第 1 节
作者:      更新:2021-02-18 23:14      字数:9321
  Hard Cash
  by Charles Reade
  PREFACE
  〃HARD CASH;〃 like 〃The Cloister and the Hearth;〃 is a matter…of…fact Romancethat is; a fiction built on truths; and these truths have been gathered by long; severe; systematic labour; from a multitude of volumes; pamphlets; journals; reports; blue…books; manuscript narratives; letters; and living people; whom I have sought out; examined; and cross…examined; to get at the truth on each main topic I have striven to handle。
  The madhouse scenes have been picked out by certain disinterested gentlemen; who keep private asylums; and periodicals to puff them; and have been met with bold denials of public facts; and with timid personalities; and a little easy cant about Sensation* Novelists; but in reality those passages have been written on the same system as the nautical; legal; and other scenes: the best evidence has been ransacked; and a large portion of this evidence I shall be happy to show at my house to any brother writer who is disinterested; and really cares enough for truth and humanity to walk or ride a mile in pursuit of them。
  CHARLES READE。
  6 BOLTON ROW; MAYFAIR; December 5; 1868。
  *This slang term is not quite accurate as applied to me。 Without sensation there can be no interest: but my plan is to mix a little character and a little philosophy with the sensational element。
  HARD CASH
  PROLOGUE
  IN a snowy villa; with a sloping lawn; just outside the great commercial seaport; Barkington; there lived a few years ago a happy family。 A lady; middle…aged; but still charming; two young friends of hers; and a periodical visitor。
  The lady was Mrs。 Dodd; her occasional visitor was her husband; her friends were her son Edward; aged twenty; and her daughter Julia; nineteen; the fruit of a misalliance。
  Mrs。 Dodd was originally Miss Fountain; a young lady well born; high bred; and a denizen of the fashionable world。 Under a strange concurrence of circumstances she coolly married the captain of an East Indiaman。 The deed done; and with her eyes open; for she was not; to say; in love with him; she took a judicious lineand kept it: no hankering after Mayfair; no talking about 〃Lord this〃 and 〃Lady that;〃 to commercial gentlewomen; no amphibiousness。 She accepted her place in society; reserving the right to embellish it with the graces she had gathered in a higher sphere。 In her home; and in her person; she was little less elegant than a countess; yet nothing more than a merchant…captain's wife; and she reared that commander's children in a suburban villa; with the manners which adorn a palace。 When they happen to be there。 She had a bugbear; Slang。 Could not endure the smart technicalities current; their multitude did not overpower her distaste; she called them 〃jargon〃〃slang〃 was too coarse a word for her to apply to slang: she excluded many a good 〃racy idiom〃 along with the real offenders; and monosyllables in general ran some risk of' having to show their passports。 If this was pedantry; it went no further; she was open; free; and youthful with her young pupils; and had the art to put herself on their level: often; when they were quite young; she would feign infantine ignorance; in order to hunt trite truth in couples with them; and detect; by joint experiment; that rainbows cannot; or else will not; be walked into; nor Jack…o'…lantern be gathered like a cowslip; and that; dissect we the vocal dogwhose hair is so like a lamb'snever so skilfully; no fragment of palpable bark; no sediment of tangible squeak; remains inside him to bless the inquisitive little operator; &c。; &c。 When they advanced from these elementary branches to Languages; History; Tapestry; and 〃What Not;〃 she managed still to keep by their side learning with them; not just hearing them lessons down from the top of a high tower of maternity。 She never checked their curiosity; but made herself share it; never gave them; as so many parents do; a white…lying answer; wooed their affections with subtle though innocent art; thawed their reserve; obtained their love; and retained their respect。 Briefly; a female Chesterfield; her husband's lover after marriage; though not before; and the mild monitress the elder sister; the favourite companion and bosom friend of both her children。
  They were remarkably dissimilar; and perhaps I may be allowed to preface the narrative of their adventures by a delineation; as in country churches an individual pipes the keynote; and the tune comes raging after。
