第36章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"The Last Chronicle of Barset",免费读到尾

  CHAPTERXLI

  GRACECRAWLEYATHOME

  OnthemorningafterhisreturnfromLondon,MrCrawleyshowedsymptomsofgreatfatigue,andhiswifeimploredhimtoremaininbed。Butthishewouldnotdo。Hewouldgetup,andgooutdowntothebrickfields。Hehasspeciallyboundhimself,hesaid,toseethatthedutiesoftheparishshouldnotsufferbybeingleftinhishands。Thebishophadendeavouredtoplacetheminotherhands,buthehadpersistedinretainingthem。Ashaddonesohecouldallownowearinessofhisowntointerfere——andespeciallynowearinessinducedbylaboursundertakenonhisownbehalf。Thedayintheweekhadcomeroundonwhichitwashiswonttovisitthebrickmakers,andhewouldvisitthem。SohedraggedhimselfoutofhisbedandwentforthamidstthecoldstormofaharshwetMarchmorning。Hiswifewellknewwhensheheardhisfirstwordonthatmorningthatoneofthoseterriblemoodshadcomeuponhimwhichmadeherdoubtwhethersheoughttoallowhimtogoanywherealone。

  Latterlytherehadbeensomeimprovementinhismentalhealth。SincethedayofhisencounterwiththebishopandMrsProudie,thoughhehadbeenasstubbornasever,hehadbeenlessapparentlyunhappy,lessdepressedinspirits。AndthejourneytoLondonhaddonehimgood。Hiswifehadcongratulatedherselfonfindinghimabletosetabouthisworklikeanotherman,andhehimselfhadexperiencedarenewal,ifnotofhope,atanyrate,ofcourage,whichhadgivenhimacomfortwhichhehadrecognised。Hiscommon—sensehadnotbeenverystrikinginhisinterviewwithMrToogood,butyethehadtalkedmorerationallythenandhadgivenabetteraccountofthematterinhandthancouldhavebeenexpectedfromhimforsomeweekspreviously。Butnowthelabourwasover,areactionhadcomeuponhim,andhewentawayfromhishousehavinghardlyspokenawordtohiswifeafterthespeechwhichhemadeabouthisdutytohisparish。

  Ithinkthatatthistimenobodysawclearlytheworkingofhismind——notevenhiswife,whostudieditveryclosely,whogavehimcreditforallhishighqualities,andwhohadgraduallylearnedtoacknowledgetoherselfthatshemustdistrusthisjudgmentinmanythings。Sheknewthathewasgood,andyetweak,thathewasafflictedbyfalseprideandsupportedbytruepride,thathisintellectwasstillverybright,yetsodismallyobscuredonmanysidesasalmosttojustifypeopleinsayingthathewasmad。Sheknewthathewasalmostasaint,andyetalmostacastawaythroughvanityandhatredofthoseabovehim。

  Butshedidnotknowthatheknewallthisofhimselfalso。Shedidnotcomprehendthatheshouldbehourlytellinghimselfthatpeoplewerecallinghimmadandweresocallinghimwithtruth。Itdidnotoccurtoherthathecouldseeherinsightintohim。Shedoubtedastothewayinwhichhehadgotthecheque——neverimagining,however,thathehadwilfullystolenit——thinkingthathismindhadbeensomuchastrayastoadmitofhisfindingitandusingitwithoutwilfulguilt——thinkingalso,alas,thatamanwhocouldsoactwashardlyfitforsuchdutiesasthosewhichwereentrustedtohim。Butshedidnotdreamthatthiswaspreciselyhisownideaofhisownstateandofhisownposition;

