"Mrs Bathurst"

Differences between the
Windsor Magazine and collected texts

notes on the text
textual differences
the critics
KJ articles
the timescale
some problems
afterwards
headnote


[April 29 2008]





Windsor Magazine Traffics and Discoveries
1 Page 339 line 3 Indeed, she was just steaming … She was just steaming …
2
line 8 five p.m. 5 P.M.
3
line 11 one brake-van a brake-van
4
line 14 the early goods comes along the goods comes along
5
line 16 the Greeks of Simon's Town who sell the Greeks who sell
6
line 19 in the sand in sand
7
line 21 dunes, whiter than any snow in the sunshine, rolled dunes, whiter than any snow, rolled
8
line 22 brown-and-purple valley brown and purple valley
9
line 25 blue-and-green boats blue and green boats
10 Page 340 line 6 yellow rocks piled rocks
11
line 12 “tickey” beer tickey beer
12
lines 19-20 (not included) the voices of the picnickers
13
line 21 the presence of the sun the presence of the assured sun
14
line 24 Fairyland fairyland
15
line 26 “Oh! Stop that!” “Stop that!”
16
line 27 cursed little Malay boys dirty little Malay boys
17
line 33 (not included) he felt in his waistcoat pocket
18 Page 341 line 1 Wankie – beyond Bulawayo Wankies – beyond Buluwayo
19
line 17 dockyard hands for two months, so to anticipate dockyard 'ands for two months, with boiler seatings
20
line 26 the brake-van the van
21
line 31 slid out drew out
22 Page 342 line 1 the look in your starboard eye the look in the eye
23
line32 slung out of the pub turned out of the pub
24 Page 343 line 10 woods behind Vancouver woods of British Columbia
25
is still a legend used to be a legend
26
line 15 Told he had He told us he had
27
line 18 Barnato orphan Barnado Orphan
28
line 20 Patterson Paterson
29 Page 344 lines 6-7 “…. Give us a quarter. What was it, Pye?”
“Section of one hundred and six acres if we applied for it. Don't get hot, Pritch. We believed it.” 		“…. Give us a farm!”
“Don't get hot, Pritch. We believed”, said Pyecroft
30
line 10 makes himself important have himself talked of
31
line 14 fine pack o' silly idiots nice pack o' idiots
32 Page 345 line 6 Mormonistic Mormonastic
33
lines 27-28 Look at Click Look at – you know
34
line 34 whose name 'oo's name
35 Page 346 line 6 Went up country Up-country?
36
line 10 the railway the line
37
line 14 the Lake Flotilla the Nyassa Lake Flotilla
38
line 15 in command in full command
39
line 16 an armed launch on the lake an armed launch there
40
line 24 the thing the casus belli
41
line 27 D'you get a reward Does the Railway get a reward
42 Page 347 line 3 fixedly very fixedly
43
line 8 screwed down screwed home
44
line 10 Hence “Click”- Mr. Vickery was 'is Number One Name. They called 'im …. 'Ence, “Click”. They called 'im ….
45
line 12 genteelly 'alf-bred beggar genteelly speaking, 'alf-bred beggar
46
lines 14-15 “Four false teeth on the lower left jaw?” said Hooper suddenly, his hand …. “Four false teeth in the lower left jaw,” said Hooper, his hand ….
47
line 19 'ospitality 'orspitality
48
line 22 bristling all over crimsoning rapidly
49 Page 348 line 3 he began he began, wavering
50
line 12 a man a gentleman
51
line 15 Why did he run? Why did Vickery run?
52
line 21 Good Lord! By Gawd!
53
line 32 Good Lord! Good Lord Alive and Watchin'!
54 Page 349 lines 2-3 (not included) She wasn't that!
55
line 12 mightily greatly
56 Page 350 line 8 every night or so, you see every night or so
57
line 11 Slits is my particular this is my particular
58
line 17 said the sailor-man said the sailor
59 Page 351 line 26 affectionate intimate
60
lines 32-33 the last? the last - and one more?
61 Page 352 line 2 relieved relievedly
62
line 3 might you have been might you 'ave been
63
line 12 it It
64
line 14 know live with
65
line 16 were black or white talked in their sleep or not
66
line 21 None whatever None whatever. I know that!
67
lines 24-25 “He's liable to go crazy,” was the answer. “He goes crazy – or just saves himself,” was the slow answer
68
line 32 I can't say That's the dark and bloody mystery
69 Page 353 line 14 means of ascertainin' aids to ascertainin'
70
line 19 No, I was up-country – near the Zambesi if you No – up-country
71
lines 22-23 “Home and Friends” for a tickey “Home and Friends for a Tickey”
72 Page 354 line 3 gets fed up with Capetown sooner gets fed up with Cape Town quicker
73
line 22 warrant officer Warrant Officer
74
line 32 shillin' seats shillin' places
75
line 33 sixpenny seats tickey seats
76 Page 355 line 5 (Second “Not now” omitted) not now. Not now
77
line 15 (not included) - previous to birth as you might say
78
