登陆注册
19642300000087

第87章

"This our hope for all that's mortal And we too shall burst the bond;

Death keeps watch beside the portal, But 'tis life that dwells beyond."

JOHN STERLING.

Two years have passed since the events recorded in the last chapter, and the end of the summer half-year is again drawing on. Martin has left and gone on a cruise in the South Pacific, in one of his uncle's ships; the old magpie, as disreputable as ever, his last bequest to Arthur, lives in the joint study.

Arthur is nearly sixteen, and at the head of the twenty, having gone up the school at the rate of a form a half-year. East and Tom have been much more deliberate in their progress, and are only a little way up the fifth form. Great strapping boys they are, but still thorough boys, filling about the same place in the house that young Brooke filled when they were new boys, and much the same sort of fellows. Constant intercourse with Arthur has done much for both of them, especially for Tom; but much remains yet to be done, if they are to get all the good out of Rugby which is to be got there in these times. Arthur is still frail and delicate, with more spirit than body; but, thanks to his intimacy with them and Martin, has learned to swim, and run, and play cricket, and has never hurt himself by too much reading.

One evening, as they were all sitting down to supper in the fifth-form room, some one started a report that a fever had broken out at one of the boarding-houses. "They say," he added, "that Thompson is very ill, and that Dr. Robertson has been sent for from Northampton."

"Then we shall all be sent home," cried another. "Hurrah! five weeks' extra holidays, and no fifth-form examination!"

"I hope not," said Tom; "there'll be no Marylebone match then at the end of the half."

Some thought one thing, some another, many didn't believe the report; but the next day, Tuesday, Dr. Robertson arrived, and stayed all day, and had long conferences with the Doctor.

On Wednesday morning, after prayers, the Doctor addressed the whole school. There were several cases of fever in different houses, he said; but Dr. Robertson, after the most careful examination, had assured him that it was not infectious, and that if proper care were taken, there could be no reason for stopping the school-work at present. The examinations were just coming on, and it would be very unadvisable to break up now.

However, any boys who chose to do so were at liberty to write home, and, if their parents wished it, to leave at once. He should send the whole school home if the fever spread.

The next day Arthur sickened, but there was no other case.

Before the end of the week thirty or forty boys had gone, but the rest stayed on. There was a general wish to please the Doctor, and a feeling that it was cowardly to run away.

On the Saturday Thompson died, in the bright afternoon, while the cricket-match was going on as usual on the big-side ground.

The Doctor, coming from his deathbed, passed along the gravel-walk at the side of the close, but no one knew what had happened till the next day. At morning lecture it began to be rumoured, and by afternoon chapel was known generally; and a feeling of seriousness and awe at the actual presence of death among them came over the whole school. In all the long years of his ministry the Doctor perhaps never spoke words which sank deeper than some of those in that day's sermon.

"When I came yesterday from visiting all but the very death-bed of him who has been taken from us, and looked around upon all the familiar objects and scenes within our own ground, where your common amusements were going on with your common cheerfulness and activity, I felt there was nothing painful in witnessing that; it did not seem in any way shocking or out of tune with those feelings which the sight of a dying Christian must be supposed to awaken. The unsuitableness in point of natural feeling between scenes of mourning and scenes of liveliness did not at all present itself. But I did feel that if at that moment any of those faults had been brought before me which sometimes occur amongst us; had I heard that any of you had been guilty of falsehood, or of drunkenness, or of any other such sin; had I heard from any quarter the language of profaneness, or of unkindness, or of indecency; had I heard or seen any signs of that wretched folly which courts the laugh of fools by affecting not to dread evil and not to care for good, then the unsuitableness of any of these things with the scene I had just quitted would indeed have been most intensely painful.

And why? Not because such things would really have been worse than at any other time, but because at such a moment the eyes are opened really to know good and evil, because we then feel what it is so to live as that death becomes an infinite blessing, and what it is so to live also that it were good for us if we had never been born."

Tom had gone into chapel in sickening anxiety about Arthur, but he came out cheered and strengthened by those grand words, and walked up alone to their study. And when he sat down and looked round, and saw Arthur's straw hat and cricket-jacket hanging on their pegs, and marked all his little neat arrangements, not one of which had been disturbed, the tears indeed rolled down his cheeks; but they were calm and blessed tears, and he repeated to himself, "Yes, Geordie's eyes are opened; he knows what it is so to live as that death becomes an infinite blessing. But do I?

O God, can I bear to lose him?"

The week passed mournfully away. No more boys sickened, but Arthur was reported worse each day, and his mother arrived early in the week. Tom made many appeals to be allowed to see him, and several times tried to get up to the sick-room; but the housekeeper was always in the way, and at last spoke to the Doctor, who kindly but peremptorily forbade him.

同类推荐
  • The Muse of the Department

    The Muse of the Department

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 燕翼诒谋录

    燕翼诒谋录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 是斋百一选方

    是斋百一选方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Prester John

    Prester John

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 晋政辑要

    晋政辑要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 她认出了风暴:萧红和她的黄金时代

    她认出了风暴:萧红和她的黄金时代

    她是萧红。她将她的翅膀与生命,定格在属于她的风暴之中……她是民国四大才女之一,被誉为“20世纪30年代的文学洛神”,她在文学上取得了令人瞩目的成就,被鲁迅所推崇,被后世所敬仰。她为爱情飞蛾扑火,她为创作倾其所有。爱情之于她,是空气,是养分,是她生发的土壤;创作之于她,是信念,是光亮,是她生存的渴望。她一生经历过三个男人:汪恩甲之于她,是走投无路之下的慰藉;她与萧军,相识于危难之时,原本同舟共济的两个人因为人生目标不同而分道扬镳;端木蕻良,是萧红生命中最后的守护。她闯过一次比一次更猛烈的风暴,走过了她的万丈红尘,走过了她的寂寞喧腾,最终驻留在她的黄金时代……
  • 逆天驱魔妃

