"Why should Bessy have died?" he asked over and over again in his deep distress3. "They have called it a famine fever, some of them, but why should a famine fever attack Bessy? I knew she was exposed to danger, through her husband; but if she did take it, why should she not have recovered from it? Others recovered who had not half Bessy's constitution. And why, why did she die so suddenly?"
No one could answer him. Not even Dr. Rane. Fever was capricious, the latter said. And death was capricious, he added in lower tones, often taking those we most cared to save.
Dallory echoed Mr. North's sentiments. The death of Mrs. Rane was the greatest shock that had fallen on them since the outbreak of the fever. Mrs. Gass, braving infection--though, like Jelly, she did not fear it--went down to Dr. Rane's house on the Monday morning to tender her sympathy, and relieve herself of some of her surprise. She felt much grieved, she was truly shocked: Bessy had always been a favourite of hers; it seemed impossible to realize that she was dead. Her mental arguments ran very much as did Mr. North's--Why should Bessy have died, when so many of the poor and the half starved recovered? But the point that pressed most forcibly on Mrs. Gass was the rapidity of the death. None had died so soon as Bessy, or anything like so soon; it seemed unaccountable that she should not have battled longer for life.
Phillis received Mrs. Gass in the darkened drawing-room; her master was out. Dr. Rane could not stay indoors to indulge his grief and play propriety4, as most men can. Danger and death were abroad, and the physician had to go forth5 and try to avert6 both from others, in accordance with his duty to Heaven and to man. That he felt his loss keenly, was evident; there was no outward demonstration7; neither sighs nor tears; but he seemed as a man upon whom some heavy weight had fallen; his manner preoccupied8, his bearing almost unnaturally9 still and calm. Phillis and Mrs. Gass were talking, and, if truth must be told, shedding tears together, when the doctor came in. Phillis, standing10 near the centre table, had been giving particulars of the death, as far as she knew them, just as she had given them to Jelly the morning after the sad event. Mrs. Gass, seated in the green velvet11 chair, had untied12 the strings13 of her bonnet14--she had not come down in satins and birds-of-paradise to-day, but in subdued15 attire--and was wiping away the tears with her broad-hemmed handkerchief while she listened.
The old servant retired16 at the entrance of her master. He sat down, and prepared to go through the interview with equanimity17, though he heartily18 wished Mrs. Gass anywhere else. His house was desolate19; infected also; he thought that visitors, for their own sake and his, had better keep away. They had not met since the death, and Mrs. Gass, though the least exacting20 woman in the world, took it a little unkindly that he had not been in, knowing that he passed her house several times in the day.
In subdued tones, Oliver Rane gave Mrs. Gass a summary of Bessy's illness and death. He had done all he could to keep her, he said; all he could. Seeley had come over once or twice, and knew that nothing more had remained in his power.
"But, doctor, I heard that on the Friday you told people she was getting better and the danger was over," urged Mrs. Gass, her tears flowing afresh.
"And I thought it was so," he answered. "What I mistook for sleepiness from exhaustion21, and what Seeley mistook for the same, must have been the exhaustion of approaching death. We are deceived thus sometimes."
"But, doctor, she never had more than a day's fever. Was that enough to cause death from exhaustion?"
"She had a day and a night of fever. And consider how intense it was: I never before saw anything like it. We must not always estimate the fatality22 of a fever by its duration, Mrs. Gass. The terrible suddenness of the blow has been worse to me than it could have been to any one else."
Yes, Mrs. Gass believed that, and warmly sympathized with him. She then expressed a wish to see the coffin23. "Would it be well for her to go up?" he asked. "Oh dear, yes," Mrs. Gass answered; "she was not afraid of anything." And the doctor took her up without further hesitation24. There was little if any danger now, he observed, as he raised the sheet, which still hung there, to enable her to enter the grey room.
Everything was completed. Hepburn's men had been to and fro, and all was ended. The outer coffin was of oak, its lid bearing the inscription25. Mrs. Gass's tears fairly gushed26 out as site read it.
"BESSY RANE.
AGED27 31."
"But you have not put the date of the death, doctor!" cried Mrs. Gass, surprised at the omission28.
"No? True. That's Thomas Hepburn's fault; I left it to him. The man is half-crazed just now, between grief for his brother and fear for himself. It will be put on the grave."
From Dr. Rane's Mrs. Gass went to Dallory Hall, knowing that madam was absent. Otherwise she would not have ventured there. And never was guest more welcome to its master. Poor Mr. North spoke29 out to her all his grief for Bessy without reservation.
But of all who felt this death, none were so affected by it as Jelly. She could not rest for the wild thoughts that tormented30 her day and night. The idea at first taken up kept floating through her head, and sometimes she could not get rid of it for hours: an idea that Mrs. Rane had been put into her coffin alive; that what she saw was Mrs. Rane herself, and not her spirit. Yet Jelly knew that this could not be, and her imagination would turn to another wild improbability, though she dared not follow it--that the poor lady had not died a natural death. One night there came surging into Jelly's brain the suggestive case put by Timothy Wilks, that some men might be found who would put their wives out of the way for the sake of the tontine money. Jelly tossed from side to side in her uneasy bed, and stared at the candle--for she no longer cared to sleep in the dark--and tried to get rid of the wicked notion. But she never got rid of it again; and when she rose in the morning, pale, and trembling, and weary, she believed that the dread31 mystery had solved itself to her, and would be found in this.
