第21部分(第4/7 頁)

tory　anythingbut　secure。 X。 THE　LEECH　AND　HIS　PATIENT。 OLD　Roger　Chillingworth；　throughout　life；　had　been　calm　intemperament；　kindly；　though　not　of　warm　affections；　but　ever；　and　inall　his　relations　with　the　world；　a　pure　and　upright　man。　He　had　begunan　investigation；　as　he　imagined；　with　the　severe　and　equalintegrity　of　a　judge；　desirous　only　of　truth；　even　as　if　thequestion　involved　no　more　than　the　air…drawn　lines　and　figures　of　ageometrical　problem；　instead　of　human　passions；　and　wrongs　inflictedon　himself。　But；　as　he　proceeded；　a　terrible　fascination；　a　kind　offierce；　though　still　calm；　necessity　seized　the　old　man　within　itsgripe；　and　never　set　him　free　again；　until　he　had　done　all　itsbidding。　He　now　dug　into　the　poor　clergyman's　heart；　like　a　minersearching　for　gold；　or；　rather；　like　a　sexton　delving　into　a　grave；possibly　in　quest　of　a　jewel　that　had　been　buried　on　the　dead　man'sbosom；　but　likely　to　find　nothing　save　mortality　and　corruption。Alas　for　his　own　soul；　if　these　were　what　he　sought！ Sometimes；　a　light　glimmered　out　of　the　physician's　eyes；　burningblue　and　ominous；　like　the　reflection　of　a　furnace；　or；　let　us　say；like　one　of　those　gleams　of　ghastly　fire　that　darted　from　Bunyan'sawful　doorway　in　the　hill…side；　and　quivered　on　the　pilgrim's　face。The　soil　where　this　dark　miner　was　working　had　perchance　shownindications　that　encouraged　him。 〃This　man；〃　said　he；　at　one　such　moment；　to　himself；　〃pure　as　theydeem　him…　all　spiritual　as　he　seems…　hath　inherited　a　strong　animalnature　from　his　father　or　his　mother。　Let　us　dig　a　little　farther　inthe　direction　of　this　vein！〃 Then；　after　long　search　into　the　minister's　dim　interior；　andturning　over　many　precious　materials；　in　the　shape　of　high　aspirationsfor　the　welfar