第2章

类别:其他 作者:Charles Reade字数:9361更新时间:18/12/14 10:46:38
\"Yes,\"repliedRosa,quietly。 Theoldmanwouldnotscoldhernow;heonlysaid,sadly,\"Iseehowitis:becauseIwillnotletyoumarrypoverty,youthinkIdonotloveyou。\"Andhesighed。 \"Opapa!theidea!\"saidRosa。\"Ofcourse,Iknowyouloveme。Itwasnotthat,youdear,darling,foolishpapa。There!ifyoumustknow,itwasbecauseIdidnotwantyoutobedistressed。I thoughtImightgetbetterwithalittlephysic;and,ifnot,why,thenIthought,\'Papaisanoldman;la!IdaresayIshalllasthistime;\'andso,whyshouldIpoisonyourlatterdayswithworryingaboutME?\" Mr。Lusignanstaredather,andhislipquivered;buthethoughtthetraithardlyconsistentwithhersuperficialcharacter。Hecouldnothelpsaying,halfsadly,halfbitterly,\"Well,butofcourseyouhavetoldDr。Staines。\" Rosaopenedherbeautifuleyes,liketwosuns。\"OfcourseIhavedonenothingofthesort。Hehasenoughtotroublehim,withoutthat。Poorfellow!thereheis,worryingandstrivingtomakehisfortune,andgainyouresteem——\'theygotogether,\'youknow;youtoldhimso。\"(Youngcatswillscratchwhenleastexpected。)\"AndformetogoandtellhimIamindanger!Why,hewouldgowild。 Hewouldthinkofnothingbutmeandmyhealth。Hewouldnevermakehisfortune:andsothen,evenwhenIamgone,hewillnevergetawife,becausehehasonlygotgeniusandgoodnessandthreethousandpounds。No,papa,IhavenottoldpoorChristopher。I mayteasethoseIlove。IhavebeenteasingYOUthiseversolong; butfrightenthem,andmakethemmiserable?No!\" Andhere,thinkingoftheanguishthatwasperhapsinstoreforthosesheloved,shewantedtocry;italmostchokedhernotto。 Butshefoughtitbravelydown:shereservedhertearsforlighteroccasionsandlessnoblesentiments。 Herfatherheldouthisarmstoher。Sheranherfootstooltohim,andsatnestlingtohisheart。 \"Pleaseforgivememymisconduct。Ihavenotbeenadutifuldaughtereversinceyou——butnowIwill。Kissme,myownpapa! There!Nowweareaswealwayswere。\" Thenshepurredtohimoneverypossibletopicbuttheonethatnowfilledhisparentalheart,andbadehimgood-nightatlastwithacheerfulsmile。 Wymanwasexact,andtenminutesafterwardsDr。Snelldroveupinacarriageandpair。HewasinterceptedinthehallbyWyman,and,afterafewminutes\'conversation,presentedtoMr。Lusignan。 Thefathergaveventtohispaternalanxietyinafewsimplebuttouchingwords,andwasproceedingtostatethesymptomsashehadgatheredthemfromhisdaughter;butDr。Snellinterruptedhimpolitely,andsaidhehadheardtheprincipalsymptomsfromMr。 Wyman。Then,turningtothelatter,hesaid,\"Wehadbetterproceedtoexaminethepatient。\" \"Certainly,\"saidMr。Lusignan。\"Sheisinthedrawing-room;\"andheledtheway,andwasabouttoentertheroom,whenWymaninformedhimitwasagainstetiquetteforhimtobepresentattheexamination。 \"Oh,verywell!\"saidhe。\"Yes,Iseetheproprietyofthat。Butobligemebyaskingherifshehasanythingonhermind。\" Dr。Snellbowedaloftyassent;for,toreceiveahintfromalaymanwastoconferafavoronhim。 Themenofsciencewereclosetedfullhalfanhourwiththepatient。Shewastoobeautifultobeslurredover,evenbyabusydoctor:hefeltherpulse,lookedathertongue,andlistenedattentivelytoherlungs,toherheart,andtotheorgansuspectedbyWyman。Heleftheratlastwithakindlyassurancethatthecasewasperfectlycurable。 Atthedoortheyweremetbytheanxiousfather,whocamewiththrobbingheart,andaskedthedoctors\'verdict。 