第18章

Apparentlyitwastheirturntobesurprised，fortheyexclaimed:"Whatanidea！Why，wehaveseenhimhundredsoftimes。"

Theyhadseemhimhundredsoftimes，yettheyhadwaitedhalfanhourinthegloomandthebittercold，inthemidstofajamofpatientsfromthesameasylum，onthechanceofseeinghimagain。Itwasastupefyingstatement，butoneisobligedtobelievetheEnglish，evenwhentheysayathinglikethat。I

fumbledaroundforaremark，andgotoutthisone:

"Ican’tunderstanditatall。IfIhadneverseenGeneralGrantIdoubtifIwoulddothateventogetasightofhim。"

Withaslightemphasisonthelastword。

Theirblankfacesshowedthattheywonderedwheretheparallelcamein。Thentheysaid，blankly:"Ofcoursenot。HeisonlyaPresident。"

Itisdoubtlessafactthataprinceisapermanentinterest，aninterestnotsubjecttodeterioration。Thegeneralwhowasneverdefeated，thegeneralwhoneverheldacouncilofwar，theonlygeneralwhoevercommandedaconnectedbattlefronttwelvehundredmileslong，thesmithwhoweldedtogetherthebrokenpartsofagreatrepublicandreestablisheditwhereitisquitelikelytooutlastallthemonarchiespresentandtocome，wasreallyapersonofnoseriousconsequencetothesepeople。Tothem，withtheirtraining，myGeneralwasonlyaman，afterall，whiletheirPrincewasclearlymuchmorethanthatabeingofawhollyunsimilarconstructionandconstitution，andbeingofnomorebloodandkinshipwithmenthanarethesereneeternallightsofthefirmamentwiththepoordulltallowcandlesofcommercethatsputteranddieandleavenothingbehindbutapinchofashesandastink。

Isawthelastactof"Tannh:auser。"Isatinthegloomandthedeepstillness，waitingoneminute，twominutes，Idonotknowexactlyhowlongthenthesoftmusicofthehiddenorchestrabegantobreatheitsrich，longsighsoutfromunderthedistantstage，andbyandbythedropcurtainpartedinthemiddleandwasdrawnsoftlyaside，disclosingthetwilightedwoodandawaysideshrine，withawhiterobedgirlprayingandamanstandingnear。Presentlythatnoblechorusofmen’svoiceswasheardapproaching，andfromthatmomentuntiltheclosingofthecurtainitwasmusic，justmusicmusictomakeonedrunkwithpleasure，musictomakeonetakescripandstaffandbeghiswayroundtheglobetohearit。

TosuchasareintendingtocomehereintheWagnerseasonnextyearIwishtosay，bringyourdinnerpailwithyou。Ifyoudo，youwillneverceasetobethankful。Ifyoudonot，youwillfinditahardfighttosaveyourselffromfamishinginBayreuth。

Bayreuthismerelyalargevillage，andhasnoverylargehotelsoreatinghouses。TheprincipalinnsaretheGoldenAnchorandtheSun。Ateitheroftheseplacesyoucangetanexcellentmealno，Imeanyoucangothereandseeotherpeoplegetit。

Thereisnochargeforthis。Thetownislitteredwithrestaurants，buttheyaresmallandbad，andtheyareoverdrivenwithcustom。Youmustsecureatablehoursbeforehand，andoftenwhenyouarriveyouwillfindsomebodyoccupyingit。Wehavehadthisexperience。Wehavehadadailyscrambleforlife;andwhenIsaywe，Iincludeshoalsofpeople。Ihavetheimpressionthattheonlypeoplewhodonothavetoscramblearetheveteransthediscipleswhohavebeenherebeforeandknowtheropes。Ithinktheyarriveaboutaweekbeforethefirstopera，andengageallthetablesfortheseason。Mytribehadtriedallkindsofplacessomeoutsideofthetown，amileortwoandhavecapturedonlynibblingsandoddsandends，neverinanyinstanceacompleteandsatisfyingmeal。Digestible？No，thereverse。

