the new machiavelli-第8节

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factories。　　Bromstead　had　almost　doubted　in　size　again　long　before　

the　railway　came；　there　was　hardly　any　thatch　left　in　the　High　

Street；　but　instead　were　houses　with　handsome　brass…knockered　front　

doors　and　several　windows；　and　shops　with　shop…fronts　all　of　square　

glass　panes；　and　the　place　was　lighted　publicly　now　by　oil　lamps

previously　only　one　flickering　lamp　outside　each　of　the　coaching　

inns　had　broken　the　nocturnal　darkness。　　And　there　was　talk；　it　long　

remained　talk；of　gas。　　The　gasworks　came　in　1834；　and　about　that　

date　my　father's　three　houses　must　have　been　built　convenient　for　

the　London　Road。　　They　mark　nearly　the　beginning　of　the　real　

suburban　quality；　they　were　let　at　first　to　City　people　still　

engaged　in　business。



And　then　hard　on　the　gasworks　had　come　the　railway　and　cheap　coal；　

there　was　a　wild　outbreak　of　brickfields　upon　the　claylands　to　the　

east；　and　the　Great　Growth　had　begun　in　earnest。　　The　agricultural　

placidities　that　had　formerly　come　to　the　very　borders　of　the　High　

Street　were　broken　up　north；　west　and　south；　by　new　roads。　　This　

enterprising　person　and　then　that　began　to　〃run　up〃　houses；　

irrespective　of　every　other　enterprising　person　who　was　doing　the　

same　thing。　　A　Local　Board　came　into　existence；　and　with　much　

hesitation　and　penny…wise　economy　inaugurated　drainage　works。　　Rates　

became　a　common　topic；　a　fact　of　accumulating　importance。　　Several　

chapels　of　zinc　and　iron　appeared；　and　also　a　white　new　church　in　

commercial　Gothic　upon　the　common；　and　another　of　red　brick　in　the　

residential　district　out　beyond　the　brickfields　towards　Chessington。



The　population　doubled　again　and　doubled　again；　and　became　

particularly　teeming　in　the　prolific　〃working…class〃　district　about　

the　deep…rutted；　muddy；　coal…blackened　roads　between　the　gasworks；　

Blodgett's　laundries；　and　the　railway　goods…yard。　　Weekly　

properties；　that　is　to　say　small　houses　built　by　small　property　

owners　and　let　by　the　week；　sprang　up　also　in　the　Cage　Fields；　and　

presently　extended　right　up　the　London　Road。　　A　single　national　

school　in　an　inconvenient　situation　set　itself　inadequately　to　

collect　subscriptions　and　teach　the　swarming；　sniffing；　grimy　

offspring　of　this　dingy　new　population　to　read。　　The　villages　of　

Beckington；　which　used　to　be　three　miles　to　the　west；　and　Blamely　

four　miles　to　the　east　of　Bromstead；　were　experiencing　similar　

distensions　and　proliferations；　and　grew　out　to　meet　us。　　All　effect　

of　locality　or　community　had　gone　from　these　places　long　before　I　

was　born；　hardly　any　one　knew　any　one；　there　was　no　general　meeting　

place　any　more；　the　old　fairs　were　just　common　nuisances　haunted　by　

gypsies；　van　showmen；　Cheap　Jacks　and　London　roughs；　the　churches　

were　incapable　of　a　quarter　of　the　population。　　One　or　two　local　

papers　of　shameless　veniality　reported　the　proceedings　of　the　local　

Bench　and　the　local　Board；　compelled　tradesmen　who　were　interested　

in　these　affairs　to　advertise；　used　the　epithet　〃Bromstedian〃　as　one　

expressing　peculiar　virtues；　and　so　maintained　in　the　general　mind　a　

weak　tradition　of　some　local　quality　that　embraced　us　all。　　Then　the　

parish　graveyard　filled　up　and　became　a　scandal；　and　an　ambitious　

area　with　an　air　of　appetite　was　walled　in　by　a　Bromstead　Cemetery　

Company；　and　planted　with　suitably　high…minded　and　sorrowful　

varieties　of　conifer。　　A　stonemason　took　one　of　the　earlier　villas　

with　a　front　garden　at　the　end　of　the　High　Street；　and　displayed　a　

supply　of　urns　on　pillars　and　headstones　and　crosses　in　stone；　

marble；　and　granite；　that　would　have　sufficed　to　commemorate　in　

elaborate　detail　the　entire　population　of　Bromstead　as　one　found　it　

in　1750。



The　cemetery　was　made　when　I　was　a　little　boy　of　five　or　six；　I　was　

in　the　full　tide　of　building　and　growth　from　the　first；　the　second　

railway　with　its　station　at　Bromstead　North　and　the　drainage　

followed　when　I　was　ten　or　eleven；　and　all　my　childish　memories　are　

of　digging　and　wheeling；　of　woods　invaded　by　building；　roads　gashed　

open　and　littered　with　iron　pipes　amidst　a　fearful　smell　of　gas；　of　

men　peeped　at　and　seen　toiling　away　deep　down　in　excavations；　of　

hedges　broken　down　and　replaced　by　planks；　of　wheelbarrows　and　

builders'　sheds；　of　rivulets　overtaken　and　swallowed　up　by　drain…

pipes。　　Big　trees；　and　especially　elms；　cleared　of　undergrowth　and　

left　standing　amid　such　things；　acquired　a　peculiar　tattered　