Hewascoollyinformedthatcouldnotbegivenuntiltheconsultationhadtakenplace;theresultofthatconsultationwouldbeconveyedtohim。 \"Andpray,whycan\'tIbepresentattheconsultation?Thegroundsonwhichtwoablemenagreeordisagreemustbewellworthlisteningto。\" \"Nodoubt,\"saidDr。Snell;\"but,\"withasuperiorsmile,\"mydearsir,itisnottheetiquette。\" \"Oh,verywell,\"saidLusignan。Buthemuttered,\"So,then,afatherisnobody!\" Andthisunreasonablepersonretiredtohisstudy,miserable,andgaveupthedining-roomtotheconsultation。 Theysoonrejoinedhim。 Dr。Snell\'sopinionwascommunicatedbyWyman。\"IamhappytotellyouthatDr。Snellagreeswithme,entirely:thelungsarenotaffected,andtheliveriscongested,butnotdiseased。\" \"Isthatso,Dr。Snell?\"askedLusignan,anxiously。 \"Itisso,sir。\"Headded,\"Thetreatmenthasbeensubmittedtome,andIquiteapproveit。\" Hethenaskedforapenandpaper,andwroteaprescription。HeassuredMr。Lusignanthatthecasehadnoextraordinaryfeature,whatever;hewasnottoalarmhimself。Dr。Snellthendroveaway,leavingtheparentratherpuzzled,but,onthewhole,muchcomforted。 AndhereImustrevealanextraordinarycircumstance。 Wyman\'streatmentwasbydrugs。 Dr。Snell\'swasbydrugs。 Dr。Snell,asyouhaveseen,entirelyapprovedWyman\'streatment。 Hisownhadnothingincommonwithit。TheArcticandAntarcticpolesarenotfartherapartthanwashisprescriptionfromtheprescriptionhethoroughlyapproved。 Amiablescience!Inwhichcompletediversityofpracticedidnotinterferewithperfectuniformityofopinion。 AllthiswaskeptfromDr。Staines,andhewasentirelyoccupiedintryingtogetapositionthatmightleadtofortune,andsatisfyMr。Lusignan。Hecalledoneveryfriendhehad,toinquirewheretherewasanopening。HewalkedmilesandmilesinthebestquartersofLondon,lookingforanopening;heletitbeknowninmanyquartersthathewouldgiveagoodpremiumtoanyphysicianwhowasabouttoretire,andwouldintroducehimtohispatients。 No:hecouldhearofnothing。 Then,afteragreatstrugglewithhimself,hecalleduponhisuncle,PhilipStaines,aretiredM。D。,toseeifhewoulddoanythingforhim。Heleftthistothelast,foraverygoodreason:Dr。Philipwasanirritableoldbachelor,whohadassistedmostofhismarriedrelatives;but,findingnobottomtothewell,hadturnedrustyandcrusty,andnowwasapttoadministerkicksinsteadofcheckstoallwhowerenearanddeartohim。However,Christopherwastheoldgentleman\'sfavorite,andwasnowdesperate;sohemusteredcourage,andwent。Hewasgraciouslyreceived——warmly,indeed。Thisgavehimgreathopes,andhetoldhistale。 TheoldbachelorsidedwithMr。Lusignan。\"What!\"saidhe,\"doyouwanttomarry,andpropagatepauperism?Ithoughtyouhadmoresense。ConfounditallIhadjustonenephewwhoseknockatmystreet-doordidnotmakemetremble;hewasabachelorandathinker,andcameforafriendlychat;therestaremarriedmen,highwaymen,whocometosay,\'Standanddeliver;\'andnowevenyouwanttojointhegiddythrong。Well,don\'taskmetohaveanyhandinit。Youareamanofpromise;andyoumightaswellhangamillstoneroundyourneckasawife。Marriageisagreatermistakethanevernow;thewomendressmoreandmanageworse。ImetyourcousinJacktheotherday,andhiswifewithseventypoundsonherback;andnextdoortopaupers。No;whilstyouareabachelor,likeme,youaremyfavorite,anddowninmywillforalump。Oncemarry,andyoujointhenoblearmyoffoot-pads,leeches,vultures,paupers,gonecoons,andbabblersaboutbrats——andIdisownyou。\" TherewasnohopefromoldCrusty。Christopherlefthim,snubbedandheart-sick。