Two Cities

Chapter 35 A suggestion

Mr. Lorry was so exhausted by anxious and apprehensive observation that at last he fell asleep at his post.On the tenth morning that he spent exhaustively, he was awakened by the sunlight shooting into the room, and it turned out that he had a good night's sleep.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was still in a dream.Because, when he looked into the doctor's bedroom, he was surprised to find that the shoemaker's stool and tools had been packed away, and the doctor was sitting at the window reading.He was in his usual dressing-gown, and his face (which Mr. Lorry could just see clearly), though still pale, was calm, studious, and absorbed.

Satisfied that he was back to normal, Mr. Lorry still wondered whether the shoe-making business during this time had been a troubled dream.Didn't he actually see his friend doing what he always did?What other reminder was there in front of him that would allow him to prove that the freshly-remembered fact had happened?
But when I thought about it while being surprised and confused, the answer was very clear.How could he be here, Jarvis Lowry, if that impression had not been due to a corresponding, actual, sufficient reason?How could it be possible to fall asleep on the sofa in Dr. Manette's consulting room with all his clothes on?And why stand at the door of the doctor's dormitory early in the morning thinking about this series of questions?

In a few minutes Miss Pross was standing beside him talking quietly.If he still had the slightest doubt, her words would surely reassure him.But by then he had cleared his head and had no doubts.He suggested keeping quiet and waiting until breakfast to meet the doctor as if nothing had happened.If the doctor's mood was then the same as it was then, Mr. Lorry could prudently seek instructions and guidance.He was in a hurry, desperate for an answer.

Miss Pross agreed with his judgment, and they made careful arrangements.Mr. Lorry had plenty of time to wash and groom slowly, and he did not appear until breakfast in his usual white shirt and neat trousers.The doctor was notified for breakfast as usual.

Mr. Lorry conceived a method of gradual and precise inquiry, which he believed to be the only safe course.He wanted to understand him on the premise of following this set of measures.The doctor thought at first that his daughter was married only yesterday.Mr. Lorry's casual question of dates (what day of the week? what day of the month?) aroused the doctor's thoughts and calculations, and he was visibly disturbed.But in other respects he remained so calm that Mr. Lorry let go of his worries and decided to seek the help he needed--help from the doctor himself.

After breakfast, when the cups and plates were cleared away, and only he and the doctor were left at the table, Mr. Lorry said affectionately:
"My dear Mr. Manette, I should like to ask you a private question. It is about a curious case which interests me. That is to say, I find it strange that you are well-informed and may not find it strange." .”

The doctor looked puzzled at his hands, discolored from his recent work, and listened carefully.He has looked at his hands several times. "Dr. Manette," said Mr. Lorry, touching his arm lightly, "he's a very dear friend of mine. Advise me, please. Especially for his daughter—his daughter, My dear Manette." "If I am not mistaken," said the doctor in a low voice, "is it a psychological shock?" "Yes!"

"Be specific," said the doctor, "and don't miss a single detail." Mr. Lorry found an understanding, and went on.

"Dear Manette, this is an old, long-term shock, mentally distressed, and appears to be very serious. It is what you call a psychological shock. The condition is: the patient has collapsed due to psychological shock. For a long time, because I guarantee that he himself cannot calculate, and there is no other way to calculate. Later, the patient recovered by himself, and he himself could not trace the recovery process-I have heard him speak publicly, which is very moving. His illness is completely Well, as a person with a high IQ, he can already do complex mental work, as well as heavy physical work, and he can even add new things to his already rich knowledge. But unfortunately—” He Pausing for a while, he took a deep breath, "His illness recently appeared a slight recurrence."

The doctor asked in a low voice, "How long did it last?" "Nine days and nine nights." "What's the performance?" He looked at his hand again as he said, "I guess it's something related to shock. That's the problem, isn't it?" "That's right." "Well, you used to," the doctor asked, although he was trying to control himself, and although his voice was still very low, it was obvious that he was uneasy "you have seen him go into shock. activity?"

"I saw it once." "When did he get sick? Did he recover roughly or completely?"