  ——thathewasalwaysinquiringofhimselfwhetherhewasnotmad;

  whether,ifmad,hewasnotboundtolaydownhisoffice;thathewasevertaxinghimselfwithimproperhostilitytothebishop——neverforgettingforamomenthiswrathagainstthebishopandthebishop’swife,stillcomfortinghimselftogotothepalaceandtherehumblytorelinquishhisclericalauthority。Suchacourseofactionhewasproposingtohimself,butnotwithanyrealisedideathathewouldsoact。Hewasasamanwhowalksalongariver’sbankthinkingofsuicide,calculatingnowbesthemightkillhimself——whethertheriverdoesnotofferanopportunitytoogoodtobeneglected,tellinghimselfthatthewaterispleasantandcool,andthathisearswouldsoonbedeaftotheharshnoisesoftheworld——butyetknowing,orthinkingthatheknows,thatheneverwillkillhimself。SoitwaswithMrCrawley。Thoughhisimaginationpicturedtohimselfthewholescene——howhewouldhumblehimselftothegroundasheacknowledgedhisunfitness,howhewouldendurethesmall—voicedtriumphofthelittlebishop,how,fromtheabjectnessofhisownhumility,evenfromthegroundonwhichhewouldbecrouching,hewouldrebuketheloud—mouthedtriumphofthebishop’swife;thoughtherewasnotouchwantingtothepicturewhichhethusdrew——hedidnotreallyproposetohimselftocommitthisprofessionalsuicide。Hiswife,too,hadconsideredwhetheritmightbeintruthbecomingthatheshouldgiveuphisclericalduties,atanyrateforawhile;butshehadneverthoughtthattheideawaspresenttohismindalso。

  MrToogoodhadtoldhimthatpeoplewouldsaythathewasmad;andMrToogoodhadlookedathim,whenhedeclaredforthesecondtimethathehadnoknowledgewhencethechequehadcometohim,asthoughhiswordsweretoberegardedasthewordsofsomesickchild;’Mad!’hesaidtohimself,ashewalkedhomefromthestationthatnight。’Well;yes;andwhatifIammad?WhenIthinkofallthatIhaveenduredmywonderisthatIshouldnothavebeenmadsooner。’Andthenheprayed——yes,prayed,thatinhismadnesstheDevilmightnotbetoostrongforhim,andthathemightbepreservedfromsometerriblesinofmurderorviolence。What,iftheideashouldcometohiminhismadnessthatitwouldbewellforhimtoslayhiswifeandhischildren?Onlythatwaswantingtomakehimofallmenthemostunfortunate。

  Hewentdownamongthebrickmakersonthefollowingmorning,leavingthehousealmostwithoutamorseloffood,andheremainedatHoggleEndforthegreaterpartoftheday。Thereweresickpersonstherewithwhomheprayed,andthenhesattalkingwithroughmenwhiletheyatetheirdinners,andhereadpassagesfromtheBibletowomenwhiletheywashedtheirhusband’sclothes。Andforawhilehesatwithalittlegirlinhislapteachingthechildheralphabet。Ifitwerepossibleforhimhewoulddohisduty。Hewouldsparehimselfinnothing,thoughhemightsuffereventofainting。Andonthisoccasionhedidsuffer——almosttofainting,forashereturnedhomeintheafternoonhewasforcedtoleanfromtimetotimeagainstthebanksontheroad—side,whilethecoldsweatofweaknesstrickleddownhisface,inorderthathemightrecoverstrengthtogoonafewyards。Buthewouldpersevere。IfGodwouldbutleavetohimmindenoughforhiswork,hewouldgoon。Nopersonalsufferingshoulddeterhim。Hetoldhimselfthattherehadbeenmenintheworldwhosesufferingsweresharpereventhanhisown。Ofwhatsorthadbeenthelifeofthemanwhohadstoodforyearsatthetopofapillar?Butthenthemanonthepillarhadbeenhonouredbyallaroundhim。Andthus,thoughhehadthoughtofthemanonthepillartoencouragehimselfberememberinghowlamentablehadbeenthatman’ssufferings,hecametoreflectthatafterallhisownsufferingswereperhapskeenerthanthoseofthemanonthepillar。

  Whenhereachedhome,hewasveryill。Therewasnodoubtaboutitthen。Hestaggeredtohisarm—chair,andstaredathiswifefirst,andthensmiledatherwithhisghastlysmile。Hetrembledallover,andwhenfoodwasbroughttohimhecouldnoteatit。Earlyonthenextmorningthedoctorwasbyhisbedside,andbeforethateveningcamehewasdelirious。Hehadbeenatintervalsinthisstatefornearlytwodays,whenMrsCrawleywrotetoGrace,andthoughshehadrestrainedherselftellingeverything,shehadwrittenwithsufficientstrengthtobringGraceatoncetoherfather’sbedside。

