the black robe-第50部分

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purpose　to　avoid　it。　Even　his　name　humiliates　me。　How　completely



the　fawning　old　wretch　took　me　inwith　all　my　knowledge　of　the



world；　too！　He　was　so　nice　and　sympatheticsuch　a　comforting



contrast；　on　that　occasion；　to　you　and　your　husbandI　declare　I



forgot　every　reason　I　had　for　not　trusting　him。　Ah；　we　women　are



poor　creatureswe　may　own　it　among　ourselves。　If　a　man　only　has



nice　manners　and　a　pleasant　voice；　how　many　of　us　can　resist　him？



Even　Romayne　imposed　upon　meassisted　by　his　property；　which　in



some　degree　excuses　my　folly。　There　is　nothing　to　be　done　now；



Stella；　but　to　humor　him。　Do　as　that　detestable　priest　does；　and



trust　to　your　beauty　（there　isn't　as　much　of　it　left　as　I　could



wish）　to　turn　the　scale　in　your　favor。　Have　you　any　idea　when　the



new　convert　will　come　back？　I　heard　him　ordering　a　fish　dinner



for　himself；　yesterdaybecause　it　was　Friday。　Did　you　join　him



at　dessert…time；　profanely　supported　by　meat？　What　did　he　say？〃







〃What　he　has　said　more　than　once　already；　mama。　His　peace　of　mind



is　returning；　thanks　to　Father　Benwell。　He　was　perfectly　gentle



and　indulgentbut　he　looked　as　if　he　lived　in　a　different　world



from　mine。　He　told　me　he　proposed　to　pass　a　week　in；　what　he



called；　Retreat。　I　didn't　ask　him　what　it　meant。　Whatever　it　is；



I　suppose　he　is　there　now。〃







〃My　dear；　don't　you　remember　your　sister　began　in　the　same　way？



_She_　retreated。　We　shall　have　Romayne　with　a　red　nose　and　a



double　chin；　offering　to　pray　for　us　next！　Do　you　recollect　that



French　maid　of　minethe　woman　I　sent　away；　because　she　would



spit；　when　she　was　out　of　temper；　like　a　cat？　I　begin　to　think　I



treated　the　poor　creature　harshly。　When　I　hear　of　Romayne　and　his



Retreat；　I　almost　feel　inclined　to　spit；　myself。　There！　let　us　go



on　with　your　reading。　Take　the　first　volumeI　have　done　with



it。〃







〃What　is　it；　mama？〃







〃A　very　remarkable　work；　Stella；　in　the　present　state　of　light



literature　in　Englanda　novel　that　actually　tells　a　story。　It's



quite　incredible；　I　know。　Try　the　book。　It　has　another



extraordinary　meritit　isn't　written　by　a　woman。〃







Stella　obediently　received　the　first　volume；　turned　over　the



leaves；　and　wearily　dropped　the　wonderful　novel　on　her　lap。　〃I



can't　attend　to　it；〃　she　said。　〃My　mind　is　too　full　of　my　own



thoughts。〃







〃About　Romayne？〃　said　her　mother。







〃No。　When　I　think　of　my　husband　now；　I　almost　wish　I　had　his



confidence　in　Priests　and　Retreats。　The　conviction　grows　on　me；



mama；　that　my　worst　troubles　are　still　to　come。　When　I　was



younger；　I　don't　remember　being　tormented　by　presentiments　of　any



kind。　Did　I　ever　talk　of　presentiments　to　you；　in　the　bygone



days？〃







〃If　you　had　done　anything　of　the　sort；　my　love　（excuse　me；　if　I



speak　plainly）；　I　should　have　said；　'Stella；　your　liver　is　out　of



order'；　and　I　should　have　opened　the　family　medicine…chest。　I



will　only　say　now　send　for　the　carriage；　let　us　go　to　a　morning



concert；　dine　at　a　restaurant；　and　finish　the　evening　at　the



play。〃







