登陆注册
5249600000124

第124章 CHAPTER THE THIRTY-NINTH(2)

For a moment, I was really in doubt whether the skilled hand of the great surgeon would not be ignobly employed in boxing my ears. No perversion of spelling can possibly report the complicated German-English jargon in which his fury poured itself out on my devoted head. Let it be enough to say that he declared Nugent's abominable personation of his brother to be vitally important--so long as Oscar was absent--to his successful treatment of the sensitive and excitable patient whom we had placed under his care. I vainly assured him that Nugent's object in leaving Dimchurch was to set matters right again by bringing his brother back. Grosse flatly declined to allow himself to be influenced by any speculative consideration of that sort. He said (and swore) that my meddling had raised a serious obstacle in his way, and that nothing but his own tender regard for Lucilla prevented him from "turning the coachmans back," and leaving us henceforth to shift for ourselves.

When we reached the rectory gate, he had cooled a little. As we crossed the garden, he reminded me that I stood pledged to be present when the bandage was taken off.

"Now mind!" he said. "You are going to see, if it is goot or bad to tell her that she has had those nice white arms of hers round the wrong brodder. You are going to tell me afterwards, if you dare say to her, in plain English words, 'Blue-Face is the man.'

We found Lucilla in the sitting-room. Grosse briefly informed her that he had nothing particular to occupy him in London, and that he had advanced the date of his visit on that account. "You want something to do, my lofe, on this soaky-rainy day. Show Papa-Grosse what you can do with your eyes, now you have got them back again." With those words, he unfastened the bandage, and, taking her by the chin, examined her eyes--first without his magnifying glass; then with it.

"Am I going on well?" she asked anxiously.

"Famous-well! You go on (as my goot friends say in America) first-class.

Now use your eyes for yourself. Gif one lofing look to Grosse first.

Then--see! see! see!"

There was no mistaking the tone in which he spoke to her.

He was not only satisfied about her eyes--he was triumphant. "Soh!" he grunted, turning to me. "Why is Mr. Sebrights not here to look at this?"

I eagerly approached Lucilla. There was still a little dimness left in her eyes. I noticed also that they moved to and fro restlessly, and (at times) wildly. But, oh, the bright change in her! the new life of beauty which the new sense had bestowed on her already! Her smile, always charming, now caught light from her lips, and spread its gentle fascination over all her face. It was impossible not to long to kiss her.

I advanced to congratulate, to embrace her. Grosse stepped forward, and checked me.

"No," he said. "Walk your ways to the odder end of the rooms--and let us see if _she_ can go to _you._"

Like all other people, knowing no more of the subject than I knew, I had no idea of the pitiably helpless manner in which the restored sense of sight struggles to assert itself, in persons who have been blind for life. In such cases, the effort of the eyes that are first learning to see, is like the effort of the limbs when a child is first learning to walk. But for Grosse's odd way of taking it, the scene which I was now to witness would have been painful in the last degree. My poor Lucilla--instead of filling me with joy, as I had anticipated--would I really believe have wrung my heart, and have made me burst out crying.

"Now!" said Grosse, laying one hand on Lucilla's arm, while he pointed to me with the other. "There she stands. Can you go to her?"

"Of course I can!"

"I lay you a bet-wager you can _not!_ Ten thausand pounds to six pennies.

Done-done. Now try!"

She answered by a little gesture of defiance, and took three hasty steps forward. Bewildered and frightened, she stopped suddenly at the third step--before she had advanced half the way from her end of the room to mine.

"I saw her here," she said, pointing down to the spot on which she was standing; and appealing piteously to Grosse. "I see her now--and I don't know where she is! She is so near, I feel as if she touched my eyes--and yet" (she advanced another step, and clutched with her hands at the empty air)--"and yet, I can't get near enough to take hold of her. Oh! what does it mean? what does it mean?"

"It means--pay me my six pennies!" said Grosse. "The wager-bet is mine!"

She resented his laughing at her, with an obstinate shake of her head, and an angry knitting of her pretty eyebrows.

"Wait a little," she said. "You shan't win quite so easily as that. I will get to her yet!"

She came straight to me in a moment--just as easily as I could have gone to her myself if I had tried.

"Another wager-bet!" cried Grosse, still standing behind her, and calling to me. "Twenty thousand pounds this time to a fourpennies-bit.

_She has shut her eyes to get to you._ Hey!"

It was true--she had blindfolded herself! With her eyes closed, she could measure to a hair's breadth the distance which, with her eyes opened, she was perfectly incompetent to calculate! Detected by both of us, she sat down, poor dear, with a sigh of despair. "Was it worth while," she said to me sadly, "to go through the operation for _this?_"

Grosse joined us at our end of the room.

