Chapter 27 Chapter 19 - A Proposal

Mr. Lorry, exhausted by anxious observation, fell asleep at his post.On the tenth morning that he spent in fear, he was awakened by the sunlight shooting into the room. It turned out that he had a good night's sleep. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, wondering if he was still in a dream.Because, when he went to the doctor's dormitory and looked in, he found that the shoemaker's stool and tools had been packed away again, and the doctor was sitting by 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, hardworking, and intent.

Satisfied that he was back to normal, Mr. Lorry remained in a daze for some time whether the recent shoe-making business had been a disturbing dream.Didn't he clearly see that his friend was dressed as usual, with the same demeanor, doing what he always did?What indication could he have before his eyes that the event which so strongly impressed him had actually occurred? But when I thought about it while being confused and surprised, the answer was very clear.How could he, Jarvis Lowry, be here if the impression had not been produced by a corresponding, actual, sufficient cause?And how could he fall asleep on the sofa in Dr. Manette's consulting room with all his clothes on?Why would he stand at the door of the doctor's dormitory early in the morning thinking about these issues?

In a few minutes Miss Pross was standing beside him, speaking in silence.If he still had the slightest doubt, her words would definitely make him feel relieved.But he was clear-headed by then and didn't doubt it.He suggested keeping quiet and not meeting the doctor until breakfast as if nothing had happened.If the doctor had been in the same mood then, Mr. Lorry might have been careful to seek instructions and guidance.He was anxious, 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 in an orderly manner, 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 envisioned a step-by-step approach, which he believed to be the only security.He wanted to understand him without departing from the set of measures.The doctor thought at first that his daughter had been married only yesterday.The question of dates (what day of the week is it today? What day of the month?), which was deliberately brought up in a casual manner, aroused the doctor's considerations and calculations, and he was visibly disturbed.But in other respects he remained quite calm, so Mr. Lorry decided to seek the help he needed--help from the doctor himself. When breakfast was over and the plates were removed, and he and the doctor were alone at the table, Mr. Lorry said affectionately:

"My dear Mr. Manette, I would like to ask you a confidential question. It is a curious case which interests me. That is to say, I find it strange that you, who have seen so much, may not. " The doctor glanced at his hands, discolored from recent work, in bewilderment, and listened.He has looked at his hand more than once. "Doctor Manette," Mr. Luo Yao touched his arm affectionately, "that is a very good friend of mine. Please give me a good idea for him. Especially for his daughter—his Daughter, dear Manette." "If my understanding is correct," the doctor said in a low voice, "is it a kind of psychological shock?",

"right!" "Introduce clearly," said the doctor, "and don't miss any detail." Mr. Lorry saw that there was a tacit understanding between them, and he continued. "Dear Manette, this is an old chronic shock, very painful to the feelings and sensations, very serious, exactly what you call a psychological shock, psychological. The condition is: the patient collapses from the psychological shock I don’t know how much time, because I believe he can’t calculate it himself, and there is no other way to calculate it. Later, the patient recovered on his own, and he couldn’t trace the recovery process himself——I have heard him speak publicly, which is very touching. His The illness was completely cured, and as a person of high intelligence, he could already do heavy mental work as well as heavy physical work, and he could add new things to his already rich knowledge. But unfortunately—— —" He stopped, took a deep breath, "he had a slight recurrence of his illness."

The doctor asked in a low voice, "How long?" "Nine days and nine nights." "What's the performance?" When he said it, he looked at his hand again, "I guess it's because I came into contact with some kind of shock-related problem again, isn't it?" "Exactly." "Well, you go over there," the doctor asked, obviously trying to control himself, although his voice was still very low, "have you seen his activities in shock?" "I saw it once." "When did he get sick? Has he largely or completely returned to his former state?"

"I believe it's a full return to what it was before." "You were talking about his daughter just now. Does his daughter know that he has been ill again?" "I don't know. It was kept a secret from her, and I hope it will be kept from her forever. Only I know it, and a trustworthy person knows it." The doctor took his hand and murmured, "very careful and thoughtful!" Mr. Lorry also took his hand, and there was a long silence between the two of them, speechless. "Now, my dear Manette," said Mr. Lorry at last, with the utmost concern and affection, "I am only a businessman, not fitted for such difficult and complicated matters. I do not possess the requisite knowledge. I Need guidance. I can only rely on you for proper guidance in this world. Tell me, why does this disease occur? Is there a risk of recurrence? Can it be prevented? How can it be cured? What is it? What can I do for my friend? As long as I know what to do, I am the most eager to serve my friend. No one can compare to me. But I don’t know how to deal with such a disease. If Your wisdom, knowledge and experience can lead me on my way, and I can do many things. But without enlightenment and guidance, I can hardly do anything. Please discuss with me so that I can be more informed and useful.”

After hearing these earnest words, Dr. Manette pondered for a while.Mr. Lorry did not press him. "I think," said the doctor, courageously breaking the silence, "that it is probable that the patient was not entirely unaware of the attack you describe, my dear friend." "Is he afraid of being ill?" asked Mr. Lorry boldly. "Scared," he said with an involuntary shudder. "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. It is almost impossible for him to mention even a single word."

"After the patient has that secret premonition," Mr. Lorry asked, "if he can persuade himself to reveal it to others, will it have any effect on relieving the pain?" "I think so. But I will also tell you that it is almost impossible, and in some cases absolutely impossible, for him to tell anyone else." "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 chain of thoughts and recollections which led to the disease reappeared in violent and abnormal form. I think that some of the most painful intense associations were revived in memory. He may well have had a long-held fear in his mind of recalling a related problem, such as a certain circumstance, or a particular period of time. He tried and failed to overcome it; perhaps his attempts to overcome it were weakened beyond his endurance."

