the mirror of kong ho-第29部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！




his　life　has　been　preserved　to　influence　mankind；〃　I　replied。　〃How



much　less　will　it　matter；　then；　even　in　so　limited　a　space　of　time　as



a　hundred　years；　in　what　fashion　so　insignificant　a　person　as　the　one



before　you　acted　on　any　occasion；　and　why；　therefore；　should　he



distress　himself　unnecessarily　to　any　precise　end？〃　In　this　manner　I



sought　to　place　before　him　the　dignified　example　of　an



imperturbability　which　can　be　maintained　in　every　emergency；　and　at



the　same　time　to　administer　a　plain　yet　scrupulously…sheathed　rebuke；



for　the　inauspicious　manner　in　which　he　had　first　drawn　me　on　to　speak



confidently　of　the　ceremonies　of　the　Royal　Palace　and　then　held　up　my



inadequacy　to　undeserved　contempt　had　not　rejoiced　my　imagination；　and



I　was　still　uncertain　how　much　to　claim；　and　whether；　perchance；　even



yet　a　more　subtle　craft　lay　under　all。







〃Well；　in　any　case；　when　you　go　back　you　can　claim　the　distinction　of



having　been　taken　seven　times　round　London；　although　you　can't　really



have　seen　much　of　it；〃　said　Sir　Philip。　〃This　is　a　Circle　train。〃







At　this　assertion　I　looked　up。　Though　admittedly　curved　a　little　about



the　roof　the　chariot　was　in　every　essential　degree　what　we　should



pronounce　to　be　a　square　one；　whereupon；　feeling　at　length　that　the



involvement　had　definitely　passed　to　a　point　beyond　my　contemptible



discernment；　I　spread　out　my　hands　acquiescently　and　affably　remarked



that　the　days　were　lengthening　out　pleasantly。







In　such　a　manner　I　became　acquainted　with　the　one　Sir　Philip；　and



thereby；　in　a　somewhat　circuitous　line；　the　original　purpose　which



possessed　my　brush　when　I　began　this　inept　and　commonplace　letter　is



reached；　for　the　person　in　question　not　only　lay　upon　himself　the



obligation　of　leading　me　〃by　the　strings　of　his　apron…garment〃in　the



characteristic　and　fanciful　turn　of　the　barbarian　languageto　that



same　Palace　on　the　following　day；　but　thenceforth　gracefully　affecting



to　discern　certain　agreeable　virtues　in　my　conversation　and　custom　of



habit　he　frequently　sought　me　out。　More　recently；　on　the　double　plea



that　they　of　his　household　had　a　desire　to　meet　me；　and　that　if　I



spent　all　my　time　within　the　Capital　my　impressions　of　the　Island



would　necessarily　be　ill…balanced　and　deformed；　he　advanced　a　project



that　I　should　accompany　him　to　a　spot　where；　as　far　as　I　was　competent



to　grasp　the　idiom；　he　was　in　the　habit　of　sitting　（doubtless　in　an



abstruse　reverie）；　in　the　country；　and　having　assured　myself　by　means



of　discreet　innuendo　that　the　seat　referred　to　would　be　adequate　for



this　person　also；　and　that　the　occasion　did　not　in　any　way　involve　a



payment　of　money；　I　at　once　expressed　my　willingness　towards　the



adventure。







With　numerous　expressions　of　unfeigned　regret　（from　a　filial　point　of



view）　that　the　voice　of　one　of　the　maidens　of　the　household；　lifted　in



the　nature　of　a　defiance　against　this　one　to　engage　with　her　in　a



two…handed　conflict　of　hong　pong；　obliges　him　to　bring　this　immature



composition　to　a　hasty　close。







KONG　HO。



















LETTER　X











Concerning　the　authority　of　this　high　official；　Sir　Philip。



The　side…slipperyness　of　barbarian　etiquette。　The　hurl…



headlong　sportiveness　and　that　achieving　its　end　by　means　of