This　characteristic　proposal　was　entirely　thrown　away　on　Stella。



She　was　absorbed　in　pursuing　her　own　train　of　thought。　〃I　almost



wish　I　had　told　Lewis；〃　she　said　to　herself　absently。







〃Told　him　of　what；　my　dear？〃







〃Of　what　happened　to　me　with　Winterfield。〃







Mrs。　Eyrecourt's　faded　eyes　opened　wide　in　astonishment。







〃Do　you　really　mean　it？〃　she　asked。







〃I　do；　indeed。〃







〃Are　you　actually　simple　enough；　Stella；　to　think　that　a　man　of



Romayne's　temper　would　have　made　you　his　wife　if　you　had　told　him



of　the　Brussels　marriage？〃







〃Why　not？〃







〃Why　not！　Would　Romaynewould　any　manbelieve　that　you　really



did　part　from　Winterfield　at　the　church　door？　Considering　that



you　are　a　married　woman；　your　innocence；　my　sweet　child；　is　a



perfect　phenomenon！　It's　well　there　were　wiser　people　than　you　to



keep　your　secret。〃







〃Don't　speak　too　positively；　mama。　Lewis　may　find　it　out　yet。〃







〃Is　that　one　of　your　presentiments？〃







〃Yes。〃







〃How　is　he　to　find　it　out；　if　you　please？〃







〃I　am　afraid；　through　Father　Benwell。　Yes！　yes！　I　know　you　only



think　him　a　fawning　old　hypocriteyou　don't　fear　him　as　I　do。



Nothing　will　persuade　me　that　zeal　for　his　religion　is　the　motive



under　which　that　man　acts　in　devoting　himself　to　Romayne。　He　has



some　abominable　object　in　view；　and　his　eyes　tell　me　that　I　am



concerned　in　it。〃







Mrs。　Eyrecourt　burst　out　laughing。







〃What　is　there　to　laugh　at？〃　Stella　asked。







〃I　declare；　my　dear；　there　is　something　absolutely　provoking　in



your　utter　want　of　knowledge　of　the　world！　When　you　are　puzzled



to　account　for　anything　remarkable　in　a　clergyman's　conduct　（I



don't　care；　my　poor　child；　to　what　denomination　he　belongs）　you



can't　be　wrong　in　attributing　his　motive　toMoney。　If　Romayne



had　turned　Baptist　or　Methodist；　the　reverend　gentleman　in　charge



of　his　spiritual　welfare　would　not　have　forgottenas　you　have



forgotten；　you　little　goosethat　his　convert　was　a　rich　man。　His



mind　would　have　dwelt　on　the　chapel；　or　the　mission；　or　the



infant　school；　in　want　of　funds；　andwith　no　more　abominable



object　in　view　than　I　have；　at　this　moment；　in　poking　the



firehe　would　have　ended　in　producing　his　modest　subscription



list　and　would　have　betrayed　himself　（just　as　our　odious　Benwell



will　betray　himself）　by　the　two　amiable　little　words；　Please



contribute。　Is　there　any　other　presentiment；　my　dear；　on　which



you　would　like　to　have　your　mother's　candid　opinion？〃







Stella　resignedly　took　up　the　book　again。







〃I　daresay　you　are　right；〃　she　said。　〃Let　us　read　our　novel。〃







Before　she　had　reached　the　end　of　the　first　page；　her　mind　was



far　away　again　from　the　unfortunate　story。　She　was　thinking　of



that　〃other　presentiment；〃　which　had　formed　the　subject　of　her



mother's　last　satirical　inquiry。　The　vague　fear　that　had　shaken



her　when　she　had　accidentally　touched　the　French　boy；　on　her



visit　to　Camp's　Hill；　still　from　time　to　time　troubled　her



memory。　Even　the　event　of　his　death　had　failed　to　dissipate　the



delusion；　which　associated　him　with　some　undefined　evil　influence



