Chapter 26 thermometer

Hans Castorp's days here were counted on Tuesdays, because it happened to be a Tuesday when he went up the mountain.Two or three days before, he had gone to the office to pay the second week's bills.The accounts for the week were modest, only about one hundred and sixty francs.In his opinion, this is a small sum, which is quite cheap, not to mention the countless benefits of living here, which cannot be included in the account.There are also some advantages that don't count (although they can be counted, if they must be counted), such as the biweekly therapeutic concerts and Dr. Krokowski's lectures.In fact, the amount of 160 francs was only the entertainment fee and accommodation fee collected by the Sanatorium in the guest's name. After all, the sanatorium had arranged for him a comfortable residence and five extremely sumptuous meals.

"It's not expensive at all, it's quite cheap. You can't blame the mountain for ripping you off," said the new visitor to the resident patient. "You'll only spend about six hundred and fifty francs a month on board and lodging, and that includes medical expenses. Well, if you want to be generous and like to please others, let's say you're going to spend another month. Thirty francs in tip, so the total is six hundred and eighty francs. Well, you'll tell me, there are expenses and tips. Drinks, cosmetics, cigars, they all cost money ; if you like, you want to go on a hike, go for a drive in a carriage, and sometimes you have to find a shoemaker and a tailor. Well, no matter how you spend it, you can't exceed a thousand francs a month! Eight hundred marks is not enough. Well. Not ten thousand marks a year. Never more. That's what you live on."

"You're pretty good at mental arithmetic," said Joachim. "I didn't think you could do that. I think you're being extravagant when you count on a year. You did learn something up here on the hill. But you over-expenditure. I never smoked." , and clothes, I don’t even want to do them on the mountain, thank you!” "It's not a big outlay," said Hans Castorp bewildered.But how he should have counted his cousin's cigars and clothes was only a momentary bewilderment in terms of his astute mind and outstanding mental arithmetic ability.In this, as in everything else, he was rather dull and lacking in fiery vigor; he did not acquire his present quickness in mental calculations overnight, but by accumulated preparations, written preparations.For example, one night, Hans Castorp was doing recumbent therapy on the balcony (because he, like everyone else, always lay in the open at night), suddenly jumped up from his comfortable couch and, on a whim, Leaving the room to get paper and pencil to figure something out.From this he came to the conclusion that his cousin, or whoever was on the mountain, would need to spend twelve thousand francs a year in total; while thinking to himself that if he himself stayed on the mountain, it would be more than enough financially, since he should be paid every year. An income of eighteen thousand to nineteen thousand francs.

The second week's expenses had been settled three days before, as people often say.He was halfway through the third week of his stay on the mountain, and it was also the last week of his scheduled departure.Next Sunday, he can also listen to the biweekly healing concert, and on Monday, he can also listen to Krokowski's lectures, which are also held every two weeks.He seems to be talking to himself, but also seems to be talking to his cousin.And on Tuesday and Wednesday, he had to go on his way, leaving Joachim alone.Poor Joachim!I don't know Damantus the judge of the underworld.This refers to the consultant Behrens.How many months will be judged for his stay?Whenever it was said that Hans Castorp was about to start home, his tender dark eyes cast a sad shadow.Oh, my God, what's left of the holidays! They've flown by so fast that one can't really tell.But after all they spent twenty-one days together, a long time which was not easy to see clearly at first.Now all of a sudden there are only three or four days left, and these days are simply insignificant.But in addition to the normal days, there are also two periodic activities mixed in. In addition, I have to pack my luggage and say goodbye to the people on the mountain.Three weeks here would be a good thing--that's what people told him at first.Here, the smallest unit of time is the month, as Sethambrini has already said; Hans Castorp did not live for even a month, so it was nothing at all.As the consultant Behrens had said, Hans was only here for a weekend visit.The time on the mountain is gone in a blink of an eye, maybe because the combustion process of the organism is faster? It is a consolation for Joachim's convalescent life for the next five months that the days can pass so quickly—if he only lives If you can be discharged from the hospital in five months.During these three weeks, they should have spent more time on their time and concentrated like Joachim when he took his temperature, when the prescribed seven minutes seemed like a long time... Hans Kass Thorp expressed his heartfelt sympathy for his cousin. From the eyes of the other party, he could see the sadness of his cousin who was about to lose his companion.

Thinking that the poor cousin would stay here forever, and he himself could spend his days on the plains, contributing to the transportation technology that facilitated the communication between people of various countries, he couldn't help feeling extremely strong sympathy for his cousin.This sympathy burned like fire, and sometimes it made him ache; in short, it was so strong that he sometimes seriously doubted whether he could bear it at all, whether he would be willing to leave Joachim alone. on the hill.This compassion was at times so intense that it was perhaps why he spoke less and less to Joachim about his imminent departure.It was Joachim who occasionally brought up the subject; and Hans Castorp, as we have already said, with his natural wit and tenderness, avoided even thinking about it at the last moment. it. "Let us at least hope," said Joachim, "that you have somewhat recovered from your fatigue on our mountain, and come home refreshed."

"Oh, I'll say hello to everyone," replied Hans Castorp, "and tell them you'll be home in five months at the most. Fatigued? Do you think I've been exhausted in two or three days? Recovered from fatigue? I think so. Even though it was a short period of time, my body has improved more or less. I did absorb a lot of new things here on the mountain, very new in every way, and It's exciting. But both mentally and physically, it seems quite tense. I don't think I can adapt to the environment, which is a prerequisite for improving health. Thank God, the Maria cigar has not changed. I tasted it I have smelled it for several days. But when I use the handkerchief, I still find that it is often stained with blood, and the hateful heat on the face and the inexplicable heartbeat seem not to disappear until death. No, no, I don’t It is hard to say that I have adapted to the environment here. Who can adapt in such a short period of time! To adapt to the environment here and get used to the new way of life, it will take a little more time, and only then can we talk about recovering health , put on weight. That's a real pity! I say 'sorry' because I would have been wrong not to leave myself more rest time, and I could have stayed longer if I wanted to. I really want to Going back down to the meadows, having a good rest at home after a rest in the mountains, sleeping on it for three weeks, sometimes I feel really exhausted. The bad thing is to catch a cold, which really adds fuel to the flames..."

