After breakfast, still musing4 on the circumstances, he went up-stairs, turned over his bed, and drew out a flat canvas bag which lay between the mattress5 and the sacking. In this he kept his leases, which had remained there unopened ever since his father’s death. It was the usual hiding-place among rural lifeholders for such documents. Winterborne sat down on the bed and looked them over. They were ordinary leases for three lives, which a member of the South family, some fifty years before this time, had accepted of the lord of the manor6 in lieu of certain copyholds and other rights, in consideration of having the dilapidated houses rebuilt by said lord. They had come into his father’s possession chiefly through his mother, who was a South.
Pinned to the parchment of one of the indentures7 was a letter, which Winterborne had never seen before. It bore a remote date, the handwriting being that of some solicitor8 or agent, and the signature the landholder’s. It was to the effect that at any time before the last of the stated lives should drop, Mr. Giles Winterborne, senior, or his representative, should have the privilege of adding his own and his son’s life to the life remaining on payment of a merely nominal9 sum; the concession10 being in consequence of the elder Winterborne’s consent to demolish11 one of the houses and relinquish12 its site, which stood at an awkward corner of the lane and impeded13 the way.
The house had been pulled down years before. Why Giles’s father had not taken advantage of his privilege to insert his own and his son’s lives it was impossible to say. The likelihood was that death alone had hindered him in the execution of his project, as it surely was, the elder Winterborne having been a man who took much pleasure in dealing14 with house property in his small way.
Since one of the Souths still survived, there was not much doubt that Giles could do what his father had left undone15, as far as his own life was concerned. This possibility cheered him much, for by those houses hung many things. Melbury’s doubt of the young man’s fitness to be the husband of Grace had been based not a little on the precariousness16 of his holdings in Little and Great Hintock. He resolved to attend to the business at once, the fine for renewal17 being a sum that he could easily muster18. His scheme, however, could not be carried out in a day; and meanwhile he would run up to South’s, as he had intended to do, to learn the result of the experiment with the tree.
Marty met him at the door. “Well, Marty,” he said; and was surprised to read in her face that the case was not so hopeful as he had imagined.
“I am sorry for your labor,” she said. “It is all lost. He says the tree seems taller than ever.”
Winterborne looked round at it. Taller the tree certainly did seem, the gauntness of its now naked stem being more marked than before.
“It quite terrified him when he first saw what you had done to it this morning,” she added. “He declares it will come down upon us and cleave20 us, like ‘the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.’”
“Well; can I do anything else?” asked he.
“The doctor says the tree ought to be cut down.”
“Oh — you’ve had the doctor?”
“I didn’t send for him Mrs. Charmond, before she left, heard that father was ill, and told him to attend him at her expense.”
“That was very good of her. And he says it ought to be cut down. We mustn’t cut it down without her knowledge, I suppose.”
He went up-stairs. There the old man sat, staring at the now gaunt tree as if his gaze were frozen on to its trunk. Unluckily the tree waved afresh by this time, a wind having sprung up and blown the fog away, and his eyes turned with its wavings.
They heard footsteps — a man’s, but of a lighter21 type than usual. “There is Doctor Fitzpiers again,” she said, and descended22. Presently his tread was heard on the naked stairs.
Mr. Fitzpiers entered the sick-chamber just as a doctor is more or less wont23 to do on such occasions, and pre-eminently when the room is that of a humble24 cottager, looking round towards the patient with that preoccupied25 gaze which so plainly reveals that he has wellnigh forgotten all about the case and the whole circumstances since he dismissed them from his mind at his last exit from the same apartment. He nodded to Winterborne, with whom he was already a little acquainted, recalled the case to his thoughts, and went leisurely26 on to where South sat.
Fitzpiers was, on the whole, a finely formed, handsome man. His eyes were dark and impressive, and beamed with the light either of energy or of susceptivity — it was difficult to say which; it might have been a little of both. That quick, glittering, practical eye, sharp for the surface of things and for nothing beneath it, he had not. But whether his apparent depth of vision was real, or only an artistic27 accident of his corporeal28 moulding, nothing but his deeds could reveal.
His face was rather soft than stern, charming than grand, pale than flushed; his nose — if a sketch29 of his features be de rigueur for a person of his pretensions30 — was artistically31 beautiful enough to have been worth doing in marble by any sculptor32 not over-busy, and was hence devoid33 of those knotty34 irregularities which often mean power; while the double-cyma or classical curve of his mouth was not without a looseness in its close. Nevertheless, either from his readily appreciative35 mien36, or his reflective manner, or the instinct towards profound things which was said to possess him, his presence bespoke37 the philosopher rather than the dandy or macaroni — an effect which was helped by the absence of trinkets or other trivialities from his attire38, though this was more finished and up to date than is usually the case among rural practitioners39.
Strict people of the highly respectable class, knowing a little about him by report, might have said that he seemed likely to err19 rather in the possession of too many ideas than too few; to be a dreamy ‘ist of some sort, or too deeply steeped in some false kind of ‘ism. However this may be, it will be seen that he was undoubtedly40 a somewhat rare kind of gentleman and doctor to have descended, as from the clouds, upon Little Hintock.
