魔天记小说网

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第8部分（第1页）

were　troubled　by　confused　memories　of　some　time　long　gone　or　were　trying　to　recall　stories　told　him　by　another。　It　was　observed　that　if　Russia　was　mentioned　or　Princesses　or　ships；　he　would　fall　into　a　gloom　of　an　uneasy　kind　and　get　up　and　look　out　of　the　window　or　call　one　of　the　dogs　to　him；　or　take　a　knife　and　carve　a　piece　of　cedar　wood。　But　the　doctors　were　hardly　wiser　then　than　they　are　now；　and　after　prescribing　rest　and　exercise；　starvation　and　nourishment；　society　and　solitude；　that　he　should　lie　in　bed　all　day　and　ride　forty　miles　between　lunch　and　dinner；　together　with　the　usual　sedatives　and　irritants；　diversified；　as　the　fancy　took　them；　with　possets　of　newt’s　slobber　on　rising；　and　draughts　of　peacock’s　gall　on　going　to　bed；　they　left　him　to　himself；　and　gave　it　as　their　opinion　that　he　had　been　asleep　for　a　week。

But　if　sleep　it　was；　of　what　nature；　we　can　scarcely　refrain　from　asking；　are　such　sleeps　as　these？　Are　they　remedial　measures—trances　in　which　the　most　galling　memories；　events　that　seem　likely　to　cripple　life　for　ever；　are　brushed　with　a　dark　wing　which　rubs　their　harshness　off　and　gilds　them；　even　the　ugliest　and　basest；　with　a　lustre；　an　incandescence？　Has　the　finger　of　death　to　be　laid　on　the　tumult　of　life　from　time　to　time　lest　it　rend　us　asunder？　Are　we　so　made　that　we　have　to　take　death　in　small　doses　daily　or　we　could　not　go　on　with　the　business　of　living？　And　then　what　strange　powers　are　these　that　perate　our　most　secret　ways　and　change　our　most　treasured　possessions　without　our　willing　it？　Had　Orlando；　worn　out　by　the　extremity　of　his　suffering；　died　for　a　week；　and　then　e　to　life　again？　And　if　so；　of　what　nature　is　death　and　of　what　nature　life？　Having　waited　well　over　half　an　hour　for　an　answer　to　these　questions；　and　none　ing；　let　us　get　on　with　the　story。

Now　Orlando　gave　himself　up　to　a　life　of　extreme　solitude。　His　disgrace　at　Court　and　the　violence　of　his　grief　were　partly　the　reason　of　it；　but　as　he　made　no　effort　to　defend　himself　and　seldom　invited　anyone　to　visit　him　（though　he　had　many　friends　who　would　willingly　have　done　so）　it　appeared　as　if　to　be　alone　in　the　great　house　of　his　fathers　suited　his　temper。　Solitude　was　his　choice。　How　he　spent　his　time；　nobody　quite　knew。　The　servants；　of　whom　he　kept　a　full　retinue；　though　much　of　their　business　was　to　dust　empty　rooms　and　to　smooth　the　coverlets　of　beds　that　were　never　slept　in；　watched；　in　the　dark　of　the　evening；　as　they　sat　over　their　cakes　and　ale；　a　light　passing　along　the　galleries；　through　the　banqueting–halls；　up　the　staircase；　into　the　bedrooms；　and　knew　that　their　master　was　perambulating　the　house　alone。　None　dared　follow　him；　for　the　house　was　haunted　by　a　great　variety　of　ghosts；　and　the　extent　of　it　made　it　easy　to　lose　one’s　way　and　either　fall　down　some　hidden　staircase　or　open　a　door　which；　should　the　wind　blow　it　to；　would　shut　upon　one　for　ever—accidents　of　no　unmon　occurrence；　as　the　frequent　discovery　of　the　skeletons　of　men　and　animals　in　attitudes　of　great　agony　made　evident。　Then　the　light　would　be　lost　altogether；　and　Mrs　Grimsditch；　the　housekeeper；　would　say　to　Mr　Dupper；　the　chaplain；　how　she　hoped　his　Lordship　had　not　met　with　some　bad　accident。　Mr　Dupper　would　opine　that　his　Lordship　was　on　his　knees；　no　doubt；　among　the　tombs　of　his　ancestors　in　the　Chapel；　which　was　in　the　Billiard　Table　Court；　half　a　mile　away　on　the　south　side。　For　he　had　sins　on　his　conscience；　Mr　Dupper　was　afraid；　upon　which　Mrs　Grimsditch　would　retort；　rather　sharply；　that　so　had　most　of　us；　and　Mrs　Stewkley　and　Mrs　Field　and　old　Nurse　Carpenter　would　all　raise　their　voices　in　his　Lordship’s　praise；　and　the　grooms　and　the　stewards　would　swear　that　it　was　a　thousand　pities　to　see　so　fine　a　nobleman　moping　about　the　house　when　he　might　be　hunting　the　fox　or　chasing　the　deer；　and　even　the　little　laundry　maids　and　scullery　maids；　the　Judys　and　the　Faiths；　who　were　handing　round　the　tankards　and　cakes；　would　pipe　up　their　testimony　to　his　Lordship’s　gallantry；　for　never　was　there　a　kinder　gentleman；　or　one　more　free　with　those　little　pieces　of　silver　which　serve　to　buy　a　knot　of　ribbon　or　put　a　posy　in　one’s　hair；　until　even　the　Blackamoor　whom　they　called　Grace　Robinson　by　way　of　making　a　Christian　woman　of　her；　understood　what　they　were　at；　and　agreed　that　his　Lordship　was　a　handsome；　pleasant；　darling　gentleman　in　the　only　way　she　could；　that　is　to　say　by　showing　all　her　teeth　at　once　in　a　broad　grin。　In　short；　all　his　serving　men　and　women　held　him　in　high　respect；　and　cursed　the　foreign　Princess　（but　they　called　her　by　a　coarser　name　than　that）　who　had　brought　him　to　this　pass。

