the way of all flesh-第85节

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j'ose　vous　prier　d'approuver　cette　union。　　Le　Roi　temoigna　d'abord
quelque　surprise；　mais　l'estime　qu'il　avait　pour　son　frere　lui
inspira　une　reponse　pleine　de　beinveillance。　　Il　s'approcha　aussitot
de　Calciope　qu'il　embrassa　tendrement；　combla　ensuite　Lycurgue　de
prevenances　et　parut　tres　satisfait。〃

He　called　my　attention　to　this　and　then　said　somewhat　timidly　that
he　would　rather　have　married　Ellen　than　Calciope。　　I　saw　he　was
hardening　and　made　no　hesitation　about　proposing　that　in　another　day
or　two　we　should　proceed　upon　our　journey。

I　will　not　weary　the　reader　by　taking　him　with　us　over　beaten
ground。　　We　stopped　at　Siena；　Cortona；　Orvieto；　Perugia　and　many
other　cities；　and　then　after　a　fortnight　passed　between　Rome　and
Naples　went　to　the　Venetian　provinces　and　visited　all　those　wondrous
towns　that　lie　between　the　southern　slopes　of　the　Alps　and　the
northern　ones　of　the　Apennines；　coming　back　at　last　by　the　S。
Gothard。　　I　doubt　whether　he　had　enjoyed　the　trip　more　than　I　did
myself；　but　it　was　not　till　we　were　on　the　point　of　returning　that
Ernest　had　recovered　strength　enough　to　be　called　fairly　well；　and
it　was　not　for　many　months　that　he　so　completely　lost　all　sense　of
the　wounds　which　the　last　four　years　had　inflicted　on　him　as　to　feel
as　though　there　were　a　scar　and　a　scar　only　remaining。

They　say　that　when　people　have　lost　an　arm　or　a　foot　they　feel　pains
in　it　now　and　again　for　a　long　while　after　they　have　lost　it。　　One
pain　which　he　had　almost　forgotten　came　upon　him　on　his　return　to
England；　I　mean　the　sting　of　his　having　been　imprisoned。　　As　long　as
he　was　only　a　small　shop…keeper　his　imprisonment　mattered　nothing；
nobody　knew　of　it；　and　if　they　had　known　they　would　not　have　cared；
now；　however；　though　he　was　returning　to　his　old　position　he　was
returning　to　it　disgraced；　and　the　pain　from　which　he　had　been　saved
in　the　first　instance　by　surroundings　so　new　that　he　had　hardly
recognised　his　own　identity　in　the　middle　of　them；　came　on　him　as
from　a　wound　inflicted　yesterday。

He　thought　of　the　high　resolves　which　he　had　made　in　prison　about
using　his　disgrace　as　a　vantage　ground　of　strength　rather　than
trying　to　make　people　forget　it。　　〃That　was　all　very　well　then；〃　he
thought　to　himself；　〃when　the　grapes　were　beyond　my　reach；　but　now
it　is　different。〃　　Besides；　who　but　a　prig　would　set　himself　high
aims；　or　make　high　resolves　at　all？

Some　of　his　old　friends；　on　learning　that　he　had　got　rid　of　his
supposed　wife　and　was　now　comfortably　off　again；　wanted　to　renew
their　acquaintance；　he　was　grateful　to　them　and　sometimes　tried　to
meet　their　advances　half　way；　but　it　did　not　do；　and　ere　long　he
shrank　back　into　himself；　pretending　not　to　know　them。　　An　infernal
demon　of　honesty　haunted　him　which　made　him　say　to　himself：　　〃These
men　know　a　great　deal；　but　do　not　know　allif　they　did　they　would
cut　meand　therefore　I　have　no　right　to　their　acquaintance。〃

He　thought　that　everyone　except　himself　was　sans　peur　et　sans
reproche。　　Of　course　they　must　be；　for　if　they　had　not　been；　would
they　not　have　been　bound　to　warn　all　who　had　anything　to　do　with
them　of　their　deficiencies？　　Well；　he　could　not　do　this；　and　he
would　not　have　people's　acquaintance　under　false　pretences；　so　he
gave　up　even　hankering　after　rehabilitation　and　fell　back　upon　his
old　tastes　for　music　and　literature。

Of　course　he　has　long　since　found　out　how　silly　all　this　was；　how
silly　I　mean　in　theory；　for　in　practice　it　worked　better　than　it
ought　to　have　done；　by　keeping　him　free　from　liaisons　which　would
have　tied　his　tongue　and　made　him　see　success　elsewhere　than　where
he　came　in　time　to　see　it。　　He　did　what　he　did　instinctively　and　for
no　other　reason　than　because　it　was　most　natural　to　him。　　So　far　as
he　thought　at　all；　he　thought　wrong；　but　what　he　did　was　right。　　I
said　something　of　this　kind　to　him　once　not　so　very　long　ago；　and
told　him　he　had　always　aimed　high。　　〃I　never　aimed　at　all；〃　he
replied　a　little　indignantly；　〃and　you　may　be　sure　I　should　have
aimed　low　enough　if　I　had　thought　I　had　got　the　chance。〃

