Chapter 117 Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

Philip wrote to tell Athelny that he was acting as a doctor in Dorset, and within a few days Athelny wrote back.Athelny wrote the letter in an affected manner, and wrote it politely, with a lot of gorgeous words piled up in it, like a crown studded with precious stones; he had black type, flying around, but it was difficult to decipher, but he did it for himself. Proud to be able to write this fine handwriting.In it Athelny suggested that Philip should join him and his family in the hop meadows of Kent, where he himself went every year.In order to persuade Philip, he also wrote a series of beautiful and intricate arguments about Philip's soul and the twisting tendrils of hops.Philip wrote back at once, saying he was going to Kent as soon as he could.Although it was not his birthplace, he had a special feeling for that Tanet Island.Thinking that he was about to return to the embrace of Mother Earth, and spent half a month under the blue sky of Wu, Philip felt as if he had come to the olive grove of Arcadia, which was full of idyllic and poetic, and his heart was on fire. passion.

Time flew by, and the one-month deadline for acting as an interim doctor in Farnley was coming soon.On the cliff facing the sea, a new town rises from the ground, with red brick villas lined up one after another, surrounded by golf courses.A large hotel has just opened to accommodate the tourists who flock to escape the summer heat.Philip seldom went there, however.Under the cliff near the port, small stone houses left over from the last century are chaotically crowded together, but they are harmless; the narrow streets have a steep slope, but they have an antique flavor that inspires reverie.There are tidy little one-story houses standing by the water, and there is a small and exquisite garden in front of the houses, where either retired merchant captains live, or mothers and widows who live by the sea.These small houses are shrouded in a simple and peaceful atmosphere.In the small port, small-tonnage cargo ships from Spain and Levant Island in France are moored; sometimes with a romantic breeze, sailboats slowly drift into the port.The sight reminded Philip of little Blackstable harbor, full of black colliers.It was that little port, he thought, that had awakened in him the desire to see the Eastern kingdoms and the sunny isles of the tropical seas that still took root in him.But only here do you feel closer to the vast, deep ocean than at the North Sea, where you always feel that your vision is limited.Here you take a long, pleasant breath as you look across the still, vast sea; and the westerly wind, that gracious salty breeze of England Raise your spirits, and at the same time soften and tenderize your heart.

One night during Philip's last week with Dr. South, while the two of them were preparing the medicine, a child came thumping up to the door of the operating room.It turned out to be a ragged girl with a dirty face and bare feet.Philip opened the door in response. "Would you please go to Mrs. Fletcher in Ivy Lane at once, sir?" "What's the matter with Mrs. Fletcher?" asked Dr. South in his raspy voice. But the girl ignored him and continued to say to Philip: "Sir, Mrs. Fletcher's youngest son has had an accident, would you please go?" "Go and tell Mrs. Fletcher that I'll be right there," said Dr. South, tending the child inside.

The girl hesitated, put a black finger into the dirty mouth, and stood silent, looking at Philip. "What's the matter, child?" Philip asked, smiling. "Sir, Mrs. Fletcher said, send the new doctor along." There was a noise in the pharmacy, and Dr. South stepped out into the passage. "Doesn't Mrs. Fletcher trust me?" he growled. "I've been seeing her since the day she was born. Why can't I even see her pup now?" For a moment the little girl looked like she was about to cry, but then she held back.She intentionally stuck out her tongue towards Dr. South, and before Dr. South could recover, she ran away with all her strength.Philip saw that the old gentleman was annoyed now.

"You look very tired, and besides, Ivy Lane is not near from here," said Philip, hinting to Dr. South not to rush. Dr. South cursed in a low voice. "This distance is much closer to a man who has two legs than to a man who walks on one and a half legs." Philip flushed very brightly, and for a while stood motionless. "Would you like me to go, or will you go by yourself?" asked Philip at last, flatly. "Since they ordered you, why should I go?" Philip took his hat and went on his rounds.It was almost eight o'clock when he came back.At this moment Dr. South was standing in the dining room with his back to the fireplace.

"You have been here for a long time," said Dr. South. "I'm sorry. Why don't you eat first?" "I like to wait. Have you been staying at Mrs. Fletcher's all this time?" "No, it wasn't with her all the time. On the way back, I stopped to watch the sunset, and I didn't notice the time go by so quickly." Dr. South said nothing.At this time, the maid brought them some grilled shrimp.Philip ate with relish.Dr. South asked suddenly: "Why do you want to watch the sunset?" With his mouth full, Philip mumbled: "Because I'm happy."

Dr. South gave him an odd look.There was a smile on that old, tired face.After that, they ate in silence.But as the maid poured them the claret and left, Dr. South leaned back and fixed his piercing eyes on Philip. "Young man, are you angry that I mentioned your lame just now?" he went on to Philip. "When people are angry with me, they often refer to my limp, directly or indirectly." "I think people understand that's your weakness." Philip faced him, looking straight at him. "You're glad you found that, aren't you?" Dr. South didn't answer, but just gave a miserable chuckle.The two of them sat there for a while, staring at each other.Then Philip was astonished by what Dr. South said.