curved　mallets。















VENERATED　SIRE；If　this　person's　memory　is　accurately　poised　on　the



detail；　he　was　compelled　to　abandon　his　former　letter　（when　on　the



point　of　describing　the　customs　of　these　outer　places）；　in　order　to



take　part　in　a　philosophical　discussion　with　some　of　the　venerable



sages　of　the　neighbourhood。







Resuming　the　narration　where　it　had　reached　this　remote　province　of



the　Empire；　it　is　a　suitable　opportunity　to　explain　that　this　same　Sir



Philip　is　here　greeted　on　every　side　with　marks　of　deferential



submission；　and　is　undoubtedly　an　official　of　high　button；　for



whenever　the　inclination　seizes　him　he　causes　prisoners　to　be　sought



out；　and　then　proceeds　to　administer　justice　impartially　upon　them。　In



the　case　of　the　wealthy　and　those　who　have　face　to　lose；　the　matter　is



generally　arranged；　to　his　profit　and　to　the　satisfaction　of　all；　by



the　payment　of　an　adequate　sum　of　money；　after　the　invariable　custom



of　our　own　mandarincy。　When　this　incentive　to　leniency　is　absent　it　is



usual　to　condemn　the　captive　to　imprisonment　in　a　cell　（it　is　denied



officially；　but　there　is　no　reason　to　doubt　that　a　large　earthenware



vessel　is　occasionally　used　for　this　purpose；）　for　varying　periods；



though　it　is　notorious　that　in　the　case　of　the　very　necessitous　they



are　sometimes　set　freely　at　liberty；　and　those　who　took　them　publicly



reprimanded　for　accusing　persons　from　whose　condition　on　possible



profit　could　arise。　This　confinement　is　seldom　inflicted　for　a　longer



period　than　seven；　fourteen；　or　twenty…one　days　（these　being　lucky



numbers；）　except　in　the　case　of　those　who　have　been　held　guilty　of



ensnaring　certain　birds　and　beasts　which　appear　to　be　regarded　as



sacred；　for　they　have　their　duly　appointed　attendants　who　wear　a　garb



and　are　trained　in　the　dexterous　use　of　arms；　lurking　with　loaded



weapons　in　secret　places　to　catch　the　unwary；　both　by　night　and　day。



Upheld　by　the　high　nature　of　their　office　these　persons　shrink　from　no



encounter　and　even　suffer　themselves　to　be　killed　with　resolute



unconcern；　but　when　successful　they　are　not　denied　an　efficient



triumph；　for　it　is　admitted　that　those　whom　they　capture　are　marked



men　from　that　time　（doubtless　being　branded　upon　the　body　with　the



name　of　their　captor）；　and　no　future　defence　is　availing。　The　third



punishment；　that　of　torture；　is　reserved　for　a　class　of　solitary



mendicants　who　travel　from　place　to　place；　doubtless　spreading　the



germs　of　an　inflammatory　doctrine　of　rebellion；　for；　owing　to　my　own



degraded　obtuseness；　the　actual　nature　of　their　crimes　could　never　be



made　clear　to　me。　Of　the　tortures　employed　that　known　in　their



language　as　the　〃bath〃　（for　which　we　have　no　real　equivalent；）　is　the



most　dreaded；　and　this　person　has　himself　beheld　men　of　gigantic



proportions；　whose　bodies　bore　the　stain　of　a　voluntary　endurance　to



every　privation；　abandon　themselves　to　a　most　ignoble　despair　upon



hearing　the　ill…destined　word。　Unquestionably　the　infliction　is



closely　connected　with　our　own　ordeal　of　boiling　water；　but　from　other



indications　it　is　only　reasonable　to　admit　that　there　is　an　added



ingredient；　of　which　we　probably　have　no　knowledge；　whereby　the　effect



is　enhanced　in　every　degree；　and　the　outer　surface　of　the　victim



rendered　more　vulnerable。　T