prologue-2-第2章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





herself；　could　be　produced　in　proof　of　the　assertion　while　the



woman　lived。　When　she　died　Report　started　up　again　more



confidently　than　ever；　and　appealed　to　the　man's　own　conduct　as



proof　against　the　man　himself。







He　attended　the　funeralthough　he　was　no　relation。　He　took　a　few



blades　of　grass　from　the　turf　with　which　they　covered　her



gravewhen　he　thought　that　nobody　was　looking　at　him。　He



disappeared　from　his　club。　He　traveled。　He　came　back。　He　admitted



that　he　was　weary　of　England。　He　applied　for；　and　obtained；　an



appointment　in　one　of　the　colonies。　To　what　conclusion　did　all



this　point？　Was　it　not　plain　that　his　usual　course　of　life　had



lost　its　attraction　for　him；　when　the　object　of　his　infatuation



had　ceased　to　exist？　It　might　have　been　soguesses　less　likely



have　been　made　at　the　truth；　and　have　hit　the　mark。　It　is；　at　any



rate；　certain　that　he　left　England；　never　to　return　again。



Another　man　lost；　Report　said。　Add　to　that；　a　man　in　ten



thousandand；　for　once；　Report　might　claim　to　be　right。







Mr。　Delamayn　comes　next。







The　rising　solicitor　was　struck　off　the　roll；　at　his　own



requestand　entered　himself　as　a　student　at　one　of　the　Inns　of



Court。　For　three　years　nothing　was　known　of　him　but　that　he　was



reading　hard　and　keeping　his　terms。　He　was　called　to　the　Bar。　His



late　partners　in　the　firm　knew　they　could　trust　him；　and　put



business　into　his　hands。　In　two　years　he　made　himself　a　position



in　Court。　At　the　end　of　the　two　years　he　made　himself　a　position



out　of　Court。　He　appeared　as　〃Junior〃　in　〃a　famous　case；〃　in



which　the　honor　of　a　great　family；　and　the　title　to　a　great



estate　were　concerned。　His　〃Senior〃　fell　ill　on　the　eve　of　the



trial。　He　conducted　the　case　for　the　defendant　and　won　it。　The



defendant　said；　〃What　can　I　do　for　you？〃　Mr。　Delamayn　answered；



〃Put　me　into　Parliament。〃　Being　a　landed　gentleman；　the　defendant



had　only　to　issue　the　necessary　ordersand　behold；　Mr。　Delamayn



was　in　Parliament！







In　the　House　of　Commons　the　new　member　and　Mr。　Vanborough　met



again。







They　sat　on　the　same　bench；　and　sided　with　the　same　party。　Mr。



Delamayn　noticed　that　Mr。　Vanborough　was　looking　old　and　worn　and



gray。　He　put　a　few　questions　to　a　well…informed　person。　The



well…informed　person　shook　his　head。　Mr。　Vanborough　was　rich；　Mr。



Vanborough　was　well…connected　（through　his　wife）；　Mr。　Van　borough



was　a　sound　man　in　every　sense　of　the　word；　_but_nobody　liked



him。　He　had　done　very　well　the　first　year；　and　there　it　had



ended。　He　was　undeniably　clever；　but　he　produced　a　disagreeable



impression　in　the　House。　He　gave　splendid　entertainments；　but　he



wasn't　popular　in　society。　His　party　respected　him；　but　when　they



had　any　thing　to　give　they　passed　him　over。　He　had　a　temper　of



his　own；　if　the　truth　must　be　told；　and　with　nothing　against



himon　the　contrary；　with　every　thing　in　his　favorhe　didn't



make　friends。　A　soured　man。　At　home　and　abroad；　a　soured　man。







VII。







Five　years　more　passed；　dating　from　the　day　when　the　deserted



wife　was　laid　in　her　grave。　It　was　now　the　year　eighteen　hundred



and　sixty　six。







On　a　certain　day　in　that　year　two　special　items　of　news　appeared



in　the　papersthe　news　of　an　elevation　to　the　peerage；　and　the



news　of　a　suicide。







Getting　on　well　at　the　Bar；　Mr。　Delamayn　got　on　better　still　in



Parliament。　He　became　one　of　the　prominent　men　in　the　House。



Spoke　clearly；　sensibly；　and　modestly；　and　was　never　too　long。



Held　the　House；　where　men　of　higher　abilities　〃bored〃　it。　The



chiefs　of　his　party　said　openly；　〃We　must　do　something　for



Delamayn；〃　The　opportunity　offered；　and　the　chiefs　kept　their



word。　Their　Solicitor…General　was　advanced　a　step；　and　they　put