From this it appeared that Hans Castorp was returning to the plain with a bad cold.Maybe he caught a cold during the bed rest, or maybe he caught a cold while lying on his back at night.He has been participating in this kind of activity for almost a week, and despite the wet and cold weather, he always insists on participating.The weather showed no signs of improving until he set off.But he also knew that such weather was not bad.The so-called "bad weather" concept does not apply here at all; no matter what the weather is, people have no fear and no scruples.Hans Castorp, like all young people, was resilient and adaptable to the surroundings and customs in which he was newly placed, so he didn't care about the weather any more. Don't think that the air will become more humid because of this.In fact it may not be so, for you feel your heads as hot as before, as if you have just been delayed in an unstoppably hot little room, or as if you have drunk a lot of wine.If it is cold, it is not very wise to go to the room to escape the cold, because the heating is only turned on when it snows, and just sitting in the room is no better than wearing a parka and wearing it according to the rules here. Two high-quality camel wool blankets are more comfortable to lie on the balcony.On the contrary, the latter method is incomparably more comfortable.Hans Castorp simply regarded this as the most pleasant experience of his life that he could remember.Hans never wavered from his views, despite the ill-intentioned ridicule of some writers and Carbonarists as nothing more than a "supine" way of life.Especially at night, he finds it more enjoyable to lie down like this, when the lamp on the small table beside him is shining brightly, and you can enjoy it warmly under the blanket and with a delicious Maria cigar in your mouth The indescribable pleasure provided by the custom-made reclining chair here.Of course, the tip of his nose was freezing cold at this time, and he was always holding a book in his hand (he was always reading "Ocean Liner"), and his hands, red with cold, were tightly clasped together.From the arched balcony he looked out over the valley, where the twilight was deepening, in places densely lit and in others sparsely lit.Almost every night, there was a melodious and low-pitched music sound in the valley for at least an hour. (Alexandre CLBizet, 1838-1875) famous opera. , "The Troubadour" is a famous opera by the Italian composer Verdi (Giuseppe Verdi, 1813-1901).Or "Free Archer" is a famous opera by German composer Weber (Karl MFE Weber, 1786-1826).Some episodes in .Then he heard a beautiful and free waltz and a march; he was so excited that he couldn't help shaking his head frequently.Sometimes he heard mazurka.Mazurka? Actually her name is Marussa, the one with the ruby ​​ring.In an adjoining room, behind a thick wall of milky glass, lay Joachim.Hans Castorp exchanged whispers with him from time to time, afraid of disturbing the other patients who were resting on their backs.Joachim felt as at home in his lodgings as Hans Castorp, even though he did not appreciate music and was not as interested in musical evenings as Hans was.What a pity; he preferred to pick up his Russian grammar book and read it.Hans Castorp put "Ocean Liner" on the blanket and listened to the music with rapt attention; The unique and artistically charming voiceless melody is very intoxicating, so when he thinks of some of Setambrini's opinions on music, he can't help but get angry.What an outrageous statement from Setambrini, that "music is politically questionable" - indeed, no more than grandfather Giuseppe's commentary on the July Revolution and the Creation How much better to remember the saying of six days...

Although Joachim could not enjoy the music to the fullest, nor the strong smell of tobacco, he was equally relaxed and happy in his own quarters.The day has come to an end; when everything is declared over, there will certainly be no spectacle, nothing shocking, the heart will not be overly strained.One thing is certain, that is, tomorrow, all this will probably be restored and started again, and this possibility is determined by the narrowness, affluence and abundance of the environment here.It is safe and secure here, where you can spend your days in extreme ease, listening to music, and returning to your mouth the rich aroma of Maria's cigars-all these are Hans Castorp's evening supine. The therapy added sensuality and made him feel that such a life was very enjoyable.

None of this, however, prevented the pampered newcomer from catching a severe cold during his supine therapy (or on any other occasion).It appeared that he had caught a severe cold, that his frontal sinuses were inflamed and constricted, and that his tonsils were swollen and painful.He couldn't breathe smoothly through his natural organs as usual, and the breath was cold and uncomfortable, and the itchy throat couldn't help causing coughing.After a night, his voice changed, and it sounded hoarse, like a bass who had changed his tune after drinking strong alcohol.According to his statement, he didn't close his eyes all night, his throat was so dry that he felt like he was about to suffocate, sometimes he couldn't lie flat on the pillow, and he jumped up from time to time.

