登陆注册
5380300000082

第82章

"Women are not a metaphysical people.They do not easily follow abstractions.They want their dogmas and religious sentiments embodied in a man, just as they do their romantic fancies.Of course you Protestants, with your married clergy, see less of the effects of this than celibates do, but even with you there is a great deal in it.Why, the very institution of celibacy itself was forced upon the early Christian Church by the scandal of rich Roman ladies loading bishops and handsome priests with fabulous gifts until the passion for currying favor with women of wealth, and marrying them or wheedling their fortunes from them, debauched the whole priesthood.

You should read your Jerome."

"I will--certainly," said the listener, resolving to remember the name and refer it to the old bookseller.

"Well, whatever laws one sect or another makes, the woman's attitude toward the priest survives.She desires to see him surrounded by flower-pots and candles, to have him smelling of musk.She would like to curl his hair, and weave garlands in it.Although she is not learned enough to have ever heard of such things, she intuitively feels in his presence a sort of backwash of the old pagan sensuality and lascivious mysticism which enveloped the priesthood in Greek and Roman days.Ugh! It makes one sick!"Dr.Ledsmar rose, as he spoke, and dismissed the topic with a dry little laugh."Come, let me show you round a bit,"he said."My shoulder is easier walking than sitting.""Have you never written a book yourself?" asked Theron, getting to his feet.

"I have a thing on serpent-worship," the scientist replied--"written years ago.""I can't tell you how I should enjoy reading it,"urged the other.

The doctor laughed again."You'll have to learn German, then, I 'm afraid.It is still in circulation in Germany, I believe, on its merits as a serious book.I haven't a copy of the edition in English.THAT was all exhausted by collectors who bought it for its supposed obscenity, like Burton's 'Arabian Nights.' Come this way, and Iwill show you my laboratory."

They moved out of the room, and through a passage, Ledsmar talking as he led the way."I took up that subject, when I was at college, by a curious chance.I kept a young monkey in my rooms, which had been born in captivity.

I brought home from a beer hall--it was in Germany--some pretzels one night, and tossed one toward the monkey.

He jumped toward it, then screamed and ran back shuddering with fright.I couldn't understand it at first.Then Isaw that the curled pretzel, lying there on the floor, was very like a little coiled-up snake.The monkey had never seen a snake, but it was in his blood to be afraid of one.That incident changed my whole life for me.

Up to that evening, I had intended to be a lawyer."Theron did not feel sure that he had understood the point of the anecdote.He looked now, without much interest, at some dark little tanks containing thick water, a row of small glass cases with adders and other lesser reptiles inside, and a general collection of boxes, jars, and similar receptacles connected with the doctor's pursuits.

Further on was a smaller chamber, with a big empty furnace, and shelves bearing bottles and apparatus like a drugstore.

It was pleasanter in the conservatory--a low, spacious structure with broad pathways between the plants, and an awning over the sunny side of the roof.The plants were mostly orchids, he learned.He had read of them, but never seen any before.No doubt they were curious;but he discovered nothing to justify the great fuss made about them.The heat grew oppressive inside, and he was glad to emerge into the garden.He paused under the grateful shade of a vine-clad trellis, took off his hat, and looked about him with a sigh of relief.

Everything seemed old-fashioned and natural and delightfully free from pretence in the big, overgrown field of flowers and shrubs.

Theron recalled with some surprise Celia's indictment of the doctor as a man with no poetry in his soul.

"You must be extremely fond of flowers," he remarked.

Dr.Ledsmar shrugged his well shoulder."They have their points,"he said briefly."These are all dioecious here.Over beyond are monoecious species.My work is to test the probabilities for or against Darwin's theory that hermaphroditism in plants is a late by-product of these earlier forms.""And is his theory right?" asked Mr.Ware, with a polite show of interest.

"We may know in the course of three or four hundred years,"replied Ledsmar.He looked up into his guest's face with a quizzical half-smile."That is a very brief period for observation when such a complicated question as sex is involved," he added."We have been studying the female of our own species for some hundreds of thousands of years, and we haven't arrived at the most elementary rules governing her actions."They had moved along to a bed of tall plants, the more forward of which were beginning to show bloom."Here another task will begin next month," the doctor observed.

"These are salvias, pentstemons, and antirrhinums, or snapdragons, planted very thick for the purpose.

Humble-bees bore holes through their base, to save the labor of climbing in and out of the flowers, and we don't quite know yet why some hive-bees discover and utilize these holes at once, while others never do.

同类推荐
  • 丽则遗音

    丽则遗音

    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。
  • 妙吉祥平等瑜伽秘密观身成佛仪轨

    妙吉祥平等瑜伽秘密观身成佛仪轨

    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。
  • 纳兰性德词集

    纳兰性德词集

    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。
  • The Scarecrow of Oz

    The Scarecrow of Oz

    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。
  • 终成眷属

    终成眷属

    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
  • 幼科指南

    幼科指南

    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。
  • 太古帝诀

    太古帝诀

    (三万字签约,大家放心收藏)没落的古家岭,就连护卫都想离去了。这天,古风终于炼化了体内的灵魂...古家岭如一颗新星,冉冉升起。(241920568本书交流群)
  • 君子长诀(全集)

    君子长诀(全集)