"All in goot time," he said. "Patience--and these helpless eyes of yours will learn. Soh! I shall begin to teach them now. You have got your own notions--hey?--about this colors and that? When you were blind, did you think what would be your favorite colors if you could see? You did? Which colors is it? Tell me. Come!"

"White first," she answered. "Then scarlet."

Grosse paused, and considered.

"White, I understand," he said. "White is the fancy of a young girls. But why scarlets? Could you see scarlets when you were blind?"

"Almost," she answered, "if it was bright enough. I used to feel something pass before my eyes when scarlet was shown to me."

同类推荐
  • Arizona Sketches

    Arizona Sketches

    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。
  • 观无量寿佛经义疏

    观无量寿佛经义疏

    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。
  • 分春馆词

    分春馆词

    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。
  • 圣救度佛母二十一种礼赞经

    圣救度佛母二十一种礼赞经

    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。
  • 御制周颠仙人传

    御制周颠仙人传

    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。
热门推荐
  • 我有一世温暖

    我有一世温暖

    我有一世温暖,温暖是爸爸妈妈的疼爱与呵护,温暖是爷爷奶奶的宠爱,温暖是朋友的关心。光阴是翻转的年轮,一年又一年,从稚嫩的孩童到青葱的少年,然后长大成人,我们的故事是一本厚厚的、充满温暖的书。我们渐渐苍老,谨以此书纪念我们的青春。
  • 重生都市之最强农女

    重生都市之最强农女

    古往今来只听过广发英雄贴的,乐水市却出了个女奇葩,竟同时朝东城高中十大校草群发情书。癞蛤蟆想闻天鹅香的代价,是被仰慕校草们的女生毒打致死。她是九域大地已修练至皇极境的尊者,为报家仇与仇人同归于尽。再次醒来,她变成了她……是同学欺负老师厌恶的单亲家庭穷酸乡下妹?还是亲人嫌弃生性胆小懦弱被人陷害后群殴致死的蠢货?抑或是神秘莫测威震八方一呼万应的地下女王?凤还巢,一夕之间从懦弱无能到睥睨天下,从自闭卑微到恁我纵横……吃了我的给我吐出来,拿了我的给我还回来!且看一代武神重生都市,如何从一个普通到丢进人群里再也找不出来的农村女在繁华都市下渐展绝世锋芒!——◆◇◆——◆◇◆——◆◇◆——◆◇◆——【关于穷酸】舞会上,某女拿着高脚杯姿态优雅,眼含愤恨:“你来这里干什么?也不看看这儿什么地方,是你这种穷酸该来的吗?”董珺对前来道歉的某女父亲道:“你儿子带人到学校踩碎了我一株先天灵芝,价值八百万。”“什么灵芝,不过就是一棵烂蘑菇而已,你分明是趁火打劫。”“八百万,你想钱想疯了吧!”董珺淡然一笑:“不想还?很好。”三天后,该政要因贪污数目巨大被革职落狱,女儿与十多个男人同乐的照片爆光,儿子为抢人女朋友将人打残的证据也到了法庭上……【关于没打】某日,董珺穿了件新衣服到学校,一嫉恨的女同学公然嘲笑:“你爸那样的丑八怪还能找到好工作?你不会是被有钱人包了二奶吧!”董珺眯眯笑着给她十个巴掌,回头对班上看呆的同学道:“我没打她,对吧!”然后,来问的人一批又一批,班上同学集体回应:没打,真没打!【关于花痴】曾经:某校草推倒她的桌子,砸烂她的椅子,理直气壮地说:“爷看她不顺眼不行吗?谁叫她癞蛤蟆想吃天鹅肉。”后来:这校草将自己最爱吃的菜送到她面前,挤开另一校草送给她的菜,媚笑:“原来你喜欢吃这个,咱俩爱好一样,好有缘咧!”【关于男主】宠文一对一,女强男更强哦~想看男主强到神马样儿的,进来看看呗!纯在坑下接着……PS:本文走幽默风,不特别搞笑,但旨在让您一个不经意间,就忍俊不禁。美男多多哦~O(∩_∩)O~收藏最乖!评论最有爱(*^?^*)!!!
  • 舰艇基础科技知识(上)(青少年必知的舰艇航母科技)

    舰艇基础科技知识(上)(青少年必知的舰艇航母科技)

