the black robe- 第47部分

was　a　cruel　injustice　ever　to　have　doubted　me；　and　that　there　is



no　man　living　whom　y　ou　can　more　implicitly　trust　than　myself。







My　address；　when　I　am　in　London；　is　at　the　head　of　this　page。







III。







_From　Dr。　Wybrow　to　Mr。　Winterfield。_







Dear　SirI　have　received　your　letter；　mentioning　that　you　wish



to　accompany　me；　at　my　next　visit　to　the　asylum；　to　see　the



French　boy；　so　strangely　associated　with　the　papers　delivered　to



you　by　Father　Benwell。







Your　proposal　reaches　me　too　late。　The　poor　creature's　troubled



life　has　come　to　an　end。　He　never　rallied　from　the　exhausting



effect　of　the　fever。　To　the　last　he　was　attended　by　his　mother。







I　write　with　true　sympathy　for　that　excellent　ladybut　I　cannot



conceal　from　you　or　from　myself　that　this　death　is　not　to　be



regretted。　In　a　case　of　the　same　extraordinary　kind；　recorded　in



print；　the　patient　recovered　from　the　fever；　and　his　insanity



returned　with　his　returning　health。







　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Faithfully　yours；



JOSEPH　WYBROW。







CHAPTER　VI。







THE　SADDEST　OF　ALL　WORDS。







ON　the　tenth　morning；　dating　from　the　dispatch　of　Father



Benwell's　last　letter　to　Rome；　Penrose　was　writing　in　the　study



at　Ten　Acres　Lodge；　while　Romayne　sat　at　the　other　end　of　the



room；　looking　listlessly　at　a　blank　sheet　of　paper；　with　the　pen



lying　idle　beside　it。　On　a　sudden　he　rose；　and；　snatching　up



paper　and　pen；　threw　them　irritably　into　the　fire。







〃Don't　trouble　yourself　to　write　any　longer；〃　he　said　to　Penrose。



〃My　dream　is　over。　Throw　my　manuscripts　into　the　waste　paper



basket；　and　never　speak　to　me　of　literary　work　again。〃







〃Every　man　devoted　to　literature　has　these　fits　of　despondency；〃



Penrose　answered。　〃Don't　think　of　your　work。　Send　for　your　horse；



and　trust　to　fresh　air　and　exercise　to　relieve　your　mind。〃







Romayne　barely　listened。　He　turned　round　at　the　fireplace　and



studied　the　reflection　of　his　face　in　the　glass。







〃I　look　worse　and　worse；〃　he　said　thoughtfully　to　himself。







It　was　true。　His　flesh　had　fallen　away；　his　face　had　withered　and



whitened；　he　stooped　like　an　old　man。　The　change　for　the　worse



had　been　steadily　proceeding　from　the　time　when　he　left　Vange



Abbey。







〃It's　useless　to　conceal　it　from　me！〃　he　burst　out；　turning



toward　Penrose。　〃I　believe　I　am　in　some　way　answerablethough



you　all　deny　itfor　the　French　boy's　death。　Why　not？　His　voice



is　still　in　my　ears；　and　the　stain　of　his　brother's　blood　is　on



me。　I　am　under　a　spell！　Do　you　believe　in　the　witchesthe



merciless　old　women　who　made　wax　images　of　the　people　who　injured



them；　and　stuck　pins　in　their　mock　likenesses；　to　register　the



slow　wasting　away　of　their　victims　day　after　day？　People



disbelieve　it　in　these　times；　but　it　has　never　been　disproved。〃



He　stopped；　looked　at　Penrose；　and　suddenly　changed　his　tone。



〃Arthur！　what　is　the　matter　with　you？　Have　you　had　a　bad　night？



Has　anything　happened？〃







For　the　first　time　in　Romayne's　experience　of　him；　Penrose



answered　evasively。







〃Is　there　nothing　to　make　me　anxious；〃　he　said；　〃when　I　hear　you



talk　as　you　are　talking　now？　The　poor　French　boy　died　of　a　fever。



Must　I　remind　you　again　that　he　owed　the　happiest　days　of　his



life　to　you　and　your　good　wife？〃







Romayne　still　looked　at　him　without　attending　to　what　he　said。







〃Surely　you　don't　think　I　am　deceiving　you？〃　Penrose



remonstrated。







〃No；　I　was　thinking　of　something　else。　I　was　wondering　whether　I



really　know　you　as　well　as　I　thought　I　did。　Am　I　mistaken　in



supposing　that　you　are　not　an　ambitious　man？〃







〃My　only　ambition　is　to　lead　a　worthy　life；　and　to　be　as　useful



to　my　fellow…creatures　as　I　can。　Does　that　satisfy　you？〃







Romayne　hesitated。　〃It　seems　strange〃　he　began。







〃What　seems　strange？〃







〃I　don't　say　it　seems　strange　that　you　should　be　a　priest；〃



Romayne　explained。　〃I　am　only　surprised　that　a　man　of　your　simple



way　of　thinking　should　have　attached　himself　to　the　Order　of　the



Jesuits。〃







〃I　can　quite　understand　that；〃　said　Penrose。　〃But　you　should



remember　that　circumstances　often　influence　a　man　in　his　choice



of　a　vocation。　It　has　been　so　with　me。　I　am　a　member　of　a　Roman



Catholic　family。　A　Jesuit　College　was　near　our　place　of　abode；



and　a　near　relative　of　minesince　deadwas　one　of　the　resident



priests。〃　He　paused；　and　added　in　a　lower　tone：　〃When　I　was



little　more　than　a　lad　I　suffered　a　disappointment；　which　altered



my　character　for　life。　I　took　refuge　in　the　College；　and　I　have



