the research magnificent-第42节

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　Amanda　could　realize　what　he　was　up　to；　she　heard　the　crack　of　his　revolver　and　saw　a　puff　of　blue　smoke　drift　away　above　his　right　shoulder。　　The　foremost　beast　rolled　over　and　the　goatherd　had　sprung　to　his　feet。　He　shouted　with　something　between　anger　and　dismay　as　Benham；　regardless　of　the　fact　that　the　other　dogs　had　turned　and　were　running　back；　let　fly　a　second　time。　　Then　the　goatherd　had　clutched　at　the　gun　that　lay　on　the　grass　near　at　hand；　Giorgio　was　bawling　in　noisy　remonstrance　and　also　getting　ready　to　shoot；　and　the　horse…owner　and　his　boy　were　clattering　back　to　a　position　of　neutrality　up　the　stony　road。　　〃BANG！〃　came　a　flight　of　lead　within　a　yard　of　Benham；　and　then　the　goatherd　was　in　retreat　behind　a　rock　and　Giorgio　was　shouting　〃AVANTI；　AVANTI！〃　to　Amanda。　She　grasped　his　intention　and　in　another　moment　she　had　Benham's　horse　by　the　bridle　and　was　leading　the　retreat。　　Giorgio　followed　close；　driving　the　two　baggage　mules　before　him。　〃I　am　tired　of　dogs；〃　Benham　said。　　〃Tired　to　death　of　dogs。　　All　savage　dogs　must　be　shot。　　All　through　the　world。　　I　am　tired〃　Their　road　carried　them　down　through　the　rocky　pass　and　then　up　a　long　slope　in　the　open。　　Far　away　on　the　left　they　saw　the　goatherd　running　and　shouting　and　other　armed　goatherds　appearing　among　the　rocks。　　Behind　them　the　horse…owner　and　his　boy　came　riding　headlong　across　the　zone　of　danger。　〃Dogs　must　be　shot；〃　said　Benham；　exalted。　　〃Dogs　must　be　shot。〃　〃Unless　they　are　GOOD　dogs；〃　said　Amanda；　keeping　beside　him　with　an　eye　on　his　revolver。　〃Unless　they　are　good　dogs　to　every　one；〃　said　Benham。　They　rushed　along　the　road　in　a　turbulent　dusty　huddle　of　horses　and　mules　and　riders。　　The　horse…owner；　voluble　in　Albanian；　was　trying　to　get　past　them。　　His　boy　pressed　behind　him。　　Giorgio　in　the　rear　had　unslung　his　rifle　and　got　it　across　the　front　of　his　saddle。　Far　away　they　heard　the　sound　of　a　shot；　and　a　kind　of　shudder　in　the　air　overhead　witnessed　to　the　flight　of　the　bullet。　　They　crested　a　rise　and　suddenly　between　the　tree　boughs　Monastir　was　in　view；　a　wide　stretch　of　white　town；　with　many　cypress　and　plane　trees；　a　winding　river　with　many　wooden　bridges；　clustering　minarets　of　pink　and　white；　a　hilly　cemetery；　and　scattered　patches　of　soldiers'　tents　like　some　queer　white　crop　to　supplement　its　extensive　barracks。　As　they　hurried　down　towards　this　city　of　refuge　a　long　string　of　mules　burthened　with　great　bales　of　green　stuff　appeared　upon　a　convergent　track　to　the　left。　　