Bergan Arling was seated in his office at Savalla. At first sight, it might seem that he was little changed, but a closer inspection6 would have awakened7 some surprise that the lapse8 of little more than a year could have changed him so much. The youthfulness had gone out of his face,—that half-eager, half-wistful look which says so plainly, "The world is all before me, where to choose;"—it was now the face of a man among men, who had found his place and his work, who had grappled with many hard problems, and solved some, who was accustomed to deal with serious subjects in a serious way, and who had withal, a definite rule and object of life. In short, it was informed with a positive and noble individuality, born out of suffering, and not yet wholly oblivious9 of the pangs10 that had given it birth, but certain, in good time, to attain11 to the fulness of an inward joy, which, having a deep wellspring of its own, would be little dependent upon the ebb12 and flow of outward circumstance.
Nor had the year been fruitless of exterior13 results. Scarcely had Bergan mastered the details of his new office, when his partner, Mr. Youle, was taken sick, and he was left to conduct its affairs pretty much alone. Several cases of importance being in hand, he was thus afforded a rare opportunity to achieve a rapid fame. His reputation already overshadowed that of many of his legal brethren who had greatly the advantage of him in years and experience.
From the first, he had made it an invariable rule never to speak against his clear convictions of right; and it was curious to observe what an influence the knowledge of this fact was beginning to have upon the community. The cause which he embraced, however hopeless its aspect, always commanded a degree of respect, and was watched with a certain reservation of judgment14, in consideration of his acknowledged integrity of purpose; while, as a necessary sequence (from which Bergan, in his humility15, would have been glad to escape), the cause which he was understood to have declined was apt to be pronounced suspicious in the popular judgment, however it might go in the courts. So certain is the talent which is known to be conjoined with a pure aim and an upright life, to win, soon or late, high place and strong influence, even in a world that disallows16 its very principle of being! The visible fruits of righteousness commend themselves to all lips, whatever is thought of the root from whence they spring.
Bergan's desk was littered with papers, but his eyes were studying only the opposite wall, half in abstraction, half in perplexity. Nor did their expression alter much when the door opened, and he rose to greet Mr. Youle, who came in slowly and feebly, leaning on a cane17. He was of medium height, with gray hair, a thin face, and a kindly18 blue eye; and it was easy to see, was on the best of terms with his talented young partner. No room in that ripe intellect and gentle nature for so ignoble19 a passion as jealousy20!
"There, that will do, Arling," he said, humorously, when Bergan had helped him carefully to a chair; "the old gentleman is as comfortable as he's likely to be,—or deserves to be, for that matter. Well, how goes on our case?"
Bergan shook his head, with a faint smile. "Very badly, I should say,—if anything can be said to go badly, which is so entirely21 in the hands of Providence22. I confess that I can make nothing of it."
Mr. Youle looked grave. "I warned you in the beginning," said he, "that there was not a reasonable peg23 to hang a line of defence on."
"But I believe the man to be innocent," rejoined Bergan. "And," he added, smiling, "'I warned you, in the beginning,' that I should never advocate a cause which seemed to be unrighteous, nor refuse one that seemed to be just, though the one should offer me a fortune in fees, and the other not a cent."
"Yes, yes, I know," replied Mr. Youle. "And I must admit that your two rules have worked miraculously24 well thus far; we have lost but one case, I believe, since you came into the office. Well, well, such a vein25 of good luck cannot be expected to last forever,—after the nugget, the rock or the sand. But I don't see how it is that you are so strongly persuaded of Unwick's innocence26."
"You would easily understand, if you had looked into his face once; it is a clean passport to confidence. Besides, there is the unvarying testimony27 of his past life, as set forth2 by everybody that knows him.—sober, honest, frank, kind, religious, everything that is desirable. A man does not become a murderer in cold blood, all at once; he has to prepare himself for it by vice28, or intemperance29, or a course of hard, cold, selfish living. There is always a downward slope, before the final plunge30."
"Granted; but I doubt if you can make the jury see it clearly enough to ground a verdict of acquittal upon it, in the face of all that terribly strong circumstantial evidence."
Bergan mused31 for a little time without answering. "I cannot rid myself," he said, at length, "of a conviction that that son of the murdered man could throw some light on the subject, if he chose."
Mr. Youle stared. "I did not know that he had been suspected, for a moment," said he.
"Nor has he. But he is the one who profits most by the murder, since he is heir-at-law. And what a reckless and disobedient youth he has been!—always on bad terms with his father, when he was at home, and doing nothing but write letters for money, while he was in Europe. By the way, I can't help wondering if he was in Europe, all this past year; though really, I don't know why I should doubt it. Well,"—rising and looking at his watch,—"it is time to go to court."