that　might　yet　assert　itself。　A　superstitious　forewarning　of　this



sort　was　a　weakness　new　to　her　in　her　experience　of　herself。　She



was　heartily　ashamed　of　itand　yet　it　kept　its　hold。　Once　more



the　book　dropped　on　her　lap。　She　laid　it　aside；　and　walked



wearily　to　the　window　to　look　at　the　weather。







Almost　at　the　same　moment　Mrs。　Eyrecourt's　maid　disturbed　her



mistress　over　the　second　volu　me　of　the　novel　by　entering　the



room　with　a　letter







〃For　me？〃　Stella　asked；　looking　round　from　the　window。







〃No；　ma'amfor　Mrs。　Eyrecourt。〃







The　letter　had　been　brought　to　the　house　by　one　of　Lady　Loring's



servants。　In　delivering　it　he　had　apparently　given　private



instructions　to　the　maid。　She　laid　her　finger　significantly　on



her　lips　when　she　gave　the　letter　to　her　mistress。







In　these　terms　Lady　Loring　wrote：







〃If　Stella　happens　to　be　with　you；　when　you　receive　my　note；



don't　say　anything　which　will　let　her　know　that　I　am　your



correspondent。　She　has　always；　poor　dear；　had　an　inveterate



distrust　of　Father　Benwell；　and；　between　ourselves；　I　am　not　sure



that　she　is　quite　so　foolish　as　I　once　thought。　The　Father　has



unexpectedly　left　uswith　a　well…framed　excuse　which　satisfied



Lord　Loring。　It　fails　to　satisfy　Me。　Not　from　any　wonderful



exercise　of　penetration　on　my　part；　but　in　consequence　of



something　I　have　just　heard　in　course　of　conversation　with　a



Catholic　friend。　Father　Benwell；　my　dear；　turns　out　to　be　a



Jesuit；　and；　what　is　more；　a　person　of　such　high　authority　in　the



Order；　that　his　concealment　of　his　rank；　while　he　was　with　us；



must　have　been　a　matter　of　necessity。　He　must　have　had　some　very



serious　motive　for　occupying　a　position　so　entirely　beneath　him



as　his　position　in　our　house。　I　have　not　the　shadow　of　a　reason



for　associating　this　startling　discovery　with　dear　Stella's



painful　misgivingsand　yet　there　is　something　in　my　mind　which



makes　me　want　to　hear　what　Stella's　mother　thinks。　Come　and　have



a　talk　about　it　as　soon　as　you　possibly　can。〃







Mrs。　Eyrecourt　put　the　letter　in　her　pocket　smiling　quietly　to



herself。







Applying　to　Lady　Loring's　letter　the　infallible　system　of



solution　which　she　had　revealed　to　her　daughter；　Mrs。　Eyrecourt



solved　the　mystery　of　the　priest's　conduct　without　a　moment's



hesitation。　Lord　Loring's　check；　in　Father　Benwell's　pocket；



representing　such　a　liberal　subscription　that　my　lord　was



reluctant　to　mention　it　to　my　ladythere　was　the　reading　of　the



riddle。　as　plain　as　the　sun　at　noonday！　Would　it　be　desirable　to



enlighten　Lady　Loring　as　she　had　already　enlightened　Stella？　Mrs。



Eyrecourt　decided　in　the　negative。　As　Roman　Catholics；　and　as　old



friends　of　Romayne；　the　Lorings　naturally　rejoiced　in　his



conversion。　But　as　old　friends　also　of　Romayne's　wife；　they　were



bound　not　to　express　their　sentiments　too　openly。　Feeling　that



any　discussion　of　the　priest's　motives　would　probably　lead　to　the



delicate　subject　of　the　conversion；　Mrs。　Eyrecourt　prudently



determined　to　let　the　matter　drop。　As　a　consequence　of　this



decision；　Stella　was　left　without　the　slightest　warning　of　the