TheseoddsandendsaregoingtoserveassouvenirsofBayreuth，andinthatregardtheirvalueisnottobeoverestimated。

Photographsfade，bricabracgetslost，bustsofWagnergetbroken，butonceyouabsorbaBayreuthrestaurantmealitisyourpossessionandyourpropertyuntilthetimecomestoembalmtherestofyou。Someofthesepilgrimsherebecome，ineffect，cabinets;cabinetsofsouvenirsofBayreuth。ItisbelievedamongscientiststhatyoucouldexaminethecropofadeadBayreuthpilgrimanywhereintheearthandtellwherehecamefrom。ButIlikethisballast。Ithinka"Hermitage"scrapupateightintheevening，whenallthefaminebreedershavebeenthereandlaidintheirmementoesandgone，isthequietestthingyoucanlayonyourkeelsonexceptgravel。

THURSDAY。Theykeeptwoteamsofsingersinstockforthechiefroles，andoneoftheseiscomposedofthemostrenownedartistsintheworld，withMaternaandAlvaryinthelead。I

supposeadoubleteamisnecessary;doubtlessasingleteamwoulddieofexhaustioninaweek，foralltheplayslastfromfourintheafternoontilltenatnight。Nearlyallthelaborfallsuponthehalfdozenheadsingers，andapparentlytheyarerequiredtofurnishallthenoisetheycanforthemoney。Iftheyfeelasoft，whispery，mysteriousfeelingtheyarerequiredtoopenoutandletthepublicknowit。OperasaregivenonlyonSundays，Mondays，Wednesdays，andThursdays，withthreedaysofostensiblerestperweek，andtwoteamstodothefouroperas;buttheostensiblerestisdevotedlargelytorehearsing。Itissaidthattheoffdaysaredevotedtorehearsingfromsometimeinthemorningtilltenatnight。Aretheretwoorchestrasalso？Itisquitelikely，sincethereareonehundredandtennamesintheorchestralist。

Yesterdaytheoperawas"TristanandIsolde。"Ihaveseenallsortsofaudiencesattheaters，operas，concerts，lectures，sermons，funeralsbutnonewhichwastwintotheWagneraudienceofBayreuthforfixedandreverentialattention。Absoluteattentionandpetrifiedretentiontotheendofanactoftheattitudeassumedatthebeginningofit。Youdetectnomovementinthesolidmassofheadsandshoulders。Youseemtositwiththedeadinthegloomofatomb。Youknowthattheyarebeingstirredtotheirprofoundestdepths;thattherearetimeswhentheywanttoriseandwavehandkerchiefsandshouttheirapprobation，andtimeswhentearsarerunningdowntheirfaces，anditwouldbearelieftofreetheirpentemotionsinsobsorscreams;yetyouhearnotoneutterancetillthecurtainswingstogetherandtheclosingstrainshaveslowlyfadedoutanddied;

thenthedeadrisewithoneimpulseandshakethebuildingwiththeirapplause。Everyseatisfullinthefirstact;thereisnotavacantoneinthelast。Ifamanwouldbeconspicuous，lethimcomehereandretirefromthehouseinthemidstofanact。

Itwouldmakehimcelebrated。

ThisaudienceremindsmeofnothingIhaveeverseenandofnothingIhavereadaboutexceptthecityintheArabiantalewherealltheinhabitantshavebeenturnedtobrassandthetravelerfindsthemaftercenturiesmute，motionless，andstillretainingtheattitudeswhichtheylastknewinlife。HeretheWagneraudiencedressastheyplease，andsitinthedarkandworshipinsilence。AttheMetropolitaninNewYorktheysitinaglare，andweartheirshowiestharness;theyhumairs，theysqueakfans，theytitter，andtheygabbleallthetime。Insomeoftheboxestheconversationandlaughteraresoloudastodividetheattentionofthehousewiththestage。InlargemeasuretheMetropolitanisashowcaseforrichfashionableswhoarenottrainedinWagnerianmusicandhavenoreverenceforit，butwholiketopromoteartandshowtheirclothes。

