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林肯传|Lincoln

第7章|7

属类： 双语小说 【分类】其他读物 阅读：[34293]
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玛丽·托德和亚伯拉罕·林肯订婚没多久就对林肯不满起来，总是希望林肯改头换面。她不喜欢林肯的着装，经常拿自己的父亲与林肯做比较。这些年来，每天早晨玛丽都能看到她的父亲罗伯特·托德（Robert Todd）手持金手杖，身着蓝色绒面呢外套，白色亚麻长裤，裤腿束在靴子里，体面地行走在列克星敦的大街上。而林肯却完全是另外一副样子。天气炎热的时候，他便不穿外套，更糟的是，他有时甚至连衬领都不穿。他通常只用一根吊带拴着他的裤子，而如果扣子掉了，他就削一颗木钉把布料钉起来。

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如此不成熟的行为激怒了玛丽·托德，她也毫不掩饰地向林肯表达了不满。不幸的是，她的表达方式丝毫没有技巧和温柔可言。

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虽然早在列克星敦玛丽就曾在维多利亚·夏洛特·乐克利尔·曼特尔夫人的学校学过如何跳沙龙舞，但却未曾学习掌控男人的艺术。于是她选择了一条万无一失的快速毁掉男人感情的道路：没完没了地唠叨。她的唠叨让林肯非常不自在，以至于到了想要躲避她的地步。从前林肯一周总要陪她两三晚，但现在十天也不联系她。而玛丽仍旧一直写信给林肯，抱怨他的冷淡。

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没过多久，玛蒂尔达·爱德华（Matilda Edwards）来到了春田市。玛蒂尔达身材高挑，举止庄重，是一个惹眼的金发美人。她是玛丽的姐夫尼尼安·W.爱德华（Ninian W. Edwards）的堂妹，因此也住在了爱德华家宽敞的宅邸中。每当林肯去爱德华家看望玛丽时，玛蒂尔达总是设法让自己变得引人注目。虽然她不会说巴黎腔的法语，也不会跳切尔克斯圈舞，但她懂得如何掌控男人，而林肯也非常喜欢她。当她庄重地走进房间时，林肯的注意力全落在了她身上。他目不转睛地盯着她，有时甚至都没听到玛丽在说什么。对此，玛丽非常愤怒。有一次，林肯带玛丽去参加舞会，但他并不热衷跳舞，于是便让玛丽和别的男人跳舞，而自己则坐在角落里和玛蒂尔达聊天。

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玛丽谴责林肯爱上了玛蒂尔达，林肯也并未否认。玛丽崩溃了，号啕大哭，要求林肯今后再也不许看玛蒂尔达一眼。

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原先的浓情蜜意现在却只剩下吵架和挑刺。

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林肯终于发现，他和玛丽在教育、背景、脾气、品味和精神面貌方面完全不同。他们时常激怒对方。林肯意识到，他们的婚约不应继续下去，因为他们的结合将是一场灾难。

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玛丽的姐姐和姐夫也持有相同的看法。他们告诫玛丽放弃和林肯结婚的念头，一遍又一遍地劝说玛丽，她和林肯之间极其不合适，婚姻毫无幸福可言。

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但是玛丽根本不听劝。

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经过几个星期的酝酿，林肯终于鼓起勇气，决定告诉玛丽自己的真实想法。一天晚上，他来到斯皮德的店里，走到壁炉前，从口袋里拿出一封信，让斯皮德读给他听。对于这件事，斯皮德回忆道：

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那封信是写给玛丽·托德的。在信中，林肯坦白了自己的感受，并告诉玛丽自己冷静地充分地考虑了他们的感情，发现自己对她的爱并未达到结婚的程度。他希望我替他递交这封信。我拒绝了，他便赌气说要将信托付给其他人。我提醒他，一旦玛丽·托德拿到了这封信，她便占了上风。“在私人谈话中，”我说，“你说的话也许会被忘记，也许会被误解，也许会不被人注意，可一旦你把那些话变成了白纸黑字，它们便成了永恒的证据。”因此，我将那封不祥的信扔进了壁炉。