But　though　it　was　probably　cowardice；　or　love　of　hot　ale；　that　led　Mr　Dupper　to　imagine　his　Lordship　safe　among　the　tombs　so　that　he　need　not　go　in　search　of　him；　it　may　well　have　been　that　Mr　Dupper　was　right。　Orlando　now　took　a　strange　delight　in　thoughts　of　death　and　decay；　and；　after　pacing　the　long　galleries　and　ballrooms　with　a　taper　in　his　hand；　looking　at　picture　after　picture　as　if　he　sought　the　likeness　of　somebody　whom　he　could　not　find；　would　mount　into　the　family　pew　and　sit　for　hours　watching　the　banners　stir　and　the　moonlight　waver　with　a　bat　or　death’s　head　moth　to　keep　him　pany。　Even　this　was　not　enough　for　him；　but　he　must　descend　into　the　crypt　where　his　ancestors　lay；　coffin　piled　upon　coffin；　for　ten　generations　together。　The　place　was　so　seldom　visited　that　the　rats　made　free　with　the　lead　work；　and　now　a　thigh　bone　would　catch　at　his　cloak　as　he　passed；　or　he　would　crack　the　skull　of　some　old　Sir　Malise　as　it　rolled　beneath　his　foot。　It　was　a　ghastly　sepulchre；　dug　deep　beneath　the　foundations　of　the　house　as　if　the　first　Lord　of　the　family；　who　had　e　from　France　with　the　Conqueror；　had　wished　to　testify　how　all　pomp　is　built　upon　corruption；　how　the　skeleton　lies　beneath　the　flesh：　how　we　that　dance　and　sing　above　must　lie　below；　how　the　crimson　velvet　turns　to　dust；　how　the　ring　（here　Orlando；　stooping　his　lantern；　would　pick　up　a　gold　circle　lacking　a　stone；　that　had　rolled　into　a　corner）　loses　its　ruby　and　the　eye　which　was　so　lustrous　shines　no　more。　‘Nothing　remains　of　all　these　Princes’；　Orlando　would　say；　indulging　in　some　pardonable　exaggeration　of　their　rank；　‘except　one　digit；’　and　he　would　take　a　skeleton　hand　in　his　and　bend　the　joints　this　way　and　that。　‘Whose　hand　was　it？’　he　went　on　to　ask。　‘The　right　or　the　left？　The　hand　of　man　or　woman；　of　age　or　youth？　Had　it　urged　the　war　horse；　or　plied　the　needle？　Had　it　plucked　the　rose；　or　grasped　cold　steel？　Had　it—’　but　here　either　his　invention　failed　him　or；　what　is　more　likely；　provided　him　with　so　many　instances　of　what　a　hand　can　do　that　he　shrank；　as　his　wont　was；　from　the　cardinal　labour　of　position；　which　is　excision；　and　he　put　it　with　the　other　bones；　thinking　how　there　was　a　writer　called　Thomas　Browne；　a　Doctor　of　Norwich；　whose　writing　upon　such　subjects　took　his　fancy　amazingly。

