登陆注册
3554300000048

第48章 BOOK THE SECOND:THE GOLDEN THREAD(31)

'I give the promise,'said the Doctor,'without any condition. I believe your object to be,purely and truthfully,as you have stated it.I believe your intention is to perpetuate,and not to weaken,the ties between me and my other and far dearer self.If she should ever tell me that you are essential to her perfect happiness,I will give her to you.If there were—Charles Darnay—if there were—'The young man had taken his hand gratefully;their hands were joined as the Doctor spoke:

'—any fancies,any reasons,any apprehensions,anything whatsoever,new or old,against the man she really loved—the direct responsibility thereof not lying on his head—they should all be obliterated for her sake. She is everything to me;more to me than suffering,more to me than wrong,more to me—Well!This is idle talk.'

So strange was the way in which he faded into silence,and so strange his fixed look when he had ceased to speak,that Darnay felt his own hand turn cold in the hand that slowly released and dropped it.

'You said something to me,'said Doctor Manette,breaking into a smile.'What was it you said to me?'

He was at a loss how to answer,until he remembered having spoken of a condition. Relieved as his mind reverted to that,heanswered:

'Your confidence in me ought to be returned with full confidence on my part. My present name,though but slightly changed from my mother's,is not,as you will remember,my own.I wish to tell you what that is,and why I am in England.'

'Stop!'said the Doctor of Beauvais.

'I wish it,that I may the better deserve your confidence,and have no secret from you.'

'Stop.'

For an instant,the Doctor even had his two hands at his ears;for another instant,even had his two hands laid on Darnay's lips.

'Tell me when I ask you,not now. If your suit should prosper,if Lucie should love you,you shall tell me on your marriage morning.Do you promise?'

'Willingly.'

'Give me your hand. She will be home directly,and it is better she should not see us together tonight,Go!God bless you!'

It was dark when Charles Darnay left him,and it was an hour later and darker when Lucie came home;she hurried into the room alone—for Miss Pross had gone straight upstairs—and was surprised to find his reading-chair empty.

'My father!'she called to him.'Father dear!'

Nothing was said in answer,but she heard a low hammering sound in the bedroom. Passing lightly across the intermediate room,she looked in at his door and came running back frightened,crying to herself,with her blood all chilled,'What shall I do!What shall I do!'

Her uncertainty lasted but a moment;she hurried back and tapped at his door,and softly called to him. The noise ceased atthe sound of her voice,and he presently came out to her,and they walked up and down together for a long time.

She came down from her bed to look at him in his sleep that night. He slept,heavily,and his tray of shoe-making tools,and his old unfinished work,were all as usual.

XVII.A COMPANION PICTURE

S ydney,'said Mr. Stryver,on that selfsame night,or morning,to his jackal;'mix another bowl of punch;I have something to say to you,'Sydney had been working double tides that night,and the night before,and the night before that,and a good many nights in succession,making a grand clearance among Mr.Stryver's papers before the setting in of the long vacation.The clearance was effected at last;the Stryver arrears were handsomely fetched up;everything was got rid of until November should come with its fogs atmospheric and fogs legal,and bring grist to the mill again.

Sydney was none the livelier and none the soberer for so much application. It had taken a deal of extra wet-towelling to pull him through the night;a correspondingly extra quantity of wine had preceded the towelling;and he was in a very damaged condition,as he now pulled his turban off and threw it into the basin in which he had steeped it at intervals for the last six hours.

'Are you mixing that other bowl of punch?'said Stryver the portly,with his hands in his waistband,glancing round from the sofa where he lay on his back.

'I am.'

'Now,look here!I am going to tell you something that will rather surprise you,and that perhaps will make you think me not quite as shrewd as you usually do think me. I intend to marry.'

'Do you?'

'Yes. And not for money.What do you say now?'

'I don't feel disposed to say much. Who is she?'

'Guess.'

'Do I know her?'

'Guess.'

'I am not going to guess,at five o'clock in the morning,with my brains frying and sputtering in my head. If you want me to guess,you must ask me to dinner.'

'Well then,I'll tell you,'said Stryver,coming slowly into a sitting posture.'Sydney,I rather despair of making myself intelligible to you,because you are such an insensible dog.'

'And you,'returned Sydney,busy concocting the punch,'are such a sensitive and poetical spirit.'

'Come!'rejoined Stryver,laughing boastfully,'though I don't prefer any claim to being the soul of Romance(for I hope I know better),still I am a tenderer sort of fellow than you.'

'You are a luckier,if you mean that.'

'I don't mean that. I mean I am a man of more—more—'

'Say gallantry,while you are about it,'suggested Carton.

