波波小说

第23部分（第1页）

ed　the　threshold。　　〃A　rare　case！〃　he　muttered。　〃I　must　needs　look　deeper　into　it。　Astrange　sympathy　betwixt　soul　and　body！　Were　it　only　for　the　artssake；　I　must　search　this　matter　to　the　bottom！〃　　It　came　to　pass；　not　long　after　the　scene　above　recorded；　that　theReverend　Mr。　Dimmesdale；　at　noon…day；　and　entirely　unawares；　fell　intoa　deep；　deep　slumber；　sitting　in　his　chair；　with　a　largeblack…letter　volume　open　before　him　on　the　table。　It　must　have　beena　work　of　vast　ability　in　the　somniferous　school　of　literature。　Theprofound　depth　of　the　ministers　repose　was　the　more　remarkable；inasmuch　as　he　was　one　of　those　persons　whose　sleep；　ordinarily；　is　aslight；　as　fitful；　and　as　easily　scared　away；　as　a　small　bird　hoppingon　a　twig。　To　such　an　unwonted　remoteness；　however；　had　his　spirit　nowwithdrawn　into　itself；　that　he　stirred　not　in　his　chair；　when　oldRoger　Chillingworth；　without　any　extraordinary　precaution；　came　intothe　room。　The　physician　advanced　directly　in　front　of　his　patient；laid　his　hand　upon　his　bosom；　and　thrust　aside　the　vestment；　that；hitherto；　had　always　covered　it　even　from　the　professional　eye。　　Then；　indeed；　Mr。　Dimmesdale　shuddered；　and　slightly　stirred。　　After　a　brief　pause；　the　physician　turned　away。　　But；　with　what　a　wild　look　of　wonder；　joy；　and　horror！　With　what　aghastly　rapture；　as　it　were；　too　mighty　to　be　expressed　only　by　theeye　and　features；　and　therefore　bursting　forth　through　the　wholeugliness　of　his　figure；　and　making　itself　even　riotously　manifest　bythe　extravagant　gestures　with　which　he　threw　up　his　arms　towards　theceiling；　and　stamped　his　foot　upon　the　floor！　Had　a　man　seen　old　RogerChillingworth；　at　that　moment　of　his　ecstasy；　he　would　have　had　noneed　to　ask　how　Satan　ports　himself；　when　a　precious　human　soulis　lost　to　heaven；　and　won　into　his　kingdom。　　But　what　distinguished　the　physicians　ecstasy　from　Satans　wasthe　trait　of　wonder　in　it！　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　XI。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　INTERIOR　OF　A　HEART。　　AFTER　the　incident　last　described；　the　intercourse　between　theclergyman　and　the　physician；　though　externally　the　same；　was　really　ofanother　character　than　it　had　previously　been。　The　intellect　ofRoger　Chillingworth　had　now　a　sufficiently　plain　path　before　it。　Itwas　not；　indeed；　precisely　that　which　he　had　laid　out　for　himself　toread。　Calm；　gentle；　passionless；　as　he　appeared；　there　alice；　hitherto　latent；　but　active　now；　inthis　unfortunate　old　man；　which　led　him　to　imagine　a　more　intimaterevenge　than　any　mortal　had　ever　wreaked　upon　an　enemy。　To　makehimself　the　one　trusted　friend；　to　whom　should　be　confided　all　thefear；　the　remorse；　the　agony；　the　ineffectual　repentance；　the　backwardrush　of　sinful　thoughts；　expelled　in　vain！　All　that　guilty　sorrow；hidden　from　the　world；　whose　great　heart　would　have　pitied　andforgiven；　to　be　revealed　to　him；　the　Pitiless；　to　him；　theUnforgiving！　All　that　dark　treasure　to　be　lavished　on　the　very　man；　towhom　nothing　else　could　so　adequately　pay　the　debt　of　vengeance。　　The　clergymans　shy　and　sensitive　reserve　had　balked　this　scheme。Roger　Chillingworth；　however；　was　inclined　to　be　hardly；　if　at　all；less　satisfied　with　the　aspect　of　affairs；　which　Providence…　using　theavenger　and　his　victim　for　its　own　purposes；　and；　perchance；pardoning；　where　it　seemed　most　to　punish…　had　substituted　for　hisblack　devices。　A　revelation；　he　could　almost　say；　had　been　grantedto　him。　It　mattered　little；　for　his　object；　whether　celestial；　or　fromwhat　other　region。　By　its　aid；　in　all　the　subsequent　relations　betwixthim　and　Mr。　Dimmesdale；　not　merely　the　external　presence；　but　the　veryinmost　soul；　of　the　latter　seemed　to　be　brought　out　before　his　eyes；so　that　he　could　see　and　prehend　its　every　movement。　