登陆注册
5246000000034

第34章 Chapter 8

A receipt to regain the lost affections of a wife, which hath never been known to fail in the most desperate cases The captain was made large amends for the unpleasant minutes which he passed in the conversation of his wife (and which were as few as he could contrive to make them), by the pleasant meditations he enjoyed when alone.

These meditations were entirely employed on Mr. Allworthy's fortune;for, first, he exercised much thought in calculating, as well as he could, the exact value of the whole: which calculations he often saw occasion to alter in his own favour: and, secondly and chiefly, he pleased himself with intended alterations in the house and gardens, and in projecting many other schemes, as well for the improvement of the estate as of the grandeur of the place: for this purpose he applied himself to the studies of architecture and gardening, and read over many books on both these subjects; for these sciences, indeed, employed his whole time, and formed his only amusement. He at last completed a most excellent plan: and very sorry we are, that it is not in our power to present it to our reader, since even the luxury of the present age, I believe, would hardly match it. It had, indeed, in a superlative degree, the two principal ingredients which serve to recommend all great and noble designs of this nature; for it required an immoderate expense to execute, and a vast length of time to bring it to any sort of perfection. The former of these, the immense wealth of which the captain supposed Mr. Allworthy possessed, and which he thought himself sure of inheriting, promised very effectually to supply; and the latter, the soundness of his own constitution, and his time of life, which was only what is called middle-age, removed all apprehension of his not living to accomplish.

Nothing was wanting to enable him to enter upon the immediate execution of this plan, but the death of Mr. Allworthy; in calculating which he had employed much of his own algebra, besides purchasing every book extant that treats of the value of lives, reversions, &c.

From all which he satisfied himself, that as he had every day a chance of this happening, so had he more than an even chance of its happening within a few years.

But while the captain was one day busied in deep contemplations of this kind, one of the most unlucky as well as unseasonable accidents happened to him. The utmost malice of Fortune could, indeed, have contrived nothing so cruel, so mal-a-propos, so absolutely destructive to all his schemes. In short, not to keep the reader in long suspense, just at the very instant when his heart was exulting in meditations on the happiness which would accrue to him by Mr. Allworthy's death, he himself- died of an apoplexy.

This unfortunately befel the captain as he was taking his evening walk by himself, so that nobody was present to lend him any assistance, if indeed, any assistance could have preserved him. He took, therefore, measure of that proportion of soil which was now become adequate to all his future purposes, and he lay dead on the ground, a great (though not a living) example of the truth of that observation of Horace:

Tu secanda marmora Locas sub ipsum funus; et sepulchri Immemor, struis domos.

Which sentiment I shall thus give to the English reader: "You provide the noblest materials for building, when a pickaxe and a spade are only necessary: and build houses of five hundred by a hundred feet, forgetting that of six by two."

同类推荐
  • 子夏易传

    子夏易传

    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。
  • 临济慧照玄公大宗师语录

    临济慧照玄公大宗师语录

    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。
  • 回诤论

    回诤论

    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。
  • 广笑府

    广笑府

    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 Queen of Hearts

    The Queen of Hearts

    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
  • 禅源诸诠集

    禅源诸诠集

    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。
  • 回家

    回家

    温亚军,现为北京武警总部某文学杂志主编。著有长篇小说伪生活等六部,小说集硬雪、驮水的日子等七部。获第三届鲁迅文学奖,第十一届庄重文文学奖,《小说选刊》《中国作家》和《上海文学》等刊物奖,入选中国小说学会排行榜。中国作家协会会员。
  • 风萧雨瑟醉云烟

    风萧雨瑟醉云烟

    被誉为大周战神的羲亲王宇文轩自少时踏上战场起,便战无不胜攻无不克。战争令他成名、令他成长,但也让他无法见上父亲最后一面,甚至为抵御外敌而不惜逃婚。可是在那次战役后,回到京城的却是他冰冷的棺木……
  • 剑落苍茫

    剑落苍茫

    新书,我真的不是败家子已签约,老程败家教科书!欢迎种草。 人活于世,各行其道,为人间道。天道茫茫,人间明明。天道何人掌控,命运若何发展,谁又知晓……脚下征途,道在前方……为爱,为情,为权,为苍生,为生存……雷剑现世,天下又如何!
  • 我寂寞的时候,菩萨也寂寞