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因此，我们永远也无法知道林肯到底对玛丽说过什么，但是，“我们可以从他给欧文斯小姐（Miss Owens）的最后一封信中，”参议员贝弗里奇说，“推测出他对玛丽说过的话。”

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我们简短地说一下林肯和欧文斯小姐之间的故事。那是四年前的事了。林肯在新塞勒姆村认识了贝内特·艾贝尔太太（Mrs. Bennett Abell），欧文斯小姐是她的妹妹。一八三六年的秋天，艾贝尔太太回到肯塔基州探望亲人，她说，如果林肯愿意娶她的妹妹，她这次就把欧文斯小姐带回伊利诺伊州。

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林肯曾在三年前见过欧文斯小姐，对她印象还不错，于是他答应了艾贝尔太太的请求。转眼间，欧文斯小姐就出现在了林肯面前。她有一张漂亮的脸蛋，有教养，受过教育，也有钱，但林肯并不愿意娶她，认为她“有点儿太主动了”。此外，她比林肯年长一岁，又矮又胖，林肯说她“和福斯塔夫(6)倒是天生一对”。

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“我一点儿也不喜欢她，”林肯说，“但我能怎么办？”

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艾贝尔夫人“非常急切地”希望林肯遵守承诺。但他做不到。他承认自己对于同意订婚的“轻率举动一直非常懊悔”，而这种懊悔让他一想到要和欧文斯小姐结婚，就好像“爱尔兰人上绞架”一般。

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因此他给欧文斯小姐写了一封信，坦诚而有技巧地告诉了她自己的感受，并试图解除婚约。

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这里有一封林肯于一八三七年五月七日在春田市写的信。通过这封信，我们大致可以推算出他曾在信中和玛丽·托德说了什么。

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玛丽(7)吾友：

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在写这封信之前，我已经写了两次，但每次还没写到一半就让我撕了，因为我不满意。第一次我自己不够严肃，第二次却又太严肃了。现在写的这封信，不管写得如何，我都会寄出。

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春田市的生活实在太无趣了——至少对我来说如此。我在这里很孤独，和我在其他地方一样孤独。我来到这里后，只有一个女人和我说过话。如果她当时可以避开，她是不会和我说话的。我还没去过教堂，大概以后也不会去，因为我很清楚，到了那样的地方，我一定会手足无措。我经常想起我们曾约好，让你来春田市生活，但恐怕你不会喜欢这里。这里车水马龙，十分繁华，然而如果你发现自己无法成为那份繁华的一部分，我想这对你来说，会如同末日般痛苦。甚至你还会贫穷得连掩饰贫穷的手段都没有。你觉得自己可以耐心地忍受这种生活吗？若有女子愿意与我共度一生，不管她是什么样的女子，我都愿意尽我所能让她幸福满足。我无法想象还有什么事能比做不到这一点更让我痛苦。我知道如果能与你在一起，我一定比现在幸福，但前提是，你也满意将来的生活。

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你对我说的那些话，也许是开玩笑，也许是我误解了。如果是这样，那就让我们忘了那些话吧。如果不是，我希望你能慎重考虑。对我来说，我已做出了决定。如果你愿意，我一定会遵守之前的承诺，但我的建议是你最好不要来，你未曾适应艰辛的日子，而这里的生活，只会比你想象的更辛苦。我知道你在任何事上都能做出正确的判断，如果你在决定前能仔细地考虑，那么我一定按你的意愿行事。

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读过这封信后，请务必给我回一封长信，反正你也没什么其他事可做。虽然对你来说，也许写了信后也只会觉得兴趣索然，但对我来说，在这忙碌的荒郊，读信也是一种很好的陪伴。另外，请转告令姐，别再提把房子卖掉然后搬家的事了，一想到这件事我就心烦。

