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adam bede(亚当[1].比德)-第128部分

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and  the   old   woman;  whose   memory  for   names   was   infirm;   could 

not recall the name of the “blessed woman” who was Dinah’s chief 

friend in the Society at Leeds。 

    During that long; long journey in the taxed cart; there was time 

for all the conjectures of importunate fear and struggling hope。 In 

the    very   first   shock  of  discovering   that   Hetty   had   not   been     to 

Snowfield; the thought of Arthur had darted through Adam like a 

sharp   pang; but  he   tried   for   some   time   to   ward   off   its   return   by 

busying   himself   with   modes   of   accounting   for   the   alarming   fact; 

quite    apart    from   that   intolerable    thought。     Some     accident    had 

happened。   Hetty   had;   by   some   strange   chance;   got   into  a   wrong 

vehicle from Oakbourne: she had been taken ill; and did not want 

to frighten them by letting them know。 But this frail fence of vague 

improbabilities       was    soon    hurled    down     by   a  rush    of  distinct 

agonising fears。 Hetty had been deceiving herself in thinking that 

she could love and marry him: she had been loving Arthur all the 

while;     and   now;    in  her   desperation      at  the   nearness     of   their 

marriage;   she   had   run   away。   And   she   was   gone   to  him。   The   old 



George Eliot                                                         ElecBook Classics 


… Page 520…

                                    Adam Bede                                      520 



indignation and  jealousy  rose  again; and   prompted   the  suspicion 

that  Arthur  had   been   dealing  falsely—had   written   to  Hetty—had 

tempted   her   to   come   to   him—being   unwilling;   after   all;   that   she 

should belong to another man besides himself。 Perhaps the whole 

thing had been contrived by him; and he had given her directions 

how   to   follow   him   to   Ireland—for   Adam   knew   that   Arthur   had 

been gone thither three weeks ago; having recently learnt it at the 

Chase。   Every  sad   look   of   Hetty’s;   since   she   had   been   engaged   to 

Adam; returned upon him now with all the exaggeration of painful 

retrospect。     He    had   been    foolishly   sanguine     and   confident。     The 

poor thing hadn’t perhaps known her own mind for a long while; 

had thought that she could forget Arthur; had   been   momentarily 

drawn towards the man who offered her a protecting; faithful love。 

He couldn’t bear to blame her: she never meant to cause him this 

dreadful   pain。   The      blame   lay   with   that   man    who   had    selfishly 

played   with   her   heart—had   perhaps   even   deliberately   lured   her 

away。 

    At Oakbourne; the ostler at the Royal Oak remembered such a 

young  woman as Adam described   getting   out   of   the   Treddleston 

coach   more   than   a   fortnight   ago—wasn’t   likely   to   forget   such   a 

pretty lass as that in a hurry—was sure she had not gone on by the 

Buxton   coach  that  went  through  Snowfield;   but  had   lost  sight  of 

her while he went away with the horses and had never set eyes on 

her again。 Adam then went straight to  the  house   from   which  the 

Stoniton   coach   started:   Stoniton   was   the   most   obvious   place   for 

Hetty   to   go   to   first;   whatever   might   be   her   destination;   for   she 

would   hardly  venture   on   any  but  the   chief  coach…roads。 She   had 

been noticed here too; and was remembered to have sat on the box 

by the coachman; but the coachman could not be seen; for another 



George Eliot                                                         ElecBook Classics 


