《红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)》

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红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)- 第25部分


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e universe through themedium of another kind of intellect than those with which hehabitually held converse。 It was as if a window were thrown open;admitting a freer atmosphere into the close and stifled study; wherehis life was wasting itself away; amid lamplight; or obstructedday…beams; and the musty fragrance; be it sensual or moral; thatexhales from books。 But the air was too fresh and chill to be longbreathed with fort。 So the minister; and the physician with him;withdrew again within the limits of what their church defined asorthodox。  Thus Roger Chillingworth scrutinised his patient carefully; bothas he saw him in his ordinary life; keeping an accustomed pathway inthe range of thoughts familiar to him; and as he appeared whenthrown amidst other moral scenery; the novelty of which might call outsomething new to the surface of his character。 He deemed it essential;it would seem; to know the man; before attempting to do him good。Wherever there is a heart and an intellect; the diseases of thephysical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these。 In ArthurDimmesdale; thought and imagination were so active; and sensibility sointense; that the bodily infirmity would be likely to have itsgroundwork there。 So Roger Chillingworth… the man of skill; the kindand friendly physician… strove to go deep into his patient's bosom;delving among his principles; prying into his recollections; andprobing everything with a cautious touch; like a treasure…seeker ina dark cavern。 Few secrets can escape an investigator; who hasopportunity and license to undertake such a quest; and skill to followit up。 A man burdened with a secret should especially avoid theintimacy of his physician。 If the latter possess native sagacity;and a nameless something more… let us call it intuition; if he show nointrusive egotism; nor disagreeably prominent characteristics of hisown; if he have the power; which must be born with him; to bring hismind into such affinity with his patient's; that this last shallunawares have spoken what he imagines himself only to have thought; ifsuch revelations be received without tumult; and acknowledged not sooften by an uttered sympathy as by silence; an inarticulate breath;and here and there a word; to indicate that all is understood; if tothese qualifications of a confidant be joined the advantagesafforded by his recognised character as a physician… then; at someinevitable moment; will the soul of the sufferer be dissolved; andflow forth in a dark; but transparent stream; bringing all itsmysteries into the daylight。  Roger Chillingworth possessed all; or most; of the attributesabove enumerated。 Nevertheless; time went on; a kind of intimacy; aswe have said; grew up between these two cultivated minds; which had aswide a field as the whole sphere of human thought and study; to meetupon; they discussed every topic of ethics and religion; of publicaffairs; and private character; they talked much; on both sides; ofmatters that seemed personal to themselves; and yet no secret; such asthe physician fancied must exist there; ever stole out of theminister's consciousness into his panion's ear。 The latter hadhis suspicions; indeed; that even the nature of Mr。 Dimmesdale'sbodily disease had never fairly been revealed to him。 It was a strangereserve!  After a time; at a hint from Roger Chillingworth; the friends of Mr。Dimmesdale effected an arrangement by which the two were lodged in thesame house; so that every ebb and flow of the minister's life…tidemight pass under the eye of his anxious and attached physician。There was much joy throughout the town; when this greatly desirableobject was attained。 It was held to be the best possible measure forthe young clergyman's welfare: unless; indeed; as often urged bysuch as felt authorised to do so; he had selected some one of the manyblooming damsels; spiritually devoted to him; to bee his devotedwife。 This latter step; however; there was no present prospect thatArthur Dimmesdale would be prevailed upon to take; he rejected allsuggestions of the kind; as if priestly celibacy were one of hisarticles of church…discipline。 Doomed by his own choice; therefore; asMr。 Dimmesdale so evidently was; to eat his unsavoury morsel always atanother's board; and endure the lifelong chill which must be his lotwho seeks to warm himself only at another's fireside; it trulyseemed that this sagacious; experienced; benevolent old physician;with his concord of paternal and reverential love for the youngpastor; was the very man; of all mankind; to be constantly withinreach of his voice。  