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你真诚的朋友

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林肯

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林肯与欧文斯小姐的故事就是如此。我们回到他和玛丽·托德的故事。斯皮德将林肯写给托德小姐的信扔进火堆后，转身对他的室友说：

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“如果你还有点儿男子汉该有的气概，那就亲自去见玛丽。如果你真的不爱她，就告诉她真相，告诉她你不愿和她结婚。注意别说太多，说完后尽快离开。”

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“我劝说了他一番后，”斯皮德回忆道，“他便扣上大衣扣子，神情坚决地按照我给他的明确指示去完成这项严肃的任务了。”

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赫恩登说：

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那天晚上，斯皮德没有和我们一起上楼睡觉。他借口想要看会儿书，在楼下的店铺里等着林肯回来。十点多了，林肯和托德小姐的谈话还没结束。终于，十一点多的时候，林肯悄悄地走了进来。根据他在托德小姐处逗留的时间，斯皮德早已猜到他并未按照自己的指示行事。

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“兄弟，你之前信誓旦旦地说会照我说的做，结果怎么样？”斯皮德劈头问道。

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“我照你说的做了，”林肯若有所思地说，“当我告诉她，我并不爱她的时候，她放声大哭，从椅子上跳了起来，双手扭作一团，似乎非常痛苦，还说了些骗子自己反倒被骗了之类的话。”然后林肯便不说话了。

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“你还对她说了些什么？”斯皮德一边问一边在心里推测林肯这番话的意思。

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“说实话，斯皮德，这对我来说太难了。我的脸上不知不觉间溢满了泪水，我一把抱住她，吻了她。”

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“你就是这样解除婚姻的？”斯皮德嘲笑道，“你不仅做了一回蠢货，你的行为等同于再次确定了你们的婚约，从道德上讲，你现在已经不能回头了。”

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“哎，”林肯慢吞吞地说，“如果我又陷了进去，那就这样吧。木已成舟，我能忍受。”

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几个星期过去了，结婚的日子越来越近了。女裁缝赶制着玛丽·托德的嫁衣，爱德华府也修葺一新：墙面重新粉刷，客厅重新装饰，地毯也换了，家具重新布置、抛光。

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然而与此同时，林肯身上正发生着一件很可怕的事。林肯的这种变化很难用语言来描述。抑郁可不是普通的悲伤情绪，它是一种危险的疾病，对身心都有很大的危害。

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林肯一天天地沉沦着，不断地接近抑郁。他的精神几近崩溃。后来他是否真的从这几周无法言说的折磨中恢复过来，也很难说。虽然他同意了结婚，但他整个灵魂都是拒绝的。他并未意识到这一点，只是一直在寻找逃避的办法。他在杂货店楼上的房间里一坐便是几个小时，一点儿也不愿意去办公室或者参加议会会议。有时他在凌晨三点醒来，下楼点燃壁炉，坐在那里盯着炉火直至天亮。他吃得越来越少，逐渐消瘦。他变得易怒，不愿见人，也不愿和人说话。

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随着婚礼的临近，他内心充满恐惧，开始畏缩起来。他就像坠入了黑暗的深渊般无法自拔。他害怕自己会丧失理智，于是写了一封信给辛辛那提大学医学部杰出的领军人物丹尼尔·德雷克（Daniel Drake）医生。在信中林肯描述了自己的情况，希望医生能推荐一种治疗方式。但德雷克医生回复说，如果不亲自检查，他没法给出治疗建议。

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婚礼定在一八四一年一月一日。那一天，天朗气清，春田市的贵族们乘坐着雪橇四处拜年，场面好不热闹。马儿的鼻孔里呼出了白色的热气，空气中回荡着铃儿叮叮当当的响声。