"It's annoying," said Joachim, "and it's nerve-wracking. You have to know that colds are not accepted here, people deny their existence. Officially, the air in the mountains is so dry that it doesn't Had a cold. If you were a sick man and you went to Behrens and said you had a cold, you'd hit a snag. But it's not the same with you, you have a right to it after all. If we can stop this catarrh, Katarrh, then Cathar is a kind of respiratory inflammation, and sometimes a cold can also be called by this name. That's fine. At the foot of the mountain, people can do what they say, but here——I really doubt whether they have any intention of eliminating diseases and sterilizing bacteria. Enough interest. Better not get sick here, nobody cares about that. Sounds corny, but you gotta hear me out. When I first got to the mountains, there was a lady who hugged herself for a whole week at last, Behrens looked at it. 'You must rest assured,' he said, 'this is not tuberculosis.' That was the end of the matter. Well, we'll have to wait for your cure. Let's see. If the bathroom master comes to my place tomorrow morning, I'll talk to him. It's the book, and he'll tell someone else, and maybe something will come out of your business."

Joachim fulfilled his promise, and "doing things by the book" paid off.On Friday, Hans Castorp had just returned to his room after an early departure when he heard a knock at the door.This time, he had the good fortune to personally make the acquaintance of Mademoiselle Mirendonk, who was called the "Matron Nurse."Previously, he had only seen this obviously busy person at a considerable distance. She came out of one ward and ran through the corridor to the opposite ward, sometimes in a hurry. She showed her face in the dining room and heard her shrill voice.Now she came to see him herself; his catarrh had called her.She knocked hard and hastily on his door once or twice, and stepped in without waiting for an answer from the master. Standing on the threshold, she bent back and poked her head to see if she had mistaken the room number. "Number thirty-four," she screamed. "It's not bad at all. Young man, on me dit, que vous a vez pris froid. French: I heard that you have caught a cold. I hear, you have caught a cold. English, with the same meaning. It seems that you have a cold? The original text of this sentence It was in substandard Russian. Miss Mirendonk expressed the same concept in three languages ​​in succession, just to show off her talents in front of Hans Castorp. I heard you have a cold? Should I Which language would be better to talk to you? Oh, I see, let's talk in German. Well, you're here to visit young Ziemsen, I see it already. I have to go to the operating room. Yes There's a patient under chloroform who just had bean salad. If I didn't take care of my eyes . . . Hey, you young man, do you want to catch a cold here?" He couldn't help being dumbfounded that this woman who had been aristocrats for generations actually spoke to him in such a way.She slurred her words, and shook her head restlessly, while turning her nose up in search of something, like a bird of prey in a cage looking for food.Her right hand was covered with freckles, her four fingers were pinched into a ball, her thumb was raised up, and her thumb and wrist were shaking in front of his eyes, as if she wanted to say: "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up! What am I talking about?" Don't listen, just say what you want to say, or I have to go!" She was about forty years old, thin and unrefined, wearing an apron-style white coat with a belt, hanging on the chest. With a garnet cross.From under her nurse's cap, strands of thin red hair peeked out.Her eyes were watery blue, and her eyelids were red and swollen; there was an extra advanced "stye" in the corner of one eye.Her eyes wandered, her nose was upturned, her mouth was like a frog's, with a protruding and askew lower lip that moved like a shovel when she spoke.Hans Castorp, who was naturally kind, looked at her now with humility, patience, and trusting friendliness. "So what kind of cold do you have?" the head nurse asked him again, looking straight at Hans, as if trying to read into his heart, but turned away. "We don't like colds like this. Do you often have colds? Doesn't your cousin often have colds too? How old are you? Twenty-four? Looks about the same. So now you come up here on the mountain and you have a cold like that? We shouldn't be talking about a cold here, my dear boy; it's people talking nonsense down here. (She looks grotesque and obnoxious when the word "bullshit" comes out of the corner of her