phyllis of philistia-第3部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

the　incidents　had　led　to　nothing；　except；　perhaps；　a　week　or　two　of　remorse。　But　she　could　not　help　feeling；　when　that　month　of　curious　doubt　was　upon　her；　that　the　little　thrill　which　she　had　felt　when　one　man　had　put　his　arm　around　her　for　an　instant；　when　another　manhe　was　very　younghad　put　his　lips　upon　her　mouthit　was　a　straightforward　kisssuggested　a　nearer　approach　to　love　than　she　had　yet　been　conscious　of　in　the　presence　of　George　Holland。　（He　had　never　done　more　than　kiss　her　hand。　Is　it　on　record　that　any　man　did　more　when　dressed　with　the　severity　of　the　cleric？）

This　was　a　terrible　impression　for　a　young　woman　to　retain　before　her　engagement　to　a　man　has　passed　into　its　third　month。　Then　she　began　to　wonder　if　all　her　previous　ideasall　her　previous　aspirationswere　mistaken。　She　began　to　wonder　if　this　was　the　reality　of　lovethis　conviction　that　there　was　nothing　in　the　whole　world　that　she　would　welcome　with　more　enthusiasm　than　an　announcement　on　the　part　of　her　father　that　he　was　going　on　a　voyage　to　Australia；　and　that　he　meant　to　take　her　with　him。

And　then

Well；　then　she　threw　herself　upon　her　bed　and　wept　for　an　hour　one　evening；　and　for　two　hours　（at　intervals）　another　evening；　and　then　looked　up　the　old　published　speeches　made　by　a　certain　cabinet　minister　in　his　irresponsible　days；　on　a　question　which　he　had　recently　introduced。　Her　father　was　bitterly　opposed　to　the　most　recent　views　of　the　minister；　and　was　particularly　anxious　to　confront　him　with　his　own　phrases　of　thirty　years　back。　She　spent　four　hours　copying　out　the　words　which　were　now　meant　by　Mr。　Ayrton　to　confound　the　utterer。



CHAPTER　III。

THE　BISHOP　KNEW　SOMETHING　OF　MAN；　AND　HE　KNEW　SOMETHING　OF　THE　CHURCH；　HE　EVEN　KNEW　SOMETHING　OF　THE　BIBLE。

Her　father　when　he　came　in　commended　her　diligence。　He　read　over　those　damning　extracts；　punctuating　them　with　chuckles；　he　would　make　an　example　of　that　minister　who　had　found　it　convenient　to　adopt　a　course　diametrically　opposed　to　the　principle　involved　in　his　early　speeches。　He　chuckled；　reading　the　extracts　while　he　paced　the　room；　drawing　upon　his　stock　of　telling　phrases；　which　were　calculated　to　turn　the　derision　of　the　whole　House　of　Commons　upon　his　opponent。

Thus；　being　very　well　satisfied　with　himself；　he　was　satisfied　with　her；　and　kissed　her；　with　a　sigh。

〃What　a　treasure　you　are　to　me；　dearest　one！〃　he　said。　There　was　a　pause　before　he　added；　in　a　contemplative　tone：

〃I　suppose　a　clergyman　has　no　need　ever　to　hunt　up　the　past　deliverances　of　another　clergyman　in　order　to　confound　him　out　of　his　own　mouth。　Ah；　no；　I　should　fancy　not。〃

Regret　was　in　his　voice。　He　seemed　to　suggest　to　her　that　he　believed　her　powers　would　be　wasted　as　the　wife　of　a　man　who；　of　course；　being　a　clergyman；　could　have　no　enemies。

〃Dearest　papa！〃　she　cried；　throwing　herself　into　his　arms；　and　sobbing　on　his　shirt　front；　〃dearest　papa；　I　will　not　leave　you。　I　don't　want　to　be　anyone's　wife。　I　want　to　be　your　daughteronly　to　be　your　daughter。〃

He　comforted　her　with　kisses　and　soothing　smoothings　of　the　hair。　No；　no；　he　said；　he　would　not　be　selfish。　He　would　remember　that　a　father　was　the　trustee　of　his　child's　happiness。

〃But　I　know　I　can　only　be　happy　with　you；　my　father！〃　she　cried；　but　it　was　of　no　avail。　He；　being　a　father　and　not　a　mother；　was　unable　to　perceive　what　was　in　the　girl's　heart。　He　considered　it　quite　natural　that　she　should　be　a　trifle　hysterical　in　anticipating　her　new　life　that　strange　untraveled　country！　Ah；　is　there　anything　more　pathetic；　he　thought；　than　a　girl's　anticipations　of　wifehood？　But　he　would　do　his　duty；　and　he　fancied　that　he　was　doing　his　duty　when　he　put　aside　her　earnest；　almost　passionate　protestations；　and　told　her　how　happy　she　would　be　with　the　man　who　was　lucky　enough　to　have　won　the　pure　treasure　of　her　love。

What　could　she　do？　The　terrible　doubts　of　that　month　of　doubting　broadened　into　certainties。　She　knew　that　she　did　not　love　George　Holland；　but　she　had　not　the　courage　to　face　Philistia　as　the　girl　who　did　not　know　her　own　mind。　Philistia　was　very　solid　on　such　points　as　the　sacredness　of　an　engagement　between　a　man　and　a　woman。　It　was　a　contract　practically　as　abiding　as　marriage；　in　the　eyes　of　Philistia；　and；　indeed；　Phyllis　herself　had　held　this　belief；　and　had　never　hesitated　to　express　it。　So　nothing　was　left　to　her　but　to　marry　George　Holland。　After　all；　he　was　a　brilliant　and　distinguished　man；　and　had　not　a　score　of　other　girls　wanted　to　marry　him？　Oh；　she　would　marry　him　and　give　up　her　life　to　the　splendid　duties　which　devolve　upon　the　wife　of　a　clergyman。