  Edward; then; had a great calm eye; that was always looking folk full in the face; mildly; his countenance comely and manly; but no more; too square for Apollo; but sufficed for John Bull。 His figure it was that charmed the curious observer of male beauty。 He was five feet ten; had square shoulders; a deep chest; masculine flank; small foot; high instep。 To crown all this; a head; overflowed by ripples of dark brown hair; sat with heroic grace upon his solid white throat; like some glossy falcon new lighted on a Parian column。
  This young gentleman had decided qualities; positive and negative。 He could walk up to a five…barred gate and clear it; alighting on the other side like a fallen feather; could row all day; and then dance all night; could fling a cricket ball a hundred and six yards; had a lathe and a tool…box; and would make you in a trice a chair; a table; a doll; a nutcracker; or any other moveable; useful; or the very reverse。 And could not learn his lessons; to save his life。
  His sister Julia was not so easy to describe。 Her figure was tall; lithe; and serpentine; her hair the colour of a horse…chestnut fresh from its pod; her ears tiny and shell…like; her eyelashes long and silky; her mouth small when grave; large when smiling; her eyes pure hazel by day; and tinged with a little violet by night。 But in jotting down these details; true as they are; I seem to myself to be painting fire; with a little snow and saffron mixed on a marble pallet。 There is a beauty too spiritual to be chained in a string of items; and Julia's fair features were but the china vessel that brimmed over with the higher loveliness of her soul。 Her essential charm was; what shall I say? Transparence。
  〃You would have said her very body thought。〃
  Modesty; Intelligence; and; above all; Enthusiasm; shone through her; and out of her; and made her an airy; fiery; household joy。 Briefly; an incarnate sunbeam。
  This one could learn her lessons with unreasonable rapidity; and until Edward went to Eton; would insist upon learning his into the bargain; partly with the fond notion of coaxing him on; as the company of a swift horse incites a slow one; partly because she was determined to share his every trouble; if she could not remove it。 A little choleric; and indeed downright prone to that more generous indignation which fires at the wrongs of others。 When heated with emotion; or sentiment; she lowered her voice; instead of raising it like the rest of us。 She called her mother 〃Lady Placid;〃 and her brother 〃Sir Imperturbable。〃 And so much for outlines。
  Mrs。 Dodd laid aside her personal ambition with her maiden name; but she looked high for her children。 Perhaps she was all the more ambitious for them; that they had no rival aspirant in Mrs。 Dodd。 She educated Julia herself from first to last: but with true feminine distrust of her power to mould a lordling of creation; she sent Edward to Eton; at nine。 This was slackening her tortoise; for at Eton is no female master; to coax dry knowledge into a slow head。 However; he made good progress in two branchesaquatics and cricket。
  After Eton came the choice of a profession。 His mother recognised but four; and these her discreet ambition speedily sifted down to two。 For military heroes are shot now and then; however pacific the century; and naval ones drowned。 She would never expose her Edward to this class of accidents。 Glory by all means; glory by the pail; but safe glory; please; or she would none of it。 Remained the church and the bar: and; within these reasonable limits; she left her dear boy free as air; and not even hurriedthere was plenty of time to choose: he must pass through the university to either。 This last essential had been settled about a twelvemonth; and the very day for his going to Oxford was at hand; when one morning Mr。 Edward formally cleared his throat: it was an unusual act; and drew the ladies' eyes upon him。 He followed the solemnity up by delivering calmly and ponderously a connected discourse; which astonished them by its length and purport。 〃Mamma; dear; let us look the thing in the face。〃 (This was his favourite expression; as well as habit。) 〃I have been thinking it quietly over for the last six months。 Why send me to the university? I shall be out of place there。 It will cost you a lot of money; and no good。 Now; you take a fool's advice; don't you waste your money and papa's; sending a dull fellow like me to Oxford。 I did bad enough at _Eton。_ Make me an engineer; or something。 If you were not so fond of me; and I of you; I'd say send me to Canada; with a pickaxe; you know I have got no headpiece。〃
  Mrs。 Dodd had sat aghast; casting Edward deprecating looks at the close of each ponderous sentence; but too polite