christie johnstone-第12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！


that　ten　pounds　would　make　his　fortune；　because　with　ten　pounds　he　could
set　up　a　shop；　instead　of　working　out　of　the　world's　sight　in　a　room。

Lord　Ipsden　gave　him　ten　pounds！

A　week　after；　he　met　Harvey；　more　ragged　and　dirty　than　before。

Harvey　had　been　robbed　by　a　friend　whom　he　had　assisted。　Poor　Harvey！
Lord　Ipsden　gave　him　ten　pounds　more！

Next　week；　Saunders；　entering　Harvey's　house；　found　him　in　bed　at　noon；
because　he　had　no　clothes　to　wear。

Saunders　suggested　that　it　would　be　better　to　give　his　wife　the　next
money；　with　strict　orders　to　apply　it　usefully。

This　was　done！

The　next　day；　Harvey；　finding　his　clothes　upon　a　chair；　his　tools
redeemed　from　pawn；　and　a　beefsteak　ready　for　his　dinner；　accused　his
wife　of　having　money；　and　meanly　refusing　him　the　benefit　of　it。　She
acknowledged　she　had　a　little；　and　appealed　to　the　improved　state　of
things　as　a　proof　that　she　knew　better　than　he　the　use　of　money。　He
demanded　the　said　money。　She　refusedhe　leathered　hershe　put　him　in
prison。

This　was　the　best　place　for　him。　The　man　was　a　drunkard；　and　all　the
riches　of　Egypt　would　never　have　made　him　better　off。

And　here；　gentlemen　of　the　lower　classes；　a　word　with　you。　How　can　you；
with　your　small　incomes；　hope　to　be　well　off；　if　you　are　more　extravagant
than　those　who　have　large　ones？

〃Us　extravagant？〃　you　reply。

Yes！　your　income　is　ten　shillings　a　week；　out　of　that　you　spend　three
shillings　in　drink；　ay！　you；　the　sober　ones。　You　can't　afford　it；　my
boys。　Find　me　a　man　whose　income　is　a　thousand　a　year；　well；　if　he
imitates　you；　and　spends　three　hundred　upon　sensuality；　I　bet　you　the　odd
seven　hundred　he　does　not　make　both　ends　meet；　the　proportion　is　too
great。　And　_two…thirds　of　the　distress　of　the　lower　orders　is　owing　to
thisthat　they　are　more　madly　prodigal　than　the　rich；　in　the　worst；
lowest　and　most　dangerous　item　of　all　human　prodigality！_

Lord　Ipsden　went　to　see　Mrs。　Harvey；　it　cost　him　much　to　go；　she　lived　in
the　Old　Town；　and　he　hated　disagreeable　smells；　he　also　knew　from
Saunders　that　she　had　two　black　eyes；　and　he　hated　women　with　black　eyes
of　that　sort。　But　this　good　creature　did　go；　did　relieve　Mrs。　Harvey；
and；　bare…headed；　suffered　himself　to　be　bedewed　ten　minutes　by　her
tearful　twaddle。

For　once　Virtue　was　rewarded。　Returning　over　the　North　Bridge；　he　met
somebody　whom　but　for　his　charity　he　would　not　have　met。

He　came　in　one　bright　moment　plump　uponLady　Barbara　Sinclair。　She
flushed；　he　trembled；　and　in　two　minutes　he　had　forgotten　every　human
event　that　had　passed　since　he　was　by　her　side。

She　seemed　pleased　to　see　him；　too；　she　ignored　entirely　his　obnoxious
proposal；　he　wisely　took　her　cue；　and　so；　on　this　secret　understanding；
they　were　friends。　He　made　his　arrangements；　and　dined　with　her　family。
It　was　a　family　party。　In　the　evening　Lady　Barbara　allowed　it　to
transpire　that　she　had　made　inquiries　about　him。

（He　was　highly　flattered。）　And　she　had　discovered　he　was　lying　hid
somewhere　in　the　neighborhood。

