Iamafraid,sir,saidMr。Pickwick,layinghishandgentlyandcompassionatelyonhisarm。Iamafraidyouwillhavetoliveinsomenoisycrowdedplace。
Now,pray,considerthisroomyourownwhenyouwantquiet,orwhenanyofyourfriendscometoseeyou。
Friends!interposedtheman,inavoicewhichrattledinhisthroat。
IfIlaydeadatthebottomofthedeepestmineintheworld。tightscreweddownandsolderedinmycoffin。rottinginthedarkandfilthyditchthatdragsitsslimealong,beneaththefoundationsofthisprison。IcouldnotbemoreforgottenorunheededthanIamhere。Iamadeadman。deadtosociety,withoutthepitytheybestowonthosewhosesoulshavepassedtojudgment。Friendstoseeme!MyGod!Ihavesunk,fromtheprimeoflifeintooldage,inthisplace,andthereisnotonetoraisehishandabovemybedwhenIliedeaduponit,andsay,`Itisablessingheisgone!’
Theexcitement,whichhadcastanunwontedlightovertheman’sface,whilehespoke,subsidedasheconcluded。and,pressinghiswitheredhandstogetherinahastyanddisorderedmanner,heshuffledfromtheroom。
Ridesratherrusty,saidMr。Roker,withasmile。Ah!they’reliketheelephants。Theyfeelitnowandthen,anditmakes’emwild!
Havingmadethisdeeply-sympathisingremark,Mr。Rokerentereduponhisarrangementswithsuchexpedition,thatinashorttimetheroomwasfurnishedwithacarpet,sixchairs,atable,asofabedstead,atea-kettle,andvarioussmallarticles,onhire,attheveryreasonablerateofseven-and-twentyshillingsandsixpenceperweek。
Now,isthereanythingmorewecandoforyou?inquiredMr。Roker,lookingroundwithgreatsatisfaction,andgailychinkingthefirstweek’shireinhisclosedfirst。
Why,yes,saidMr。Pickwick,whohadbeenmusingdeeplyforsometime。
Arethereanypeoplehere,whorunonerrands,andsoforth?
Outside,doyoumean?inquiredMr。Roker。
Yes。Imeanwhoareabletogooutside。Notprisoners。
Yes,thereis,saidRoker。There’sanunfortunatedevil,whohasgotafriendonthepoorside,that’sgladtodoanythingofthatsort。
He’sbeenrunningoddjobs,andthat,forthelasttwomonths。ShallI
sendhim?
Ifyouplease,rejoinedMr。Pickwick。Stay。no。Thepoorside,yousay?Ishouldliketoseeit。I’llgotohimmyself。
Thepoorsideofadebtor’sprison,is,asitsnameimports,thatinwhichthemostmiserableandabjectclassofdebtorsareconfined。Aprisonerhavingdeclareduponthepoorside,paysneitherrentnorchummage。Hisfees,uponenteringandleavingthegaol,arereducedinamount,andhebecomesentitledtoashareofsomesmallquantitiesoffood:toprovidewhich,afewcharitablepersonshave,fromtimetotime,lefttriflinglegaciesintheirwills。Mostofourreaderswillremember,that,untilwithinaveryfewyearspast,therewasakindofironcageinthewalloftheFleetPrison,withinwhichwaspostedsomemanofhungrylooks,who,fromtimetotime,rattledamoney-box,andexclaimedinamournfulvoice,Pray,rememberthepoordebtors。pray,rememberthepoordebtors。
Thereceiptsofthisbox,whentherewereany,weredividedamongthepoorprisoners。andthemenonthepoorsiderelievedeachotherinthisdegradingoffice。
Althoughthiscustomhasbeenabolished,andthecageisnowboardedup,themiserableanddestituteconditionoftheseunhappypersonsremainsthesame。Wenolongersufferthemtoappealattheprisongatestothecharityandcompassionofthepassers-by。butwestillleaveunblottedintheleavesofourstatutebook,forthereverenceandadmirationofsucceedingages,thejustandwholesomelawwhichdeclaresthatthesturdyfelonshallbefedandclothed,andthatthepennilessdebtorshallbelefttodieofstarvationandnakedness。Thisisnofiction。Notaweekpassesoverourheads,but,ineveryoneofourprisonsfordebt,someofthesemenmustinevitablyexpireintheslowagoniesofwant,iftheywerenotrelievedbytheirfellow-prisoners。
