[夜与日].(night.and.day).(英)弗吉尼亚·伍尔芙.文字版-第18章

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reached　her　office　in　Russell　Square。　Now　and　then　she　
would　pause　and　look　into　the　window　of　some　bookseller　
or　flower　shop；　where；　at　this　early　hour；　the　goods　
were　being　arranged；　and　empty　gaps　behind　the　plate　
glass　revealed　a　state　of　undress。　Mary　felt　kindly　disposed　
towards　the　shopkeepers；　and　hoped　that　they　would　
trick　the　midday　public　into　purchasing；　for　at　this　hour　
of　the　morning　she　ranged　herself　entirely　on　the　side　of　
the　shopkeepers　and　bank　clerks；　and　regarded　all　who　
slept　late　and　had　money　to　spend　as　her　enemy　and　
natural　prey。　And　directly　she　had　crossed　the　road　at　

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Night　and　Day　

Holborn；　her　thoughts　all　came　naturally　and　regularly　to　
roost　upon　her　work；　and　she　forgot　that　she　was；　properly　
speaking；　an　amateur　worker；　whose　services　were　
unpaid；　and　could　hardly　be　said　to　wind　the　world　up　for　
its　daily　task；　since　the　world；　so　far；　had　shown　very　
little　desire　to　take　the　boons　which　Mary’s　society　for　
woman’s　suffrage　had　offered　it。　

She　was　thinking　all　the　way　up　Southampton　Row　of　
notepaper　and　foolscap；　and　how　an　economy　in　the　use　
of　paper　might　be　effected　（without；　of　course；　hurting　
Mrs。　Seal’s　feelings）；　for　she　was　certain　that　the　great　
organizers　always　pounce；　to　begin　with；　upon　trifles　like　
these；　and　build　up　their　triumphant　reforms　upon　a　basis　
of　absolute　solidity；　and；　without　acknowledging　it　
for　a　moment；　Mary　Datchet　was　determined　to　be　a　great　
organizer；　and　had　already　doomed　her　society　to　reconstruction　
of　the　most　radical　kind。　Once　or　twice　lately；　it　
is　true；　she　had　started；　broad　awake；　before　turning　into　
Russell　Square；　and　denounced　herself　rather　sharply　for　
being　already　in　a　groove；　capable；　that　is；　of　thinking　
the　same　thoughts　every　morning　at　the　same　hour；　so　

that　the　chestnutcolored　brick　of　the　Russell　Square　
houses　had　some　curious　connection　with　her　thoughts　
about　office　economy；　and　served　also　as　a　sign　that　she　
should　get　into　trim　for　meeting　Mr。　Clacton；　or　Mrs。　Seal；　
or　whoever　might　be　beforehand　with　her　at　the　office。　
Having　no　religious　belief；　she　was　the　more　conscientious　
about　her　life；　examining　her　position　from　time　to　
time　very　seriously；　and　nothing　annoyed　her　more　than　
to　find　one　of　these　bad　habits　nibbling　away　unheeded　
at　the　precious　substance。　What　was　the　good；　after　all；　
of　being　a　woman　if　one　didn’t　keep　fresh；　and　cram　one’s　
life　with　all　sorts　of　views　and　experiments？　Thus　she　
always　gave　herself　a　little　shake；　as　she　turned　the　corner；　
and；　as　often　as　not；　reached　her　own　door　whistling　
a　snatch　of　a　Somersetshire　ballad。　

The　suffrage　office　was　at　the　top　of　one　of　the　large　
Russell　Square　houses；　which　had　once　been　lived　in　by　a　
great　city　merchant　and　his　family；　and　was　now　let　out　
in　slices　to　a　number　of　societies　which　displayed　assorted　
initials　upon　doors　of　ground　glass；　and　kept；　each　
of　them；　a　typewriter　which　clicked　busily　all　day　long。　

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Virginia　Woolf　

The　old　house；　with　its　great　stone　staircase；　echoed　hollowly　
to　the　sound　of　typewriters　and　of　errandboys　from　
ten　to　six。　The　noise　of　different　typewriters　already　at　
work；　disseminating　their　views　upon　the　protection　of　
native　races；　or　the　value　of　cereals　as　foodstuffs；　quickened　
Mary’s　steps；　and　she　always　ran　up　the　last　flight　
of　steps　which　led　to　her　own　landing；　at　whatever　hour　
she　came；　so　as　to　get　her　typewriter　to　take　its　place　in　
petition　with　the　rest。　