So；　taking　his　lantern　and　seeing　that　the　bones　were　in　order；　for　though　romantic；　he　was　singularly　methodical　and　detested　nothing　so　much　as　a　ball　of　string　on　the　floor；　let　alone　the　skull　of　an　ancestor；　he　returned　to　that　curious；　moody　pacing　down　the　galleries；　looking　for　something　among　the　pictures；　which　was　interrupted　at　length　by　a　veritable　spasm　of　sobbing；　at　the　sight　of　a　Dutch　snow　scene　by　an　unknown　artist。　Then　it　seemed　to　him　that　life　was　not　worth　living　any　more。　Forgetting　the　bones　of　his　ancestors　and　how　life　is　founded　on　a　grave；　he　stood　there　shaken　with　sobs；　all　for　the　desire　of　a　woman　in　Russian　trousers；　with　slanting　eyes；　a　pouting　mouth　and　pearls　about　her　neck。　She　had　gone。　She　had　left　him。　He　was　never　to　see　her　again。　And　so　he　sobbed。　And　so　he　found　his　way　back　to　his　own　rooms；　and　Mrs　Grimsditch；　seeing　the　light　in　the　window；　put　the　tankard　from　her　lips　and　said　Praise　be　to　God；　his　Lordship　was　safe　in　his　room　again；　for　she　had　been　thinking　all　this　while　that　he　was　foully　murdered。

Orlando　now　drew　his　chair　up　to　the　table；　opened　the　works　of　Sir　Thomas　Browne　and　proceeded　to　investigate　the　delicate　articulation　of　one　of　the　doctor’s　longest　and　most　marvellously　contorted　cogitations。

For　though　these　are　not　matters　on　which　a　biographer　can　profitably　enlarge　it　is　plain　enough　to　those　who　have　done　a　reader’s　part　in　making　up　from　bare　hints　dropped　here　and　there　the　whole　boundary　and　circumference　of　a　living　person；　can　hear　in　what　we　only　whisper　a　living　voice；　can　see；　often　when　we　say　nothing　about　it；　exactly　what　he　looked　like；　know　without　a　word　to　guide　them　precisely　what　he　thought—and　it　is　for　readers　such　as　these　that　we　write—it　is　plain　then　to　such　a　reader　that　Orlando　was　strangely　pounded　of　many　humours—of　melancholy；　of　indolence；　of　passion；　of　love　of　solitude；　to　say　nothing　of　all　those　contortions　and　subtleties　of　temper　which　were　indicated　on　the　first　page；　when　he　slashed　at　a　dead　nigger’s　head；　cut　it　down；　hung　it　chivalrously　out　of　his　reach　again　and　then　betook　himself　to　the　windowseat　with　a　book。　The　taste　for　books　was　an　early　one。　As　a　child　he　was　sometimes　found　at　midnight　by　a　page　still　reading。　They　took　his　taper　away；　and　he　bred　glow–worms　to　serve　his　purpose。　They　took　the　glow–worms　away；　and　he　almost　burnt　the　house　down　with　a　tinder。　To　put　it　in　a　nutshell；　leaving　the　novelist　to　smooth　out　the　crumpled　silk　and　all　its　implications；　he　was　a　nobleman　afflicted　with　a　love　of　literature。　Many　people　of　his　time；　still　more　of　his　rank；　escaped　the　infection　and　were　thus　free　to　run　or　ride　or　make　love　at　their　own　sweet　will。　But　some　were　early　infected　by　a　germ　said　to　be　bred　of　the　pollen　of　the　asphodel　and　to　be　blown　out　of　Greece　and　Italy；　which　was　of　so　deadly　a　nature　that　it　would　shake　the　hand　as　it　was　raised　to　strike；　and　cloud　the　eye　as　it　sought　its　prey；　and　make　the　tongue　stammer　as　it　declared　its　love。　It　was　the　fatal　nature　of　this　disease　to　substitute　a　phantom　for　reality；　so　that　Orlando；　to　whom　fortune　had　given　every　gift—plate；　linen；　houses；　men–servants；　carpets；　beds　in　profusion—had　only　to　open　a　book　for　the　whole　vast　accumulation　to　turn　to　mist。　The　nine　acres　of　stone　which　were　his　house　vanished；　one　hundred　and　fifty　indoor　servants　disappeared；　his　eighty　riding　horses　became　invisible；　it　would　take　too　long　to　count　the　carpets；　sofas；　trappings；　china；　plate；　cruets；　chafing　dishes　and　other　movables　often　of　beaten　gold；　which　evaporated　like　so　much　sea　mist　under　the　miasma。　So　it　was；　and　Orlando　would　sit　by　himself；　reading；　a　naked　man。

The　disease　gained　rapidly　upon　him　now　in　his　solitude。　He　would　read　often　six　hours　into　the　night；　and　when　they　came　to　him　for　orders　about　the　slaughtering　of　cattle　or　the　harvesting　of　wheat；　he　would　push　away　his　folio　and　look　as　if　he　did　not　understand　what　was　said　to　him。　This　was　bad　enough　and　wrung　the　hearts　of　Hall；　the　falconer；　of　Giles；　the　groom；　of　Mrs　Grimsditch；　the　housekeeper；　of　Mr　Dupper；　the　chaplain。　A　fine　gentleman　like　that；　they　said；　had　no　need　of　books。　Let　him　leave　books；　they　said；　to　the　palsied　or　the　dying。　But　worse　was　to　e。　For　once　the　disease　of

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