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The Black Robe-Part11_WILKIE COLLINS (1824-1899)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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himself.

"He repeated the word with every appearance of surprise.



'Disagreement?' he said. 'No words can tell how sincerely I feel

for Mr. Romayne. I cannot express to you, Father, how eager I am



to be of service to him!'

"Relieved, so far, I naturally asked what had happened. Penrose



betrayed a marked embarrassment in answering my question.

" 'I have innocently surprised a secret,' he said, 'on which I



had no right to intrude. All that I can honorably tell you, shall

be told. Add one more to your many kindnesses--don't command me



to speak, when it is my duty toward a sorely-tried man to be

silent, even to you.'



"It is needless to say that I abstained from directly answering

this strange appeal. 'Let me hear what you can tell,' I replied,



'and then we shall see.'

"Upon this, he spoke. I need hardly recall to your memory how



careful we were, in first planning the attempt to recover the

Vange property, to assure ourselves of the promise of success



which the peculiarcharacter of the present owner held out to us.

In reporting what Penrose said, I communicate a discovery, which



I venture to think will be as welcome to you, as it was to me.

"He began by reminding me of what I had myself told him in



speaking of Romayne. 'You mentioned having heard from Lord Loring

of a great sorrow or remorse from which he was suffering,'



Penrose said. 'I know what he suffers and why he suffers, and

with what noble resignation he submits to his affliction. We were



sitting together at the table, looking over his notes and

memoranda, when he suddenly dropped the manuscript from which he



was reading to me. A ghastly paleness overspread his face. He

started up, and put both his hands to his ears as if he heard



something dreadful, and was trying to deafen himself to it. I ran

to the door to call for help. He stopped me;



he spoke in faint, gasping tones, forbidding me to call any one

in to witness what he suffered. It was not the first time, he



said; it would soon be over. If I had not courage to remain with

him I could go, and return when he was himself again. I so pitied



him that I found the courage to remain. When it was over he took

me by the hand, and thanked me. I had stayed by him like a



friend, he said, and like a friend he would treat me. Sooner or

later (those were his exact words) I must be taken into his



confidence--and it should be now. He told me his melancholy

story. I implore you, Father, don't ask me to repeat it! Be



content if I tell you the effect of it on myself. The one hope,

the one consolation for him, is in our holy religion. With all my



heart I devote myself to his conversion--and, in my inmost soul,

I feel the conviction that I shall succeed!'



"To this effect, and in this tone, Penrose spoke. I abstained

from pressing him to reveal Romayne's confession. The confession



is of no consequence to us. You know how the moral force of

Arthur's earnestness and enthusiasm fortifies his otherwise weak



character. I, too, believe he will succeed.

"To turn for a moment to another subject. You are already



informed that there is a woman in our way. I have my own idea of

the right method of dealing with this obstacle when it shows



itself more plainly. For the present, I need only assure you that

neither this woman nor any woman shall succeed in her designs on



Romayne, if I can prevent it."

Having completed his report in these terms, Father Benwell



reverted to the consideration of his proposed inquiries into the

past history of Stella's life.



Reflection convinced him that it would be unwise to attempt, no

matter how guardedly, to obtain the necessary information from



Lord Loring or his wife. If he assumed, at his age, to take a

strong interest in a Protestant young lady, who had notoriously



avoided him, they would certainly feel surprise--and surprise

might, in due course of development, turn to suspicion.



There was but one other person under Lord Loring's roof to whom

he could address himself--and that person was the housekeeper. As



an old servant, possessing Lady Loring's confidence, she might

prove a source of information on the subject of Lady Loring's






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