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their bones。〃
When I was asked to be assistant editor of the Atlantic Monthly； and came
on to Boston to talk the matter over with the publishers； I went out to
Cambridge and consulted Lowell。 He strongly urged me to take the
position （I thought myself hopefully placed in New York on The Nation）；
and at the same time he seemed to have it on his heart to say that he had
recommended some one else for it； never； he owned； having thought of me。
He was most cordial； but after I came to live in Cambridge （where the
magazine was printed； and I could more conveniently look over the
proofs）； he did not call on me for more than a month； and seemed quite to
have forgotten me。 We met one night at Mr。 Norton's； for one of the
Dante readings； and he took no special notice of me till I happened to
say something that offered him a chance to give me a little humorous
snub。 I was speaking of a paper in the Magazine on the 〃Claudian
Emissary；〃 and I demanded （no doubt a little too airily） something like
〃Who in the world ever heard of the Claudian Emissary？〃 〃You are in
Cambridge； Mr。 Howells；〃 Lowell answered； and laughed at my confusion。
Having put me down； he seemed to soften towards me； and at parting he
said； with a light of half…mocking tenderness in his beautiful eyes；
〃Goodnight； fellow…townsman。〃 〃I hardly knew we were fellow…townsmen；〃 I
returned。 He liked that； apparently； and said he had been meaning to
call upon me； and that he was coming very soon。
He was as good as his word； and after that hardly a week of any kind of
weather passed but he mounted the steps to the door of the ugly little
house in which I lived； two miles away from him； and asked me to walk。
These walks continued； I suppose； until Lowell went abroad for a winter
in the early seventies。 They took us all over Cambridge； which he knew
and loved every inch of； and led us afield through the straggling；
unhandsome outskirts； bedrabbled with squalid Irish neighborhoods； and
fraying off into marshes and salt meadows。 He liked to indulge an excess
of admiration for the local landscape； and though I never heard him
profess a preference for the Charles River flats to the finest Alpine
scenery； I could well believe he would do so under provocation of a fit
listener's surprise。 He had always so much of the boy in him that he
liked to tease the over…serious or over…sincere。 He liked to tease and
he liked to mock； especially his juniors； if any touch of affectation； or
any little exuberance of manner gave him the chance； when he once came to
fetch me； and the young mistress of the house entered with a certain
excessive elasticity； he sprang from his seat； and minced towards her；
with a burlesque of her buoyant carriage which made her laugh。 When he
had given us his heart in trust of ours； he used us like a younger
brother and sister； or like his own children。 He included our children
in his affection； and he enjoyed our fondness for them as if it were
something that had come back to him from his own youth。 I think he had
also a sort of artistic； a sort of ethical pleasure in it； as being of
the good tradition； of the old honest； simple material； from which
pleasing effects in literature and civilization were wrought。 He liked
giving the children books； and writing tricksy fancies in these； where he
masked as a fairy prince； and as long as he lived he remembered his early
kindness for them。
IV。
In those walks of ours I believe he did most of the talking； and from his
talk then and at other times there remains to me an impression of his
growing conservatism。 I had in fact come into his life when it had spent
its impulse towards positive reform； and I was to be witness of its
increasing tendency towards the negative sort。 He was quite past the
storm and stress of his anti…slavery age； with the close of the war which
had broken for him all his ideals of inviolable peace； he had reached the
age of misgiving。 I do not mean that I ever heard him express doubt of
what he had helped to do； or regret for what he had done； but I know that
he viewed with critical anxiety what other men were doing with the
accomplished facts。 His anxiety gave a cast of what one may call
reluctance from the political situation； and turned him back towards
those civic and social defences which he had once seemed willing to
abandon。 I do not mean that he lost faith in democracy； this faith he
constantly then and signally afterwards affirmed； but he certainly had no
longer any faith in insubordination as a means of grace。 He preached a
quite Socratic reverence for law； as law； and I remember that once when
I had got back from Canada in the usual disgust for the American custom…
house； and spoke lightly of smuggling as not an evil in itself； and
perhaps even a right under our vexatious tariff； he would not have it；
but held that the illegality of the act made it a moral of fence。 This
was not the logic that would have justified the attitude of the anti…
slavery men towards the fugitive slave act； but it was in accord with
Lowell's feeling about John Brown； whom he honored while always
condemning his violation of law； and it was in the line of all his later
thinking。 In this； he wished you to agree with him； or at least he
wished to make you； but he did not wish you to be more of his mind than
he was himself。 In one of those squalid Irish neighborhoods I confessed
a grudge （a mean and cruel grudge； I now think it） for the increasing
presence of that race among us； but this did not please him； and I am
sure that whatever misgiving he had as to the future of America； he would
not have had it less than it had been the refuge and opportunity of the
poor of any race or color。 Yet he would not have had it this alone。
There was a line in his poem on Agassiz which he left out of the printed
version； at the fervent entreaty of his friends； as saying too bitterly
his disappointment with his country。 Writing at the distance of Europe；
and with America in the perspective which the alien environment clouded；
he spoke of her as 〃The Land of Broken Promise。〃 It was a splendid
reproach； but perhaps too dramatic to bear the full test of analysis；
and yet it had the truth in it； and might； I think； have usefully stood；
to the end of making people think。 Undoubtedly it expressed his sense of
the case； and in the same measure it would now express that of many who
love their country most among us。 It is well to hold one's country to
her promises； and if there are any who think she is forgetting them it is
their duty to say so； even to the point of bitter accusation。 I do not
suppose it was the 〃common man〃 of Lincoln's dream that Lowell thought
America was unfaithful to； though as I have suggested he could be tender
of the common man's hopes in her； but he was impeaching in that blotted
line her sincerity with the uncommon man： the man who had expected of her
a constancy to the ideals of her youth end to the high martyr…moods of
the war which had given an unguarded and bewildering freedom to a race of
slaves。 He was thinking of the shame of our municipal corruptions； the
debased quality of our