    逆天驱魔妃

    她乃是活了上千年的巫女,驱魔师,为世人算清了前尘后世,却没有想到无意间泄露天机,遭上天惩罚,魂飞魄散,却不料这个男人将她救于水深火热之中,她决定无论付出什么代价,都要助他一生幸福。
  • 万年坠

    万年坠

    她是组织里唯一的杀手兼医生,执行任务的她却无意间穿越到一个十分陌生的世界。元素师?炼药师?灵兽?等等!这些都是些什么鬼?还有那个迷一样的男人,虽然他总会在她危险的时候出手相救,对她特别好,但是本能反应觉得那个男人十分强大又危险,还有……莫名的熟悉……
  • 梦断仙途

    梦断仙途

    蚩尤大帝,华夏古之战神,刀者善用,不死不休,勇猛无比。黄帝炎帝不能力敌,请天神助其破之。杀得天昏地暗,血流成河。蚩尤被黄帝所杀,帝斩其首葬之,首级化为血枫林。后黄帝尊蚩尤为“兵主”,即战争之神。蚩尤大帝善用刀剑,其三把战刃之首便为八斩乾坤刃此刀天工所铸。威力无边以八斩为天地之力震破苍穹一斩为力斩开金断石二斩为影斩化影分身三斩为气斩百丈穿甲四斩为怒斩开山断崖五斩为风斩横扫千军六斩为念斩不动杀敌七斩为魂斩灭魂夺魄八斩为命斩续命还魂
  • 月神传

    月神传

    传说在很久很久以前,月亮是会自己发光的,月球的最深处是一个极为寒冷的地方,那里有一个梦幻般的国度,里面住着一群快乐无比的人,他们有一座冰雕的宫殿名为极寒宫。极寒宫里住着一位美丽、善良的月亮女神——塞勒涅,她守护着水晶盒和月亮上的人们,他们永恒的生活在那快乐的月心世界。
  • 杀手狂妃好嚣张

    杀手狂妃好嚣张

    冷熏染,就像一个幽灵,她曾经在军机六处工作,是个很出色的特工,也是个大麻烦。未曾想,当她成功逃离险境脱身之时,竟然穿越到另一个国度成为了受到非人折磨而投湖自杀的胆小王妃。当她的身份被识破。苏寒:军机六处特工一般都做些什么?冷熏染:和你做的差不多,但是有一个小差别,每一个嫌疑犯,都是一个训练有素的杀手。当她的夫君跌落山谷,生死未卜。鬼魅:你希望我们能找到什么?冷熏染:真相!当她被人追杀。冷熏染:他们想看我亡命天涯,但我要终结这一切!当她被人绑架。冷熏染:我一无所有,如果你够聪明,你就会感觉到害怕!她不在乎什么法律,她不在乎什么证据,她只在乎什么是正确的!且看特工王妃如何在异世扭转乾坤,独步天下!
  • 极品兵帝

    极品兵帝

    极品兵帝,君临帝都。我醒便逐天下权,我醉只卧花丛中。管你野风呼啸,我自岿然,任你群魔乱舞,我自飞龙在天。平凡之人踏过荆棘,攀上不平凡的华夏兵界之巅!
  • 异世宝贝现代妈

    异世宝贝现代妈

    当某男突然失踪后,某女竟然捡到个漂亮小宝宝!为了给小宝宝找到一个合适的爹地,某女又开始了她的漫漫相亲路!而这丫的小坏蛋怎么见一个叫一个爸爸?而且每次叫完后就把所有的难题扔给她去处理!难道小屁孩喜欢这群大尾巴狼?她该怎么办?
  • 重生之11神医

    重生之11神医

    生命重新来过,如同席慕容诗中写的那样:“当我在梦中感到,所有被浪费的时光竟能重回,那种狂喜、感激、以及溢满胸腔的幸福,只因你就在我眼前,对我微笑,那一笑竟若似水流年…”那些曾经的缺憾,那些在时光中逸散掉得爱情,用这一次的生命,将她们追回。边风搂着时间那柔弱的躯体,狠狠的上下其手,那感觉:时光如水,岁月如歌。时间,你从也得从,不从也得从,老子要让你生上一窝大胖小子!“有人说老子贫,有人说老子淫荡,其实那都是金玉之外的败絮!”边风笑得跟一雏儿似的:“午夜梦回,老子已经在青涩的大学时代熟透了!”…………以上——基本是阐述,你们光知道,书好看就得了!真的猛士,敢于直面惨淡的人生,敢于正视淋漓的鲜血……那些曾经看过虫子拙作的,或者压根没看的……直接点击阅读吧!
  • 你的幸福,我愿赌服输

    你的幸福,我愿赌服输

    在偶像乔牧飞的小说签售会上,依雪纯教训色狼的英姿被同班同学凌落川拍下并放到校报上,在学校里引起了巨大的轰动。依雪纯求性格冷漠的凌落川把报道撤下被拒后,心生怨愤,事事和他作对,当她得知凌落川因为当年被女友背叛,而再也写不出爱情故事,反而对他心生同情,为他搜集与恋爱相关的书籍,陪他看爱情电影。两人的感情逐渐深厚。乔牧飞认定凌落川是害死父亲的间接凶手,为报复凌落川处心积虑接近依雪纯,报复不成反促进了凌落川和依雪纯的感情,乔牧飞怨恨之余,发现自己不知何时竟对依雪纯动了真心。