红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第25章

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e　universe　through　themedium　of　another　kind　of　intellect　than　those　with　which　hehabitually　held　converse。　It　was　as　if　a　window　were　thrown　open；admitting　a　freer　atmosphere　into　the　close　and　stifled　study；　wherehis　life　was　wasting　itself　away；　amid　lamplight；　or　obstructedday…beams；　and　the　musty　fragrance；　be　it　sensual　or　moral；　thatexhales　from　books。　But　the　air　was　too　fresh　and　chill　to　be　longbreathed　with　fort。　So　the　minister；　and　the　physician　with　him；withdrew　again　within　the　limits　of　what　their　church　defined　asorthodox。　　Thus　Roger　Chillingworth　scrutinised　his　patient　carefully；　bothas　he　saw　him　in　his　ordinary　life；　keeping　an　accustomed　pathway　inthe　range　of　thoughts　familiar　to　him；　and　as　he　appeared　whenthrown　amidst　other　moral　scenery；　the　novelty　of　which　might　call　outsomething　new　to　the　surface　of　his　character。　He　deemed　it　essential；it　would　seem；　to　know　the　man；　before　attempting　to　do　him　good。Wherever　there　is　a　heart　and　an　intellect；　the　diseases　of　thephysical　frame　are　tinged　with　the　peculiarities　of　these。　In　ArthurDimmesdale；　thought　and　imagination　were　so　active；　and　sensibility　sointense；　that　the　bodily　infirmity　would　be　likely　to　have　itsgroundwork　there。　So　Roger　Chillingworth…　the　man　of　skill；　the　kindand　friendly　physician…　strove　to　go　deep　into　his　patient's　bosom；delving　among　his　principles；　prying　into　his　recollections；　andprobing　everything　with　a　cautious　touch；　like　a　treasure…seeker　ina　dark　cavern。　Few　secrets　can　escape　an　investigator；　who　hasopportunity　and　license　to　undertake　such　a　quest；　and　skill　to　followit　up。　A　man　burdened　with　a　secret　should　especially　avoid　theintimacy　of　his　physician。　If　the　latter　possess　native　sagacity；and　a　nameless　something　more…　let　us　call　it　intuition；　if　he　show　nointrusive　egotism；　nor　disagreeably　prominent　characteristics　of　hisown；　if　he　have　the　power；　which　must　be　born　with　him；　to　bring　hismind　into　such　affinity　with　his　patient's；　that　this　last　shallunawares　have　spoken　what　he　imagines　himself　only　to　have　thought；　ifsuch　revelations　be　received　without　tumult；　and　acknowledged　not　sooften　by　an　uttered　sympathy　as　by　silence；　an　inarticulate　breath；and　here　and　there　a　word；　to　indicate　that　all　is　understood；　if　tothese　qualifications　of　a　confidant　be　joined　the　advantagesafforded　by　his　recognised　character　as　a　physician…　then；　at　someinevitable　moment；　will　the　soul　of　the　sufferer　be　dissolved；　andflow　forth　in　a　dark；　but　transparent　stream；　bringing　all　itsmysteries　into　the　daylight。　　Roger　Chillingworth　possessed　all；　or　most；　of　the　attributesabove　enumerated。　Nevertheless；　time　went　on；　a　kind　of　intimacy；　aswe　have　said；　grew　up　between　these　two　cultivated　minds；　which　had　aswide　a　field　as　the　whole　sphere　of　human　thought　and　study；　to　meetupon；　they　discussed　every　topic　of　ethics　and　religion；　of　publicaffairs；　and　private　character；　they　talked　much；　on　both　sides；　ofmatters　that　seemed　personal　to　themselves；　and　yet　no　secret；　such　asthe　physician　fancied　must　exist　there；　ever　stole　out　of　theminister's　consciousness　into　his　panion's　ear。　The　latter　hadhis　suspicions；　indeed；　that　even　the　nature　of　Mr。　Dimmesdale'sbodily　disease　had　never　fairly　been　revealed　to　him。　It　was　a　strangereserve！　　After　a　time；　at　a　hint　from　Roger　Chillingworth；　the　friends　of　Mr。Dimmesdale　effected　an　arrangement　by　which　the　two　were　lodged　in　thesame　house；　so　that　every　ebb　and　flow　of　the　minister's　life…tidemight　pass　under　the　eye　of　his　anxious　and　attached　physician。There　was　much　joy　throughout　the　town；　when　this　greatly　desirableobject　was　attained。　It　was　held　to　be　the　best　possible　measure　forthe　young　clergyman's　welfare：　unless；　indeed；　as　often　urged　bysuch　as　felt　authorised　to　do　so；　he　had　selected　some　one　of　the　manyblooming　damsels；　spiritually　devoted　to　him；　to　bee　his　devotedwife。　This　latter　step；　however；　there　was　no　present　prospect　thatArthur　Dimmesdale　would　be　prevailed　upon　to　take；　he　rejected　allsuggestions　of　the　kind；　as　if　priestly　celibacy　were　one　of　hisarticles　of　church…discipline。　Doomed　by　his　own　choice；　therefore；　asMr。　Dimmesdale　so　evidently　was；　to　eat　his　unsavoury　morsel　always　atanother's　board；　and　endure　the　lifelong　chill　which　must　be　his　lotwho　seeks　to　warm　himself　only　at　another's　fireside；　it　trulyseemed　that　this　sagacious；　experienced；　benevolent　old　physician；with　his　concord　of　paternal　and　reverential　love　for　the　youngpastor；　was　the　very　man；　of　all　mankind；　to　be　constantly　withinreach　of　his　voice。　　