"I believe it's completely back to normal." "You were talking about his daughter just now. Does his daughter know that he's been sick again?"

"I don't know. It's a secret from her, and I hope it will always be from her. Only me and a trusted person will know."

The doctor suddenly grabbed his hand tightly and murmured, "Well done, very careful, very thoughtful!" Mr. Lorry also grabbed his hand, and they looked at each other for a long time in silence.

"Now, my dear Manette," said Mr. Lorry at last, in his most concerned and affectionate tones, "I am only a businessman, and do not know how to deal with such difficult and complicated matters. I do not possess the requisite professional knowledge. I need guidance. I can only rely on you to get the right guidance in this world. Tell me, why do I have this disease? Is there a risk of recurrence? Can it be prevented? How can I treat it? What is the cause of this disease? What can I do for my friend? As soon as I know what to do, I will help my friend as soon as I know. But I don't know how to treat this disease. If Your wisdom, knowledge and experience can give me some inspiration, and I can do many things. But without enlightenment and guidance, I can hardly do anything. Please teach me something, so that I can understand the situation better and make more use of it.”

After hearing these earnest words, Dr. Manette pondered for a while.Mr. Lorry did not urge him.

"I think," said the doctor, now at last plucking up courage to break the silence, "that the patient may well have anticipated the attack you describe, my dear friend."

"Is he afraid of being ill?" asked Mr. Lorry boldly. "Very scared," he trembled unconsciously when he said these three words. "You don't know how heavy this fear is on the patient's heart. You don't know how difficult it is to get him to talk about the persecution he has suffered, so he doesn't say a word, he chooses to remain silent." After the patient has that miraculous premonition," Mr. Lorry asked, "if he can persuade himself to talk to others, can it relieve the pain?" Disclosing is almost impossible, in some cases absolutely impossible."

"Then," said Mr. Lorry, after a moment's silence between them, laying his hand on the doctor's arm, "what do you think is the cause of the illness?"

"I believe," replied Dr. Manette, "that the series of thoughts and memories which had led to the disease reappeared in violent and unnatural form. I think that some most painful imagination stimulated his recollection of formerly miserable events. Past events. He may well harbor a long-standing fear of recalling related issues. Such as a certain environment, or a certain period of time. He was going to try to overcome, but failed. Perhaps his preparation to overcome was just Weakened his endurance."

"Can he remember something about the relapse?" asked Mr. Lorry, unavoidably a little uneasy.

The doctor looked around the room with a painful expression, shook his head, and replied in a low voice, "I don't remember at all."

"What about after that?" Mr. Lorry asked hintingly. "In the future," the doctor strengthened, "I think there will be great hope in the future. Since God has mercy on him and let him return to normal soon, I think there will be great hope. He is under some complicated pressure. He had a nervous breakdown, so he was afraid of it for a long time and fought it hard until the clouds cleared and he was back to normal. I think the worst is over."

"Well, well! That's reassuring. I appreciate it!" said Mr. Lorry.

"Thank you, too!" The doctor repeated his words, bowing his head reverently.

"There are two more questions," said Mr. Lorry, "and I would like your advice. May I ask you again?"

"It would be more beneficial for your friend to ask." The doctor held out his hand to him.

"Let's talk about the first one first. He is often very hardworking and extremely energetic. In order to broaden his business knowledge, to do experiments, and to do many things, he works very hard. So, will he do too much?"

"I don't see much. He may be born with a special need for sustenance. This may be partly natural and partly painful. The less positive thoughts he has in his mind, the greater the danger of turning in a negative direction. He may I observed this myself."

"Are you sure he's not overworked?" "I'm sure." "My dear Manette, if he's overworked now—"

"My dear Rory, one does not overwork easily. When a pressure is pulled in one direction, there must be another to counteract it."

"I'm a stubborn person, please forgive me. If he has been overworked for a while, will it make him fall back into this mess?"

