红字-the scarlet letter(英文版)-第31章

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kind　of　fierceness；　on　old　Roger　Chillingworth。　〃Not　to　thee！But；　if　it　be　the　soul's　disease；　then　do　I　mit　myself　to　the　onePhysician　of　the　soul！　He；　if　it　stand　with　His　good　pleasure；　cancure；　or　He　can　kill！　Let　Him　do　with　me　as；　in　His　justice　andwisdom；　He　shall　see　good。　But　who　art　thou；　that　meddlest　in　thismatter？…　that　dares　thrust　himself　between　the　sufferer　and　his　God？〃　　With　a　frantic　gesture；　he　rushed　out　of　the　room。　　〃It　is　as　well　to　have　made　this　step；〃　said　Roger　Chillingworthto　himself；　looking　after　the　minister；　with　a　grave　smile。　〃Thereis　nothing　lost。　We　shall　be　friends　again　anon。　But　see；　now；　howpassion　takes　hold　upon　this　man；　and　hurrieth　him　out　of　himself！As　with　one　passion；　so　with　another！　He　hath　done　a　wild　thing　erenow；　this　pious　Master　Dimmesdale；　in　the　hot　passion　of　his　heart！〃　　It　proved　not　difficult　to　re…establish　the　intimacy　of　the　twopanions；　on　the　same　footing　and　in　the　same　degree　asheretofore。　The　young　clergyman；　after　a　few　hours　of　privacy；　wassensible　that　the　disorder　of　his　nerves　had　hurried　him　into　anunseemly　outbreak　of　temper；　which　there　had　been　nothing　in　thephysician's　words　to　excuse　or　palliate。　He　marvelled；　indeed；　atthe　violence　with　which　he　had　thrust　back　the　kind　old　man；　whenmerely　proffering　the　advice　which　it　was　his　duty　to　bestow；　andwhich　the　minister　himself　had　expressly　sought。　With　these　remorsefulfeelings；　he　lost　no　time　in　making　the　amplest　apologies；　andbesought　his　friend　still　to　continue　the　care；　which；　if　notsuccessful　in　restoring　him　to　health；　had；　in　all　probability；　beenthe　means　of　prolonging　his　feeble　existence　to　that　hour。　RogerChillingworth　readily　assented；　and　went　on　with　his　medicalsupervision　of　the　minister；　doing　his　best　for　him；　in　all　goodfaith；　but　always　quitting　the　patient's　apartment；　at　the　close　ofa　professional　interview；　with　a　mysterious　and　puzzled　smile　upon　hislips。　This　expression　was　invisible　in　Mr。　Dimmesdale's　presence；but　grew　strongly　evident　as　the　physician　crossed　the　threshold。　　〃A　rare　case！〃　he　muttered。　〃I　must　needs　look　deeper　into　it。　Astrange　sympathy　betwixt　soul　and　body！　Were　it　only　for　the　art'ssake；　I　must　search　this　matter　to　the　bottom！〃　　It　came　to　pass；　not　long　after　the　scene　above　recorded；　that　theReverend　Mr。　Dimmesdale；　at　noon…day；　and　entirely　unawares；　fell　intoa　deep；　deep　slumber；　sitting　in　his　chair；　with　a　largeblack…letter　volume　open　before　him　on　the　table。　It　must　have　beena　work　of　vast　ability　in　the　somniferous　school　of　literature。　Theprofound　depth　of　the　minister's　repose　was　the　more　remarkable；inasmuch　as　he　was　one　of　those　persons　whose　sleep；　ordinarily；　is　aslight；　as　fitful；　and　as　easily　scared　away；　as　a　small　bird　hoppingon　a　twig。　To　such　an　unwonted　remoteness；　however；　had　his　spirit　nowwithdrawn　into　itself；　that　he　stirred　not　in　his　chair；　when　oldRoger　Chillingworth；　without　any　extraordinary　precaution；　came　intothe　room。　The　physician　advanced　directly　in　front　of　his　patient；laid　his　hand　upon　his　bosom；　and　thrust　aside　the　vestment；　that；hitherto；　had　always　covered　it　even　from　the　professional　eye。　　Then；　indeed；　Mr。　Dimmesdale　shuddered；　and　slightly　stirred。　　After　a　brief　pause；　the　physician　turned　away。　　But；　with　what　a　wild　look　of　wonder；　joy；　and　horror！　With　what　aghastly　rapture；　as　it　were；　too　mighty　to　be　expressed　only　by　theeye　and　features；　and　therefore　bursting　forth　through　the　wholeugliness　of　his　figure；　and　making　itself　even　riotously　manifest　bythe　extravagant　gestures　with　which　he　threw　up　his　arms　towards　theceiling；　and　stamped　his　foot　upon　the　floor！　Had　a　man　seen　old　RogerChillingworth；　at　that　moment　of　his　ecstasy；　he　would　have　had　noneed　to　ask　how　Satan　ports　himself；　when　a　precious　human　soulis　lost　to　heaven；　and　won　into　his　kingdom。　　But　what　distinguished　the　physician's　ecstasy　from　Satan's　wasthe　trait　of　wonder　in　it！　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　XI。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　INTERIOR　OF　A　HEART。　　