CHAPTER III

oonasshewasabletoperceiveanything.Abovehernurseryfireplacehungaphotographofhergrandfather’stombinPoets’Corner,andshewastoldinoneofthosemomentsofgrown-upconfidencewhicharesotremendouslyimpressivetothechild’smind,thathewasburiedtherebecausehewasa“goodandgreatman.”Later,onananniversary,shewastakenbyhermotherthroughthefoginahansomcab,andgivenalargebunchofbright,sweet-scentedflowerstolayuponhistomb.Thecandlesinthechurch,thesingingandtheboomingoftheorgan,wereall,shethought,inhishonor.Againandagainshewasbroughtdownintothedrawing-roomtoreceivetheblessingofsomeawfuldistinguishedoldman,whosat,eventoherchildisheye,somewhatapart,allgatheredtogetherandclutchingastick,unlikeanordinaryvisitorinherfather’sownarm-chair,andherfatherhimselfwasthere,unlikehimself,too,alittleexcitedandverypolite.Theseformidableoldcreaturesusedtotakeherintheirarms,lookverykeenlyinhereyes,andthentoblessher,andtellherthatshemustmindandbeagoodgirl,ordetectalookinherfacesomethinglikeRichard’sasasmallboy.Thatdrewdownuponherhermother’sferventembrace,andshewassentbacktothenurseryveryproud,andwithamysterioussenseofanimportantandunexplainedstateofthings,whichtime,bydegrees,unveiledtoher. Therewerealwaysvisitors—unclesandauntsandcousins“fromIndia,”tobereverencedfortheirrelationshipalone,andothersofthesolitaryandformidableclass,whomshewasenjoinedbyherparentsto“rememberallyourlife.”Bythesemeans,andfromhearingconstanttalkofgreatmenandtheirworks,herearliestconceptionsoftheworldincludedanaugustcircleofbeingstowhomshegavethenamesofShakespeare,Milton,Wordsworth,Shelley,andsoon,whowere,forsomereason,muchmorenearlyakintotheHilberysthantootherpeople.Theymadeakindofboundarytohervisionoflife,andplayedaconsiderablepartindeterminingherscaleofgoodandbadinherownsmallaffairs.Herdescentfromoneofthesegodswasnosurprisetoher,butmatterforsatisfaction,until,astheyearsworeon,theprivilegesofherlotweretakenforgranted,andcertaindrawbacksmadethemselvesverymanifest.Perhapsitisalittledepressingtoinheritnotlandsbutanexampleofintellectualandspiritualvirtueperhapstheconclusivenessofagreatancestorisalittlediscouragingtothosewhoruntheriskofcomparisonwithhim.Itseemsasif,havingfloweredsosplendidly,nothingnowremainedpossiblebutasteadygrowthofgood,greenstalkandleaf.Forthesereasons,andforothers,Katharinehadhermomentsofdespondency.Thegloriouspast,inwhichmenandwomengrewtounexampledsize,intrudedtoomuchuponthepresent,anddwarfedittooconsistently,tobealtogetherencouragingtooneforcedtomakeherexperimentinlivingwhenthegreatagewasdead. Shewasdrawntodwelluponthesemattersmorethanwasnatural,inthefirstplaceowingtohermother’sabsorptioninthem,andinthesecondbecauseagreatpartofhertimewasspentinimaginationwiththedead,sinceshewashelpinghermothertoproducealifeofthegreatpoet.WhenKatharinewasseventeenoreighteen—thatistosay,sometenyearsago—hermotherhadenthusiasticallyannouncedthatnow,withadaughtertohelpher,thebiographywouldsoonbepublished.Noticestothiseffectfoundtheirwayintotheliterarypapers,andforsometimeKatharineworkedwithasenseofgreatprideandachievement. Lately,however,ithadseemedtoherthattheyweremakingnowayatall,andthiswasthemoretantalizingbecausenoonewiththeghostofaliterarytemperamentcoulddoubtbutthattheyhadmaterialsforoneofthegreatestbiographiesthathaseverbeenwritten.Shelvesandboxesbulgedwiththepreciousstuff.Themostprivatelivesofthemostinterestingpeoplelayfurledinyellowbundlesofclose-writtenmanuscript.InadditiontothisMrs.Hilberyhadinherownheadasbrightavisionofthattimeasnowremainedtotheliving,andcouldgivethoseflashesandthrillstotheoldwordswhichgavethemalmostthesubstanceofflesh.Shehadnodifficultyinwriting,andcoveredapageeverymorningasinstinctivelyasathrushsings,butnevertheless,withallthistourgeandinspire,andth