    传闻,执掌诸神姻缘的神君良玉画姻缘扇证亲,圆满情事见诸扇面。可是替别人画姻缘扇的她,自己的情缘却是惨淡。她看上了三十五天的长诀天尊,可五万年的神界痴缠不过换回一尺折扇,上书“无缘”。于是,带着无法劝阻的决绝,知道同长诀做不得神界眷侣的她,以存着她对长诀情意的半颗心做祭,执意换了一场同长诀天尊的凡界情缘。凡辰总有终了时,只待梦醒后。从凡尘归来的良玉,究竟是会潇洒放手,还是会执念难丢?
  • 错嫁王爷

    错嫁王爷

    我穿了,我竟然真的穿了,还直接被架着去拜堂,新郎却是一只猪?!老天,我竟然沦为猪的新娘,不要开这样的玩笑吧?半夜醒来,猪相公却摇身一变成为绝世冷美男,这……这是怎么回事?
  • 神秘大亨的小甜心

    神秘大亨的小甜心

    传闻,斯科达集团的大BOSS不仅神秘,更有三个古怪的办公习惯。一,只在夜里办公。二,只穿黑色斗蓬。三,秘书三月必换。曾甜蜜姑娘带着自己的事业理想,到斯科达当了个小小装配工,没想到自己有朝一日会三级跳,跳进了神秘大BOSS的私人办公室,发现大BOSS那令人发指的超级大秘密,沦为大BOSS的禁脔遭受各种粗暴、霸道、不要脸的涩情……折磨?追求?强婚?!PS:嘿嘿,真相绝不是你们想滴那样辣!【嘤嘤嘤~~大叔好粗暴!】没家没世的小草根曾甜蜜,第一天上班就迷路了,还“迷”到一个古怪神秘的黑斗蓬大叔!没错,就像《魔戒》里甘道夫穿的那种斗蓬,好大个尖帽子哦!小蜜(很礼貌):大叔,去一车间三科八组的后勤处怎么走呢?斗蓬叔:滚——小蜜(很忐忑):那个大哥,去一车间三科……斗蓬叔:滚——小蜜(很郁闷):呜呜,那个大帅……叔,拜托您告诉我……斗蓬叔:滚开——被粗暴大叔骂跑三次的曾恬蜜终于领悟到了“滚的精髓”,找到了组织。只是……【嘤嘤嘤~~大叔太霸道!】魔鬼总裁的火热八卦出炉了:三月肉秘又要换届,层层筛选新中标者竟然是根黑豆芽儿?!众人震惊:就这小身板儿,能经得住六星魔总的夜夜操持嘛?!!!!小蜜:BOSS,我完全不懂外语啊!BOSS:说人话就行。小蜜:囧~~~~(这是在鄙视我还是鄙视我还是鄙视我啊?!!!!)PS1:啥叫“肉蜜”、“六星魔总”,请看正文解释!PS2:特别申明,咱们斯科达集团绝对没有灵类生物,或外星异种哦!【嘤嘤嘤~~大叔好,好不要脸哇!】X月后BOSS:做我女朋友。小蜜:BOSS,我有喜欢的人了。BOSS说:你的表白我接受了。小蜜(呆,汗):人家根本不是这意思的好伐?!!!【嘤嘤嘤~~大叔好涩情哦!】XX月后BOSS:做我老婆小蜜:BOSS,我们有这么熟吗?BOSS:亲过,抱过,上过了,还敢说不熟。小蜜(泪):事实完全不是这样子滴呀!【嘤嘤嘤~~大叔太腹黑了有木有!】X年后BOSS:再生一个。小蜜:啊啊啊,家暴,我要离婚!BOSS:那就再生三个。小蜜:为什么啊?BOSS:离婚违约赔三倍!小蜜(大惊):这项目还能拓展到生孩子?!!!秋秋语:这是一个暖萌小甜妞儿,收服炼化一只深娇萌大叔的超甜蜜喜剧爱情大戏。这是秋秋有史以来最甜、最萌、最宠、最最最神秘的恋爱故事!
  • 次柳氏旧闻

    次柳氏旧闻

    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。
  • 名人传记丛书:成吉思汗

    名人传记丛书:成吉思汗

    名人传记丛书——成吉思汗——让地球颤抖的一代天骄:“立足课本,超越课堂”,以提高中小学生的综合素质为目的,让中小学生从课内受益到课外,是一生的良师益友。
  • 全球顶级企业通用的10种品牌管理方法

    全球顶级企业通用的10种品牌管理方法

    品牌尤其是具有良好知名度和美誉度的品牌是企业获得竞争优势、进占目标市场的有力武器。对于每一位管理者而言,学习顶级的品牌管理艺术,是提高企业管理水平的有效途径。本书是商界品牌管理智慧的荟萃,相信本书能给读者提供新的独特的方法,并成为确保品牌成功的新工具。
  • 顾医生家的小贝壳

    顾医生家的小贝壳

    齐贝刚到顾家那会儿,顾然:这是让她养闺女?齐贝高中暗恋对象来那会儿,顾然:哎,他还比不上了?齐贝拒绝他那会儿,顾然:他认输。齐贝同意他那会儿,顾然:宝贝儿,哭个给我看看。齐贝和他领证那会儿,顾然:媳妇儿~媳妇儿~从两人相识那刻,顾然的生活大多是围着那个叫齐贝的女人转,他心甘情愿地对她俯首称臣。
  • 快穿之攻略女配大人

    快穿之攻略女配大人

    (绝对甜宠文,1V1,请放心食用!)当大将军变成痴情帝王,冷漠漫画家变成小奶狗,一切都是最好的安排,穿梭到各个世界,遇到不同的人,他们虽有不同的性格,但却又似曾相识。他们到底是谁?又是谁激活了灵灵?(啦啦啦,求收藏!求推荐票!谢谢!)