`Justyoushutup,Bowero’Bliss!’saidoneoftheundergraduates。
`Silence!’Hedrankoffthespiritsinhistumbler,rappedwithitonthecounter,andannounced,`ThegentlemaninthecornerisgoingtorehearsetheArticlesofhisBelief,intheLatintongue,fortheedificationofthecompany。’
`Iwon’t!’saidJude。
`Yes-haveatry!’saidthesurplice-maker。
`Youcan’t!’saidUncleJoe。
`Yes,hecan!’saidTinkerTaylor。
`I’llswearIcan!’saidJude。`Well,comenow,standmeasmallScotchcold,andI’lldoitstraightoff。’
`That’safairoffer,’saidtheundergraduate,throwingdownthemoneyforthewhisky。
Thebarmaidconcoctedthemixturewiththebearingofapersoncompelledtoliveamongstanimalsofaninferiorspecies,andtheglasswashandedacrosstoJude,who,havingdrunkthecontents,stoodupandbeganrhetorically,withouthesitation:
`Credoinunumdeum,patremomnipotentem,factoremcoelietterrae,visibiliumomniumetinvisibilium。’
`Good!ExcellentLatin!’criedoneoftheundergraduates,who,however,hadnottheslightestconceptionofasingleword。
Asilencereignedamongtherestinthebar,andthemaidstoodstill,Jude’svoiceechoingsonorouslyintotheinnerparlour,wherethelandlordwasdozing,andbringinghimouttoseewhatwasgoingon。Judehaddeclaimedsteadilyahead,andwascontinuing:
`Crucifixusetiampronobis:subPontioPilatopassus,etsepultusest。etresurrexittertiadie,secundumscripturas。’
`That’stheNicene,’sneeredthesecondundergraduate。`AndwewantedtheApostles’!’
`Youdidn’tsayso!Andeveryfoolknows,exceptyou,thattheNiceneisthemosthistoriccreed!’
`Letungoon,letungoon!’saidtheauctioneer。
ButJude’smindseemedtogrowconfusedsoon,andhecouldnotgeton。Heputhishandtohisforehead,andhisfaceassumedanexpressionofpain。
`Givehimanotherglass-thenhe’llfetchupandgetthroughit,’saidTinkerTaylor。
Somebodythrewdownthreepence,theglasswashanded,Judestretchedouthisarmforitwithoutlooking,andhavingswallowedtheliquor,wentoninamomentinarevivedvoice,raisingitashenearedtheendwiththemannerofapriestleadingacongregation:
`EtinSpiritumSanctum,Dominumetvivificantem,quiexPatreFilioqueprocedit。quicumPatreetFiliosimuladoraturetconglorificatur。
Quilocutusestperprophetas。
`EtunamCatholicametApostolicamEcclesiam。ConfiteorunumBaptismainremissionempeccatorum。EtexspectoResurrectionemmortuorum。
Etvitamventurisaeculi。Amen。’
`Welldone!’saidseveral,enjoyingthelastword,asbeingthefirstandonlyonetheyhadrecognized。
ThenJudeseemedtoshakethefumesfromhisbrain,ashestaredrounduponthem。
`Youpackoffools!’hecried。`WhichoneofyouknowswhetherIhavesaiditorno?ItmighthavebeentheRatcatcher’sDaughterindoubleDutchforallthatyourbesottedheadscantell!SeewhatIhavebroughtmyselfto-thecrewIhavecomeamong!’
Thelandlord,whohadalreadyhadhislicenseendorsedforharbouringqueercharacters,fearedariot,andcameoutsidethecounter;butJude,inhissuddenflashofreason,hadturnedindisgustandleftthescene,thedoorslammingwithadullthudbehindhim。
Hehasteneddownthelaneandroundintothestraightbroadstreet,whichhefollowedtillitmergedinthehighway,andallsoundofhislatecompanionshadbeenleftbehind。Onwardhestillwent,undertheinfluenceofachildlikeyearningfortheonebeingintheworldtowhomitseemedpossibletofly-anunreasoningdesire,whoseilljudgementwasnotapparenttohimnow。Inthecourseofanhour,whenitwasbetweentenandeleveno’clock,heenteredthevillageofLumsdon,andreachingthecottage,sawthatalightwasburninginadownstairsroom,whichheassumed,rightlyasithappened,tobehers。
Judesteppedclosetothewall,andtappedwithhisfingeronthepane,sayingimpatiently,`Sue,Sue!’
Shemusthaverecognizedhisvoice,forthelightdisappearedfromtheapartment,andinasecondortwothedoorwasunlockedandopened,andSueappearedwithacandleinherhand。
`IsitJude?Yes,itis!Mydear,dearcousin,what’sthematter?’
