hard cash-第128章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ed　curers　of　insanity；　this　tried　him　hardest。　To　see　a　dozen　honest　gentlemen　wishing　to　do　justice；　able　to　do　justice　by　one　manly　stroke　of　the　pen；　yet　forego　their　vantage…ground；　and　descend　to　coax　an　able　rogue　to　do　their　duty　and　undo　his　own　interest　and　rascality！　To　see　a　strong　cause　turned　into　a　weak　one　by　the　timidity　of　champions　clad　by　law　in　complete　steel；　and　a　rotten　cause；　against　which　Law　and　Power；　as　well　as　Truth；　Justice；　and　Common　Sense；　had　now　declared；　turned　into　a　strong　one　by　the　pluck　and　cunning　of　his　one　unarmed　enemy！　The　ancients　feigned　that　the　ingenious　gods　tortured　Tantalus　in　hell　by　ever…present　thirst；　and　water　flowing　to　just　the　outside　of　his　lips。　A　Briton　can　thirst　for　liberty　as　hard　as　Tantalus　or　hunted　deer　can　thirst　for　cooling　springs　and　this　soul…gnawing　correspondence　brought　liberty；　and　citizenhood；　and　love；　and　happiness；　to　the　lips　of　Alfred's　burning；　pining；　aching　heart；　again；　and　again；　and　again；　then　carried　them　away　from　him　in　mockery。　Oh；　the　sickening　anguish　of　Hope　deferred；　and　deferred：

　　　　　〃The　Hell　it　is　in　suing　long　to　bide。〃

But　indeed　his　hopes　began　to　sicken　for　good　when　he　found　that　the　Board　would　not　allow　any　honest　independent　physician　to　visit　him；　or　any　solicitor　to　see　him。　At　first；　indeed；　they　refused　it　because　Mr。　Thomas　Hardie　was　going　to　let　him　out：　but　when　T。　Hardie　would　not　move　at　their　request；　then　on　a　fresh　application　they　refused　it；　giving　as　their　reason　that　they　had　already　refused　it。　Yet　in　so　keen　a　battle　he　would　not　throw　away　a　chance：　so　he　determined　to　win　Dr。　Wycherley　altogether　by　hook　or　by　crook；　and　get　a　certificate　of　sanity　from　him。　Now　a　single　white　lie；　he　knew　would　do　the　trick。　He　had　only　to　say　that　Hamlet　was　mad。　And　〃Hamlet　was　mad〃　is　easily　said。

Dr。　Wycherley　was　a　collector　of　mad　people；　and　collectors　are　always　amateurs；　and　very　seldom　connoisseurs。　His　turn　of　mind　co…operating　with　his　interests；　led　him　to　put　down　any　man　a　lunatic；　whose　intellect　was　manifestly　superior　to　his　own。　Alfred　Hardie；　and　one　or　two　more　contemporaries；　had　suffered　by　this　humour　of　the　good　doctor's。　Nor　did　the　dead　escape　him　entirely。　Pascal；　according　to　Wycherley；　was　a　madman　with　an　illusion　about　a　precipice；　John　Howard　a　moral　lunatic　in　whom　the　affections　were　reversed；　Saul　a　moping　maniac　with　homicidal　paroxysms　and　nocturnal　visions；　Paul　an　incoherent　lunatic；　who　in　his　writings　flies　off　at　a　tangent；　and　who　admits　having　once　been　the　victim　of　a　photopsic　illusion　in　broad　daylight；　Nebuchadnezzar　a　lycanthropical　lunatic；　Joan　of　Arc　a　theomaniac；　Bobby　Burton　and　Oliver　Cromwell　melancholy　maniacs；　Napoleon　an　ambitious　maniac；　in　whom　the　sense　of　impossibility　became　gradually　extinguished　by　visceral　and　cerebral　derangement；　Porson　an　oinomaniac；　Luther　a　phrenetic　patient　of　the　old　demoniac　breed；　alluded　to　by　Shakespeare：

　　　　〃One　sees　more　devils　than　vast　Hell　can　hold。　　　　　　That　is　the　madman。〃

But　without　intending　any　disrespect　to　any　of　these　gentlemen；　he　assigned　the　golden　crown　of　Insanity　to　Hamlet。　To　be　sure；　this　character　tells　his　friends　in　the　play　he　shall　_feign_　insanity；　and　swears　them　not　to　reveal　the　reason；　and　after　this　hint　to　his　friends　and　the　pit　（it　is　notorious　he　was　not　written　for　readers）　he　keeps　his　word；　and　does　it　as　cleverly　as　if　his　name　was　David　or　Brutus　instead　of　Hamlet；　indeed；　like　Edgar；　he　rather　overdoes　it；　and　so　puzzles　his　enemies　in　the　play；　and　certain　German　criticasters　and　English　mad　doctors　in　the　closet；　and　does　not　puzzle　his　bosom　friend　in　the　play　one　bit；　nor　the　pit　for　whom　he　was　created。　Add　to　this　his　sensibility；　and　his　kindness　to　others；　and　his　eloquent　grief　at　the　heart…rending　situation　which　his　father's　and　mother's　son　was　placed　in　and　had　brains　to　realise；　though　his　psychological　critics；　it　seems；　have　not；　and　add　to　all　that　the　prodigious　extent　of　his　mind；　his　keen　observation；　his　deep　reflection；　his　brilliant　fancy；　united　for　once　in　a　way　with　the　great　Academic；　or　judicial；　intellect；　that　looks　down　and　sees　all　the　sides　of　everythingand　what　can　this　rare　intellectual　compound　be？　Wycherley　decided　the　question。　Hamlet　was　too　much　greater　in　the　world　of　mind　than　S。　T。　Coleridge　and　his　German　criticasters；　too　much　higher；　deeper；　and　broader　than　Esquirol；　Pinel；　Sauze；　Haslam；　Munro；　Pagan；　Wigan；　Prichard；　Romberg；　Wycherley；　and　such　small　deer；　to　be　anything　less　than　a　madman。

