登陆注册
3554300000069

第69章 BOOK THE SECOND:THE GOLDEN THREAD(52)

Miss Pross,submitting herself to his judgment,the scheme was worked out with care. Having abundance of time for his usual methodical toilette,Mr.Lorry presented himself at the breakfast-hour in his usual white linen,and with his usual neat leg.The Doctor was summoned in the usual way,and came to breakfast.

So far as it was possible to comprehend him without overstepping those delicate and gradual approaches which Lorry felt to be the only safe advance,he at first supposed that his daughter's marriage had taken place yesterday. An incidental allusion,purposely thrown out,to the day of the week,and the day of the month,set him thinking and counting,and evidently made him uneasy.In all other respects,however,he was so composedly himself,that Mr.Lorry determined to have the aid he sought.And that aid was his own.

Therefore,when the breakfast was done and cleared away,and he and the Doctor were left together,Mr. Lorry said,feelingly:

'My dear Manette,I am anxious to have your opinion,in confidence,on a very curious case in which I am deeply interested;that is to say,it is very curious to me;perhaps,to yourbetter information it may be less so.'

Glancing at his hands,which were discoloured by his late work,the Doctor looked troubled,and listened attentively. He had already glanced at his hands more than once.

'Dr. Manette,'said Mr.Lorry,touching him affectionately on the arm,'the case is the case of a particularly dear friend of mine.Pray give your mind to it,and advise me well for his sake—and above all,for his daughter's,my dear Manette.'

'If I understand,'said the Doctor,in a subdued tone,'some mental shock—?'

'Yes!'

'Be explicit,'said the Doctor.'Spare no detail.'

Mr. Lorry saw that they understood one another,and proceeded.

'My dear Manette,it is the case of an old and prolonged shock,of great acuteness and severity to the affections,the feelings,the—the—as you express it—the mind. The mind.It is the case of a shock under which the sufferer was borne down,one cannot say for how long,because I believe he cannot calculate the time himself,and there are no other means of getting at it.It is the case of a shock from which the sufferer recovered,by a process that he cannot trace himself—as I once heard him publicly relate in a striking manner.It is the case of a shock from which he has recovered,so completely,as to be a highly intelligent man,capable of close application of mind,and great exertion of body,and of constantly making fresh additions to his stock of knowledge,which was already very large.But,unfortunately,there has been,'he paused and took a deep breath—'a slight relapse.'

The Doctor,in a low voice,asked,'Of how long duration?'

'Nine days and nights.'

'How did it show itself?I infer,'glancing at his hands again,'in the resumption of some old pursuit connected with the shock?'

'That is the fact.'

'Now,did you ever see him,'asked the Doctor,distinctly and collectedly,though in the same low voice,'engaged in that pursuit originally?'

'Once.'

'And when the relapse fell on him,was he in most respects—or in all respects—as he was then?'

'I think in all respects.'

'You spoke of his daughter. Does his daughter know of the relapse?'

'No. It has been kept from her,and I hope will always be kept from her.It is known only to myself,and to one other who may be trusted.'

The Doctor grasped his hand,and murmured,'That was very kind. That was very thoughtful!'Mr.Lorry grasped his hand in return,and neither of the two spoke for a little while.

'Now,my dear Manette,'said Mr. Lorry,at length in his most considerate and most affectionate way.'I am a mere man of business,and unfit to cope with such intricate and difficult matters.I do not possess the kind of information necessary;I do not possess the kind of intelligence;I want guiding.There is no man in this world on whom I could so rely for right guidance,as on you.Tell me,how does this relapse come about?Is there danger of another?Could a repetition of it be prevented?How should a repetition of it be treated?How does it come about at all?What can I do for my friend?No man ever can have been more desirous in his heart to serve a friend,than I am to serve mine,if I knew how.But I don't know how to originate,in such a case.If your sagacity,knowledge,and experience,could put me on the right track,I might be able to do so much;unenlightened and undirected,I can do so little.Pray discuss it with me;pray enable me to see it a little more clearly,and teach me how to be a little more useful.'

Doctor Manette sat meditating after these earnest words were spoken,and Mr. Lorry did not press him.

'I think it probable,'said the Doctor,breaking silence with an effort,'that the relapse you have described,my dear friend,was not quite unforeseen by its subject.'

'Was it dreaded by him?'Mr. Lorry ventured to ask.

'Very much.'He said it with an involuntary shudder.

'You have no idea how such an apprehension weighs on the sufferer's mind,and how difficult—how almost impossible—it is,for him to force himself to utter a word upon the topic that oppresses him.'

'Would he,'asked Mr. Lorry,'be sensibly relieved if he could prevail upon himself to impart that secret brooding to any one,when it is on him?'

