登陆注册
14820400000080

第80章

The Nightmare Shall call thee when it walks.

MIDDLETON.--The Witch.

The inn to which Hugh had betaken himself, though not the first in the town, was yet what is called a respectable house, and was possessed of a room of considerable size, in which the farmers of the neighbourhood were accustomed to hold their gatherings. While eating his dinner, Hugh learned from the conversation around him--for he sat in the kitchen for the sake of the fire--that this room was being got ready for a lecture on Bilology, as the landlady called it. Bills in red and blue had been posted all over the town;and before he had finished his dinner, the audience had begun to arrive. Partly from curiosity about a subject of which he knew nothing, and partly because it still rained, and, having got nearly dry, he did not care about a second wetting if he could help it, Hugh resolved to make one of them. So he stood by the fire till he was informed that the lecturer had made his appearance, when he went up-stairs, paid his shilling, and was admitted to one of the front seats. The room was tolerably lighted with gas; and a platform had been constructed for the lecturer and his subjects. When the place was about half-filled, he came from another room alone--a little, thick-set, bull-necked man, with vulgar face and rusty black clothes; and, mounting the platform, commenced his lecture; if lecture it could be called, in which there seemed to be no order, and scarcely any sequence. No attempt even at a theory, showed itself in the mass of what he called facts and scientific truths;and he perpeturated the most awful blunders in his English. It will not be desired that I should give any further account of such a lecture. The lecturer himself seemed to depend chiefly for his success, upon the manifestations of his art which he proceeded to bring forward. He called his familiar by the name of Willi-am, and a stunted, pale-faced, dull-looking youth started up from somewhere, and scrambled upon the platform beside his master. Upon this tutored slave a number of experiments was performed. He was first cast into whatever abnormal condition is necessary for the operations of biology, and then compelled to make a fool of himself by exhibiting actions the most inconsistent with his real circumstances and necessities. But, aware that all this was open to the most palpable objection of collusion, the operator next invited any of the company that pleased, to submit themselves to his influences. After a pause of a few moments, a stout country fellow, florid and healthy, got up and slouched to the platform. Certainly, whatever might be the nature of the influence that was brought to bear, its operative power could not, with the least probability, be attributed to an over-activity of imagination in either of the subjects submitted to its exercise. In the latter, as well as in the former case, the operator was eminently successful; and the clown returned to his seat, looking remarkably foolish and conscious of disgrace--a sufficient voucher to most present, that in this case at least there had been no collusion. Several others volunteered their negative services; but with no one of them did he succeed so well; and in one case the failure was evident. The lecturer pretended to account for this, in making some confused and unintelligible remarks about the state of the weather, the thunder-storm, electricity, &c., of which things he evidently did not understand the best known laws.

"The blundering idiot!" growled, close to Hugh's ear, a voice with a foreign accent.

He looked round sharply.

A tall, powerful, eminently handsome man, with a face as foreign as his tone and accent, sat beside him.

"I beg your pardon," he said to Hugh; "I thought aloud.""I should like to know, if you wouldn't mind telling me, what you detect of the blunderer in him. I am quite ignorant of these matters.""I have had many opportunities of observing them; and I see at once that this man, though he has the natural power, is excessively ignorant of the whole subject."This was all the answer he vouchsafed to Hugh's modest inquiry.

Hugh had not yet learned that one will always fare better by concealing than by acknowledging ignorance. The man, whatever his capacity, who honestly confesses even a partial ignorance, will instantly be treated as more or less incapable, by the ordinary man who has already gained a partial knowledge, or is capable of assuming a knowledge which he does not possess. But, for God's sake! let the honest and modest man stick to his honesty and modesty, cost what they may.

Hugh was silent, and fixed his attention once more on what was going on. But presently he became aware that the foreigner was scrutinizing him with the closest attention. He knew this, somehow, without having looked round; and the knowledge was accompanied with a feeling of discomfort that caused him to make a restless movement on his seat. Presently he felt that the annoyance had ceased; but not many minutes had passed, before it again commenced. In order to relieve himself from a feeling which he could only compare to that which might be produced by the presence of the dead, he turned towards his neighbour so suddenly, that it seemed for a moment to embarrass him, his eyes being caught in the very act of devouring the stolen indulgence. But the stranger recovered himself instantly with the question:

"Will you permit me to ask of what country you are?"Hugh thought he made the request only for the sake of covering his rudeness; and so merely answered:

"Why, an Englishman, of course."