… Page 521…

                                    Adam Bede                                      521 



man   had  been   driving  on   that  road   in   his stead   the last  three   or 

four days。 He could probably be seen at Stoniton; through inquiry 

at the inn where the coach put up。 So the anxious heart…stricken 

Adam must of necessity wait and try to rest till morning—nay; till 

eleven o’clock; when the coach started。 

    At Stoniton another delay occurred; for the old coachman who 

had driven Hetty would not be in the town again till night。 When 

he did come he remembered Hetty well; and remembered his own 

joke    addressed      to  her;   quoting     it  many    times    to   Adam;     and 

observing       with    equal    frequency      that    he   thought     there    was 

something   more   than   common;   because   Hetty   had   not   laughed 

when he joked her。 But he declared; as the people had done at the 

inn; that he had lost sight of Hetty directly she got down。 Part of 

the next morning was consumed in inquiries at every house in the 

town from which a coach started—(all in vain; for you know Hetty 

did    not   start  from    Stoniton    by   coach;    but   on  foot   in  the  grey 

morning)—and   then   in   walking   out   to   the   first   toll…gates   on   the 

different     lines   of   road;   in   the   forlorn    hope    of  finding    some 

recollection of her there。 No; she was not to be traced any farther; 

and   the   next   hard   task   for  Adam   was   to   go   home   and   carry   the 

wretched       tidings   to  the   Hall   Farm。     As   to  what    he  should     do 

beyond   that;   he   had   come   to   two   distinct   resolutions   amidst   the 

tumult   of   thought   and      feeling   which   was   going     on   within    him 

while he went to and fro。 He would not mention what he knew of 

Arthur   Donnithorne’s   behaviour   to   Hetty   till         there   was    a   clear 

necessity   for   it:   it   was   still   possible   Hetty   might   come   back;   and 

the disclosure might be an injury or an offence to her。 And as soon 

as    he  had    been    home    and    done    what   was    necessary     there   to 

prepare for his further absence; he would start off to Ireland: if he 



George Eliot                                                         ElecBook Classics 


… Page 522…

                                   Adam Bede                                      522 



found no trace of Hetty on the road; he would go straight to Arthur 

Donnithorne and make himself certain how far he was acquainted 

with  her  movements。   Several   times   the   thought   occurred   to   him 

that he would consult Mr。 Irwine; but that would be useless unless 

he told him all; and so betrayed the secret about Arthur。 It seems 

strange that Adam; in the incessant occupation of his mind about 

Hetty; should never have alighted on the probability that she had 

gone     to  Windsor;      ignorant    that   Arthur     was   no   longer     there。 

Perhaps       the   reason    was    that   he   could    not   conceive     Hetty’s 

throwing   herself   on   Arthur   uncalled;   he   imagined   no   cause   that 

could   have   driven   her   to   such   a   step;   after   that   letter   written   in 

August。 There were but two alternatives in his mind: either Arthur 

had written to her again and enticed her away; or she had simply 

fled   from    her   approaching       marriage     with   himself    because     she 

found; after all; she could not love him well enough; and   yet  was 

afraid of her friends’ anger if she retracted。 

    With   this   last   determination   on   his   mind;   of   going   straight   to 

Arthur; the thought that he had spent two days in inquiries which 

had proved to be almost useless; was torturing to Adam; and yet; 

since   he   would   not   tell   the   Poysers   his   conviction   as   to   where 

Hetty was gone; or his intention to follow her thither; he must be 

able to say to them that he had traced her as far as possible。 

    It  was    after   twelve    o’clock   on    Tuesday     night    when    Adam 

reached   Treddleston;   and;   unwilling   to   disturb         his  mother   and 

Seth; and also to encounter their questions at that hour; he threw 

himself      without      undressing       on     a   bed     at   the    “Waggon 

Overthrown;” and slept hard from pure weariness。 Not more than 

four hours; however; for before five o’clock he set out on his way 

home   in   the   faint  morning   twilight。   He   always   kept   a   key   of   the 



George Eliot                                                         ElecBook Classics 


… Page 523…

                                    Adam Bede                                      523 



workshop door in his pocket; so that he could let himself in; and he 

wished to enter without awaking his mother; for he was anxious to 

avoid telling her the new trouble himself by seeing Seth first; and 

asking   him   to   tell   her   when   it   should   be   necessary。   He   walked 

gently along the yard; and turned the key gently in the door; but; 

as he expected; Gyp; who lay in 
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