line 16 bestial beastial
79
line 18 Ah! Perhaps
80
line 22 went on clicking an' suckin' his lips went on clicking
81
lines 27-28 Of course, they are the very thing itself, when you think of it – all from nature Of course they are taken from the very thing itself, you see
82
line 33 she ran so lifelike she headed so straight
83 Page 356 line 2 just like nature just like life
84
line 3 anyone of 'em any one
85
line 14 look that look which
86
line 17 sixpenny seats tickey seats
87
line 18 Look! That's Mrs. B.! Christ! There's Mrs. B.!
88
line 22 his face down his jaw down
89
line 20 limit o' inshore drift limit o' drift
90
lines 31-32 a dry hair on me a dry atom on or in me
91 Page 358 line 14 then out – walk and drink till train time then out walk – and drink till train time
92
lines 15-16 (not included) his hand fingering his waistcoat pocket
93
line 17 A lot o' things Several things
94
line 18 I haven't quite ceased thinkin' I aren't quite done thinking
95
line 20 years per'aps years p'raps
96
line 33 an' we were makin' as we were makin'
97 Page 359 line 19 the lamp at the end the lamp by the arch at the end
98
line 20 tram comes trams come
99
line 26 'is 'and 'is hands
100
line 28 you know do you know
101
lines 28-29 sure I could explain sure if I could explain
102
line 30 the only words the only particular words
103 Page 360 line 1 they were somewhat chronic they were chronic
104
line 6 the ensuin' walk ensuin' wet walk
105
line 7 (not included) on board
106
line 12 warrant-officer warrant officer
107
line 25 dropped down to me, as you could put it, visibly down to me visibly concerned
108
Concerned
109
line 30 is what you might call the equivalent is the equivalent
110
lines 31-33 "It's done to annoy the Number One an' attract attention in the Western Mornin' Mail.Generally by a stoker. " It's done to attract the notice of the authorities an' the Western Mornin' News - generally by a stoker
111 Page 361 line 9 three p.m. 3 P.M.
112
line 12 accurately correctly
113
line 14 same evening by train to take over same evening to take over
114
lines 31-32 (not included) Consume your own smoke
115 Page 362 line 6 Admiral's side gate Admiral's garden-gate
116
lines 6-7 I'm not a murderer I am not a murderer
117
lines 7-8 my lawful wife died in 'er bed my lawful wife died in childbed
118
lines 10-11 “Then what 'ave you done that signifies?” I said.
“In 'Eaven's 'oly name, what's the rest of it? 		“The what have you done that signifies?” I said. “What's the rest of it?”
119
line 13 the station Simonstown station
120
line 18 shells ammunition
121
line 23 Read it? read it off?
122
line 29 the Sergeant The Sergeant, unshaken
123 Page 363 line 4 went to his waistcoat pocket once more
124
line 6 in murder trials in all the murder trials
125
line 9 searchlights searchlight
126
line 21 Would he pass that way Would he pass there
127
line 26 without a curve. It's all black, boggy soil. I've had without a curve. I've had
128 Page 365 line 12 struck dead stone dead
129
lines 13-14 That's what they really were, you see – charcoal
130
line 15 shift 'em lift 'em
131
line 16 glitterin' shinin'
132
lines 24-25 (not included) It was so
133
lines 30-31 but I kept …. Four in the lower jaw wasn't it? …. But since you gentlemen knew him – and I kept …. But he was a friend of you two gentlemen, you see
134 Page 365 line 9 loved loves



Notes

1. A few insignificant differences involving only punctuation or the use of capital or lower case initial letters have been omitted.

2. It will be seen that generally the alterations are not important. Some are evidently to strengthen or tauten the narrative, though to this Editor, it is not always apparent which is the narrative being tautened: some are purely a matter of choice; one, Item 91, 'then out walk – and drink till train time', is inferior to the original and is probably a printer's error.

3. Some critics have sought a special significance in Item 116, the substitution of 'my lawful wedded wife died in childbed' for 'died in 'er bed'. Reference to Items 59, 64, 68, 77 and 87, however, suggests that the Windsor Magazine was extremely careful to avoid offending delicately-minded readers and self-appointed guardians of public morality. 'In childbed may well have been what Kipling originally wrote for the magazine.

4. Item 44, the omission of ''Mr.Vickery was 'is Number One name', should have been accompanied by an amendment to page 348, line 14. As it stands, Mr. Hooper refers to Vickery without previously having heard his name.


[A.W.]

©Alastair Wilson 2008 All rights reserved