mouth, her lower lip shoveling it out like a shovel.) I bet you have the worst bronchitis, and this one will tell see. At this time, she tried to stare into Hans's eyes in a strange way, but failed again. "But bronchitis is not caused by cold, but the result of infection, and people are easy to catch it.The only question now is whether there is a harmless infection, or a not so harmless infection, everything else is bullshit. " (Here she goes again with the hideous "bullshit"!) "The kind of tracheitis you've got is more likely to be harmless," she said, watching with her advanced stye eyes. with him.He really didn't know what was going on. "I'll give you some antiseptics here, maybe it will be useful to you." So she took out a small package from the black leather bag hanging from her belt and put it on the table.This is Formant for colds and things like that. . "But you look very excited, like you have heat." She still looked at his face intently, but her eyes were always on the side. "Have you taken your temperature?" He replied that he hadn't measured it. "Why don't you measure it?" she asked, the lower part of her lip that was drawn askew seemed to be suspended in the air... He fell silent.This good young man is still young, and he still maintains the habit of reticent young people in school.This kind of young people often stay on the bench and don't understand anything, just don't make a sound. "Then you never measured it?" "Head nurse, I have measured it, but only when I have a fever." "Young man, the purpose of taking your temperature is first of all to find out whether you really have a fever. Now, according to your opinion, you don't have a fever?" "I'm not sure about that, Matron. I can hardly tell if there's a fever or not. I've been feeling a little hot and a little cold all the time since I went up the mountain." "Aha. So where's your thermometer?" "I don't have any, Matron. What am I going to do with it. I'm only here to see the sick, and I'm fine and healthy." "Nonsense! Did you call me to see you because you are not sick?" "No," he smiled politely. "Just because I'm kind of..." "Catch the cold. This kind of cold is common here. Here!" She said, while digging out her pockets, she found two long small leather boxes, one red and one black.She put them all together on the table. "This one costs three francs and fifty, and the other costs five francs. The five francs are of course better quality. If you use it well, it will last you a lifetime." With a smile, he picked up the small red box from the table and opened it.The glassware fit neatly into the velvet upholstery like a costly ornament.The scales are marked in red, and the tenth divisions are marked with black lines.The numerals were red, and the pointed, thin end underneath was glisteningly filled with mercury.The mercury column is cold and the temperature is very low, far below the normal body temperature of animals.Hans Castorp knew which moves a man of his stature should make. "I'll buy this one," he said, without even glancing at the other, "the five-franc thermometer. I should tell you right away..." "It's what you say!" the head nurse said sharply, "you shouldn't be stingy when you buy the most useful things! Don't rush to pay, we will keep the account. You return the watch to me, and we will let you go." Lower the temperature, and throw the mercury down, um," he said, taking off the thermometer in Hans' hand, and waved it in the air a few times, making the mercury column drop below thirty-five degrees. "It's going to go up, and it's going to go up, quicksilver!" she said. "This time you understand the beauty of it! I wonder if you know how we do this thing here? Just put it under your precious tongue for seven minutes, measure it four times a day, and put it in Your precious lips are tightly shut. Good-bye, lad! I hope it turns out well!" And she walked out of the room. After Hans Castorp bowed and sent her out, he stood by the table, stared blankly at the door where her shadow disappeared, and then looked at the thermometer she had left behind. "Sister Mirendonk is such a person," he thought to himself. "It's no wonder Sethambrini didn't like her, she's a real pain in the ass. The styes are unsightly, but she doesn't have them all the time. Why does she keep calling me 'boy'?" , and there is an 'S' in the middle of the standard spelling of this word, there should not be an "S" in the middle of the letter. The original text of the young man should be Menschenkind, but the head nurse pronounced it Menschenkind.? This is so casual and weird And besides, she sold me a thermometer, and she always has one or two in her pocket. Actually, they are sold everywhere, in every store, even in unexpected places, Joachim He once told me. But this way, I don’t have to use my brain to buy it, and it will be delivered to the door automatically.” He took the small and exquisite instrument out of the box, inspected it carefully, and then walked