第 59 节
作者:套牢      更新:2021-02-20 15:34      字数:9319
  know how he came to be your companion。'
  'I beg your pardon; doctorbut I thoucht ye was some scunnert at
  it; an' I canna bide Shargar to be luikit doon upo'。  Luik here;' he
  continued; going to his box; and bringing out Shargar's little heap
  of coppers; in which two sixpences obscurely shone; 'he brocht a'
  that hame last nicht; an' syne sleepit upo' the rug i' my room
  there。  We'll want a' 'at he can mak an' me too afore we get Mr。
  Ericson up again。'
  'But ye haena tellt me yet;' said the doctor; so pleased with the
  lad that he relapsed into the dialect of his youth; 'hoo ye cam to
  forgather wi' 'im。'
  'I tellt ye a' aboot it; doctor。  It was a' my grannie's doin'; God
  bless herfor weel he may; an' muckle she needs 't。'
  'Oh! yes; I remember now all your grandmother's part in the story;'
  returned the doctor。 'But I still want to know how he came here。'
  'She was gaein' to mak a taylor o' 'm: an' he jist ran awa'; an' cam
  to me。'
  'It was too bad of him thatafter all she had done for him。'
  'Ow; 'deed no; doctor。  Even whan ye boucht a man an' paid for him;
  accordin' to the Jewish law; ye cudna mak a slave o' 'im for
  a'thegither; ohn him seekin' 't himsel'。Eh! gin she could only get
  my father hame!' sighed Robert; after a pause。
  'What should she want him home for?' asked Dr。 Anderson; still
  making conversation。
  'I didna mean hame to Rothieden。  I believe she cud bide never
  seein' 'im again; gin only he wasna i' the ill place。  She has awfu'
  notions aboot burnin' ill sowls for ever an' ever。  But it's no
  hersel'。  It's the wyte o' the ministers。  Doctor; I do believe she
  wad gang an' be brunt hersel' wi' a great thanksgivin'; gin it wad
  lat ony puir crater oot o' 'tno to say my father。  An' I sair
  misdoobt gin mony o' them 'at pat it in her heid wad do as muckle。
  I'm some feared they're like Paul afore he was convertit: he wadna
  lift a stane himsel'; but he likit weel to stan' oot by an' luik
  on。'
  A deep sigh; almost a groan; from the bed; reminded them that they
  were talking too much and too loud for a sick…room。  It was followed
  by the words; muttered; but articulate;
  'What's the good when you don't know whether there's a God at all?'
  ''Deed; that's verra true; Mr。 Ericson;' returned Robert。 'I wish ye
  wad fin' oot an' tell me。  I wad be blithe to hear what ye had to
  say anent itgin it was ay; ye ken。'
  Ericson went on murmuring; but inarticulately now。
  'This won't do at all; Robert; my boy;' said Dr。 Anderson。 'You must
  not talk about such things with him; or indeed about anything。  You
  must keep him as quiet as ever you can。'
  'I thocht he was comin' till himsel';' returned Robert。 'But I will
  tak care; I assure ye; doctor。  Only I'm feared I may fa' asleep the
  nicht; for I was dooms sleepy this mornin'。'
  'I will send Johnston as soon as I get home; and you must go to bed
  when he comes。'
  ''Deed; doctor; that winna do at a'。  It wad be ower mony strange
  faces a'thegither。  We'll get Mistress Fyvie to luik till 'im the
  day; an' Shargar canna work the morn; bein' Sunday。  An' I'll gang
  to my bed for fear o' doin' waur; though I doobt I winna sleep i'
  the daylicht。'
  Dr。 Anderson was satisfied; and went homecogitating much。  This
  boy; this cousin of his; made a vortex of good about him into which
  whoever came near it was drawn。  He seemed at the same time quite
  unaware of anything worthy in his conduct。  The good he did sprung
  from some inward necessity; with just enough in it of the salt of
  choice to keep it from losing its savour。  To these cogitations of
  Dr。 Anderson; I add that there was no conscious exercise of religion
  in itfor there his mind was all at sea。  Of course I believe
  notwithstanding that religion had much; I ought to say everything;
  to do with it。  Robert had not yet found in God a reason for being
  true to his fellows; but; if God was leading him to be the man he
  became; how could any good results of this leading be other than
  religion?  All good is of God。 Robert began where he could。  The
  first table was too high for him; he began with the second。  If a
  man love his brother whom he hath seen; the love of God whom he hath
  not seen; is not very far off。  These results in Robert were the
  first outcome of divine facts and influencesthey were the buds of
  the fruit hereafter to be gathered in perfect devotion。  God be
  praised by those who know religion to be the truth of humanityits
  own truth that sets it freenot binds; and lops; and mutilates it!
  who see God to be the father of every human soulthe ideal Father;
  not an inventor of schemes; or the upholder of a court etiquette for
  whose use he has chosen to desecrate the name of justice!
