按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
Hatherleigh at the serious treatment of so obsolete a matter； we
weighed the reasons； if any； for the institution of marriage。 The
fine dim night…time spaces of the Great Court are bound up with the
inconclusive finales of mighty hot…eared wrangles； the narrows of
Trinity Street and Petty Cury and Market Hill have their particular
associations for me with that spate of confession and free speech；
that almost painful goal delivery of long pent and crappled and
sometimes crippled ideas。
And we went on a reading party that Easter to a place called
Pulborough in Sussex； where there is a fishing inn and a river that
goes under a bridge。 It was a late Easter and a blazing one； and we
boated and bathed and talked of being Hellenic and the beauty of the
body until at moments it seemed to us that we were destined to
restore the Golden Age； by the simple abolition of tailors and
outfitters。
Those undergraduate talks！ how rich and glorious they seemed； how
splendidly new the ideas that grew and multiplied in our seething
minds！ We made long afternoon and evening raids over the Downs
towards Arundel； and would come tramping back through the still keen
moonlight singing and shouting。 We formed romantic friendships with
one another； and grieved more or less convincingly that there were
no splendid women fit to be our companions in the world。 But
Hatherleigh； it seemed； had once known a girl whose hair was
gloriously red。 〃My God！〃 said Hatherleigh to convey the quality of
her； just simply and with projectile violence： 〃My God！
Benton had heard of a woman who lived with a man refusing to be
married to himwe thought that splendid beyond measure；I cannot
now imagine why。 She was 〃like a tender goddess；〃 Benton said。 A
sort of shame came upon us in the dark in spite of our liberal
intentions when Benton committed himself to that。 And after such
talk we would fall upon great pauses of emotional dreaming； and if
by chance we passed a girl in a governess cart； or some farmer's
daughter walking to the station； we became alertly silent or
obstreperously indifferent to her。 For might she not be just that
one exception to the banal decency； the sickly pointless
conventionality； the sham modesty of the times in which we lived？
We felt we stood for a new movement； not realising how perennially
this same emancipation returns to those ancient courts beside the
Cam。 We were the anti…decency party； we discovered a catch phrase
that we flourished about in the Union and made our watchword；
namely； 〃stark fact。〃 We hung nude pictures in our rooms much as if
they had been flags； to the earnest concern of our bedders； and I
disinterred my long…kept engraving and had it framed in fumed oak；
and found for it a completer and less restrained companion； a
companion I never cared for in the slightest degree。 。 。 。
This efflorescence did not prevent； I think indeed it rather helped；
our more formal university work； for most of us took firsts； and
three of us got Fellowships in one year or another。 There was
Benton who had a Research Fellowship and went to Tubingen； there was
Esmeer and myself who both became Residential Fellows。 I had taken
the Mental and Moral Science Tripos （as it was then）； and three
years later I got a lectureship in political science。 In those days
it was disguised in the cloak of Political Economy。
2
It was our affectation to be a little detached from the main stream
of undergraduate life。 We worked pretty hard； but by virtue of our
beer； our socialism and suchlike heterodoxy； held ourselves to be
differentiated from the swatting reading man。 None of us； except
Baxter； who was a rowing blue； a rather abnormal blue with an
appetite for ideas； took games seriously enough to train； and on the
other hand we intimated contempt for the rather mediocre；
deliberately humorous； consciously gentlemanly and consciously wild
undergraduate men who made up the mass of Cambridge life。 After the
manner of youth we were altogether too hard on our contemporaries。
We battered our caps and tore our gowns lest they should seem new；
and we despised these others extremely for doing exactly the same
things； we had an idea of ourselves and resented beyond measure a
similar weakness in these our brothers。
There was a type； or at least there seemed to us to be a typeI'm a
little doubtful at times now whether after all we didn't create it
for which Hatherleigh invented the nickname the 〃Pinky Dinkys；〃
intending thereby both contempt and abhorrence in almost equal
measure。 The Pinky Dinky summarised all that we particularly did
not want to be； and also； I now perceive； much of what we were and
all that we secretly dreaded becoming。
But it is hard to convey the Pinky Dinky idea； for all that it meant
so much to us。 We spent one evening at least during that reading
party upon the Pinky Dinky； we sat about our one fire after a walk
in the rainit was our only wet daysmoked our excessively virile
pipes； and elaborated the natural history of the Pinky Dinky。 We
improvised a sort of Pinky Dinky litany； and Hatherleigh supplied
deep notes for the responses。
〃The Pinky Dinky extracts a good deal of amusement from life；〃 said
some one。
〃Damned prig！ 〃 said Hatherleigh。
〃The Pinky Dinky arises in the Union and treats the question with a
light gay touch。 He makes the weird ones mad。 But sometimes he
cannot go on because of the amusement he extracts。〃
〃I want to shy books at the giggling swine；〃 said Hatherleigh。
〃The Pinky Dinky says suddenly while he is making the tea； 'We're
all being frightfully funny。 It's time for you to say something
now。'〃
〃The Pinky Dinky shakes his head and says： 'I'm afraid I shall never
be a responsible being。' And he really IS frivolous。〃
〃Frivolous but not vulgar；〃 said Esmeer。
〃Pinky Dinkys are chaps who've had their buds nipped；〃 said
Hatherleigh。 〃They're Plebs and they know it。 They haven't the
Guts to get hold of things。 And so they worry up all those silly
little jokes of theirs to carry it off。〃 。 。 。
We tried bad ones for a time； viciously flavoured。
Pinky Dinkys are due to over…production of the type that ought to
keep outfitters' shops。 Pinky Dinkys would like to keep outfitters'
shops with whimsy 'scriptions on the boxes and make your bill out
funny； and not be snobs to customers； no！not even if they had
titles。〃
〃Every Pinky Dinky's people are rather good people； and better than
most Pinky Dinky's people。 But he does not put on side。〃
〃Pinky Dinkys become playful at the sight of women。〃
〃'Croquet's my game；' said the Pinky Dinky； and felt a man
condescended。〃
〃But what the devil do they think they're up to； anyhow？〃 roared old
Hatherleigh suddenly； dropping plump into bottomless despair。
We felt we had still failed to get at the core of the mystery of the
Pinky Dinky。
We tried over things about his religion。 〃The Pinky Dinky goes to
King's Chapel； and sits and feels in the dusk。 Solemn things！ Oh
HUSH！ He wouldn't tell you〃
〃He COULDN'T tell you。〃
〃Religion is so sacred to him he never talks about it； never reads
about it； never thinks about it。 Just feels！〃
〃But in his heart of hearts； oh！ ever so deep； the Pinky Dinky has a
doubt〃
Some one protested。
〃Not a vulgar doubt；〃 Esmeer went on； 〃but a kind of hesitation
whether the Ancient of Days is really exactly what one would call
good form。 。 。 。 There's a lot of horrid coarseness got into the
world somehow。 SOMEBODY put it there。 。 。 。 And anyhow there's no
particular reason why a man should be seen about with Him。 He's
jolly Awful of course and all that〃
〃The Pinky Dinky for all his fun and levity has a clean mind。〃
〃A thoroughly clean mind。 No