around the room several times He paced up and down, appearing restless.His heart was pounding.He looked at the open balcony door, then went to the door, longing to speak to Joachim, but then dismissed the idea and remained standing by the table.At this moment, he cleared his throat to see if his voice was hoarse.Then he coughed. "Really, I must find out now whether I have a fever due to a cold," he said, quickly put the thermometer in his mouth, and put the end of the mercury tip under his tongue, so that the thermometer It rises obliquely from between his two lips.He closed his lips to keep the outside air out.Then he looked at his watch, the time was half past nine.He waited for seven minutes to pass. "A second isn't too long," he thought, "and it's not too short. The people on the mountain, and the people down the mountain, should trust me. They won't have to change a 'dumb' for me." Sisters, like Setambrini said of Ottilie Knefer." He ran around the room, pressing the thermometer down with his tongue. Time passed quietly, and this period of time seemed to be endless.He looked at the hands on his watch. It turned out that only two and a half minutes had passed, but he was worried that seven minutes had passed.He did countless things: picked up and put down many objects in the room for a while, and then went out to the balcony, so that his cousin would not notice him.He looked out over the landscape, over the valley.Everything was familiar to him now, with its peaks, ridges, and cliffs, with the jutting left flank of "Bremembourr," its ridge sloping steeply downwards, its The sides were covered with tall and low wild trees and weeds, and mountains formed on the right, and their names were as familiar to Hans as anyone else-he knew them all well.There is also the Altein cliff, which from here seems to surround the valley from the south.It looked down the garden paths and flower beds, the caves, and the silver fir trees; listened to the murmurs in the waiting room where the sick were being treated, and went back to the room to adjust the position of the thermometer in its mouth and move it again Arms, let the sleeves off the wrists, so bend the forearms in front of the face.He went through many hardships and twists and turns, pushing around for a while, stomping for a while, and finally passed the six minutes.So he stood in the middle of the room, let himself drift into a dream, and let his thoughts run wild, so that the last minute he had left slipped away without knowing it.He waved his arm again and found that another minute had slipped away again.At this time, the eighth minute had passed one-third of the time.At that time, he thought: As for the result, I don't care at all-as he thought, he took the thermometer out of his mouth and stared at it in a daze. He couldn't figure out what the indication on the watch was.The light shines on the oblate glass tube of the thermometer, and the mercury's light also appears and disappears with the reflection of the glass, shining indefinitely.The mercury column rises high for a while, and disappears for a while.He tried to hold the watch to his eyes, turn it this way and that, but he couldn't see it clearly.Finally, he turned it by luck, and the degree inside was suddenly clearly visible.He gripped the watch tightly, eager to know the details.In fact, the mercury has swelled, and it has swelled so much that the column of mercury has risen so high that it is several bars above the normal temperature of the body.Hans Castorp's temperature was thirty-seven and six degrees. In broad daylight, there was actually a body temperature of 37.6 degrees between 10:00 and 10:30 in the morning, which was indeed too high to be considered a "heat".It was infection fever (to which he was susceptible), and he asked himself what kind of infection thirty-seven and six degrees was.Joachim's fever couldn't be higher, and neither could anyone on the mountain, except the seriously ill and the dying, who were forbidden to get up.Whether it's Kleifert, who is having an artificial pneumothorax, or... or Mrs. Chauchat, the body temperature will not be higher.Of course, his condition is different from others, he just has a "cold and fever", as people often say down the mountain.However, it is difficult to strictly distinguish between the two.Hans Castorp wondered if the fever was after a cold.When he first went up the mountain, the consultant doctor advised him to deal with the mercury thermometer, but he didn't obey, and now he can't help but regret it.It can now be seen that the doctor's suggestion is very reasonable, and it is extremely unfair for Sethambrini to sneer at it.Setambrini was a man of the trade, and he talked about nothing but the Republic and what is called "elegant style."Hans Castorp despised the Republic and "elegant style" and the like, and he just checked the thermometer again and again, which was blurred several times because of the glare.So he had to turn the