  HewasnotsoillwhenGracearrivedhomebutthatheknewher,andheseemedtoreceivedsomecomfortfromhercoming。BeforeshehadbeeninthehouseanhourshewasreadingGreektohim,andtherewasnowanderinginhismindastothedueemphasistobegiventotheplaintsoftheinjuredheroines,orastothepropermeaningofthechoruses。

  Andashelaywithhisheadhalfburiedinthepillows,heshoutedoutlongpassages,linesfromtragicplaysbythescore,andforawhileseemedtohavealltheenjoymentofadearoldpleasureplacednewlywithinhisreach。Buthetiredofthisafterawhile,andthen,havinglookedroundtoseethathiswifewasnotintheroom,hebegantotalkofhimself。

  ’SoyouhavebeentoAllington,mydear?’

  ’Yes,papa。’

  ’Isitaprettyplace?’

  ’Yes,papa;——verypretty。’

  ’Andtheyweregoodtoyou?’

  ’Yes,papa;——verygood。’

  ’Hadtheyheardanythingthereabout——me;ofthistrialthatistocomeon?’

  ’Yes,papa;theyhadheardofit。’

  ’Andwhatdidtheysay?Youneednotthinkthatyouwillshockmebytellingme。Theycannotsayworsetherethanpeoplehavesaidhereorthinkworse。’

  ’Theydon’tthinkatallbadlyofyouatAllington,papa。’

  ’Buttheymustthinkbadlyofmeifthemagistratesareright。’

  ’Theysupposethattherehasbeenamistake;——asweallthink。’

  ’Theydonottrymenattheassizesformistakes。’

  ’Thatyouhavebeenmistaken,Imean;——andthemagistratesmistaken。’

  ’Butcannothavebeenmistaken,Grace。’

  ’Idon’tknowhowtoexplainmyself,papa;butweallknowthatitisverysad,andarequitesurethatyouhavenevermeantforonemomenttodoanythingthatiswrong。’

  ’Butpeoplewhentheyare——youknowwhatImean,Grace;whentheyarenotthemselves——dothingsthatarewrongwithoutmeaningit。’Thenhepaused,whilesheremainedstandingbyhimwithherhandonthebackofhis。Shewaslookingathisface,whichhadbeenturnedtowardsherwhiletheywerereadingtogether,butwhichnowwassofarmovedthatsheknewthathiseyescouldnotbefixeduponhers。’Ofcourseifthebishopordersit,itshallbeso,’hesaid。’Itisquiteenoughformethatheisabishop。’

  ’Whathasthebishopordered,papa?’

  ’Nothingatall。Itisshewhodoesit。Hehasgivenmenoopinionaboutit。Ofcoursenot。Hehasnonetogive。Itisthewoman。YougoandtellherfrommethatinsuchamatterIwillnotobeythewordofanywomanliving。Goatonce,whenItellyou。’

  Thensheknewthatherfather’smindwaswandering,andshekneltdownbythebedside,stillholdinghishand。

  ’Grace,’hesaid。

  ’Yes,papa,Iamhere。’

  ’WhydoyounotdowhatItellyou?’Andhesatuprightinhisbed。’I

  supposeyouareafraidofthewoman。’

  ’Ishouldbeafraidofher,dearpapa。’

  ’Iwasnotafraidofher。Whenshespoketome,Iwouldhavenothingtosaytoher;——notaword;——notaword。’Ashesaidthis,hewavedhishandsabout。’Butasforhim——ifitmustbe,itmust。IknowIamnotfitforit。OfcourseIamnot。Whois?Butwhathasheeverdonethatheshouldbedean?Ibeathimateverything;almostateverything。HegottheNewdigate,andthatwasaboutall。UponmywordIthinkthatwasall。’

  ’ButDrArabinlovesyoutruly,dearpapa。’

  ’Loveme!psha!Doesheevercomeheretotea,asheusedtodo?No!

