the wandering jew, volume 10-第14部分
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fine countenance; with an almost daring expression。 Then; hiding his
face in his hands; he bowed his head without speaking a single word。
There was a moment of deep silence。 Adrienne was the first to break it;
as she saw a tear steal through the slender fingers of the prince。
〃My friend! what is the matter?〃 she exclaimed; as with a movement rapid
as thought; she stooped forward; and taking hold of Djalma's hands; drew
them from before his face。 That face was bathed in tears。
〃You weep!〃 cried Mdlle。 de Cardoville; so much agitated that she kept
the hands of Djalma in her own; and; unable to dry his tears; the young
Hindoo allowed them to flow like so many drops of crystal over the pale
gold of his cheeks。
〃There is not in this wide world a happiness like to mine!〃 said the
prince; in his soft; melodious voice; and with a kind of exhaustion:
〃therefore do I feel great sadness; and so it should be。 You give me
heavenand were I to give you the whole earth; it would be but a poor
return。 Alas! what can man do for a divinity; but humbly bless and
adore? He can never hope to return the gifts bestowed: and this makes
him suffernot in his pridebut in his heart!〃
Djalma did not exaggerate。 He said what he really felt: and the rather
hyperbolical form; familiar to Oriental nations; could alone express his
thought。 The tone of his regret was so sincere; his humility so gentle
and full of simplicity; that Adrienne; also moved to tears; answered him
with an effusion of serious tenderness; 〃My friend; we are both at the
supreme point of happiness。 Our future felicity appears to have no
limits; and yet; though derived from different sources; sad reflections
have come to both of us。 It is; you see; that there are some sorts of
happiness; which make you dizzy with their own immensity。 For a moment;
the heart; the mind; the soul; are incapable of containing so much bliss;
it overflows and drowns us。 Thus the flowers sometimes hang their heads;
oppressed by the too ardent rays of the sun; which is yet their love and
life。 Oh; my friend! this sadness may be great; but it also sweet!〃
As she uttered these words; the voice of Adrienne grew fainter and
fainter; and her head bowed lower; as if she were indeed sinking beneath
the weight of her happiness。 Djalma had remained kneeling before her;
his hands in hersso that as she thus bent forward; her ivory forehead
and golden hair touched the amber…colored brow and ebon curls of Djalma。
And the sweet; silent tears of the two young lovers flowed together; and
mingled as they fell on their clasped hands。
Whilst this scene was passing in Cardoville House; Agricola had gone to
the Rue de Vaugirard; to deliver a letter from Adrienne to M。 Hardy。
CHAPTER XLII。
〃THE IMITATION。〃
As we have already said; M。 Hardy occupied a pavilion in the 〃Retreat〃
annexed to the house in the Rue de Vaugirard; inhabited by a goodly
number of the reverend fathers of the Company of Jesus。 Nothing could be
calmer and more silent than this dwelling。 Every one spoke in whispers;
and the servants themselves had something oily in their words; something
sanctified in their very walk。
Like all that is subject to the chilling and destructive influences of
these men; this mournfully quiet house was entirely wanting in life and
animation。 The boarders passed an existence of wearisome and icy
monotony; only broken by the use of certain devotional exercises; and
thus; in accordance with the selfish calculation of the reverend fathers;
the mind; deprived of all nourishment and all external support; soon
began to droop and pine away in solitude。 The heart seemed to beat more
slowly; the soul was benumbed; the character weakened; at last; all
freewill; all power of discrimination; was extinguished; and the
boarders; submitting to the same process of self…annihilation as the
novices of the Company; became; like them; mere 〃corpses〃 in the hands of
the brotherhood。
The object of these manoeuvres was clear and simple。 They secured the
means of obtaining all kinds of donations; the constant aim of the
skillful policy and merciless cupidity of these priests。 By the aid of
enormous sums; of which they thus become the possessors or the trustees;
they follow out and obtain the success of their projects; even though
murder; incendiarism; revolt; and all the horrors of civil war; excited
by and through them; should drench in blood the lands over which they
seek to extend their dark dominion。
Such; then; was the asylum of peace and innocence in which Francois Hardy
had taken refuge。 He occupied the ground…floor of a summer…house; which
opened upon a portion of the garden。 His apartments had been judiciously
chosen; for we know with what profound and diabolical craft the reverend
fathers avail themselves of material influences; to make a deep
impression upon the minds they are moulding to their purpose。 Imagine a
prospect bounded by a high wall; of a blackish gray; half…covered with
ivy; the plant peculiar to ruins。 A dark avenue of old yew…trees; so fit