`Oh,Iam-Icouldn’thelpcoming,Sue!’saidhe,sinkingdownuponthedoorstep。`Iamsowicked,Sue-myheartisnearlybroken,andIcouldnotbearmylifeasitwas!SoIhavebeendrinking,andblaspheming,ornextdoortoit,andsayingholythingsindisreputablequarters-repeatinginidlebravadowordswhichoughtnevertobeutteredbutreverently!Oh,doanythingwithme,Sue-killme-Idon’tcare!Onlydon’thatemeanddespisemelikealltherestoftheworld!’
`Youareill,poordear!No,Iwon’tdespiseyou;ofcourseI
won’t!Comeinandrest,andletmeseewhatIcandoforyou。Nowleanonme,anddon’tmind。’Withonehandholdingthecandleandtheothersupportinghim,sheledhimindoors,andplacedhimintheonlyeasychairthemeagrelyfurnishedhouseafforded,stretchinghisfeetuponanother,andpullingoffhisboots。Jude,nowgettingtowardshissobersenses,couldonlysay,`Dear,dearSue!’inavoicebrokenbygriefandcontrition。
Sheaskedhimifhewantedanythingtoeat,butheshookhishead。
Thentellinghimtogotosleep,andthatshewouldcomedownearlyinthemorningandgethimsomebreakfast,shebadehimgood-nightandascendedthestairs。
Almostimmediatelyhefellintoaheavyslumber,anddidnotwaketilldawn。Atfirsthedidnotknowwherehewas,butbydegreeshissituationclearedtohim,andhebehelditinalltheghastlinessofarightmind。
Sheknewtheworstofhim-theveryworst。Howcouldhefacehernow?
Shewouldsoonbecomingdowntoseeaboutbreakfast,asshehadsaid,andtherewouldhebeinallhisshameconfrontingher。Hecouldnotbearthethought,andsoftlydrawingonhisboots,andtakinghishatfromthenailonwhichshehadhungit,heslippednoiselesslyoutofthehouse。
Hisfixedideawastogetawaytosomeobscurespotandhide,andperhapspray;andtheonlyspotwhichoccurredtohimwasMarygreen。
HecalledathislodginginChristminster,wherehefoundawaitinghimanoteofdismissalfromhisemployer;andhavingpackedupheturnedhisbackuponthecitythathadbeensuchathorninhisside,andstrucksouthwardintoWessex。Hehadnomoneyleftinhispocket,hissmallsavings,depositedatoneofthebanksinChristminster,havingfortunatelybeenleftuntouched。
TogettoMarygreen,therefore,hisonlycoursewaswalking;andthedistancebeingnearlytwentymiles,hehadampletimetocompleteonthewaythesoberingprocessbeguninhim。
AtsomehouroftheeveninghereachedAlfredston。Herehepawnedhiswaistcoat,andhavinggoneoutofthetownamileortwo,sleptunderarickthatnight。Atdawnherose,shookoffthehayseedsandstemsfromhisclothes,andstartedagain,breastingthelongwhiteroadupthehilltothedowns,whichhadbeenvisibletohimalongwayoff,andpassingthemilestoneatthetop,whereonhehadcarvedhishopesyearsago。
Hereachedtheancienthamletwhilethepeoplewereatbreakfast。
Wearyandmud-bespattered,butquitepossessedofhisordinaryclearnessofbrain,hesatdownbythewell,thinkingashedidsowhatapoorChristhemade。Seeingatroughofwaternearhebathedhisface,andwentontothecottageofhisgreat-aunt,whomhefoundbreakfastinginbed,attendedbythewomanwholivedwithher。
`What-outo’work?’askedhisrelative,regardinghimthrougheyessunkendeep,underlidsheavyaspot-covers,noothercauseforhistumbledappearancesuggestingitselftoonewhosewholelifehadbeenastrugglewithmaterialthings。
`Yes,’saidJudeheavily。`IthinkImusthavealittlerest。’
Refreshedbysomebreakfast,hewentuptohisoldroomandlaydowninhisshirt-sleeves,afterthemanneroftheartizan。Hefellasleepforashortwhile,andwhenheawokeitwasasifhehadawakenedinhell。
Itwashell-`thehellofconsciousfailure,’bothinambitionandinlove。Hethoughtofthatpreviousabyssintowhichhehadfallenbeforeleavingthispartofthecountry;thedeepestdeephehadsupposeditthen;butitwasnotsodeepasthis。Thathadbeenthebreakinginoftheouterbulwarksofhishope:thiswasofhissecondline。
Ifhehadbeenawomanhemusthavescreamedunderthenervoustensionwhichhewasnowundergoing。Butthatreliefbeingdeniedtohisvirility,heclenchedhisteethinmisery,bringinglinesabouthismouthlikethoseintheLaocoon,andcorrugationsbetweenhisbrows。
Amournfulwindblewthroughthetrees,andsoundedinthechimneylikethepedalnotesofanorgan。Eachivyleafovergrowingthewallofthechurchlesschurch-yardhardby,nowabandoned,peckeditsneighboursmartly,andthevaneonthenewVictorian-Gothicchurchinthenewspothadalreadybeguntocreak。Yetapparentlyitwasnotalwaystheoutdoorwindthatmadethedeepmurmurs;itwasavoice。Heguesseditsorigininamomentortwo;thecuratewasprayingwithhisauntintheadjoiningroom。Herememberedherspeakingofhim。Presentlythesoundsceased,andastepseemedtocrossthelanding。Judesatup,andshouted`Hoi!’