"Can he remember the relapse?" asked Mr. Lorry, hesitantly. The doctor looked around the room in pain, shook his head, and replied in a low voice, "I don't remember at all." "And after that?" suggested Mr. Lorry. "In the future," said the doctor, strengthening himself, "I think there is great hope in the future. Since Heaven has had mercy on him and made him recover quickly, I think it will be very promising. He is in some complicated situation. Cracked under the pressure, he had been afraid of it for a long time, had been vaguely afraid of it for a long time, fought with it until the cloud broke and it disappeared and he was normal again. 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 reverently, bowing his head. "There are two more questions," said Mr. Lorry, "and I would very much like your advice. May I ask again?" "It would be better for your friend to ask." The doctor held out his hand to him. "Let's talk about the first one first. He has the habit of studying, and he is extremely energetic. In order to increase business knowledge, to do experiments, and for many things, he is very hardworking. So, does he have too much work?" "I don't see much. His mental characteristics may be precisely the special need for sustenance. This situation may be partly due to nature, partly due to pain. The less things occupy the health of his mind, the less healthy things turn in unhealthy directions. The greater the danger. He may have made his own observations and discovered it." "Are you sure he's not overworked?" "I'm pretty sure." "My dear Manette, if he is overworked now—" "My dear Rory, I doubt whether it is so easy to be overworked. For every pressure to be pulled in one direction must be counterbalanced by another." "I'm a business-minded guy, excuse me. Assuming he did have a period of overwork, wouldn't that rekindle the confusion?" "I don't think so," said Dr. Manette confidently. "I don't think anything but that series of associations will cause the confusion afresh. I don't think that unless the string is plucked very badly afterward." If he moves, the disease will not attack. After the above-mentioned situation has happened to him and he has returned to normal, I find it difficult to imagine anything else that can pluck the string so strongly. I think, almost believe that , the conditions that could have caused an onset have been exhausted." He spoke not confidently, because he knew the delicate structure of the mind, which could be overthrown by the slightest movement, but also confidently, because he had personally suffered and gradually developed certainty.Mr. Lorry, feeling that it would be inappropriate to dampen his confidence, expressed more confidence and encouragement than he actually felt, and then turned to the second and last question, the most difficult one in his mind.But as soon as he recalled his conversation with Miss Pross on Sunday morning and what he had observed during these nine days, he knew he had to bear it. "Under the influence of this near-miss, the patient has resumed a professional activity," said Mr. Lorry, clearing his throat. "We may call it—blacksmithing, blacksmithing." Work! To illustrate, we may say that during his illness he had acquired the habit of working at his little furnace. This time he unexpectedly started working at his little furnace again. If he Wouldn't it be a pity to keep that little melting pot?" The doctor pressed his hand to his forehead and tapped his foot nervously on the floor. "He always kept that stove with him," said Mr. Lorry, looking anxiously at his friend. "Wouldn't he be better off if he threw the stove away?" Still holding his forehead, the doctor tapped his foot nervously on the floor. "You're in trouble, don't you want to make up my mind?" said Mr. Lorry. "It's a delicate question, I understand, but I think—" He shook his head and stopped. "You see," said Dr. Manette, turning to him after a moment of embarrassment, "it is difficult to give a coherent account of the poor man's inner workings. He was very welcome when he appeared. It undoubtedly eased his suffering greatly, because it made him replace the confusion of the head with the busyness of the fingers, and replace the mental torment with the dexterity of the hand when he became more proficient. He couldn't bear the thought of putting that tool where he couldn't find it. Even now, though I believe he had more hope for himself than ever before, and even spoke of a certain confidence in himself, the thought of He cannot help feeling a sudden terror if he tries to engage in past activities and cannot find them. We can imagine that like a child who has lost his way." He lifted his eyes to Mr. Lorry's face, which looked exactly like the child of which he was exemplifying. "However, does the reservation of the tool entail the reservation of the idea?—Note! I am looking for this as a laborious tradesman who deals with guineas, shillings, banknotes, and the like. You suggested it. If the thing were to disappear, my dear Manette, wouldn't the fear disappear with it? In short, would the preservation of the little melting pot be a concession to that concern?" There was another silence. "You understand," said the doctor in a trembling voice, "that thing is an old companion!" "I don't agree to keep it," said Mr. Lorry, shaking his head; and he was all the more determined when he saw the doctor's uneasiness. "I'm going to advise him to sacrifice it. I only want you to authorize me. I'm sure it will do no good. Come! Be a good man, and authorize me! For his daughter's sake, dear Manet special!" Watching his inner struggle was a strange experience. "If it's in his daughter's name, then do it. I approve, but I won't take it away in his presence. Better do it while he's away. Let him go and come back." Miss old friends!" Mr. Lorry immediately agreed, and the conversation was over.The two spent a day in the country, and the doctor was completely normal.It remained perfectly normal for the next three days, and on the fourteenth day he left London to join Lucy and her husband.Mr. Lorry had explained to him 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 into his room with a hatchet, saw, drill, and hammer, and Miss Pross kept him company by a candle.They closed the door.Mysteriously and apprehensively, Mr. Lorry splits the cobbler's bench into several pieces, and Miss Pross, holding a candle, appears to be assisting in a murder--which is not the case with her fierce appearance. Not like that character.The benches were immediately burned in the kitchen fire (chopped into pieces beforehand); the tools, shoes and leather were buried in the garden.Destruction and secrecy are so wicked to honest hearts, that Mr. Lorry and Miss Pross almost felt themselves conspiring in a horrible murder as they accomplished their mission and wiped out their traces.