Turningthesethingsinhismind,ashemountedthenarrowstaircaseatthefootofwhichRokerhadlefthim,Mr。Pickwickgraduallyworkedhimselftotheboiling-overpoint。andsoexcitedwashewithhisreflectionsonthissubject,thathehadburstintotheroomtowhichhehadbeendirected,beforehehadanydistinctrecollection,eitheroftheplaceinwhichhewas,oroftheobjectofhisvisit。
Thegeneralaspectoftheroomrecalledhimtohimselfatonce。buthehadnosoonercasthiseyesonthefigureofamanwhowasbroodingoverthedustyfire,than,lettinghishatfallonthefloor,hestoodperfectlyfixed,andimmovable,withastonishment。
Yes。intatteredgarments,andwithoutacoat。hiscommoncalicoshirt,yellowandinrags。hishairhangingoverhisface。hisfeatureschangedwithsuffering,andpinchedwithfamine。theresatMr。AlfredJingle:hisheadrestingonhishand,hiseyesfixeduponthefire,andhiswholeappearancedenotingmiseryanddejection!
Nearhim,leaninglistlesslyagainstthewall,stoodastrong-builtcountryman,flickingwithaworn-outhunting-whipthetop-bootthatadornedhisrightfoot:hisleftbeingforhedressedbyeasystagesthrustintoanoldslipper。Horses,dogs,anddrink,hadbroughthimthere,pell-mell。
Therewasarustyspuronthesolitaryboot,whichheoccasionallyjerkedintotheemptyair,atthesametimegivingthebootasmartblow,andmutteringsomeofthesoundsbywhichasportsmanencourageshishorse。
Hewasriding,inimagination,somedesperatesteeple-chaseatthatmoment。
Poorwretch!Heneverrodeamatchontheswiftestanimalinhiscostlystud,withhalfthespeedatwhichhehadtornalongthecoursethatendedintheFleet。
Ontheoppositesideoftheroomanoldmanwasseatedonasmallwoodenbox,withhiseyesrivetedonthefloor,andhisfacesettledintoanexpressionofthedeepestandmosthopelessdespair。Ayounggirl——hislittlegrand-daughter——washangingabouthim:endeavouring,withathousandchildishdevices,toengagehisattention。buttheoldmanneithersawnorheardher。Thevoicethathadbeenmusictohim,andtheeyesthathadbeenlight,fellcoldlyonhissenses。Hislimbswereshakingwithdisease,andthepalsyhadfastenedonhismind。
Thereweretwoorthreeothermenintheroom,congregatedinalittleknot,andnoisilytalkingamongthemselves。Therewasaleanandhaggardwoman,too——aprisoner’swife——whowaswatering,withgreatsolicitude,thewretchedstumpofadried-up,witheredplant,which,itwasplaintosee,couldneversendforthagreenleafagain——tootrueanemblem,perhaps,oftheofficeshehadcometheretodischarge。
SuchweretheobjectswhichpresentedthemselvestoMr。Pickwick’sview,ashelookedroundhiminamazement。Thenoiseofsomeonestumblinghastilyintotheroom,rousedhim。Turninghiseyestowardsthedoor,theyencounteredthenew-comer。andinhim,throughhisragsanddirt,herecognisedthefamiliarfeaturesofMr。JobTrotter。
Mr。Pickwick!exclaimedJobaloud。
Eh?saidJingle,startingfromhisseat。Mr——!Soitis——queerplace——strangething——servesmeright——very。Mr。Jinglethrusthishandsintotheplacewherehistrousers’pocketsusedtobe,and,droppinghischinuponhisbreast,sankbackintohischair。
Mr。Pickwickwasaffected。thetwomenlookedsoverymiserable。ThesharpinvoluntaryglanceJinglehadcastatasmallpieceofrawloinofmutton,whichJobhadbroughtinwithhim,saidmoreoftheirreducedstatethantwohours’explanationcouldhavedone。Mr。PickwicklookedmildlyatJingle,andsaid:
Ishouldliketospeaktoyouinprivate。Willyoustepoutforaninstant?
