登陆注册
15454400000007

第7章 "HIS WIFE'S DECEASED SISTER"(2)

"I am reluctant," he said, "to decline a manu from you;but you know very well that if you sent me anything like `His Wife's Deceased Sister' it would be most promptly accepted."I now felt obliged to speak of the affair to my wife, who was quite as much surprised, though, perhaps, not quite as much shocked, as I had been.

"Let us read the story again," she said, "and see what is the matter with it." When we had finished its perusal, Hypatia remarked: "It is quite as good as many of the stories you have had printed, and I think it very interesting, although, of course, it is not equal to `His Wife's Deceased Sister.'""Of course not," said I; "that was an inspiration that Icannot expect every day. But there must be something wrong about this last story which we do not perceive. Perhaps my recent success may have made me a little careless in writing it.""I don't believe that," said Hypatia.

"At any rate," I continued, "I will lay it aside, and will go to work on a new one."In due course of time I had another manu finished, and I sent it to my favorite periodical. It was retained some weeks, and then came back to me.

"It will never do," the editor wrote, quite warmly, "for you to go backward. The demand for the number containing `His Wife's Deceased Sister' still continues, and we do not intend to let you disappoint that great body of readers who would be so eager to see another number containing one of your stories."I sent this manu to four other periodicals, and from each of them it was returned with remarks to the effect that, although it was not a bad story in itself, it was not what they would expect from the author of "His Wife's Deceased Sister."The editor of a Western magazine wrote to me for a story to be published in a special number which he would issue for the holidays. I wrote him one of the character and length he desired, and sent it to him. By return mail it came back to me.

"I had hoped," the editor wrote, "when I asked for a story from your pen, to receive something like `His Wife's Deceased Sister,' and I must own that I am very much disappointed."I was so filled with anger when I read this note that Iopenly objurgated "His Wife's Deceased Sister." "You must excuse me," I said to my astonished wife, "for expressing myself thus in your presence, but that confounded story will be the ruin of me yet. Until it is forgotten nobody will ever take anything Iwrite."

"And you cannot expect it ever to be forgotten," said Hypatia, with tears in her eyes.

It is needless for me to detail my literary efforts in the course of the next few months. The ideas of the editors with whom my principal business had been done, in regard to my literary ability, had been so raised by my unfortunate story of "His Wife's Deceased Sister" that I found it was of no use to send them anything of lesser merit. And as to the other journals which I tried, they evidently considered it an insult for me to send them matter inferior to that by which my reputation had lately risen. The fact was that my successful story had ruined me. My income was at an end, and want actually stared me in the face; and I must admit that I did not like the expression of its countenance. It was of no use for me to try to write another story like "His Wife's Deceased Sister." I could not get married every time I began a new manu, and it was the exaltation of mind caused by my wedded felicity which produced that story.

"It's perfectly dreadful!" said my wife. "If I had had a sister, and she had died, I would have thought it was my fault.""It could not be your fault," I answered, "and I do not think it was mine. I had no intention of deceiving anybody into the belief that I could do that sort of thing every time, and it ought not to be expected of me. Suppose Raphael's patrons had tried to keep him screwed up to the pitch of the Sistine Madonna, and had refused to buy anything which was not as good as that.

In that case I think he would have occupied a much earlier and narrower grave than the one on which Mr. Morris Moore hangs his funeral decorations.""But, my dear," said Hypatia, who was posted on such subjects, "the Sistine Madonna was one of his latest paintings.""Very true," said I. "But if he had married as I did, he would have painted it earlier."I was walking homeward one afternoon about this time, when Imet Barbel, a man I had known well in my early literary career.

He was now about fifty years of age, but looked older. His hair and beard were quite gray, and his clothes, which were of the same general hue, gave me the idea that they, like his hair, had originally been black. Age is very hard on a man's external appointments. Barbel had an air of having been to let for a long time, and quite out of repair. But there was a kindly gleam in his eye, and he welcomed me cordially.

"Why, what is the matter, old fellow?" said he. "I never saw you look so woe-begone."I had no reason to conceal anything from Barbel. In my younger days he had been of great use to me, and he had a right to know the state of my affairs. I laid the whole case plainly before him.

"Look here," he said, when I had finished; "come with me to my room; I have something I would like to say to you there."I followed Barbel to his room. It was at the top of a very dirty and well-worn house, which stood in a narrow and lumpy street, into which few vehicles ever penetrated, except the ash and garbage-carts, and the rickety wagons of the venders of stale vegetables.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 横扫欧非(第二次世界大战史丛书)

    横扫欧非(第二次世界大战史丛书)

    第二次界大战的胜利具有伟大的历史意义。我们历史地辨证地看待这段人类惨痛历史,可以说,第二次世界大战的爆发给人类造成了巨大灾难,使人类文明惨遭浩劫,但同时,第二次世界大战的胜利,也开创了人类历史的新纪元,极大地推动了人类社会向前发展,给战后世界带来了广泛而深刻的影响。促进了世界进入力量制衡的相对和平时期;促进了殖民地国家的民族解放;促进了许多社会主义国家的诞生;促进了资本主义国家的经济、政治和社会改革;促进了人类认识的真理革命;促进了世界人民对和平的认识。
  • 天才萌宝:邪魅王爷狂追妻