Now；　in　their　midnight　discussions；　Dr。　Wycherley　more　than　once　alluded　to　the　insanity　of　Hamlet；　and　offered　proofs。　But　Alfred　declined　the　subject　as　too　puerile。　〃A　man　must　exist　before　he　can　be　insane；〃　said　the　Oxonian　philosopher；　severe　in　youthful　gravity。　But　when　he　found　that　Dr。　Wycherley；　had　he　lived　in　Denmark　at　the　time；　would　have　conferred　cannily　with　Hamlet's　uncle；　removed　that　worthy　relative's　disbelief　in　Hamlet's　insanity；　and　signed　the　young　gentleman　away　behind　his　back　into　a　lunatic　asylum；　Alfred　began　to　sympathise　with　this　posthumous　victim　of　Psychological　Science。　〃I　believe　the　bloke　was　no　madder　than　I　am；〃　said　he。　He　got　the　play；　studied　it　afresh；　compared　the　fiction　with　the　legend；　compared　Hamlet　humbugging　his　enemies　and　their　tool；　Ophelia；　with　Hamlet　opening　his　real　mind　to　himself　or　his　Horatio　the　very　next　moment；　contrasted　the　real　madness　the　author　has　portrayed　in　the　plays　of　Hamlet　and　Lear　by　the　side　of　these　extravagant　imitations；　to　save；　if　possible；　even　dunces；　and　dreamers；　and　criticasters　from　being　taken　in　by　the　latter；　and　at　their　next　seance　pitched　into　the　doctor's　pet　chimera；　and　what　with　logic；　fact；　ridicule；　and　the　author's　lines；　knocked　it　to　atoms。

Now；　in　their　midnight　discussions；　Dr。　Wycherley　had　always　handled　the　question　of　Alfred　Hardie's　Sanity　or　Insanity　with　a　philosophical　coolness　the　young　man　admired；　and　found　it　hard　to　emulate；　but　this　philosophic　calmness　deserted　him　the　moment　Hamlet's　insanity　was　disputed；　and　the　harder　he　was　pressed　the　angrier；　the　louder；　the　more　confused　the　Psychological　physician　became；　and　presently　he　got　furious；　burst　out　of　the　anti…spasmodic　or　round…about　style　and　called　Alfred　a　dd　ungrateful；　insolent　puppy；　and　went　stamping　about　the　room；　and；　finally；　to　the　young　man's　horror；　fell　down　in　a　fit　of　an　epileptic　character；　grinding　his　teeth　and　foaming　at　the　mouth。

Alfred　was　filled　with　regret；　and；　though　alarmed；　had　the　presence　of　mind　not　to　call　for　assistance。　The　fit　was　a　very　mild　one　in　reality；　though　horrible　to　look　at。　The　doctor　came　to；　and　asked　feebly　for　wine。　Alfred　got　it　him；　and　the　doctor；　with　a　mixture　of　cunning　and　alarm　in　his　eye；　said　he　had　fainted　away；　or　nearly。　Alfred　assented　coaxingly；　and　looked　sheepish。　After　this　he　took　care　never　to　libel　Hamlet's　intellect　again　by　denying　his　insanity；　for　he　was　now　convinced　of　what　he　had　long　half　suspected；　that　the　doctor　had　a　bee　in　his　own　bonnet；　and　Alfred　had　studied　true　insanity　all　this　time；　and　knew　how　inhumane　it　is　to　oppose　a　monomaniac's　foible；　it　only　infuriates　and　worries　him。　No　power　can　convince　him。


But　now　he　resolved　to　play　on　the　doctor's　foible。　It　went　against　his　conscience；　but　the　temptation　was　so　strong。　He　came　to　him　with　a　hang…dog　air。

〃Doctor；〃　said　he；　〃I　have　been　thinking　over　your　arguments；　and　I　capitulate。　If　Hamlet　ever　existed；　he　was　as　mad　as　a　March　hare。〃　And　he　blushed　at　this　his　first　quibble。

Dr。　Wycherley　beamed　with　satisfaction。

〃My　young　friend；　this　gives　me　sincere　pleasure；　not　on　my　account；　but　on　your　own。　There　goes　one　of　your　illusions　then。　Now　tell　methe　L。　4；000！　Have　you　calmly　reconsidered　that　too？〃

Alfred　hung　his　head；　and　looked　guiltier　and　guiltier。

〃Why；〃　said　he；　〃that　never　amounted　to　anything　more　than　a　strong　suspicion。　It　has　long　ceased　to　occupy　my　mind　in　excess。　However；　should　I　ever　be　so　fortunate　as　to　recover　my　liberty；　I　have　no　objection　to　collect　the　evidence　about　it　pro　and　con。；　and　then　make　you　the　judge　instead　of　myself。〃　This　he　delivered　wit