    我寂寞的时候,菩萨也寂寞

    主要内容:忆君是被抛弃在圣寿寺山门外的弃婴,养父是石刻艺人,生活在重庆郊区的佛教艺术石刻之乡。她自幼憨气十足,謇貌酷似日月观音,端正而又性感,随手涂画、凿刻的东西稚拙而充满灵性。养父去世后只身来重庆深造,邂逅成都诗人、浪子胡小弟,她被他的才华与潇洒所打动,而他被她的纯情和天资禀赋所倾倒,两人间演绎出一段浪漫、真挚、沉痛的爱情却没能结合在一起。忆君后来在家乡与养子、养母相依为命,靠出售画作、雕刻品为生,日子含辛茹苦,而又简单、温馨。自耘地被剥夺后,她没有嫉恨和怨愤,以耐心和泪血画出了一幅恢弘的壁画:千千万万片青瓦,宛如密密实实的菩提叶,那是观音菩萨从天上俯瞰的人间,充满了悲悯。
  • 请吻我,以葬时光

    请吻我,以葬时光

    柯尼卡偶然与杨初一结识,她并不知道,他便是六年前她宿醉时与她相爱的男人,杨初一却一眼认出她。好奇心下,他刻意接近她,竟发现她的母亲是植物人,且病情一直恶化。杨初一看到了柯尼卡冷漠下的脆弱和无助,他帮助她联系专家医生,而庄莹,正是负责这桩病例的主治医师。安子恩是与庄莹一同回国的,担任市政府秘书长的职位。并与柯尼卡再次相遇。柯尼卡觉察出杨初一的反常,而杨家此时表示,不能接受曾经沦为贪污犯的女儿做长媳,杨家长辈给杨初一张罗一个门当户对的婚姻。杨家不再反对他们间的事,只要求杨初一不要延误手术的时机。一直对感情浑浑噩噩的柯尼卡,终于在生死抉择之极,正视自己的感情。无论生死,她要陪杨初一一起走下去。
  • AI迷航1

    AI迷航1

    如果人工智能失去控制,世界将会怎样?人类对AI失去控制那一刻,生而为人的尊严也随之消散:人类器官可以像机器一样拆卸、买卖,合成人大量出现;人的记忆可以替换,甚至贩卖、造假,成为通行货币;所有的行为、思想都被数据监控,毫无隐私可言。人类在AI文明的法则下该何去何从?是在AI的强权之下做一个只会执行、没有情感和道德底线的机器,还是奋起反抗夺回属于我们的人格尊严?翻开本书,带你进入一个机器觉醒、伦理混乱、文明重构的人机共存新世界。
  • 进击吧,闪电!

    进击吧,闪电!

    蒋劲夫、陈娅安等人主演电视剧《进击吧,闪电》同名小说,8月20日湖南卫视开播。闪电冷子峰击败泰国拳王,成为拳击界冉冉升起的新星,但他却在遇见赵伊虹之后,却毅然改变了自己人生的方向。当一名粗线条的拳击手要去击剑,一路有美女作伴,冷子峰的冠军之路又将迸发出什么样的火花?
  • 找不回的恋人

    找不回的恋人

    2166年5月17日,科学家乔波在世界第一人工岛国重生岛举行新一代机械人产品发布会。岛民林振羽邀朋友陶陶一同前往,却在发布会上邂逅一名神秘少女,并随即遭到一帮歹徒追杀。林振羽与神秘少女并肩御敌,少女在击毙众歹徒、勇救女童人质后便乘直升机凭空消失,但却因相貌与林振羽五年前无故失踪的女友极其相似而引起林的怀疑。为彻查真相,机缘巧合下的林振羽与陶陶前往乔波博士的“广寒宫”参加博士与神秘少女的订婚仪式,却意外揭开了纯人类等人种与新机械人之间几乎毁灭地球的世界大战序幕……
  • 水浒传(中国古典文学名著典藏)

    水浒传(中国古典文学名著典藏)

    《水浒传》是我国第一部古典长篇白话小说,也是我国古代英雄传奇小说的开创之作。它以其惊世骇俗的绿林题材,新鲜刺激的豪侠故事,义肝侠胆的草莽人物,以及高超纯熟的艺术手法,深受广大人民群众的喜爱,成为我国古代家喻户晓的文学名著。