dinginess　rather　in　the　quality　of　needy　widow　women　who　have　seen　

happier　days。



The　Ravensbrook　of　my　earlier　memories　was　a　beautiful　stream。　　It　

came　into　my　world　out　of　a　mysterious　Beyond；　out　of　a　garden；　

splashing　brightly　down　a　weir　which　had　once　been　the　weir　of　a　

mill。　　（Above　the　weir　and　inaccessible　there　were　bulrushes　growing　

in　splendid　clumps；　and　beyond　that；　pampas　grass；　yellow　and　

crimson　spikes　of　hollyhock；　and　blue　suggestions　of　wonderland。）　　

From　the　pool　at　the　foot　of　this　initial　cascade　it　flowed　in　a　

leisurely　fashion　beside　a　footpath；there　were　two　pretty　thatchcd　

cottages　on　the　left；　and　here　were　ducks；　and　there　were　willows　on　

the　right；and　so　came　to　where　great　trees　grew　on　high　banks　on　

either　hand　and　bowed　closer；　and　at　last　met　overhead。　　This　part　

was　difficult　to　reach　because　of　an　old　fence；　but　a　little　boy　

might　glimpse　that　long　cavern　of　greenery　by　wading。　　Either　I　have　

actually　seen　kingfishers　there；　or　my　father　has　described　them　so　

accurately　to　me　that　he　inserted　them　into　my　memory。　　I　remember　

them　there　anyhow。　　Most　of　that　overhung　part　I　never　penetrated　at　

all；　but　followed　the　field　path　with　my　mother　and　met　the　stream　

again；　where　beyond　there　were　flat　meadows；　Roper's　meadows。　　The　

Ravensbrook　went　meandering　across　the　middle　of　these；　now　between　

steep　banks；　and　now　with　wide　shallows　at　the　bends　where　the　

cattle　waded　and　drank。　　Yellow　and　purple　loose…strife　and　ordinary　

rushes　grew　in　clumps　along　the　bank；　and　now　and　then　a　willow。　　On　

rare　occasions　of　rapture　one　might　see　a　rat　cleaning　his　whiskers　

at　the　water's　edge。　　The　deep　places　were　rich　with　tangled　weeds；　

and　in　them　fishes　lurkedto　me　they　were　big　fisheswater…boatmen　

and　water…beetles　traversed　the　calm　surface　of　these　still　deeps；　

in　one　pool　were　yellow　lilies　and　water…soldiers；　and　in　the　shoaly　

places　hovering　fleets　of　small　fry　basked　in　the　sunshineto　

vanish　in　a　flash　at　one's　shadow。　　In　one　place；　too；　were　Rapids；　

where　the　stream　woke　with　a　start　from　a　dreamless　brooding　into　

foaming　panic　and　babbled　and　hastened。　　Well　do　I　remember　that　

half…mile　of　rivulet；　all　other　rivers　and　cascades　have　their　

reference　to　it　for　me。　　And　after　I　was　eleven；　and　before　we　left　

Bromstead；　all　the　delight　and　beauty　of　it　was　destroyed。



The　volume　of　its　water　decreased　abruptlyI　suppose　the　new　

drainage　works　that　linked　us　up　with　Beckington；　and　made　me　first　

acquainted　with　the　geological　quality　of　the　London　clay；　had　to　do　

with　thatuntil　only　a　weak　uncleansing　trickle　remained。　　That　at　

first　did　not　strike　me　as　a　misfortune。　　An　adventurous　small　boy　

might　walk　dryshod　in　places　hitherto　inaccessible。　　But　hard　upon　

that　came　the　pegs；　the　planks　and　carts　and　devastation。　　Roper's　

meadows；　being　no　longer　in　fear　of　floods；　were　now　to　be　slashed　

out　into　parallelograms　of　untidy　road；　and　built　upon　with　rows　of　

working…class　cottages。　　The　roads　came；horribly；　the　houses　

followed。　　They　seemed　to　rise　in　the　night。　　People　moved　into　them　

as　soon　as　the　roofs　were　on；　mostly　workmen　and　their　young　wives；　

and　already　in　a　year　some　of　these　raw　houses　stood　empty　again　

from　defaulting　tenants；　with　windows　broken　and　wood…work　warping　

and　rotting。　　The　Ravensbrook　became　a　dump　for　old　iron；　rusty　

cans；　abandoned　boots　and　the　like；　and　was　a　river　only　when　

unusual　rains　filled　it　for　a　day　or　so　with　an　inky　flood　of　

surface　water。　。　。　。



That　indeed　was　my　most　striking　perception　in　the　growth　of　

Bromstead。　　The　Ravensbrook　had　been　important　to　my　imaginative　

life；　that　way　had　always　been　my　first　choice　in　all　my　walks　with　

my　mother；　and　its　rapid　swamping　by　the　new　urban　growth　made　it　

indicative　of　all　the　other　things　that　had　happened　just　before　my　

time；　or　were　still；　at　a　less　dramatic　pace；　happening。　　I　realised　

that　building　was　the　enemy。　　I　began　to　understand　why　in　every　

direction　out　of　Bromstead　one　walked　past　scaffold…poles　into　

litter；　why　fragments　of　broken　brick　and　cinder　mingled　in　every　

path；　and　the　significance　of　the　universal　notice…boards；　either　

white　and　new　or　a　year　old　and　torn　and　battered；　promising　sites；　

proffering　houses　to　be　sold　or　let；　abusing　and　intimidating　

passers…by　for　fancied　trespass；　and　protecting　rights　of　way。



It　is　difficult　to　disentangle　now　what　I　understood　at　this　time