She　sat　herself　down　to　her　letters；　and　very　soon　all　
these　speculations　were　forgotten；　and　the　two　lines　drew　
themselves　between　her　eyebrows；　as　the　contents　of　the　
letters；　the　office　furniture；　and　the　sounds　of　activity　in　
the　next　room　gradually　asserted　their　sway　upon　her。　By　
eleven　o’clock　the　atmosphere　of　concentration　was　running　
so　strongly　in　one　direction　that　any　thought　of　a　
different　order　could　hardly　have　survived　its　birth　more　
than　a　moment　or　so。　The　task　which　lay　before　her　was　
to　organize　a　series　of　entertainments；　the　profits　of　which　
were　to　benefit　the　society；　which　drooped　for　want　of　
funds。　It　was　her　first　attempt　at　organization　on　a　large　

scale；　and　she　meant　to　achieve　something　remarkable。　
She　meant　to　use　the　cumbrous　machine　to　pick　out　this；　
that；　and　the　other　interesting　person　from　the　muddle　
of　the　world；　and　to　set　them　for　a　week　in　a　pattern　
which　must　catch　the　eyes　of　Cabi　Ministers；　and　the　
eyes　once　caught；　the　old　arguments　were　to　be　delivered　
with　unexampled　originality。　Such　was　the　scheme　
as　a　whole；　and　in　contemplation　of　it　she　would　bee　
quite　flushed　and　excited；　and　have　to　remind　herself　of　
all　the　details　that　intervened　between　her　and　success。　

The　door　would　open；　and　Mr。　Clacton　would　e　in　to　
search　for　a　certain　leaflet　buried　beneath　a　pyramid　of　
leaflets。　He　was　a　thin；　sandyhaired　man　of　about　thirty
five；　spoke　with　a　Cockney　accent；　and　had　about　him　a　
frugal　look；　as　if　nature　had　not　dealt　generously　with　
him　in　any　way；　which；　naturally；　prevented　him　from　
dealing　generously　with　other　people。　When　he　had　found　
his　leaflet；　and　offered　a　few　jocular　hints　upon　keeping　
papers　in　order；　the　typewriting　would　stop　abruptly；　and　
Mrs。　Seal　would　burst　into　the　room　with　a　letter　which　
needed　explanation　in　her　hand。　This　was　a　more　serious　

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Night　and　Day　

interruption　than　the　other；　because　she　never　knew　exactly　
what　she　wanted；　and　half　a　dozen　requests　would　
bolt　from　her；　no　one　of　which　was　clearly　stated。　Dressed　
in　plumcolored　velveteen；　with　short；　gray　hair；　and　a　
face　that　seemed　permanently　flushed　with　philanthropic　
enthusiasm；　she　was　always　in　a　hurry；　and　always　in　
some　disorder。　She　wore　two　crucifixes；　which　got　themselves　
entangled　in　a　heavy　gold　chain　upon　her　breast；　
and　seemed　to　Mary　expressive　of　her　mental　ambiguity。　
Only　her　vast　enthusiasm　and　her　worship　of　Miss　Markham；　
one　of　the　pioneers　of　the　society；　kept　her　in　her　place；　
for　which　she　had　no　sound　qualification。　

So　the　morning　wore　on；　and　the　pile　of　letters　grew；　
and　Mary　felt；　at　last；　that　she　was　the　center　ganglion　of　
a　very　fine　work　of　nerves　which　fell　over　England；　
and　one　of　these　days；　when　she　touched　the　heart　of　the　
system；　would　begin　feeling　and　rushing　together　and　
emitting　their　splendid　blaze　of　revolutionary　fireworks　
—for　some　such　metaphor　represents　what　she　felt　about　
her　work；　when　her　brain　had　been　heated　by　three　hours　
of　application。　

Shortly　before　one　o’clock　Mr。　Clacton　and　Mrs。　Seal　
desisted　from　their　labors；　and　the　old　joke　about　luncheon；　
which　came　out　regularly　at　this　hour；　was　repeated　
with　scarcely　any　variation　of　words。　Mr。　Clacton　
patronized　a　vegetarian　restaurant；　Mrs。　Seal　brought　
sandwiches；　which　she　ate　beneath　the　plarees　in　
Russell　Square；　while　Mary　generally　went　to　a　gaudy　establishment；　
upholstered　in　red　plush；　near　by；　where；　
much　to　the　vegetarian’s　disapproval；　you　could　buy　steak；　
two　inches　thick；　or　a　roast　section　of　fowl；　swimming　in　
a　pewter　dish。　

“The　bare　branches　against　the　sky　do　one　so　much　
good；”　Mrs。　Seal　asserted；　looking　out　into　the　Square。　

“But　one　can’t　lunch　off　trees；　Sally；”　said　Mary。　

“I　confess　I　don’t　know　how　you　manage　it；　Miss　
Datchet；”　Mr。　Clacton　remarked。　“I　should　sleep　all　the　
afternoon；　I　know；　if　I　took　a　heavy　meal　in　the　middle　of　
the　day。”　

“What’s　the　very　latest　thing　in　literature？”　Mary　asked；　
goodhumoredly　pointing　to　the　yellowcovered　volume　
beneath　Mr。　Clacton’s　arm；　for　he　invariably　read　some　

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Virginia　Woolf　

new　French　author　at　lunchtime；　or　squeezed　in　a　visit　
to　a　picture　gallery；　balancing　his　social　work　with　an　
ardent　culture　of　which　he　was　secretly　proud；　as　Mary　
had　very　soon　divined。　

So　they　parted　and　Mary　walked　away；　wondering　if　
they　guessed　that　she　really　wanted　to　get　away　from　
them；　and　supposing　that　they　had　not　quite　reached　
that　degree　of　subtlety。　She　bought　herself　an　evening　
paper；　which