But　just　as　she　had　made　up　her　mind　to　face　her　fate；　Mr。　Holland's　fate　induced　him　to　publish　the　book　at　which　he　had　been　working　for　some　time。　It　came　out　just　when　the　girl　was　becoming　resigned　to　her　future　by　his　side；　and　it　attracted　even　more　attention　than　the　author　had　hoped　it　would　achieve。

The　book　was　titled　〃Revised　Versions；〃　and　it　was　strikingly　modern　in　design　and　in　tone。　It　purported　to　deal　with　several　personages　and　numerous　episodes　of　the　Old　Testament；　not　from　the　standpoint　of　the　comparative　philologist；　not　from　the　standpoint　of　the　comparative　mythologist；　but　from　the　standpoint　of　the　modern　man　of　common　sense　and　average　power　of　discrimination；　and　the　result　was　that　the　breath　of　a　good　many　people；　especially　clergymen；　was　taken　from　them；　and　that　the　Rev。　George　Holland　became　the　best…known　clergyman　in　England。

He　dealt　with　the　patriarchs　in　succession；　and　they　fared　very　badly　at　his　hands。　He　showed　that　Abraham　had　not　one　good　act　recorded　to　his　credit；　and　contrasted　his　duplicity　with　the　magnanimity　of　the　ruler　of　Egypt　whom　he　visited。　He　dwelt　upon　the　Hagar　episode；　showing　that　the　adulterer　was　also　a　murderer　by　intention；　and　so　forth；　while　no　words　could　be　too　strong　to　apply　to　Sara；　his　wife。　Isaac　did　not　call　for　elaborate　notice。　He　could　not　be　accused　of　any　actual　crime；　but　if　he　was　a　man　of　strong　personality；　he　was　singularly　unfortunate　in　having　failed　to　impart　to　his　wife　any　of　that　integrity　which　he　may　have　practiced　through　life。　Her　methods　of　dealing　with　him　after　they　had　lived　together　for　a　good　many　years　were　criminal；　considering　the　largeness　of　the　issue　at　stake　as　the　result　of　his　blessing。　As　for　Jacob；　not　a　single　praiseworthy　act　of　his　long　life　was　available　to　his　biographer。　His　career　was　that　of　the　most　sordid　of　hucksters。　Of　eleven　of　his　sons　nothing　good　is　told；　but　Joseph　was　undoubtedly　an　able　and　exemplary　man；　the　only　thing　to　his　discredit　being　his　utter　callousness　regarding　the　fate　of　his　father；　after　he　had　attained　to　a　high　position　in　Egypt。

The　chapter　on　the　patriarchs　was　followed　by　one　that　dealt　with　the　incidents　of　the　Exodus。　The　writer　said　that　he　feared　that　even　the　most　indulgent　critic　must　allow　that　the　whole　scheme　of　Moses　was　a　shocking　one；　but　he　was　probably　the　greatest　man　that　ever　lived　on　the　face　of　the　earth；　if　he　was　the　leader　and　organizer　of　a　band　of　depredators　who　for　bloodthirst　and　rapacity　had　no　parallel　in　history。　How　could　it　be　expected　that　a　kingdom　founded　upon　the　massacre　of　men　and　cemented　by　the　blood　of　women　and　children　should　survive？　It　had　survived　only　as　example　to　the　world　of　the　impossibility　of　a　permanent　success　being　founded　upon　the　atrocious　methods　pursued　by　the　worst　of　the　robber　states　of　the　East。　While　civilization　had　been　spreading　on　all　sides　of　them；　the　people　of　Israel　had　remained　the　worst　of　barbarians；　murdering　the　men　who　had　from　time　to　time　arisen　to　try　and　rescue　them　from　the　abysses　of　criminality　into　which　they　had　fallen；abysses　of　criminality　and　superstition；until　they　had　filled　their　cup　of　crime　by　the　murder　of　the　One　whom　the　world　worships　to…day。

Incidentally；　of　course；　the　character　of　Samson　was　dealt　with。　Delilah　was　shown　to　be　one　of　the　most　heroic　of　womankind；　making　greater　sacrifices　through　her　splendid　patriotism　than　Joan　of　Arc。　But　Samson

Ruth　was　also　dealt　with　incidentally。　She　was　the　woman　who　expresses　her　willingness　to　give　up　her　God　at　the　bidding　of　another　woman；　and　who　had　entered　into　a　plot　with　that　same　woman　to　entrap　a　man　whom　they　looked　to　support　them。

Then　there　was　David。　It　was　not　the　Bath…sheba　episode；　but　the　Abishag；　that　the　author　treated　at　lengthone　of　the　most　revolting　transactions　in　history；　especially　as　there　is　some　reason　to　believe　that　the　unfortunate　girl　was；　when　it　was　perpetrated；　already　attached　to　one　of　the　sons　of　the　loathsome；　senile　sensualist。

Perhaps；　on　the　whole；　it　was　not　surprising　that　after　the　publication　of　this　book　the　Rev。　George　Holland　became　the　best…known　clergyman　in　England；　or　that　the　breath　of　bishops　should　be　taken　from　them。　So　soon　as　some　of　them　recovered　from　the　first　brunt　of　the　shock；　they　met　together　and　held　up　their　hands；　saying　that　they　awaited　the　taking　of　immediate　action　by　the　prelate　within　whose　see　St。　Chad's　was　situated。　But　that　particular　prelate　was　a　man　who　had　never　been　known　to　err　on　the　side　of　rapidity　of　action。　Nearly　a　week　had　passed　before　he　made　any　mo