tool over and over with great difficulty to make the degrees appear again.It's still 37.6 degrees and it's morning! He was very excited.Holding the thermometer in his hand, he paced back and forth in the room two or three times.But this time he held it flat, so as not to make any trouble when swinging vertically.Then he carefully placed it on the washstand, taking his coat and blanket with him for supine therapy.As soon as he sat down, he threw the blanket over him in the way he had learned before.He skillfully wrapped the sides of his body one by one, and then tightened it from the bottom, and then lay quietly, waiting for the second early and Joachim to come.He smiled sometimes, as if smiling at someone.His chest rose and fell from time to time, and he trembled uneasily; because of the inflammation of the tracheal mucosa, he couldn't help coughing again and again. When at eleven o'clock Joachim heard the gong beating and went to Hans' room to invite him to breakfast for the second time, he saw that he was still lying down. "What's the matter?" He walked to the other party's couch and asked in surprise. Hans Castorp said nothing for a moment, but sat down in front of him.After a while he replied: "Report the latest news, I have a temperature." "What does that mean?" Joachim asked. "Do you have a fever?" said Hans Castorp lazily, making the other wait a moment before answering. "Cold and heat, my dear, I have already felt it, and it has been like this since I went up the mountain. But this is not just a subjective feeling, but a definite fact. I have taken my temperature." "Have you taken it? What do you use?" How much?" Joachim exclaimed. "A thermometer, of course," said Hans Castorp, not without sarcasm. "The head nurse sold me one. I don't know why she keeps calling me 'boy'. It's very inappropriate. But she lost no time in selling me a good thermometer. If you want to check my temperature How much, then, see for yourself on the washstand. It's only raised a little." Joachim turned and walked into the room.When he came back he stammered: "Yes, thirty-seven and fifty-five degrees." "Then it has receded a bit!" answered Hans Castorp hastily. "It was thirty-seven and six degrees just now." "In the morning, it's not a big deal at all," Joachim said. "It's really not awkward," he said, standing next to his cousin, as if he was really standing in front of "a person who is neither awkward nor awkward", with his hands on his hips and his head bowed. "You need to go to bed." Hans Castorp had the words ready to answer. "I don't understand," he said, "how I have to stay in bed at thirty-seven and six, while you and a lot of other people, who are no cooler than me, can walk around here with ease. " "It's two different things," said Joachim. "Your illness is urgent, but it's not a problem. You have a cold and fever." "First of all," replied Hans Castorp, and this time he spoke in a sorted way. "I don't understand why it is necessary to stay in bed when you have a 'obtrusive' fever--I assume for the moment that there is such a 'non-obtrusive' fever--but you don't have to stay in bed when you have a fever of other nature. I can tell you frankly that my cold is not as hot as it used to be. My position is," he said at last, "that thirty-seven degrees six is ​​thirty-seven degrees six. If you have the fever you can run Come and run, I can do it too." "When I first came up, I was confined to bed for four weeks," Joachim retorted. "They allowed me to get out of bed only later when it turned out that the fever was still on bed rest." Hans Castorp smiled. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I thought your situation was different from mine. It seems that you contradicted yourself. At first you thought we were different from each other, and then we were grouped together. What nonsense..." Joachim's body made a "backward turn".When he turned back to face his cousin, the shadows deepened again on his swarthy face. "No," he said, "I didn't put them in one category, you put them together. I just wanted to say that your cold is really bad, and you can hear it in your throat. To put it briefly, you You should stay in bed because you're going home next week. If you don't want to—I mean, if you don't want to lie down and rest, that's up to you. I don't make rules for you. Anyway, we're going to Let's go eat breakfast. Hurry up, the time is running out!" "Well, let's go!" said Hans Castorp, throwing the blanket aside.He went into the room and combed his hair with a comb.While he was combing his hair, Joachim checked the thermometer on the washstand again, while Hans Castorp watched him from a distance.Then they both went downstairs in silence and sat down again in their old places in the dining room.这时餐厅像往常一样，泛着牛奶的白光。 当矮小的女侍者给汉斯·卡斯托尔普端上库尔姆巴赫德国地名，以产啤酒著称。啤酒时，他一本正经地摇摇手，拒绝了。他今天不想喝啤酒，不，谢天谢地，他什么东西都不想喝，至多喝一口水就够了。这就引起在座各位的注意。这是怎么一回事?多么令人意外!为什么不喝啤酒呢?他有一点儿热度，汉斯·卡斯托尔普冲口说了出来，不过是三十七点六度的低热。 他们伸出食指在奚落他——这幅景象看了真叫人奇怪。