After Henry had deciphered this invitation, he gave a glance at the page as a whole, which had the air of having been penned by Planchette in a state of violent hysteria, and he said to himself: 'It's exactly like Snyder, that is. He's a clever chap. He knows what he's up to. As to my choosing Onions Winter, yes, of course it was due to him.'
Henry was simple, but he was not a fool. He was modest and diffident, but, as is generally the case with modest and diffident persons, there existed, somewhere within the recesses4 of his consciousness, a very good conceit5 of himself. He had already learnt, the trout6, to look up through the water from his hole and compare the skill of the various anglers on the bank who were fishing for the rise. And he decided7 that morning, finally: 'Snyder shall catch me.' His previous decision to the same effect, made under the influence of the personal magnetism8 of Miss Foster, had been annulled9 only the day before. And the strange thing was that it had been annulled because of Miss Foster's share in it, and in consequence of the interview in Home and Beauty. For the more Henry meditated10 upon that interview the less he liked it. He could not have defined its offence in his eyes, but the offence was nevertheless there. And, further, the interview seemed now scarcely a real interview. Had it dealt with any other celebrity11, it would have been real enough, but in Henry's view Henry was different. He was only an imitation celebrity, and Miss Foster's production was an imitation interview. The entire enterprise, from the moment when he gave her Sir George's lead pencil to write with, to the moment when he gave her his own photograph out of the frame on the drawing-room mantelpiece, had been a pretence12, and an imposition on the public. Surely if the public knew...! And then, 'pretty suburban13 home'! It wasn't ugly, the house in Dawes Road; indeed, he esteemed14 it rather a nice sort of a place, but 'pretty suburban home' meant—well, it meant the exact opposite of Dawes Road: he was sure of that. As for Miss Foster, he suspected, he allowed himself to suspect, he audaciously whispered when he was alone in a compartment15 on the Underground, that Miss Foster was a pushing little thing. A reaction had set in against Flossie Brighteye.
And yet, when he called upon Mark Snyder for the purpose of being caught, he was decidedly piqued16, he was even annoyed, not to find her in her chair in the outer room. 'She must have known I was coming,' he reflected swiftly. 'No, perhaps she didn't. The letter was not dictated17.... But then it was press-copied; I am sure of that by the smudges on it. She must certainly have known I was coming.' And, despite the verdict that she was a pushing young thing, Henry felt it to be in the nature of a personal grievance18 that she was not always waiting for him there, in that chair, with her golden locks and her smile and her tight bodice, whenever he cared to look in. His right to expect her presence seemed part of his heritage as a man, and it could not be challenged without disturbing the very foundations of human society. He did not think these thoughts clearly as he crossed the outer room into the inner under the direction of Miss Foster's unexciting colleague, but they existed vaguely19 and furtively20 in his mind. Had anyone suggested that he cared twopence whether Miss Foster was there or not, he would have replied with warm sincerity21 that he did not care three halfpence, nor two straws, nor a bilberry, nor even a jot22.
'Well,' cried Mark Snyder, with his bluff23 and jolly habit of beginning interviews in the middle, and before the caller had found opportunity to sit down. 'All you want now is a little bit of judicious24 engineering!' And Mark's rosy25 face said: 'I'll engineer you.'
Upon demand Henry produced the agreement with Onions Winter, and he produced it with a shamed countenance26. He knew that Mark Snyder would criticise27 it.
'Worse than I expected,' Mr. Snyder observed. 'Worse than I expected. A royalty28 of twopence in the shilling is all right. But why did you let him off the royalty on the first five thousand copies? You call yourself a lawyer! Listen, young man. I have seen the world, but I have never seen a lawyer who didn't make a d——d fool of himself when it came to his own affairs. Supposing Love in Babylon sells fifty thousand—which it won't; it won't go past forty—you would have saved my ten per cent. commission by coming to me in the first place, because I should have got you a royalty on the first five thousand. See?'
'But you weren't here,' Henry put in.
'I wasn't here! God bless my soul! Little Geraldine Foster would have had the sense to get that!'
(So her name was Geraldine.)
'It isn't the money,' Mark Snyder proceeded. 'It's the idea of Onions Winter playing his old game with new men. And then I see you've let yourself in for a second book on the same terms, if he chooses to take it. That's another trick of his. Look here,' Mr. Snyder smiled persuasively29, 'I'll thank you to go right home and get that second book done. Make it as short as you can. When that's out of the way—— Ah!' He clasped his hands in a sort of ecstasy30.