Canthatbeanagreeableatmospheretopersonsinwhomthismusicproducesasortofdivineecstasyandtowhomitscreatorisaverydeity，hisstageatemple，theworksofhisbrainandhandsconsecratedthings，andthepartakingofthemwitheyeandearasacredsolemnity？Manifestly，no。Then，perhapsthetemporaryexpatriation，thetedioustraversingofseasandcontinents，thepilgrimagetoBayreuthstandsexplained。Thesedevoteeswouldworshipinanatmosphereofdevotion。Itisonlyherethattheycanfinditwithoutfleckorblemishoranyworldlypollution。Inthisremotevillagetherearenosightstosee，thereisnonewspapertointrudetheworriesofthedistantworld，thereisnothinggoingon，itisalwaysSunday。Thepilgrimwendstohistempleoutoftown，sitsouthismovingservice，returnstohisbedwithhisheartandsoulandhisbodyexhaustedbylonghoursoftremendousemotion，andheisinnofitconditiontodoanythingbuttolietorpidandslowlygatherbacklifeandstrengthforthenextservice。Thisoperaof"TristanandIsolde"lastnightbroketheheartsofallwitnesseswhowereofthefaith，andIknowofsomewhohaveheardofmanywhocouldnotsleepafterit，butcriedthenightaway。Ifeelstronglyoutofplacehere。SometimesIfeellikethesanepersoninacommunityofthemad;sometimesIfeelliketheoneblindmanwhereallotherssee;theonegropingsavageinthecollegeofthelearned，andalways，duringservice，Ifeellikeahereticinheaven。

ButbynomeansdoIeveroverlookorminifythefactthatthisisoneofthemostextraordinaryexperiencesofmylife。I

haveneverseenanythinglikethisbefore。Ihaveneverseenanythingsogreatandfineandrealasthisdevotion。

FRIDAY。Yesterday’soperawas"Parsifal"again。Theotherswentandtheyshowmarkedadvanceinappreciation;butIwenthuntingforrelicsandremindersoftheMargravineWilhelmina，sheoftheimperishable"Memoirs。"Iamproperlygratefultoherforher（unconscious）satireuponmonarchyandnobility，andthereforenothingwhichherhandtouchedorhereyelookeduponisindifferenttome。Iamherpilgrim;therestofthismultitudehereareWagner’s。

TUESDAY。Ihaveseenmylasttwooperas;myseasonisended，andwecrossoverintoBohemiathisafternoon。Iwassupposingthatmymusicalregenerationwasaccomplishedandperfected，becauseIenjoyedbothoftheseoperas，singingandall，and，moreover，oneofthemwas"Parsifal，"buttheexpertshavedisenchantedme。Theysay:

"Singing！Thatwasn’tsinging;thatwasthewailing，screechingofthirdrateobscurities，palmedoffonusintheinterestofeconomy。"

Well，Ioughttohaverecognizedthesigntheold，suresignthathasneverfailedmeinmattersofart。WheneverI

enjoyanythinginartitmeansthatitismightypoor。Theprivateknowledgeofthisfacthassavedmefromgoingtopieceswithenthusiasminfrontofmanyandmanyachromo。However，mybaseinstinctdoesbringmeprofitsometimes;Iwastheonlymanoutofthirtytwohundredwhogothismoneybackonthosetwooperas。

WILLIAMDEANHOWELLS

Isittruethatthesunofaman’smentalitytouchesnoonatfortyandthenbeginstowanetowardsetting？DoctorOslerischargedwithsayingso。Maybehesaidit，maybehedidn’t;I

don’tknowwhichitis。Butifhesaidit，Icanpointhimtoacasewhichproveshisrule。Provesitbybeinganexceptiontoit。TothisplaceInominateMr。Howells。