Besides　the　customary　muleteers　there　were；　by　way　of　an　escort；　a　couple　of　tattered　Turkish　soldiers。　All　these　men　watched　the　headlong　approach　of　Benham's　party　with　apprehensive　inquiry。　　Giorgio　shouted　some　sort　of　information　that　made　the　soldiers　brighten　up　and　stare　up　the　hill；　and　set　the　muleteers　whacking　and　shouting　at　their　convoy。　　It　struck　Amanda　that　Giorgio　must　be　telling　lies　about　a　Bulgarian　band。　　In　another　moment　Benham　and　Amanda　found　themselves　swimming　in　a　torrent　of　mules。　　Presently　they　overtook　a　small　flock　of　fortunately　nimble　sheep；　and　picked　up　several　dogs；　dogs　that　happily　disregarded　Benham　in　the　general　confusion。　　They　also　comprehended　a　small　springless　cart；　two　old　women　with　bundles　and　an　elderly　Greek　priest；　before　their　dusty；　barking；　shouting　cavalcade　reached　the　outskirts　of　Monastir。　　The　two　soldiers　had　halted　behind　to　cover　the　retreat。　Benham's　ghastly　face　was　now　bedewed　with　sweat　and　he　swayed　in　his　saddle　as　he　rode。　　〃This　is　NOT　civilization；　Amanda；〃　he　said；　〃this　is　NOT　civilization。〃　And　then　suddenly　with　extraordinary　pathos：　〃Oh！　　I　want　to　go　to　BED！　　I　want　to　go　to　BED！　　A　bed　with　sheets。　。　。　。〃　To　ride　into　Monastir　is　to　ride　into　a　maze。　　The　streets　go　nowhere　in　particular。　　At　least　that　was　the　effect　on　Amanda　and　Benham。　　It　was　as　if　Monastir　too　had　a　temperature　and　was　slightly　delirious。　　But　at　last　they　found　an　hotelquite　a　civilized　hotel。　。　。　。　The　doctor　in　Monastir　was　an　Armenian　with　an　ambition　that　outran　his　capacity　to　speak　English。　　He　had　evidently　studied　the　language　chiefly　from　books。　　He　thought　THESE　was　pronounced　〃theser〃　and　THOSE　was　pronounced　〃thoser；〃　and　that　every　English　sentence　should　be　taken　at　a　rush。　　He　diagnosed　Benham's　complaint　in　various　languages　and　failed　to　make　his　meaning　clear　to　Amanda。　One　combination　of　words　he　clung　to　obstinately；　having　clearly　the　utmost　faith　in　its　expressiveness。　　To　Amanda　it　sounded　like；　〃May；　Ah！　Slays；〃　and　it　seemed　to　her　that　he　sought　to　intimate　a　probable　fatal　termination　of　Benham's　fever。　　But　it　was　clear　that　the　doctor　was　not　satisfied　that　she　understood。　　He　came　again　with　a　queer　little　worn　book；　a　parallel　vocabulary　of　half…a…dozen　European　languages。　He　turned　over　the　pages　and　pointed　to　a　word。　　〃May！　　Ah！　　Slays！〃　he　repeated；　reproachfully；　almost　bitterly。　〃Oh；　MEASLES！〃　cried　Amanda。　。　。　。　So　the　spirited　honeymoon　passed　its　zenith。

