hard cash-第68节

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s　favourite　child　was　irksome：　he　made　an　excuse　and　strolled　out　in　his　turn　into　the　silent　night。　It　was　calm　and　clear：　the　thousand　holy　eyes；　under　which　men　prefer　to　do　their　crimesexcept　when　they　are　in　too　great　a　hurry　to　waitlooked　down　and　seemed　to　wonder　anything　can　be　so　silly　as　to　sin；　and　beneath　their　pure　gaze　the　man　of　the　world　pondered　with　all　his　soul。　He　tormented　himself　with　conjectures：　through　what　channel　did　Alfred　suspect　him？　Through　the　Dodds？　Were　they　aware　of　their　loss？　Had　the　pocket…book　spoken？　If　so；　why　had　not　Mrs。　Dodd　or　her　son　attacked　him？　But　then　perhaps　Alfred　was　their　agent：　they　wished　to　try　a　friendly　remonstrance　through　a　mutual　friend　before　proceeding　to　extremities；　this　accorded　with　Mrs。　Dodd's　character　as　he　remembered　her。

The　solution　was　reasonable；　but　he　was　relieved　of　it　by　recollecting　what　Alfred　had　said；　that　he　had　not　entered　the　house　since　the　bank　broke。

On　this　he　began　to　hope　Alfred's　might　be　a　mere　suspicion　he　could　not　establish　by　any　proof；　and　at　all　events；　he　would　lock　it　in　his　own　breast　like　a　good　son：　his　never　having　given　a　hint　even　to　his　sister　favoured　this　supposition。

Thus　meditating；　Mr。　Hardie　found　himself　at　the　gate　of　Albion　Villa。

Yet　he　had　strolled　out　with　no　particular　intention　of　going　there。　Had　his　mind；　apprehensive　of　danger　from　that　quarter；　driven　his　body　thither？

He　took　a　look　at　the　house；　and　the　first　thing　he　saw　was　a　young　lady　leaning　over　the　balcony；　and　murmuring　softly　to　a　male　figure　below；　whose　outline　Mr。　Hardie　could　hardly　discern；　for　it　stood　in　the　shadow。　Mr。　Hardie　was　delighted。

〃Aha；　Miss　Juliet；〃　said　he；　〃if　Alfred　does　not　visit　you；　some　one　else　does。　You　have　soon　supplied　your　peevish　lover's　place。〃　He　then　withdrew　softly　from　the　gate；　not　to　disturb　the　intrigue；　and　watched　a　few　yards　off；　determined　to　see　who　Julia's　nightly　visitor　was；　and　give　Alfred　surprise　for　surprise。

He　had　not　long　to　wait：　the　man　came　away　directly；　and　walked；　head　erect；　past　Mr。　Hardie；　and　glanced　full　in　his　face；　but　did　not　vouchsafe　him　a　word。　It　was　Alfred　himself。

Mr。　Hardie　was　profoundly　alarmed　and　indignant。　〃The　young　traitor！　Never　enter　the　house？　no；　but　he　comes　and　tells　her　everything　directly　under　her　window　on　the　sly；　and；　when　he　is　caughtdefies　me　to　my　face。〃　And　now　he　suspected　female　cunning　and　malice　in　the　way　that　thunderbolt　had　been　quietly　prepared　for　him　and　launched；　without　warning；　in　his　very　daughter's　presence；　and　the　result　just　communicated　to　Julia　Dodd。

In　a　very　gloomy　mood　he　followed　his　son；　and　heard　his　firm　though　elastic　tread　on　the　frosty　ground；　and　saw　how　loftily　he　carried　his　head；　and　from　that　moment　feared；　and　very；　very　nearly　hated　him。

The　next　day　he　feigned　sick　and　sent　for　Osmond。　That　worthy　prescribed　a　pill　and　a　draught；　the　former　laxative；　the　latter　astringent。　This　ceremony　performed；　Mr。　Hardie　gossipped　with　him；　and；　after　a　detour　or　two；　glided　to　his　real　anxiety。　〃Sampson　tells　me　you　know　more　about　Captain　Dodd's　case　than　he　does：　he　is　not　very　clear　as　to　the　cause　of　the　poor　man's　going　mad。〃