found　patience　and　peace　of　mind　since　that　time。　Oh；　my　friend；



you　might　have　been　a　more　contented　man〃　He　stopped　again。　His



interest　in　the　husband　had　all　but　deceived　him　into　forgetting



his　promise　to　the　wife。







Romayne　held　out　his　hand。　〃I　hope　I　have　not　thoughtlessly　hurt



you？〃　he　said。







Penrose　took　the　offered　hand；　and　pressed　it　fervently。　He　tried



to　speakand　suddenly　shuddered；　like　a　man　in　pain。　〃I　am　not



very　well　this　morning；〃　he　stammered；　〃a　turn　in　the　garden　will



do　me　good。〃







Romayne's　doubts　were　confirmed　by　the　manner　in　which　Penrose



left　him。　Something　had　unquestionably　happened；　which　his　friend



shrank　from　communicating　to　him。　He　sat　down　again　at　his　desk



and　tried　to　read。　The　time　passedand　he　was　still　left　alone。



When　the　door　was　at　last　opened　it　was　only　Stella　who　entered



the　room。







〃Have　you　seen　Penrose？〃　he　asked。







The　estrangement　between　them　had　been　steadily　widening　of　late。



Romayne　had　expressed　his　resentment　at　his　wife's　interference



between　Penrose　and　himself　by　that　air　of　contemptuous　endurance



which　is　the　hardest　penalty　that　a　man　can　inflict　on　the　woman



who　loves　him。　Stella　had　submitted　with　a　proud　and　silent



resignationthe　most　unfortunate　form　of　protest　that　she　could



have　adopted　toward　a　man　of　Romayne's　temper。　When　she　now



appeared；　however；　in　her　husband's　study；　there　was　a　change　in



her　expression　which　he　instantly　noticed。　She　looked　at　him　with



eyes　softened　by　sorrow。　Before　she　could　answer　his　first



question；　he　hurriedly　added　another。　〃Is　Penrose　really　ill？〃







〃No；　Lewis。　He　is　distressed。〃







〃About　what？〃







〃About　you；　and　about　himself。〃







〃Is　he　going　to　leave　us？〃







〃Yes。〃







〃But　he　will　come　back　again？〃







Stella　took　a　chair　by　her　husband's　side。　〃I　am　truly　sorry　for



you；　Lewis；〃　she　said。　〃It　is　even　a　sad　parting　for　Me。　If　you



will　let　me　say　it；　I　have　a　sincere　regard　for　dear　Mr。



Penrose。〃







Under　other　circumstances；　this　confession　of　feeling　for　the　man



who　had　sacrificed　his　dearest　aspiration　to　the　one



consideration　of　her　happiness；　might　have　provoked　a　sharp



reply。　But　by　this　time　Romayne　had　really　become　alarmed。　〃You



speak　as　if　Arthur　was　going　to　leave　England；〃　he　said。







〃He　leaves　England　this　afternoon；〃　she　answered；　〃for　Rome。〃







〃Why　does　he　tell　this　to　you；　and　not　to　me？〃　Romayne　asked。







〃He　cannot　trust　himself　to　speak　of　it　to　you。　He　begged　me　to



prepare　you〃







Her　courage　failed　her。　She　paused。　Romayne　beat　his　hand



impatiently　on　the　desk　before　him。　〃Speak　out！〃　he　cried。　〃If



Rome　is　not　the　end　of　the　journeywhat　is？〃







Stella　hesitated　no　longer。







〃He　goes　to　Rome；〃　she　said　〃to　receive　his　instructions；　and　to



become　personally　acquainted　with　the　missionaries　who　are



associated　with　him。　They　will　leave　Leghorn　in　the　next　vessel



which　sets　sail　for　a　port　in　Central　America。　And　the　dangerous



duty　intrusted　to　them　is　to　re…establish　one　of　the　Jesuit



Missions　destroyed　by　the　savages　years　since。　They　will　find



their　church　a　ruin；　and　not　a　vestige　left　of　the　house　once



inhabited　by　the　murdered　priests。　It　is　not　concealed　from　them



that　they　may　be　martyred；　too。　They　are　soldiers　of　the　Cross；



and　they　gowillingly　goto　save　the　souls　of　the　Indians；　at



the　peril　of　their　lives。〃







Romayne　rose；　and　advanced　to　the　door。　There；　he　turned；　and



spoke　to　Stella。　〃Where　is　Arthur？〃　he　said。







Stella　gently　detained　him。







〃There　was　one　word　more　he　entreated　me　to　saypray　wait　and



hear　it；〃　she　pleaded。　〃His　one　grief　is　at　leaving　You。　Apart



from　that；　he　devotes　himself　gladly　to　the　dreadful　service



which　claims　him。　He　has　long　looked　forward　to　it；　and　has　long



prepared　himself　for　it。　Those；　Lewis；　are　his　own　words。〃







There　was　a　knock　at　the　door。　The　servant　appeared；　to　announce



that　the　carriage　was　waiting。







Penrose　entered　the　room　as　the　man　left　it。







〃Have　you　spok　en　for　me？〃　he　said　to　Stella。　She　could　only



answer　him　by　a　gesture。　He　turned　to　Romayne　with　a　faint　smile。







〃The　saddest　of　all　words　must　be　spoken；〃　he　said。　〃Farewell！〃







Pale　and　trembling；　Romayne　took　his　hand。　〃Is　this　Father



Benwell's　doing？〃　he　asked。







〃No！〃　Penrose　answered　firmly。　〃In　Father　Benwell's　position　it



might　have　been　his　doing；　but　for　his　goodness　to　me。　For　the



first　time　since　I　have　known　him　he　has　shrunk　from　a



responsibility。　For　my　sake　he　has　left　it　to　Rome。　And　Rome　has



spoken。　Oh；　my　more　than　friendmy　brother　in　love！〃