the black robe-第42章

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you　think　your　friend　will　trust　me　with　it。〃







〃I　am　certain　he　will　trust　you　with　it。　My　friend　is　Mr。



Winterfield；　of　Beaupark　House；　North　Devon。　Perhaps　you　may　have



heard　of　him？〃







〃No；　the　name　is　quite　new　to　me。〃







〃Then　come　and　see　the　man　himself。　He　is　now　in　Londonand　I　am



entirely　at　your　service。〃







In　half　an　hour　more；　Romayne　was　presented　to　a　well…bred；



amiable　gentleman　in　the　prime　of　life；　smoking；　and　reading　the



newspaper。　The　bowl　of　his　long　pipe　rested　on　the　floor；　on　one



side　of　him；　and　a　handsome　red　and　white　spaniel　reposed　on　the



other。　Before　his　visitors　had　been　two　minutes　in　the　room；　he



understood　the　motive　which　had　brought　them　to　consult　him；　and



sent　for　a　telegraphic　form。







〃My　steward　will　find　the　book　and　forward　it　to　your　address　by



passenger　train　this　afternoon；〃　he　said。　〃I　will　tell　him　to　put



my　printed　catalogue　of　the　library　into　the　parcel；　in　case　I



have　any　other　books　which　may　be　of　use　to　you。〃







With　those　words；　he　dispatched　the　telegram　to　the　office。



Romayne　attempted　to　make　his　acknowledgments。　Mr。　Winterfield



would　hear　no　acknowledgments。







〃My　dear　sir；〃　he　said；　with　a　smile　that　brightened　his　whole



face；　〃you　are　engaged　in　writing　a　great　historical　work；　and　I



am　an　obscure　country　gentleman；　who　is　lucky　enough　to　associate



himself　with　the　production　of　a　new　book。　How　do　you　know　that　I



am　not　looking　forward　to　a　complimentary　line　in　the　preface？　I



am　the　obliged　person；　not　you。　Pray　consider　me　as　a　handy



little　boy　who　runs　on　errands　for　the　Muse　of　History。　Do　you



smoke？〃







Not　even　tobacco　would　soothe　Romayne's　wasted　and　irritable



nerves。　Father　Benwell〃all　things　to　all　men〃cheerfully



accepted　a　cigar　from　the　box　on　the　table。







〃Father　Benwell　possesses　all　the　social　virtues；〃　Mr。



Winterfield　ran　on。　〃He　shall　have　his　coffee；　and　the　largest



sugar…basin　that　the　hotel　can　produce。　I　can　quite　understand



that　your　literary　labors　have　tried　your　nerves；〃　he　said　to



Romayne；　when　he　had　ordered　the　coffee。　〃The　mere　title　of　your



work　overwhelms　an　idle　man　like　me。　'The　Origin　of



Religions'what　an　immense　subject！　How　far　must　we　look　back　to



find　out　the　first　worshipers　of　the　human　family？Where　are　the



hieroglyphics；　Mr。　Romayne；　that　will　give　you　the　earliest



information？　In　the　unknown　center　of　Africa；　or　among　the　ruined



cities　of　Yucatan？　My　own　idea；　as　an　ignorant　man；　is　that　the



first　of　all　forms　of　worship　must　have　been　the　worship　of　the



sun。　Don't　be　shocked；　Father　BenwellI　confess　I　have　a　certain



sympathy　with　sun…worship。　In　the　East　especially；　the　rising　of



the　sun　is　surely　the　grandest　of　all　objectsthe　visible　symbol



of　a　beneficent　Deity；　who　gives　life；　warmth　and　light　to　the



world　of　his　creation。〃







〃Very　grand；　no　doubt；〃　remarked　Father　Benwell；　sweetening　his



coffee。　〃But　not　to　be　compared　with　the　noble　sight　at　Rome；



when　the　Pope　blesses　the　Christian　world　from　the　balcony　of　St。



Peter's。〃







〃So　much　for　professional　feeling！〃　said　Mr。　Winterfield。　〃But；



surely；　something　depends　on　what　sort　of　man　the　Pope　is。　If　we



had　lived　in　the　time　of　Alexander　the　Sixth；　would　you　have



called　_him_　a　part　of　that　noble　sight？〃







〃Certainlyat　a　proper　distance；〃　Father　Benwell　briskly



replied。　〃Ah；　you　heretics　only　know　the　worst　side　of　that　most



unhappy　pontiff！　Mr。　Winterfield；　we　have　every　reason　to　believe



that　he　felt　（privately）　the　truest　remorse。〃







〃I　should　require　very　good　evidence　to　persuade　me　of　it。〃







This　touched　Romayne　on　a　sad　side　of　his　own　personal