  Irememberbutteringtoastforhimdownonmykneesbeforethefire,becausehelikedit——andkeepingallthecreamforhim。Heshouldhavemyheart’sbloodifhewantedit。Butnow;——lookathisbooks,Grace。

  It’stheoutsideofthemhecaresfor。Theyareallgilt,butIdoubtifheeverreads。Asforher——Iwillnotallowanywomantotellmemyduty。No;——butmyMaker;notevenyourmother,whoisthebestofwomen。Andasforher,withherlittlehusbanddanglingatherapron—

  strings,asacall—whistletobeblownintowhenshepleases——thatsheshoulddaretoteachmemyduty!No!Themeninthejury—boxmaydecidehowtheywill。Iftheycanbelieveaplainstory,letthem!Ifnot——letthemdoastheyplease。Iamreadytobearitall。’

  ’Dearpapa,youaretired。Willyounottrytosleep?’

  ’TellMrsProudiewhatIsay;andasforArabin’smoney,Itookit。I

  knowItookit。Whatwouldyouhavemedo?ShallI——seethem——allstarve?’Thenhefellbackuponhisbedanddidsleep。

  Thenextdayhewasbetter,andinsistedupongettingoutofbed,andonsittinginhisoldarm—chairoverthefire。AndtheGreekbookswereagainhadout;andGrace,notatallunwillingly,wasputthroughherfacings。’Ifyoudon’ttakecare,mydear,’hesaid,’Janewillbeatyouyet。Sheunderstandstheforceoftheverbsbetterthanyoudo。’

  ’Iamverygladthatsheisdoingsowell,papa。IamsureIshallnotbegrudgeherhersuperiority。’

  ’Ah,butyoushouldbegrudgeither!’Janewassittingbyatthetime,andthetwosisterswereholdingeachotherBythehand。’Alwaystobethebest;——alwaystobeinadvanceofothers。Thatshouldbeyourmotto。’

  ’Butwecan’tbothbebest,papa,’saidJane。

  ’Youcanbothstrivetobebest。ButGracehasthebettervoice。I

  rememberwhenIknewthewholeofthe\"Antigone\"byheart。Yougirlsshouldseewhichcanlearnitfirst。’

  ’Itwouldtakesuchalongtime,’saidJane。

  ’Youarewrong,andwhatcanyoudobetterwithyourleisurehours?Fie,Jane!Ididnotexpectitfromyou。WhenIwaslearningitIhadeightorninepupils,andreadanhouradaywitheachofthem。ButIthinkthatnobodyworksnowastheyusedtoworkthen。Whereisyourmamma?

  TellherIthinkIcouldgetoutasfarasMrsCox’s,ifshewouldhelpmedress。’Soonafterthishewasinbedagain,andhisheadwaswandering;butstilltheyknewthathewasbetterthanhehadbeen。

  ’YouaremoreofacomforttoyourpapathanIcanbe,’saidMrsCrawleytohereldestdaughterthatnightastheysattogether,wheneverybodyelsewasinbed。

  ’Donotsaythat,mamma。Papadoesnotthinkso。’

  ’IcannotreadGreekplaystohimasyoucando。Icanonlynursehiminhisillnessandendeavourtodomyduty。Doyouknow,Grace,thatitIambeginningtofearthathehalfdoubtsme?’

  ’Oh,mamma!’

  ’Thathehalfdoubtsme,andishalfafraidofme。Hedoesnotthinkasheusedtodo,thatIamaltogether,heartandsoul,onhisside。Icanseeitinhiseyesashewatchesme。HethinksthatIamtiredofhim——tiredofhissufferings,tiredofhispoverty,tiredoftheevilwhichmensayofhim。IamnotsurebutwhathethinksthatIsuspecthim。’

  ’Ofwhat,mamma?’