He　became；thenceforth；　not　a　spectator　only；　but　a　chief　actor；　in　the　poorministers　interior　world。　He　could　play　upon　him　as　he　chose。　Wouldhe　arouse　him　with　a　throb　of　agony？　The　victim　was　for　ever　on　therack；　it　needed　only　to　know　the　spring　that　controlled　the　engine…and　the　physician　knew　it　well！　Would　be　startle　him　with　sudden　fear？As　at　the　waving　of　a　magicians　wand；　uprose　a　grisly　phantom…　uprosea　thousand　phantoms…　in　many　shapes；　of　death；　or　more　awful　shame；all　flocking　round　about　tie　clergyman；　and　pointing　with　theirfingers　at　his　breast！　　All　this　was　acplished　with　a　subtlety　so　perfect；　that　theminister；　though　he　had　constantly　a　dim　perception　of　some　evilinfluence　watching　over　him；　could　never　gain　a　knowledge　of　itsactual　nature。　True；　he　looked　doubtfully；　fearfully…　even；　attimes；　with　horror　and　the　bitterness　of　hatred…　at　the　deformedfigure　of　the　old　physician。　His　gestures；　his　gait；　his　grizzledbeard；　his　slightest　and　most　indifferent　acts；　the　very　fashion　ofhis　garments；　were　odious　in　the　clergymans　sight；　a　token　implicitlyto　be　relied　on；　of　a　deeper　antipathy　in　the　breast　of　the　latterthan　he　was　willing　to　acknowledge　to　himself。　For；　as　it　wasimpossible　to　assign　a　reason　for　such　distrust　and　abhorrence；　so　Mr。Dimmesdale；　conscious　that　the　poison　of　one　morbid　spot　was　infectinghis　hearts　entire　substance；　attributed　all　his　presentiments　to　noother　cause。　He　took　himself　to　task　for　his　bad　sympathies　inreference　to　Roger　Chillingworth；　disregarded　the　lesson　that　heshould　have　drawn　from　them；　and　did　his　best　to　root　them　out。　Unableto　acplish　this；　he　nevertheless；　as　a　matter　of　principle；continued　his　habits　of　social　familiarity　with　the　old　man；　andthus　gave　him　constant　opportunities　for　perfecting　the　purpose　towhich…　poor；　forlorn　creature　that　he　was；　and　more　wretched　thanhis　victim…　the　avenger　had　devoted　himself。　　While　thus　suffering　under　bodily　disease；　and　gnawed　and　torturedby　some　black　trouble　of　the　soul；　and　given　over　to　themachinations　of　his　deadliest　enemy；　the　Reverend　Mr。　Dimmesdale　hadachieved　a　brilliant　popularity　in　his　sacred　office。　He　won　it；indeed；　in　great　part；　by　his　sorrows。　His　intellectual　gifts；　hismoral　perceptions；　his　power　of　experiencing　and　municatingemotion；　were　kept　in　a　state　of　preternatural　activity　by　the　prickand　anguish　of　his　daily　life。　His　fame；　though　still　on　its　upwardslope；　already　overshadowed　the　soberer　reputations　of　hisfellow…clergymen；　eminent　as　several　of　them　were。　There　were　scholarsamong　them；　who　had　spent　more　years　in　acquiring　abstruse　lore；connected　with　the　divine　profession；　than　Mr。　Dimmesdale　had　lived；and　who　might　well；　therefore；　be　more　profoundly　versed　in　such　solidand　valuable　attainments　than　their　youthful　brother。　There　weremen；　too；　of　a　sturdier　texture　of　mind　than　his；　and　endowed　with　afar　greater　share　of　shrewd；　hard；　iron；　or　granite　understanding；which；　duly　mingled　with　a　fair　proportion　of　doctrinal　ingredient；constitutes　a　highly　respectable；　efficacious；　and　unamiable　varietyof　the　clerical　species。　There　were　others；　again；　true　saintlyfathers；　whose　faculties　had　been　elaborated　by　weary　toil　among　theirbooks；　and　by　patient　thought；　and　etherealised；　moreover；　byspiritual　munications　with　the　better　world；　into　which　theirpurity　of　life　had　almost　introduced　these　holy　personages；　with　theirgarments　of　mortality　still　clinging　to　them。　All　that　they　lacked　wasthe　gift　that　descended　upon　the　chosen　disciples　at　Pentecost；　intongues　of　flame；　symbolising；　it　would　seem；　not　the　power　ofspeech　in　foreign　and　unknown　languages；　but　that　of　addressing　thewhole　human　brotherhood　in　the　hearts　native　language。　These　fathers；otherwise　so　apostolic；　lacked　Heavens　last　and　rarest　attestation　oftheir　office；　the　Tongue　of　Flame。　