章节正文
文章总共2页
Father Benwell went on.
"Bear in mind what I have just said," he resumed; "and you will
understand why I feel it my duty to press the question which you
have not answered yet. You have found in the Catholic Faith the
peace of mind which you have failed to obtain by other means. If
I had been dealing with an ordinary man, I should have expected
from the change no happier result than this. But I ask You, has
that blessed influence taken no deeper and nobler hold on your
heart? Can you truly say to me, 'I am content with what I have
gained; I wish for no more'?"
"I cannot truly say it," Romayne answered.
The time had now come for speakingplainly. Father Benwell no
longer advanced to his end under cover of a cloud of words.
"A little while since," he said, "you spoke of Penrose as of a
man whose lot in life you longed to share. The career which has
associated him with an Indian mission is, as I told you, only
adapted to a man of his special character and special gifts. But
the career which has carried him into the sacred ranks of the
priesthood is open to every man who feels the sense of divine
vocation, which has made Penrose one of Us."
"No, Father Benwell! Not open to every man."
"I say, Yes!"
"It is not open to Me!"
"I say it is open to You. And more--I enjoin, I command, you to
dismiss from your mind all merely human obstacles and
discouragements. They are beneath the notice of a man who feels
himself called to the priesthood. Give me your hand, Romayne!
Does your conscience tell you that you are that man?"
Romayne started to his feet, shaken to the soul by the solemnity
of the appeal.
"I can't dismiss the obstacles that surround me!" he cried,
passionately. "To a man in my position, your advice is absolutely
useless. The ties that bind me are beyond the limit of a priest's
sympathies."
"Nothing is beyond the limit of a priest's sympathies."
"Father Benwell, I am married!"
Father Benwell folded his arms over his breast--looked with
immovable resolution straight in Romayne's face--and struck the
blow which he had been meditating for months past.
"Rouse your courage," he said sternly. "You are no more married
than I am."
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE ROAD TO ROME.
THERE was not a sound in the room. Romayne stood, looking at the
priest
"Did you hear what I said?" Father Benwell asked.
"Yes."
"Do you understand that I really mean what I said?"
He made no reply--he waited, like a man expecting to hear more.
Father Benwell was alive to the vast importance, at such a
moment, of not shrinking from the responsibility which he had
assumed. "I see how I distress you," he said; "but, for your
sake, I am bound to speak out. Romayne! the woman whom you have
married is the wife of another man. Don't ask me how I know it--I
do know it. You shall have positive proof, as soon as you have
recovered. Come! rest a little in the easy-chair."
He took Romayne's arm, and led him to the chair, and made him
drink some wine. They waited a while. Romayne lifted his head,
with a heavy sigh.
"The woman whom I have married is the wife of another man." He
slowly repeated the words to himself--and then looked at Father
Benwell.
"Who is the man?" he asked.
"I introduced you to him, when I was as ignorant of the
circumstances as you are," the priest answered. "The man is Mr.
Bernard Winterfield."
Romayne half raised himself from the chair. A momentary anger
glittered in his eyes, and faded out again, extinguished by the
nobler emotions of grief and shame. He remembered Winterfield's
introduction to Stella.
"Her husband!" he said, speaking again to himself. "And she let
me introduce him to her. And she received him like a stranger."
He paused, and thought of it. "The proofs, if you please, sir,"
he resumed, with sudden humility. "I don't want to hear any
particulars. It will be enough for me if I know beyond all doubt
that I have been deceived and disgraced."
"Bear in mind what I have just said," he resumed; "and you will
understand why I feel it my duty to press the question which you
have not answered yet. You have found in the Catholic Faith the
peace of mind which you have failed to obtain by other means. If
I had been dealing with an ordinary man, I should have expected
from the change no happier result than this. But I ask You, has
that blessed influence taken no deeper and nobler hold on your
heart? Can you truly say to me, 'I am content with what I have
gained; I wish for no more'?"
"I cannot truly say it," Romayne answered.
The time had now come for speakingplainly. Father Benwell no
longer advanced to his end under cover of a cloud of words.