'I think so. But it is,as I told you,next to impossible.I even believe it—in some cases—to be quite impossible.'

'Now,'said Mr. Lorry,gently laying his hand on the Doctor's arm again,after a short silence on both sides,'to what would you refer this attack?'

同类推荐
  • A Tale of Three Lions

    A Tale of Three Lions

    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。
  • The Magic Skin

    The Magic Skin

    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。
  • 玉清内书

    玉清内书

    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。
  • 老子道德经校释

    老子道德经校释

    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。
  • 偃溪广闻禅师语录

    偃溪广闻禅师语录

    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。
热门推荐
  • 豪门盛宠:误惹天价老公

    豪门盛宠:误惹天价老公

    一次荒唐,她怀孕了。家人将她扫地出门,初恋痛恨她的不忠与其恩断义绝。五年后,她带着一只萌宝回归。却被G市权势滔天,杀伐决断,多金帅气的靳少看上。“靳少,你别太过分了,否则……”她咬牙,怒瞪他。“否则你想怎样?”男人薄唇勾出邪肆的弧度,无视她的警告,依然步步紧逼。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 末世科考团

    末世科考团

    各位书移友们驾老驴新书,点击作家页里有连结。 天谴般的灾难降临之后,林轻扬在联邦最高科学殿堂所开发出来的人工智能帮助下,在这个地狱般的末日世界里过著有滋有味的生活。举起追查真相和拯救世界的大义旗帜在环游世界,一路上不但有水有电可以看影片、喝咖啡、洗热水澡,顿顿都能吃到大餐。原本身无分文、一无所有的林轻扬在生产能力为零的世界里要粮有粮、要枪有枪、要车有车,还有一帮生死与共的兄弟!P.S:"本书为无系统、无异能、无玄幻、无武功的四无科幻末世文"
  • 洪荒之石矶

    洪荒之石矶

    骷髅山白骨洞石矶,得道仙人,法宝为八卦云光帕,座骑是青鸾,座下弟子碧云童子和彩云童子。为人善良、讲道理,因为没有强力法宝,被哪吒太乙真人师徒二人欺负到死,是个倒霉的神仙……QQ书友群:749264497(满),748555375
  • 岫岩志略

    岫岩志略

    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。
  • 侠心圣魔录

    侠心圣魔录

    时下强权当道,盗贼横行。朝政被丞相王源把持,皇帝如同傀儡。王源贪婪残暴,纵使手下为自己搜刮民脂民膏,更甚者,有将皇帝取而代之的狼子野心。吴泽本是生活在山林中的平凡人,自幼跟随父亲吴远习得一身武艺。然而15岁那年,父亲吴远无故失踪,下路不明。十年后,吴母病逝,吴泽手持父亲唯一留下的侠刀,从此踏上了寻找父亲的道路,只是他没想到,父亲失踪的背后,竟牵扯出无数令人惊骇的秘密。血狼曾是十二年前,江湖上被人谈之色变的杀人狂魔,后他被天山圣尊点化并收为弟子,退隐了江湖十几年。如今的他,奉圣尊之命再次下山,似乎要寻找某个答案。两人的相遇即是缘分,又是命运。侠者,既可成圣,亦可成魔。秉持本心,如此足矣。
  • 炮后就位

    炮后就位

    星期一一大早,市预备役高炮团团长彭建国给市办公室主任曹森林打了个电话,大意是近期要组织一次预备役营成建制集训和整团成建制拉动,请办公室给相关单位下个文。他本来是想亲自过去一趟当面说一下,包括市主管领导如何表的态,把具体情况都给曹森林做个说明。但他还是改变了主意,只是打了个电话,并且通话内容简洁明了。彭建国不想把自己搞得太累,把他从野战部队调到这儿来不就是让他休息的吗?来之前政治部的领导找他谈话是这样说的:小彭呀,这几年你的工作成绩是有目共睹的,早该提一下了。
  • 谈天篇

    谈天篇

    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。
  • 女王她归来了

    女王她归来了

    为了活命,她果断地拍出一纸离婚协议,时令衍眼睛微眯,“你以为你换了一张脸,我就认不出你了吗?”于是,又被迫嫁给了他第三次_(:3」∠)_时先生说:“爱老婆,就要把她疼得跟智障一样。”施媚:“!”【重生】伪智障VS真腹黑
  • The Yellow God

    The Yellow God

    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。
  • 无限轮回

    无限轮回

    你或许曾经因为某一个场景,某人的一句话,或者某一件事情觉得似曾相识,就好像自己经历过,但却早知道自己明明没有经历过。--情节虚构,请勿模仿