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bleak house(凄凉的房子)-第118章

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… Page 490…

                                   Bleak House                                     490 



to   see   you   as   a   Doctor?   That   ain’t   like   being   worn   out。 I   should 

think   not!   Now   I   tell   you   what   you   want。   You   want   excitement; 

you know; to keep you up; that’s what you want。 You’re used to it; 

and   you   can’t   do   without   it。   I   couldn’t   myself。   Very   well;   then; 

here’s this warrant got by Mr Tulkinghorn of Lincoln’s Inn Fields; 

and  backed   into  half…a…dozen counties  since。   What   do   you   say   to 

coming      along    with   me;   upon    this  warrant;     and   having     a  good 

angry   argument   before         the  magistrates?      It’ll  do  you   good;    it’ll 

freshen you up; and get you into training for  another  turn   at  the 

Chancellor。   Give   in?   Why   I   am   surprised   to   hear   a   man   of   your 

energy talk of giving in。 You mustn’t do that。 You’re half the fun of 

the fair; in the Court of Chancery。 George; you lend Mr Gridley a 

hand;     and   let’s  see   now    whether     he   won’t    be   better   up   than 

down。” 

    “He is very weak;” said the trooper; in a low voice。 

    “Is he?” returned Bucket; anxiously。 “I only want to rouse him。 

I don’t like to see an old acquaintance giving in like this。 It would 

cheer him up more than anything if I could make him a little waxy 

with me。 He’s welcome to drop into me; right and left; if he likes。 I 

shall never take advantage of it。” 

    The roof rang with a scream from Miss Flite; which still rings in 

my ears。 

    “O   no;   Gridley!”   she   cried;   as   he   fell   heavily   and   calmly   back 

from before her。 “Not without my blessing。 After so many years!” 



    Then the sun was down; the light had gradually stolen from the 

roof; and the shadow had crept upward。 But; to me; the shadow of 

that    pair;   one   living   and   one    dead;   fell  heavier     on  Richard’s 

departure;   than   the   darkness   of   the   darkest   night。   And   through 



Charles Dickens                                                      ElecBook Classics 


… Page 491…

                                   Bleak House                                     491 



Richard’s farewell words I heard it echoed。 

    “Of all my old associations; of all my old pursuits and hopes; of 

all the living and the dead world; this one poor soul alone comes 

natural   to   me;   and   I   am   fit   for。   There   is   a   tie   of   many   suffering 

years between us two; and it is the only tie I ever had on earth that 

Chancery has not broken!” 



Charles Dickens                                                      ElecBook Classics 


… Page 492…

                                 Bleak House                                  492 



                                Chapter 25 



                      Mrs Snagsby Sees It All 



          here is disquietude in Cook’s Court; Cursitor Street。 Black 

          suspicion     hides   in  that   peaceful    region。   The    mass    of 

T 

          Cook’s Courtiers are in their usual state of mind; no better 

and no worse; but;   Mr  Snagsby  is   changed;  and   his   little   woman 

knows it。 

   For;     Tom…all…Alone’s      and    Lincoln’s    Inn    Fields   persist    in 

harnessing   themselves;   a      pair   of  ungovernable   coursers;     to   the 

chariot  of  Mr  Snagsby’s imagination; and   Mr  Bucket drives;   and 

the   passengers     are   Jo  and   Mr   Tulkinghorn;     and   the   complete 

equipage      whirls   through    the   Law   Stationery     business    at  wild 

speed; all   round   the   clock。   Even  in  the   little   front kitchen   where 

the family meals are taken; it rattles away at a smoking pace from 

the dinner table; when Mr Snagsby pauses in carving the first slice 

of the leg of mutton baked with potatoes; and stares at the kitchen 

wall。 

   Mr Snagsby can not make out what it is that he has had to do 

with。 Something is wrong; somewhere; but what something; what 

may come of it; to whom; when; and from which unthought…of and 

unheard…of       quarter;    is  the   puzzle     of  his   life。  His   remote 

impressions of the robes and coronets; the stars and garters; that 

sparkle   through   the   surface…dust   of   Mr   Tulkinghorn’s   chambers; 

his   veneration   for   the   mysteries   presided   over   by   that   best   and 

closest of his customers; whom all the Inns of Court; and Chancery 

Lane;   and   all   the  legal   neighbourhood   agree   to   hold   in   awe;   his 