AFTER　the　incident　last　described；　the　intercourse　between　theclergyman　and　the　physician；　though　externally　the　same；　was　really　ofanother　character　than　it　had　previously　been。　The　intellect　ofRoger　Chillingworth　had　now　a　sufficiently　plain　path　before　it。　Itwas　not；　indeed；　precisely　that　which　he　had　laid　out　for　himself　toread。　Calm；　gentle；　passionless；　as　he　appeared；　there　alice；　hitherto　latent；　but　active　now；　inthis　unfortunate　old　man；　which　led　him　to　imagine　a　more　intimaterevenge　than　any　mortal　had　ever　wreaked　upon　an　enemy。　To　makehimself　the　one　trusted　friend；　to　whom　should　be　confided　all　thefear；　the　remorse；　the　agony；　the　ineffectual　repentance；　the　backwardrush　of　sinful　thoughts；　expelled　in　vain！　All　that　guilty　sorrow；hidden　from　the　world；　whose　great　heart　would　have　pitied　andforgiven；　to　be　revealed　to　him；　the　Pitiless；　to　him；　theUnforgiving！　All　that　dark　treasure　to　be　lavished　on　the　very　man；　towhom　nothing　else　could　so　adequately　pay　the　debt　of　vengeance。　　The　clergyman's　shy　and　sensitive　reserve　had　balked　this　scheme。Roger　Chillingworth；　however；　was　inclined　to　be　hardly；　if　at　all；less　satisfied　with　the　aspect　of　affairs；　which　Providence…　using　theavenger　and　his　victim　for　its　own　purposes；　and；　perchance；pardoning；　where　it　seemed　most　to　punish…　had　substituted　for　hisblack　devices。　A　revelation；　he　could　almost　say；　had　been　grantedto　him。　It　mattered　little；　for　his　object；　whether　celestial；　or　fromwhat　other　region。　By　its　aid；　in　all　the　subsequent　relations　betwixthim　and　Mr。　Dimmesdale；　not　merely　the　external　presence；　but　the　veryinmost　soul；　of　the　latter　seemed　to　be　brought　out　before　his　eyes；so　that　he　could　see　and　prehend　its　every　movement。　He　became；thenceforth；　not　a　spectator　only；　but　a　chief　actor；　in　the　poorminister's　interior　world。　He　could　play　upon　him　as　he　chose。　Wouldhe　arouse　him　with　a　throb　of　agony？　The　victim　was　for　ever　on　therack；　it　needed　only　to　know　the　spring　that　controlled　the　engine…and　the　physician　knew　it　well！　Would　be　startle　him　with　sudden　fear？As　at　the　waving　of　a　magician's　wand；　uprose　a　grisly　phantom…　uprosea　thousand　phantoms…　in　many　shapes；　of　death；　or　more　awful　shame；all　flocking　round　about　tie　clergyman；　and　pointing　with　theirfingers　at　his　breast！　　All　this　was　acplished　with　a　subtlety　so　perfect；　that　theminister；　though　he　had　constantly　a　dim　perception　of　some　evilinfluence　watching　over　him；　could　never　gain　a　knowledge　of　itsactual　nature。　True；　he　looked　doubtfully；　fearfully…　even；　attimes；　with　horror　and　the　bitterness　of　hatred…　at　the　deformedfigure　of　the　old　physician。　His　gestures；　his　gait；　his　grizzledbeard；　his　slightest　and　most　indifferent　acts；　the　very　fashion　ofhis　garments；　were　odious　in　the　clergyman's　sight；　a　token　implicitlyto　be　relied　on；　of　a　deeper　antipathy　in　the　breast　of　the　latterthan　he　was　willing　to　acknowledge　to　himself。　For；　as　it　wasimpossible　to　assign　a　reason　for　such　distrust　and　abhorrence；　so　Mr。Dimmesdale；　conscious　that　the　poison　of　one　morbid　spot　was　infectinghis　heart's　entire　substance；　attributed　all　his　presentiments　to　noother　cause。　He　took　himself　to　task　for　his　bad　sympathies　inreference　to　Roger　Chillingworth；　disregarded　the　lesson　that　heshould　have　drawn　from　them；　and　did　his　best　to　root　them　out。　Unableto　acplish　this；　he　nevertheless；　as　a　matter　of　principle；continued　his　habits　of　social　familiarity　with　the　old　man；　andthus　gave　him　constant　opportunities　for　perfecting　the　purpose　towhich…　poor；　forlorn　creature　that　he　was；　and　more　wretched　thanhis　victim…　the　avenger　had　devoted　himself。　　While　thus　suffering　under　bodily　disease；　and　gnawed　and　torturedby　some　black　trouble　of　the　soul；　and　given　over　to　themachinations　of　his　deadliest　enemy；　the　Reverend　Mr。　Dimmesdale　hadachieved　a　brilliant　popularity　in　his　sacred　office。　He　won　it；indeed；　in　great　part；　by　his　sorrows。　His　intellectual　gifts；　hismoral　perceptions；　his　power　of　experiencing　and　municatingemotion；　were　kept　in　a　state　of　preternatural　activity　by　the　prickand　anguish　of　his　daily　life。　His　fame；　though　still　on　its　upwardslope；　already　overshadowed　the　soberer　reputations　of　hisfellow…clergymen；　eminent　as　sever