'I will,' said Henry obediently. But a dreadful apprehension31 which had menaced him for several weeks past now definitely seized him.
'And I perceive further,' said Mr. Snyder, growing sarcastic32, 'that in case Mr. Onions Winter chooses to copyright the book in America, you are to have half-royalties on all copies sold over there. Now about America,' Mark continued after an impressive pause, at the same time opening a drawer and dramatically producing several paper-covered volumes therefrom. 'See this—and this—and this—and this! What are they? They're pirated editions of Love in Babylon, that's what they are. You didn't know? No, of course not. I'm told that something like a couple of hundred thousand copies have been sold in America up to date. I brought these over with me as specimens33.'
'Then Onions Winter didn't copyright——'
'No, sir, he didn't. That incredible ass34 did not. He's just issued what he calls an authorized35 edition there at half a dollar, but what will that do in the face of this at twenty cents, and this wretched pamphlet at ten cents?' Snyder fingered the piracies36. 'Twopence in the shilling on two hundred thousand copies at half a dollar means over three thousand pounds. That's what you might well have made if Providence37, doubtless in a moment of abstraction, had not created Onions Winter an incredible ass, and if you had not vainly imagined that because you were a lawyer you had nothing to learn about contracts.'
'Still,' faltered38 Henry, after he had somewhat recovered from these shrewd blows, 'I shall do pretty well out of the English edition.'
'Three thousand pounds is three thousand pounds,' said Mark Snyder with terrible emphasis. And suddenly he laughed. 'You really wish me to act for you?'
'I do,' said Henry.
'Very well. Go home and finish book number two. And don't let it be a page longer than the first one. I'll see Onions Winter. With care we may clear a couple of thousand out of book number two, even on that precious screed39 you call an agreement. Perhaps more. Perhaps I may have a pleasant little surprise for you. Then you shall do a long book, and we'll begin to make money, real money. Oh, you can do it! I've no fear at all of you fizzling out. You simply go home and sit down and write. I'll attend to the rest. And if you think Powells can struggle along without you, I should be inclined to leave.'
'Surely not yet?' Henry protested.
'Well,' said Snyder in a different tone, looking up quickly from his desk, 'perhaps you're right. Perhaps it will be as well to wait a bit, and just make quite sure about the quality of the next book. Want any money?'
'No,' said Henry.
'Because if you do, I can let you have whatever you need. And you can carry off these piracies if you like.'
As he thoughtfully descended40 the stairways of Kenilworth Mansions41, Henry's mind was an arena42 of emotions. Undoubtedly43, then, a considerable number of hundreds of pounds were to come from Love in Babylon, to say nothing of three thousand lost! Two thousand from the next book! And after that, 'money, real money'! Mark Snyder had awakened44 the young man's imagination. He had entered the parlour of Mark Snyder with no knowledge of the Transatlantic glory of Love in Babylon beyond the fact, gathered from a newspaper cutting, that the book had attracted attention in America; and in five minutes Mark had opened wide to him the doors of Paradise. Or, rather, Mark had pointed45 out to him that the doors of Paradise were open wide. Mr. Snyder, as Henry perceived, was apt unwittingly to give the impression that he, and not his clients, earned the wealth upon which he received ten per cent. commission. But Henry was not for a single instant blind to the certitude that, if his next book realized two thousand pounds, the credit would be due to himself, and to no other person whatever. Henry might be tongue-tied in front of Mark Snyder, but he was capable of estimating with some precision their relative fundamental importance in the scheme of things.
In the clerks' office Henry had observed numerous tin boxes inscribed46 in white paint with the names of numerous eminent47 living authors. He wondered if Mr. Snyder played to all these great men the same rôle—half the frank and bluff uncle, half the fairy-godmother. He was surprised that he could remember no word said about literature, ideas, genius, or even talent. No doubt Mr. Snyder took such trifles for granted. No doubt he began where they left off.
He sighed. He was dazzled by golden visions, but beneath the dizzy and delicious fabric48 of the dream, eating away at the foundations, lurked49 always that dreadful apprehension.
As he reached the marble hall on the ground-floor a lady was getting into the lift. She turned sharply, gave a joyous50 and yet timid commencement of a scream, and left the lift to the liftman.