〃The　cause？　Why；　apoplexy。〃

〃Yes；　but　I　mean　what　caused　the　apoplexy？〃

Mr。　Osmond　replied　that　apoplexy　was　often　idiopathic。*　Captain　Dodd；　as　he　understood；　had　fallen　down　in　the　street　in　a　sudden　fit：　〃but　as　for　the　mania；　that　is　to　be　attributed　to　an　insufficient　evacuation　of　blood　while　under　the　apoplectic　coma。〃

…　*〃Arising　of　itself。〃　A　term　rather　hastily　applied　to　disorders　the　coming　signs　of　which　have　not　been　detected　by　the　medical　attendant。

The　birth　of　Topsy　was　idiopathicin　that　learned　lady's　opinion。　…

〃Not　bled　enough！　Why；　Sampson　says　it　is　because　he　was　bled　too　much。〃

Osmond　was　amused　at　this；　and　repeated　that　the　mania　came　of　not　being　bled　enough。

The　discussion　was　turned　into　an　unexpected　quarter　by　the　entrance　of　Jane　Hardie；　who　came　timidly　in　and　said；　〃Oh；　Mr。　Osmond；　I　cannot　let　you　go　without　telling　you　how　anxious　I　am　about　Alfred。　He　is　so　thin；　and　pale；　and　depressed。〃

〃Nonsense；　Jane；〃　said　Mr。　Hardie；　〃have　we　not　all　cause　to　be　dejected　in　this　house？〃　But　she　persisted　gently　that　there　was　more　in　it　than　that；　and　his　headaches　were　worse；　and　she　could　not　be　easy　any　longer　without　advice。

〃Ah！　those　headaches；〃　said　Mr。　Osmond；　〃they　always　made　me　uneasy。　To　tell　the　truth；　Miss　Hardie；　I　have　noticed　a　remarkable　change　in　him；　but　I　did　not　like　to　excite　apprehensions。　And　so　he　mopes；　does　he？　seeks　solitude；　and　is　taciturn；　and　dejected？〃

〃Yes。　But　I　do　not　mind　that　so　much　as　his　turning　so　pale　and　thin。〃

〃Oh；　it　is　all　part　of　one　malady。〃

〃Then　you　know　what　is　the　matter？〃

　〃I　think　I　do；　and　yours　is　a　wise　and　timely　anxiety。　Your　brother's　is　a　very　delicate　case　of　hyperaesthetic　character；　and　I　should　like　to　have　the　advice　of　a　profound　physician。　Let　me　see；　Dr。　Wycherley　will　be　with　me　to…morrow：　may　I　bring　him　over　as　a　friend？〃

This　proposal　did　not　at　all　suit　Mr。　Hardie。　He　put　his　own　construction　on　Alfred's　pallor　and　dejection；　and　was　uneasy　at　the　idea　of　his　being　cross…questioned　by　a　couple　of　doctors：

〃No；　no；〃　said　he；　〃Taff　has　fancies　enough　already。　I　cannot　have　you　gentlemen　coming　here　to　fill　his　head　with　many　more。〃

〃Oh；　he　has　fancies；　has　he？〃　said　Osmond　keenly。　〃My　dear　sir；　we　shall　not　say　one　word　to　_him：_　that　might　irritate　him：　but　I　should　like　_you_　to　hear　a　truly　learned　opinion。〃

Jane　looked　so　imploringly　that　Mr。　Hardie　yielded　a　reluctant　assent；　on　those　terms。

