hard cash-第69节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



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

〃Oh；　yes！〃　said　Jane；　in　a　fever　of　anxiety；　〃pray　conceal　nothing　from　us。〃

〃Well；　then；　sir；　I　have　not　as　yet　had　the　advantage　of　examining　your　son　personally；　but；　from　the　diagnostics；　I　have　no　doubt　whatever　he　is　labouring　under　the　first　fore…shadowings　of　cerebro…psychical　perturbation。　To　speak　plainly；　the　symptoms　are　characteristic　of　the　initiatory　stage　of　the　germination　of　a　morbid　state　of　the　phenomena　of　intelligence。

His　unprofessional　hearers　only　stared。

〃In　one　word；　then；〃　said　Dr。　Wycherley；　waxing　impatient　at　their　abominable　obtuseness；　〃it　is　the　premonitory　stage　of　the　precursory　condition　of　an　organic　affection　of　the　brain。〃

〃Oh！〃　said　Mr。　Hardie；　〃the　brain！*　I　see；　the　boy　is　going　mad。〃

*　What　a　blessing　there　are　a　few　English　words　left　in　all　our　dialects。

The　doctors　stared　in　their　turn　at　the　prodigious　coolness　of　a　tender　parent。　〃Not　exactly；〃　said　Dr。　Wycherley；　〃I　am　habitually　averse　to　exaggeration　of　symptoms。　Your　son's　suggest　to　me　'the　Incubation　of　Insanity；'　nothing　more。〃

Jane　uttered　an　exclamation　of　horror；　the　doctor　soothed　her　with　an　assurance　that　there　was　no　cause　for　alarm。　〃Incipient　aberration〃　was　of　easy　cure：　the　mischief　lay　in　delay。　〃Miss　Hardie；〃　said　he　paternally；　〃during　a　long　and　busy　professional　career；　it　has　been　my　painful　province　to　witness　the　deplorable　consequences　of　the　non…recognition；　by　friends　and　relatives；　of　the　precedent　symptoms　of　those　organic　affections　of　the　brain；　the　relief　of　which　was　within　the　reach　of　well…known　therapeutic　agents　if　exhibited　seasonably。〃

He　went　on　to　deplore　the　blind　prejudice　of　unprofessional　persons；　who　choose　to　fancy　that　other　diseases　creep；　but　Insanity　pounces；　on　a　man；　which　he　expressed　thus　neatly：　〃that　other　deviations　from　organic　conditions　of　health　are　the　subject　of　clearly　defined　though　delicate　gradations；　but　that　the　worst　and　most　climacteric　forms　of　cerebro…psychical　disorder　are　suddenly　developed　affections　presenting　no　evidence　of　any　antecedent　cephalic　organic　change；　and　unaccompanied　by　a　premonitory　stage；　or　by　incipient　symptoms。〃

This　chimera　he　proceeded　to　confute　by　experience：　he　had　repeatedly　been　called　in　to　cases　of　mania　described　as　sudden；　and　almost　invariably　found　the　patient　had　been　cranky　for　years；　which　he　condensed　thus：　〃His　conduct　and　behaviour　for　many　years　previously　to　any　symptom　of　mental　aberration　being　noticed；　had　been　characterised　by　actions　quite　irreconcilable　with　the　supposition　of　the　existence　of　perfect　sanity　of　intellect。〃

He　instanced　a　parson；　whom　he　had　lately　attended；　and　found　him　as　constipated　and　as　convinced　he　was　John　the　Baptist　engaged　to　the　Princess　Mary　as　could　be。　〃But；〃　continued　the　learned　doctor；　〃upon　investigation　of　this　afflicted　ecclesiastic's　antecedent　history；　I　discovered　that；　for　years　before　this；　he　had　exhibited　conduct　incompatible　with　the　hypothesis　of　a　mind　whose　equilibrium　had　been　undisturbed。　He　had　caused　a　number　of　valuable　trees　to　be　cut　down　on　his　estate；　without　being　able　to　offer　a　sane　justification　for　such　an　outrageous　proceeding；　and　had　actually　disposed　of　a　quantity　of　his　patrimonial　acres；　_'and　which'_　clearly　he　never　would　have　parted　with　had　he　been　in　anything　resembling　a　condition　of　sanity。〃

