. I was profoundly ignorant of my duties. But thoughthis was a great inconvenience to me at first, it led to afriendship which I greatly prized until its tragic⁵ end. Forall information as to the writers of letters, as to IrishMembers who applied⁶ for places for themselves, or for others,I had to consult the principal clerk. He was himself anIrishman of great ability; and though young, was eitherpersonally or officially acquainted, so it seemed to me, withevery Irishman in the House of Commons, or out of it. Hisname is too well known - it was Thomas Bourke, afterwardsUnder Secretary, and one of the victims of the Fenianassassins in the Phoenix⁷ Park. His patience and amiabilitywere boundless⁸; and under his guidance I soon learnt thetricks of my trade.

　　During the session we remained in London; and for some timeit was of great interest to listen to the debates. WhenIrish business was before the House, I had often to be inattendance on my chief in the reporters' gallery. SometimesI had to wait there for an hour or two before our questionscame on, and thus had many opportunities of hearing Bright,Gladstone, Disraeli, and all the leading speakers. After atime the pleasure, when compulsory⁹, began to pall¹⁰; and I usedto wonder what on earth could induce the ruck to waste theirtime in following, sheeplike, their bell-wethers, or wastetheir money in paying for that honour. When Parliament wasup we moved to Dublin. I lived with Horsman in the ChiefSecretary's lodge¹¹. And as I had often stayed at CastleHoward before Lord Carlisle became Viceroy, between the twolodges I saw a great deal of pleasant society.

　　Amongst those who came to stay with Horsman was SidneyHerbert, then Colonial Secretary, a man of singular nobilityof nature. Another celebrity¹² for the day, but of a verydifferent character, was Lord Cardigan. He had just returnedfrom the Crimea, and was now in command of the forces inIreland. This was about six months after the Balaklavacharge. Horsman asked him one evening to give a descriptionof it, with a plan of the battle. His Lordship did so; nowords could be more suited to the deed. If this was 'pell-mell, havock, and confusion,' the account of it wasproportionately confounded. The noble leader scrawled¹³ andinked and blotted¹⁴ all the phases of the battle upon the samescrap of paper, till the batteries were at the starting-pointof the charge, the Light Brigade on the far side of the guns,and all the points of the compass, attack and defence, hadchanged their original places; in fact, the gallant¹⁵ Earlbrandished his pen as valiantly¹⁶ as he had his sword. Whenquite bewildered, like everybody else, I ventured mildly toask, 'But where were you, Lord Cardigan, and where were ourmen when it came to this?'

　　'Where? Where? God bless my soul! How should I know whereanybody was?' And this, no doubt, described the situation toa nicety.

　　My office was in the Castle, and the next room to mine wasthat of the Solicitor-General Keogh, afterwards Judge. Webecame the greatest of friends. It was one of Horsman'speculiarities to do business circuitously¹⁷. He was fond ofmysteries and of secrets, secrets that were to be kept fromeveryone, but which were generally known to the officemessengers. When Keogh and I met in the morning he wouldsay, with admirable imitation of Horsman's manner, 'Well, itis all settled; the Viceroy has considered the question, andhas decided¹⁸ to act upon my advice. Mind you don't tellanyone - it is a profound secret,' then, lowering his voiceand looking round the room, 'His Excellency has consented toscore at the next cricket match between the garrison¹⁹ and theCivil Service.' If it were a constabulary appointment, oreven a village post-office, the Attorney or the Solicitor-General would be strictly²⁰ enjoined²¹ not to inform me, and Ireceived similar injunctions respecting them. In spite ofhis apparent attention to details, Mr. Horsman hunted threedays a week, and stated in the House of Commons that theoffice of Chief Secretary was a farce²², meaning when excludedfrom the Cabinet. All I know is, that his private secretarywas constantly at work an hour before breakfast by candle-light, and never got a single day's holiday throughout thewinter.

　　Horsman had hired a shooting - Balnaboth in Scotland; here,too, I had to attend upon him in the autumn, mainly for thepurpose of copying voluminous private correspondence about asugar estate he owned at Singapore, then producing a largeincome, but the subsequent failure of which was his ruin.