    天才萌宝:邪魅王爷狂追妻

    她是世界杀她手头领,在一次任务中为救一个小女孩被子弹打中,一朝穿越,被人陷害,身中媚药,和一个陌生的男人发生了关系,她发誓,待她归来之日,便是奸人命绝之时。他是当今最有权势的七王爷,性情冷漠,不近女色,唯独对她百般宠爱,她说:‘夜陌沉,你的无情的,你的冷漠呢,哪去了?’他无赖,她无奈,他和她将会发生什么样的事情?他和她真的能一生一世一双人吗
  • 凡凡,来世今生我只喜欢你

    凡凡,来世今生我只喜欢你

    “凡凡,我们永远在一起。”“好。”“凡凡,我们结婚吧。”“好。”……“凡凡,不要离开好不好?”“……”谁也不知道这一刻的幸福,下一刻还在不在。以为的天长地久刻骨铭心,也会转瞬即逝。再次相遇,物是人非,连一句‘你好吗’都是奢望。池旭说:凡凡,我最幸运的事就是遇到你!夏岚莞尔,心里默念:三生有幸遇见你。大概人的一生有好运,也会有背运,花光所有好运只为遇见你,可是凡凡你告诉我,我该怎么留住你。
  • 转世流年:卿本红妆

    转世流年:卿本红妆

    她不过是工作太累睡了一觉,醒来却穿越到另一个时空,成为南宫府上的小姐,因为一个神棍的一个预言被将军老爹当成男孩养,成了府上的“小少爷”。他是大兴王朝的六皇子,战王殿下,17岁便随军出征,少年才俊,多少名门贵女芳心暗许,他却只是因为那花火中的多看一眼,只对某人一往而情深。缘来缘去,他们的相遇不管是缘是劫,只愿岁月静好,这一世漫漫红尘路,幸有你相伴。
  • 网游之远征军团崛起

    网游之远征军团崛起

    在游戏里,我们都在扮演不同的角色,都梦想有自己的一个军团,称霸全服,走进主角的故事里,让猪脚带领所有有过英雄梦的兄弟一起称霸全服。第一次写。前期可能有点混乱,但是我会尽力的更改,另外看书名就可以知道本书的主题是什么,远征其他国家版图,希望大家多多支持新人!
  • 神宇不灭

    神宇不灭

    这个世界是神族设下的牢笼,囚禁着忤逆神权的人类。—————你疯了吧!就是在任何系统中,总有些真理是游离于逻辑之外的,这些真理就叫做歌德尔命题。—————愚蠢的人类我感觉这个世界是假的……—————有本事你也造一个呀!看似正常的现实世界实际上似乎被某种力量控制着——————这就是命啊!给我一个无上真理,我就能创出一个宇宙给你!
  • 傲笑

    傲笑

    身为两个利益集团结合下的产物,白日里她乖巧伶俐天真活泼中规中矩,黑暗中她却是怒放的毒罂粟,或冰冷或狂野,无情无心什么宿命什么轮回,有多远滚多远,被迫穿越时空不代表她就任人宰割,我行我素,傲笑红尘才是她的本色!他,无意相遇,痞痞而笑,放下家仇,温柔相伴,共谱一曲柔情轻音,谁知轻音躁动成海啸,谁之错!他,冰冷无情,展颜只为她,黑衣裹身,万年的柔情只为她保留,阴谋尽出,只为倾心相随他,云淡风轻,含蓄
  • 文明捍卫者

    文明捍卫者

    世界更迭,谁又能知道下一次文明的主宰会是谁。众神陨落,是恩泽还是灾难只有手中的刀剑才能破开迷雾。当血月与朔月共存,人类创造的幻想苏醒于大地。真实还是欺骗唯一不变的是我们活下去的勇气。又一次主世界的争夺再次开启,文明的火种由我来捍卫!我为我的世界而战,我为我的家园而活!
  • 通天帝国:千年之交

    通天帝国:千年之交

    历史为骨,武侠为翼,回到公元一千年前,掀起一场震撼人心的“货币战争”;大宋交子、四方联盟、运输命脉、西蜀风云……千机万变的货币体系,柔情似骨的爱恨别离,纵横捭阖的江湖武林,尽在《千年之交》;“精彩,才刚刚开始!”
  • 魔王冥主冷清绝爱

    魔王冥主冷清绝爱

    帝都大街上,一个长相无比可爱犹如瓷娃娃的萝莉被一群人团团围住,人群中走出一个长相阴柔的男子色眯眯的盯着眼前的女子“花家小姐花荼蘼,帝都无人不知无人不晓的花痴废物,跟爷回家吧,保你一辈子荣华富贵。”男子话音刚落,人群中发出各种各样的声音,茶楼上突然飞下一个紫色的人影,将人群中的女子抱住,熟悉的触感,荼蘼微微一笑,转而泪眼陀娑的看着男子,朱唇轻启“祭,他说我花痴废物。”男子低头轻吻女子朱唇“荼蘼乖,我帮你教训他们好不好。”男子瞬间出手,刚才嚣张的阴柔男子便吐血倒地,待众人反应过来的时候,已经人去楼空,茶楼里,女子靠在男子怀里睡着,男子轻摇头,他何尝不知,刚才这人是故意不出手的,那些人不是她的对手。