the secret places of the heart-第10章

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ing　as　a　psychological　necessity。　The　Lady　of　the　Carbuncle　seems　to　have　got　rather　a　hold　upon　him。　She　has　kept　him　in　order　for　three　or　four　years。〃　The　doctor　scrutinized　his　own　remarks　with　a　judicious　expression。　〃I　am　not　being　fair。　He　ruffled　me。　Even　if　it　is　true；　as　I　said；　that　every　third　manufacturer　from　the　midlands　is　in　much　the　same　case　as　he　is；　that　does　not　dismiss　the　case。　It　makes　it　a　more　important　one；　much　more　important：　it　makes　it　a　type　case　with　the　exceptional　quality　of　being　self…expressive。　Almost　too　selfexpressive。　〃Sir　Richmond　does；　after　all；　make　out　a　sort　of　case　for　himself。　。　。　。　〃A　valid　case？〃　The　doctor　sat　deep　in　his　chair；　frowning　judicially　with　the　fingers　of　one　hand　apposed　to　the　fingers　of　the　other。　〃He　makes　me　bristle　because　all　his　life　and　ideas　challenge　my　way　of　living。　But　if　I　eliminate　the　personal　element？　〃　He　pulled　a　sheet　of　note…paper　towards　him　and　began　to　jot　down　notes　with　a　silver…cased　pencil。　Soon　he　discontinued　writing　and　sat　tapping　his　pencil…case　on　the　table。　〃The　amazing　selfishness　of　his　attitude！　I　do　not　think　that　oncenot　oncehas　he　judged　any　woman　except　as　a　contributor　to　his　energy　and　peace　of　mind。　。　。　。　Except　in　the　case　of　his　wife。　。　。　。　〃For　her　his　habit　of　respect　was　formed　before　his　ideas　developed。　。　。　。　〃That　I　think　explains　HER。　。　。　。　〃What　was　his　phrase　about　the　unfortunate　young　woman　with　the　carbuncle？　。　。　。　'Totally　Useless　and　unnecessary　illness；'　was　it？　。　。　。　〃Now　has　a　man　any　right　by　any　standards　to　use　women　as　this　man　has　used　them？　〃By　any　standards？〃　The　doctor　frowned　and　nodded　his　head　slowly　with　the　corners　of　his　mouth　drawn　in。　For　some　years　now　an　intellectual　reverie　had　been　playing　an　increasing　part　in　the　good　doctor's　life。　He　was　writing　this　book　of　his；　writing　it　very　deliberately　and　laboriously；　THE　PSYCHOLOGY　OF　A　NEW　AGE；　but　much　more　was　he　dreaming　and　thinking　about　this　book。　Its　publication　was　to　mark　an　epoch　in　human　thought　and　human　affairs　generally；　and　create　a　considerable　flutter　of　astonishment　in　the　doctor's　own　little　world。　It　was　to　bring　home　to　people　some　various　aspects　of　one　very　startling　proposition：　that　human　society　had　arrived　at　a　phase　when　the　complete　restatement　of　its　fundamental　ideas　had　become　urgently　necessary；　a　phase　when　the　slow；　inadequate；　partial　adjustments　to　two　centuries　of　changing　conditions　had　to　give　place　to　a　rapid　reconstruction　of　new　fundamental　ideas。　And　it　was　a　fact　of　great　value　in　the　drama　of　these　secret　dreams　that　the　directive　force　towards　this　fundamentally　reconstructed　world　should　be　the　pen　of　an　unassuming　Harley　Street　physician；　hitherto　not　suspected　of　any　great　excesses　of　enterprise。　The　written　portions　of　this　book　were　already　in　a　highly　polished　state。　They　combined　a　limitless　freedom　of　proposal　with　a　smooth　urbanity　of　manner；　a　tacit　denial　that　the　thoughts　of　one　intelligent　being　could　possibly　be　shocking　to　another。　Upon　this　the　doctor　was　very　insistent。　Conduct；　he　held；　could　never　be　sufficiently　discreet；　thought　could　never　be　sufficiently　free。　As　a　citizen；　one　had　to　treat　a　law　or　an　institution　as　a　thing　as　rigidly　right　as　a　natural　law。　That　the　social　well…being　demands。　But　as　a　scientific　man；　in　one's　stated　thoughts　and　in　public　discussion；　the　case　was　altogether　different。　There　was　no　offence　in　any　possible　hypothesis　or　in　the　contemplation　of　any　possibility。　Just　as　when　one　played　a　game　one　was　bound　to　play　in　unquestioning　obedience　to　the　laws　and　spirit　of　the　game；　but　if　one　was　not　playing　that　game　then　there　was　no　reason　why　one　should　not　contemplate　the　completest　reversal　of　all　its　methods　and　the　alteration　and　abandonment　of　every　rule。　Correctness　of　conduct；　the　doctor　held；　was　an　imperative　concomitant　of　all　really　free　thinking。　Revolutionary　speculation　is　one　of　those　things　that　must　be　divorced　absolutely　from　revolutionary　conduct。　It　was　to　the　neglect　of　these　obvious　principles；　as　the　doctor　considered　them；　that　the　general　muddle　in　contemporary　marital　affairs　was　very　largely　due。　We　left　divorce…law　revision　to　exposed　adulterers　and　marriage　reform　to　hot　adolescents　and　craving　spinsters　driven　by　the　furies　within　them　to　assertions　that　established　nothing　and　to　practical　demonstrations　that　only　left　everybody　thoroughly　uncomfortable。　Far　better　to　leave　all　these　matters　to　calm；　patient　men　in　easy　chairs；　weighing　typical　cases　impartially；　ready　to　condone；　indisposed　to　envy。　