〃Studying　the　guitar？〃　inquired　she。

〃No；〃　said　he；　〃studying　a　new　class　of　the　community。　Do　you　know　any　of
what　they　call　the　'lower　classes'？〃

〃Yes。〃

〃Monstrous　agreeable　people；　are　they　not？〃

〃No；　very　stupid！　I　only　know　two　old　womenexcept　the　servants；　who
have　no　characters。　They　imitate　us；　I　suspect；　which　does　not　say　much
for　their　taste。〃

〃But　some　of　my　friends　are　young　women；　that　makes　all　the　difference。〃

〃It　does！　and　you　ought　to　be　ashamed。　If　you　want　a　low　order　of　mind；
why　desert　our　own　circle？〃

〃My　friends　are　only　low　in　station；　they　have　rather　lofty　minds；　some
of　them。〃

〃Well；　amuse　yourself　with　these　lofty　minds。　Amusement　is　the　end　of
being；　you　know；　and　the　aim　of　all　the　men　of　this　day。〃

〃We　imitate　the　ladies；〃　said　he；　slyly。

〃You　do；〃　answered　she；　very　dryly；　and　so　the　dialogue　went　on；　and　Lord
Ipsden　found　the　pleasure　of　being　with　his　cousin　compensate　him　fully
for　the　difference　of　their　opinions；　in　fact；　he　found　it　simply　amusing
that　so　keen　a　wit　as　his　cousins　s　could　be　entrapped　into　the　humor　of
decrying　the　time　one　happens　to　live　in；　and　admiring　any　epoch　one
knows　next　to　nothing　about；　and　entrapped　by　the　notion　of　its
originality；　above　all　things；　the　idea　being　the　stale　commonplace　of
asses　in　every　age；　and　the　manner　of　conveying　the　idea　being　a　mere
imitation　of　the　German　writers；　not　the　good　ones；　_bien　entendu；_　but
the　quill…drivers；　the　snobs　of　the　Teutonic　pen。

But　he　was　to　learn　that　follies　are　not　always　laughable；　that　_eadem
sentire_　is　a　bond；　and　that；　when　a　clever　and　pretty　woman　chooses　to
be　a　fool；　her　lover；　if　he　is　wise；　will　be　a　greaterif　he　can。

The　next　time　they　met；　Lord　Ipsden　found　Lady　Barbara　occupied　with　a
gentleman　whose　first　sentence　proclaimed　him　a　pupil　of　Mr。　Thomas
Carlyle；　and　he　had　the　mortification　to　find　that　she　had　neither　an　ear
nor　an　eye　for　him。

Human　opinion　has　so　many　shades　that　it　is　rare　to　find　two　people
agree。

But　two　people　may　agree　wonderfully；　if　they　will　but　let　a　third　think
for　them　both。

Thus　it　was　that　these　two　ran　so　smoothly　in　couples。

Antiquity；　they　agreed；　was　the　time　when　the　world　was　old；　its　hair
gray；　its　head　wise。　Every　one　that　said；　〃Lord；　Lord！〃　two　hundred　years
ago　was　a　Christian。　There　were　no　earnest　men　now；　Williams；　the
missionary；　who　lived　and　died　for　the　Gospel；　was　not　earnest　in
religion；　but　Cromwell；　who　packed　a　jury；　and　so　murdered　his
prisonerCromwell；　in　whose　mouth　was　heaven；　and　in　his　heart　temporal
sovereigntywas　the　pattern　of　earnest　religion；　or；　at　all　events；
second　in　sincerity　to　Mahomet　alone；　in　the　absence　of　details
respecting　Satan；　of　whom　we　know　only　that　his　mouth　is　a　Scripture
concordance；　and　his　hands　the　hands　of　Mr。　Carlyle's　saints。

Then　they　went　back　a　century　or　two；　and　were　eloquent　about　the　great
antique　heart；　and　the　beauty　of　an　age　whose　samples　were　Abbot　Sampson
and　Joan　of　Arc。

Lord　Ipsden　hated　argument；　but　jealousy　is　a　brass　spur；　it　made　even
this　man　fluent　for　once。