“This is an extraordinary case,” he said at last to Winterborne, after examining South by conversation, look, and touch, and learning that the craze about the elm was stronger than ever. “Come down-stairs, and I’ll tell you what I think.”
They accordingly descended, and the doctor continued, “The tree must be cut down, or I won’t answer for his life.”
“’Tis Mrs. Charmond’s tree, and I suppose we must get permission?” said Giles. “If so, as she is gone away, I must speak to her agent.”
“Oh — never mind whose tree it is — what’s a tree beside a life! Cut it down. I have not the honor of knowing Mrs. Charmond as yet, but I am disposed to risk that much with her.”
“’Tis timber,” rejoined Giles, more scrupulous41 than he would have been had not his own interests stood so closely involved. “They’ll never fell a stick about here without it being marked first, either by her or the agent.”
“Then we’ll inaugurate a new era forthwith. How long has he complained of the tree?” asked the doctor of Marty.
“Weeks and weeks, sir. The shape of it seems to haunt him like an evil spirit. He says that it is exactly his own age, that it has got human sense, and sprouted42 up when he was born on purpose to rule him, and keep him as its slave. Others have been like it afore in Hintock.”
They could hear South’s voice up-stairs “Oh, he’s rocking this way; he must come! And then my poor life, that’s worth houses upon houses, will be squashed out o’ me. Oh! oh!”
“That’s how he goes on,” she added. “And he’ll never look anywhere else but out of the window, and scarcely have the curtains drawn43.”
“Down with it, then, and hang Mrs. Charmond,” said Mr. Fitzpiers. “The best plan will be to wait till the evening, when it is dark, or early in the morning before he is awake, so that he doesn’t see it fall, for that would terrify him worse than ever. Keep the blind down till I come, and then I’ll assure him, and show him that his trouble is over.”
The doctor then departed, and they waited till the evening. When it was dusk, and the curtains drawn, Winterborne directed a couple of woodmen to bring a crosscut-saw, and the tall, threatening tree was soon nearly off at its base. He would not fell it completely then, on account of the possible crash, but next morning, before South was awake, they went and lowered it cautiously, in a direction away from the cottage. It was a business difficult to do quite silently; but it was done at last, and the elm of the same birth-year as the woodman’s lay stretched upon the ground. The weakest idler that passed could now set foot on marks formerly44 made in the upper forks by the shoes of adventurous45 climbers only; once inaccessible46 nests could be examined microscopically47; and on swaying extremities48 where birds alone had perched, the by-standers sat down.
As soon as it was broad daylight the doctor came, and Winterborne entered the house with him. Marty said that her father was wrapped up and ready, as usual, to be put into his chair. They ascended49 the stairs, and soon seated him. He began at once to complain of the tree, and the danger to his life and Winterborne’s house-property in consequence.
The doctor signalled to Giles, who went and drew back the printed cotton curtains. “’Tis gone, see,” said Mr. Fitzpiers.
As soon as the old man saw the vacant patch of sky in place of the branched column so familiar to his gaze, he sprang up, speechless, his eyes rose from their hollows till the whites showed all round; he fell back, and a bluish whiteness overspread him.
Greatly alarmed, they put him on the bed. As soon as he came a little out of his fit, he gasped50, “Oh, it is gone! — where? — where?”
His whole system seemed paralyzed by amazement51. They were thunder-struck at the result of the experiment, and did all they could. Nothing seemed to avail. Giles and Fitzpiers went and came, but uselessly. He lingered through the day, and died that evening as the sun went down.
“D— d if my remedy hasn’t killed him!” murmured the doctor.
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1
marvelled
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| v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2
precarious
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| adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的 | |
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negligence
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| n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意 | |
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4
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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indentures
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| vt.以契约束缚（indenture的第三人称单数形式） | |
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solicitor
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| n.初级律师，事务律师 | |
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nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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11
demolish
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| v.拆毁(建筑物等)，推翻(计划、制度等) | |
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12
relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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14
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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16
precariousness
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17
renewal
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| adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来 | |
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18
muster
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| v.集合，收集，鼓起，激起；n.集合，检阅，集合人员，点名册 | |
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19
err
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| vi.犯错误，出差错 | |
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20
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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21
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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22
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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23
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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24
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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25
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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26
leisurely
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| adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的 | |
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27
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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28
corporeal
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| adj.肉体的，身体的；物质的 | |
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29
sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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30
pretensions
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| 自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力 | |
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31
artistically
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| adv.艺术性地 | |
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32
sculptor
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| n.雕刻家，雕刻家 | |
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33
devoid
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| adj.全无的，缺乏的 | |
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34
knotty
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| adj.有结的，多节的，多瘤的，棘手的 | |
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appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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mien
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| n.风采；态度 | |
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37
bespoke
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| adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求 | |
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38
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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practitioners
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| n.习艺者，实习者( practitioner的名词复数 )；从业者（尤指医师） | |
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40
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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41
scrupulous
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| adj.审慎的，小心翼翼的，完全的，纯粹的 | |
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42
sprouted
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| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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43
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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44
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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45
adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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46
inaccessible
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| adj.达不到的，难接近的 | |
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47
microscopically
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| 显微镜下 | |
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48
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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49
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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51
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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