"A little while since," he said, "you spoke of Penrose as of a
man whose lot in life you longed to share. The career which has
associated him with an Indian mission is, as I told you, only
adapted to a man of his special character and special gifts. But
the career which has carried him into the sacred ranks of the
priesthood is open to every man who feels the sense of divine
vocation, which has made Penrose one of Us."
"No, Father Benwell! Not open to every man."
"I say, Yes!"
"It is not open to Me!"
"I say it is open to You. And more--I enjoin, I command, you to
dismiss from your mind all merely human obstacles and
discouragements. They are beneath the notice of a man who feels
himself called to the priesthood. Give me your hand, Romayne!
Does your conscience tell you that you are that man?"
Romayne started to his feet, shaken to the soul by the solemnity
of the appeal.
"I can't dismiss the obstacles that surround me!" he cried,
passionately. "To a man in my position, your advice is absolutely
useless. The ties that bind me are beyond the limit of a priest's
sympathies."
"Nothing is beyond the limit of a priest's sympathies."
"Father Benwell, I am married!"
Father Benwell folded his arms over his breast--looked with
immovable resolution straight in Romayne's face--and struck the
blow which he had been meditating for months past.
"Rouse your courage," he said sternly. "You are no more married
than I am."
CHAPTER IV.
ON THE ROAD TO ROME.
THERE was not a sound in the room. Romayne stood, looking at the
priest
"Did you hear what I said?" Father Benwell asked.
"Yes."
"Do you understand that I really mean what I said?"
He made no reply--he waited, like a man expecting to hear more.
Father Benwell was alive to the vast importance, at such a
moment, of not shrinking from the responsibility which he had
assumed. "I see how I distress you," he said; "but, for your
sake, I am bound to speak out. Romayne! the woman whom you have
married is the wife of another man. Don't ask me how I know it--I
do know it. You shall have positive proof, as soon as you have
recovered. Come! rest a little in the easy-chair."
He took Romayne's arm, and led him to the chair, and made him
drink some wine. They waited a while. Romayne lifted his head,
with a heavy sigh.
"The woman whom I have married is the wife of another man." He
slowly repeated the words to himself--and then looked at Father
Benwell.
"Who is the man?" he asked.
"I introduced you to him, when I was as ignorant of the
circumstances as you are," the priest answered. "The man is Mr.
Bernard Winterfield."
Romayne half raised himself from the chair. A momentary anger
glittered in his eyes, and faded out again, extinguished by the
nobler emotions of grief and shame. He remembered Winterfield's
introduction to Stella.
"Her husband!" he said, speaking again to himself. "And she let
me introduce him to her. And she received him like a stranger."
He paused, and thought of it. "The proofs, if you please, sir,"
he resumed, with sudden humility. "I don't want to hear any
particulars. It will be enough for me if I know beyond all doubt
that I have been deceived and disgraced."