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在爱德华府，所有人都在忙乱而迅速地做着婚礼最后的准备。送货的孩子抱着最后一刻才定的这样那样的物品，急急忙忙赶到后门。为了这次宴席，他们还特别聘请了一名大厨。原本架在壁炉床上的旧铁灶也不用了，他们特意搭了一座新式厨灶来准备晚宴。

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新年的夜晚来了，烛火温柔地摇曳着，窗上挂着神圣的花环。爱德华一家激动得凝神屏息，快活地期待着婚礼的到来。六点半后，心情愉悦的客人们陆续到场。六点四十五分，牧师来了，胳膊底下夹着《圣经》。房间里堆满了争奇斗艳的各色花卉。壁炉里的火焰哔剥作响，火光通红。屋子里回荡着愉快、友好的交谈声。

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钟敲了七下……七点三十分。林肯还没有来……他迟到了。

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时间缓缓地、无情地流逝着。走廊上古老的大钟滴答作响地走着，又过了一刻钟，又过了半个小时……新郎仍未出现。爱德华太太站在门口，紧张地盯着车道。到底怎么回事？他是不是……不！绝不可能！

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全家人退到一旁，小声嘟囔着——他们开了一个紧急会议。

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在隔壁房间里，玛丽·托德戴着新娘头纱，身着丝质长裙，一边等待着，一边焦急地摩挲着头发上的鲜花。她时不时走到窗边，凝视着下方的街道。她的双眼死死地盯着钟。她的掌心沁出汗来，额头上也布满了汗珠。又过了可怕的一个小时。他可是承诺过的啊……

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九点半的时候，客人们带着疑惑和尴尬悄悄地陆续离开了。

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当最后一位客人离开后，准新娘一把扯下头纱，拔下头上的插花，呜咽着冲上楼去，扑倒在床上，悲伤得不能自已。上帝啊！人们会怎么议论？她会被人嘲笑，被人怜悯，丢尽脸面。她再也没脸走在大街上了。强烈的苦涩感和愤怒席卷了她的全身。此刻，她一会儿希望林肯能在身边将她搂入怀中，一会儿又恨不得因为林肯带给她的伤害和耻辱而杀了他。

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林肯去哪里了呢？他被人杀害了吗？他遇到事故了吗？他逃跑了吗？他自杀了吗？没有人知道。

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午夜的时候，人们提着灯到处寻找林肯。一部分人去市里他常去的地方寻找，剩余的人则沿着通往乡间的路寻觅。

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Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln hadn’t been engaged very long before she wanted to make him over. She didn’t like the way he dressed. She often contrasted him with her father. Almost every morning for a dozen years she had seen Robert Todd walking down the streets of Lexington, carrying a goldheaded cane, clad in a blue broadcloth coat, and wearing white linen trousers strapped under his boots. But Lincoln in hot weather didn’t wear a coat at all; and what was worse, sometimes he didn’t wear even a collar. Usually he had only one gallus holding up his trousers, and when a button came off he whittled a peg and pinned things together with that.

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Such crudeness irritated Mary Todd, and she told him so. But, unfortunately, she didn’t use any tact or diplomacy or sweetness in her telling.

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Though at Madame Victorie Charlotte Le Clere Mentelle’s school back in Lexington she had been taught to dance the cotillion, she had been taught nothing about the fine art of handling people. So she took the surest way, the quickest way to annihilate a man’s love: she nagged. She made Lincoln so uncomfortable that he wanted to avoid her. Insteadof coming to see her two or three nights a week now, as he had formerly done, he sometimes let ten days drift by without calling; and she wrote him complaining letters, censuring him for his neglect.

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Presently Matilda Edwards came to town. Matilda was a tall, stately, charming blonde, a cousin of Ninian W. Edwards, Mary Todd’s brother-in-law. She too took up her residence in the spacious Edwards mansion. And when Lincoln called to see Mary, Matilda contrived to be very much in evidence. She couldn’t speak French with a Parisian accent or dance the Circassian Circle, but she knew how to handle men, and Lincoln grew very fond of her. When she swept into the room, Lincoln was so interested in watching her that he sometimes ceased to listen to what Mary Todd was saying. That made Mary indignant. Once he took Mary to a ball; but he didn’t care for dancing, so he let her dance with other men while he sat in a corner talking to Matilda.