Atlasthemetasensibleman,whomadehimseetherewasnoshortcutinthatprofession。Hemustbecontenttoplaytheup-hillgame;mustsettleinsomegoodneighborhood; marry,ifpossible,sincehusbandsandfathersoffamiliesprefermarriedphysicians;andsobepooratthirty,comfortableatforty,andrichatfifty——perhaps。 ThenChristophercamedowntohislodgingsatGravesend,andwasveryunhappy;andaftersomedaysofmisery,hewrotealettertoRosainamomentofimpatience,despondency,andpassion。 RosaLusignangotworseandworse。Theslightbutfrequenthemorrhagewasadrainuponhersystem,andweakenedhervisibly。 Shebegantoloseherrichcomplexion,andsometimeslookedalmostsallow;andaslightcircleshoweditselfunderhereyes。Thesesymptomswereunfavorable;nevertheless,Dr。SnellandMr。Wymanacceptedthemcheerfully,asfreshindicationsthatnothingwasaffectedbuttheliver;theymultipliedandvariedtheirprescriptions;themaladyignoredthoseprescriptions,andwentsteadilyon。Mr。Lusignanwasterrifiedbuthelpless。Rosaresignedandreticent。 Butitwasnotinhumannaturethatagirlofthisagecouldalwaysandatallhoursbemistressofherself。Oneeveninginparticularshestoodbeforetheglassinthedrawing-room,andlookedatherselfalongtimewithhorror。\"IsthatRosaLusignan?\"saidshe,aloud;\"itisherghost。\" Adeepgroanstartledher。Sheturned;itwasherfather。Shethoughthewasfastasleep;andsoindeedhehadbeen;buthewasjustawaking,andheardhisdaughterutterherrealmind。Itwasathunder-clap。\"Oh,mychild!whatshallIdo?\"hecried。 ThenRosawastakenbysurpriseinherturn。Shespokeout。\"Sendforagreatphysician,papa。Don\'tletusdeceiveourselves;itisouronlychance。\" \"IwillaskMr。WymantogetaphysiciandownfromLondon。\" \"No,no;thatisnouse;theywillputtheirheadstogether,andhewillsaywhateverMr。Wymantellshim。La!papa,aclevermanlikeyou,nottoseewhatacheatthatconsultationwas。Why,fromwhatyoutoldme,onecanseeitwasmanagedsothatDr。Snellcouldnotpossiblyhaveanopinionofhisown。No;nomoreechoesofMr。 Chatterbox。Ifyoureallywanttocureme,sendforChristopherStaines。\" \"Dr。Staines!heisveryyoung。\" \"Butheisveryclever,andheisnotanecho。Hewon\'tcarehowmanydoctorshecontradictswhenIamindanger。Papa,itisyourchild\'sonechance。\" \"I\'lltryit,\"saidtheoldman,eagerly。\"Howconfidentyoulook! yourcolorhascomeback。Itisaninspiration。Whereishe?\" \"IthinkbythistimehemustbeathislodgingsinGravesend。 Sendtohimto-morrowmorning。\" \"NotI!I\'llgotohimto-night。Itisonlyamile,andafineclearnight。\" \"Myown,good,kindpapa!Ah!well,comewhatmay,Ihavelivedlongenoughtobeloved。Yes,dearpapa,saveme。Iamveryyoungtodie;andhelovesmesodearly。\" Theoldmanbustledawaytoputonsomethingwarmerforhisnightwalk,andRosaleanedback,andthetearswelledoutofhereyes,nowhewasgone。 Beforeshehadrecoveredhercomposure,aletterwasbroughther,andthiswastheletterfromChristopherStaines,alludedtoalready。 Shetookitfromtheservantwithavertedhead,notwishingittobeseenshehadbeencrying,andshestartedatthehandwriting;itseemedsuchacoincidencethatitshouldcomejustasshewassendingforhim。 MYOWNBELOVEDROSA,——Inowwritetotellyou,withaheavyheart,thatallisvain。Icannotmake,norpurchase,aconnection,exceptasothersdo,bytimeandpatience。Beingabachelorisquiteagainstayoungphysician。IfIhadawife,andsuchawifeasyou,Ishouldbesuretogeton;youwouldincreasemyconnectionverysoon。