  To return to Dr。 Anderson。  I have had little opportunity of knowing
  his history in India。  He returned from it half…way down the hill of
  life; sad; gentle; kind; and rich。  Whence his sadness came; we need
  not inquire。  Some woman out in that fervid land may have darkened
  his storydarkened it wronglessly; it may be; with coldness; or
  only with death。  But to return home without wife to accompany him
  or child to meet him;to sit by his riches like a man over a fire
  of straws in a Siberian frost; to know that old faces were gone and
  old hearts changed; that the pattern of things in the heavens had
  melted away from the face of the earth; that the chill evenings of
  autumn were settling down into longer and longer nights; and that no
  hope lay any more beyond the mountainssurely this was enough to
  make a gentle…minded man sad; even if the individual sorrows of his
  history had gathered into gold and purple in the west。  I say west
  advisedly。  For we are journeying; like our globe; ever towards the
  east。  Death and the west are behind usever behind us; and
  settling into the unchangeable。
  It was natural that he should be interested in the fine promise of
  Robert; in whom he saw revived the hopes of his own youth; but in a
  nature at once more robust and more ideal。  Where the doctor was
  refined; Robert was strong; where the doctor was firm with a
  firmness he had cultivated; Robert was imperious with an
  imperiousness time would mellow; where the doctor was generous and
  careful at once; Robert gave his mite and forgot it。  He was rugged
  in the simplicity of his truthfulness; and his speech bewrayed him
  as altogether of the people; but the doctor knew the hole of the pit
  whence he had been himself digged。  All that would fall away as the
  spiky shell from the polished chestnut; and be reabsorbed in the
  growth of the grand cone…flowering tree; to stand up in the sun and
  wind of the years a very altar of incense。  It is no wonder; I
  repeat; that he loved the boy; and longed to further his plans。  But
  he was too wise to overwhelm him with a cataract of fortune instead
  of blessing him with the merciful dew of progress。
  'The fellow will bring me in for no end of expense;' he said;
  smiling to himself; as he drove home in his chariot。 'The less he
  means it the more unconscionable he will be。  There's that
  Ericsonbut that isn't worth thinking of。  I must do something for
  that queer protégé of his; thoughthat Shargar。  The fellow is as
  good as a dog; and that's saying not a little for him。  I wonder if
  he can learnor if he takes after his father the marquis; who never
  could spell。  Well; it is a comfort to have something to do worth
  doing。  I did think of endowing a hospital; but I'm not sure that it
  isn't better to endow a good man than a hospital。  I'll think about
  it。  I won't say anything about Shargar either; till I see how he
  goes on。  I might give him a job; though; now and then。  But where
  to fall in with himprowling about after jobs?'
  He threw himself back in his seat; and laughed with a delight he had
  rarely felt。  He was a providence watching over the boys; who
  expected nothing of him beyond advice for Ericson!  Might there not
  be a Providence that equally transcended the vision of men; shaping
  to nobler ends the blocked…out designs of their rough…hewn marbles?
  His thoughts wandered back to his friend the Brahmin; who died
  longing for that absorption into deity which had been the dream of
  his life: might not the Brahmin find the grand idea shaped to yet
  finer issues than his aspiration had dared contemplate?might he
  not inherit in the purification of his will such an absorption as
  should intensify his personality?
  CHAPTER IX。
  A HUMAN SOUL。
  Ericson lay for several weeks; during which time Robert and Shargar
  were his only nurses。  They contrived; by abridging both rest and
  labour; to give him constant attendance。  Shargar went to bed early
  and got up early; so as to let Robert have a few hours' sleep before
  his classes began。  Robert again slept in the evening; after Shargar
  came home; and made up for the time by reading while he sat by his
  friend。  Mrs。 Fyvie's attendance was in