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Mary accused him of being in love with Matilda, and he didn’t deny it; she broke down and wept, and demanded that he cease even looking at Matilda.

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What had once been a promising love-affair had now degenerated into a thing of strife and dissension and fault-fnding.

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Lincoln now saw that he and Mary were opposites in every way: in training, in background, in temperament, in tastes, in mental outlook. They irritated each other constantly, and Lincoln realized that their engagement ought to be broken, that their marriage would be disastrous.

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Mary’s sister and brother-in-law both arrived at a similar conclusion. They urged Mary to abandon all thought of marrying Lincoln, warning her over and over that they were strikingly unft for each other, and that they could never be happy.

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But Mary refused to listen.

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Lincoln, after weeks of trying to screw up his courage to tell herthe painful truth, came into Speed’s store one night, walked back to the freplace, drew a letter out of his pocket, and asked Speed to read it. Speed relates:

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The letter was addressed to Mary Todd, and in it he made a plain statement of his feelings, telling her that he had thought the matter over calmly and with great deliberation, and now felt that he did not love her sufficiently to warrant her in marrying him. This letter he desired me to deliver. Upon my declining to do so he threatened to intrust it to some other person’s hand. I reminded him that the moment he placed the letter in Miss Todd’s hand, she would have the advantage over him. “Words are forgotten,” I said, “misunderstood, unnoticed in a private conversation, but once put your words in writing and they stand a living and eternal monument against you.” Thereupon I threw the unfortunate letter in the fire.

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So we shall never know precisely what Lincoln said to her; but “we can form a good idea of what he wrote to Mary Todd,” says Senator Beveridge “by again reading his fnal letter to Miss Owens.”

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The story of Lincoln’s affair with Miss Owens can be told briefy. It had occurred four years earlier. She was a sister of Mrs. Bennett Abell, whom Lincoln knew in New Salem. In the autumn of 1836 Mrs. Abell returned to Kentucky to visit her family, saying that she would bring her sister back to Illinois with her if Lincoln would agree to marry her.

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Lincoln had seen the sister three years before, and he said all right; and presto! the sister appeared. She had a beautiful face, refinement, education, and wealth; but Lincoln didn’t want to marry her. He thought “she was a trife too willing.” Besides, she was a year older than he, andshort and very corpulent— “a fair match for Falstaff,” as Lincoln put it.

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“I was not at all pleased with her,” said Lincoln, “but what could I do?”

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Mrs. Abell “was very anxious,” to have Lincoln stick to his promise.

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But he wasn’t. He admits he was “continually repenting the rashness” which had led him to make it, and dreaded the thought of marrying her as “an Irishman does the halter.”

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So he wrote to Miss Owens, frankly and tactfully telling her how he felt and trying to get out of the engagement.

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Here is one of his letters. It was written in Springfeld on May 7, 1837, and I believe it gives us a very good idea of what he wrote to Mary Todd.

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Friend Mary,

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I have commenced two letters to send you before this, both of which displeased me before I got half done, and so I tore them up. The first I thought wasn’t serious enough, and the second was on the other extreme. I shall send this, turn out as it may.

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This thing of living in Springfield is rather a dull business after all—at least it is so to me. I am quite as lonesome here as [I] ever was anywhere in my life. I have been spoken to by but one woman since I’ve been here, and should not have been by her if she could have avoided it. I’ve never been to church yet, and probably shall not be soon. I stay away because I am conscious I should not know how to behave myself. I am often thinking of what we said of your coming to live at Springfield. I am afraid you would not be satisfied. There is a great deal of flourishing about in carriages here, which it would be your doom to see without sharing in it. You would have to be poor without the means of hiding your poverty. Do you believe you could bear that patiently? Whatever woman may cast her lot with mine, should anyone ever do so, it is my intention to do all in my power to make her happy and contented, and there is nothing I can imagine that would make me more unhappy than to fail in the effort. I know I should be much happier with you than the way I am, provided I saw no signs of discontent in you.

