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callous; not coldly selfish。 I am persuaded that this will be a shock 



George Eliot                                                           ElecBook Classics 


… Page 556…

                                    Adam Bede                                       556 



of   which   he   will   feel   the   effects   all   his   life。   Why   do   you   crave 

vengeance in this way? No amount of torture that you could inflict 

on him could benefit her。” 

    “No—O        God;   no;”   Adam      groaned     out;   sinking    on   his  chair 

again;   “but   then;   that’s   the   deepest   curse   of   all   。   。   。   that’s   what 

makes the blackness of it 。 。 。 it can never be undone。 My poor Hetty 

。 。 。 she can never be my sweet Hetty again 。 。 。 the prettiest thing 

God had made—smiling up at me 。 。 。 I thought she loved me 。 。 。 

and was good 。 。 。 ” 

    Adam’s       voice    had    been     gradually     sinking     into   a   hoarse 

undertone; as if he were only talking to himself; but now he  said 

abruptly;   looking   at   Mr。   Irwine;   “But   she   isn’t   as   guilty   as   they 

say? You don’t think she is; sir? She can’t ha’ done it。” 

    “That perhaps can never be known with certainty; Adam;” Mr。 

Irwine   answered   gently。   “In   these   cases   we   sometimes   form   our 

judgment on what seems to us strong evidence; and yet; for want 

of knowing some small fact; our judgment is wrong。 But suppose 

the worst: you have no right to say that the guilt of her crime lies 

with him; and that he ought to bear the punishment。 It is not for us 

men   to   apportion   the   shares   of   moral   guilt   and   retribution。   We 

find it impossible to avoid mistakes even in determining who has 

committed a single criminal act; and the problem how far a man is 

to be held responsible for the unforeseen consequences of his own 

deed   is   one   that might  well make   us   tremble   to look   into  it。   The 

evil   consequences   that   may   lie   folded   in   a   single     act   of  selfish 

indulgence   is   a   thought   so   awful   that   it   ought   surely   to   awaken 

some feeling less presumptuous than a rash desire to punish。 You 

have a mind that can understand this fully; Adam;  when   you  are 

calm。 Don’t suppose I can’t enter into the anguish that drives you 



George Eliot                                                          ElecBook Classics 


… Page 557…

                                     Adam Bede                                       557 



into this state of revengeful hatred。 But think of this: if you were to 

obey  your  passion—for  it is   passion;   and   you   deceive   yourself   in 

calling it justice—it might be with you precisely as it has been with 

Arthur;   nay;   worse;   your   passion   might   lead   you   yourself   into   a 

horrible crime。” 

    “No—not        worse;”     said   Adam;     bitterly;    “I  don’t    believe    it’s 

worse—I’d   sooner   do   it—I’d   sooner   do   a   wickedness   as   I   could 

suffer   for   by   myself   than   ha’   brought  her   to   do   wickedness   and 

then stand by and see ’em punish her while they let me alone; and 

all for a bit o’ pleasure; as; if he’d had a man’s heart in him; he’d 

ha’ cut his hand off sooner than he’d ha’ taken it。 What if he didn’t 

foresee   what’s   happened?   He   foresaw   enough;   he’d   no   right   to 

expect anything but harm and shame to her。 And then he wanted 

to   smooth   it   off   wi’  lies。   No—there’s      plenty   o’  things   folks    are 

hanged for not half so hateful as that。 Let a man do what he will; if 

he knows he’s to bear the punishment himself; he isn’t half so bad 

as   a   mean   selfish   coward   as   makes       things    easy   t’  himself    and 

knows all the while the punishment ’ll fall on somebody else。” 

    “There   again   you   partly   deceive   yourself;   Adam。   There   is   no 

sort of wrong deed of which a man can bear the punishment alone; 

you can’t isolate yourself and say that the evil which is in you shall 

not spread。 Men’s lives are as thoroughly blended with each other 

as   the   air   they   breathe:   evil   spreads   as   necessarily   as   disease。   I 

know; I feel the terrible extent of suffering this sin of Arthur’s has 

caused  to  others;  but  so  does   every   sin   cause   suffering   to   others 

besides   those   who   commit   it。   An   act   of   vengeance   on   your   part 

against Arthur would simply be another evil added to those we are 

suffering   under:   you   could   not   bear   the   punishment   alone;   you 

would entail the worst sorrows   on   every  one  who  loves   you。  You 



George Eliot                                                           ElecBook Classics 


… Page 558…

                                   Adam Bede                                      558 



would have committed an act of blind fury that would leave all the 

present evils just as they were and add   worse   evils   to  them。   You 

may  tell  me   that  you  meditate   no  fatal   act  of  vengeance;   but   the 

feeling   in   your   mind   is   what   gives   birth   to   such   actions;   and   as 

long  as   you  indulge   it; as long  as   you  do  not   see   that   to   fix   your 

mind on Arthur’s punishment is revenge; and not justice; you are 

in danger of being led on to the commission of some great wrong。 

Remember   what   you   told   me   about   your   feelings   after   you   had 

given that blow to Arthur in the Grove。” 

   Adam was silent: the last words had called up a vivid image of 

the past; and Mr。 Irwine left him to his thoughts; while he spoke to 

Bartle     Massey     about   old   Mr。   Donnithorne’s       funeral    and   other 

matters of an indifferent kind。 But at length Adam   turned  round 

and said; in a more subdued tone; “I’ve not asked about ’em at th’ 

Hall Farm; sir。 Is Mr。 Poyser coming?” 