What,then,liesbeforeus?Iseebuttwothings——towaittillweareold,andourpocketsarefilled,butourheartschilledorsoured;orelsetomarryatonce,andclimbthehilltogether。IfyoulovemeasIloveyou,youwillbesavingtillthebattleisover;andIfeelIcouldfindenergyandfortitudeforboth。Yourfather,whothinkssomuchofwealth,cansurelysettlesomethingonYOU;andIamnottoopoortofurnishahouseandstartfair。Iamnotquiteobscure——mylectureshavegivenmeaname——andtoyou,myownlove,IhopeImaysaythatI knowmorethanmanyofmyelders,thankstogoodschools,goodmethod,agenuineloveofmynobleprofession,andatendencytostudyfrommychildhood。Willyounotrisksomethingonmyability?Ifnot,Godhelpme,forIshallloseyou;andwhatislife,orfame,orwealth,oranymortalthingtome,withoutyou? Icannotacceptyourfather\'sdecision;YOUmustdecidemyfate。 YouseeIhavekeptawayfromyouuntilIcandosonomore。Allthistimetheworldtomehasseemedtowantthesun,andmyheartpinesandsickensforonesightofyou。 DarlingRosa,prayletmelookatyourfaceoncemore。 WhenthisreachesyouIshallbeatyourgate。Letmeseeyou,thoughbutforamoment,andletmehearmyfatefromnolipsbutyours——Myownlove,yourheart-brokenlover,CHRISTOPHERSTAINES。 Thisletterstunnedheratfirst。Hermindoflatehadbeenturnedawayfromlovetosuchsternrealities。Nowshebegantobesorryshehadnottoldhim。\"Poorthing!\"shesaidtoherself,\"helittleknowsthatnowallischanged。Papa,Isometimesthink,woulddenymenothingnow;itisIwhowouldnotmarryhim——tobeburiedbyhiminamonthortwo。PoorChristopher!\" Thenextmomentshestartedupindismay。Why,herfatherwouldmisshim。No;perhapscatchhimwaitingforher。Whatwouldhethink?WhatwouldChristopherthink?——thatshehadshownherpapahisletter。 Sherangthebellhard。Thefootmancame。 \"SendHarriettomethisinstant。Oh,andaskpapatocometome。\" ThenshesatdownanddashedoffalinetoChristopher。ThiswasforHarriettotakeouttohim。AnythingbetterthanforChristophertobecaughtdoingwhatwaswrong。 Thefootmancamebackfirst。\"Ifyouplease,miss,masterhasgoneout。\" \"Runafterhim——theroadtoGravesend。\" \"Yes,miss。\" \"No。Itisnouse。Nevermind。\" \"Yes,miss。\" ThenHarrietcamein。\"Didyouwantme,miss?\" \"Yes。No——nevermindnow。\" Shewasafraidtodoanythingforfearofmakingmattersworse。 Shewenttothewindow,andstoodlookinganxiouslyout,withherhandsworking。Presentlysheutteredalittlescreamandshrankawaytothesofa。Shesankdownonit,halfsitting,halflying,hidherfaceinherhands,andwaited。 Staines,withalover\'simpatience,hadbeenmorethananhouratthegate,orwalkingupanddownclosebyit,hisheartnowburningwithhope,nowfreezingwithfear,thatshewoulddeclineameetingontheseterms。 Atlastthepostmancame,andthenhesawhewastoosoon;butnowinafewminutesRosawouldhavehisletter,andthenheshouldsoonknowwhethershewouldcomeornot。Helookedupatthedrawing-roomwindows。Theywerefulloflight。Shewasthereinallprobability。Yetshedidnotcometothem。Butwhyshouldshe,ifshewascomingout? Hewalkedupanddowntheroad。Shedidnotcome。Hisheartbegantosickenwithdoubt。Hisheaddrooped;andperhapsitwasowingtothisthathealmostranagainstagentlemanwhowascomingtheotherway。Themoonshonebrightonbothfaces。 \"Dr。Staines!\"saidMr。Lusignansurprised。Christopherutteredanejaculationmoreeloquentthanwords。 Theystaredateachother。 \"Youwerecomingtocallonus?\" \"N——no,\"stammeredChristopher。 