prologue-2-第2部分

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〃Put　me　into　Parliament。〃　Being　a　landed　gentleman；　the　defendant



had　only　to　issue　the　necessary　ordersand　behold；　Mr。　Delamayn



was　in　Parliament！







In　the　House　of　Commons　the　new　member　and　Mr。　Vanborough　met



again。







They　sat　on　the　same　bench；　and　sided　with　the　same　party。　Mr。



Delamayn　noticed　that　Mr。　Vanborough　was　looking　old　and　worn　and



gray。　He　put　a　few　questions　to　a　well…informed　person。　The



well…informed　person　shook　his　head。　Mr。　Vanborough　was　rich；　Mr。



Vanborough　was　well…connected　（through　his　wife）；　Mr。　Van　borough



was　a　sound　man　in　every　sense　of　the　word；　_but_nobody　liked



him。　He　had　done　very　well　the　first　year；　and　there　it　had



ended。　He　was　undeniably　clever；　but　he　produced　a　disagreeable



impression　in　the　House。　He　gave　splendid　entertainments；　but　he



wasn't　popular　in　society。　His　party　respected　him；　but　when　they



had　any　thing　to　give　they　passed　him　over。　He　had　a　temper　of



his　own；　if　the　truth　must　be　told；　and　with　nothing　against



himon　the　contrary；　with　every　thing　in　his　favorhe　didn't



make　friends。　A　soured　man。　At　home　and　abroad；　a　soured　man。







VII。







Five　years　more　passed；　dating　from　the　day　when　the　deserted



wife　was　laid　in　her　grave。　It　was　now　the　year　eighteen　hundred



and　sixty　six。







On　a　certain　day　in　that　year　two　special　items　of　news　appeared



in　the　papersthe　news　of　an　elevation　to　the　peerage；　and　the



news　of　a　suicide。







Getting　on　well　at　the　Bar；　Mr。　Delamayn　got　on　better　still　in



Parliament。　He　became　one　of　the　prominent　men　in　the　House。



Spoke　clearly；　sensibly；　and　modestly；　and　was　never　too　long。



Held　the　House；　where　men　of　higher　abilities　〃bored〃　it。　The



chiefs　of　his　party　said　openly；　〃We　must　do　something　for



Delamayn；〃　The　opportunity　offered；　and　the　chiefs　kept　their



word。　Their　Solicitor…General　was　advanced　a　step；　and　they　put



Delamayn　in　his　place。　There　was　an　outcry　on　the　part　of　the



older　members　of　the　Bar。　The　Ministry　answered；　〃We　want　a　man



who　is　listened　to　in　the　House；　and　we　have　got　him。〃　The　papers



supported　the　new　nomination。　A　great　debate　came　off；　and　the



new　Solicitor…General　justified　the　Ministry　and　the　papers。　His



enemies　said；　derisively；　〃He　will　be　Lord　Chancellor　in　a　year



or　two！〃　His　friends　made　genial　jokes　in　his　domestic　circle；



which　pointed　to　the　same　conclusion。　They　warned　his　two　sons；



Julius　and　Geoffrey　（then　at　college）；　to　be　careful　what



acquaintances　they　made；　as　they　might　find　themselves　the　sons



of　a　lord　at　a　moment's　notice。　It　really　began　to　look　like



something　of　the　sort。　Always　rising；　Mr。　Delamayn　rose　next　to



be　Attorney…General。　About　the　same　timeso　true　it　is　that



〃nothing　succeeds　like　success〃a　childless　relative　died　and



left　him　a　fortune。　In　the　summer　of　'sixty…six　a　Chief　Judgeship



fell　vacant。　The　Ministry　had　made　a　previous　appointment　which



had　been　universally　unpopular。　They　saw　their　way　to　supplying



the　place　of　their　Attorney…General；　and　they　offered　the



judicial　appointment　to　Mr。　Delamayn。　He　preferred　remaining　in



the　House　of　Commons；　and　refused　to　accept　it。　The　Ministry



declined　to　take　No　for　an　answer。　They　whispered　confidentially；



〃　Will　you　take　it　with　a　peerage？〃　Mr。　Delamayn　consulted　his



wife；　and　took　it　with　a　peerage。　The　London　_　Gazette_　announced



him　to　the　world　as　Baron　Holchester　of　Holchester。　And　the



friends　of　the　family　rubbed　their　hands　and　said；　〃What　did　we



tell　you？　Here　are　our　two　young　friends；　Julius　and　Geoffrey；



the　sons　of　a　lord！〃







And　where　was　Mr。　Vanborough　all　this　time？　Exactly　where　we　left



him　five　years　since。







He　was　as　rich；　or　richer；　than　ever。　He　was　as　well…connected　as



ever。　He　was　as　ambitious　as　ever。　But　there　it　ended。　He　stood



still　in　the　House；　he　stood　still　in　society；　nobody　liked　him；



he　made　no　friends。　It　was　all　the　old　story　over　again；　with



this　difference；　that　the　soured　man　was　sourer；　the　gray　head；



grayer；　and　the　irritable　temper　more　unendurable　than　ever。　His



wife　had　her　rooms　in　the　house　and　he　had　his；　and　the



confidential　servants　took　care　that　they　never　met　on　the



stairs。　They　had　no　children。　They　only　saw　each　other　at　their



grand　dinners　and　balls。　People　ate　at　their　table；　and　danced　on



their　floor；　and　compared　notes　afterward；　and　said　how　dull　it



was。　Step　by　step　the　man　who　had　once　been　Mr。　Vanborough's



lawyer　rose；　till　the　peerage　received　him；　and　he　could　rise　no



longer；　while　Mr。　Vanborough；　on　the　lower　round　of　the　ladder；



looked　up；　and　noted　it；　with　no　more　chance　（rich　as　he　was　and



