1 Henry James's revisions of Watch and Ward 2 3 A searchable .pdf version 4 Prepared by Jay S. Spina, and Joseph Spina 5 6 This transcription combines into one coherent text the original 1871 Atlantic Monthly 7 version of Watch and Ward and the book version, much revised by James and first 8 published by Houghton, Osgood and Company in 1878. All text deleted from the 1871 9 version as James made his 1878 revision is represented in Struck Out Green. All text 10 inserted in the 1878 version is represented in Underlined Brown. 11 12 For the reader's convenience, a page number in Brown square brackets, for example [89], 13 indicates the ending of a page in the revised 1878 Houghton, Osgood and Company 14 edition. A page number in Struck Out Green parenthesis, for example (235), indicates the 15 beginning of a page in the 1871 Atlantic Monthly version. 16 17 Readers familiar with the 1959 Grove Press edition will notice many discrepancies 18 between it and the 1878 Houghton, Osgood and Company edition. For this reason, a list 19 of discrepancies is also included. 20 21 22 23 24 NOTE. 25 "Watch and Ward" first appeared in the 26 Atlantic Monthly in the year 1871. It has 27 now been minutely revised, and has received 28 many verbal alterations. 29 April, 1878 30 ________________________________________________________________________ 31 32 33 (232) 34 WATCH AND WARD. 35 36 IN FIVE PARTS: PART FIRST. 37 38 39 I. 40 41 ROGER LAWRENCE had come to town for the express purpose of doing a certain act, 42 but as the hour for action approached he felt his ardor rapidly ebbing away. Of the ardor 43 that comes from hope, indeed, he had felt little from the first; so little that as he whirled 44 along in the train he wondered to find himself engaged in this fool's errand. But in default 45 of hope he was sustained, I may almost say, by despair. He would should fail, he was 46 sure, but he must fail again before he could rest. Meanwhile he was restless enough. In 47 the evening, at his hotel, having roamed aimlessly about the streets for a couple of hours 48 in the dark December cold, he went up to his room and dressed, with a painful sense of 49 having but partly succeeded in giving himself the tournure figure of an impassioned 50 suitor. He was twenty-nine years old, sound and strong, with a tender heart, and a genius, 51 almost, for common sense common-sense; his face told clearly of youth and kindness and 52 sanity, but it had little other beauty. His [5] complexion was so fresh as to be almost 53 absurd in a man of his age,--an effect rather enhanced by a precocious partial too early 54 baldness. Being extremely short-sighted, he went with his head thrust forward; but as this 55 infirmity is considered by persons who have studied the picturesque to impart an air of 56 distinction, he may have the benefit of the possibility. His figure was compact and sturdy, 57 and, on the whole, his best point; although, owing to an incurable personal shyness, he 58 had a good deal of awkwardness of movement. He was fastidiously neat in his person, 59 and extremely precise and methodical in his habits, which were of the sort supposed to 60 mark a man for bachelorhood. The desire to get the better of his diffidence had given him 61 a somewhat ponderous certain formalism of manner, which many persons found 62 extremely amusing. He was remarkable for the spotlessness of his linen, the high polish 63 of his boots, and the smoothness of his hat. He carried in all weathers a peculiarly neat 64 umbrella. He never smoked; he drank in moderation. His voice, instead of being the 65 robust barytone which his capacious chest led you to expect, was a mild, deferential 66 tenor. He was fond of going early to bed, and was suspected of what is called "fussing" 67 with his health. No one had ever accused him of meanness, yet he passed universally for 68 a cunning economist. In trifling matters, such as the choice of a shoemaker or a dentist, 69 his word carried weight; but no one dreamed of asking his opinion in on politics or 70 literature. Here and there, nevertheless, an observer less superficial than the majority 71 would have whispered you that Roger was an under-valued undervalued man, and that in 72 the long run he would come out even with the best. "Have you ever studied his [6] face?" 73 such an observer would say. Beneath its