hard cash-第78章

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gue　with　foreign　governments　to　keep　him　out　of　it。　〃Him；〃　said　the　doctor；　〃I　discovered　to　have　been　for　years　guilty　of　conduct　entirely　incompatible　with　the　hypothesis　of　undisordered　mental　functions。　He　had　accused　his　domestics　of　peculation；　and　had　initiated　legal　proceedings　with　a　view　of　prosecuting　in　a　court　of　law　one　of　his　oldest　friends。〃

〃Whence　you　infer　that；　if　my　son　has　not　for　years　been　doing　cranky　acts；　he　is　not　likely　to　be　deranged　at　present。〃

This　adroit　twist　of　the　argument　rather　surprised　Dr。　Wycherley。　However；　he　was　at　no　loss　for　a　reply。　〃it　is　not　Insanity；　but　the　Incubation　of　Insanity；　which　is　suspected　in　your　intelligent　son's　case：　and　the　best　course　will　be　for　me　to　enumerate　in　general　terms　the　several　symptoms　of　'the　Incubation　of　Insanity：'〃　he　concluded　with　some　severity。　〃After　that；　sir；　I　shall　cease　to　intrude　what　I　fear　is　an　unwelcome　conviction。〃

The　parent；　whose　levity　and　cold　reception　of　good　tidings　he　had　thus　mildly；　yet　with　due　dignity；　rebuked；　was　a　man　of　the　world；　and　liked　to　make　friends；　not　enemies：　so　he　took　the　hint；　and　made　a　very　civil　speech；　assuring　Dr。　Wycherley　that；　if　he　ventured　to　differ　from　him；　he　was　none　the　less　obliged　by　the　kind　interest　he　took　in　a　comparative　stranger：　and　would　be　very　glad　to　hear　all　about　the　〃Incubation　of　Insanity。〃

Dr。　Wycherley　bowed　slightly　and　complied：

〃One　diagnostic　preliminary　sign　of　abnormal　cerebral　action　is　Kephalalgia；　or　true　cerebral　headache；　I　mean　persistent　headache　not　accompanied　by　a　furred　tongue；　or　other　indicia　significant　of　abdominal　or　renal　disorder　as　its　origin。〃

Jane　sighed。　〃He　has　sad　headaches。〃

〃The　succeeding　symptom　is　a　morbid　affection　of　sleep。　Either　the　patient　suffers　from　Insomnia；　or　else　from　Hypersomnia；　which　we　subdivide　into　sopor；　carus；　and　lethargus；　or　thirdly　from　Kakosomnia；　or　a　propensity　to　mere　dozing；　and　to　all　the　morbid　phenomena　of　dreams。〃

〃Papa；〃　said　Jane；　〃poor　Alfred　sleeps　very　badly：　I　hear　him　walking　at　all　hours　of　the　night。〃

〃I　thought　as　much；〃　said　Dr。　Wycherley；　〃Insomnia　is　the　commonest　feature。　To　resume；　the　insidious　advance　of　morbid　thought　is　next　marked　by　high　spirits；　or　else　by　low　spirits；　generally　the　latter。　The　patient　begins　by　moping；　then　shows　great　lassitude　and　ennui；　then　becomes　abstracted；　moody；　and　occupied　with　a　solitary　idea。〃

Jane　clasped　her　hands　and　the　tears　stood　in　her　eyes；　so　well　did　this　description　tally　with　poor　Alfred's　case。

〃And　at　this　period；〃　continued　Dr。　Wycherley；　〃my　experience　leads　me　to　believe　that　some　latent　delusion　is　generally　germinating　in　the　mind；　though　often　concealed　with　consummate　craft　by　the　patient：　the　open　development　of　this　delusion　is　the　next　stage；　and；　with　this　last　morbid　phenomenon；　Incubation　ceases　and　Insanity　begins。　Sometimes；　however；　the　illusion　is　physical　rather　than　psychical；　of　the　sense　rather　than　of　the　intelligence。　It　commences　at　night：　the　incubator　begins　by　seeing　nocturnal　visions；　often　of　a　photopsic*　character；　or　hearing　nocturnal　sounds；　neither　of　which　have　any　material　existence；　being　conveyed　to　his　optic　or　auricular　nerves　not　from　without；　but　from　within；　by　the　agency　of　a　disordered　brain。　These　the　reason；　hitherto　unimpaired；　combats　at　first；　especially　when　they　are　nocturnal　only；　but　being　reproduced；　and　becoming　diurnal；　the　judgment　succumbs　under　the　morbid　impression　produced　so　repeatedly。　These　are　the　ordinary　antecedent　symptoms　characteristic　of　the　incubation　of　insanity；　to　which　are　frequently　added　somatic　exaltation；　or；　in　popular　language；　physical　excitabilitya　disposition　to　knit　the　browsgreat　activity　of　the　mental　facultiesor　else　a　well…marked　decline　of　the　powers　of　the　understandingan　exaggeration　of　the　normal　conditions　of　thoughtor　a　reversal　of　the　mental　habits　and　sentiments；　such　as　a　sudden　aversion　to　some　person　hitherto　beloved；　or　some　study　long　relished　and　pursued。〃