Thestepmadeforhisdoor,whichwasopen,andamanlookedin。
Itwasayoungclergyman。
`IthinkyouareMr。Highridge,’saidJude。`Myaunthasmentionedyoumorethanonce。Well,hereIam,justcomehome;afellowgonetothebad;thoughIhadthebestintentionsintheworldatonetime。NowIammelancholymad,whatwithdrinkingandonethingandanother。’
SlowlyJudeunfoldedtothecuratehislateplansandmovements,byanunconsciousbiasdwellinglessupontheintellectualandambitioussideofhisdream,andmoreuponthetheological,thoughthishad,uptillnow,beenmerelyaportionofthegeneralplanofadvancement。
`NowIknowIhavebeenafool,andthatfollyiswithme,’addedJudeinconclusion。`AndIdon’tregretthecollapseofmyuniversityhopesonejot。Iwouldn’tbeginagainifIweresuretosucceed。Idon’tcareforsocialsuccessanymoreatall。ButIdofeelIshouldliketodosomegoodthing;andIbitterlyregrettheChurch,andthelossofmychanceofbeingherordainedminister。’
Thecurate,whowasanewmantothisneighbourhood,hadgrowndeeplyinterested,andatlasthesaid:`Ifyoufeelarealcalltotheministry,andIwon’tsayfromyourconversationthatyoudonot,foritisthatofathoughtfulandeducatedman,youmightentertheChurchasalicentiate。Onlyyoumustmakeupyourmindtoavoidstrongdrink。’
`Icouldavoidthateasilyenough,ifIhadanykindofhopetosupportme!’
JudetheObscureChapter19PartThirdAtMelchester`Fortherewasnoothergirl,Obridegroom,likeher!’-
SapphoH。T。Wharton。III-iItwasanewidea-theecclesiasticalandaltruisticlifeasdistinctfromtheintellectualandemulativelife。Amancouldpreachanddogoodtohisfellow-creatureswithouttakingdouble-firstsintheschoolsofChristminster,orhavinganythingbutordinaryknowledge。Theoldfancywhichhadledontotheculminatingvisionofthebishoprichadnotbeenanethicalortheologicalenthusiasmatall,butamundaneambitionmasqueradinginasurplice。Hefearedthathiswholeschemehaddegeneratedto,eventhoughitmightnothaveoriginatedin,asocialunrestwhichhadnofoundationinthenoblerinstincts;whichwaspurelyanartificialproductofcivilization。
Therewerethousandsofyoungmenonthesameself-seekingtrackatthepresentmoment。Thesensualhindwhoate,drank,andlivedcarelesslywithhiswifethroughthedaysofhisvanitywasamorelikablebeingthanhe。
ButtoentertheChurchinsuchanunscholarlywaythathecouldnotinanyprobabilityrisetoahighergradethroughallhiscareerthanthatofthehumblecuratewearinghislifeoutinanobscurevillageorcityslum-thatmighthaveatouchofgoodnessandgreatnessinit;thatmightbetruereligion,andapurgatorialcourseworthyofbeingfollowedbyaremorsefulman。
ThefavourablelightinwhichthisnewthoughtshoweditselfbycontrastwithhisforegoneintentionscheeredJude,ashesatthere,shabbyandlonely;anditmaybesaidtohavegiven,duringthenextfewdays,thecoupdegrâ;cetohisintellectualcareer-acareerwhichhadextendedoverthegreaterpartofadozenyears。Hedidnothing,however,forsomelongstagnanttimetoadvancehisnewdesire,occupyinghimselfwithlittlelocaljobsinputtingupandletteringheadstonesabouttheneighbouringvillages,andsubmittingtoberegardedasasocialfailure,areturnedpurchase,bythehalf-dozenorsooffarmersandothercountry-peoplewhocondescendedtonodtohim。