simple serenity, over which his ruddy blushes 74 seemed to pass like clouds in a summer sky, there slumbered a fund of exquisite human 75 expression. The eye was excellent; small, perhaps, and somewhat dull, but with a certain 76 appealing depth, like the tender dumbness in the gaze of a dog. In repose Lawrence may 77 have looked stupid; but as he talked his face slowly brightened by gradual fine degrees, 78 until at the end of an hour it inspired you with a confidence so perfect as to be in some 79 degree a tribute to its owner's intellect, as it certainly was to his integrity. On this 80 occasion Roger dressed himself with unusual care and with a certain sober elegance. He 81 debated for three minutes over two cravats, (233) and then, blushing in his mirror at his 82 puerile vanity, he replaced reassumed the plain black tie in which he had travelled. When 83 he had finished dressing, it was still too early to go forth on his errand. He went into the 84 reading-room of the hotel, but here there soon appeared two smokers. Wishing not to be 85 infected by their fumes, he crossed over to the great empty drawing-room, sat down, and 86 beguiled his impatience with trying on a pair of lavender gloves. 87 While he was thus so engaged there came into the room a person who attracted his 88 attention by the singularity of his conduct. This was a man of less than middle age, good- 89 looking, pale, with a rather pretentious blond, pointed mustache, and various shabby 90 remnants of finery. His face was haggard, his whole aspect was that of grim and hopeless 91 misery. He walked straight to the table in the centre of the room, and poured out and 92 drank without stopping three full glasses of ice-water, as if he were striving to [7] quench 93 the fury of some inner some fever in his vitals. He then went to the window, leaned his 94 forehead against the cold pane, and drummed a nervous tattoo with his long stiff finger- 95 nails. Finally he strode over to the fireplace, flung himself into a chair, leaned forward 96 with his head in his hands, and groaned audibly. Lawrence, as he smoothed down his 97 lavender gloves, watched him and reflected:."What an image of fallen prosperity, of 98 degradation and despair! I have been fancying myself in trouble; I have been dejected, 99 doubtful, anxious. I 'm I am hopeless. But what is my sentimental sorrow to this?" The 100 unhappy gentleman rose from his chair, turned his back to the chimney-piece, and stood 101 with folded arms gazing at Lawrence, who was seated opposite to him. The young man 102 sustained his glance, but with sensible discomfort. His face was as white as ashes, his 103 eyes were as lurid as coals. Roger had never seen anything so tragic as the two long harsh 104 lines which descended from his nose, beside his mouth, showing almost black on his 105 chalky skin, and in seeming mockery of his foppish, to satirize the silly drooping ends of 106 his fair relaxed mustache. Lawrence felt that his companion was going to address him; he 107 began to draw off his gloves. The stranger suddenly came towards him, stopped a 108 moment, eyed him again with insolent intensity, and then seated himself on the sofa 109 beside him. His first movement was to seize the young man's arm. "He 's He is simply 110 crazy!" thought Lawrence. Roger was now able to appreciate the pathetic disrepair of his 111 appearance. His open waistcoat displayed a soiled and crumpled shirt-bosom, from 112 whose empty button-holes buttonholes the studs had recently been wrenched. In his 113 normal freshness the man he must have looked like a gambler with a run of luck. [8] He 114 spoke in a rapid, excited tone, with a hard, petulant voice. 115 "You 'll think me crazy, I suppose. Well, I shall be soon. Will you lend me a hundred 116 dollars?" 117 "Who are you? What 's What is your trouble?" Roger asked. 118 "My name would tell you nothing. I 'm a stranger here. My trouble,--it 's a long story! 119 But it 's grievous, I assure you. It 's pressing upon me with a fierceness that grows while I 120 sit here talking to you. A hundred dollars would stave it off,--a few days at least. Don't 121 refuse me!" These last words were uttered half as an entreaty, half as a threat. "Don't say 122 you have n't got them,--a man that wears such pretty gloves like that! Come!; you look 123 like a good fellow.