  ’Ofgeneralunfitnessfortheworkhehastodo。Thefeelingisnotstrongasyet,butIfearthathewillteachhimselftothinkthathehasanenemyathishearth——notafriend。Itwillbethesaddestmistakeheevermade。’

  ’Hetoldmetodaythatyouwerethebestofwomen。Thosewerehisverywords。’

  ’Werethey,mydear?Iamgladatleastthatheshouldsaysotoyou。

  Hehasbeenbettersinceyoucame;——agreatdealbetter。ForonedayI

  wasfrightened;butIamverysorrynowthatIsentforyou。’

  ’Iamsoglad,mamma;soveryglad。’

  ’Youwerehappythere——andcomfortable。Andiftheyweregladtohaveyou,whyshouldIhavebroughtyouaway?’

  ’ButIwasnothappy;——eventhoughtheywereverygoodtome。HowcouldIbehappytherewhenIwasthinkingofyouandpapaandJanehereathome?Whateverthereisher,Iwouldsoonershareitwithyouthanbeanywhereelse——whilethistroublelasts。’

  ’Mydarling!——itisagreatcomforttoseeyouagain。’

  ’OnlythatIknewthatonelessinthehousewouldbeasavingtoyouI

  shouldnothavegone。Whenthereisunhappiness,peopleshouldstaytogether;——shouldn’tthey,mamma?’Theyweresittingquiteclosetoeachother,onanoldsofainasmallupstairsroom,fromwhichadooropenedintothelargerchamberinwhichMrCrawleywaslying。IthadbeenarrangedbetweenthemthatonthisnightMrsCrawleyshouldremainwithherhusband,andthatGraceshouldgotobed。Itwasnowpastoneo’clock,butshewasstillthere,clingingtohermother’sside,withhermother’sarmdrawnroundher。’Mamma,’shesaid,whentheyhadbothbeensilentforsometenminutes。’Ihavegotsomethingtotellyou。’

  ’Tonight?’

  ’Yes,mamma;tonight,ifyouwillletme。’

  ’Butyoupromisedthatyouwouldgotobed。Youwereupalllastnight。’

  ’Iamnotsleepy,mamma。’

  ’Ofcourseyoushalltellmewhatyouplease,dearest。Isitasecret?

  IsitsomethingIamnottorepeat?’

  ’Youmustsayhowthatoughttobe,mamma。Ishallnottellittoanyoneelse。’

  ’Well,dear?’

  ’Sitcomfortably,mamma;——there;likethat,andletmehaveyourhand。

  It’saterriblestorytohavetotell。’

  ’Aterriblestory,Grace?’

  ’Imeanthatyoumustnotdrawawayfromme。Ishallwanttofeelthatyouarequiteclosetome。Mamma,whileIwasatAllington,MajorGrantlycamethere?’

  ’Didhe,mydear?’

  ’Yes,mamma。’

  ’Didheknowthembefore?’

  ’No,mamma;notattheSmallHouse。Buthecamethere——toseeme。Heaskedme——tobehiswife。Don’tmove,mamma。’

  ’Mydarlingchild!Iwon’tmove,dearest。Well;andwhatdidyousaytohim?Godblesshim,atanyrate。MayGodblesshim,becausehehasseenwithatrueeye,andfeltwithanobleinstinct。Itissomething,Grace,tohavebeenwooedbysuchamanatsuchatime。’

  ’Mamma,itdidmakemefeelproud;itdid。’

  ’Youhadknownhimwellbefore——ofcourse?Iknewthatyouandhewerefriends,Grace。’

  ’Yes,wewerefriends。Ialwayslikedhim。Iusednottoknowwhattothinkabouthim。MissAnnePrettymantoldmethatitwouldbeso;andoncebeforeIhadthoughtsomyself。’

  ’Andhadyoumadeupyourmindwhattosaytohim?’

  ’Yes,Ididthen。ButIdidnotsayit。’

  ’Didnotsaywhatyouhadmadeupyourmindtosay?’

  ’Thatwasbeforeallthishappenedtopapa。’

  ’Iunderstandyou,dearest。’

  ’WhenMissAnnePrettymantoldmethatIshouldbereadywithmyanswer,andwhenIsawthatMissPrettymanherselfusedtolethimcometothehouseandseemedtowishthatIshouldseehimwhenhecame,andwhenheoncewas——soverygentleandkind,andwhenhesaidthathewantedmetoloveEdith——Oh,mamma!’