他们在取笑他，侧着脑袋，眨巴着眼睛，食指凑到耳朵边挪来摆去，似乎某人有什么见不得人的、不是味儿的幕后材料突然暴露于光天化日之下，而这人一直是以忠厚老实的面目出现的。“，，你们呀，”女教师开腔道，脸颊上泛起一阵红晕，一面还笑呵呵地装腔作势。“听到了什么动人的故事喽，荒诞不经的故事喽。等着听吧，等，等。”——“哎，哎，”斯特尔夫人也发作起来。她那干瘪的手指头又短又红，此刻她把它放到鼻子旁边，装模作样。 “这位来访的客人先生，他竟有热度了。您和我是同病相怜——真是同病相怜哪，我的好兄弟!”这时，哪怕是坐在靠壁桌子最后一个位置上的姨婆，在听到消息后也狡狯地开玩笑地向他挤眉弄眼，指手划脚。至于漂亮的玛鲁莎呢，她到现在为止对汉斯几乎毫不理会，这时也曲着身子盯住他看，用滚圆的、棕色的眼睛盯住他看，同时用黄澄澄的手帕紧紧抿住嘴唇，向他惺惺作态。布卢门科尔听了斯特尔夫人的叙述，也禁不住跟大伙儿一块动作起来，不过他的眼睛当然不朝汉斯·卡斯托尔普瞧。只有鲁宾森小姐像往常一样，对这漠然无动于衷，不吱一声。约阿希姆的一双眼睛规规矩矩地朝下看。 汉斯·卡斯托尔普眼见这么许多人在打趣他，不无受宠若惊之感，但他认为还是设法制止他们比较谦虚。“没什么，没什么，”他说，“各位错了。我的病谢天谢地是一点儿不碍事的，我不过有些伤风罢了。你们瞧，我的眼睛在流水，胸口闷得慌，一夜倒有半夜在咳嗽，身子可真不舒服哪……”可是他们对他的辩解不加理会，他们纵声大笑，挥动两手，高声嚷嚷。“废话，借口！感冒发热，咱们都明白，咱们都明白！”他们都异口同声地一致要求汉斯·卡斯托尔普立刻去检查一下。他们听到这个消息后都很活跃；在七张餐桌中，只有这张在整个午餐期间显得最为生气勃勃，特别是斯特尔夫人，她那张执拗的脸涨得通红，脖子上的衣领饰有褶边，面颊上青筋毕露。她打开话匣子说了开来，一下子竟谈起咳嗽的滋味，要是你胸口深处痒痒的，后来越痒越厉害，简直要痒到痉挛和按捺不住的程度，使你感到其间有某种吸引力，那真是其乐无穷。还有，打起喷嚏也能享受到同样的乐趣，这时你心花怒放，乐不可支，在一呼一吸之际骤然打两三下喷嚏，令人如醉如痴，幸福无比，打出后真是浑身舒畅，以上的一切都给忘了。有时会接连打两三下。这是生活中不花钱的享受，这方面还可以举一个例子：当春天你患的冻疮甜滋滋地发痒时，抓起来可痛快咧。你会狠狠地抓，拼命地抓，直到鲜血淋漓才肯罢休，这时只要你偶然照照镜子，就会发现自己是个丑八怪。 这个俗不可耐的斯特尔夫人不厌其详地谈起这种事来，令人毛发直竖。她的话一直要谈到第二次早膳结束，这次早膳时间虽短，内容倒也充实。这时这对表兄弟开始作上午第二次散步，他们下山一直到达沃斯高地蹓跶。约阿希姆一路上心事重重，汉斯·卡斯托尔普却为伤风所苦，由于胸口窒闷而不时清喉咙。回院途中，约阿希姆说： “我向你提个意见。今天是星期五，明天饭后，我要作常规检查。这次可并不是全身大检查，贝伦斯只是在我胸口叩几下听听，让克罗科夫斯基将结果记下来。那时你可一块儿去，请他们趁此机会也赶紧给你诊察一下。要是你呆在家里，你准会请海德金特上门，这事想来也怪可笑，而这儿虽有两位专家在屋子里，你却任意跑来跑去，不知道自己情况如何，不知道病究竟有多深，也不知道是不是上床躺着好一些。” “那好，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普说。“就照你的意思做吧，我什么都可以照办。能亲自作一次检查，对我来说倒也挺有兴趣的。”他们就这样说定了。当两人上山刚走到疗养院门口时，恰巧遇见了顾问大夫贝伦斯本人，于是趁此大好机会立即向他提出这项要求。 贝伦斯从门廊里走了出来。他身材高大，脖子细长，后脑勺戴一顶上过浆的帽子，嘴里衔一支雪茄，脸颊发青，眼睛湿润，看来刚忙过一阵子。据他自己说，刚才他在手术室工作，此刻正想到村子里去为病人出诊。 “饭后好，先生们!”他说。“你们一直在跳跳蹦蹦吧?大千世界里是不是美得很?我刚才经历一场手术刀和锯骨刀之间并非势均力敌的搏斗——你们可知道，这件事可不简单呐。我在做肋骨切除术。以前有百分之五十的病人得躺在手术台上，现在可好些了，但尽管如此，咱们对mortis causa拉丁文：死亡的原因。还往往不得不预先编造一番。哎，凡是懂得开玩笑找乐趣的人，眼下也一定受得了这几句笑话的……见鬼，人们胸膛一下子化为乌有，软绵绵的，你们可知道，真是有失体统。这就是所谓概念稍稍有些混淆。喔，你们怎么啦?你们的贵体如何?是不是只有成双成对地过日子，生活才更有意义?喂，齐姆森你这机灵鬼，可不是吗? ，您这位来消遣的游客，干吗哭鼻子啦?”说最后一句话时，贝伦斯的目光立即移到汉斯·卡斯托尔普身上。“这儿是不准当众哭鼻子的。院规不允许。谁都会跑过来的。 " “我是在伤风呢，顾问大夫先生，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普回答他。“我不知道怎么老是眼泪汪汪的，不过我的炎症确实不轻。我还咳嗽。胸口真有点不舒服。” “是这样吗?”贝伦斯说。“那么您应当去请教一位高明的大夫喽。” 两个青年人都笑出声来。约阿希姆作一个两脚立正的姿势回答说： “咱们正想找大夫呢，顾问大夫先生。明天我要检查了，咱们想要问问，您能否赏个光给我的表弟附带检查一下。问题在于，他星期二能不能动身回家……” “那行嘛!”贝伦斯说。“那当然行啰!很高兴为您效劳！我们早该给您检查了。既然到这儿来，就应该经常查查。不过当然不必争先恐后。那么就在明天两点钟吧，你们从小床爬出后就来！” “我还有些热度呢，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普又补充一句。 “您说什么!”贝伦斯嚷道。“原来您想告诉我新消息吗？难道您以为我脑袋上不长眼睛吗?”说着就用一只巨大的食指朝他自己两只充血的、泪汪汪的蓝眼球指了指。“那么有多少热度?”汉斯·卡斯托尔普谦逊地报上了数字。 “上午?嘿，不算坏。对初出茅庐的小伙子来说，算不得没有才能。好吧，明天两点钟你们俩一块儿来!这对我可增光不少。擅自吸收营养！”于是他蹬蹬地下山去，走起路来曲着腿，双手像划桨似地一摇一摆，身后飘起雪茄烟的一股云雾。 “看来事情按照你的愿望实现了，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普说。 “咱们碰到的运气再好也没有了，我真是适逢其会。也许他除了给我开一服浓缩干草汁或咳嗽糖之类药物之外，不能再给我更多的帮助，不过任何人的感觉要是像我现在那样，那么听到大夫一言半语劝慰的话也是挺高兴的。可是他说话的气派干吗总是那样泼辣，那样肆无忌惮?”他说。“开头倒是娓娓动听的，到头来可叫我讨厌了。什么'擅自吸收营养'！这种杂七杂八的话简直不成体统!我们可以说'擅自珍摄'，因为'摄'字是所谓'雅语'，像'每日的面包'一样，与'擅自'等字配在一起恰到好处。而'吸收营养'却纯粹是生理学术语，再加上什么'擅自'之类，就变成讥讽的语言了。他抽烟的那副样儿，也叫我怪不自在，我心里很不好受，因为我知道这对他不相宜，会使他满腹忧闷。塞塔姆布里尼曾经谈起他的为人，说他乐呵呵的神气是矫揉造作的。塞塔姆布里尼是一位评论家，是一个有判断力的人，这点谁也否认不了。也许我也应当自己多作些判断，别不管什么都全盘接受下来。他说的话很有道理。不过某些时候他语气中开始时有的是判断、责备和正义的愤慨，接着又完全换了一个样，跟判断毫无关系；后来又同所谓清规戒律一刀两断。而共和国和优美的文体对你说来又索然无味……” 他不知所云地说了一通，看来他想说些什么，连自己都不很清楚。他的表哥向他斜视了一眼后说声“再见”，于是两人各自回房，到自己的阳台间里去了。 “热度多少啦?”约阿希姆过了一会轻声地问，尽管他没有看到汉斯·卡斯托尔普在审察他的体温表……汉斯·卡斯托尔普用漫不经心的口气回答： “还是老样子。” 他一进去，就把今天早上搞到的那支娇小玲珑的体温表从盥洗台上取下。他自上而下把那支表甩了几下，使水银柱不再停留在三十七点六度上。现在，这一度数已完成了它的历史使命。他像老资格的病人那样，嘴里衔着这支“玻璃雪茄烟”去作仰卧疗法。可与他想入非非的预期相反，尽管他在舌头下足足衔有八分钟，水银的膨胀依旧没有超出原来的限度，仍只是升到三十七度六为止。他毕竟还有热度，即使一点儿也不比清晨高。饭后，这支一闪一亮的玻璃小柱升到三十七点七度，晚上却保持在三十七点五度，这时病人兴奋了一天已感到很累了。第二天一早，他的体温甚至只有三十七度，但将近中午时分又和昨天一样高。汉斯就在这样的测量结果下前去用第二天正餐，餐后即将前去赴约。 事后汉斯·卡斯托尔普记得，那天正餐时肖夏太太穿的是一件金黄色的线衫，线衫上的钮扣很大，袋口绣边。这件线衫她从来没有穿过，至少汉斯·卡斯托尔普从来没有看见过。她仍像往日那样姗姗来迟；在餐厅门口露面时站停了一下，那种神态正是汉斯·卡斯托尔普所十分熟悉的。接着她溜到餐桌边(她一天五次都是如此)，轻轻地坐下去，一面用膳，一面聊天。汉斯·卡斯托尔普越过塞塔姆布里尼的背部(塞塔姆布里尼坐在中间斜放着的餐桌一端)，把目光扫向“上等俄国人餐桌”。这时他像过去每一天那样，看到了肖夏太太讲话时摆动着的脑袋，同时又一次看到她那圆鼓鼓的脖子和姿势不很挺直的背，不过今天看时特别专心罢了。肖夏太太用正餐时，从来不掉过头来向餐厅东张西望。不过在端来最末一道点心以后，当大厅右侧“下等”俄国人餐桌上方小墙头上挂着的一只摆钟正好敲过两点钟时，汉斯·卡斯托尔普怀着神秘的震颤心理看到一幅景象：在摆钟正好“一”、“二”敲了两下时，那位妩媚的女病人就慢慢转过头来，同时也微微扭动上身，目光越过自己的肩膀坦然向汉斯·卡斯托尔普的餐桌投来，而且不仅仅是泛泛地朝他餐桌上看——不，她的眼睛是专门瞟向他的，丝毫没有错儿；紧闭着的嘴唇漾起一丝微笑，而那双狭小的眼睛长得跟普里比斯拉夫一模一样，仿佛在说：“怎么样?时间到了。你想走吗?”(只有当眼睛传话时，才会以“你”相称，即使嘴里连“您”也没有称呼过。)这一插曲使汉斯不由心荡神驰。他几乎不相信自己的神志。他先失魂落魄地凝视着肖夏太太的脸，然后抬起眼睛，掠过她的前额和头发望向空际。难道她知道他已约定在两点钟时去检查身体?看来确实这样。但这简直是不可能的，正如她没法知道一分钟前他头脑中刚掠过的想法一样——他在想是否有可能叫约阿希姆捎个信给顾问大夫，说自己的感冒已好了些，不必再作检查。经那位女人意味深长微笑了一下以后，他这种想法当然缩了回去，认为这么做再也没有什么好处了。他顿时变得厌倦无聊。过了一秒钟，约阿希姆已把他那卷起的餐巾放在桌上，扬起眉毛向他示意，同时也向桌上的人们欠了欠身子，准备离席。这时，汉斯·卡斯托尔普跨着外表上是坚定的、内心里却是蹒跚的步伐，带着肖夏太太的微笑和目光，随表哥一起离开餐厅。 从昨天早晨以后，他们再也没有谈起过今天的计划，就是现在，他们走路时还是心照不宣，默默无言。约阿希姆匆匆地上路，因为约定的时间已过，而顾问大夫贝伦斯是坚决要求人们准时的。他们离餐厅沿着底层的走廊前进，走过“行政管理室”，踏着铺有亚麻布地毯的光洁而打过蜡的楼梯，来到地下室。约阿希姆敲正好对着楼梯的那扇门，门上挂着一块瓷质的标牌，牌上写有“就诊室由此入内”的字样，以资辨认。 “进来！”贝伦斯高声应道，第一个字眼说得特别响亮。他身穿白大褂站在就诊室中央，右手握着黑色的听筒，这时他正用听筒拍拍大腿。 “及时，及时，”他一面说，一面抬起那双鼓起的眼睛向挂钟望了一下。“Un poco piu presto， signori!意大利文：稍稍快一些，先生们！我们不是专为你们这两位贵人服务的。” 克罗科夫斯基大夫坐在双用写字台旁，前面是一扇窗子。他身穿一件亮光光的黑衬衫，脸色显得更加苍白；胳膊肘撑在桌面上，一只手握钢笔，另一只手捋着胡子，前面摆着一大堆文件，很像是病情记录。他以助理人员的身份，用懒洋洋的神情朝进来的一对青年人瞧了一下。 “哎，把病历卡交上来!”