confidence-第4章
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e me; I cannot take these subterranean excursions。 I should lose my breath down there; I should never come up alive。 You know I have dropped things downlittle jokes and metaphors; little fantasies and paradoxesand I have never heard them touch bottom!〃 This was an epigram on the part of a young man who had a lively play of fancy; but it was none the less true that Gordon Wright had a firmly…treading; rather than a winged; intellect。 Every phrase in his letter seemed; to Bernard; to march in stout…soled walking…boots; and nothing could better express his attachment to the process of reasoning things out than this proposal that his friend should come and make a chemical analysisa geometrical surveyof the lady of his love。 〃That I shall have any difficulty in forming an opinion; and any difficulty in expressing it when formed of this he has as little idea as that he shall have any difficulty in accepting it when expressed。〃 So Bernard reflected; as he rolled in the train to Munich。 〃Gordon's mind;〃 he went on; 〃has no atmosphere; his intellectual process goes on in the void。 There are no currents and eddies to affect it; no high winds nor hot suns; no changes of season and temperature。 His premises are neatly arranged; and his conclusions are perfectly calculable。〃
Yet for the man on whose character he so freely exercised his wit Bernard Longueville had a strong affection。 It is nothing against the validity of a friendship that the parties to it have not a mutual resemblance。 There must be a basis of agreement; but the structure reared upon it may contain a thousand disparities。 These two young men had formed an alliance of old; in college days; and the bond between them had been strengthened by the simple fact of its having survived the sentimental revolutions of early life。 Its strongest link was a sort of mutual respect。 Their tastes; their pursuits were different; but each of them had a high esteem for the other's character。 It may be said that they were easily pleased; for it is certain that neither of them had performed any very conspicuous action。 They were highly civilized young Americans; born to an easy fortune and a tranquil destiny; and unfamiliar with the glitter of golden opportunities。 If I did not shrink from disparaging the constitution of their native land for their own credit; I should say that it had never been very definitely proposed to these young gentlemen to distinguish themselves。 On reaching manhood; they had each come into property sufficient to make violent exertion superfluous。 Gordon Wright; indeed; had inherited a large estate。 Their wants being tolerably modest; they had not been tempted to strive for the glory of building up commercial fortunesthe most obvious career open to young Americans。 They had; indeed; embraced no career at all; and if summoned to give an account of themselves would; perhaps; have found it hard to tell any very impressive story。 Gordon Wright was much interested in physical science; and had ideas of his own on what is called the endowment of research。 His ideas had taken a practical shape; and he had distributed money very freely among the investigating classes; after which he had gone to spend a couple of years in Germany; supposing it to be the land of laboratories。 Here we find him at present; cultivating relations with several learned bodies and promoting the study of various tough branches of human knowledge; by paying the expenses of difficult experiments。 The experiments; it must be added; were often of his own making; and he must have the honor of whatever brilliancy attaches; in the estimation of the world; to such pursuits。 It was not; indeed; a brilliancy that dazzled Bernard Longueville; who; however; was not easily dazzled by anything。 It was because he regarded him in so plain and direct a fashion; that Bernard had an affection for his friendan affection to which it would perhaps be difficult to assign a definite cause。 Personal sympathies are doubtless caused by something; but the causes are remote; mysterious to our daily vision; like those of the particular state of the weather。 We content ourselves with remarking that it is fine or that it rains; and the enjoyment of our likes and dislikes is by no means apt to borrow its edge from the keenness of our analysis。 Longueville had a relish for fine qualitysuperior savour; and he was sensible of this merit in the simple; candid; manly; affectionate nature of his comrade; which seemed to him an excellent thing of its kind。 Gordon Wright had a tender heart and a strong will a combination which; when the understanding is not too limited; is often the motive of admirable actions。 There might sometimes be a question whether Gordon's understanding were sufficiently unlimited; but the impulses of a generous temper often play a useful part in filling up the gaps of an incomplete imagination; and the general impression that Wright produced was certainly that of intelligent good…nature。 The reasons for appreciating Bernard Longueville were much more manifest。 He pleased superficially; as well as fundamentally。 Nature had sent him into the world with an armful of good gifts。 He was very good…lookingtall; dark; agile; perfectly finished; so good…looking that he might have been a fool and yet be forgiven。 As has already been intimated; however; he was far from being a fool。 He had a number of talents; which; during three or four years that followed his leaving college; had received the discipline of the study of the law。 He had not made much of the law; but he had made something of his talents。 He was almost always spoken of as 〃accomplished;〃 people asked why he did n't do something。 This question was never satisfactorily answered; the feeling being that Longueville did more than many people in causing it to be asked。 Moreover; there was one thing he did constantly he enjoyed himself。 This is manifestly not a career; and it has been said at the outset that he was not attached to any of the recognized professions。 But without going into details; he was a charming fellowclever; urbane; free…handed; and with that fortunate quality in his appearance which is known as distinction。
CHAPTER III
He had not specified; in writing to Gordon Wright; the day on which he should arrive at Baden…Baden; it must be confessed that he was not addicted to specifying days。 He came to his journey's end in the evening; and; on presenting himself at the hotel from which his friend had dated his letter; he learned that Gordon Wright had betaken himself after dinner; according to the custom of Baden…Baden; to the grounds of the Conversation…house。 It was eight o'clock; and Longueville; after removing the stains of travel; sat down to dine。 His first impulse had been to send for Gordon to come and keep him company at his repast; but on second thought he determined to make it as brief as possible。 Having brought it to a close; he took his way to the Kursaal。 The great German watering…place is one of the prettiest nooks in Europe; and of a summer evening in the gaming days; five…and…twenty years ago; it was one of the most brilliant scenes。 The lighted windows of the great temple of hazard (of as chaste an architecture as if it had been devoted to a much purer divinity) opened wide upon the gardens and groves; the little river that issues from the bosky mountains of the Black Forest flowed; with an air of brook…like innocence; past the expensive hotels and lodging…houses; the orchestra; in a high pavilion on the terrace of the Kursaal; played a discreet accompaniment to the conversation of the ladies and gentlemen who; scattered over the large expanse on a thousand little chairs; preferred for the time the beauties of nature to the shuffle of coin and the calculation of chance; while the faint summer stars;
twinkling above the vague black hills and woods; looked down at the indifferent groups without venturing to drop their light upon them。
Longueville; noting all this; went straight into the gaming…rooms; he was curious to see whether his friend; being fond of experiments; was trying combinations at roulette。 But he was not to be found in any of the gilded chambers; among the crowd that pressed in silence a