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What you have said to me may have been in jest or I may have misunderstood it. If so, then let it be forgotten; if otherwise I much wish you would think seriously before you decide. For my part I have already decided. What I have said I will most positively abide by, provided you wish it. My opinion is you had better not do it. You have not been accustomed to hardship, and it may be more severe than you imagine. I know you are capable of thinking correctly on any subject; and if you deliberate maturely upon this before you decide, then I am willing to abide your decision.

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You must write me a good long letter after you get this. You have nothing else to do, and though it might not seem interesting to you after you have written it, it would be a good deal of company in this busy wilderness. Tell your sister I don’t want to hear any more about selling out and moving. That gives me the hypo whenever I think of it.

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Yours, etc.

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Lincoln

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So much for Lincoln’s affair with Mary Owens. To return to his affair with Mary Todd: Speed tossed into the fre the letter which Lincoln had written to Miss Todd, and, turning to his friend and room-mate, said:

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“Now, if you have the courage of manhood, go see Mary yourself; tell her, if you do not love her, the facts, and that you will not marryher. Be careful not to say too much, and then leave at your earliest opportunity.”

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“Thus admonished,” Speed relates, “he buttoned his coat, and with a rather determined look started out to perform the serious duty for which I had just given him explicit directions.”

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Herndon says:

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That night Speed did not go upstairs to bed with us, but under pretense of wanting to read, remained in the store below. He was waiting for Lincoln’s return. Ten o’clock passed, and still the interview with Miss Todd had not ended. At length, shortly after eleven, he came stalking in. Speed was satisfied, from the length of Lincoln’s stay, that his directions had not been followed.

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“Well, old fellow, did you do as I told you and as you promised?” were Speed’s first words.

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“Yes, I did,” responded Lincoln, thoughtfully, “and when I told Mary I did not love her, she burst into tears and almost springing from her chair and wringing her hands as if in agony, said something about the deceiver being himself deceived.” Then he stopped.

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“What else did you say?” inquired Speed, drawing the facts from him.

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“To tell you the truth, Speed, it was too much for me. I found the tears trickling down my own cheeks. I caught her in my arms and kissed her.”

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“And that’s how you broke the engagement,” sneered Speed. “You not only acted the fool, but your conduct was tantamount to a renewal of the engagement, and in decency you cannot back down now.”

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“Well,” drawled Lincoln, “if I am in again, so be it. It’s done, and I shall abide by it.”

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Weeks rolled on, and the marriage date drew near. Seamstresses were at work upon Mary Todd’s trousseau. The Edwards mansion was freshly painted, the living-rooms were redecorated, the rugs renovated, and the furniture polished and shifted.

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But, in the meantime, a dreadful thing was happening to Abraham Lincoln. One is at a loss to know how to describe it. Profound mental depression is not like grief of the normal type; it is a dangerous illness affecting both mind and body.

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Lincoln was sinking day by day, now, into just such a state. His mind came very near being unbalanced; and it is doubtful whether he ever fully recovered from the effects of these awful weeks of unspeakable torture. Although he had defnitely agreed to the marriage, his whole soul rebelled against it. Without realizing it, he was seeking a way of escape. He sat for hours in the room above the store, with no desire to go to his offce or to attend the meetings of the legislature of which he was a member. Sometimes he arose at three o’clock in the morning, went down below, lighted a fre in the freplace, and sat staring at it until daybreak. He ate less, and began to lose weight. He was irritable, avoided people, and would talk to no one.