IreadhisVENETIANDAYSaboutfortyyearsago。IcompareitwithhispaperonMachiavelliinalatenumberofHARPER，andIcannotfindthathisEnglishhassufferedanyimpairment。ForfortyyearshisEnglishhasbeentomeacontinualdelightandastonishment。Inthesustainedexhibitionofcertaingreatqualitiesclearness，compression，verbalexactness，andunforcedandseeminglyunconsciousfelicityofphrasingheis，inmybelief，withouthispeerintheEnglishwritingworld。SUSTAINED。

Ientrenchmyselfbehindthatprotectingword。Thereareotherswhoexhibitthosegreatqualitiesasgreatlyashedoes，butonlybyintervaleddistributionsofrichmoonlight，withstretchesofveiledanddimmerlandscapebetween;whereasHowells’smoonsailscloudlessskiesallnightandallthenights。

InthematterofverbalexactnessMr。Howellshasnosuperior，Isuppose。Heseemstobealmostalwaysabletofindthatelusiveandshiftygrainofgold，theRIGHTWORD。Othershavetoputupwithapproximations，moreorlessfrequently;hehasbetterluck。Tome，theothersareminersworkingwiththegoldpanofnecessitysomeofthegoldwashesoverandescapes;

whereas，inmyfancy，heisquicksilverraidingdownarifflenograinofthemetalstandsmuchchanceofeludinghim。Apowerfulagentistherightword:itlightsthereader’swayandmakesitplain;acloseapproximationtoitwillanswer，andmuchtravelingisdoneinawellenoughfashionbyitshelp，butwedonotwelcomeitandapplauditandrejoiceinitaswedowhenTHE

rightoneblazesoutonus。Wheneverwecomeupononeofthoseintenselyrightwordsinabookoranewspapertheresultingeffectisphysicalaswellasspiritual，andelectricallyprompt:

ittinglesexquisitelyaroundthroughthewallsofthemouthandtastesastartandcrispandgoodastheautumnbutterthatcreamsthesumacberry。Onehasnotimetoexaminethewordandvoteuponitsrankandstanding，theautomaticrecognitionofitssupremacyissoimmediate。Thereisaplentyofacceptableliteraturewhichdealslargelyinapproximations，butitmaybelikenedtoafinelandscapeseenthroughtherain;therightwordwoulddismisstherain，thenyouwouldseeitbetter。Itdoesn’trainwhenHowellsisatwork。

Andwheredoeshegettheeasyandeffortlessflowofhisspeech？anditscadencedandundulatingrhythm？anditsarchitecturalfelicitiesofconstruction，itsgracesofexpression，itspemmicanqualityofcompression，andallthat？

Borntohim，nodoubt。Allinshininggoodorderinthebeginning，allextraordinary;andalljustasshining，justasextraordinarytoday，afterfortyyearsofdiligentwearandtearanduse。Hepassedhisfortiethyearlongandlongago;butI

thinkhisEnglishoftodayhisperfectEnglish，Iwishtosay

canthrowdowntheglovebeforehisEnglishofthatantiquetimeandnotbeafraid。

IwillgotbacktothepaperonMachiavellinow，andaskthereadertoexaminethispassagefromitwhichIappend。Idonotmeanexamineitinabird’seyeway;Imeansearchit，studyit。

And，ofcourse，readitaloud。Imaybewrong，stillitismyconvictionthatonecannotgetoutoffinelywroughtliteratureallthatisinitbyreadingitmutely:

