the black robe-第48章

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Having　acknowledged　his　ignorance；　in　his　own　eloquent　language；



he　drifted　away　to　the　window…box　in　the　next　room；　and　gravely



contemplated　Mrs。　Eyrecourt；　with　her　nose　buried　in　flowers。







The　doctor　turned　to　me。　〃Am　I　wrong；　Father　Benwell；　in



supposing　that　I　had　better　have　addressed　myself　to　_you？〃_







I　admitted　that　I　knew　a　gentleman　named　Winterfield。







Dr。　Wybrow　got　up　directly。　〃Have　you　a　few　minutes　to　spare？〃　he



asked。　It　is　needless　to　say　that　I　was　at　the　doctor's　disposal。



〃My　house　is　close　by；　and　my　carriage　is　at　the　door；〃　he



resumed。　〃When　you　feel　inclined　to　say　good…by　to　our　friend



Mrs。　Eyrecourt；　I　have　something　to　say　to　you　which　I　think　you



ought　to　know。〃







We　took　our　departure　at　once。　Mrs。　Eyrecourt　（leaving　some　of



the　color　of　her　nose　among　the　flowers）　patted　me　encouragingly



with　her　fan；　and　told　the　doctor　that　he　was　forgiven；　on　the



understanding　that　he　would　〃never　do　it　again。〃　In　five　minutes



more　we　were　in　Dr。　Wybrow's　study。







My　watch　tells　me　that　I　cannot　hope　to　finish　this　letter　by



post　time。　Accept　what　I　have　written　thus　farand　be　assured



that　the　conclusion　of　my　report　shall　follow　a　day　later。







II。







The　doctor　began　cautiously。　〃Winterfield　is　not　a　very　common



name；〃　he　said。　〃But　it　may　not　be　amiss；　Father　Benwell；　to



discover；　if　we　can；　whether　_your_　Winterfield　is　the　man　of



whom　I　am　in　search。　Do　you　only　know　him　by　name？　or　are　you　a



friend　of　his？〃







I　answered；　of　course；　that　I　was　a　friend。







Dr。　Wybrow　went　on。　〃Will　you　pardon　me　if　I　venture　on　an



indiscreet　question？　When　you　are　acquainted　with　the



circumstances；　I　am　sure　you　will　understand　and　excuse　me。　Are



you　aware　of　anywhat　shall　I　call　it？any　romantic　incident　in



Mr。　Winterfield's　past　life？〃







This　timefeeling　myself；　in　all　probability；　on　the　brink　of



discoveryI　was　careful　to　preserve　my　composure。　I　said；



quietly：　〃Some　such　incident　as　you　describe　has　occurred　in　Mr。



Winterfield's　past　life。〃　There　I　stopped　discreetly；　and　looked



as　if　I　knew　all　about　it。







The　doctor　showed　no　curiosity　to　hear　more。　〃My　object；〃　he　went



on；　〃was　merely　to　be　reasonably　sure　that　I　was　speaking　to　the



right　person；　in　speaking　to　you。　I　may　now　tell　you　that　I　have



no　personal　interest　in　trying　to　discover　Mr。　Winterfield；　I



only　act　as　the　representative　of　an　old　friend　of　mine。　He　is



the　proprietor　of　a　private　asylum　at　Sandswortha　man　whose



integrity　is　beyond　dispute；　or　he　would　not　be　my　friend。　You



understand　my　motive　in　saying　this？〃







Proprietors　of　private　asylums　are；　in　these　days；　the　objects　of



very　general　distrust　in　England。　I　understood　the　doctor's



motive　perfectly。







He　proceeded。　〃Yesterday　evening；　my　friend　called　upon　me；　and



said　that　he　had　a　remarkable　case　in　his　house；　which　he



believed　would　interest　me。　The　person　to　whom　he　alluded　was　a



French　boy；　whose　mental　powers　had　been　imperfectly　developed



from　his　childhood。　The　mischief　had　been　aggravated；　when　he　was



about　thirteen　years　old；　by　a　serious　fright。　When　he　was　placed



in　my　asylum；　he　was　not　idiotic；　and　not　dangerously　madit　was



a　case　（not　to　use　technical　language）　of　deficient　intelligence；



tending　sometimes　toward　acts　of　unreasoning　mischief　and　petty



theft；　but　never　approaching　to　acts　of　downright　violence。　My



friend　was　especially　interested　in　the　ladwon　his　confidence



and　affection　by　acts　of　kindnessand　so　improved　his　bodily



health　as　to　justify　some　hope　of　also　improving　the　state　of　his



mind；　when　a　misfortune　occurred　which　has　altered　the　whole