"I don't think so," said Dr. Manette confidently. "I don't think anything but that series of painful, tense associations will recreate the confusion. I don't think that unless the later taut string He was plucked so strongly again, otherwise the disease would not have recurred. After the above-mentioned situation has happened to him and he has returned to normal, it is difficult for me to imagine anything else that can pluck that string so strongly. I think, almost believe, that the conditions that could have caused the attack are no longer there, no longer exist."

When he spoke, he was not very confident, because he knew that the human heart is complex and delicate, and even the slightest movement can overthrow it, but at the same time, he was very confident, because he had experienced suffering himself and gradually gained confidence.Feeling that his confidence should not be dampened, Mr. Lorry feigned confidence and encouragement, and then turned to the second and last question, which he considered the most difficult.But thinking of his conversation with Miss Pross on Sunday morning and what he had observed during these nine days, he knew he had to face it anyway.

"During the course of this patient's illness he resumed a professional activity," said Mr. Lorry, clearing his throat, "that we may call it--blacksmithing, let's call it blacksmithing! To be clear, we may say that during his illness he had acquired the habit of working at his little furnace. And this time he was working at his little furnace again unexpectedly. If he still took the little furnace Does the keeping of the furnace indicate that his illness may recur?"

The doctor pressed his hand to his forehead and tapped his foot nervously on the floor. "He kept that stove with him all the time," said Mr. Lorry, looking anxiously at his friend. "Wouldn't it be better if he could get rid of the stove?"

The doctor still pressed his hand to his forehead and tapped his foot nervously on the floor. "You're perplexed, don't you know how to decide better?" said Mr. Lorry.

"It's a delicate question, I know, but I think—" He shook his head and stopped.

"You see," said Dr. Manette, after an embarrassing wait before turning to him, "it is very difficult to give a coherent account of the poor man's inner workings. He was delighted when it appeared. It undoubtedly eased his suffering greatly, for it allowed him to substitute physical labor for mental perplexity, and, as he gradually became more proficient, manual dexterity for mental torment. Therefore Just the thought of putting that tool where he can't find it hurts him. Even now, though I believe he has more hope in himself than ever before, and even speaks of a degree of confidence in himself, but There is a sudden involuntary fear and apprehension at the thought of what he would do if he tried to engage in his previous activities and could not find them. We can imagine that as a lost child."

He looked up into Mr. Lorry's face with bewildered eyes, like the child he was exemplifying.

"But isn't that tool a hidden danger to that idea?—Attention! I'm coming to you for advice as a hard business worker dealing with material things like guineas, shillings, banknotes, etc. .If that thing goes away, my dear Manette, is it possible that the fear goes away with it? In short, isn't keeping the little melting pot a concession to that scruple?"

There was another silence. "You understand," the doctor's voice began to lower and tremble, "that thing is an old companion!" "I don't agree to keep it," said Mr. Lorry, shaking his head. Hardened." "I'm going to advise him to sacrifice it. I just want you to authorize me. I'm sure it won't do him any good. Come! Be a lovely good man and authorize me! For his daughter , dear Manette!"

Watching his mental struggles was a strange experience.

"In his daughter's name, so be it. I agree, but I won't take it in his presence. It's better to do it while he's away. Let him go and come back later Go miss your old friends again!"

Mr. Lorry immediately agreed, and the conversation was brought to an end.The two spent the day in the country and the doctor was completely normal.It was completely normal for the next three days, and on the 14th day he left London to join Lucy and her husband.Mr. Lorry had previously explained to him some of the precautions they had taken to explain his failure to write, and he wrote on that account, without the slightest suspicion from his daughter.

On the night when he left the house, Mr. Lorry went in with a hatchet, saw, drill, and hammer, and Miss Pross kept him company by a candle.They closed the door.Mr. Lorry hacked the cobbler's bench into several pieces, stealthily and apprehensively, and Miss Pross, holding a candle, seemed to be assisting in a murder--in fact she The fierce appearance is quite similar to that character.The bench was immediately burned (had been chopped into pieces) in the kitchen fire.Tools, shoes and leather were buried in the garden.It is not easy for them to destroy these things secretly. Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross even felt that they were conspiring to commit a horrible murder when they completed the task and destroyed the traces.

(End of this chapter)