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He had begun now to recoil with horror from his approaching marriage. His mind seemed to be whirling through a dark abyss, and he feared that he was losing his reason. He wrote a long letter to Dr. Daniel Drake of Cincinnati, the most eminent physician in the West, the head of the medical department of the College of Cincinnati, describing his case and asking the physician to recommend a course of treatment. ButDr. Drake replied that it would be impossible for him to do so without a personal examination.

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The marriage was set for January 1, 1841. The day dawned bright and clear, and the aristocracy of Springfeld fourished about in sleighs, making their New Year’s calls. Out of nostrils of horses issued breaths of steam, and the tinkle of tiny bells flled the air.

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At the Edwards mansion the bustle and hurry of final preparation went on apace. Delivery boys hastened to the back door with this article and that that had been ordered at the last minute. A special chef had been hired for the occasion. The dinner was to be cooked, not in an old iron oven on the hearth, but in a new invention that had just been installed—a cooking stove.

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The early evening of New Year’s Day descended on the town, candles glowed softly, holly wreaths hung in the windows. The Edwards house was hushed with excitement, vibrant with expectation. At six-thirty happy guests began to arrive. At six forty-fve came the minister, the ritual of the Church under his arm. The rooms were banked with plants, colorful with flowers. Huge fires crackled and blazed on the hearths. The place resounded with pleasant and friendly chatter.

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The clock struck seven.... Seven-thirty. Lincoln had not arrived.... He was late.

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Minutes passed.... Slowly, inexorably, the grandfather’s clock in the hallway ticked off a quarter of an hour. Half an hour.... Still there was no bridegroom. Going to the front door, Mrs. Edwards stared nervously down the driveway. What was wrong? Could he...? No! Unthinkable! Impossible!

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The family withdrew.... Whisperings.... A hurried consultation.

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In the next room, Mary Todd, bedecked with bridal veil, attired in silken gown, waited... waited... nervously toying with the fowers in herhair. She walked to the window constantly. She peered down the street. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the clock. The palms of her hands grew wet, perspiration gathered on her brow. Another awful hour passed. He had promised... Surely...

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At nine-thirty, one by one, the guests withdrew, softly, wonderingly, and with embarrassment.

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When the last one had disappeared the bride-to-be tore her veil from her head, snatched the fowers from her hair, rushed sobbing up the stairway, and fung herself on the bed. She was rent with grief. Oh, God! what would people say? She would be laughed at. Pitied. Disgraced. Ashamed to walk the streets. Great waves of bitterness, of violence, swept over her. One moment, she longed to have Lincoln there to take her in his arms. The next, she longed to kill him for the hurt, for the humiliation, he had heaped upon her.

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Where was Lincoln? Had he met with foul play? Had there been an accident? Had he run away? Had he committed suicide? No one knew.

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At midnight men came with lanterns, and searching parties set out. Some explored his favorite haunts in town, others searched the roads leading out into the country.

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序号 英文/音标 中文解释 更多操作

Abraham

[’eɪbrəˌhæm]

n.亚伯拉罕(男子名)

linen

[’lɪnɪn]

n.亚麻布;亚麻线;亚麻制品

whittle

[’wɪtl]

v.削(木头);削减

diplomacy

[dɪ’pləʊməsi]

n.外交

sweetness

[’swiːtnəs]

n.美味;芳香;甜美

Madame

[’mædəm]

n.夫人

nag

[næɡ]

vt.不断唠叨;指责;困扰，使…烦恼

censure

[’senʃə(r)]

n.责难;非难

stately

[’steɪtli]

adj.庄严的;堂皇的;高贵的

contrive

[kən’traɪv]

v.图谋;发明;设计;设法做到

weep

[wiːp]

v.流泪;哭泣;悲叹;渗出

dissension

[dɪ’senʃn]

n.意见不合;纠纷;争执

temperament

[’temprəmənt]

n.气质;性情

irritate

[’ɪrɪteɪt]

v.激怒;使疼痛或发炎

disastrous

[dɪ’zɑːstrəs]