I　suppose　after　all　that　no　one　whose　mind　was　not；　to　put　it
mildly；　abnormal；　ever　yet　aimed　very　high　out　of　pure　malice
aforethought。　　I　once　saw　a　fly　alight　on　a　cup　of　hot　coffee　on
which　the　milk　had　formed　a　thin　skin；　he　perceived　his　extreme
danger；　and　I　noted　with　what　ample　strides　and　almost　supermuscan
effort　he　struck　across　the　treacherous　surface　and　made　for　the
edge　of　the　cupfor　the　ground　was　not　solid　enough　to　let　him
raise　himself　from　it　by　his　wings。　　As　I　watched　him　I　fancied　that
so　supreme　a　moment　of　difficulty　and　danger　might　leave　him　with　an
increase　of　moral　and　physical　power　which　might　even　descend　in
some　measure　to　his　offspring。　　But　surely　he　would　not　have　got　the
increased　moral　power　if　he　could　have　helped　it；　and　he　will　not
knowingly　alight　upon　another　cup　of　hot　coffee。　　The　more　I　see　the
more　sure　I　am　that　it　does　not　matter　why　people　do　the　right　thing
so　long　only　as　they　do　it；　nor　why　they　may　have　done　the　wrong　if
they　have　done　it。　　The　result　depends　upon　the　thing　done　and　the
motive　goes　for　nothing。　　I　have　read　somewhere；　but　cannot　remember
where；　that　in　some　country　district　there　was　once　a　great　scarcity
of　food；　during　which　the　poor　suffered　acutely；　many　indeed
actually　died　of　starvation；　and　all　were　hard　put　to　it。　　In　one
village；　however；　there　was　a　poor　widow　with　a　family　of　young
children；　who；　though　she　had　small　visible　means　of　subsistence；
still　looked　well…fed　and　comfortable；　as　also　did　all　her　little
ones。　　〃How；〃　everyone　asked；　〃did　they　manage　to　live？〃　　It　was
plain　they　had　a　secret；　and　it　was　equally　plain　that　it　could　be
no　good　one；　for　there　came　a　hurried；　hunted　look　over　the　poor
woman's　face　if　anyone　alluded　to　the　way　in　which　she　and　hers
throve　when　others　starved；　the　family；　moreover；　were　sometimes
seen　out　at　unusual　hours　of　the　night；　and　evidently　brought　things
home；　which　could　hardly　have　been　honestly　come　by。　　They　knew　they
were　under　suspicion；　and；　being　hitherto　of　excellent　name；　it　made
them　very　unhappy；　for　it　must　be　confessed　that　they　believed　what
they　did　to　be　uncanny　if　not　absolutely　wicked；　nevertheless；　in
spite　of　this　they　throve；　and　kept　their　strength　when　all　their
neighbours　were　pinched。

At　length　matters　came　to　a　head　and　the　clergyman　of　the　parish
cross…questioned　the　poor　woman　so　closely　that　with　many　tears　and
a　bitter　sense　of　degradation　she　confessed　the　truth；　she　and　her
children　went　into　the　hedges　and　gathered　snails；　which　they　made
into　broth　and　atecould　she　ever　be　forgiven？　　Was　there　any　hope
of　salvation　for　her　either　in　this　world　or　the　next　after　such
unnatural　conduct？

So　again　I　have　heard　of　an　old　dowager　countess　whose　money　was　all
in　Consols；　she　had　had　many　sons；　and　in　her　anxiety　to　give　the
younger　ones　a　good　start；　wanted　a　larger　income　than　Consols　would
give　her。　　She　consulted　her　solicitor　and　was　advised　to　sell　her
Consols　and　invest　in　the　London　and　North…Western　Railway；　then　at
about　85。　　This　was　to　her　what　eating　snails　was　to　the　poor　widow
whose　story　I　have　told　above。　　With　shame　and　grief；　as　of　one
doing　an　unclean　thingbut　her　boys　must　have　their　startshe　did
as　she　was　advised。　　Then　for　a　long　while　she　could　not　sleep　at
night　and　was　haunted　by　a　presage　of　disaster。　　Yet　what　happened？
She　started　her　boys；　and　in　a　few　years　found　her　capital　doubled
into　the　bargain；　on　which　she　sold　out　and　went　back　again　to
Consols　and　died　in　the　full　blessedness　of　fund…holding。

She　thought；　indeed；　that　she　was　doing　a　wrong　and　dangerous　thing；
but　this　had　absolutely　nothing　to　do　with　it。　　Suppose　she　had
invested　in　the　full　confidence　of　a　recommendation　by　some　eminent
London　banker　whose　advice　was　bad；　and　so　had　lost　all　her　money；
and　suppose　she　had　done　this　with　a　light　heart　and　with　no
conviction　of　sinwould　her　innocence　of　evil　purpose　and　the
excellence　of　her　motive　have　stood　her　in　any　stead？　　Not　they。

But　to　return　to　my　story。　　Towneley　gave　my　hero　most　trouble。
Towneley；　as　I　have　said；　knew　that　Ernest　would　have　money　soon；
but　Ernest　did　not　of　course　know　that　he　knew　it。　　Towneley　was
rich　himself；　and　was　married　now；　Ernest　would　be　rich　soon；　had
bona　fide　intended　to　be　married　already；　and　would　doubtless　marry
a　lawful　wife　later　on。　　Such　a　man　was　worth　taking　pains　with；　and
when　Towneley　one　day　met　Ernest　in　the　street；　and　Ernest　tried　to
avoid　him；　Towneley　would　not　have　it；　but　with　his　usual　quick　good
nature　read　his　thoughts；　caught　him；　morally　speaking；　by　the
scruff　of　his　neck；　and　turned　him　laughingly　inside　out；　telling
him　he　would　have　no　such　nonsense。

Towneley　was　just　as　much　Ernest's　idol　now　as　he　had　ever　been；　and
Ernest；　who　was　very　easily　touched；　felt　more　gratefully　and　warmly
than　ever　towards　him；　but　there　was　an　unconscious　something　which
was　stronger　than　Towneley；　and　made　my　hero　determine　to　break　with
him　more　determinedly　perhaps　than　with　any　other　living　person；　he
thanked　him　in　a　low　hurried　voice　an