DOI Artikel:
James, Henry: The next time
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27805#0032
28
The Next Time
the convenience of it in the form of a project for a common
household, to the expenses of which each party should propor-
tionately contribute. Jane Highmore made a great point of
her not being left alone, but Mrs. Stannace herself determined
the proportion, which, on Limbert’s side at least, and in spite
of many other fluctuations, was never altered. His income had
been “ fixed ” with a vengeance : having painfully stooped to
the comprehension of it, Mrs. Stannace rested on this effort
to the end and asked no further questions on the subject.
The Major Key, in other words, ran ever so long, and before
it was half out Limbert and Maud had been married and the
common household set up. These first months were probably
the happiest in the family annals, with wedding-bells and
budding laurels, the quiet, assured course of the book and the
friendly, familiar note, round the corner, of Mrs. Highmore’s big
guns. They gave Ralph time to block in another picture, as
well as to let me know, after a while, that he had the happy
prospect of becoming a father. We had some dispute, at times, as
to whether The Major Key was making an impression, but our
contention could only be futile so long as we were not agreed as
to what an impression consisted of. Several persons wrote to the
author, and several others asked to be introduced to him : wasn’t
that an impression? One of the lively “ weeklies,” snapping
at the deadly “ monthlies,” said the whole thing was “ grossly
inartistic ’’—wasn’t that ? It was somewhere else proclaimed “ a
wonderfully subtle character-study ”—wasn’t that too ? The
strongest effect doubtless was produced on the publisher when, in
its lemon-coloured volumes, like a little dish of three custards, the
book was at last served cold : he never got his money back and,
as far as I know, has never got it back to this day. The Major Key
was rather a great performance than a great success. It con-
verted
The Next Time
the convenience of it in the form of a project for a common
household, to the expenses of which each party should propor-
tionately contribute. Jane Highmore made a great point of
her not being left alone, but Mrs. Stannace herself determined
the proportion, which, on Limbert’s side at least, and in spite
of many other fluctuations, was never altered. His income had
been “ fixed ” with a vengeance : having painfully stooped to
the comprehension of it, Mrs. Stannace rested on this effort
to the end and asked no further questions on the subject.
The Major Key, in other words, ran ever so long, and before
it was half out Limbert and Maud had been married and the
common household set up. These first months were probably
the happiest in the family annals, with wedding-bells and
budding laurels, the quiet, assured course of the book and the
friendly, familiar note, round the corner, of Mrs. Highmore’s big
guns. They gave Ralph time to block in another picture, as
well as to let me know, after a while, that he had the happy
prospect of becoming a father. We had some dispute, at times, as
to whether The Major Key was making an impression, but our
contention could only be futile so long as we were not agreed as
to what an impression consisted of. Several persons wrote to the
author, and several others asked to be introduced to him : wasn’t
that an impression? One of the lively “ weeklies,” snapping
at the deadly “ monthlies,” said the whole thing was “ grossly
inartistic ’’—wasn’t that ? It was somewhere else proclaimed “ a
wonderfully subtle character-study ”—wasn’t that too ? The
strongest effect doubtless was produced on the publisher when, in
its lemon-coloured volumes, like a little dish of three custards, the
book was at last served cold : he never got his money back and,
as far as I know, has never got it back to this day. The Major Key
was rather a great performance than a great success. It con-
verted