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Some Reminiscences-Part10_JOSEPH CONRAD (1857-1924)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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bookcases. Then he perched himself on the edge of the centre-

table and remarked easily:



"Your master did not take you to town with him, then."

"I am the head servant and he leaves me in charge of the house.



It's a strong, young chap that travels with our master. If--God

forbid--there was some accident on the road he would be of much



more use than I."

Glancing through the window he saw the priest arguing vehemently



in the thick of the crowd, which seemed subdued by his

interference. Three or four men, however, were talking with the



Cossacks at the door.

"And you don't think your master has gone to join the rebels



maybe--eh?" asked the officer.

"Our master would be too old for that surely. He's well over



seventy and he's getting feeble too. It's some years now since

he's been on horseback and he can't walk much either now."



The officer sat there swinging his leg, very quiet and

indifferent. By that time the peasants who had been talking with



the Cossack troopers at the door had been permitted to get into

the hall. One or two more left the crowd and followed them in.



They were seven in all and amongst them the blacksmith, an ex-

soldier. The servant appealed deferentially to the officer.



"Won't your honour be pleased to tell the people to go back to

their homes? What do they want to push themselves into the house



like this for? It's not proper for them to behave like this while

our master's away and I am responsible for everything here."



The officer only laughed a little, and after a while inquired:

"Have you any arms in the house?"



"Yes. We have. Some old things."

"Bring them all, here, on to this table."



The servant made another attempt to obtain protection.

"Won't your honour tell these chaps. . .?"



But the officer looked at him in silence in such a way that he

gave it up at once and hurried off to call the pantry-boy to help



him collect the arms. Meantime the officer walked slowly through

all the rooms in the house, examining them attentively but



touching nothing. The peasants in the hall fell back and took

off their caps when he passed through. He said nothing whatever



to them. When he came back to the study all the arms to be found

in the house were lying on the table. There was a pair of big



flint-lock holster pistols from Napoleonic times, two cavalry

swords, one of the French the other of the Polish Army pattern,



with a fowling-piece or two.

The officer, opening the window, flung out pistols, swords and



guns, one after another, and his troopers ran to pick them up.

The peasants in the hall, encouraged by his manner, had stolen



after him into the study. He gave not the slightest sign of

being conscious of their existence and, his business being



apparently concluded, strode out of the house without a word.

Directly he left, the peasants in the study put on their caps and



began to smile at each other.

The Cossacks rode away, passing through the yards of the home



farm straight into the fields. The priest, still arguing with

the peasants, moved gradually down the drive and his earnest



eloquence was drawing the silent mob after him, away from the

house. This justice must be rendered to the parishpriests of



the Greek Church that, strangers to the country as they were

(being all drawn from the interior of Russia), the majority of



them used such influence as they had over their flocks in the

cause of peace and humanity. True to the spirit of their



calling, they tried to soothe the passions of the excited

peasantry and opposed rapine and violencewhenever they could,



with all their might. And this conduct they pursued against the

express wishes of the authorities. Later on some of them were



made to suffer for this disobedience by being removed abruptly to

the far north or sent away to Siberian parishes.



The servant was anxious to get rid of the few peasants who had

got into the house. What sort of conduct was that, he asked



them, towards a man who was only a tenant, had been invariably

good and considerate to the villagers for years; and only the



other day had agreed to give up two meadows for the use of the

village herd? He reminded them, too, of Mr. Nicholas B.'s



devotion to the sick in the time of cholera. Every word of this




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