Lusignanthoughtthatodd;however,hesaidpolitely,\"Nomatter,itisfortunate。Wouldyoumindcomingin?\" \"No,\"falteredChristopher,andstaredathimruefully,puzzledmoreandmore,butbeginningtothink,afterall,itmightbeacasualmeeting。 Theyenteredthegate,andinonemomenthesawRosaatthewindow,andshesawhim。 Thenhealteredhisopinionagain。Rosahadsentherfatherouttohim。Buthowwasthis?Theoldmandidnotseemangry。 Christopher\'sheartgavealeapinsidehim,andhebegantoglowwiththewildesthopes。For,whatcouldthismeanbutrelenting? Mr。Lusignantookhimfirstintothestudy,andlightedtwocandleshimself。Hedidnotwanttheservantsprying。 ThelightsshowedChristopherachangeinMr。Lusignan。Helookedtenyearsolder。 \"Youarenotwell,sir,\"saidChristophergently。 \"Myhealthiswellenough,butIamabroken-heartedman。Dr。 Staines,forgetallthatpassedhereatyourlastvisit。Allthatisover。Thankyouforlovingmypoorgirlasyoudo;givemeyourhand;Godblessyou。Sir,IamsorrytosayitisasaphysicianI inviteyounow。Sheisill,sir,very,veryill。\" \"Ill!andnottellme!\" \"Shekeptitfromyou,mypoorfriend,nottodistressyou;andshetriedtokeepitfromme,buthowcouldshe?Fortwomonthsshehashadsometerriblecomplaint——itisdestroyingher。Sheistheghostofherself。Oh,mypoorchild!mychild!\" Theoldmansobbedaloud。Theyoungmanstoodtrembling,andashypale。Still,thehabitsofhisprofession,andtheexperienceofdangersovercome,togetherwithacertainsenseofpower,kepthimup;but,aboveall,loveanddutysaid,\"Befirm。\"Heaskedforanoutlineofthesymptoms。 Theyalarmedhimgreatly。 \"Letuslosenomoretime,\"saidhe。\"Iwillseeheratonce。\" \"Doyouobjecttomybeingpresent?\" \"Ofcoursenot。\" \"ShallItellyouwhatDr。Snellsaysitis,andMr。Wyman?\" \"Byallmeans——afterIhaveseenher。\" ThiscomfortedMr。Lusignan。Hewastogetanindependentjudgment,atallevents。 Whentheyreachedthetopofthestairs,Dr。Stainespausedandleanedagainstthebaluster。\"Givemeamoment,\"saidhe。\"Thepatientmustnotknowhowmyheartisbeating,andshemustseenothinginmyfacebutwhatIchoosehertosee。Givemeyourhandoncemore,sir;letusbothcontrolourselves。Nowannounceme。\" Mr。Lusignanopenedthedoor,andsaid,withforcedcheerfulness,\"Dr。Staines,mydear,cometogiveyouthebenefitofhisskill。\" Shelayonthesofa,justaswelefther。Onlyherbosombegantoheave。 ThenChristopherStainesdrewhimselfup,andthemajestyofknowledgeandlovetogetherseemedtodilatehisnobleframe。Hefixedhiseyeonthatreclining,pantingfigure,andsteppedlightlybutfirmlyacrosstheroomtoknowtheworst,likealionwalkinguptolevelledlances。 CHAPTERIII。 Theyoungphysicianwalkedsteadilyuptohispatientwithouttakinghiseyeoffher,anddrewachairtoherside。 Thenshetookdownonehand——theleft——andgaveithim,avertingherfacetenderly,andstillcoveringitwithherright;\"For,\" saidshetoherself,\"Iamsuchafrightnow。\"Thisopportunereflection,andherheavingbosom,provedthatsheatleastfeltherselfsomethingmorethanhispatient。Herprettyconsciousnessmadehistaskmoredifficult;nevertheless,heonlyallowedhimselftopressherhandtenderlywithbothhispalmsonemoment,andthenheenteredonhisfunctionsbravely。\"Iamhereasyourphysician。\" \"Verywell,\"saidshesoftly。 Hegentlydetainedthehand,andputhisfingerlightlytoherpulse;itwaspalpitating,andafallacioustest。Oh,howthatbeatingpulse,bylove\'selectriccurrent,sethisownheartthrobbinginamoment! Heputherhandgently,reluctantlydown,andsaid,\"Obligemebyturningthisway。