weir of hermiston-第6章

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the　son　of　his　loins　and　sole　continuator　of　his　new　family；　with　

softnesses　of　sentiment　that　he　could　hardly　credit　and　was　wholly　

impotent　to　express。　　With　a　face；　voice；　and　manner　trained　through　

forty　years　to　terrify　and　repel；　Rhadamanthus　may　be　great；　but　he　will　

scarce　be　engaging。　　It　is　a　fact　that　he　tried　to　propitiate　Archie；　

but　a　fact　that　cannot　be　too　lightly　taken；　the　attempt　was　so　

unconspicuously　made；　the　failure　so　stoically　supported。　　Sympathy　is　

not　due　to　these　steadfast　iron　natures。　　If　he　failed　to　gain　his　son's　

friendship；　or　even　his　son's　toleration；　on　he　went　up　the　great；　bare　

staircase　of　his　duty；　uncheered　and　undepressed。　　There　might　have　been　

more　pleasure　in　his　relations　with　Archie；　so　much　he　may　have　

recognised　at　moments；　but　pleasure　was　a　by…product　of　the　singular　

chemistry　of　life；　which　only　fools　expected。



An　idea　of　Archie's　attitude；　since　we　are　all　grown　up　and　have　

forgotten　the　days　of　our　youth；　it　is　more　difficult　to　convey。　　He　

made　no　attempt　whatsoever　to　understand　the　man　with　whom　he　dined　and　

breakfasted。　　Parsimony　of　pain；　glut　of　pleasure；　these　are　the　two　

alternating　ends　of　youth；　and　Archie　was　of　the　parsimonious。　　The　wind　

blew　cold　out　of　a　certain　quarter　…　he　turned　his　back　upon　it；　stayed　

as　little　as　was　possible　in　his　father's　presence；　and　when　there；　

averted　his　eyes　as　much　as　was　decent　from　his　father's　face。　　The　lamp　

shone　for　many　hundred　days　upon　these　two　at　table　…　my　lord；　ruddy；　

gloomy；　and　unreverent；　Archie　with　a　potential　brightness　that　was　

always　dimmed　and　veiled　in　that　society；　and　there　were　not；　perhaps；　

in　Christendom　two　men　more　radically　strangers。　　The　father；　with　a　

grand　simplicity；　either　spoke　of　what　interested　himself；　or　maintained　

an　unaffected　silence。　　The　son　turned　in　his　head　for　some　topic　that　

should　be　quite　safe；　that　would　spare　him　fresh　evidences　either　of　my　

lord's　inherent　grossness　or　of　the　innocence　of　his　inhumanity；　

treading　gingerly　the　ways　of　intercourse；　like　a　lady　gathering　up　her　

skirts　in　a　by…path。　　If　he　made　a　mistake；　and　my　lord　began　to　abound　

in　matter　of　offence；　Archie　drew　himself　up；　his　brow　grew　dark；　his　

share　of　the　talk　expired；　but　my　lord　would　faithfully　and　cheerfully　

continue　to　pour　out　the　worst　of　himself　before　his　silent　and　offended　

son。



〃Well；　it's　a　poor　hert　that　never　rejoices！〃　he　would　say；　at　the　

conclusion　of　such　a　nightmare　interview。　　〃But　I　must　get　to　my　plew…

stilts。〃　And　he　would　seclude　himself　as　usual　in　his　back　room；　and　

Archie　go　forth　into　the　night　and　the　city　quivering　with　animosity　and　

scorn。







CHAPTER　III　…　IN　THE　MATTER　OF　THE　HANGING　OF　DUNCAN　JOPP







IT　chanced　in　the　year　1813　that　Archie　strayed　one　day　into　the　

Justiciary　Court。　　The　macer　made　room　for　the　son　of　the　presiding　

judge。　　In　the　dock；　the　centre　of　men's　eyes；　there　stood　a　whey…

coloured；　misbegotten　caitiff；　Duncan　Jopp；　on　trial　for　his　life。　　His　

story；　as　it　was　raked　out　before　him　in　that　public　scene；　was　one　of　

disgrace　and　vice　and　cowardice；　the　very　nakedness　of　crime；　and　the　

creature　heard　and　it　seemed　at　times　as　though　he　understood　…　as　if　at　

times　he　forgot　the　horror　of　the　place　he　stood　in；　and　remembered　the　

shame　of　what　had　brought　him　there。　　He　kept　his　head　bowed　and　his　

hands　clutched　upon　the　rail；　his　hair　dropped　in　his　eyes　and　at　times　

he　flung　it　back；　and　now　he　glanced　about　the　audience　in　a　sudden　

fellness　of　terror；　and　now　looked　in　the　face　of　his　judge　and　gulped。　　

There　was　pinned　about　his　throat　a　piece　of　dingy　flannel；　and　this　it　

was　perhaps　that　turned　the　scale　in　Archie's　mind　between　disgust　and　

pity。　　The　creature　stood　in　a　vanishing　point；　yet　a　little　while；　and　

he　was　still　a　man；　and　had　eyes　and　apprehension；　yet　a　little　longer；　