Thehumaninterestofthenewintention-andahumaninterestisindispensabletothemostspiritualandself-sacrificing-wascreatedbyaletterfromSue,bearingafreshpostmark。Sheevidentlywrotewithanxiety,andtoldverylittleaboutherowndoings,morethanthatshehadpassedsomesortofexaminationforaQueen’sScholarship,andwasgoingtoenteratrainingcollegeatMelchestertocompleteherselfforthevocationshehadchosen,partlybyhisinfluence。TherewasatheologicalcollegeatMelchester;Melchesterwasaquietandsoothingplace,almostentirelyecclesiasticalinitstone;aspotwhereworldlylearningandintellectualsmartnesshadnoestablishment;wherethealtruisticfeelingthathedidpossesswouldperhapsbemorehighlyestimatedthanabrilliancywhichhedidnot。
AsitwouldbenecessarythatheshouldcontinueforatimetoworkathistradewhilereadingupDivinity,whichhehadneglectedatChristminsterfortheordinaryclassicalgrind,whatbettercourseforhimthantogetemploymentatthefurthercity,andpursuethisplanofreading?ThathisexcessivehumaninterestinthenewplacewasentirelyofSue’smaking,whileatthesametimeSuewastoberegardedevenlessthanformerlyaspropertocreateit,hadanethicalcontradictorinesstowhichhewasnotblind。Butthatmuchheconcededtohumanfrailty,andhopedtolearntoloveheronlyasafriendandkinswoman。
Heconsideredthathemightsomarkouthiscomingyearsastobeginhisministryattheageofthirty-anagewhichmuchattractedhimasbeingthatofhisexemplarwhenhefirstbegantoteachinGalilee。
Thiswouldallowhimplentyoftimefordeliberatestudy,andforacquiringcapitalbyhistradetohelphisaftercourseofkeepingthenecessarytermsatatheologicalcollege。
Christmashadcomeandpassed,andSuehadgonetotheMelchesterNormalSchool。ThetimewasjusttheworstintheyearforJudetogetintonewemployment,andhehadwrittensuggestingtoherthatheshouldpostponehisarrivalforamonthorso,tillthedayshadlengthened。Shehadacquiescedsoreadilythathewishedhehadnotproposedit-sheevidentlydidnotmuchcareabouthim,thoughshehadneveroncereproachedhimforhisstrangeconductincomingtoherthatnight,andhissilentdisappearance。
NeitherhadsheeversaidawordaboutherrelationswithMr。Phillotson。
Suddenly,however,quiteapassionateletterarrivedfromSue。
Shewasquitelonelyandmiserable,shetoldhim。Shehatedtheplaceshewasin;itwasworsethantheecclesiasticaldesigner’s;worsethananywhere。
Shefeltutterlyfriendless;couldhecomeimmediately?-thoughwhenhedidcomeshewouldonlybeabletoseehimatlimitedtimes,therulesoftheestablishmentshefoundherselfinbeingstricttoadegree。ItwasMr。Phillotsonwhohadadvisedhertocomethere,andshewishedshehadneverlistenedtohim。
Phillotson’ssuitwasnotexactlyprospering,evidently;andJudefeltunreasonablyglad。HepackeduphisthingsandwenttoMelchesterwithalighterheartthanhehadknownformonths。
Thisbeingtheturningoveranewleafhedulylookedaboutforatemperancehotel,andfoundalittleestablishmentofthatdescriptioninthestreetleadingfromthestation。Whenhehadhadsomethingtoeathewalkedoutintothedullwinterlightoverthetownbridge,andturnedthecornertowardstheClose。Thedaywasfoggy,andstandingunderthewallsofthemostgracefularchitecturalpileinEnglandhepausedandlookedup。Theloftybuildingwasvisibleasfarastheroofridge;above,thedwindlingspirerosemoreandmoreremotely,tillitsapexwasquitelostinthemistdriftingacrossit。
Thelampsnowbegantobelighted,andturningtothewestfronthewalkedround。Hetookitasagoodomenthatnumerousblocksofstonewerelyingabout,whichsignifiedthatthecathedralwasundergoingrestorationorrepairtoaconsiderableextent。Itseemedtohim,fullofthesuperstitionsofhisbeliefs,thatthiswasanexerciseofforethoughtonthepartofarulingPower,thathemightfindplentytodointhearthepractisedwhilewaitingforacalltohigherlabours。
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