　　One year Sir Alexander Cockburn, the Lord Chief Justice, cameto stay with him; and excellent company he was. Horsman hadsometimes rather an affected²³ way of talking; and referring tosome piece of political news, asked Cockburn whether he hadseen it in the 'Courier.' This he pronounced with an accenton the last syllable²⁴, like the French 'Courrier.' Cockburn,with a slight twinkle in his eye, answered in his quiet way,'No, I didn't see it in the "Courrier," perhaps it is in the"Morning Post,"' also giving the French pronunciation to thelatter word.

　　Sir Alexander told us an amusing story about Disraeli. Heand Bernal Osborne were talking together about Mrs. Disraeli,when presently Osborne, with characteristic effrontery,exclaimed: 'My dear Dizzy, how could you marry such awoman?' The answer was; 'My dear Bernal, you never knew whatgratitude was, or you would not ask the question.'

　　The answer was a gracious one, and doubtless sincere. But,despite his cynicism, no one could be more courteous²⁵ or sayprettier things than Disraeli. Here is a little story thatwas told me at the time by my sister-in-law, who was a womanof the bedchamber, and was present on the occasion. When herMajesty Queen Alexandra was suffering from an accident to herknee, and had to use crutches²⁶, Disraeli said to her: 'I haveheard of a devil on two sticks, but never before knew anangel to use them.'

　　Keogh, Bourke, and I, made several pleasant little excursionsto such places as Bray²⁷, the Seven Churches, Powerscourt, &c.,and, with a chosen car-driver, the wit and fun of the threeclever Irishmen was no small treat. The last time I saweither of my two friends was at a dinner-party which Bourkegave at the 'Windham.' We were only four, to make up a whistparty; the fourth was Fred Clay, the composer. It is sad toreflect that two of the lot came to violent ends - Keogh, thecheeriest of men in society, by his own hands. Bourke I hadoften spoken to of the danger he ran in crossing the PhoenixPark nightly on his way home, on foot and unarmed. Helaughed at me, and rather indignantly - for he was a veryvain man, though one of the most good-natured fellows in theworld. In the first place, he prided himself on his physique- he was a tall, well-built, handsome man, and a good boxerand fencer to boot. In the next place, he prided himselfabove all things on being a thorough-bred Irishman, with asneaking sympathy with even Fenian grievances²⁸. 'They allknow ME,' he would say. 'The rascals²⁹ know I'm the bestfriend they have. I'm the last man in the world they'd harm,for political reasons. Anyway, I can take care of myself.'

　　And so it was he fell.

　　The end of Horsman's secretaryship is soon told. A bishopricbecame vacant, and almost as much intrigue³⁰ was set agoing aswe read of in the wonderful story of 'L'Anneau d'Amethyste.'

　　Horsman, at all times a profuse³¹ letter-writer, wrote foliosto Lord Palmerston on the subject, each letter moreexuberant, more urgent than the last. But no answer came.

　　Finally, the whole Irish vote, according to the ChiefSecretary, being at stake - not to mention the far moreimportant matter of personal and official dignity - Horsmanflew off to London, boiling over with impatience³² andindignation. He rushed to 10 Downing Street. His Lordshipwas at the Foreign office, but was expected every minute;would Mr. Horsman wait? Mr. Horsman was shown into hisLordship's room. Piles of letters, opened and unopened, werelying upon the table. The Chief Secretary recognised his ownsignatures on the envelopes of a large bundle, all amongstthe 'un's.' The Premier³ came in, an explanation EXTREMEMENTVIVE followed; on his return to Dublin Mr. Horsman resignedhis post, and from that moment became one of LordPalmerston's bitterest opponents.