Certainly,saidJingle,risinghastily。Can’tstepfar——nodangerofover-walkingyourselfhere——Spikepark——groundspretty——romantic,butnotextensive——openforpublicinspection——familyalwaysintown——housekeeperdesperatelycareful——very。
Youhaveforgottenyourcoat,saidMr。Pickwick,astheywalkedouttothestaircase,andclosedthedoorafterthem。
Eh?saidJingle。Spout——dearrelation——uncleTom——couldn’thelpit——musteat,youknow。Wantsofnature——andallthat。
Whatdoyoumean?
Gone,mydearsir——lastcoat——can’thelpit。Livedonapairofboots——wholefortnight。Silkumbrella——ivoryhandle——week——fact——honour——askJob——knowsit。
Livedforthreeweeksuponapairofboots,andasilkumbrellawithanivoryhandle!exclaimedMr。Pickwick,whohadonlyheardofsuchthingsinshipwrecks,orreadoftheminConstable’sMiscellany。
True,saidJingle,noddinghishead。Pawnbroker’sshop——duplicateshere——smallsums——merenothing——allrascals。
Oh,saidMr。Pickwick,muchrelievedbythisexplanation。Iunderstandyou。Youhavepawnedyourwardrobe。
Everything——Job’stoo——allshirtsgone——nevermind——saveswashing。
Nothingsoon——lieinbed——starve——die——Inquest——littlebone-house——poorprisoner——commonnecessaries——hushitup——gentlemenofthejury——warden’stradesmen——keepitsnug——naturaldeath——coroner’sorder——work-housefuneral——servehimright——allover\s-s\dropthecurtain。
Jingledeliveredthissingularsummaryofhisprospectsinlife,withhisaccustomedvolubility,andwithvarioustwitchesofthecountenancetocounterfeitsmiles。Mr。Pickwickeasilyperceivedthathisrecklessnesswasassumed,andlookinghimfull,butnotunkindly,intheface,sawthathiseyesweremoistwithtears。
Goodfellow,saidJingle,pressinghishand,andturninghisheadaway。Ungratefuldog——boyishtocry——can’thelpit——badfever——weak——ill——hungry。
Deserveditall——butsufferedmuch——very。Whollyunabletokeepupappearancesanylonger,andperhapsrenderedworsebytheefforthehadmade,thedejectedstrollersatdownonthestairs,and,coveringhisfacewithhishands,sobbedlikeachild。
Come,come,saidMr。Pickwick,withconsiderableemotion,we’llseewhatcanbedone,whenIknowallaboutthematter。Here,Job。whereisthatfellow?
Here,sir,repliedJob,presentinghimselfonthestaircase。Wehavedescribedhim,by-the-bye,ashavingdeeply-sunkeneyes,inthebestoftimes。Inhispresentstateofwantanddistress,helookedasifthosefeatureshadgoneoutoftownaltogether。
Here,sir,criedJob。
Comehere,sir,saidMr。Pickwick,tryingtolookstern,withfourlargetearsrunningdownhiswaistcoat。Takethat,sir。
Takewhat?Intheordinaryacceptationofsuchlanguage,itshouldhavebeenablow。Astheworldruns,itoughttohavebeenasound,heartycuff。
forMr。Pickwickhadbeenduped,deceived,andwrongedbythedestituteoutcastwhowasnowwhollyinhispower。Mustwetellthetruth?ItwassomethingfromMr。Pickwick’swaistcoat-pocket,whichchinkedasitwasgivenintoJob’shand,andthegivingofwhich,somehoworotherimpartedasparkletotheeye,andaswellingtotheheart,ofourexcellentoldfriend,ashehurriedaway。
SamhadreturnedwhenMr。Pickwickreachedhisownroom,andwasinspectingthearrangementsthathadbeenmadeforhiscomfort,withakindofgrimsatisfactionwhichwasverypleasanttolookupon。Havingadecidedobjectiontohismaster’sbeingthereatall,Mr。Wellerappearedtoconsideritahighmoraldutynottoappeartoomuchpleasedwithanythingthatwasdone,said,suggested,orproposed。
Well,Sam,saidMr。Pickwick。
Well,sir,repliedMr。Weller。
Prettycomfortablenow,eh,Sam?