    “He is come; he is in Stoniton to…night。 But I could not advise 

him to see you; Adam。 His own mind is in a very perturbed state; 

and it is best he should not see you till you are calmer。” 

    “Is   Dinah   Morris   come   to   ’em;   sir?   Seth   said   they’d   sent   for 

her。” 

    “No。    Mr。   Poyser     tells  me   she   was   not   come     when    he   left。 

They’re afraid the letter has not reached her。 It seems they had no 

exact address。” 

   Adam sat ruminating a little while; and then said; “I wonder if 

Dinah ’ud ha’ gone to see her。 But perhaps the Poysers would ha’ 

been sorely against it; since they won’t come nigh her themselves。 

But I think she would; for the Methodists are great folks for going 

into the prisons; and Seth said he thought she would。 She’d a very 

tender  way  with  her;   Dinah   had;   I   wonder   if  she   could   ha’   done 



George Eliot                                                         ElecBook Classics 


… Page 559…

                                    Adam Bede                                       559 



any good。 You never saw her; sir; did you?” 

    “Yes;   I   did。   I   had   a   conversation   with   her—she   pleased   me   a 

good deal。 And now you mention it; I wish she would come; for it is 

possible   that a   gentle   mild   woman   like   her   might   move   Hetty   to 

open her heart。 The jail chaplain is rather harsh in his manner。” 

    “But it’s o’ no use if she doesn’t come;” said Adam sadly。 

    “If I’d thought of it earlier; I would have taken some measures 

for finding her out;” said Mr。 Irwine; “but it’s too late now; I fear 。 。 

。   Well; Adam;   I  must  go  now。   Try   to   get   some   rest   to…night。   God 

bless you。 I’ll see you early to…morrow morning。” 



George Eliot                                                          ElecBook Classics 


… Page 560…

                                   Adam Bede                                     560 



                               Chapter XLII 



                      The Morning of the Trial 



           t   one   o’clock   the   next   day;   Adam   was   alone   in   his   dull 

Aupper room; his watch lay before him on the table; as if he 

           were counting the long minutes。 He had no knowledge of 

what was likely to be said by the witnesses on the trial; for he had 

shrunk from all the particulars connected with Hetty’s arrest and 

accusation。      This   brave    active   man;    who    would    have   hastened 

towards any danger or toil to rescue Hetty from an apprehended 

wrong      or   misfortune;      felt  himself    powerless      to  contemplate 

irremediable   evil   and   suffering。   The   susceptibility   which   would 

have   been   an   impelling   force   where   there   was   any   possibility   of 

action     became     helpless    anguish     when     he   was   obliged     to  be 

passive; or else sought an active outlet in the thought of inflicting 

justice    on   Arthur。    Energetic     natures;   strong    for  all  strenuous 

deeds;   will   often   rush   away   from   a   hopeless   sufferer;   as   if   they 

were     hard…hearted。      It  is  the  overmastering      sense    of  pain   that 

drives   them。   They   shrink   by   an     ungovernable       instinct;   as  they 

would shrink from laceration。 Adam had brought himself to think 

of   seeing    Hetty;   if  she  would    consent    to  see   him;   because     he 

thought the meeting might possibly be a good to her—might help 

to melt away this terrible hardness they told him of。 If she saw he 

bore her no ill will for what she had done to him; she might open 

her heart to him。 But this resolution had been an immense effort— 

he trembled at the thought of seeing her changed face; as a timid 

woman   trembles   at   the   thought   of   the      surgeon’s    knife;   and   he 



George Eliot                                                        ElecBook Classics 


… Page 561…

                                   Adam Bede                                     561 



chose     now    to   bear   the   long   hours     of  suspense     rather    than 

encounter      what    seemed     to  him    the  more    intolerable     agony    of 

witnessing her trial。 

    Deep   unspeakable   suffering   may   well   be   called   a   baptism;   a 

regeneration;       the   initiation    into   a  new     state。   The    yearning 

memories; the bitter regret; the agonised sympathy; the struggling 

appeals to the Invisible Right—all the intense emotions which had 

filled the days and nights of the past week; and were compressing 

themselves again like an eager crowd into the hours of this single 

morning; made Adam look back on all the previous years as if they 

had been a dim sleepy existence; and he had only no

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