*　Luminous。

Jane　asked　leave　to　note　these　all　down　in　her　note…book。

Mr。　Hardie　assented　adroitly；　for　he　was　thinking　whether　he　could　not　sift　some　grain　out　of　all　this　chaff。　Should　Alfred　blab　his　suspicions；　here　were　two　gentlemen　who　would　at　all　events　help　him　to　throw　ridicule　on　them。

Dr。　Wycherley　having　politely　aided　Jane　Hardie　to　note　down　the　〃preliminary　process　of　the　Incubation　of　disorders　of　the　Intellect；〃　resumed：　〃Now；　sir；　your　son　appears　to　be　in　a　very　inchoate　stage　of　the　malady：　he　has　cerebral　Kephalalgia　and　Insomnia〃

〃And；　oh；　doctor；〃　said　Jane；　〃he　knits　his　brows　often　and　has　given　up　his　studies；　won't　go　back　to　Oxford　this　term。〃

〃Exactly；　and　seeks　isolation；　and　is　a　prey　to　morbid　distraction　and　reverie：　but　has　no　palpable　illusions；　has　he？〃

〃Not　that　I　know　of；〃　said　Mr。　Hardie。

〃Well；　but；〃　objected　Jane；　〃did　not　he　say　something　to　you　very　curious　the　other　night　about　Captain　Dodd　and　fourteen　thousand　pounds？〃

Mr。　Hardie's　blood　ran　cold。　〃No；〃　he　stammered；　〃not　that　I　remember。〃

〃Oh；　yes；　he　did；　papa：　you　have　forgotten　it：　but　at　the　time　you　were　quite　puzzled　what　he　could　meant：　and　you　did　_so。_〃　She　put　her　finger　to　her　forehead；　and　the　doctors　interchanged　a　meaning　glance。

〃I　believe　you　are　right；　Jenny；〃　said　Mr。　Hardie；　taking　the　cue　so　unexpectedly　offered　him：　〃he　did　say　some　nonsense　I　could　not　make　head　nor　tail　of；　but　we　all　have　our　crotchets。　There；　run　away；　like　a　good　girl；　and　let　me　explain　all　this　to　our　good　friends　here：　and　mind；　not　a　word　about　it　to　Alfred。〃

When　she　was　gone；　he　said；　〃Gentlemen；　my　son　is　over　head　and　ears　in　love；　that　is　all。〃

〃Ay；　Erotic　monomania　is　a　very　ordinary　phase　of　insanity；〃　said　Dr。　Wycherley。

〃His　unreasonable　passion　for　a　girl　he　knows　he　can　never　marry　makes　him　somewhat　crotchety　and　cranky：　that；　and　over…study；　may　have　unhinged　his　mind　a　little。　Suppose　I　send　him　abroad？　My　good　brother　will　find　the　means；　or　we　could　advance　it　him；　I　and　the　other　trustees；　he　comes　into　ten　thousand　pounds　in　a　month　or　two。〃

The　doctors　exchanged　a　meaning　look。　They　then　dissuaded　him　earnestly　from　the　idea　of　Continental　travel。

〃Coelum　non　animam　mutant　qui　trans　mare　currunt；〃　said　Wycherley；　and　Osmond　explained　that　Alfred　would　brood　abroad　as　well　as　at　home；　if　he　went　alone；　and　Dr。　Wycherley　summed　up　thus：　〃The　most　advisable　course　is　to　give　him　the　benefit　of　the　personal　superintendence　of　some　skilful　physician　possessed　of　means　and　appliances　of　every　sort　for　soothing　and　restraining　the　specific　malady。

Mr。　Hardie　did　not　at　first　see　the　exact　purport　of　this　oleaginous　periphrasis。　Presently　he　caught　a　glimpse；　but　said　he　thought　confinement　was　hardly　the　thing　to　drive　away　melancholy。

〃Not　in　all　respects；〃　replied　Dr。　Wycherley；　〃but；　on　the　other　hand；　a　little　gentle　restraint　is　the　safest　way　of　effecting　a　disruption　of　the　fatal　associations　that　have　engendered　and　tend　to　perpetuate　the　disorder。　Besides；　the　medicinal　appliances　are　invaluable；　including；　as　they　do；　the　nocturnal　and　diurnal　attendance　of　a　Psycho…physical　physician；　who　knows　the　Psychosomatic　relation　of　body　and　mind；　and　can　apply　physical　remedies；　of　the　effect　of　which　on　the　physical　instrument　of　intelligence；　the　grey　matter　of　the　brain；　we　have　seen　so　many　examples。〃

The　good　doctor　then　feelingly　deplored　the　inhumanity　of　parents　and　guardians　in　declining　to　subject　their　incubators　to　opportune　and　salutary　restraint　under　the　more　than　parental　care　of　a　Psychosomatic　physician。　On　this　head　he　got　quite　warm；　and　inveighed　against　the　abominable　_cruelty_　of　the　thing。　〃It　is　contrary；〃　said　he；　〃to　every　principle　of　justice　and　humanity；　that　a　fellow…creature；　deranged　perhaps　only　on　one　point；　should；　for　the　want　of　the　early　attention　of　those　whose　duty　it　is　to　watch　over　him；　linger　out　his　existence　separated　from　all　who　are　dear　to　him；　and　condemned　without　any　crime　to　be　a　prisoner　for　life。〃

Mr。　Hardie　was　puzzled　by　this　sentence；　in　which　the　speaker's　usual　method　was　reversed；　and　the　thought　was　bigger　than　the　words。