and　with　a　last　sordid　piece　of　pageantry；　he　would　cease　to　be。　　And　

here；　in　the　meantime；　with　a　trait　of　human　nature　that　caught　at　the　

beholder's　breath；　he　was　tending　a　sore　throat。



Over　against　him；　my　Lord　Hermiston　occupied　the　bench　in　the　red　robes　

of　criminal　jurisdiction；　his　face　framed　in　the　white　wig。　　Honest　all　

through；　he　did　not　affect　the　virtue　of　impartiality；　this　was　no　case　

for　refinement；　there　was　a　man　to　be　hanged；　he　would　have　said；　and　he　

was　hanging　him。　　Nor　was　it　possible　to　see　his　lordship；　and　acquit　

him　of　gusto　in　the　task。　　It　was　plain　he　gloried　in　the　exercise　of　

his　trained　faculties；　in　the　clear　sight　which　pierced　at　once　into　the　

joint　of　fact；　in　the　rude；　unvarnished　gibes　with　which　he　demolished　

every　figment　of　defence。　　He　took　his　ease　and　jested；　unbending　in　

that　solemn　place　with　some　of　the　freedom　of　the　tavern；　and　the　rag　of　

man　with　the　flannel　round　his　neck　was　hunted　gallowsward　with　jeers。



Duncan　had　a　mistress；　scarce　less　forlorn　and　greatly　older　than　

himself；　who　came　up；　whimpering　and　curtseying；　to　add　the　weight　of　

her　betrayal。　　My　lord　gave　her　the　oath　in　his　most　roaring　voice；　and　

added　an　intolerant　warning。



〃Mind　what　ye　say　now；　Janet；〃　said　he。　　〃I　have　an　e'e　upon　ye；　I'm　ill　

to　jest　with。〃



Presently；　after　she　was　tremblingly　embarked　on　her　story；　〃And　what　

made　ye　do　this；　ye　auld　runt？〃　the　Court　interposed。　　〃Do　ye　mean　to　

tell　me　ye　was　the　panel's　mistress？〃



〃If　you　please；　ma　loard；〃　whined　the　female。



〃Godsake！　ye　made　a　bonny　couple；〃　observed　his　lordship；　and　there　was　

something　so　formidable　and　ferocious　in　his　scorn　that　not　even　the　

galleries　thought　to　laugh。



The　summing　up　contained　some　jewels。



〃These　two　peetiable　creatures　seem　to　have　made　up　thegither；　it's　not　

for　us　to　explain　why。〃　…　〃The　panel；　who　（whatever　else　he　may　be）　

appears　to　be　equally　ill　set…out　in　mind　and　boady。〃　…　〃Neither　the　

panel　nor　yet　the　old　wife　appears　to　have　had　so　much　common　sense　as　

even　to　tell　a　lie　when　it　was　necessary。〃　　And　in　the　course　of　

sentencing；　my　lord　had　this　OBITER　DICTUM：　〃I　have　been　the　means；　

under　God；　of　haanging　a　great　number；　but　never　just　such　a　disjaskit　

rascal　as　yourself。〃　　The　words　were　strong　in　themselves；　the　light　and　

heat　and　detonation　of　their　delivery；　and　the　savage　pleasure　of　the　

speaker　in　his　task；　made　them　tingle　in　the　ears。



When　all　was　over；　Archie　came　forth　again　into　a　changed　world。　　Had　

there　been　the　least　redeeming　greatness　in　the　crime；　any　obscurity；　

any　dubiety；　perhaps　he　might　have　understood。　　But　the　culprit　stood；　

with　his　sore　throat；　in　the　sweat　of　his　mortal　agony；　without　defence　

or　excuse：　a　thing　to　cover　up　with　blushes：　a　being　so　much　sunk　

beneath　the　zones　of　sympathy　that　pity　might　seem　harmless。　　And　the　

judge　had　pursued　him　with　a　monstrous；　relishing　gaiety；　horrible　to　be　

conceived；　a　trait　for　nightmares。　　It　is　one　thing　to　spear　a　tiger；　

another　to　crush　a　toad；　there　are　aesthetics　even　of　the　slaughter…

house；　and　the　loathsomeness　of　Duncan　Jopp　enveloped　and　infected　the　

image　of　his　judge。



Archie　passed　by　his　friends　in　the　High　Street　with　incoherent　words　

and　gestures。　　He　saw　Holyrood　in　a　dream；　remembrance　of　its　romance　

awoke　in　him　and　faded；　he　had　a　vision　of　the　old　radiant　stories；　of　

Queen　Mary　and　Prince　Charlie；　of　the　hooded　stag；　of　the　splendour　and　

crime；　the　velvet　and　bright　iron　of　the　past；　and　dismissed　them　with　a　

cry　of　pain。　　He　lay　and　moaned　in　the　Hunter's　Bog；　and　the　heavens　

were　dark　above　him　and　the　grass　of　the　field　an　offence。　　〃This　is　my　

father；〃　he　said。　　〃I　draw　my　life　from　him；　the　flesh　upon　my　bones　is　

his；　the　bread　I　am　fed　with　is　the　wages　of　these　horrors。〃　　He　

recalled　his　mother；　and　ground　his　forehead　in　the　earth。　　He　thought　

of　flight；　and　where　was　he　to　flee　to？　of　other　lives；　but　was　there　

any　life　worth　living　in　thi