"And, as I am feeling better to-day, I think I'll go along," said Mr. Youle. "Since you seem to think that Providence has the case very specially32 in His hands,—indeed, I don't mean it irreverently,—I'd like to see how He conducts it."
"I am glad to think that He is conducting it," said Bergan, in a low voice; "else I should be utterly33 discouraged."
The trial dragged its slow length through the greater part of the morning, without any incident of interest. One witness after another came upon the stand, was examined, and dismissed; each adding something to the weight of evidence against the prisoner, Unwick. The son of the murdered man, Varley by name, sat nearly opposite to Bergan, by the side of the prosecuting34 attorney; and being of a restless temperament35, as well as gifted with extraordinary facility in the use of a pencil, he busied himself, as he listened to the monotonous36 drone of a witness, with mechanically sketching37 the faces of the witnesses or the spectators, or scenes and places that he had visited, recalled to his mind by the evidence, or by his own roving thoughts. One of these caught Bergan's eye, and he furtively39 watched its progress, while seeming to be occupied with his papers. When finished, it was carelessly dropped on the floor, like those which had preceded it; and the skilful40 pencil quickly set to work on a new subject. In a moment or two, Bergan dropped one of his papers, in a way to take it well under the table, and immediately stooped to get it. When he reappeared, a close observer might have noticed that the look of patient watchfulness41, which his face had worn so long, was gone; but the keenest eyes would have been puzzled to read his present expression. Was it triumph, or thankfulness, or perplexity, or a mixture of all?
Mr. Varley was now put upon the stand, to furnish some small link in the chain of evidence that the prosecution42 was drawing so skilfully43 around the prisoner. The little that he was desired to say being said, the opposing counsel politely inquired if Mr. Arling had any questions to ask.
"One or two, if you please," answered Bergan, quietly; and rising, and turning toward the witness, he said:—
"I believe you stated, Mr. Varley, that you had never seen the place where your father died?"
"No; he bought it, and removed to it after I went abroad."
"Have you visited it, since your return?"
"I have not. I only got here just before the commencement of this trial, and I have been kept too busy since to find time for the trip."
"Then you have never seen the room where your father came to his death?"
"No, certainly not," returned the witness, beginning to look a little startled by this unaccountable persistency44.
"Has it ever been very minutely described to you?"
Varley hesitated;—more, it was evident, to consider what could be the possible drift of the question, than to search his memory for a correct answer. He finally ventured to say that to the best of his recollection he had been favored with no such description.
"According to my notes of the evidence taken during this trial," pursued Bergan, "the only facts about the room brought out with much distinctness, were the positions of the bedstead and the window near it;—does your memory serve you with any additional particulars?"
"N—o," faltered45 the witness, with symptoms of growing uneasiness.
"Then," said Bergan, with very distinct and deliberate emphasis, "if, as you say, you never have seen this room, nor heard it minutely described, how is it that you have been able to make so accurate a representation of it as this which I hold in my hand?"
There was a breathless silence, while Bergan held up a small, but distinct, pencil sketch38 to the view of the pale and trembling witness.
"This sketch," continued Bergan, after waiting a few moments for the answer that did not come, "as I can vouch46, and as many of these witnesses can testify, is an exact representation of the room in question, as it would appear from the head of the bedstead;—the very spot in which, it will be remembered, the prosecution has assumed that the murderer must have been concealed47; and where, doubtless, he remained long enough to fix all the details of this sketch in his memory. Here is the peculiar48 double window, facing the east, and wreathed round with vines, which is so marked a feature of the room, yet which there has been no need to mention, during this trial, except in the most casual way; and here, on the right, are the round table and large armchair, where Mr. Varley wrote, and, on the left, an old-fashioned chest of drawers, with a plaster cast of Shakespeare on top;—all in their proper places, just as I saw them when I visited the room, after undertaking49 the defence of this case. How is it, I ask again," he went on, turning to the witness, "how is it that you could make this sketch, if you never saw the room?"
"Who says he made it?" demanded the opposing counsel, sharply.
"I say it," calmly replied Bergan. "I saw him draw it, not half an hour ago, on a piece of the same paper that you are using for your notes, as you can satisfy yourself, if you choose to compare them. Besides," he added, looking keenly at the witness, "Mr. Varley will not deny that he made it."
No, plainly he would not, for he was physically50 incapable51 of speech. He was shivering as with an ague fit, his knees knocked together, his lips trembled convulsively, but no articulate sound came forth. In another moment, he fell forward heavily on the rail that divided the witness-stand from the lawyers' table.
"Carry him out! Give him air!" cried a dozen voices; "he has fainted."
"Yes, carry him out," said Bergan gravely, and not without a touch of compassion52 in his voice; "since he is not on trial, we have no further need of him. But let me recommend that he be not lost sight of, till this present trial is over."