'I'm so glad I've not missed you,' she said, holding out her small gloved hand, and putting her golden head on one side, and smiling. 'I was afraid I should. I had to go out. Don't tell me that interview was too awful. Don't crush me. I know it was pretty bad.'
So her name was Geraldine.
'I thought it was much too good for its subject,' said Henry. He saw in the tenth of a second that he had been wholly wrong, very unjust, and somewhat cruel, to set her down as a pushing little thing. She was nothing of the kind. She was a charming and extremely stylish51 woman, exquisitely52 feminine; and she admired him with a genuine admiration53. 'I was just going to write and thank you,' he added. And he really believed that he was.
What followed was due to the liftman. The impatient liftman, noticing that the pair were enjoying each other's company, made a disgraceful gesture behind their backs, slammed the gate, and ascended54 majestically55 alone in the lift towards some high altitude whence emanated56 an odour of boiled Spanish onions. Geraldine Foster glanced round carelessly at the rising and beautiful flunkey, and it was the sudden curve of her neck that did it. It was the sudden curve of her neck, possibly assisted by Henry's appreciation57 of the fact that they were now unobserved and solitary58 in the hall.
Henry was made aware that women are the only really interesting phenomena59 in the world. And just as he stumbled on this profound truth, Geraldine, for her part, caught sight of the pirated editions in his hand, and murmured: 'So Mr. Snyder has told you! What a shame, isn't it?'
'In Chenies Street,' she replied. 'I share a little flat with my friend upstairs. You must come and have tea with me some afternoon—some Saturday or Sunday. Will you? Dare I ask?'
'I was dining out last night, and we were talking about you,' she began a few seconds later.
Women! Wine! Wealth! Joy! Life itself! He was swept off his feet by a sudden and tremendous impulse.
'I wish,' he blurted64 out, interrupting her—'I wish you'd come and dine with me some night, at a restaurant.'
'Oh!' she exclaimed, 'I should love it.'
And she exclaimed again: 'I should love it!' The naïve and innocent candour of her bliss66 appealed to him with extraordinary force.
In a moment or so he had regained67 his self-control, and he managed to tell her in a fairly usual tone that he would write and suggest an evening.
He parted from her in a whirl of variegated68 ecstasies69. 'Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die,' he remarked to the street. What he meant was that, after more than a month's excogitation, he had absolutely failed to get any single shred70 of a theme for the successor to Love in Babylon—that successor out of which a mere62 couple of thousand pounds was to be made; and that he didn't care.
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1
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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2
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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3
postscript
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| n.附言，又及；(正文后的)补充说明 | |
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4
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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5
conceit
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| n.自负，自高自大 | |
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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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7
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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8
magnetism
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| n.磁性，吸引力，磁学 | |
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9
annulled
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| v.宣告无效( annul的过去式和过去分词 )；取消；使消失；抹去 | |
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10
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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11
celebrity
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| n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望 | |
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12
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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13
suburban
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| adj.城郊的，在郊区的 | |
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14
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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15
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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16
piqued
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| v.伤害…的自尊心( pique的过去式和过去分词 )；激起（好奇心） | |
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17
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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18
grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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19
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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20
furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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21
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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22
jot
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| n.少量；vi.草草记下；vt.匆匆写下 | |
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23
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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24
judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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25
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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26
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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27
criticise
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| v.批评，评论；非难 | |
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28
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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29
persuasively
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| adv.口才好地；令人信服地 | |
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30
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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31
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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32
sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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33
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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34
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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35
authorized
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| a.委任的，许可的 | |
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36
piracies
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| n.海上抢劫( piracy的名词复数 )；盗版行为，非法复制 | |
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37
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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38
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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39
screed
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| n.长篇大论 | |
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40
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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41
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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42
arena
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| n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台 | |
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43
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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44
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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45
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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46
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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47
eminent
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| adj.显赫的，杰出的，有名的，优良的 | |
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48
fabric
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| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
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49
lurked
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| vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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50
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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51
stylish
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| adj.流行的，时髦的；漂亮的，气派的 | |
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52
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 | |
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53
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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54
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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56
emanated
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的过去式和过去分词 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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57
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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58
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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59
phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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60
lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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61
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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62
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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63
awfully
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| adv.可怕地，非常地，极端地 | |
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64
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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66
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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67
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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68
variegated
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| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
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69
ecstasies
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| 狂喜( ecstasy的名词复数 )； 出神； 入迷； 迷幻药 | |
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70
shred
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| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
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