Charles Dickens                                                  ElecBook Classics 


… Page 493…

                                   Bleak House                                     493 



remembrance of Detective Mr Bucket with his forefinger; and his 

confidential       manner      impossible       to   be   evaded      or   declined; 

persuade him that he is a party to some dangerous secret; without 

knowing       what    it  is。  And    it  is  the   fearful   peculiarity     of  this 

condition; that; at any hour of his daily life; at any opening of the 

shop…door; at any pull of the bell; at any entrance of a messenger; 

or   any    delivery    of  a  letter;  the   secret    may    take   air  and    fire; 

explode; and blow up—Mr Bucket only knows whom。 

    For   which   reason;   whenever   a   man   unknown   comes   into   the 

shop (as many men unknown do); and says; “Is Mr Snagsby in?” 

or words to that innocent effect; Mr Snagsby’s heart knocks hard 

at   his   guilty   breast。   He   undergoes   so   much   from   such   inquiries; 

that when they are made by boys he revenges himself by flipping 

at   their   ears   over   the   counter;   and   asking   the   young   dogs   what 

they   meant   by   it;   and   why   they   can’t   speak   out   at   once?   More 

impracticable men and boys persist in walking into Mr Snagsby’s 

sleep;   and   terrifying   him   with   unaccountable   questions;   so   that 

often;   when   the   cock   at   the   little   dairy   in   Cursitor   Street   breaks 

out in his usual absurd way about the morning; Mr Snagsby finds 

himself in a crisis of nightmare; with his little woman shaking him; 

and saying; “What’s the matter with the man!” 

    The little woman herself is not the least item in his difficulty。 To 

know   that   he   is   always   keeping   a   secret   from   her;   that   he   has; 

under all circumstances; to conceal and hold fast a tender double 

tooth; which her sharpness is ever ready to twist out of his head; 

gives Mr Snagsby; in her dentistical presence; much of the air of a 

dog who has a reservation from his master; and will look anywhere 

rather than meet his eye。 

    These   various   signs   and   tokens;   marked   by   the   little   woman; 



Charles Dickens                                                      ElecBook Classics 


… Page 494…

                                  Bleak House                                    494 



are    not   lost  upon    her。  They    impel    her   to  say;   “Snagsby      has 

something       on  his   mind!”    And    thus   suspicion    gets   into  Cook’s 

Court;   Cursitor   Street。   From   suspicion   to   jealousy;   Mrs   Snagsby 

finds    the  road    as  natural    and   short    as  from   Cook’s     Court   to 

Chancery Lane。 And thus jealousy gets into Cook’s Court; Cursitor 

Street。   Once   there   (and   it   was   always   lurking   thereabout);   it   is 

very active and nimble in Mrs Snagsby’s breast—prompting her to 

nocturnal      examinations        of  Mr    Snagsby’s      pockets;     to  secret 

perusals of Mr Snagsby’s letters; to private researches in the Day 

Book   and   Ledger;   till;   cash…box;   and   iron   safe;   to   watchings   at 

windows;   listenings   behind   doors;   and   a   general   putting   of   this 

and that together by the wrong end。 

    Mrs    Snagsby     is  so  perpetually     on   the  alert;  that   the  house 

becomes ghostly with creaking boards and rustling garments。 The 

’prentices     think   somebody      may    have    been   murdered       there;  in 

bygone times。 Guster holds certain loose atoms of an idea (picked 

up    at   Tooting;    where     they    were    found     floating   among      the 

orphans);      that   there   is  buried    money      underneath      the   cellar; 

guarded by an old man with a white beard; who cannot get out for 

seven      thousand      years;   because      he   said   the    Lord’s    Prayer 

backwards。 

    “Who      was   Nimrod?”       Mrs    Snagsby      repeatedly     inquires    of 

herself。 “Who was that lady—that creature? And who is that boy?” 

Now; Nimrod being as dead as the mighty hunter whose name Mrs 

Snagsby  has   appropriated;  
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