1 censure   

v./n.责备；非难；责难

参考例句：

• You must not censure him until you know the whole story.在弄清全部事实真相前不要谴责他。
• His dishonest behaviour came under severe censure.他的不诚实行为受到了严厉指责。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

4 sincerity   

n.真诚，诚意；真实

参考例句：

• His sincerity added much more authority to the story.他的真诚更增加了故事的说服力。
• He tried hard to satisfy me of his sincerity.他竭力让我了解他的诚意。

5 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

6 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

7 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

8 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

9 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

10 pall   

v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕

参考例句：

• Already the allure of meals in restaurants had begun to pall.饭店里的饭菜已经不像以前那样诱人。
• I find his books begin to pall on me after a while.我发觉他的书读过一阵子就开始对我失去吸引力。

11 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

12 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

13 scrawled   

乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。
• Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”

14 blotted   

涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干

参考例句：

• She blotted water off the table with a towel. 她用毛巾擦干桌上的水。
• The blizzard blotted out the sky and the land. 暴风雪铺天盖地而来。

15 gallant   

adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的

参考例句：

• Huang Jiguang's gallant deed is known by all men. 黄继光的英勇事迹尽人皆知。
• These gallant soldiers will protect our country.这些勇敢的士兵会保卫我们的国家的。

16 valiantly   

adv.勇敢地，英勇地；雄赳赳

参考例句：

• He faced the enemy valiantly, shuned no difficulties and dangers and would not hesitate to lay down his life if need be. 他英勇对敌，不避艰险，赴汤蹈火在所不计。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Murcertach strove valiantly to meet the new order of things. 面对这个新事态，默克塔克英勇奋斗。 来自辞典例句

17 circuitously   

曲折地

参考例句：

18 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

19 garrison   

n.卫戍部队；驻地，卫戍区；vt.派(兵)驻防

参考例句：

• The troops came to the relief of the besieged garrison.军队来援救被围的守备军。
• The German was moving to stiffen up the garrison in Sicily.德军正在加强西西里守军之力量。

20 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

21 enjoined   

v.命令( enjoin的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The embezzler was severely punished and enjoined to kick back a portion of the stolen money each month. 贪污犯受到了严厉惩罚，并被责令每月退还部分赃款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She enjoined me strictly not to tell anyone else. 她严令我不准告诉其他任何人。 来自辞典例句

22 farce   

n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹

参考例句：

• They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。
• The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。

23 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

24 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

25 courteous   

adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的

参考例句：

• Although she often disagreed with me,she was always courteous.尽管她常常和我意见不一，但她总是很谦恭有礼。
• He was a kind and courteous man.他为人友善，而且彬彬有礼。

26 crutches   

n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑

参考例句：

• After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
• When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后，不得不靠拐杖走路。

27 bray   

n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫

参考例句：

• She cut him off with a wild bray of laughter.她用刺耳的狂笑打断了他的讲话。
• The donkey brayed and tried to bolt.这头驴嘶叫着试图脱缰而逃。

28 grievances   

n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 )；苦衷；不满；牢骚

参考例句：

• The trade union leader spoke about the grievances of the workers. 工会领袖述说工人们的苦情。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• He gave air to his grievances. 他申诉了他的冤情。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 rascals   

流氓( rascal的名词复数 )； 无赖； （开玩笑说法）淘气的人（尤指小孩）； 恶作剧的人

参考例句：

• "Oh, but I like rascals. "唔，不过我喜欢流氓。
• "They're all second-raters, black sheep, rascals. "他们都是二流人物，是流氓，是恶棍。

30 intrigue   

vt.激起兴趣，迷住；vi.耍阴谋；n.阴谋，密谋

参考例句：

• Court officials will intrigue against the royal family.法院官员将密谋反对皇室。
• The royal palace was filled with intrigue.皇宫中充满了勾心斗角。

31 profuse   

adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的

参考例句：

• The hostess is profuse in her hospitality.女主人招待得十分周到。
• There was a profuse crop of hair impending over the top of his face.一大绺头发垂在他额头上。

32 impatience   

n.不耐烦，急躁

参考例句：

• He expressed impatience at the slow rate of progress.进展缓慢，他显得不耐烦。
• He gave a stamp of impatience.他不耐烦地跺脚。