Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-10

meaning [ answered TO the remark pre-
yioUsly made. ''What have you got to
explain and what am to do for youp
and 1 tried to speak as heartily as 1
could.
It want you to edit the second volume
of that Life was the unexpected reply;
Il cannot" hurting it ont roughly, and
looking away from me directly.
'sWhy not? What is there that you and
Martin Jebh can't manager
Martin Jebb was CyriPs Secretary,
clever young fellow, trustworthy and
scrupulous; It had been possible for Paul
to leave a large share of the work in his
hands; ali Of it, in fact, dealing with Cy-
ribs special subjects.
Paul answered me with q shake of the
head, a1d sat muSlng a While. Then he
began again:
Its no use casting about fer sentences.
Eve got to tell you the story, and put it as
l may, it comes TO the same thing in the
end. After all, what does it matter what
you think of me? It's Cyrifs interests
I've got to look to-"
He knocked the ashes out Of his pipe.
then, deliberately laying it aside, he faced
rue, leaning forward, his elbows on his
knees. his finger tips lightly joined, his
face praised 20 mine.
s'HOu know me pretty thOroug hly
Gwynne, and whether I'm addicted to
give way TO WITNESSES and nervous fan
cies. Well, just listen to this. You know
how we had to 60 at that memoir at once
without much time for reflection or ar
rangement. Give US plenty of personal
DETAIL that little JeyOns, the publisher,
said. Let US have the man as he lived
his early escapades, his love affairs, and
money matters, and his difficulties with
his family, if he had any-tha's what the
public want, you know. Above all, his
opinions of his contemporaries. Then his
last Illness, and his ideas of what he was
going to do if he had lived, and if you see
any signs Of failing in his late work you
might call attention to it, Upon my
soul, GWynne, / reiOiced in disappointing
the little beggar! You are the only rep
resentatiye of CyriPs family He never
had love affair or a money trouble. If
he had any opinions of his c2ntempora-
r1es, he took good care not to leave them
written down, and he died, as he had
lived, without an audience. His story is
the story Of his work, and what else there
was to tell lay ready to hand. He had a
passion LOT preserving manuscript. Every
scrap Of letter or note he had ever re-
ceiyed in his life was carefully stored
away IN dated parcels with the reply
noted down. You remember his great
oak bureau with the four arched openings
above the writing desky The first two
were marked inside, Private papers,
lAAG OtLitIH NOlt5 ana DOlEE,f WlIn a ISL
OF the names Of the books. All was ar
ranged in such perfect order that | sim
ply opened parcel after parcel according
10 date, took what seemed best, and de-
strOyed the northumberland there was q
first volume complete before we realized
1t, and before l had opened the contents
of the second compartment. There was
so little to tell-his old schOolmaster gave
me sketch Of his early days. and a COW
of an UQPOmmcOlV SIN ri acs o1y fo,. ., T;+t1-,
chap. Rugby was as quickly disposed of,
and the rest of the book is taken ND with
Cambridge and the first outline of his
great work. It's all very unsatisfyiDr.,
that little publisher grumbles: "a one
sided view entirely just because I'ye no
record OF scandalOus dOings, not even OF
sca2dalOus sayings, to throw in for spice.
Eve donS my honest best with it. There
seems to me something infinitely touch
ing in the very lacS OF personal detail
IN a life SO "iven up to making, clear the
path of knowledge for thCcsSa " 20 follow.
l can't put it rightly, but there's e'ou "
sort Of romance about it, as l see it, H..
ing bridge of ones self for another to /
cross over by. Perhaps it's worth giving |
up all that makes the happiness of an |
ordinary mans life to think of the thou |
sands OF generations following whose feet
one may have set in the road to truth. |
L bu are 1du2Hlug Vi COuISe!T SAD HauI. !
rOusing himself from a meditatiVe gaze |
into tie fire. Don't think want to put |
all that sentimental bOsh into print. I'm |
Sinking the point as long as / can. Won !
see." lie had begun mechanically to re-
Ia! his pipe, but pushed it from hi.o do.
terminedly. ''AS soon as o,ot tbat frs+
volume of to the printers / set to work
Gu the second, and, you won't believe me,
but after three weeks L have not got a sin
gle page put together. | can't do it. I
Don't ask me why, but | can't. | have
gone down there day after day and sat
down before that old bureau determined !
not to rise TILL l had made a fair begin
ming, and have found myself Yacantlv
dreaming pen in hand, hours later, and
not line written. l have unlocked that
little door and taken out parcel after par
eel OF letters and been unable to bring
myself to unite a string or break a seal,
The first day thought it was some kind
of tit, you know and Paul laughed I'M
easily; ''that the change from fresh air
to that close study lid upset me; so l let !
thlngs go Tor that day, trampco.t all over |
the country, and went TO bed w1tn9ut |
supper. Next morning l set to work I
early, for l wanted to get home to Leslie |
she isn't very strong just now, and al /
ways frets at the time l spend away from |
her there-but as soon as | sat down the !
me with such queer, sickening feeling |
that l fairly jumped up in panic. and de- 1
parted, telling Jebb that l shouldn't 90 |
near him again for week. One thing |
after another hindered me-or l let them |
hinder me-til L got regularly savage |
with myse!f; and started of one evening,
without telling even Leslie, in sort Of |
frenzy to get the job done. ;Iebb was |
overiOyed to see me, and l set TO work |
for can1fr,or i'm 70 bod I trnt fhA 1
place open, and took out lot Of papers, |
and was putting my hand IL for more, /
when-l don't care whether you believe |
me OF n0t-I swear | felt heavy grasp |
laid on my arm, stopping me. l jerked IL |
away, and tried again, and again the |
grasp fell on my arm and checked me. 1t |
wasn't a nice sensation, can tell you. / !
took a turn round the room, stamped |
about little, and put my head out OF the |
window, and then went back. As l |
marched up the room to the old bureau, !
pretty resolute this time to give way tOnO |
more decisions, l saw, as l advanced, the |
little door swing slowly on its hinges till, |
with a click, it closed, and the key fell |
from the lock. 1t has spring catch, and |
a rather stiff one"
1.-The draught from the open window"
! suggested, but he shook his head impa- |
tiently.
''Ilen what Go you suppose II 10 per-
"How do l know? 1t all sounds trivial
enough as hear myself tell it to you, and
you have a right to judge as you please.
But what feel is that I've had hint to
leave of"
'sWhatg A cupboard banging and
touch of cramp! You've worked in that
musty, air-tight den till you've got over
strained and nervous"
81 only 90 down there three days a
week"
'sNeyer mind. 1t has all been a severe
and unusual strain on your mind. Why,
you've not ground at anything so steadily
since Cambridge days, suppose"
''Oh, l know it's perfectly easy to ac-
count for it, but can't get over the feel
ing. Pve tried my hardest-thOugh in
deed the way in which everything imagi-
nable conspires to stop my getting to
work is enough in itself to sicken me of
the Job; but, never mind that, directly
set to work back comes the dazed, dull
feeling again. can't think of date,
can't put an Ineligible sentence tOgeth-
er, and through it all L have horrible
idea that Cyril is there watching me.
Whether he is angry or urging me to per-
sist cannot make out, but he is thereV
Paul stopped, shuddering. l looked at
him with a secret concern. 1t was case
for a clever physician, l saw. This great,