Mr。Dyerisratheroftheopinion，firstluminouslysuggestedbyMacaulay，thatMachiavelliwasinearnest，butmustnotbejudgedasapoliticalmoralistofourtimeandracewouldbejudged。HethinksthatMachiavelliwasinearnest，asnonebutanidealistcanbe，andheisthefirsttoimaginehimanidealistimmersedinrealities，whoinvoluntarilytransmutestheeventsunderhiseyeintosomethinglikethevisionaryissuesofreverie。TheMachiavelliwhomhedepictsdoesnotceasetobepoliticallyarepublicanandsociallyajustmanbecauseheholdsupanatrociousdespotlikeCaesarBorgiaasamirrorforrulers。

WhatMachiavellibeheldroundhiminItalywasacivicdisorderinwhichtherewasoppressionwithoutstatecraft，andrevoltwithoutpatriotism。WhenamiscreantlikeBorgiaappeareduponthesceneandreducedbothtyrantsandrebelstoanapparentquiescence，hemightverywellseemtosuchadreamerthesaviorofsocietywhomacertainsortofdreamersarealwayslookingfor。MachiavelliwasnolesshonestwhenhehonoredthediabolicalforcethanCarlylewaswhenatdifferenttimesheextolledthestrongmanwhodestroyslibertyincreatingorder。

ButCarlylehasonlyjustceasedtobemistakenforareformer，whileitisstillMachiavelli’shardfatetobesotrammeledinhismaterialthathisnamestandsforwhateverismostmalevolentandperfidiousinhumannature。

Youseehoweasyandflowingitis;howunvexedbyruggednesses，clumsinesses，brokenmeters;howsimpleandsofarasyouorI

canmakeoutunstudied;howclear，howlimpid，howunderstandable，howunconfusedbycrosscurrents，eddies，undertows;howseeminglyunadorned，yetisalladornment，likethelilyofthevalley;

andhowcompressed，howcompact，withoutacomplacencysignalhungoutanywheretocallattentiontoit。

Therearetwentythreelinesinthequotedpassage。Afterreadingitseveraltimesaloud，oneperceivesthatagooddealofmatteriscrowdedintothatsmallspace。Ithinkitisamodelofcompactness。WhenItakeitsmaterialsapartandworkthemoverandputthemtogetherinmyway，IfindIcannotcrowdtheresultbackintothesamehole，therenotbeingroomenough。I

finditacaseofawomanpackingaman’strunk:hecangetthethingsout，buthecan’tevergetthembackagain。

Theprofferedparagraphisajustandfairsample;therestofthearticleisascompactasitis;therearenowastewords。

Thesampleisjustinotherways:limpid，fluent，graceful，andrhythmicalasitis，itholdsnosuperiorityintheserespectsovertherestoftheessay。Also，thechoicephrasingnoticeableinthesampleisnotlonely;thereisaplentyofitskindistributedthroughtheotherparagraphs。Thisisclaimingmuchwhenthatkinmustfacethechallengeofaphraseliketheoneinthemiddlesentence:"anidealistimmersedinrealitieswhoinvoluntarilytransmutestheeventsunderhiseyeintosomethinglikethevisionaryissuesofreverie。"Withahundredwordstodoitwith，theliteraryartisancouldcatchthatairythoughtandtieitdownandreduceittoaconcretecondition，visible，substantial，understandableandallright，likeacabbage;buttheartistdoesitwithtwenty，andtheresultisaflower。

Thequotedphrase，likeathousandothersthathavecomefromthesamesource，hasthequalityofcertainscrapsofversewhichtakeholdofusandstayinourmemories，wedonotunderstandwhy，atfirst:allthewordsbeingtherightwords，noneofthemisconspicuous，andsotheyallseeminconspicuous，thereforewewonderwhatitisaboutthemthatmakestheirmessagetakehold。

ThemossymarblesrestOnthelipsthathehasprestIntheirbloom，AndthenameshelovedtohearHavebeencarvedformanyayearOnthetomb。