prospect。　The　poor　creature　has　fallen　ill　of　a　fever；　and　the



fever　has　developed　to　typhus。　So　far；　there　has　been　little　to



interest　youI　am　coming　to　a　remarkable　event　at　last。　At　the



stage　of　the　fever　when　delirium　usually　occurs　in　patients　of



sound　mind；　this　crazy　French　boy　has　become　perfectly　sane　and



reasonable！〃







I　looked　at　him；　when　he　made　this　amazing　assertion；　with　a



momentary　doubt　of　his　being　in　earnest。　Doctor　Wybrow　understood



me。







〃Just　what　I　thought；　too；　when　I　first　heard　it！〃　he　said。　〃My



friend　was　neither　offended　nor　surprised。　After　inviting　me　to



go　to　his　house；　and　judge　for　myself；　he　referred　me　to　a



similar　case；　publicly　cited　in　the　'Cornhill　Magazine；'　for　the



month　of　April；　1879；　in　an　article　entitled　'Bodily　Illness　as　a



Mental　Stimulant。'　The　article　is　published　anonymously；　but　the



character　of　the　periodical　in　which　it　appears　is　a　sufficient



guarantee　of　the　trustworthiness　of　the　statement。　I　was　so　far



influenced　by　the　testimony　thus　cited；　that　I　drove　to



Sandsworth　and　examined　the　case　myself。〃







〃Did　the　examination　satisfy　you？〃







〃Thoroughly。　When　I　saw　him　last　night；　the　poor　boy　was　as　sane



as　I　am。　There　is；　however；　a　complication　in　this　instance；



which　is　not　mentioned　in　the　case　related　in　print。　The　boy



appears　to　have　entirely　forgotten　every　event　in　his　past　life；



reckoning　from　the　time　when　the　bodily　illness　brought　with　it



the　strange　mental　recovery　which　I　have　mentioned　to　you。〃







This　was　a　disappointment。　I　had　begun　to　hope　for　some　coming



result；　obtained　by　the　lad's　confession。







〃Is　it　quite　correct　to　call　him　sane；　when　his　memory　is　gone？〃



I　ventured　to　ask。







〃In　this　case　there　is　no　necessity　to　enter　into　the　question；〃



the　doctor　answered。　〃The　boy's　lapse　of　memory　refers；　as　I　told



you；　to　his　past　lifethat　is　to　say；　his　life　when　his



intellect　was　deranged。　During　the　extraordinary　interval　of



sanity　that　has　now　declared　itself；　he　is　putting　his　mental



powers　to　their　first　free　use；　and　none　of　them　fail　him；　so　far



as　I　can　see。　His　new　memory　（if　I　may　call　it　so）　preserves　the



knowledge　of　what　has　happened　since　his　illness。　You　may　imagine



how　this　problem　in　brain　disease　interests　me；　and　you　will　not



wonder　that　I　am　going　back　to　Sandsworth　tomorrow　afternoon；



when　I　have　done　with　my　professional　visits。　But　you　may　be



reasonably　surprised　at　my　troubling　_you_　with　details　which　are



mainly　interesting　to　a　medical　man。〃







Was　he　about　to　ask　me　to　go　with　him　to　the　asylum？　I　replied



very　briefly；　merely　saying　that　the　details　were　interesting　to



every　student　of　human　nature。　If　he　could　have　felt　my　pulse　at



that　moment；　I　am　afraid　he　might　have　thought　I　was　in　a　fair



way　of　catching　the　fever　too。







〃Prepare　yourself；〃　he　resumed；　〃for　another　surprising



circumstance。　Mr。　Winterfield　is；　by　some　incomprehensible



accident；　associated　with　one　of　the　mischievous　tricks　played　by



the　French　boy；　before　he　was　placed　under　my　friend's　care。



There；　at　any　rate；　is　the　only　explanation　by　which　we　can



account　for　the　discovery　of　an　envelope　（with　inclosures）　found



sewn　up　in　the　lining　of　the　lad's　waistcoat；　and　directed　to　Mr。



Winterfieldwithout　any　place　of　address。〃







I　leave　you　to　imagine　the　effect　which　those　words　produced　on



me。







〃Now；〃　said　the　doctor；　〃you　will　understand　why　I　put　such



strange　questions　to　you。　My　friend　and　I　are　both　hard…working



men。　We　go　very　little　into　society；　as　the　phrase　is；　and



neither　he　nor　I　had　ever　heard　the　name　of　Winterfield。　As　a



certain　proportion　of　my　patients　happen　to　be　people　with　a



large　experience　of　society；　I　undertook　to　make　inquiries；　so



that