to shade the grave with their sepulchral verdure; extended from this wall
to a little semicircle; in front of the apartment generally occupied by
M。 Hardy。 Two or three mounds of earth; bordered with box; symmetrically
cut; completed the charms of this garden; which in every respect
resembled a cemetery。
It was about two o'clock in the afternoon。 Though the April sun shone
brightly; its rays; intercepted by the high wall of which we have spoken;
could not penetrate into that portion of the garden; obscure; damp; and
cold as a cavern; which communicated with M。 Hardy's apartment。 The room
was furnished with a perfect sense of the comfortable。 A soft carpet
covered the floor; thick curtains of dark green baize; the same color as
the walls; sheltered an excellent bed; and hung in folds about the glass…
door; which opened on the garden。 Some pieces of mahogany furniture;
plain; but very clean and bright; stood round the room。 Above the
secretary; placed just in front of the bed; was a large ivory crucifix;
upon a black velvet ground。 The chimney…piece was adorned with a clock;
in an ebony case; with ivory ornaments representing all sorts of gloomy
emblems; such as hour…glasses; scythes; death's…heads; etc。 Now imagine
this scene in twilight; with its solitary and mournful silence; only
broken at the hour of prayer by the lugubrious sound of the bells of the
neighboring chapel; and you will recognize the infernal skill; with which
these dangerous priests know how to turn to account every external
object; when they wish to influence the mind of those they are anxious to
gain over。
And this was not all。 After appealing to the senses; it was necessary to
address themselves to the intellectand this was the method adopted by
the reverend fathers。 A single bookbut onewas left; as if by chance;
within reach。 This book was Thomas a Kempis' 〃Imitation。〃 But as it
might happen that M。 Hardy would not have the courage or the desire to
read this book; thoughts and reflections borrowed from its merciless
pages; and written in very large characters; were suspended in black
frames close to the bed; or at other parts within sight; so that;
involuntarily; in the sad leisure of his inactive dejection; the
dweller's eyes were almost necessarily attracted by them。 To that fatal
circle of despairing thoughts they confined the already weakened mind of
this unfortunate man; so long a prey to the most acute sorrow。 What he
read mechanically; every instant of the day and night; whenever the
blessed sleep fled from his eyes inflamed with tears; was not enough
merely to plunge the soul of the victim into incurable despair; but also
to reduce him to the corpse…like obedience required by the Society of
Jesus。 In that awful book may be found a thousand terrors to operate on
weak minds; a thousand slavish maxims to chain and degrade the
pusillanimous soul。
And now imagine M。 Hardy carried wounded into this house; while his
heart; torn by bitter grief and the sense of horrible treachery; bled
even faster than his external injuries。 Attended with the utmost care;
and thanks to the acknowledged skill of Dr。 Baleinier; M。 Hardy soon
recovered from the hurts he had received when he threw himself into the
embers of his burning factory。 Yet; in order to favor the projects of
the reverend fathers; a drug; harmless enough in its effects; but
destined to act for a time upon the mind of the patient; and often
employed for that purpose in similar important cases by the pious doctor;
was administered to Hardy; and had kept him pretty long in a state of
mental torpor。 To a soul agonized by cruel deceptions; it appears an
inestimable benefit to be plunged into that kind of torpor; which at
least prevents one from dwelling upon the past。
Hardy resigned himself entirely to this profound apathy; and at length
came to regard it as the supreme good。 Thus do unfortunate wretches;
tortured by cruel diseases; accept with gratitude the opiate which kills
them slowly; but which at least deadens the sense of pain。
In sketching the portrait of M。 Hardy; we tried to give some idea of the
exquisite delicacy of his tender soul; of his painful susceptibility with
regard to anything base or wicked; and of his extreme goodness;
uprightness; and generosity。 We now allude to these admirable qualities;
because we must observe; that with him; as with almost all who possess
them; they were not; and could not be; united with an energetic and
resolute character。 Admirably persevering in good deeds; the influence
of this excellent man; was insinuating rather than commanding; it was not
by the bold energy and somewhat overbearing will; peculiar to other men
of great and noble heart; that Hardy had realized the prodigy of his
Common Dwelling…house; it was by affectionate persuasion; for with him
mildness took the place of force。 At sight of any baseness or injustice;
he did not rouse himself; furious and threatening; but he suffered
intense pain。 He did not boldly attack the criminal; but he turned away
from him in pity and sorrow。 And then his loving heart; so ful