They　would　have　vainly　sought…had　they　ever　dreamed　of　seeking…　to　express　the　highest　truthsthrough　the　humblest　medium　of　familiar　words　and　images。　Their　voicescame　down；　afar　and　indistinctly；　from　the　upper　heights　where　theyhabitually　dwelt。　　Not　improbably；　it　was　to　this　latter　class　of　men　that　Mr。Dimmesdale；　by　many　of　his　traits　of　character；　naturally　belonged。　Tothe　high　mountain…peaks　of　faith　and　sanctity　he　would　have　climbed；had　not　the　tendency　been　thwarted　by　the　burden；　whatever　it　mightbe；　of　crime　or　anguish；　beneath　which　it　was　his　doom　to　totter。　Itkept　him　down；　on　a　level　with　the　lowest；　him；　the　man　of　etherealattributes；　whose　voice　the　angels　might　else　have　listened　to　andanswered！　But　this　very　burden　it　was；　that　gave　him　sympathies　sointimate　with　the　sinful　brotherhood　of　mankind；　so　that　his　heartvibrated　in　unison　with　theirs；　and　received　their　pain　into　itself；and　sent　its　own　throb　of　pain　through　a　thousand　other　hearts；　ingushes　of　sad；　persuasive　eloquence。　Oftenest　persuasive；　butsometimes　terrible！　The　people　knew　not　the　power　that　moved　themthus。　They　deemed　the　young　clergyman　a　miracle　of　holiness。　Theyfancied　him　the　mouthpiece　of　Heavens　messages　of　wisdom；　and　rebuke；and　love。　In　their　eyes；　the　very　ground　on　which　he　trod　wassanctified。　The　virgins　of　his　church　grew　pale　around　him；　victims　ofa　passion　so　imbued　with　religious　sentiment　that　they　imagined　itto　be　all　religion；　and　brought　it　openly；　in　their　white　bosoms；　astheir　most　acceptable　sacrifice　before　the　altar。　The　aged　membersof　his　flock；　beholding　Mr。　Dimmesdales　frame　so　feeble；　while　theywere　themselves　so　rugged　in　their　infirmity；　believed　that　he　wouldgo　heavenward　before　them；　and　enjoined　it　upon　their　children；　thattheir　old　bones　should　be　buried　close　to　their　young　pastors　holygrave。　And；　all　this　time；　perchance；　when　poor　Mr。　Dimmesdale　wasthinking　of　his　grave；　he　questioned　with　himself　whether　the　grasswould　ever　grow　on　it；　because　an　accursed　thing　must　there　be　buried！　　It　is　inconceivable；　the　agony　with　which　this　public　venerationtortured　him！　It　was　his　genuine　impulse　to　adore　the　truth；　and　toreckon　all　things　shadow…like；　and　utterly　devoid　of　weight　orvalue；　that　had　not　its　divine　essence　as　the　life　within　theirlife。　Then；　what　was　he？…　a　substance？…　or　the　dimmest　of　all　shadows？He　longed　to　speak　out；　from　his　own　pulpit；　at　the　full　height　of　hisvoice；　and　tell　the　people　what　he　was。　〃I；　whom　you　behold　in　theseblack　garments　of　the　priesthood…　I；　who　ascend　the　sacred　desk；　andturn　my　pale　face　heavenward；　taking　upon　myself　to　hold　munion；　inyour　behalf；　with　the　Most　High　Omniscience…　I；　in　whose　daily　lifeyou　discern　the　sanctity　of　Enoch…　I；　whose　footsteps；　as　you　suppose；leave　a　gleam　along　my　earthly　track；　whereby　the　pilgrims　thatshall　e　after　me　may　be　guided　to　the　regions　of　the　blest…　I；who　have　laid　the　hand　of　baptism　upon　your　children…　I；　who　havebreathed　the　parting　prayer　over　your　dying　friends；　to　whom　theAmen　sounded　faintly　from　a　world　which　they　had　quitted…　I；　yourpastor；　whom　you　so　reverence　and　trust；　am　utterly　a　pollution　anda　lie！〃　　More　than　once；　Mr。　Dimmesdale　had　gone　into　the　pulpit；　with　apurpose　never　to　e　down　its　steps；　until　he　should　have　spokenwords　like　the　above。　More　than　once；　he　had　cleared　his　throat；　anddrawn　in　the　long；　deep；　and　tremulous　breath；　which；　when　sentforth　again；　would　e　burdened　with　the　black　secret　of　his　soul。More　than　once…　nay；　more　than　a　hundred　times…　he　had　actuallyspoken！　Spoken！　But　how？　He　had　told　his　hearers　that　he　wasaltogether　vile；　a　viler　panion　of　the　vilest；　the　worst　ofsinners；　an　abomination；　a　thing　of　unimaginable　iniquity；　and　thatthe　only　wonder　was；　that　they　did　n

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