  ’Yes,darling,Iknow。Ofcourseyoulovedhim。’

  ’Yes,mamma。AndIdolovehim。Howcouldonenotlovehim?’

  ’Ilovehim——forlovingyou。’

  ’But,mamma,oneisboundnottodoaharmtoanyonethatoneloves。SowhenhecametoAllingtonItoldhimthatIcouldnotbehiswife。’

  ’Didyou,mydear?’

  ’Yes;Idid。WasInotright?OughtItogotohimtobringadisgraceuponallthefamily,justbecauseheissogoodthatheasksme?ShallI

  injurehimbecausehewantstodomeaservice?’

  ’Ifhelovesyou,Grace,theservicehewillrequirewillbeyourloveinreturn。’

  ’Thatisallverywell,mamma——inbooks;butIdonotbelieveitinreality。Beinginloveisverynice,andinpoetrytheymakeitouttobeeverything。ButIdonotthinkIshouldmakeMajorGrantlyhappyifwhenIbecamehiswifehisownfatherandmotherwouldnotseehim。I

  knowIshouldbesowretched,myself,thatIcouldnotlive。’

  ’Butwoulditbeso?’

  ’Yes;——Ithinkitwould。Andthearchdeaconisveryrich,andcanleaveallhismoneyawayfromMajorGrantlyifhepleases。ThinkwhatIshouldfeelifIwerethecauseofEdithlosingherfortune!’

  ’Butwhydoyousupposetheseterriblethings?’

  ’Ihaveareasonforsupposingthem。Thismustbeasecret。MissAnnePrettymanwrotetome。’

  ’IwishMissAnnePrettyman’shandhadbeeninthefire。’

  ’No,mamma;no,shewasright。WouldnotIhavewished,doyouthink,tohavelearnedallthetruthaboutthematterbeforeIansweredhim?

  Besides,itmadenodifference。Icouldhavemadenootheranswerwhilepapaisundersuchaterribleban。Itisnotimeforustothinkofbeinginlove。Wehavegottoloveeachother。Isn’titso,mamma?’Themotherdidnotanswerinwords,butslippingdownonherkneesbeforeherchildthrewherarmsfoundhergirl’sbodyinacloseembrace。’Dearmamma;dearestmamma;thisiswhatIwanted;——thatyoushouldloveme。’

  ’Loveyou,myangel!’

  ’Andtrustme;——andthatweshouldunderstandeachother,andstandclosebyeachother。Wecandosomuchtocomfortoneanother;——butwecannotcomfortotherpeople。’

  ’Hemustknowthatbesthimself,Grace;——butwhatdidhesaymoretoyou?’

  ’Idon’tthinkhesaidanythingmore。’

  ’Hejustleftyouthen?’

  ’Hesaidonethingmore。’

  ’Andwhatwasthat?’

  ’Hesaid——buthehadnorighttosayit。’

  ’Whatwasit,dear?’

  ’ThatheknewthatIlovedhim,andthattherefore——But,mamma,donotthinkofthat。Iwillneverbehiswife——never,inoppositiontohisfamily。’

  ’Buthedidnottakeyouranswer?’

  ’Hemusttakeit,mamma。Heshalltakeit。Ifhecanbestubborn,socanI。Ifheknowshowtothinkofmemorethanhimself,IcanthinkofhimandEdithmorethanofmyself。Thatisnotquiteall,mamma。Thenhewrotetome。Thereishisletter。’

  MrsCrawleyreadtheletter。’Isupposeyouansweredit?’

  ’Yes,Iansweredit。Itwasverybad,myletter。Ishouldthinkafterallthathewillneverwanttohaveanythingmoretosaytome。Itriedfortwodays,butIcouldnotwriteaniceletter。’

  ’Butwhatdidyousay?’

