文档介绍：The Coxon Fund
The Coxon Fund
by Henry James
1
The Coxon Fund
CHAPTER I
"They've got him for life!" I said to myself that evening on my way
back to the station; but later on, alone in partment (from
Wimbledon to Waterloo, before the glory of the District Railway) I
amended this declaration in the light of the sense that my friends would
probably after all not enjoy a monopoly of Mr. Saltram. I won't pretend
to have taken his vast measure on that first occasion, but I think I had
achieved a glimpse of what the privilege of his acquaintance might mean
for many persons in the way of charges accepted. He had been a great
experience, and it was this perhaps that had put me into the frame of
foreseeing how we should all, sooner or later, have the honour of dealing
with him as a whole. Whatever impression I then received of the,
amount of this total, I had a full enough vision of the patience of the
Mulvilles. He was to stay all the winter: Adelaide dropped it in a tone
that drew the sting from the inevitable emphasis. These excellent people
might indeed have been content to give the circle of hospitality a diameter
of six months; but if they didn't say he was to stay all summer as well it
was only because this was more than they ventured to hope. I remember
that at dinner that evening he wore slippers, new and predominantly purple,
of some queer carpet-stuff; but the Mulvilles were still in the stage of
supposing that he might be snatched from them by higher bidders. At a
later time they grew, poor dears, to fear no snatching; but theirs was a
fidelity which needed no help petition to make them proud.
Wonderful indeed as, when all was said, you inevitably pronounced Frank
Saltram, it was not to be overlooked that the Kent Mulvilles were in their
way still more extraordinary: as striking an instance as could easily be
encountered of the familiar truth that remarkable men find remarkable
conveniences.
They had sent for me from Wimbledon