Delamayn　in　his　place。　There　was　an　outcry　on　the　part　of　the



older　members　of　the　Bar。　The　Ministry　answered；　〃We　want　a　man



who　is　listened　to　in　the　House；　and　we　have　got　him。〃　The　papers



supported　the　new　nomination。　A　great　debate　came　off；　and　the



new　Solicitor…General　justified　the　Ministry　and　the　papers。　His



enemies　said；　derisively；　〃He　will　be　Lord　Chancellor　in　a　year



or　two！〃　His　friends　made　genial　jokes　in　his　domestic　circle；



which　pointed　to　the　same　conclusion。　They　warned　his　two　sons；



Julius　and　Geoffrey　（then　at　college）；　to　be　careful　what



acquaintances　they　made；　as　they　might　find　themselves　the　sons



of　a　lord　at　a　moment's　notice。　It　really　began　to　look　like



something　of　the　sort。　Always　rising；　Mr。　Delamayn　rose　next　to



be　Attorney…General。　About　the　same　timeso　true　it　is　that



〃nothing　succeeds　like　success〃a　childless　relative　died　and



left　him　a　fortune。　In　the　summer　of　'sixty…six　a　Chief　Judgeship



fell　vacant。　The　Ministry　had　made　a　previous　appointment　which



had　been　universally　unpopular。　They　saw　their　way　to　supplying



the　place　of　their　Attorney…General；　and　they　offered　the



judicial　appointment　to　Mr。　Delamayn。　He　preferred　remaining　in



the　House　of　Commons；　and　refused　to　accept　it。　The　Ministry



declined　to　take　No　for　an　answer。　They　whispered　confidentially；



〃　Will　you　take　it　with　a　peerage？〃　Mr。　Delamayn　consulted　his



wife；　and　took　it　with　a　peerage。　The　London　_　Gazette_　announced



him　to　the　world　as　Baron　Holchester　of　Holchester。　And　the



friends　of　the　family　rubbed　their　hands　and　said；　〃What　did　we



tell　you？　Here　are　our　two　young　friends；　Julius　and　Geoffrey；



the　sons　of　a　lord！〃







And　where　was　Mr。　Vanborough　all　this　time？　Exactly　where　we　left



him　five　years　since。







He　was　as　rich；　or　richer；　than　ever。　He　was　as　well…connected　as



ever。　He　was　as　ambitious　as　ever。　But　there　it　ended。　He　stood



still　in　the　House；　he　stood　still　in　society；　nobody　liked　him；



he　made　no　friends。　It　was　all　the　old　story　over　again；　with



this　difference；　that　the　soured　man　was　sourer；　the　gray　head；



grayer；　and　the　irritable　temper　more　unendurable　than　ever。　His



wife　had　her　rooms　in　the　house　and　he　had　his；　and　the



confidential　servants　took　care　that　they　never　met　on　the



stairs。　They　had　no　children。　They　only　saw　each　other　at　their



grand　dinners　and　balls。　People　ate　at　their　table；　and　danced　on



their　floor；　and　compared　notes　afterward；　and　said　how　dull　it



was。　Step　by　step　the　man　who　had　once　been　Mr。　Vanborough's



lawyer　rose；　till　the　peerage　received　him；　and　he　could　rise　no



longer；　while　Mr。　Vanborough；　on　the　lower　round　of　the　ladder；



looked　up；　and　noted　it；　with　no　more　chance　（rich　as　he　was　and



well…connected　as　he　was）　of　climbing　to　the　House　of　Lords　than



your　chance　or　mine。







The　man's　career　was　ended；　and　on　the　day　when　the　nomination　of



the　new　peer　was　announced；　the　man　ended　with　it。







He　laid　the　newspaper　aside　without　making　any　remark；　and　went



out。　His　carriage　set　him　down；　where　the　green　fields　still



remain；　on　the　northwest　of　London；　near　the　foot…path　which



leads　to　Hampstead。　He　walked　alone　to　the　villa　where　he　had



once　lived　with　the　woman　whom　he　had　so　cruelly　wronged。　New



houses　had　risen　round　it；　part　of　the　old　garden　had　been　sold



and　built　on。　After　a　moment's　hesitation　he　went　to　the　gate　and



rang　the　bell。　He　gave　the　servant　his　card。　The　servant's　master



knew　the　name　as　the　name　of　a　man　of　great　wealth；　and　of　a



Member　of　Parliament。　He　asked　politely　to　what　fortunate



circumstance　he　owed　the　honor　of　that　visit。　Mr。　Vanborough



answered；　briefly　and　simply；　〃I　once　lived　here；　I　have



associations　with　the　place　with　which　it　is　not　necessary　for　me