顾问大夫听完了约阿希姆的道歉后就答上一句，把他手上标有体温曲线的卡片接过来，细细察看。这时病人急急卸去上身的衣着，把脱下的衣服挂在门边的衣架上。对汉斯·卡斯托尔普，谁也不理会。他东张西望地站了一会，然后坐在一把老式的安乐椅上。这把椅子安置在一张放有玻璃水瓶的小桌旁，椅子的扶手饰有流苏。墙边有几口书橱，尽是一些书脊厚厚的医书和卷册。室内除了一把高低可调节的、铺有一块白油布的长沙发椅外，别无其他家具。长沙发椅的头枕上有一条纸餐巾。 “点七，点九，点八，”贝伦斯一面翻阅一周的病历卡，一面嘀咕起来。在这份卡片里，约阿希姆把一天五次的体温都如实地记录下来。“您的身体依旧一闪一闪地在发微光呢，亲爱的齐姆森。咱们还不能确切地说，您最近已变得结实些了。(他说“最近”，是指过去的四星期。)毒性还没有退呢，毒性还没有退，”他说。“这个，一朝一夕当然是办不到的。咱们又不能玩弄魔法。”约阿希姆点点头，耸耸他那光油油的肩膀，虽然他本来还想反驳，说自己绝不是昨天才上山的。 “您右脐门刺过针的地方现在怎么样了?那里发出的声音总是很尖的。好些了吗?喂，请您过来，让我规规矩矩给你叩几下看。”于是他就开始诊察了。 顾问大夫贝伦斯叉开双腿，身子向后仰，听筒挟在胳膊下，先使出手腕之力叩打约阿希姆的右肩上部，叩时用右手那只强有力的中指作为锤子，而以左手充作承托物。接着他叩起约阿希姆肩胛骨的下部，再从侧面拍打他背部的中央和下方，而约阿希姆则像老资格的病人那样，抬起胳膊让大夫敲敲腋下。以后又在左侧重复同样的过程，完毕后，顾问大夫命令一声：“转身！”于是叩击起他的胸部来。他随即叩击脖子下面的锁骨处，沿胸部上下反复敲拍，先右侧，后左侧。在叩诊圆满结束以后，他转而用听诊诊察；他把听筒的一端套在耳朵上，一端按在约阿希姆的胸部和背部——凡是以前他叩击过的地方，他都用听筒听。这时约阿希姆还得一会儿深呼吸，一会儿强行咳嗽。这使他显得十分紧张，他上气不接下气，两眼直淌泪水。顾问大夫贝伦斯把病人身上听到的，都用简短的固定用语说给坐在写字台对侧的助手听，这使汉斯·卡斯托尔普不禁想起裁缝的工作过程来：当时一位衣冠楚楚的男人要替你把衣服的尺寸量一下，他一面依照传统的程序把量尺在客户躯干和四肢各处按来按去，一面把量得的数字报给俯身坐着的助手听，让对方用笔一一记下。“弱”，“减弱”，顾问大夫贝伦斯在口授。“气泡音，”他说，后来又说了一遍：“气泡音(显然，这是好的)。”“粗糙，”他说，脸色沉了下来。“异常粗糙。”“罗音。”克罗科夫斯基大夫把这一切都记了下来，像裁缝的助手记下裁缝口授的数字似的。 汉斯·卡斯托尔普把脑袋歪向一边，眼睛紧紧跟随着这些动作。他细细看着约阿希姆的上身，陷入沉思。在约阿希姆气喘吁吁时，他的肋骨(谢天谢地，他总算具备全副肋骨)在绷紧的皮肤下面高高耸起，而胃部却陷了进去。汉斯看到的，是一个青年瘦棱棱的、黄里带黑的上身，胸骨处长着黑茸茸的汗毛，两只胳膊坚实有力，其中一只胳膊的手腕上戴有链镯。“这是运动员的胳膊，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普想；他一直很爱体育锻炼，而我在这方面却毫无作为，这跟他喜欢当兵也不无关系。他总喜欢在身体上打主意，比我要喜欢得多，而且喜欢的方式也不一样。我始终是一个文人，更多地向往热水浴和吃得好、喝得好这类的事，而他呢，关心的都是丈夫气概的要求和业绩。可现在呢，他的身体在另一个方面变得显赫了，显得独立自在而十分重要，而这却是疾病造成的。约阿希姆体内在发烧，毒性迟迟未消，身体一直不见康复，哪怕这位可怜的青年人很想下山去做一个军人。除了胸口的一撮毛外，他发育得同书里描写的一样好，外表上长得与观景楼此处指罗马梵蒂冈宫殿内的建筑。该处侧翼有阿波罗雕像。上阿波罗阿波罗，系希腊神话中主管光明、青春、音乐和诗歌等的天神，一说即太阳神。的雕像一般无二。可是内部他有的是隐疾，而外部又因病发着寒热；疾病使人们形体大为改观，它使身体大受影响……他一想到这些，不禁暗自震惊，于是用探询的目光迅速朝约阿希姆瞥了一眼，眼光从裸露的上身一直移到他的眼睛，他那双又黑又大而又温柔的眼睛。由于强行呼吸和咳嗽，约阿希姆的眼睛里噙满了泪水。随着检查的进行，那双眼睛带着忧伤的神色越过旁观者一直向空际凝视。 但这时顾问大夫贝伦斯已结束他的工作。 “喔，齐姆森，这回倒不错，”他说。“从检查结果看来，没什么大不了。下一次(他指的是四星期以后)，情况肯定还会好些。” “顾问大夫先生，您看还得多久……” “您又想催我了吗?您还处于酩酊状态，可不能下山跟您的那伙人团聚嘛!最近我不是说过还得半年——看我的面上，您就从最近算起吧，可您得把这看作是最短期限。住在这儿毕竟不算差，您得懂点儿礼节才是。我们这里又不是监狱，也不是什么……西伯利亚的矿山!也许您想说，我们这块地方同监狱和矿山相差无几?好啊，齐姆森!那就开路吧!谁还有兴趣，快过来！”他叫了一声，仰天望着。他伸出胳膊，把听筒递给克罗科夫斯基大夫。克罗科夫斯基站起身，接住听筒，又在约阿希姆身上略略复查了一下。 这时汉斯·卡斯托尔普站了起来。他两眼紧紧盯着顾问大夫，大夫叉开两腿，张大嘴巴，似乎陷入了沉思。汉斯开始急急忙忙作准备。他过于匆忙，在将花点活袖衬衫往头上翻出时，一下子显得手足无措。这时，他这个碧眼金发、胸围狭窄的青年人，浑身雪白地站在顾问大夫贝伦斯面前。同约阿希姆·齐姆森相比，他显得文绉绉的。 但顾问大夫只是让他站着，还在沉思默想。这时克罗科夫斯基大夫又坐了下来，约阿希姆也穿好了衣服。贝伦斯终于决定对那个有兴致前来检查的人注意起来。 “哎哟，现在轮到您了！”他一面说，一面用他那硕大无比的手握住汉斯·卡斯托尔普的上臂，接着把他推开，尖起眼睛打量着他。贝伦斯不像一般人看别人那样望着对方的脸，而是瞧他的身体；他像转动一个没有生命的物体那样把汉斯的身子转过来，同时还盯着汉斯背部。“哼哼，”他说，“喔，让咱们瞧瞧您有什么花样。”于是像以前那样开始敲敲拍拍。 他像刚才对约阿希姆·齐姆森那样，在上身到处叩击，而且在好几块地方来回叩了好多次。有较长一段时间，他交替地东拍拍，西敲敲；为了比较起见，他又叩了锁骨的右上方，接着又击起它的下方来。 “听到了吗?”他问对侧的克罗科夫斯基大夫。克罗科夫斯基大夫坐在离他五步远的写字台旁，他点了点头，表示听清对方的话。他板起脸，下巴一直低垂到胸前，胡子紧压在胸口，尖端向上翘起。 “深呼吸!咳嗽!”顾问大夫下起命令来，这时又接过听筒。汉斯·卡斯托尔普气喘吁吁地配合他工作达八分或十分钟之久，而顾问大夫则不住地在听。他一言不发，只是把听筒一忽儿移到东，一忽儿移到西，对刚才频频叩击过的各个部位，特别反反复复地细听。听完后，他把听诊器挟在胳膊下，反剪双手，垂头望着他本人和汉斯·卡斯托尔普之间的地面。 “嗯，卡斯托尔普，”他说——这是他第一次只喊这个青年人的姓氏——“情况跟我以前一直设想的大致相同。卡斯托尔普，我本来已对您起过疑心，现在我可以向您直说了——从我一开始愧不敢当地有幸和您结识的那时候起，我就颇有把握地猜测到，您会悄悄地成为我们这儿的一员，而且有朝一日将会看出，像许多上山时原来翘起鼻子东张西望一心想寻欢作乐的人们那样，您终有一天会认识到在这儿多逗留一个时期是有好处的——请好好理解我的意思，这岂止是'好处'而已——而逗留的目的并非出于漫不经心的猎奇。” 汉斯·卡斯托尔普的脸刷的一下变了色。约阿希姆正想去扣背带，这时在他刚才站的地方停住了，留神听着…… “您在那边有一个好心肠的、富于同情心的表哥呢，”顾问大夫继续说，说时朝约阿希姆的方向摆动脑袋，身子一摇一晃好容易才站定脚跟。“我们不久就有希望可以说，他过去曾经生过病，不过根据我们眼前的诊断，我们也敢说他早先曾经一度生过病，您那位顶刮刮的表哥。正像思想家所说的，这就是a priori拉丁文，意谓：演绎性的、先验的或先天的。对您发生了某些影响，亲爱的卡斯托尔普……” “他只是我异父方面的表哥，顾问大夫先生。” “嘿嘿。您总不能连表哥也不认呀。不管是不是异父母所生，他始终是您的血亲。究竟是父亲还是母亲的?” “母亲，顾问大夫先生，他是我继……的儿子，继……”“令堂还健在吗?” “不，她已死了。我很小的时候，她就死了。” “哦，怎么死的?” “血块梗塞，顾问大夫先生。” “血块梗塞?嗯，这是很久以前的事了。令尊呢?” “他是得上肺炎死的，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普说，接着又添上一句，“我的祖父也是……” “哦，原来他也是这样?唔，您的祖先都是这个样子。现在就您而论，您经常贫血，可不是吗?可是在体力和脑力劳动以后，您却一点儿也不疲倦?哦，还是很容易疲倦?您是不是经常心悸?最近才发现?好。另外，您显然很容易染上黏膜炎和呼吸道疾病。您可知道，以前您染上了病?” "I?" “是啊，我已亲眼看出这个了。您听听这有什么区别?”于是顾问大夫轮流叩击他左胸的上侧和下侧。 “那边的声音比这边的浊些，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普说。 “妙极了。您应当是一名专家。不错，这是浊音，浊音往往由已钙化的老病灶引起。钙化点，您高兴的话也可以算它为结疤。您是一个老病人哪，卡斯托尔普，可是您不知道自己有病，我们谁也不能责怪。早期诊断是有困难的，对山下的那些同行尤其有困难。我并不是想说我们的耳朵比他们尖些，不过专干这个行业好歹总有些成绩。您得明白，空气帮助我们听诊，我指的是这儿山上稀薄而干燥的空气。” “当然啰，真是这样，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普说。 “妙啊，卡斯托尔普。小伙子，您且听着，此刻我要奉上几句金玉良言。您该懂得，要是您再也没有什么新花样，要是除了您身内通风管里那些浊音、疤痕以及钙化的异物外什么都万事大吉，那么我就要把您送回老家去，不再为您操什么心，您明白我的意思吗?可是事实明摆在那儿，我们又发现了您的一些新情况，而且您既然已走上山来——那么汉斯·卡斯托尔普呀，打道回府就不值得喽。不久后，您又准会再上这儿来的。” 汉斯·卡斯托尔普又一次感到热血涌上心头，心房怦怦乱跳。约阿希姆却一直站在那边，双手按在背后的钮扣上，两眼呆呆地望着地面。 “因为除了浊音之外，”顾问大夫继续说，“您左上侧又有些粗糙，几乎是一种粗糙音，这无疑是从新病灶来的。我现在虽然还不敢说它是一个浸润性病灶，但无疑有点儿浸润。如果您就这样下山混日子，我亲爱的，您整片肺叶就会完蛋，那时候叫苦也来不及了。” 汉斯·卡斯托尔普一动不动地站着。他的嘴角古怪地在抽搐；可以清晰地看出，他的心脏顶着肋骨在狂跳不已。他掉过头去瞧瞧约阿希姆，可没有看到对方的眼睛，于是又望着顾问大夫那张两颊发青、蓝蓝的眼睛鼓起而小胡子向一侧翘起的脸。 “还有一件客观的旁证，”贝伦斯继续说，“我们也有您的体温记录：上午十点钟三十七点六度，这同听诊的情况不谋而合。”“我倒以为，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普说，“热度是感冒引起的。”“你说感冒吗?”顾问大夫反驳说，“感冒是哪里来的?卡斯托尔普，请您再听听我要说的话，而且听时要留心。据我所知，您的头脑是迂回曲折，十分复杂的，我们这儿的空气对疾病有好处，难道您不认为是这样吗?事实上确实如此。可是同时您要懂得，这里的空气对疾病也有利，它能促进疾病的发展，使全身发生一次巨大的变革；它能使潜在的病患暴发，因此您的感冒发作可不是一件坏事。我不知道您在山下是不是一直有些寒热，不过我来谈谈我的看法：您上山的第一天起就已有寒热，决不是得了感冒以后才有。” “对啊，”汉斯·卡斯托尔普说。“对，我真的也这么看。” “一有寒热，您就马上感到迷迷糊糊的，”顾问大夫证实他的看法。“这就是细菌引起的可溶性毒素。它像麻醉剂那样在中枢神经系统发生作用，您得明白；于是您的脸颊就泛起一片潮红。