In　return　for　which　restraint　on　the　part　of　the　eager　and　adventurous；　the　calm　patient　man　was　prepared　in　his　thoughts　to　fly　high　and　go　far。　Without　giving　any　guarantee；　of　course；　that　he　might　not　ultimately　return　to　the　comfortable　point　of　inaction　from　which　he　started。　In　Sir　Richmond；　Dr。　Martineau　found　the　most　interesting　and　encouraging　confirmation　of　the　fundamental　idea　of　THE　PSYCHOLOGY　OF　A　NEW　AGE；　the　immediate　need　of　new　criteria　of　conduct　altogether。　Here　was　a　man　whose　life　was　evidently　ruled　by　standards　that　were　at　once　very　high　and　very　generous。　He　was　overworking　himself　to　the　pitch　of　extreme　distress　and　apparently　he　was　doing　this　for　ends　that　were　essentially　unselfish。　Manifestly　there　were　many　things　that　an　ordinary　industrial　or　political　magnate　would　do　that　Sir　Richmond　would　not　dream　of　doing；　and　a　number　of　things　that　such　a　man　would　not　feel　called　upon　to　do　that　he　would　regard　as　imperative　duties。　And　mixed　up　with　so　much　fine　intention　and　fine　conduct　was　this　disreputable　streak　of　intrigue　and　this　extraordinary　claim　that　such　misconduct　was　necessary　to　continued　vigour　of　action。　〃To　energy　of　thought　it　is　not　necessary；〃　said　Dr。　Martineau；　and　considered　for　a　time。　〃YetcertainlyI　am　not　a　man　of　action。　I　admit　it。　I　make　few　decisions。　〃The　chapters　of　THE　PSYCHOLOGY　OF　A　NEW　AGE　dealing　with　women　were　still　undrafted；　but　they　had　already　greatly　exercised　the　doctor's　mind。　He　found　now　that　the　case　of　Sir　Richmond　had　stirred　his　imagination。　He　sat　with　his　hands　apposed；　his　head　on　one　side；　and　an　expression　of　great　intellectual　contentment　on　his　face　while　these　emancipated　ideas　gave　a　sort　of　gala　performance　in　his　mind。　The　good　doctor　did　not　dislike　women；　he　had　always　guarded　himself　very　carefully　against　misogyny；　but　he　was　very　strongly　disposed　to　regard　them　as　much　less　necessary　in　the　existing　scheme　of　things　than　was　generally　assumed。　Women；　he　conceded；　had　laid　the　foundations　of　social　life。　Through　their　contrivances　and　sacrifices　and　patience　the　fierce　and　lonely　patriarchal　family…herd　of　a　male　and　his　women　and　off　spring　had　grown　into　the　clan　and　tribe；　the　woven　tissue　of　related　families　that　constitute　the　human　comity　had　been　woven　by　the　subtle；　persistent　protection　of　sons　and　daughters　by　their　mothers　against　the　intolerant；　jealous；　possessive　Old　Man。　But　that　was　a　thing；　of　the　remote　past。　Little　was　left　of　those　ancient　struggles　now　but　a　few　infantile　dreams　and　nightmares。　The　greater　human　community；　human　society；　was　made　for　good。　And　being　made；　it　had　taken　over　the　ancient　tasks　of　the　woman；　one　by　one；　until　now　in　its　modern　forms　it　cherished　more　sedulously　than　she　did；　it　educated；　it　housed　and　comforted；　it　clothed　and　served　and　nursed；　leaving　the　wife　privileged；　honoured；　protected；　for　the　sake　of　tasks　she　no　longer　did　and　of　a　burthen　she　no　longer　bore。　〃Progress　has　TRIVIALIZED　women；〃　said　the　doctor；　and　made　a　note　of　the　word　for　later　consideration。　〃And　woman　has　trivialized　civilization；〃　the　doctor　tried。　〃She　has　retained　her　effect　of　being　central；　she　still　makes　the　social　atmosphere；　she　raises　men's　instinctive　hopes　of　help　and　direction。　Except；〃　the　doctor　stipulated；　〃for　a　few　highly　developed　modern　types；　most　men　found　the　sense　of　achieving　her　a　necessary　condition　for　sustained　exertion。　And　there　is　no　direction　in　her　any　more。　〃She　spends；〃　said　the　doctor；　〃she　just　spends。　She　spends　excitingly　and　competitively　for　her　own　pride　and　glory；　she　drives　all　the　energy　of　men　over　the　weirs　of　gain。　。　。　。　〃What　are　we　to　do　with　the　creature？〃　whispered　the　doctor。　Apart　from　the　procreative　necessity；　was　woman　an　unavoidable　evil？　The　doctor's　untrammelled　thoughts　began　to　climb　high；　spin；　nose　dive　and　loop　the　loop。　Nowadays　we　took　a　proper　care　of　the　young；　we　had　no　need　for　high　birth　rates；　quite　a　small　proportion　of　women　with　a　gift　in　that　direction　could　supply　all　the　offspring　that　the　world　wanted。　Given　the　power　of　determining　sex　that　science　was　slowly　winning　today；　and　why　should　we　have　so　many　women　about？　A　drastic　elimination　of　the　creatures　would　be　quite　practicable。　A　fantastic　world　to　a　vulgar　imagination；　no　doubt；　but　to　a　calmly　reasonable　mind　by　no　means　fantastic。　But　this　was　where　the　case　of　Sir　Richmond　became　so　interesting。　Was　it　really　true　that　the　companionship　of　women　was　necessary　to　these　energetic　creative　types？　Was　it　the　fact　that　the　drive　of　life　towards　action；　as　distinguished　from　contemplation；　arose　out　of　sex　and　needed　to　be　refreshed　by　the　reiteration　of　th