11

The　Benhams　went　as　soon　as　possible　down　to　Smyrna　and　thence　by　way　of　Uskub　tortuously　back　to　Italy。　　They　recuperated　at　the　best　hotel　of　Locarno　in　golden　November　weather；　and　just　before　Christmas　they　turned　their　faces　back　to　England。　Benham's　plans　were　comprehensive　but　entirely　vague；　Amanda　had　not　so　much　plans　as　intentions。　。　。　。

CHAPTER　THE　FIFTH　THE　ASSIZE　OF　JEALOUSY

1

It　was　very　manifest　in　the　disorder　of　papers　amidst　which　White　spent　so　many　evenings　of　interested　perplexity　before　this　novel　began　to　be　written　that　Benham　had　never　made　any　systematic　attempt　at　editing　or　revising　his　accumulation　at　all。　　There　were　not　only　overlapping　documents；　in　which　he　had　returned　again　to　old　ideas　and　restated　them　in　the　light　of　fresh　facts　and　an　apparent　unconsciousness　of　his　earlier　effort；　but　there　were　mutually　destructive　papers；　new　views　quite　ousting　the　old　had　been　tossed　in　upon　the　old；　and　the　very　definition　of　the　second　limitation；　as　it　had　first　presented　itself　to　the　writer；　had　been　abandoned。　　To　begin　with；　this　second　division　had　been　labelled　〃Sex；〃　in　places　the　heading　remained；　no　effective　substitute　had　been　chosen　for　some　time；　but　there　was　d　many　appetites　that　are　not　sexual　yet　turn　to　bodily　pleasure；　and　on　the　other　there　are　elements　of　pride　arising　out　of　sex　and　passing　into　other　regions；　all　the　elements　of　rivalry　for　example；　that　have　strained　my　first　definition　to　the　utmost。　　And　I　conceive　it；　marches　to　its　end。　　It　saves　itself　for　the　truth　rather　than　sacrifices　itself　romantically　for　a　friend。　　It　justifies　vivisection　if　thereby　knowledge　is　won　for　ever。　　It　upholds　that　Brutus　who　killed　his　sons。　　It　forbids　devotion　to　women；　courts　of　love　and　all　such　decay　of　the　chivala　closely…written　memorandum；　very　much　erased　and　written　over　and　amended；　which　showed　Benham's　early　dissatisfaction　with　that　crude　rendering　of　what　he　had　in　mind。　　This　memorandum　was　tacked　to　an　interrupted　fragment　of　autobiography；　a　manuscript　soliloquy　in　which　Benham　had　been　discussing　his　married　life。　〃It　was　not　until　I　had　been　married　for　the　better　part　of　a　year；　and　had　spent　more　than　six　months　in　London；　that　I　faced　the　plain　issue　between　the　aims　I　had　set　before　myself　and　the　claims　and　immediate　necessities　of　my　personal　life。　　For　all　that　time　I　struggled　not　so　much　to　reconcile　them　as　to　serve　them　simultaneously。　。　。　。〃　At　that　the　autobiography　stopped　short；　and　the　intercalary　note　began。　This　intercalary　note　ran　as　follows：　〃I　suppose　a　mind　of　my　sort　cannot　help　but　tend　towards　simplification；　towards　making　all　life　turn　upon　some　one　dominant　idea；　complex　perhaps　in　its　reality　but　reducible　at　last　to　one　consistent　simple　statement；　a　dominant　idea　which　is　essential　as　nothing　else　is　essential；　which　makes　and　sustains　and　justifies。　This　is　perhaps　the　innate　disposition　of　the　human　mind；　at　least　of　the　European　mindfor　I　have　some　doubts　about　the　Chinese。　Theology　drives　obstinately　towards　an　ultimate　unity　in　God；　science　towards　an　ultimate　unity　in　law；　towards　a　fundamental　element　and　a　universal　material　truth　from　which　all　material　truths　evolve；　and　in　matters　of　conduct　there　is　the　same　tendency　to　refer　to　a　universal　moral　law。　　Now　this　may　be　a　simplification　due　to　the　need　of　the　human　mind　to　comprehend；　and　its　inability　to　do　so　until　the　load　is　lightened　by　neglecting　factors。　　William　James　has　suggested　that　on　account　of　this；　theology　may　be　obstinately　working　away　from　the　truth；　that　the　truth　may　be　that　there　are　several　or　many　in　compatible　and　incommensurable　gods；　science；　in　the　same　search　for　unity；　may　follow　divergent　methods　of　inquiry　into　ultimately　uninterchangeable　generalizations；　and　there　may　be　not　only　not　one　universal　moral　law；　but　no　effective　reconciliation　of　the　various　rights　and　duties　of　a　single　individual。　　At　any　rate　I　find　myself　doubtful　to　this　day　about　my　own　personal　systems　of　right　and　wrong。　　I　can　never　get　all　my　life　into　one　focus。　　It　is　exactly　like　examining　a　rather　thick　section　with　a　microscope　of　small　penetratrion；　sometimes　one　level　is　clear　and　the　rest　foggy　and　monstrous；　and　sometimes　another。　〃Now　the　r