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！
at that I think he would have remained for the rest of his life if
he had not encountered Altiora。
But Altiora Macvitie was an altogether exceptional woman； an
extraordinary mixture of qualities； the one woman in the world who
could make something more out of Bailey than that。 She had much of
the vigour and handsomeness of a slender impudent young man； and an
unscrupulousness altogether feminine。 She was one of those women
who are waiting inwhat is the word？muliebrity。 She had courage
and initiative and a philosophical way of handling questions； and
she could be bored by regular work like a man。 She was entirely
unfitted for her sex's sphere。 She was neither uncertain； coy nor
hard to please； and altogether too stimulating and aggressive for
any gentleman's hours of ease。 Her cookery would have been about as
sketchy as her handwriting； which was generally quite illegible； and
she would have made； I feel sure； a shocking bad nurse。 Yet you
mustn't imagine she was an inelegant or unbeautiful woman； and she
is inconceivable to me in high collars or any sort of masculine
garment。 But her soul was bony； and at the base of her was a vanity
gaunt and greedy！ When she wasn't in a state of personal untidiness
that was partly a protest against the waste of hours exacted by the
toilet and partly a natural disinclination； she had a gypsy
splendour of black and red and silver all her own。 And somewhen in
the early nineties she met and married Bailey。
I know very little about her early years。 She was the only daughter
of Sir Deighton Macvitie； who applied the iodoform process to
cotton； and only his subsequent unfortunate attempts to become a
Cotton King prevented her being a very rich woman。 As it was she
had a tolerable independence。 She came into prominence as one of
the more able of the little shoal of young women who were led into
politico…philanthropic activities by the influence of the earlier
novels of Mrs。 Humphry Wardthe Marcella crop。 She went
〃slumming〃 with distinguished vigour； which was quite usual in those
daysand returned from her experiences as an amateur flower girl
with clear and original views about the problemwhich is and always
had been unusual。 She had not married； I suppose because her
standards were high； and men are cowards and with an instinctive
appetite for muliebrity。 She had kept house for her father by
speaking occasionally to the housekeeper； butler and cook her mother
had left her； and gathering the most interesting dinner parties she
could； and had married off four orphan nieces in a harsh and
successful manner。 After her father's smash and death she came out
as a writer upon social questions and a scathing critic of the
Charity Organisation Society； and she was three and thirty and a
little at loose ends when she met Oscar Bailey； so to speak； in the
CONTEMPORARY REVIEW。 The lurking woman in her nature was fascinated
by the ease and precision with which the little man rolled over all
sorts of important and authoritative people； she was the first to
discover a sort of imaginative bigness in his still growing mind；
the forehead perhaps carried him off physically； and she took
occasion to meet and subjugate him； and； so soon as he had
sufficiently recovered from his abject humility and a certain panic
at her attentions； marry him。
This had opened a new phase in the lives of Bailey and herself。 The
two supplemented each other to an extraordinary extent。 Their
subsequent career was； I think； almost entirely her invention。 She
was aggressive； imaginative； and had a great capacity for ideas；
while he was almost destitute of initiative； and could do nothing
with ideas except remember and discuss them。 She was； if not exact；
at least indolent； with a strong disposition to save energy by
sketchingeven her handwriting showed thatwhile he was
inexhaustibly industrious with a relentless invariable caligraphy
that grew larger and clearer as the years passed by。 She had a
considerable power of charming； she could be just as nice to people
and incidentally just as nastyas she wanted to be。 He was always
just the same； a little confidential and SOTTO VOCE； artlessly rude
and egoistic in an undignified way。 She had considerable social
experience； good social connections； and considerable social
ambition； while he had none of these things。 She saw in a flash her
opportunity to redeem his defects； use his powers； and do large；
novel； rather startling things。 She ran him。 Her marriage； which
shocked her friends and relations beyond measurefor a time they
would only speak of Bailey as 〃that gnome〃was a stroke of genius；
and forthwith they proceeded to make themselves the most formidable
and distinguished couple conceivable。 P。 B。 P。； she boasted； was
engraved inside their wedding rings； Pro Bono Publico； and she meant
it to be no idle threat。 She had discovered very early that the
last thing influential people will do is to work。 Everything in
their lives tends to make them dependent upon a supply of
confidently administered detail。 Their business is with the window
and not the stock behind； and in the end they are dependent upon the
stock behind for what goes into the window。 She linked with that
the fact that Bailey had a mind as orderly as a museum； and an
invincible power over detail。 She saw that if two people took the
necessary pains to know the facts of government and administration
with precision； to gather together knowledge that was dispersed and
confused； to be able to say precisely what had to be done and what
avoided in this eventuality or that； they would necessarily become a
centre of reference for all sorts of legislative proposals and
political expedients； and she went unhesitatingly upon that。
Bailey； under her vigorous direction； threw up his post in the Civil
Service and abandoned sporadic controversies； and they devoted
themselves to the elaboration and realisation of this centre of
public information she had conceived as their role。 They set out to
study the methods and organisation and realities of government in
the most elaborate manner。 They did the work as no one had ever
hitherto dreamt of doing it。 They planned the research on a
thoroughly satisfying scale； and arranged their lives almost
entirely for it。 They took that house in Chambers Street and
furnished it with severe economy； they discovered that Scotch
domestic who is destined to be the guardian and tyrant of their
declining years； and they set to work。 Their first book； 〃The
Permanent Official；〃 fills three plump volumes； and took them and
their two secretaries upwards of four years to do。 It is an
amazingly good book； an enduring achievement。 In a hundred
directions the history and the administrative treatment of the
public service was clarified for all time。 。 。 。
They worked regularly every morning from nine to twelve； they
lunched lightly but severely； in the afternoon they 〃took exercise〃
or Bailey attended meetings of the London School Board； on which he
served； he said； for the purposes of studyhe also became a railway
director for the same end。 In the late afternoon Altiora was at
home to various callers； and in the evening came dinner or a
reception or both。
Her dinners and gatherings were a very important feature in their
scheme。 She got together all sorts of interesting people in or
about the public service； she mixed the obscurely efficient with the
ill…instructed famous and the rudderless rich； got together in one
room more of the factors in our strange jumble of a public life than
had ever met easily before。 She fed them with a shameless austerity
that kept the conversation brilliant； on a soup； a plain fish； and
mutton or boiled fowl and milk pudding； with nothing to drink but
whisky and soda； an