well…connected　as　he　was）　of　climbing　to　the　House　of　Lords　than



your　chance　or　mine。







The　man's　career　was　ended；　and　on　the　day　when　the　nomination　of



the　new　peer　was　announced；　the　man　ended　with　it。







He　laid　the　newspaper　aside　without　making　any　remark；　and　went



out。　His　carriage　set　him　down；　where　the　green　fields　still



remain；　on　the　northwest　of　London；　near　the　foot…path　which



leads　to　Hampstead。　He　walked　alone　to　the　villa　where　he　had



once　lived　with　the　woman　whom　he　had　so　cruelly　wronged。　New



houses　had　risen　round　it；　part　of　the　old　garden　had　been　sold



and　built　on。　After　a　moment's　hesitation　he　went　to　the　gate　and



rang　the　bell。　He　gave　the　servant　his　card。　The　servant's　master



knew　the　name　as　the　name　of　a　man　of　great　wealth；　and　of　a



Member　of　Parliament。　He　asked　politely　to　what　fortunate



circumstance　he　owed　the　honor　of　that　visit。　Mr。　Vanborough



answered；　briefly　and　simply；　〃I　once　lived　here；　I　have



associations　with　the　place　with　which　it　is　not　necessary　for　me



to　trouble　you。　Will　you　excuse　what　must　seem　to　you　a　very



strange　request？　I　should　like　to　see　the　dining…room　again；　if



there　is　no　objection；　and　if　I　am　disturbing　nobody。〃







The　〃strange　requests〃　of　rich　men　are　of　the　nature　of



〃privileged　communications；〃　for　this　excellent　reason；　that　they



are　sure　not　to　be　requests　for　money。　Mr。　Vanborough　was　shown



into　the　dining…room。　The　master　of　the　house；　secretly



wondering；　watched　him。







He　walked　straight　to　a　certain　spot　on　the　carpet；　not　far　from



the　window　that　led　into　the　garden；　and　nearly　opposite　the



door。　On　that　spot　he　stood　silently；　with　his　head　on　his



breastthinking。　Was　it　_there_　he　had　seen　her　for　the　last



time；　on　the　day　when　he　left　the　room　forever？　Yes；　it　was



there。　After　a　minute　or　so　he　roused　himself；　but　in　a　dreamy；



absent　manner。　He　said　it　was　a　pretty　place；　and　expressed　his



thanks；　and　looked　back　before　the　door　closed；　and　then　went　his



way　again。　His　carriage　picked　him　up　where　it　had　set　him　down。



He　drove　to　the　residence　of　the　new　Lord　Holchester；　and　left　a



card　for　him。　Then　he　went　home。　Arrived　at　his　house；　his



secretary　reminded　him　that　he　had　an　appointment　in　ten　minutes'



time。　He　thanked　the　secretary　in　the　same　dreamy；　absent　manner



in　which　he　had　thanked　the　owner　of　the　villa；　and　went　into　his



dressing…room。　The　person　with　whom　he　had　made　the　appointment



came；　and　the　secretary　sent　the　valet　up　stairs　to　knock　at　the



door。　There　was　no　answer。　On　trying　the　lock　it　proved　to　be



turned　inside。　They　broke　open　the　door；　and　saw　him　lying　on　the



sofa。　They　went　close　to　lookand　found　him　dead　by　his　own



hand。







VIII。







Drawing　fast　to　its　close；　the　Prologue　reverts　to　the　two



girlsand　tells；　in　a　few　words；　how　the　years　passed　with　Anne



and　Blanche。







Lady　Lundie　more　than　redeemed　the　solemn　pledge　that　she　had



given　to　her　friend。　Preserved　from　every　temptation　which　might



lure　her　into　a　longing　to　follow　her　mother's　career；　trained



for　a　teacher's　life；　with　all　the　arts　and　all　the　advantages



that　money　could　procure；　Anne's　first　and　only　essays　as　a



governess　were　made；　under　Lady　Lundie's　own　roof；　on　Lady



Lundie's　own　child。　The　difference　in　the　ages　of　the



girlsseven　yearsthe　love　between　them；　which　seemed；　as　time



went　on；　to　grow　with　their　growth；　favored　the　trial　of　the



experiment。　In　the　double　relation　of　teacher　and　friend　to



little　Blanche；　the　girlhood　of　Anne　Silvester　the　younger　passed



safely；　happily；　uneventfully；　in　the　modest　sanctuary　of　home。



Who　could　imagine　a　contrast　more　complete　than　the　contrast



between　her　early　life　and　her　mother's？　Who　could　see　any　thing



but　a　death…bed　delusion　in　the　terrible　question　which　had



tortured　the　mother's　last　moments：　〃Will　she　end　like　Me？〃







But　two　events　of　importance　occurred　in　the　quiet　family　circle



during　the　lapse　of　years　which　is　now　under　review。　In　eighteen



hundred　and　fifty…eight　the　household　was　enlivened　by　the



arrival　of　Sir　Thomas　Lundie。　In　eighteen　hundred　and　sixty…five



the　household　was　broken　up　by　the　return　of　Sir　Thomas　to　India；



accompanied　by　his　wife。







Lady　Lundie's　health　had　b　een　failing　for　some　time　previously。



The　medical　men；　consulted　on　the　case；　agreed　that　a　sea…voyage



was　the　one　change　needful　to　restore　their　patient's　wasted



strengthexactly　at　the　time；　as　it　happened；　when　Sir　Thomas



was　due　again　in　India。　For　his　wife's　sake；　he　agreed　to　defer



his　return；　by　taking　the　sea…voyage　with　her。　The　one　difficulty



to　get　over　was　the　difficulty　of　leaving　Blanche　and　Anne　behind



in　Eng