"Why don't you stay here? I'm going to fire that bloody idiot." "It's hard for you to be so thoughtful, but I'm hoping to get a position at St. Luke's this fall. It will be of great use to me when I get another job." "I mean the hospital in partnership with you," said Dr. South stubbornly. "Why?" asked Philip in surprise. "The people here seem to welcome you to stay." "I thought you would never approve of such a thing," said Philip dryly. "I've been practicing medicine for forty years. Do you think I care if people like my assistants and not me? I don't care, friend! There's no bond between me and my patients, and neither do I. Expect them to be grateful to me, I just want them to pay my medical bills. Well, what do you think of my proposal?"

In this regard, Philip did not say anything.Not because he was considering Dr. South's advice, but because he was surprised.It is obvious that someone would take the initiative to invite a young hand who has just obtained the qualifications of a doctor to partner with him to open a hospital. Obviously, this matter is too unusual.Philip was surprised to realize that Dr. South had taken a liking to him, though he would never say so.He wondered what the gentleman would think if he went and told the secretariat at St. Luke's Hospital. "Here, you can earn seven hundred pounds a year from treating people here. Let us add up how much shares you take, and you can gradually repay it to me later. After I die, you will inherit my position. You will spend at least two or three years Time to go around looking for a hospital position, then you can bring an assistant, and finally you can practice medicine on your own. I think my advice is stronger than that."

Philip knew that an opportunity like this was more than anyone in his trade could dream of.He knew that there were plenty of practitioners, half of whom would gratefully accept his offer, despite the modest assets of Dr. South's hospital. "I am so sorry that I cannot take your suggestion," said Philip at last. "Accepting your advice would mean giving up everything I have pursued for many years. Despite all my misfortunes, I have never given up my goal of qualifying as a doctor so I can travel the world. , Whenever I wake up in the morning, my bones are sore, as if urging me to hurry up. As for where to go, I don't mind, anyway, as long as I go abroad, go to a place I have never been before."

Right now, it seems that the realization of this goal is not far away.His tenure at St. Luke's Hospital was to end in the middle of the next year, and he was heading straight to Spain.He could stay there for months, roaming the land that had always been legendary to him.Then, he sailed across the ocean to the East.There is still a long way to go in life, and there is plenty of time.He could spend years, if he pleased, wandering about out-of-the-way places and among strange peoples, where people lived in all sorts of queer ways.He didn't know what he wanted to pursue, and he didn't know what travel would bring him, but he felt that through travel he would learn many new things in life and find some clues to the mystery he had just uncovered, and the result would be Make yourself discover the mysteries of life even more incredible.Even if he got nothing, at least he could get rid of the uneasiness that disturbed his mood.Dr. South, however, had shown him his kindness, and it seemed ingratitude to refuse his offer without proper reason.So Philip, blushing as usual, and trying to look serious, explained to Dr. South how important it was for him to accomplish what he had cherished for many years. Dr. South listened quietly, his sly, dim eyes softening gradually.Philip found it all the more gracious that Dr. South did not force him to accept his favors, for benevolence is often compulsive.Dr. South seemed to think that Philip's reason had some merit, and the subject left the subject, and turned to his youth.He once served in the Royal Navy, and this experience made him have an indissoluble bond with the sea.When he retired, he settled in Farnley.He told Philip about his old voyages in the Pacific and his adventures in China.He had participated in an expedition against the barbarians in Borneo, and had visited Samoa, which was then an independent country.He also stopped at the Coral Islands.Philip listened intently.Little by little he introduced himself to Philip.Dr. South was a widower, his wife had died thirty years earlier, and his daughter had married a Rhodesian farmer.Weng and his son-in-law turned against each other, and his daughter did not return to England for ten years in a fit of anger.In this way, he has never been married and has no children.He was alone, alone.His short-tempered temper was nothing more than a protective cover he used to hide his desperation.For Philip, seeing Dr. South was not so much impatience as waiting for death with disgust, cursing old age all day long, and not being reconciled to all the things that came with it. It is a tragic scene indeed to be bound by the bondage of a man, and yet feel that death is the only way out of the misery of his life.Philip broke into his life suddenly, and the fatherly instincts long since long separated from his daughter had died out--his daughter took her husband's side in his quarrels with her son-in-law, and he took none of her children. Never seen--it was all poured out on Philip at once.At first this incident annoyed him, and he said to himself that it was a sign of old age.But there was something about Philip that strongly attracted him.Sometimes he caught himself smiling at Philip for no apparent reason.Philip was not at all annoying to him.Once or twice Philip put his hand on his shoulder.It was an almost caressing gesture that he had never had since his daughter left England many years ago.Dr. South accompanied Philip all the way up to the station when he was leaving, looking strangely depressed. "I have had a very pleasant time here," said Philip, "you have been very kind to me." "I suppose you're happy to be gone?" "I've always been happy with you." "But you still want to go abroad to see the world? Ah, you are still young." After hesitating for a while, he said, "I hope you don't forget that once you change your mind, my advice is still valid." "Then thank you very much." Philip shook hands with Dr. South outside the window.After a while, the train left the station slowly.Philip remembered the fortnight he was going to spend in the hop field.Thinking of his friends getting together again, he was very happy; the reason why he was happy was because the weather was so beautiful that day.Meanwhile, Dr. South was limping toward his empty house.He felt very old and very alone.