So　the　next　day；　by　appointment；　Mr。　Osmond　introduced　his　friend　Dr。　Wycherley：　bland　and　bald　with　a　fine　bead；　and　a　face　naturally　intelligent；　but　crossed　every　now　and　then　by　gleams　of　vacancy；　a　man　of　large　reading；　and　of　tact　to　make　it　subserve　his　interests。　A　voluminous　writer　on　certain　medical　subjects；　he　had　so　saturated　himself　with　circumlocution；　that　it　distilled　from　his　very　tongue：　he　talked　like　an　Article；　a　Quarterly　one；　and　so　gained　two　advantages：　1st；　he　rarely　irritated　a　fellow…creature；　for　if　he　began　a　sentence　hot；　what　with　its　length；　and　what　with　its　windiness；　he　ended　it　cool：　item；　stabs　by　polysyllables　are　pricks　by　sponges。　2ndly；　this　foible　earned　him　the　admiration　of　fools；　and　that　is　as　invaluable　as　they　are　innumerable。

Yet　was　there　in　the　mother…tongue　he　despised　one　gem　of　a　word　he　vastly　admired：　like　most　Quarterly　writers。　That　charming　word；　the　pet　of　the　polysyllabic；　was　〃OF。〃

　He　opened　the　matter　in　a　subdued　and　sympathising　tone　well　calculated　to　win　a　loving　father；　such　as　Richard　Hardiewas　not。

〃My　good　friend　here　informs　me；　sir；　you　are　so　fortunate　as　to　possess　a　son　of　distinguished　abilities；　and　who　is　at　present　labouring　under　some　of　those　precursory　indications　of　incipient　disease　of　the　cerebro…psychical　organs；　of　which　I　have　been；　I　may　say；　somewhat　successful　in　diagnosing　the　symptoms。　Unless　I　have　been　misinformed；　he　has；　for　a　considerable　time；　experienced　persistent　headache　of　a　kephalalgic　or　true　cerebral　type；　and　has　now　advanced　to　the　succeeding　stage　of　taciturnity　and　depression；　not*　unaccompanied　with　isolation；　and　probably　constipation：　but　as　yet　without　hallucination；　though　possibly；　and；　as　my　experience　of　the　great　majority　of　these　cases　would　induce　me　to　say；　probably　he　is　not**　undisturbed　by　one　or　more　of　those　latent；　and；　at　first；　trifling　aberrations；　either　of　the　intelligence　or　the　senses；　which　in　their　preliminary　stages　escape　the　observation　of　all　but　the　expert　nosologist。〃

*Anglice；　〃accompanied。〃　**Anglice；　〃disturbed。〃

〃There；　you　see；〃　said　Osmond；　〃Dr。　Wycherley　agrees　with　me：　yet　I　assure　you　I　have　only　detailed　the　symptoms；　and　not　the　conclusion　I　had　formed　from　them。〃

Jane　inquired　timidly　what　that　conclusion　was。

〃Miss　Hardie；　we　think　it　one　of　those　obscure　tendencies　which　are　very　curable　if　taken　in　time〃　Dr。　Wycherley　ended　the　sentence：　〃But　no　longer　remediable　if　the　fleeting　opportunity　is　allowed　to　escape；　and　diseased　action　to　pass　into　diseased　organisation。〃

Jane　looked　awestruck　at　their　solemnity；　but　Mr。　Hardie；　who　was　taking　advice　against　the　grain；　turned　satirical。　〃Gentleman；〃　said　he；　〃be　pleased　to　begin　by　moderating　your　own　obscurity；　and　then　perhaps　I　shall　see　better　how　to　cure　my　son's　disorder。　What　the　deuce　are　you　driving　at？〃

The　two　doctors　looked　at　one　another　inquiringly；　and　so　settled　how　to　proceed。　Dr。　Wycherley　explained　to　Mr。　Hardie　that　there　was　a　sort　of　general　unreasonable　and　superstitious　feeling　abroad；　a　kind　of　terror　of　the　complaint　with　which　his　son　was　threatened；　_〃and　which；_　instead　of　the　most　remediable　of　disorders；　is　looked　at　as　the　most　incurable　of　maladies：〃　it　was　on　this　account　he　had　learned　to　approach　the　subject　with　singular　caution；　and　even　with　a　timidity　which　was　kinder　in　appearance　than　in　reality；　that　he　must　admit。

〃Well；　you　may　speak　out；　as　far　as　I　am　concerned；〃　said　Mr。　Hardie；　with　consummate　indifference。

〃Oh；　yes！〃　said　Jane；　in　a　feve