Prettyvell,sir,respondedSam,lookingroundhiminadisparagingmanner。
HaveyouseenMr。Tupmanandourotherfriends?
Yes,Ihaveseen’em,sir,andthey’reacomin’to-morrow,andwoswerymuchsurprisedtoheartheywarn’ttocometo-day,repliedSam。
YouhavebroughtthethingsIwanted?
Mr。Wellerinreplypointedtovariouspackageswhichhehadarranged,asneatlyashecould,inacorneroftheroom。
Verywell,Sam,saidMr。Pickwick,afteralittlehesitation。listentowhatIamgoingtosay,Sam。
Cert’nly,sir,rejoinedMr。Weller,fireaway,sir。
Ihavefeltfromthefirst,Sam,saidMr。Pickwick,withmuchsolemnity,thatthisisnottheplacetobringayoungmanto。
Noranold’unneither,sir,observedMr。Weller。
You’requiteright,Sam,saidMr。Pickwick。butoldmenmaycomehere,throughtheirownheedlessnessandunsuspicion:andyoungmenmaybebroughtherebytheselfishnessofthosetheyserve。Itisbetterforthoseyoungmen,ineverypointofview,thattheyshouldnotremainhere。
Doyouundertsandme,Sam?
Vyno,sir,IdoNOT,repliedMr。Weller,doggedly。
Try,Sam,saidMr。Pickwick。
Vell,sir,rejoinedSam,afterashortpause,IthinkIseeyourdrift。andifIdoseeyourdrift,it’smy`pinionthatyou’reacomin’
itagreatdealtoostrong,asthemailcoachmansaidtothesnow-storm,venitovertookhim。
Iseeyoucomprehendme,Sam,saidMr。Pickwick。Independentlyofmywishthatyoushouldnotbeidlingaboutaplacelikethis,foryearstocome,IfeelthatforadebtorintheFleettobeattendedbyhisman-servantisamonstrousabsurdity。Sam,saidMr。Pickwick,foratime,youmustleaveme。
Oh,foratime,eh,sir?rejoinedMr。Weller,rathersarcastically。
Yes,forthetimethatIremainhere,saidMr。Pickwick。YourwagesIshallcontinuetopay。Anyoneofmythreefriendswillbehappytotakeyou,wereitonlyoutofrespecttome。AndifIeverdoleavethisplace,Sam,addedMr。Pickwick,withassumedcheerfulness:ifIdo,Ipledgeyoumywordthatyoushallreturntomeinstantly。
NowI’lltellyouwotitis,sir,saidMr。Weller,inagraveandsolemnvoice,Thisheresorto’thingwon’tdoatall,sodon’tlet’shearnomoreaboutit。
Iamserious,andresolved,Sam,saidMr。Pickwick。
Youair,airyou,sir?inquiredMr。Weller,firmly。Werygood,sir。
ThensoamI。
Thusspeaking,Mr。Wellerfixedhishatonhishandwithgreatprecision,andabruptlylefttheroom。
Sam!criedMr。Pickwick,callingafterhim,Sam!Here!