'Well!I'll say gallantry. My meaning is that I am a man,'said Stryver,inflating himself at his friend,as he made the punch,'who cares more to be agreeable,who takes more pains to be agreeable,who knows better how to be agreeable,in a woman's society,than you do.'

'Go on,'said Sydney Carton.

'No;but before I go on,'said Stryver,shaking his head in his bullying way,'I'll have this out with you. You've been at Dr.Manette's house as much as I have,or more than I have.Why,I have been ashamed of your moroseness there!Your manners havebeen of that silent and sullen and hang-dog kind,that,upon my life and soul,I have been ashamed of you,Sydney!'

'It should be very beneficial to a man in your practice at the bar,to be ashamed of anything,'returned Sydney;'you ought to be much obliged to me.'

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 神尊宠溺有点甜

    神尊宠溺有点甜

    【女扮男装苏爽文】前世,她被人毁丹田废筋脉,成为碗都拿不起的废人。此生,她逆天改命重生归来,想害她的,都被虐了。想杀她的,都下地狱了。某只手遮天的神尊故作懊恼:“我家娘子太全能,打渣虐菜阵法疗伤样样行,我只能陪她生娃。”“不,我可以用自身部分血肉造人。”“那样造人,缺少灵魂。”“唔,你说的灵魂就是亲亲抱抱……”
  • 奇效简便良方

    奇效简便良方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 盛宠皇贵妃

    盛宠皇贵妃

    年兮兰重生一世,立志与人斗、与天争,为自己前世在宫斗中悲惨死去的三子一女向冷面帝王讨回公道,却在选秀时阴错阳差的引起了皇帝的关注,被迎入后宫,开始了从贵人到皇贵妃的盛宠之路。许多年后,当富察兮兰回想起自己波澜起伏却又倍受宠爱的一生,恍然发现前尘往事仿如黄粱一梦,而此次重生,竟然是一个全新的开始。
  • 胸怀决定规模

    胸怀决定规模

    随时与上司保持沟通,他可能就是你的贵人,强烈的企图心,让你不再为别人打工,相信自己不单是一种品格,而是生存的技能。一开始心中怀有最终目标,就会呈现出与众不同的眼界。胸怀宽广的基本标志是能够容得下不顺眼的人、听得进不顺耳的话、装得下不顺心的事。美国总统林肯曾试图跟他的政敌交朋友,引起一位官员不满,他认为林肯应该利用权力消灭他们。对此,林肯则十分温和地说:“当我们变成我的朋友时,难道我不是在消灭我的敌人吗?”《胸怀决定规模》以一个个醒目、响亮的法则为引导,内容涉及职场、管理、创业、理财、人际交往、自我完善等方面理念和技巧,语言通俗易读,行文流畅,尽最大能刺激人们的眼球和心灵、激发人们!
  • 介石智朋禅师语录

    介石智朋禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 质子为妃

    质子为妃

    无数万年前,据说天上落下七颗流星这才形成了北斗七国。然七国间神奇的并存了数万年却没有发生大规模的吞并战役,这本身就是一件不同寻常之事。而故事就从天枢国的女姬落水开始。
  • 女神的腰蓑:论性诱惑与人体美的起源及未来(中国艺术研究院学术文库)

    女神的腰蓑:论性诱惑与人体美的起源及未来(中国艺术研究院学术文库)

    《中国艺术研究院学术文库:女神的腰蓑·论性诱惑与人体美的起源及未来》是关于人体美理论研究基础上的又一部富有学术观点、艺术思考的文集,梳理了从人的抗争到生的歌赞,从欲的追求到美的享受,从物质文化到裸体艺术,并引导人们正视人体美、认识和理解人体艺术。
  • 妙卡

    妙卡

    溪城北郊,一家名为『妙卡』的宠物咖啡厅,我们的故事,将从这里开始……
  • 秦医师

    秦医师

    无影灯。血管钳。并蹄莲。穿着白色制服的小护士用纸巾给正在进行手术的男医生擦……
  • 寻古拾荒

    寻古拾荒

    历史是追寻自身本源的路径,了解历史才能了解自己的本源。世界毁灭,万族撤离。当新世界新生后,万族再次降临,从头再来。当万族文明再次碰撞,人族文明是否依然坚挺。历史如掌上迷离脉纹回路漫漫,亦如身前迷雾可见不可拨散。有些人永远屹立在巅峰,铭刻在明灭不定的青史里,即使被尘世遗忘,也闪耀着永恒。而未来的变数太多,我所能做的,就是走好下一步。