adj.灾难性的;极糟的

warrant

[’wɒrənt]

n.委任状;凭证;根据;正当理由

entrust

[ɪn’trʌst]

vt.信赖;信托;交托

conversation

[ˌkɒnvə’seɪʃn]

n.谈话;会话

eternal

[ɪ’tɜːnl]

adj.永久的;永恒的

earlier

[’ɜːlɪə]

adj.早的;初期的

autumn

[’ɔːtəm]

n.秋季

refinement

[rɪ’faɪnmənt]

n.精致;文雅;改良;精炼;提炼

continual

[kən’tɪnjuəl]

adj.不断的;频繁的;连续的

repent

[rɪ’pent]

v.后悔;悔悟;忏悔

dread

[dred]

v.惧怕;担心

tactful

[’tæktfl]

adj.机智的;老练的

felted

[’feltɪd]

v. 把 ... 制成毡(使 ... 粘结)

displease

[dɪs’pliːz]

v.使不高兴;使不快;使生气

carriage

[’kærɪdʒ]

n.四轮马车

casting

[’kɑːstɪŋ]

n.铸造

abide

[ə’baɪd]

v.遵守;忍受;坚持

deliberate

[dɪ’lɪbərət]

adj.深思熟虑的;故意的;从容不迫的

hypo

[’haɪpəʊ]

n.不足;n.不足,海波

earliest

[’ɜːliɪst]

n.最早

admonish

[əd’mɒnɪʃ]

vt.警告;训诫;告诫;提醒;敦促

stalk

[stɔːk]

n.茎;梗

thoughtful

[’θɔːtfl]

adj.深思的;体贴的

agony

[’æɡəni]

n.极度的痛苦;挣扎

trickle

[’trɪkl]

vi.滴流;慢慢移动

sneer

[snɪə(r)]

n.冷笑;嘲笑

drawl

[drɔːl]

v.拖长声调说话

redecorate

[ˌriː’dekəreɪt]

v.重新装饰

renovate

[’renəveɪt]

vt.修理;翻新;革新;刷新

unbalance

[ˌʌn’bæləns]

v.使失衡;使精神紊乱

irritable

[’ɪrɪtəbl]

adj.易怒的;急躁的

recoil

[rɪ’kɔɪl]

v.退却;畏缩;弹回;报应

whirl

[wɜːl]

vt. 使旋转;

eminent

[’emɪnənt]

adj.著名的;卓越的

sleigh

[sleɪ]

n.雪橇

nostril

[’nɒstrəl]

n.鼻孔

hasten

[’heɪsn]

v.催促;赶快;加速

holly

[’hɒli]

n.冬青树

hush

[hʌʃ]

n.肃静;安静;沉默

vibrant

[’vaɪbrənt]

adj.震颤的;响亮的;充满活力的;精力充沛的;(色彩)鲜明的

crackle

[’krækl]

v.发劈啪声

blaze

[bleɪz]

n. 火；火焰;

resound

[rɪ’zaʊnd]

v.(使)回响;鸣响;驰名

chatter

[’tʃætə(r)]

vt. 喋喋(不休)；饶舌;

tick

[tɪk]

n. 【口语】片刻；刹那间;

consultation

[ˌkɒnsl’teɪʃn]

n.咨询

veil

[veɪl]

n.面纱;面罩;掩饰物

attire

[ə’taɪə(r)]

n.服装;盛装

gown

[ɡaʊn]

n.长袍;长外衣

perspiration

[ˌpɜːspə’reɪʃn]

n.汗水;流汗

brow

[braʊ]

n.前额;眉毛;山脊;表情

snatch

[snætʃ]

n.抢夺;一阵;一点点

sob

[sɒb]

v.抽泣;呜咽

rend

[rend]

v.撕破;分裂;劈开;强夺

disgrace

[dɪs’ɡreɪs]

n.耻辱

haunt

[hɔːnt]

vt. 常去，常到(某地);

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