有声名著之双城记Book2 Chapter13

　　有声名著之双城记

       CHAPTER XIIIThe Fellow of Delicacy 1

       IF Sydney Carton ever shone anywhere, he certainly never shonethe house of Doctor Manette. He had been there often, during awhole year, and had always been the same moody 2 and moroselounger there. When he cared to talk, he talked well; but, thecloud of caring for nothing, which overshadowed him with sucha fatal darkness, was very rarely pierced by the light withinhim.

And yet he did care something for the streets that environedthat house, and for the senseless stones that made theirpavements. Many a night he vaguely 3 and unhappily wanderedthere, when wine had brought no transitory gladness to him;many a dreary 4 daybreak revealed his solitary 5 figure lingeringthere, and still lingering there when the first beams of thesun brought into strong relief, removed beauties ofarchitecture in spires 6 of churches and lofty buildings, asperhaps the quiet time brought some sense of better things,else forgotten and unattainable, into his mind. Of late, theneglected bed in the Temple Court had known him more scantilythin ever; and often when he had thrown himself upon it nolonger than a few minutes, he had got up again, and hauntedthat neighbourhood.

On a day in August, when Mr. Stryver (after notifying to hisjackal that `he had thought better of that marrying matter')had carried his delicacy into Devonshire, and when the sightand scent 7 of flowers in the City streets had some waifs ofgoodness in them for the worst, of health for the sickliest,and of youth for the oldest, Sydney's feet still trod thosestones. From being irresolute 8 and purposeless, his feet becameanimated by an intention, and, in the working out of thatintention, they took him to the Doctor's door.

He was shown upstairs, and found Lucie at her work, alone.

She had never been quite at her ease with him, and receivedhim with some little embarrassment 9 as he seated himself nearher table. But, looking up at his face in the interchange ofthe first few commonplaces, she observed a change in it.

`I fear you are not well, Mr. Carton!'

`No. But the life I lead, Miss Manette, is not conducive 10 tohealth. What is to be expected of or by, such profligates?'

`Is it not--forgive me; I have begun the question on my lips--a pity to live no better life?'

`God knows it is a shame!'

`Then why not change it?'

Looking gently at him again, she was surprised and saddenedto see that there were tears in his eyes. There were tears inhis voice too, as he answered:

`It is too late for that. I shall never be better than I am.

I shall sink lower, and be worse.'

He leaned an elbow on her table, and covered his eyes withhis hand. The table trembled in the silence that followed.

She had never seen hint softened 11, and was much distressed 13. Heknew her to be so, without looking at her, and said:

`Pray forgive me, Miss Manette. I break down before theknowledge of what I want to say to you. Will you hear me?'

`If it will do you any good, Mr. Carton, if it would make youhappier, it would make me very glad!'

`God bless you for your sweet compassion 14!'