"Ah! yes; it is not necessary to be told that. But it seems to me, from your accent, that you are a Scotchman.""So I am."

"A Highlander?"

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 高手的校花

    高手的校花

    财富,权力,威望,都被这个普通的现代少年撰在掌间。……林丛,今晚是你翻牌呀,还是我们姐妹划拳?黑丝情趣睡衣笼罩下的孙妤分外妖娆,除此之外,沙发上还坐着一个嘟着嘴却一脸冰寒的张岄,厨房里还有一个贤惠温顺却只穿着围裙的林晓曼,膝下还有一个摇着林丛大腿的宋慧恩,电视前还有……苍天!还让不让我休养生息了,整整三个月了,每晚都是夜夜笙箫,林丛摇了摇头,道:罢了,大家还是掷骰子吧…………骰子,丛哥哥,你是说这种色色的骰子吗?
  • 我与新世界

    我与新世界

    在一次海上运输中,遇到暴风雨,逃亡一处荒岛,然而这座岛上,有着危机四伏,有着从未见过的凶兽,那荒岛也并未是荒岛,而是一块不再世界地图里出现的大陆。这是一个新的世界,为危险,也有机遇。他的目的,生存,活着,回家。
  • 命运之承

    命运之承

    这是一个关于选择的故事。旧的的秩序已经崩溃,新的时代还未到来。这纷乱的世间,每一个生灵都挣扎其中。身负命运的人,必须做出自己的抉择。是遵循命运的轨迹,还是追求自我的救赎?
  • tfboys终成陌路

    tfboys终成陌路

    他们两个就是刺猬,永远都不可能会在一起,因为在一起注定会受伤可是,顾陌愿拔了身上的刺,也要和他在一起为了他,顾陌耗尽了青春为了他,顾陌已遍体鳞伤为了他,顾陌已心疼入骨这一切都是为了他。。。。。。。。。。。最后顾陌为了他而死。。。。。。。。。而那个他却在远方。。。。。。。。。。。
  • 沧海落日

    沧海落日

    因种种原因,本书将暂时完本,十分抱歉。本书内容会做大量改动后发,见谅。
  • 无上仙路:修仙漫漫

    无上仙路:修仙漫漫

    他的墓碑前,她离奇穿越,来到了异世,遇到了他,从此走上修仙路……
  • 世界科学博览2

    世界科学博览2

    本书是一部融知识性、趣味性、科学性于一体的科普类图书。力图全方位诠释科学领域的种种现象,引领读者进入精彩玄妙的科学世界,更加立体、真实地感受奇妙的科学之旅,使大家在享受阅读快感、学习科学知识的同时,获得更为广阔的文化视野、审美享受和想象空间。
  • 缘定秋千:校草大人慢点走

    缘定秋千:校草大人慢点走

    秋千下的邂逅,校草大人,你的身影那么近我却抱不到。
  • 绝世无良妃:王爷不爱就请滚吧

    绝世无良妃:王爷不爱就请滚吧

    丞相府的柴房里,一双嗜血的眼睛环绕着四周。她、二十一世纪的第一佣兵团教官,代号——银、穿越了。两天以来,脑子里一直都是这个身体以前主人的记忆。终于承接了所有记忆:瞑炎国、丞相府的小女儿,慕烟疏、排行老六。堂堂嫡女,却被庶女诬陷盗窃,证据确凿;她的亲生父亲,罚她十大板、关进柴房五天静思己过;可怜慕烟疏当晚感染风寒,撑了三天,重伤不治死去……好,很好,天下竟有这样的亲人手足。安息吧慕烟疏,既然占了你的身体,你的事情就是我的事情,我不会让她们好过的……
  • 茶语淡香却已凉

    茶语淡香却已凉

    人生有三种爱情。第一种是你喜欢我,我却不喜欢你。第二种是我喜欢你,你却不喜欢我。第三种是在我喜欢你的同时,你也恰好喜欢我。