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第13章

lazy tour of two idle apprentices-第13章

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started and trembled; his pale face grew whiter than ever; his wild

black eyes turned on Arthur; and looked through and through him。



'A pretty drawing;' he said in a remarkably quiet tone of voice。



'Ah! and done by such a pretty girl;' said Arthur。  'Oh; such a

pretty girl!  I wish it was not a landscape … I wish it was a

portrait of her!'



'You admire her very much?'



Arthur; half in jest; half in earnest; kissed his hand for answer。



'Love at first sight!' he said; putting the drawing away again。

'But the course of it doesn't run smooth。  It's the old story。

She's monopolised as usual。  Trammelled by a rash engagement to

some poor man who is never likely to get money enough to marry her。

It was lucky I heard of it in time; or I should certainly have

risked a declaration when she gave me that drawing。  Here; doctor!

Here is pen; ink; and paper all ready for you。'



'When she gave you that drawing?  Gave it。  Gave it。'  He repeated

the words slowly to himself; and suddenly closed his eyes。  A

momentary distortion passed across his face; and I saw one of his

hands clutch up the bedclothes and squeeze them hard。  I thought he

was going to be ill again; and begged that there might be no more

talking。  He opened his eyes when I spoke; fixed them once more

searchingly on Arthur; and said; slowly and distinctly; 'You like

her; and she likes you。  The poor man may die out of your way。  Who

can tell that she may not give you herself as well as her drawing;

after all?'



Before young Holliday could answer; he turned to me; and said in a

whisper; 'Now for the prescription。'  From that time; though he

spoke to Arthur again; he never looked at him more。



When I had written the prescription; he examined it; approved of

it; and then astonished us both by abruptly wishing us good night。

I offered to sit up with him; and he shook his head。  Arthur

offered to sit up with him; and he said; shortly; with his face

turned away; 'No。'  I insisted on having somebody left to watch

him。  He gave way when he found I was determined; and said he would

accept the services of the waiter at the Inn。



'Thank you; both;' he said; as we rose to go。  'I have one last

favour to ask … not of you; doctor; for I leave you to exercise

your professional discretion … but of Mr。 Holliday。'  His eyes;

while he spoke; still rested steadily on me; and never once turned

towards Arthur。  'I beg that Mr。 Holliday will not mention to any

one … least of all to his father … the events that have occurred;

and the words that have passed; in this room。  I entreat him to

bury me in his memory; as; but for him; I might have been buried in

my grave。  I cannot give my reasons for making this strange

request。  I can only implore him to grant it。'



His voice faltered for the first time; and he hid his face on the

pillow。  Arthur; completely bewildered; gave the required pledge。

I took young Holliday away with me; immediately afterwards; to the

house of my friend; determining to go back to the Inn; and to see

the medical student again before he had left in the morning。



I returned to the Inn at eight o'clock; purposely abstaining from

waking Arthur; who was sleeping off the past night's excitement on

one of my friend's sofas。  A suspicion had occurred to me as soon

as I was alone in my bedroom; which made me resolve that Holliday

and the stranger whose life he had saved should not meet again; if

I could prevent it。  I have already alluded to certain reports; or

scandals; which I knew of; relating to the early life of Arthur's

father。  While I was thinking; in my bed; of what had passed at the

Inn … of the change in the student's pulse when he heard the name

of Holliday; of the resemblance of expression that I had discovered

between his face and Arthur's; of the emphasis he had laid on those

three words; 'my own brother;' and of his incomprehensible

acknowledgment of his own illegitimacy … while I was thinking of

these things; the reports I have mentioned suddenly flew into my

mind; and linked themselves fast to the chain of my previous

reflections。  Something within me whispered; 'It is best that those

two young men should not meet again。'  I felt it before I slept; I

felt it when I woke; and I went; as I told you; alone to the Inn

the next morning。



I had missed my only opportunity of seeing my nameless patient

again。  He had been gone nearly an hour when I inquired for him。





I have now told you everything that I know for certain; in relation

to the man whom I brought back to life in the double…bedded room of

the Inn at Doncaster。  What I have next to add is matter for

inference and surmise; and is not; strictly speaking; matter of

fact。



I have to tell you; first; that the medical student turned out to

be strangely and unaccountably right in assuming it as more than

probable that Arthur Holliday would marry the young lady who had

given him the water…colour drawing of the landscape。  That marriage

took place a little more than a year after the events occurred

which I have just been relating。  The young couple came to live in

the neighbourhood in which I was then established in practice。  I

was present at the wedding; and was rather surprised to find that

Arthur was singularly reserved with me; both before and after his

marriage; on the subject of the young lady's prior engagement。  He

only referred to it once; when we were alone; merely telling me; on

that occasion; that his wife had done all that honour and duty

required of her in the matter; and that the engagement had been

broken off with the full approval of her parents。  I never heard

more from him than this。  For three years he and his wife lived

together happily。  At the expiration of that time; the symptoms of

a serious illness first declared themselves in Mrs。 Arthur

Holliday。  It turned out to be a long; lingering; hopeless malady。

I attended her throughout。  We had been great friends when she was

well; and we became more attached to each other than ever when she

was ill。  I had many long and interesting conversations with her in

the intervals when she suffered least。  The result of one of these

conversations I may briefly relate; leaving you to draw any

inferences from it that you please。



The interview to which I refer; occurred shortly before her death。

I called one evening; as usual; and found her alone; with a look in

her eyes which told me that she had been crying。  She only informed

me at first; that she had been depressed in spirits; but; by little

and little; she became more communicative; and confessed to me that

she had been looking over some old letters; which had been

addressed to her; before she had seen Arthur; by a man to whom she

had been engaged to be married。  I asked her how the engagement

came to be broken off。  She replied that it had not been broken

off; but that it had died out in a very mysterious way。  The person

to whom she was engaged … her first love; she called him … was very

poor; and there was no immediate prospect of their being married。

He followed my profession; and went abroad to study。  They had

corresponded regularly; until the time when; as she believed; he

had returned to England。  From that period she heard no more of

him。  He was of a fretful; sensitive temperament; and she feared

that she might have inadvertently done or said something that

offended him。  However that might be; he had never written to her

again; and; after waiting a year; she had married Arthur。  I asked

when the first estrangement had begun; and found that the time at

which she ceased to hear anything of her first lover exactly

corresponded with the time at which I had been called in to my

mysterious patient at The Two Robins Inn。



A fortnight after that conversation; she died。  In course of time;

Arthur married again。  Of late years; he has lived principally in

London; and I have seen little or nothing of

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