〃Did　he　sell　the　land　and　timber　below　the　market　price？〃　inquired　Mr。　Hardie；　perking　up；　and　exhibiting　his　first　symptoms　of　interest　in　the　discussion。

〃On　that　head；　sir；　my　informant；　his　heir…at…law；　gave　me　no　information：　nor　did　I　enter　into　that　class　of　detail。　You　naturally　look　at　morbid　phenomena　in　a　commercial　spirit；　but　we　regard　them　medicallyand　all　this　time　most　assiduously　visiting　the　sick　of　his　parish　and　preaching　admirable　serious。

The　next　instance　he　gave　was　of　a　stockbroker　suffering　under　general　paralysis　and　a　rooted　idea　that　all　the　_specie_　in　the　Bank　of　England　was　his；　and　ministers　in　league　with　foreign　governments　to　keep　him　out　of　it。　〃Him；〃　said　the　doctor；　〃I　discovered　to　have　been　for　years　guilty　of　conduct　entirely　incompatible　with　the　hypothesis　of　undisordered　mental　functions。　He　had　accused　his　domestics　of　peculation；　and　had　initiated　legal　proceedings　with　a　view　of　prosecuting　in　a　court　of　law　one　of　his　oldest　friends。〃

〃Whence　you　infer　that；　if　my　son　has　not　for　years　been　doing　cranky　acts；　he　is　not　likely　to　be　deranged　at　present。〃

This　adroit　twist　of　the　argument　rather　surprised　Dr。　Wycherley。　However；　he　was　at　no　loss　for　a　reply。　〃it　is　not　Insanity；　but　the　Incubation　of　Insanity；　which　is　suspected　in　your　intelligent　son's　case：　and　the　best　course　will　be　for　me　to　enumerate　in　general　terms　the　several　symptoms　of　'the　Incubation　of　Insanity：'〃　he　concluded　with　some　severity。　〃After　that；　sir；　I　shall　cease　to　intrude　what　I　fear　is　an　unwelcome　conviction。〃

The　parent；　whose　levity　and　cold　reception　of　good　tidings　he　had　thus　mildly；　yet　with　due　dignity；　rebuked；　was　a　man　of　the　world；　and　liked　to　make　friends；　not　enemies：　so　he　took　the　hint；　and　made　a　very　civil　speech；　assuring　Dr。　Wycherley　that；　if　he　ventured　to　differ　from　him；　he　was　none　the　less　obliged　by　the　kind　interest　he　took　in　a　comparative　stranger：　and　would　be　very　glad　to　hear　all　about　the　〃Incubation　of　Insanity。〃

Dr。　Wycherley　bowed　slightly　and　complied：

〃One　diagnostic　preliminary　sign　of　abnormal　cerebral　action　is　Kephalalgia；　or　true　cerebral　headache；　I　mean　persistent　headache　not　accompanied　by　a　furred　tongue；　or　other　indicia　significant　of　abdominal　or　renal　disorder　as　its　origin。〃

Jane　sighed。　〃He　has　sad　headaches。〃

〃The　succeeding　symptom　is　a　morbid　affection　of　sleep。　Either　the　patient　suffers　from　Insomnia；　or　else　from　Hypersomnia；　which　we　subdivide　into　sopor；　carus；　and　lethargus；　or　thirdly　from　Kakosomnia；　or　a　propensity　to　mere　dozing；　and　to　all　the　morbid　phenomena　of　dreams。〃

〃Papa；〃　said　Jane；　〃poor　Alfred　sleeps　very　badly：　I　hear　him　walking　at　all　hours　of　the　night。〃