\"Sheturned,andhewincedinternallyatthechangeinher;buthisfacebetrayednothing。Helookedatherfull;and,afterapause,puthersomequestions:onewasastothecolorofthehemorrhage。Shesaiditwasbrightred。 \"Notatingeofpurple?\" \"No,\"saidshehopefully,mistakinghim。 Hesuppressedasigh。 Thenhelistenedathershoulder-bladeandatherchest,andmadeherdrawherbreathwhilehewaslistening。Theactsweresimple,andusualinmedicine,buttherewasadeep,patient,silentintensityabouthiswayofdoingthem。 Mr。Lusignancreptnearer,andstoodwithbothhandsonatable,andhisoldheadbowed,awaitingyetdreadingtheverdict。 Uptothistime,Dr。Staines,insteadoftappingandsqueezing,andpullingthepatientabout,hadnevertouchedherwithhishand,andonlygrazedherwithhisear;butnowhesaid\"Allowme,\"andputbothhandstoherwaist,morelightlyandreverentlythanIcandescribe;\"Nowdrawadeepbreath,ifyouplease。\" \"There!\" \"Ifyoucoulddrawadeeperstill,\"saidhe,insinuatingly。 \"There,then!\"saidshe,alittlepettishly。 Dr。Staines\'seyekindled。 \"Hum!\"saidhe。Then,afteraconsiderablepause,\"Areyoubetterorworseaftereachhemorrhage?\" \"La!\"saidRosa;\"theyneveraskedmethat。Why,better。\" \"Nofaintness?\" \"Notabit。\" \"Ratherasenseofrelief,perhaps?\" \"Yes;Ifeellighterandbetter。\" Theexaminationwasconcluded。 Dr。StaineslookedatRosa,andthenatherfather。Theagonyinthatagedface,andthelovethatagonyimplied,wonhim,anditwastotheparentheturnedtogivehisverdict。 \"Thehemorrhageisfromthelungs\"—— Lusignaninterruptedhim:\"Fromthelungs!\"criedhe,indismay。 \"Yes;aslightcongestionofthelungs。\" \"Butnotincurable!Oh,notincurable,doctor!\" \"Heavenforbid!Itiscurable——easily——byremovingthecause。\" \"Andwhatisthecause?\" \"Thecause?\"——hehesitated,andlookedratheruneasy——\"Well,thecause,sir,is——tightstays。\" Thetranquillityofthemeetingwasinstantlydisturbed。\"Tightstays!Me!\"criedRosa。\"Why,IamtheloosestgirlinEngland。 Look,papa!\"And,withoutanyapparenteffort,shedrewherselfin,andpokedherlittlefistbetweenhersashandhergown。 \"There!\" Dr。Stainessmiledsadlyandalittlesarcastically:hewasevidentlyshyofencounteringtheladyinthisargument;buthewasmoreathiseasewithherfather;soheturnedtowardshimandlecturedhimfreely。 \"Thatiswonderful,sir;andthefirstfourorfivefemalepatientsthatfavoredmewithit,mademedisbelievemyothersenses;butMissLusignanisnowaboutthethirtiethwhohasshownmethatmarvellousfeat,withacalmcountenancethatbeliestheherculeaneffort。Naturehasherevery-daymiracles:aboa-constrictor,diameterseventeeninches,canswallowabuffalo;awoman,withherstaysbisectingheralmost,andlaceratingherskin,canyetforonemomentmakeherselfseemslack,todeceiveajuvenilephysician。Thesnakeisthemiracleofexpansion;thewomanistheprodigyofcontraction。\" \"Highlygratefulforthecomparison!\"criedRosa。\"Womenandsnakes!\" Dr。Stainesblushedandlookeduncomfortable。\"Ididnotmeantobeoffensive;itcertainlywasaveryclumsycomparison。\" \"Whatdoesthatmatter?\"saidMr。Lusignan,impatiently。\"Bequiet,Rosa,andletDr。Stainesandmetalksense。\" \"Oh,thenIamnobodyinthebusiness!\"saidthiswiseyounglady。 \"Youareeverybody,\"saidStaines,soothingly。\"But,\"suggestedhe,obsequiously,\"ifyoudon\'tmind,Iwouldratherexplainmyviewstoyourfather——onthisonesubject。\"