Itislikeadreamystrainofmovingmusic，withnosharpnotesinit。Thewordsareall"right"words，andallthesamesize。Wedonotnoticeitatfirst。Wegettheeffect，itgoesstraighthometous，butwedonotknowwhy。Itiswhentherightwordsareconspicuousthattheythunder:

TheglorythatwasGreeceandthegrandeurthatwasRome！

WhenIgotbackfromHowellsoldtoHowellsyoungIfindhimarrangingandclusteringEnglishwordswell，butnotanybetterthannow。Heisnotmorefelicitousinconcretingabstractionsnowthanhewasintranslating，then，thevisionsoftheeyesoffleshintowordsthatreproducedtheirformsandcolors:

InVenetianstreetstheygivethefallensnownorest。ItisatonceshoveledintothecanalsbyhundredsofhalfnakedFACCHINI;andnowinSt。Mark’sPlacethemusicofinnumerableshovelssmoteuponmyear;andIsawtheshiveringlegionofpovertyasitengagedtheelementsinastruggleforthepossessionofthePiazza。Butthesnowcontinuedtofall，andthroughthetwilightofthedescendingflakesallthistoilandencounteredlookedlikethatwearykindofeffortindreams，whenthemostdeterminedindustryseemsonlytorenewthetask。Theloftycrestofthebelltowerwashiddeninthefoldsoffallingsnow，andIcouldnolongerseethegoldenangeluponitssummit。

ButlookedatacrossthePiazza，thebeautifuloutlineofSt。

Mark’sChurchwasperfectlypenciledintheair，andtheshiftingthreadsofthesnowfallwerewovenintoaspellofnovelenchantmentaroundthestructurethatalwaysseemedtometooexquisiteinitsfantasticlovelinesstobeanythingbutthecreationofmagic。Thetendersnowhadcompassionatedthebeautifuledificeforallthewrongsoftime，andsohidthestainsanduglinessofdecaythatitlookedasifjustfromthehandofthebuilderor，bettersaid，justfromthebrainofthearchitect。Therewasmarvelousfreshnessinthecolorsofthemosaicsinthegreatarchesofthefacade，andallthatgraciousharmonyintowhichthetemplerises，ormarblescrollsandleafyexuberanceairilysupportingthestatuesofthesaints，wasahundredtimesetherealizedbythepurityandwhitenessofthedriftingflakes。Thesnowlaylightlyonthegoldenglovesthattremblelikepeacockscrestsabovethevastdomes，andplumedthemwithsoftestwhite;itrobedthesaintsinermine;anditdancedoverallitsworks，asifexultinginitsbeautybeautywhichfilledmewithsubtle，selfishyearningtokeepsuchevanescentlovelinessforthelittlewhilelongerofmywholelife，andwithdespairtothinkthateventhepoorlifelessshadowofitcouldneverbefairlyreflectedinpictureorpoem。

Throughthewaveringsnowfall，theSaintTheodoreupononeofthegranitepillarsofthePiazzettadidnotshowsogrimashiswontis，andthewingedlionontheothermighthavebeenawingedlamb，sogentleandmildhelookedbythetenderlightofthestorm。Thetowersoftheislandchurchesloomedfaintandfarawayinthedimness;thesailorsintheriggingoftheshipsthatlayintheBasinwroughtlikephantomsamongtheshrouds;

thegondolasstoleinandoutoftheopaquedistancemorenoiselesslyanddreamilythanever;andasilence，almostpalpable，layuponthemutestcityintheworld。

ThespiritofVeniceisthere:ofacitywhereAgeandDecay，faggedwithdistributingdamageandrepulsivenessamongtheothercitiesoftheplanetinaccordancewiththepolicyandbusinessoftheirprofession，comeforrestandplaybetweenseasons，andtreatthemselvestotheluxuryandrelaxationofsinkingtheshopandinventingandsquanderingcharmsallabout，insteadofabolishingsuchastheyfind，asittheirhabitwhennotonvacation。