- ashamed [ə´ʃeimd]
a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词) - catholic [´kæθəlik] a.天主教 n.天主教徒 (初中英语单词)
- deserve [di´zə:v] v.应受；值得 (初中英语单词)
- admiration [,ædmə´reiʃən] n.赞赏，钦佩 (初中英语单词)
- income [´inkʌm] n.收入，所得 (初中英语单词)
- interfere [,intə´fiə] vi.干涉；妨碍；打扰 (初中英语单词)
- appoint [ə´pɔint] vt.安排；委派；任命 (初中英语单词)
- forbid [fə´bid] vt.禁止，不许，阻止 (初中英语单词)
- interview [´intəvju:] n.&vt.接见；会见；交谈 (初中英语单词)
- responsibility [ri,spɔnsə´biliti] n.责任(心)；职责；任务 (初中英语单词)
- victory [´viktəri] n.胜利，战胜 (初中英语单词)
- suspicion [sə´spiʃən] n.怀(猜)疑；嫌疑 (初中英语单词)
- objection [əb´dʒekʃən] n.反对；异议；缺点 (初中英语单词)
- useless [´ju:sləs] a.无用的，无价值的 (初中英语单词)
- worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
- excitement [ik´saitmənt] n.兴奋；骚动；煽动 (初中英语单词)
- eagerly [´i:gəli] ad.渴望地，急切地 (初中英语单词)
- remind [ri´maind] vt.提醒；使记(想)起 (初中英语单词)
- character [´kæriktə] n.特性；性质；人物；字 (初中英语单词)
- prevail [pri´veil] vi.胜(过)；流行；普遍 (初中英语单词)
- delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)
- plainly [´pleinli] ad.平坦地；简单地 (初中英语单词)
- obtain [əb´tein] v.获得；买到；得到承认 (初中英语单词)
- advanced [əd´vɑ:nst] a.先进的；高级的 (初中英语单词)
- career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)
- indian [´indiən] a.印度的 n.印度人 (初中英语单词)
- mission [´miʃən] n.代表团；使馆vt.派遣 (初中英语单词)
- sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
- conscience [´kɔnʃəns] n.良心；道德心 (初中英语单词)
- shaken [´ʃeikən] shake的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- dismiss [dis´mis] vt.解散；下课；解雇 (初中英语单词)
- resolution [,rezə´lu:ʃən] n.决心；坚决；果断 (初中英语单词)
- distress [di´stres] n.痛苦 vt.使苦恼 (初中英语单词)
- ignorant [´ignərənt] a.无知的，愚昧的 (初中英语单词)
- priest [pri:st] n.教士；牧师；神父 (初中英语单词)
- behalf [bi´hɑ:f] n.利益 (高中英语单词)
- painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)
- confession [kən´feʃən] n.招供；认错；交待 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- persist [pə´sist] vi.坚持；固执；持续 (高中英语单词)
- hesitation [,hezi´teiʃən] n.犹豫，踌躇 (高中英语单词)
- document [´dɔkjumənt] n.公文；文件；证件 (高中英语单词)
- positively [´pɔzətivli] ad.确实；断然；绝对 (高中英语单词)
- appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)
- generosity [,dʒenə´rɔsiti] n.慷慨；慷慨的行为 (高中英语单词)
- inheritance [in´heritəns] n.继承(物)；遗传；遗产 (高中英语单词)
- proceeding [prə´si:diŋ] n.程序；进程；行动 (高中英语单词)
- obstacle [´ɔbstəkl] n.障碍(物)；妨碍 (高中英语单词)
- strict [strikt] a.严厉的；精确的 (高中英语单词)
- confide [kən´faid] v.委托；吐露；信任 (高中英语单词)
- melancholy [´melənkəli] n.忧郁 a.忧郁的 (高中英语单词)
- apparently [ə´pærəntli] ad.显然，表面上地 (高中英语单词)
- ingenuity [,indʒi´nju:iti] n.创造性；机灵 (高中英语单词)
- dealing [´di:liŋ] n.交易；来往 (高中英语单词)
- sternly [´stə:nli] ad.严厉地；坚定地 (高中英语单词)
- positive [´pɔzətiv] a.确定的 (高中英语单词)
- repeated [ri´pi:tid] a.反复的；重复的 (高中英语单词)
- generously [´dʒenərəsli] ad.慷慨地 (英语四级单词)
- resolute [´rezəlu:t] a.坚决的；不屈不挠的 (英语四级单词)
- humility [hju:´militi] n.谦逊，谦让 (英语四级单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- submission [səb´miʃən] n.屈服；谦恭 (英语四级单词)
- reluctant [ri´lʌktənt] a.勉强的；难得到的 (英语四级单词)
- conversion [kən´və:ʃən] n.转化；变换；皈依 (英语四级单词)
- blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
- momentary [´məuməntəri] a.瞬息间的 (英语四级单词)
- downright [´daunrait] a.直率的 ad.彻底 (英语六级单词)
- speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)
- enjoin [in´dʒɔin] vt.命令；吩咐；禁止 (英语六级单词)
文章总共2页
文章标签:名著
章节正文
京公网安备 11011202003401号