And it was over very quickly. The influence of the scene just witnessed was not to be ignored nor overcome. Prosecution and defence were alike glad to waste no time on the road to a foregone conclusion. The summing up, on both sides, was brief almost beyond precedent53, the judge's charge was correspondingly so, and the jury returned a verdict of "Not Guilty," without leaving their seats.
"Well," exclaimed Mr. Youle, when he and Bergan had finally succeeded in escaping from the gratitude54 of Unwick, and the congratulations of friends. "I must say, I never saw such a sudden turn of events as that, in all my legal experience." And after a moment, he added, with unusual gravity, "It does seem as if the blessing55 of God were with you, and your two rules, Arling."
"I hope so," rejoined Bergan, quietly, "for I have learned that I can do nothing worth doing, without it."
"I really think," mused Mr. Youle, "if I were to live my life over again, I would adopt your plan. I am afraid that I have helped to save many a scoundrel from deserved punishment, as well as to rob an honest man, now and then, of his just rights; and when one comes to look back on it all, from the stand-point of my age, it does seem as if one might have been in better business. Yes, I believe you are right, Arling; and you have my cordial consent from this time forth, to keep on as you have begun. I confess I thought it was a freak, a whim56 at first, that would soon give way to the temptations—what we usually call the necessities—of actual, steady practice; but I see that you have a solid principle at the bottom which there's no shaking. Nevertheless, Arling, you can't expect that your judgment is going to be infallible,—that you will never mistake the guilty man for the innocent one, and vice versa."
"I do not expect it," answered Bergan, seriously. "Errors in judgment, I take it for granted that I shall make, being mortal; but errors in will, I mean to do my best, with God's help, to avoid."
A plain carriage, with a trim African on the box, was in waiting when the two gentlemen descended57 the courthouse steps.
"Come, Arling," said Mr. Youle, in a tone of command rather than invitation, "go home and dine with me; there are several things I want to talk to you about."
Bergan hesitated; it was easy to see that the plan did not commend itself to his taste.
"Never rack your brain for excuses; they won't serve," pursued Mr. Youle, with good-natured peremptoriness58; "I mean to take you with me, whether you will or no. It is time for you to overcome your morbid59 dislike of society; besides, you will see no one but my own family."
Thus urged, Bergan could only take a seat in the carriage, and be driven off; albeit60, in direct contravention of his inclinations61 and habits. For, although, on coming back to life and health from the borders of death, he had been quick to hear, and to heed62, the plain, stern call of Duty to work while it is yet day, there had been no gracious response in his heart, as yet, to that softer voice wherewith she enjoins63 brotherly kindness, as well in gentle, social courtesies and amenities64 as in deeds of benevolence65. Life had become too serious a thing, he thought, to be wasted in trifles such as these. Busy at the centre of the circle, he had lost sight of the circumference66; intent upon the weightier matters of the law, he forgot the tithes67 of mint, anise and cummin, which yet, said the Master, ought not to be left undone68. But it was a natural mistake, under the circumstances; and there was still time for him to learn that, in every well-ordered life, there is a place for little things,—little courtesies, little duties, little friends.
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1
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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dwarfed
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| vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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converging
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| adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集 | |
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inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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ebb
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| vi.衰退，减退；n.处于低潮，处于衰退状态 | |
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exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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disallows
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| v.不承认（某事物）有效( disallow的第三人称单数 )；不接受；不准；驳回 | |
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cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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peg
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| n.木栓，木钉；vt.用木钉钉，用短桩固定 | |
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miraculously
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| ad.奇迹般地 | |
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vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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intemperance
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| n.放纵 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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mused
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| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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prosecuting
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| 检举、告发某人( prosecute的现在分词 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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sketching
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| n.草图 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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furtively
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| adv. 偷偷地, 暗中地 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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watchfulness
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| 警惕，留心； 警觉（性） | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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persistency
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| n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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45
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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46
vouch
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| v.担保；断定；n.被担保者 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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51
incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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52
compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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precedent
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| n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的 | |
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54
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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57
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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peremptoriness
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| n.专横，强制，武断 | |
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morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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61
inclinations
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| 倾向( inclination的名词复数 )； 倾斜； 爱好； 斜坡 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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enjoins
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| v.命令( enjoin的第三人称单数 ) | |
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amenities
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| n.令人愉快的事物；礼仪；礼节；便利设施；礼仪( amenity的名词复数 )；便利设施；（环境等的）舒适；（性情等的）愉快 | |
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65
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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circumference
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| n.圆周，周长，圆周线 | |
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67
tithes
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| n.（宗教捐税）什一税，什一的教区税，小部分( tithe的名词复数 ) | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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