The　new　abode　of　the　two　friends　was　with　a　pious　widow；　of　goodsocial　rank；　who　dwelt　in　a　house　covering　pretty　nearly　the　site　onwhich　the　venerable　structure　of　King's　Chapel　has　since　been　built。It　had　the　graveyard；　originally　Isaac　Johnson's　home…field；　on　oneside；　and　so　was　well　adapted　to　call　up　serious　reflections；　suitedto　their　respective　employments；　in　both　minister　and　man　of　physic。The　motherly　care　of　the　good　widow　assigned　to　Mr。　Dimmesdale　a　frontapartment；　with　a　sunny　exposure；　and　heavy　window…curtains；　to　createa　noon…tide　shadow；　when　desirable。　The　walls　were　hung　round　withtapestry；　said　to　be　from　the　Gobelin　looms；　and；　at　all　events；representing　the　Scriptural　story　of　David　and　Bathsheba；　and　Nathanthe　Prophet；　in　colours　still　unfaded；　but　which　made　the　fair　womanof　the　scene　almost　as　grimly　picturesque　as　the　woe…denouncingseer。　Here；　the　pale　clergyman　piled　up　his　library；　rich　withparchment…bound　folios　of　the　Fathers；　and　the　lore　of　Rabbis；　andmonkish　erudition；　of　which　the　Protestant　divines；　even　while　theyvilified　and　decried　that　class　of　writers；　were　yet　constrained　oftento　avail　themselves。　On　the　other　side　of　the　house；　old　RogerChillingworth　arranged　his　study　and　laboratory；　not　such　as　amodern　man　of　science　would　reckon　even　tolerably　plete；　butprovided　with　a　distilling　apparatus；　and　the　means　of　poundingdrugs　and　chemicals；　which　the　practised　alchemist　knew　well　how　toturn　to　purpose。　With　such　modiousness　of　situation；　these　twolearned　persons　sat　themselves　down；　each　in　his　own　domain；　yetfamiliarly　passing　from　one　apartment　to　the　other；　and　bestowing　amutual　and　not　incurious　inspection　into　one　another's　business。　　And　the　Reverend　Arthur　Dimmesdale's　best　discerning　friends；　aswe　have　intimated；　very　reasonably　imagined　that　the　hand　ofProvidence　had　done　all　this；　for　the　purpose…　besought　in　so　manypublic；　and　domestic；　and　secret　prayers…　of　restoring　the　youngminister　to　health。　But…　it　must　now　be　said…　another　portion　of　themunity　had　latterly　begun　to　take　its　own　view　of　the　relationbetwixt　Mr。　Dimmesdale　and　the　mysterious　old　physician。　When　anuninstructed　multitude　attempts　to　see　with　its　eyes；　it　isexceedingly　apt　to　be　deceived。　When；　however；　it　forms　itsjudgment；　as　it　usually　does；　on　the　intuitions　of　its　great　andwarm　heart；　the　conclusions　thus　attained　are　often　so　profound　and　sounerring；　as　to　possess　the　character　of　truths　supernaturallyrevealed。　The　people；　in　the　case　of　which　we　speak；　could　justify　itsprejudice　against　Roger　Chillingworth　by　no　fact　or　argument　worthy　ofserious　refutation。　There　was　an　aged　handicraftsman；　it　is　true；who　had　been　a　citizen　of　London　at　the　period　of　Sir　ThomasOverbury's　murder；　now　some　thirty　years　agone；　he　testified　to　havingseen　the　physician；　under　some　other　name；　which　the　narrator　of　thestory　had　now　forgotten；　in　pany　with　Doctor　Forman；　the　famous　oldconjurer；　who　was　implicated　in　the　affair　of　Overbury。　Two　or　threeindividuals　hinted；　that　the　man　of　skill；　during　his　Indiancaptivity；　had　enlarged　his　medical　attainments　by　joining　in　theincantations　of　the　savage　priests；　who　were　universallyacknowledged　to　be　powerful　enchanters；　often　performing　seeminglymiraculous　cures　by　their　skill　in　the　black　art。　A　large　number…and　many　of　these　were　persons　of　such　sober　sense　and　practicalobservation　that　their　opinions　would　have　been　valuable　in　othermatters…　affirmed　that　Roger　Chillingworth's　aspect　had　undergone　aremarkable　change　while　he　had　dwelt　in　town；　and　especially　since　hisabode　with　Mr。　Dimmesdale。　At　first；　his　expression　had　been　calm；meditative；　scholar…like。　Now；　there　was　something　ugly　and　evil　inhis　face；　which　they　had　not　previously　noticed；　and　which　grewstill　the　more　obvious　to　sight；　the　oftener　they　looked　upon　him。According　to　the　vulgar　idea；　the　fire　in　his　laboratory　had　beenbrought　from　the　lower　regions；　and　was　fed　with　infernal　fuel；　andso；　as　might　be　expected；　his　visage　was　getting　sooty　with　the　smoke。　　To　sum　up　the　matter；　it　grew　to　be　a　widely　diffused　opinion；that　the　Reverend　Arthur　Dimmesdale；　like　many　other　personages　ofespecial　sanctity；　in　all　ages　of　the　Christian　world；　was　hauntedeither　by　Satan　himself；　or　Satan's　emissary；　in　the　guise　of　oldRoger　Chillingworth。　This　diabolical　agent　had　the　Divinepermission；　for　a　season；　to　burrow　into　the　clergyman's　intimacy；　andplot　against　his　soul。　No　sensible　man；　it　was　confessed；　coulddoubt　on　which　side　the　victory　would　turn。　The　people　looked；　with　anunshaken　hope；　to　see　the　minister　e　forth　out　of　the　conflict；transfigured　with　the　glory　eanwhile；　nevertheless；　it　was　sad　to　think　of　the　perchance　mortalagon