死亡约会 Part I Chapter 12（2）

Presently she was aware of someone standing by her side. DrGerard’s voice said:

‘You appreciate the appositeness of the devil’s temptation in the New Testament. Satan tookOur Lord up to the summit of a mountain and showed Him the world. “All these things will I givethee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” How much greater the temptation up on high to be aGod of Material Power.’

Sarah assented, but her thoughts were so clearly elsewhere that Gerard observed her in somesurprise.

‘You are pondering something very deeply,’ he said.

‘Yes, I am.’ She turned a perplexed face to him.

‘It’s a wonderful idea—to have a place of sacrifice up here. I think sometimes, don’t you, that asacrifice is necessary… I mean, one can have too much regard for life. Death isn’t really soimportant as we make out.’

‘If you feel that, Miss King, you should not have adopted our profession. To us, Death is andmust always be—the Enemy.’

Sarah shivered.

‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. And yet, so often death might solve a problem. It might mean,even, fuller life…’

‘It is expedient for us that one man should die for the people!’ quoted Gerard gravely.

Sarah turned a startled face on him.

‘I didn’t mean—’ She broke off. Jefferson Cope was approaching them.

‘Now this is really a most remarkable spot,’ he declared. ‘Most remarkable, and I’m only toopleased not to have missed it. I don’t mind confessing that though Mrs Boynton is certainly a mostremarkable woman — I greatly admire her pluck in being determined to come here — it doescertainly complicate matters travelling with her. Her health is poor, and I suppose it naturallymakes her a little inconsiderate of other people’s feelings, but it does not seem to occur to her thather family might like occasionally to go on excursions without her. She’s just so used to themclustering round her that I suppose she doesn’t think—’

Mr Cope broke off. His nice kindly face looked a little disturbed and uncomfortable.

‘You know,’ he said, ‘I heard a piece of information about Mrs Boynton that disturbed megreatly.’

Sarah was lost in her own thoughts again—Mr Cope’s voice just flowed pleasantly in her earslike the agreeable murmur of a remote stream, but Dr Gerard said:

‘Indeed? What was it?’

‘My informant was a lady I came across in the hotel at Tiberias. It concerned a servant girl whohad been in Mrs Boynton’s employ. The girl, I gather, was—had—’

Mr Cope paused, glanced delicately at Sarah and lowered his voice. ‘She was going to have achild. The old lady, it seemed, discovered this, but was apparently quite kind to the girl. Then afew weeks before the child was born she turned her out of the house.’

Dr Gerard’s eyebrows went up.

‘Ah,’ he said reflectively.

‘My informant seemed very positive of her facts. I don’t know whether you agree with me, butthat seems to me a very cruel and heartless thing to do. I cannot understand—’

Dr Gerard interrupted him.

‘You should try to. That incident, I have no doubt, gave Mrs Boynton a good deal of quietenjoyment.’

Mr Cope turned a shocked face on him.

‘No, sir,’ he said with emphasis. ‘That I cannot believe. Such an idea is quite inconceivable.’

Softly Dr Gerard quoted:

‘So I returned and did consider all the oppressions done beneath the sun. And there wasweeping and wailing from those that were oppressed and had no comfort; for with theiroppressors there was power, so that no one came to comfort them. Then I did praise the deadwhich are already dead, yea, more than the living which linger still in life; yea, he that is not isbetter than dead or living; for he doth not know of the evil that is wrought for ever on earth…’

He broke off and said:

‘My dear sir, I have made a life’s study of the strange things that go on in the human mind. It isno good turning one’s face only to the fairer side of life. Below the decencies and conventions ofeveryday life, there lies a vast reservoir of strange things. There is such a thing, for instance, asdelight in cruelty for its own sake. But when you have found that, there is something deeper still.

The desire, profound and pitiful, to be appreciated. If that is thwarted, if through an unpleasingpersonality a human being is unable to get the response it needs, it turns to other methods—it mustbe felt—it must count—and so to innumerable strange perversions. The habit of cruelty, like anyother habit, can be cultivated, can take hold of one—’

Mr Cope coughed. ‘I think, Dr Gerard, that you are slightly exaggerating. Really, the air up hereis too wonderful…’

He edged away. Gerard smiled a little. He looked again at Sarah. She was frowning—her facewas set in a youthful sternness. She looked, he thought, like a young judge delivering sentence…