IntheworkingseasontheydobusinessinBostonsometimes，andacharacterinTHEUNDISCOVEREDCOUNTRYtakesaccuratenoteofpatheticeffectswroughtbythemupontheaspectsofastreetofoncedignifiedandeleganthomeswhoseoccupantshavemovedawayandleftthemapreytoneglectandgradualruinandprogressivedegradation;adescentwhichreachesbottomatlast，whenthestreetbecomesaroostforhumbleprofessionalsofthefaithcureandfortunetellingsort。

Whataqueer，melancholyhouse，whataqueer，melancholystreet！Idon’tthinkIwaseverinastreetbeforewhenquitesomanyprofessionalladies，withEnglishsurnames，preferredMadamtoMrs。ontheirdoorplates。Andthepooroldplacehassuchadesperatelyconsciousairofgoingtothedeuce。Everyhouseseemstowinceasyougoby，andbuttonitselfuptothechinforfearyoushouldfindoutithadnoshirtonsotospeak。Idon’tknowwhat’sthereason，butthesematerialtokensofasocialdecayafflictmeterribly;atipsywomanisn’tdreadfulerthanahaggardoldhouse，that’soncebeenahome，inastreetlikethis。

Mr。Howells’spicturesarenotmerestiff，hard，accuratephotographs;theyarephotographswithfeelinginthem，andsentiment，photographstakeninadream，onemightsay。

Asconcernshishumor，Iwillnottrytosayanything，yetI

wouldtry，ifIhadthewordsthatmightapproximatelyreachuptoitshighplace。Idonotthinkanyoneelsecanplaywithhumorousfanciessogracefullyanddelicatelyanddeliciouslyashedoes，norhassomanytoplaywith，norcancomesonearmakingthemlookasiftheyweredoingtheplayingthemselvesandhewasnotawarethattheywereatit。Fortheyareunobtrusive，andquietintheirways，andwellconducted。Hisisahumorwhichflowssoftlyallaroundaboutandoverandthroughthemeshofthepage，pervasive，refreshing，healthgiving，andmakesnomoreshowandnomorenoisethandoesthecirculationoftheblood。

ThereisanotherthingwhichiscontentinglynoticeableinMr。Howells’sbooks。Thatishis"stagedirections"thoseartificeswhichauthorsemploytothrowakindofhumannaturalnessaroundasceneandaconversation，andhelpthereadertoseetheoneandgetatmeaningsintheotherwhichmightnotbeperceivedifentrustedunexplainedtothebarewordsofthetalk。Someauthorsoverdothestagedirections，theyelaboratethemquitebeyondnecessity;theyspendsomuchtimeandtakeupsomuchroomintellingushowapersonsaidathingandhowhelookedandactedwhenhesaiditthatwegettiredandvexedandwishhehadn’tsaiditall。Otherauthors’directionsarebriefenough，butitisseldomthatthebrevitycontainseitherwitorinformation。Writersofthisschoolgoinrags，inthematterofstatedirections;themajorityofthemhavingnothinginstockbutacigar，alaugh，ablush，andaburstingintotears。Intheirpovertytheyworkthesesorrythingstothebone。Theysay:

"……repliedAlfred，flippingtheashfromhiscigar。"

（Thisexplainsnothing;itonlywastesspace。）

"……respondedRichard，withalaugh。"（Therewasnothingtolaughabout;thereneveris。Thewriterputsitinfromhabitautomatically;heispayingnoattentiontohiswork;orhewouldseethatthereisnothingtolaughat;often，whenaremarkisunusuallyandpoignantlyflatandsilly，hetriestodeceivethereaderbyenlargingthestagedirectionandmakingRichardbreakinto"frenziesofuncontrollablelaughter。"Thismakesthereadersad。）

"……murmuredGladys，blushing。"（Thispooroldshopwornblushisatiresomething。WegetsowewouldratherGladyswouldfalloutofthebookandbreakherneckthandoitagain。