experience。　〃Perhaps；〃　he　said；　〃you　don't　believe　in　remorse？〃







〃Pardon　me；〃　Mr。　Winterfield　rejoined；　〃I　only　distinguish



between　false　remorse　and　true　remorse。　We　will　say　no　more　of



Alexander　the　Sixth；　Father　Benwell。　If　we　want　an　illustration；



I　will　supply　it；　and　give　no　offense。　True　remorse　depends；　to



my　mind；　on　a　man's　accurate　knowledge　of　his　own　motivesfar



from　a　common　knowledge；　in　my　experience。　Say；　for　instance；



that　I　have　committed　some　serious　offense〃







Romayne　could　not　resist　interrupting　him。　〃Say　you　have　killed



one　of　your　fellow…creatures；〃　he　suggested。







〃Very　well。　If　I　know　that　I　really　meant　to　kill　him；　for　some



vile　purpose　of　my　own；　and　if　（which　by　no　means　always　follows）



I　am　really　capable　of　feeling　the　enormity　of　my　own　crimethat



is；　as　I　think；　true　remorse。　Murderer　as　I　am；　I　have；　in　that



case；　some　moral　worth　still　left　in　me。　But　if　I　did　_not_　mean



to　kill　the　manif　his　death　was　my　misfortune　as　well　as



hisand　if　（as　frequently　happens）　I　am　nevertheless　troubled　by



remorse；　the　true　cause　lies　in　my　own　inability　fairly　to



realize　my　own　motivesbefore　I　look　to　results。　I　am　the



ignorant　victim　of　false　remorse；　and　if　I　will　only　ask　myself



boldly　what　has　blinded　me　to　the　true　state　of　the　case；　I　shall



find　the　mischief　due　to　that　misdirected　appreciation　of　my　own



importance　which　is　nothing　but　egotism　in　disguise。〃







〃I　entirely　agree　with　you；〃　said　Father　Benwell；　〃I　have　had



occasion　to　say　the　same　thing　in　the　confessional。〃







Mr。　Winterfield　looked　at　his　dog；　and　changed　the　subject。　〃Do



you　like　dogs；　Mr。　Romayne？〃　he　asked。　〃I　see　my　spaniel's　eyes



saying　that　he　likes　you；　and　his　tail　begging　you　to　take　some



notice　of　him。〃







Romayne　caressed　the　dog　rather　absently。







His　new　friend　had　unconsciously　presented　to　him　a　new　view　of



the　darker　aspect　of　his　own　life。　Winterfield's　refined；



pleasant　manners；　his　generous　readiness　in　placing　the　treasures



of　his　library　at　a　stranger's　disposal；　had　already　appealed



irresistibly　to　Romayne's　sensitive　nature。　The　favorable



impression　was　now　greatly　strengthened　by　the　briefly　bold



treatment　which　he　had　just　heard　of　a　subject　in　which　he　was



seriously　interested。　〃I　must　see　more　of　this　man；〃　was　his



thought；　as　he　patted　the　companionable　spaniel。







Father　Benwell's　trained　observation　followed　the　vivid　changes



of　expression　on　Romayne's　face；　and　marked　the　eager　look　in　his



eyes　as　he　lifted　his　head　from　the　dog　to　the　dog's　master。　The



priest　saw　his　opportunity　and　took　it。







〃Do　you　remain　long　at　Ten　Acres　Lodge？〃　he　said　to　Romayne。







〃I　hardly　know　as　yet。　We　have　no　other　plans　at　present。〃







〃You　inherit　the　place；　I　think；　from　your　late　aunt；　Lady



Berrick？〃







〃Yes。〃







The　tone　of　the　reply　was　not　encouraging；　Romayne　felt　no



interest　in　talking　of　Ten　Acres　Lodge。　Father　Benwell　persisted。







〃I　was　told　by　Mrs。　Eyrecourt；〃　he　went　on　〃that　Lady　Berrick　had



some　fine　pictures。　Are　they　still　at　the　Lodge？〃







〃Certainly。　I　couldn't　live　in　a　house　without　pictures。〃







Father　Benwell　looked　at　Winterfield。　〃Another　taste　in　common



between　you　and　Mr。　Romayne；〃　he　said；　〃besides　your　liking　for



dogs。〃







This　at　once　produced　the　desired　result。　Romayne　eagerly　invited



Winterfield　to　see　his　pictures。　〃There　are　not　many　of　them；〃　he



said。　〃But　they　are　really　worth　looking　at。　When　will　you　come？〃







〃The　sooner　the　better；〃　Winterfield　answered；　cordially。　〃Will



to…morrow　doby　the　noonday　light？〃







〃Whenever　you　please。　Your　time　is　mine。〃







Among　his　other　accomplishments；　Father　Benwell　was　a



chess…player。　If　his　thoughts　at