Butthelonggalleryceasedtore-echothesoundoffoot-steps。SamWellerwasgone。
[NextChapter][TableofContents]ThePickwickPapers:Chapter43[PreviousChapter][TableofContents]CHAPTERXLIIISHOWINGHOWMR。SAMUELWELLERGOTINTODIFFICULTIES
INaloftyroom,ill-lightedandworseventilated,situateinPortugalStreet,Lincoln’sInnFields,theresitnearlythewholeyearround,one,two,three,orfourgentlemeninwigs,asthecasemaybe,withlittlewritingdesksbeforethem,constructedafterthefashionofthoseusedbythejudgesoftheland,barringtheFrenchpolish。Thereisaboxofbarristersontheirrighthand。thereisaninclosureofinsolventdebtorsontheirleft。andthereisaninclinedplaneofmostespeciallydirtyfacesintheirfront。ThesegentlemenaretheCommissionersoftheInsolventCourt,andtheplaceinwhichtheysit,istheInsolventCourtitself。
Itis,andhasbeen,timeoutofmind,theremarkablefateofthisCourttobe,somehoworother,heldandunderstood,bythegeneralconsentofallthedestituteshabby-genteelpeopleinLondon,astheircommonresort,andplaceofdailyrefuge。Itisalwaysfull。Thesteamsofbeerandspiritsperpetuallyascendtotheceiling,and,beingcondensedbytheheat,rolldownthewallslikerain。therearemoreoldsuitsofclothesinitatonetime,thanwillbeofferedforsaleinallHoundsditchinatwelvemonth。
moreunwashedskinsandgrizzlybeardsthanallthepumpsandshavingshopsbetweenTyburnandWhitechapelcouldrenderdecent,betweensunriseandsunset。
Itmustnotbesupposedthatanyofthesepeoplehavetheleastshadowofbusinessin,ortheremotestconnectionwith,theplacetheysoindefatigablyattend。Iftheyhad,itwouldbenomatterofsurprise,andthesingularityofthethingwouldcease。Someofthemsleepduringthegreaterpartofthesitting。otherscarrysmallportabledinnerswrappedinpocket-handkerchiefsorstickingoutoftheirworn-outpockets,andmunchandlistenwithequalrelish。butnooneamongthemwaseverknowntohavetheslightestpersonalinterestinanycasethatwaseverbroughtforward。What-evertheydo,theretheysitfromthefirstmomenttothelast。Whenitisheavyrainyweather,theyallcomein,wetthrough。andatsuchtimesthevapoursoftheCourtarelikethoseofafungus-pit。
AcasualvisitormightsupposethisplacetobeaTemplededicatedtotheGeniusofSeediness。Thereisnotamessengerorprocess-serverattachedtoit,whowearsacoatthatwasmadeforhim。notatolerablyfresh,orwholesome-lookingmaninthewholeestablishment,exceptalittlewhite-headedapple-facedtipstaff,andevenhe,likeanillconditionedcherrypreservedinbrandy,seemstohaveartificiallydriedandwitheredupintoastateofpreservationtowhichhecanlaynonaturalclaim。Theverybarristers’
wigsareill-powdered,andtheircurlslackcrispness。
Buttheattorneys,whositatalargebaretablebelowtheCommissioners,are,afterall,thegreatestcuriosities。Theprofessionalestablishmentofthemoreopulentofthesegentlemen,consistsofabluebagandaboy:
generallyayouthoftheJewishpersuasion。Theyhavenofixedoffices,theirlegalbusinessbeingtransactedintheparloursofpublic-houses,ortheyardsofprisons:whithertheyrepairincrowds,andcanvassforcustomersafterthemannerofomnibuscads。Theyareofagreasyandmildewedappearance。andiftheycanbesaidtohaveanyvicesatall,perhapsdrinkingandcheatingarethemostconspicuousamongthem。TheirresidencesareusuallyontheoutskirtsoftheRules,chieflylyingwithinacircleofonemilefromtheobeliskinSt。George’sFields。Theirlooksarenotprepossessing,andtheirmannersarepeculiar。
Mr。SolomonPell,oneofthislearnedbody,wasafatflabbypaleman,inasurtoutwhichlookedgreenoneminuteandbrownthenext:withavelvetcollarofthesamechameleontints。Hisforeheadwasnarrow,hisfacewide,hisheadlarge,andhisnoseallononeside,asifNature,indignantwiththepropensitiessheobservedinhiminhisbirth,hadgivenitanangrytweakwhichithadneverrecovered。Beingshort-neckedandasthmatic,however,herespiredprincipallythroughthisfeature。so,perhaps,whatitwantedinornament,itmadeupinusefulness。
I’msuretobringhimthroughit,saidMr。Pell。
Areyouthough?repliedthepersontowhomtheassurancewaspledged。
Certainsure,repliedPell。butifhe’dgonetoanyirregularpractitioner,mindyou,Iwouldn’thaveansweredfortheconsequences。
Ah!saidtheother,withopenmouth。
No,thatIwouldn’t,saidMr。...剩余内容请长按扫描二维码或下载丁香书院APP继续免费看:
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