Мхи старой усадьбы
Egotism; or, The Bosom Serpent
ShortlyafterElliston’sseparationfromhiswife—nownearlyfouryearsago—hisassociateshadobservedasingulargloomspreadingoverhisdailylife,likethosechill,graymiststhatsometimesstealawaythesunshinefromasummer’smorning.Thesymptomscausedthemendlessperplexity.Theyknewnotwhetherillhealthwererobbinghisspiritsofelasticity,orwhetheracankerofthemindwasgraduallyeating,assuchcankersdo,fromhismoralsystemintothephysicalframe,whichisbuttheshadowoftheformer.Theylookedfortherootofthistroubleinhisshatteredschemesofdomesticbliss,—wilfullyshatteredbyhimself,—butcouldnotbesatisfiedofitsexistencethere.Somethoughtthattheironcebrilliantfriendwasinanincipientstageofinsanity,ofwhichhispassionateimpulseshadperhapsbeentheforerunners;othersprognosticatedageneralblightandgradualdecline.FromRoderick’sownlipstheycouldlearnnothing.Morethanonce,itistrue,hehadbeenheardtosay,clutchinghishandsconvulsivelyuponhisbreast,—"Itgnawsme!Itgnawsme!"—but,bydifferentauditors,agreatdiversityofexplanationwasassignedtothisominousexpression.