He　suggested　〃that　five　hundred　years　added　to　a　world's　life　made　it
just　five　hundred　years　older；　not　youngerand　if　older；　grayerand　if
grayer；　wiser。

〃Of　Abbot　Sampson；〃　said　he；　〃whom　I　confess　both　a　great　and　a　good　man；
his　author；　who　with　all　his　talent　belongs　to　the　class　muddle…head；
tells　us　that　when　he　had　been　two　years　in　authority　his　red　hair　had
turned　gray；　fighting　against　the　spirit　of　his　age；　how　the　deuce；　then；
could　he　be　a　sample　of　the　spirit　of　his　age？

〃Joan　of　Arc　was　burned　by　acclamation　of　her　age；　and　is　admired　by　our
age。　Which　fact　identifies　an　age　most　with　a　heroine；　to　give　her　your
heart；　or　to　give　her　a　blazing　fagot　and　death？〃

〃Abbot　Sampson　and　Joan　of　Arc；〃　concluded　he；　〃prove　no　more　in　favor　of
their　age；　and　no　less　against　it；　than　Lot　does　for　or　against　Sodom。
Lot　was　in　Sodom；　but　not　of　it；　and　so　were　Sampson　and　Joan　in；　but　not
of；　the　villainous　times　they　lived　in。

〃The　very　best　text…book　of　true　religion　is　the　New　Testament；　and　I
gather　from　it；　that　the　man　who　forgives　his　enemies　while　their　ax
descends　on　his　head；　however　poor　a　creature　he　may　be　in　other
respects；　is　a　better　Christian　than　the　man　who　has　the　God　of　Mercy
forever　on　his　lips；　and　whose　hands　are　swift　to　shed　blood。

〃The　earnest　men　of　former　ages　are　not　extinct　in　this；〃　added　he。
〃Whenever　a　scaffold　is　erected　outside　a　prison…door；　if　you　are　earnest
in　pursuit　of　truth；　and　can　put　up　with　disgusting　objects；　you　shall
see　a　relic　of　ancient　manners　hanged。

〃There　still　exist；　in　parts　of　America；　rivers　on　whose　banks　are
earnest　men　who　shall　take　your　scalp；　the　wife's　of　your　bosom；　and　the
innocent　child's　of　her　bosom。

〃In　England　we　are　as　earnest　as　ever　in　pursuit　of　heaven；　and　of
innocent　worldly　advantages。　If；　when　the　consideration　of　life　and　death
interposes；　we　appear　less　earnest　in　pursuit　of　comparative　trifles　such
as　kingdoms　or　dogmas；　it　is　because　cooler　in　action　we　are　more　earnest
in　thoughtbecause　reason；　experience；　and　conscience　are　things　that
check　the　unscrupulousness　or　beastly　earnestness　of　man。

〃Moreover；　he　who　has　the　sense　to　see　that　questions　have　three　sides　is
no　longer　so　intellectually　as　well　as　morally　degraded　as　to　be　able　to
cut　every　throat　that　utters　an　opinion　contrary　to　his　own。

〃If　the　phrase　'earnest　man'　means　man　imitating　the　beasts　that　are　deaf
to　reason；　it　is　to　be　hoped　that　civilization　and　Christianity　will
really　extinguish　the　whole　race　for　the　benefit　of　the　earth。〃

Lord　Ipsden　succeeded　in　annoying　the　fair　theorist；　but　not　in
convincing　her。

The　mediaeval　enthusiasts　looked　on　him　as　some　rough　animal　that　had
burst　into　sacred　grounds　unconsciously；　and　gradually　edged　away　from
him。


CHAPTER　X。

LORD　IPSDEN　had　soon　the　mortification　of　discovering　that　this　Mr。　
was　a　constant　visitor　at　the　house；　and；　although　his　cousin　gave　him
her　ear　in　this　man's　absence；　on　the　arrival　of　her　fellow…enthusiast　he
had　ever　the　mortification　of　findi