  ’Idon’tintheleastremember。Itdoesnotintheleastsignifynow,butitwassuchabadletter。’

  ’Idaresayitwasverynice。’

  ’Itwasterriblystiff,andallaboutagentleman。’

  ’Allaboutagentleman!Whatdoyoumean,mydear?’

  ’Gentlemanissuchafrightfulwordtohavetousetoagentleman;butI

  didnotknowwhatelsetosay。Mamma,ifyouplease,wewon’ttalkaboutit;——notabouttheletter,Imean。Asforhim,I’lltalkabouthimforeverifyoulikeit。Idon’tmeantobeabitbroken—hearted。’

  ’Itseemstomethatheisagentleman。’

  ’Yes,mamma,thatheis;anditisthatwhichmakesmesoproud。WhenI

  thinkofit,Icanhardlyholdmyself。ButnowI’vetoldyoueverything,andI’llgoaway,andgotobed。’

  CHAPTERXLII

  MRTOOGOODTRAVELSPROFESSIONALLY

  MrToogoodpaidanothervisittoBarsetshire,inorderthathemightgetalittlefurtherinformationwhichhethoughtwouldbenecessarybeforedespatchinghisnephewuponthetracesofDeanArabinandhiswife。HewentdowntoBarchesterafterhisworkwasoverbyaneveningtrain,andputhimselfupat’TheDragonofWantly’,intendingtohavethewholeofthenextdayforhiswork。MrWalkerhadaskedhimtocomeandtakeareturnpotluckdinnerwithMrsWalkeratSilverbridge;andthishehadsaidthathewoulddo。Afterhaving’rummagedaboutfortidings’inBarchester,ashecalledit,hewouldtakethetrainforSilverbridge,andwouldgetbacktotownintimeforbusinessonthethirdday。’Onedaywon’tbemuch,youknow,’hesaidtohispartner,ashemadehalfanapologyforabsentinghimselfonbusinesswhichwasnottobeinanydegreeremunerative。’Thatsortofthingisverywellwhenonedoesitwithoutanyexpense’saidCrump。’Soitis,’saidToogood;’andtheexpensewon’tmakeitanyworse。’Hehadmadeuphismind,anditwasnotprobablethatanythingMrCrumpmightsaywoulddeterhim。

  HesawJohnEamesbeforehestarted。’You’llbereadythisdayweek,willyou?’JohnEamespromisedthathewould。’Itwillcostyousomefortypounds,Ishouldsay。ByGeorge——ifyouhavetogoontoJerusalem,itwillcostyoumore。’Inanswertothis,Johnnypleadedthatitwouldbeasgoodasanyothertourtohim。Hewouldseetheworld。’I’lltellyouwhat,’saidToogood;’I’llpayhalf。Onlyyoumustn’ttellCrump。AnditwillbequiteaswellnottotellMaria。’ButJohnnywouldhearnothingofthisscheme。Hewouldpaytheentirecostofhisownjourney。Hehadlotsofmoney,hesaid,andwouldlikenothingbetter。’ThenI’llrundown,’saidToogood,’andrummageupwhattidingsIcan。Asforwritingtothedean,what’sthegoodofwritingtoamanwhenyoudon’tknowwhereheis?Businesslettersalwayslieathotelsfortwomonths,andthencomebackwithdoublepostage。FromallIcanhear,you’llstumbleonherbeforeyoufindhim。Ifwedonothingelsebutbringhimback,itwillbeagreatthingtohavethesupportofsuchafriendinthecourt。ABarchesterjurywon’tliketofindamanguiltywhoishand—and—glovewiththedean。’

  MrToogoodreachedthe’Dragon’abouteleveno’clock,andallowedthebootstogivehimapairofslippersandacandlestick。Buthewouldtogotobedjustatthatmoment。Hewouldgointothecoffee—roomfirst,andhaveaglassofhotbrandy—and—water。Sothehotbrandy—and—waterwasbroughttohim,andacigar,andashesmokedanddrankheconversedwiththewaiter。Themanwasawaiteroftheancientclass,agrey—hairedwaiter,withseedyclothes,andadirtytowelunderhisarm;

点击下载App,搜索"The Last Chronicle of Barset",免费读到尾