〃I　thought　as　much；〃　said　Dr。　Wycherley；　〃Insomnia　is　the　commonest　feature。　To　resume；　the　insidious　advance　of　morbid　thought　is　next　marked　by　high　spirits；　or　else　by　low　spirits；　generally　the　latter。　The　patient　begins　by　moping；　then　shows　great　lassitude　and　ennui；　then　becomes　abstracted；　moody；　and　occupied　with　a　solitary　idea。〃

Jane　clasped　her　hands　and　the　tears　stood　in　her　eyes；　so　well　did　this　description　tally　with　poor　Alfred's　case。

〃And　at　this　period；〃　continued　Dr。　Wycherley；　〃my　experience　leads　me　to　believe　that　some　latent　delusion　is　generally　germinating　in　the　mind；　though　often　concealed　with　consummate　craft　by　the　patient：　the　open　development　of　this　delusion　is　the　next　stage；　and；　with　this　last　morbid　phenomenon；　Incubation　ceases　and　Insanity　begins。　Sometimes；　however；　the　illusion　is　physical　rather　than　psychical；　of　the　sense　rather　than　of　the　intelligence。　It　commences　at　night：　the　incubator　begins　by　seeing　nocturnal　visions；　often　of　a　photopsic*　character；　or　hearing　nocturnal　sounds；　neither　of　which　have　any　material　existence；　being　conveyed　to　his　optic　or　auricular　nerves　not　from　without；　but　from　within；　by　the　agency　of　a　disordered　brain。　These　the　reason；　hitherto　unimpaired；　combats　at　first；　especially　when　they　are　nocturnal　only；　but　being　reproduced；　and　becoming　diurnal；　the　judgment　succumbs　under　the　morbid　impression　produced　so　repeatedly。　These　are　the　ordinary　antecedent　symptoms　characteristic　of　the　incubation　of　insanity；　to　which　are　frequently　added　somatic　exaltation；　or；　in　popular　language；　physical　excitabilitya　disposition　to　knit　the　browsgreat　activity　of　the　mental　facultiesor　else　a　well…marked　decline　of　the　powers　of　the　understandingan　exaggeration　of　the　normal　conditions　of　thoughtor　a　reversal　of　the　mental　habits　and　sentiments；　such　as　a　sudden　aversion　to　some　person　hitherto　beloved；　or　some　study　long　relished　and　pursued。〃

*　Luminous。

Jane　asked　leave　to　note　these　all　down　in　her　note…book。

Mr。　Hardie　assented　adroitly；　for　he　was　thinking　whether　he　could　not　sift　some　grain　out　of　all　this　chaff。　Should　Alfred　blab　his　suspicions；　here　were　two　gentlemen　who　would　at　all　events　help　him　to　throw　ridicule　on　them。

Dr。　Wycherley　having　politely　aided　Jane　Hardie　to　note　down　the　〃preliminary　process　of　the　Incubation　of　disorders　of　the　Intellect；〃　resumed：　〃Now；　sir；　your　son　appears　to　be　in　a　very　inchoate　stage　of　the　malady：　he　has　cerebral　Kephalalgia　and　Insomnia〃

〃And；　oh；　doctor；〃　said　Jane；　〃he　knits　his　brows　often　and　has　given　up　his　studies；　won't　go　back　to　Oxford　this　term。〃

〃Exactly；　and　seeks　isolation；　and　is　a　prey　to　morbid　distraction　and　reverie：　but　has　no　palpable　illusions；　has　he？〃

〃Not　that　I　know　of；〃　said　Mr。　Hardie。

〃Well；　but；〃　objected　Jane；　〃did　not　he　say　something　to　you　very　curious　the　other　night　about　Captain　Dodd　and　fourteen　thousand　pounds？〃

Mr。　Hardie's　blood　ran　cold。　〃No；〃　he　stammered；　〃not　that　I　remember。〃

〃Oh；　yes；　he　did；　papa：　you　have　forgott