    舰艇与航母是高技术的武器种类,我们学习舰艇与航母的科学知识,就可以学得武器的有关高科技知识。这样不仅可以增强我们的高超军事素质,也可以增强我们高度的军事科学知识。
  • 智力资本管理:创造组织新财富

    智力资本管理:创造组织新财富

    伴随着经济的全球化以及知识经济在发达国家的率先到来,企业间剧烈竞争的现实传达出一个基本的事实:企业的竞争模式已经开发生了变化。把无形的知识“有形化”并有效利用,是构成现代企业核心竞争力的关键。于是,智力资本管理越来越受到企业界的关注与青睐。本书分析了国内外企业智力资本管理的现状,系统回顾了智力资本管理在学科演进和企业实践应用上的整个发展中揭示了智力酱管理中的7个关键问题。
  • 成就妙法莲华经王瑜伽观智仪轨

    成就妙法莲华经王瑜伽观智仪轨

    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。
  • 傲娇巨星茫茫追夫路

    傲娇巨星茫茫追夫路

    她,身为他的超级迷妹,在阴差阳错之下,成了他的生活助理,她什么都不会总是出错,他本就对这种爱慕的眼光十分抗拒,因此处处为难她,让她知难而退,可谁知每次她都桃花运爆棚有帅哥相护,因为那一次,他终于爆发:“你这个虚伪的女人!你给我滚!我不想再看见你!”多年以后,王子睿抱着那个粉雕玉琢的小娃娃站在林茫的面前“乖宝宝,快叫妈妈和我们一起回家!”林茫无奈扶额地看着面前这个男人,“王子睿先生!请你不要再来打扰我的生活了!”“老婆!老公知道错了,快和老公回家吧!” 〔虐妻一时爽追妻火葬场〕
  • 假婚试爱

    假婚试爱

    【SVIP包月免费文】见多了离婚撕逼案件,她对婚姻产生抵触情绪,想要不婚,却又被逼婚。他也说自己是个不婚主义者。两人一拍即合,假装结婚住在一起……【非霸道总裁小白文,偏成熟风,男主是外科医生,女主是专打离婚案件的律师,穿插着各种经典的现实婚姻案件,可以让你了解相关的婚姻法权益法,反思和经营婚姻爱情。另外,推荐兮兮经典完结文《法医娇妻》《异能重生:天才少女占卜师》】
  • 仙剑问情2

    仙剑问情2

    南海大战几经诡谲波折,终于落下帷幕。远古的大神羲和破水而出,指点张醒言复活梅雪仙灵的道路。历经了人间的名山大川,御剑江湖的小儿女终于要飞举昆仑仙都。号称天墟的众仙之地和那位来历神秘的琼肜究竟有何关联?众仙之长的西王母与他们有无关系?霞飞天外,仙落人间,此时那人间大地的帝苑深宫中却发生了骇人听闻的变故。锦衣玉食的公主一朝陷于腥风血雨,她与张醒言的前缘是否就此断绝?要圆满仙路的情缘、烟尘的旧事,张醒言要乘槎天外、洗剑银河!“仙路不知行远近,人生若只如初见”。一切绚烂终归于平静,路到终点又回到起点。一段幻丽而温馨的仙剑传奇,就要在本册画上完美的句点。
  • 曾国藩家书

    曾国藩家书

    曾国藩是中国近代史上的一位重要人物,被称为晚清“第一名臣”,同时他又是被公认的中国近代最后一个集传统文化于一身的典型人物。其所著家书,涉及的内容广泛,本书特选取其中150余篇,编为修身劝学、持家理财、治军为政、交友处世四个部分。编者为每封家书注有准确的日期,并进行了现代文全译,以便读者能够深刻地了解道光、咸丰、同治三个不同时期的曾国藩,了解其真正智慧之所在,读者从此书中可见一个思想者对世道人心的深刻体察和感悟。
  • 村办厂

    村办厂

    刚开春,山里树上的杈杈桠桠还垂着些鲜亮的冰棍儿,乡里的吴干部就到天头岗村,落实村里奔小康的事。天头岗村连接乡里的唯一的一条道儿。是条蛇样绕着的机耕路,眼下却让冰冻封得严严实实。吴干部只好步行到天头岗,鼠牙样的冰冻被他的双脚踩得“嚓嚓”响,很有些听头。乡干部老吴是长期联系天头岗村的。在承包责任制前就蹲在这个村,一年三百六十天,有二百天吃住在天头岗,和村民打成一片。村里大小事,老吴都过问,就连村民家里猪发病了,老吴都亲自钻进猪窝帮助查病打针,搞得鼻子、眉毛分不清,一身都是猪粪粪,他都不在乎。