The new abode of the two friends was with a pious widow; of goodsocial rank; who dwelt in a house covering pretty nearly the site onwhich the venerable structure of King's Chapel has since been built。It had the graveyard; originally Isaac Johnson's home…field; on oneside; and so was well adapted to call up serious reflections; suitedto their respective employments; in both minister and man of physic。The motherly care of the good widow assigned to Mr。 Dimmesdale a frontapartment; with a sunny exposure; and heavy window…curtains; to createa noon…tide shadow; when desirable。 The walls were hung round withtapestry; said to be from the Gobelin looms; and; at all events;representing the Scriptural story of David and Bathsheba; and Nathanthe Prophet; in colours still unfaded; but which made the fair womanof the scene almost as grimly picturesque as the woe…denouncingseer。 Here; the pale clergyman piled up his library; rich withparchment…bound folios of the Fathers; and the lore of Rabbis; andmonkish erudition; of which the Protestant divines; even while theyvilified and decried that class of writers; were yet constrained oftento avail themselves。 On the other side of the house; old RogerChillingworth arranged his study and laboratory; not such as amodern man of science would reckon even tolerably plete; butprovided with a distilling apparatus; and the means of poundingdrugs and chemicals; which the practised alchemist knew well how toturn to purpose。 With such modiousness of situation; these twolearned persons sat themselves down; each in his own domain; yetfamiliarly passing from one apartment to the other; and bestowing amutual and not incurious inspection into one another's business。  And the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale's best discerning friends; aswe have intimated; very reasonably imagined that the hand ofProvidence had done all this; for the purpose… besought in so manypublic; and domestic; and secret prayers… of restoring the youngminister to health。 But… it must now be said… another portion of themunity had latterly begun to take its own view of the relationbetwixt Mr。 Dimmesdale and the mysterious old physician。 When anuninstructed multitude attempts to see with its eyes; it isexceedingly apt to be deceived。 When; however; it forms itsjudgment; as it usually does; on the intuitions of its great andwarm heart; the conclusions thus attained are often so profound and sounerring; as to possess the character of truths supernaturallyrevealed。 The people; in the case of which we speak; could justify itsprejudice against Roger Chillingworth by no fact or argument worthy ofserious refutation。 There was an aged handicraftsman; it is true;who had been a citizen of London at the period of Sir ThomasOverbury's murder; now some thirty years agone; he testified to havingseen the physician; under some other name; which the narrator of thestory had now forgotten; in pany with Doctor Forman; the famous oldconjurer; who was implicated in the affair of Overbury。 Two or threeindividuals hinted; that the man of skill; during his Indiancaptivity; had enlarged his medical attainments by joining in theincantations of the savage priests; who were universallyacknowledged to be powerful enchanters; often performing seeminglymiraculous cures by their skill in the black art。 A large number…and many of these were persons of such sober sense and practicalobservation that their opinions would have been valuable in othermatters… affirmed that Roger Chillingworth's aspect had undergone aremarkable change while he had dwelt in town; and especially since hisabode with Mr。 Dimmesdale。 At first; his expression had been calm;meditative; scholar…like。 Now; there was something ugly and evil inhis face; which they had not previously noticed; and which grewstill the more obvious to sight; the oftener they looked upon him。According to the vulgar idea; the fire in his laboratory had beenbrought from the lower regions; and was fed with infernal fuel; andso; as might be expected; his visage was getting sooty with the smoke。  To sum up the matter; it grew to be a widely diffused opinion;that the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale; like many other personages ofespecial sanctity; in all ages of the Christian world; was hauntedeither by Satan himself; or Satan's emissary; in the guise of oldRoger Chillingworth。 This diabolical agent had the Divinepermission; for a season; to burrow into the clergyman's intimacy; andplot against his soul。 No sensible man; it was confessed; coulddoubt on which side the victory would turn。 The people looked; with anunshaken hope; to see the minister e forth out of the conflict;transfigured with the glory eanwhile; nevertheless; it was sad to think of the perchance mortalagon
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