登陆注册
5249600000062

第62章 CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD(4)

"Would have died rather than appeal to the meanest instincts of his fellow-creatures. Just so! There was his mistake. That's why he never could make anything of the republic. That's why the republic is the ricketty child of the political family. _Quod erat demonstrandum,_" said Nugent Dubourg, finishing me off with a pleasant smile, and an easy indicative gesture of the hand which said, "Now I have settled these three people in succession, I am equally well satisfied with myself and with them!"

His smile was irresistible. Bent as I was on disputing the degrading conclusions at which he had arrived, I really had not fire enough in me, at the moment, to feed my own indignation. As to Reverend Finch, he sat silently swelling in a corner; digesting, as he best might, the discovery that there was another man in the world, besides the Rector of Dimchurch, with an excellent opinion of himself, and with perfectly unassailable confidence and fluency in expressing it. In the momentary silence that now followed, Oscar got his first opportunity of speaking. He had, thus far, been quite content to admire his clever brother. He now advanced to me, and asked what had become of Lucilla.

"The servant told me she was here," he said. "I am so anxious to introduce her to Nugent."

Nugent put his arm affectionately round his brother's neck, and gave him a hug. "Dear old boy! I am just as anxious as you are."

"Lucilla went out a little while since," I said, "to take a turn in the garden."

"I'll go and find her," said Oscar. "Wait here, Nugent. I'll bring her in."

He left the room. Before he could close the door one of the servants appeared, to claim Mrs. Finch's private ear, on some mysterious domestic emergency. Nugent facetiously entreated her, as she passed him, to clear her mind of prejudice, and consider the question of infant petticoats on its own merits. Mr. Finch took offense at this second reference to the subject. He rose to follow his wife.

"When you are a married man, Mr. Dubourg," said the rector severely, "you will learn to leave the management of an infant in its mother's hands."

"There's another mistake!" remarked Nugent, following him with unabated good humour, to the door. "A married man's idea of another man as a husband, always begins and ends with his idea of himself." He turned to me, as the door closed on Mr. Finch. "Now we are alone, Madame Pratolungo," he said, "I want to speak to you about Miss Finch. There is an opportunity, before she comes in. Oscar's letter only told me that she was blind. I am naturally interested in everything that relates to my brother's future wife. I am particularly interested about this affliction of hers. May I ask how long she has been blind?"

"Since she was a year old," I replied.

"Through an accident?"

"No."

"After a fever? or a disease of any other sort?"

I began to feel a little surprised at his entering into these medical details.

"I never heard that it was through a fever, or other illness," I said.

"So far as I know, the blindness came on unexpectedly, from some cause that did not express itself to the people about her, at the time."

He drew his chair confidentially nearer to mine. "How old is she?" he asked.

I began to feel more than a little surprised; and I showed it, I suppose, on telling him Lucilla's age.

"As things are now," he explained, "there are reasons which make me hesitate to enter on the question of Miss Finch's blindness either with my brother, or with any members of the family. I must wait to speak about it to _them,_ until I can speak to good practical purpose. There is no harm in my starting the subject with _you._ When she first lost her sight, no means of restoring it were left untried, of course?"

"I should suppose not," I replied. "It's so long since, I have never asked."

"So long since," he repeated--and then considered for a moment.

His reflections ended in a last question.

"She is resigned, I suppose--and everybody about her is resigned--to the idea of her being hopelessly blind for life."

Instead of answering him, I put a question on my side. My heart was beginning to beat rapidly--without my knowing why.

"Mr. Nugent Dubourg," I said, "what have you got in your mind about Lucilla?"

"Madame Pratolungo," he replied, "I have got something in my mind which was put into it by a friend of mine whom I met in America."

"The friend you mentioned in your letter to your brother?"

"The same."

"The German gentleman whom you propose to introduce to Oscar and Lucilla?"

"Yes."

"May I ask who he is?"

Nugent Dubourg looked at me attentively; considered with himself for the second time; and answered in these words:

"He is the greatest living authority, and the greatest living operator, in diseases of the eye."

The idea in his mind burst its way into my mind in a moment.

"Gracious God!" I exclaimed, "are you mad enough to suppose that Lucilla's sight can be restored, after a blindness of one-and-twenty years?"

He suddenly held up his hand, in sign to me to be silent.

At the same moment the door opened; and Lucilla (followed by Oscar) entered the room.