Sheisalwaysdoingit，andusuallyirrelevantly。Wheneveritisherturntomurmurshehangsoutherblush;itistheonlythingshe’sgot。Inalittlewhilewehateher，justaswedoRichard。）

"……repeatedEvelyn，burstingintotears。"（Thiskindkeepabookdampallthetime。Theycan’tsayathingwithoutcrying。TheycrysomuchaboutnothingthatbyandbywhentheyhavesomethingtocryABOUTtheyhavegonedry;theysob，andfetchnothing;wearenotmoved。Weareonlyglad。）

Theygavelme，thesestaleandoverworkedstagedirections，thesecarbonfilmsthatgotburntoutlongagoandcannotnowcarryanyfaintestthreadoflight。Itwouldbewelliftheycouldberelievedfromdutyandflungoutintheliterarybackyardtorotanddisappearalongwiththediscardedandforgotten"steeds"and"halidomes"andsimilarstagepropertiesoncesodeartoourgrandfathers。ButIamfriendlytoMr。Howells’sstagedirections;morefriendlytothemthantoanyoneelse’s，I

think。Theyaredonewithacompetentanddiscriminatingart，andarefaithfultotherequirementsofastatedirection’sproperandlawfuloffice，whichistoinform。SometimestheyconveyasceneanditsconditionssowellthatIbelieveIcouldseethesceneandgetthespiritandmeaningoftheaccompanyingdialogueifsomeonewouldreadmerelythestagedirectionstomeandleaveoutthetalk。Forinstance，ascenelikethis，fromTHEUNDISCOVEREDCOUNTRY:

"……andshelaidherarmswithabeseechinggestureonherfather’sshoulder。"

"……sheanswered，followinghisgesturewithaglance。"

"……shesaid，laughingnervously。"

"……sheasked，turningswiftlyuponhimthatstrange，searchingglance。"

"……sheanswered，vaguely。"

"……shereluctantlyadmitted。"

"……buthervoicediedwearilyaway，andshestoodlookingintohisfacewithpuzzledentreaty。"

Mr。Howellsdoesnotrepeathisforms，anddoesnotneedto;

hecaninventfreshoneswithoutlimit。Itismainlytherepetitionoverandoveragain，bythethirdrates，ofwornandcommonplaceandjuicelessformsthatmakestheirnovelssuchawearinessandvexationtous，Ithink。Wedonotmindoneortwodeliveriesoftheirwares，butasweturnthepagesoverandkeeponmeetingthemwepresentlygettiredofthemandwishtheywoulddootherthingsforachange。

"……repliedAlfred，flippingtheashfromhiscigar。"

"……respondedRichard，withalaugh。"

"……murmuredGladys，blushing。"

"……repeatedEvelyn，burstingintotears。"

"……repliedtheEarl，flippingtheashfromhiscigar。"

"……respondedtheundertaker，withalaugh。"

"……murmuredthechambermaid，blushing。"

"……repeatedtheburglar，burstingintotears。"

"……repliedtheconductor，flippingtheashfromhiscigar。"

"……respondedArkwright，withalaugh。"

"……murmuredthechiefofpolice，blushing。"

"……repeatedthehousecat，burstingintotears。"

Andsoonandsoon;tillatlastitceasestoexcite。I

alwaysnoticestagedirections，becausetheyfretmeandkeepmetryingtogetoutoftheirway，justastheautomobilesdo。Atfirst;thenbyandbytheybecomemonotonousandIgetrunover。

Mr。Howellshasdonemuchwork，andthespiritofitisasbeautifulasthemakeofit。IhaveheldhiminadmirationandaffectionsomanyyearsthatIknowbythenumberofthoseyearsthatheisoldnow;buthisheartisn’t，norhispen;andyearsdonotcount。Lethimhaveplentyofthem;thereisprofitinthemforus。