同类推荐
  • 文原

    文原

    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。
  • 赠卢大夫将军

    赠卢大夫将军

    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。
  • 犬韬

    犬韬

    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。
  • 明伦汇编皇极典君臣部

    明伦汇编皇极典君臣部

    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。
  • 女子丹经汇编

    女子丹经汇编

    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
  • 丹武仙帝

    丹武仙帝

    妖孽养子坠落凡尘,神秘血脉注定他的无法沉沦;一步步带领家族走上巅峰,却惨遭背叛,修为尽失,真相何在?九死一生觉醒血脉,以丹融身证道巅峰,为红颜、为亲缘,走上一条逆天不归路;证道丹武仙帝,破万世劫难,震无边邪魔,只为守护这一方安宁!
  • 愿你成为自己期待的那个人

    愿你成为自己期待的那个人

    我希望你不怨世俗、不惧前行,最终成为自己期待的那个人。这是22个传奇女人在权谋的天地中寻求人生意义的故事。世间女子的爱恋何其相似,她们不再是戴着假面的剧中人,而是与每个人都有共通的人生。本书谈的是名著中光怪陆离的故事,可初衷却是人生俗世的喜怒沧桑。这一类女子或美丽,或智慧,或泼辣,或大气,她们的人生选择和际遇让后世赞叹又唏嘘。原来生活的不如意不是我们背叛初衷的理由,透过她们的人性姿态,我们会懂得在与我们相同的人生际遇里,她们更懂得努力和坚忍的意义。
  • 清澜悠悠我心扉

    清澜悠悠我心扉

    曾经,她为臣,他为王。后来,她为反叛者,他为她的弑亲仇敌。破囚,被逐,威胁,厮杀,难道这就是她的宿命?断崖边,她纵身一跃,从此,这世上再无兮夜。“在下自知英俊无双,武艺高强,无人能及,但姑娘若有意以身相待……”他邪肆一笑,半褪的衣衫滑落温泉,双眼微眯着盯着她。她俯身一看,恼怒之余,残毒发作,便要闪身走人。此后,两人便一发不可收拾。“娘子,娘子往这里奔!”他眨了眨桃花眼,她立刻掉了个头。“娘子,娘子,”他见榻上人未动,只见一只莹润的玉足将他踹了下去。他揉了揉屁股,说“:娘子,下回轻点,小宝会心疼的!”
  • 亲亲我的宝贝

    亲亲我的宝贝

    该书稿是一部育儿类的日记体作品。全书由200个小故事构成,描述了一名叫“贝贝”的小女孩从呱呱坠地到上幼儿园这段时期的点滴趣事和成长轨迹,并记录了贝贝所在的家庭成员伴其成长过程中的育儿感悟与经验分享。
  • 武逆九天

    武逆九天

    谁说穿越就要死人?那个时代已经过去了!现在就让你们看看主角是怎么睡过去的,然后他又是如何睡回来的!
  • 神脉丹尊

    神脉丹尊

    昔日丹皇,抱憾而终,携九天神脉重生故宗。武道征途,步步荆棘。今世,且看我一路高歌,再临神尊帝位,演武化圣。
  • 中国式饭局宴会细节全知道

    中国式饭局宴会细节全知道

    本书全面总结和剖析了中国人请客吃饭求人办事过程中的礼仪、技巧和注意事项等,重点从备局、设局、布局、对局、收局等几个角度举例阐述饭局过程中常见的问题和解决的方法,让你在饭局之上尽显绅士风度和淑女风范,有助于你在觥筹交错间结交贵人,轻松成事。
  • 找寻未知的自己:跟随三毛去旅行

    找寻未知的自己:跟随三毛去旅行

    在三毛的低语中踏上异国的土地,在远方的山水中寻觅内心的自我。追随三毛踏遍万水千山,让斑斓的心灵点燃生命的光环!《找寻未知的自己——跟随三毛去旅行》也以优美的文字一一对其加以介绍,让读者饱览闻所未闻的瑰丽风光。在这里,我们会惊叹于未知世界的奇妙,会沉浸在惊心动魄的壮美风景里,然后慢慢回忆、渐渐抽离,直到心灵的风暴刹那止息,在静谧中细闻灵魂的低语。这也是本书的意义所在。《找寻未知的自己——跟随三毛去旅行》由周意然编著。
  • 洞真太微金虎真符

    洞真太微金虎真符

    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。
  • 轮回千世之唯恋君

    轮回千世之唯恋君

    前世的情爱在一瞬间化为虚无,留下的只有痛彻心扉。一缕失忆的神魂四处游荡,最终归位。一切记忆涌上心头,痛苦扑面而来。所有的悲痛让她崩溃。命运早已注定,她能做的便是改变自己的命运。我命由我不由天!