What ought she to do? Going about that day as one in a dream, the question continually presented itself to her. Jelly was at her wits' end with indecision: at night resolving to tell of the apparition32, and of her suspicion of Dr. Rane; in the morning putting the thoughts from her, and call herself a fool for yielding to them. Dinah could not make out what ailed33 her, she was so strange and silent, but privately34 supposed it might be the condition of Mr. Timothy Wilks. For that gentleman was confined to his bed with some attack connected with the liver.
Wednesday, the day of the funeral, drew on. It had been a little retarded35 to allow of the return of Richard North. News had been received of him the morning after Bessy's death. It may readily be imagined what Richard's consternation36 and grief must have been to hear of his sister's death; whom he so recently left well, happy, and as likely to live as he himself.
The funeral was fixed37 for twelve o'clock. Richard only arrived the same morning at ten. He had been delayed twelve hours by the state of the sea, the Ostend boat not having been able to put out. Jelly, in her superstition38, thought the elements had been conspiring39 to keep Richard North from following one to the grave who had not been sent to it by Heaven.
Long before twelve o'clock struck, groups had formed about the churchyard. The men, out on strike, and their wives, were there in full force: partly because it was a break to their monotonous40 idleness, partly out of respect to their master. The whole neighbourhood sincerely regretted Bessy Rane, who had never made an enemy in her life.
In the church people of the better class assembled, all in mourning. Mrs. Gass was in her pew, in an upright bonnet and crape flowers. Seeing Jelly come in looking very woebegone, she hospitably41 opened the pew door to her. And this was close upon the arrival of the funeral.
The first to make his appearance was Thomas Hepburn in his official capacity; quite as woebegone as Jelly, and far more sickly. The rest followed. The coffin, which Mrs. Gass had seen the other day, was placed on its stand; for the few last words of this world to be read over it. Dr. Rane, as white as a sheet; and Mr. North, leaning on his son Richard's arm, comprised the followers42. No strangers were invited: Dr. Rane thought, considering what Bessy had died of, that they might not care to attend. People wondered whether Captain Bohun had been bidden to it. If so, he certainly had not come.
It seemed only a few minutes before they were moving out of the church again. The grave had been dug in the corner of the churchyard, near to Edmund North's: and he, as may be remembered, lay next to his mother. Mrs. Gass and Jelly took their seats on a remote bench, equally removed from the ceremony and the crowd. The latter stood at a respectful distance, not caring, from various considerations, to approach too near. Not a word had the two women as yet spoken to each other. The bench they sat on was low, and overshadowed by the trees that bordered the narrow walks. Not ten people in the churchyard were aware that any one sat there. Jelly was the first to break the silence.
"How white he looks!"
It was rather abrupt43, as Mrs. Gass thought. They could see the clergyman in his surplice through the intervening trees, and the others standing bare-headed around him.
"Do you mean the doctor, Jelly?"
"Yes," said Jelly, "I mean him."
"And enough to make him, poor berefted man, when the one nearest and dearest to him is suddenly cut off by fever," gravely rejoined Mrs. Gass. "In the midst of life we are in death."
Now, or never. Sitting there alone with Mrs. Gass, surrounded by these solemn influences, Jelly thought the hour and the opportunity had come. Bear with the secret much longer, she could not; it would wear her to a skeleton, worry her into a fever perhaps; and she had said to herself several times that Mrs. Gass, with her plain common sense, would be the best person to confide44 in. Yes, she mentally repeated, now or never.
"Was it the fever that cut her off?" began Jelly, significantly.
"Was it the fever that cut her off?" echoed Mrs. Gass. "What d'you mean, Jelly?"
Jelly turned to the speaker, and plunged45 into her tale. Beginning, first of all, with the apparition she had certainly seen, and how it was--staying late at Ketler's, and Dinah's having left the blind undrawn--that she had come to see it. There she paused.
"Why, what on earth d'you mean?" sharply demanded Mrs. Gass. "Saw Mrs. Rane's ghost! Don't be an idiot, Jelly."
"Yes, I saw it," repeated Jelly, with quiet emphasis. "Saw it as sure as I see them standing there now to bury her. There could be no mistake. I never saw her plainer in life. It was at one o'clock in the morning, I say, Mrs. Gass; and she was screwed down at twelve: an hour before it."
"Had you taken a little too much beer?" asked Mrs. Gass, after a pause, staring at Jelly to make sure the question would not also apply to the present time. But the face that met hers was strangely earnest: too much so even to resent the insinuation.
"It was her ghost, poor thing: and I'm afraid it'll walk till justice lays it. I never knew but one ghost walk in all my life, Mrs. Gass: and he had been murdered."
Mrs. Gass made no rejoinder. She was absorbed in looking at Jelly. Jelly went on--
"It's said there's many that walk: the world's full of such tales; but I never knew but that one. When people are put to an untimely end, and buried away out of sight, and their secrets with 'em, it stands to reason that they can't rest quiet in their graves. She won't."
Mrs. Gass put her hand impressively on Jelly's black shawl, and kept it there. "Tell me why you are saying this?"
"It's what I want to do. If I don't tell it to some one, I shall soon be in the grave myself. Fancy me living at the very next door, and nobody in the house just now but Dinah!"
Jelly spoke out all: that she believed Dr. Rane might have "put his wife out of the way." Mrs. Gass was horrified46. Not at the charge: she didn't believe a word of it; but at Jelly's presuming to imagine it. She gave Jelly a serious reprimand.
"It was him that wrote that anonymous letter, you know," whispered Jelly.
"Hush47! Hold your tongue, girl. I've warned you before to let that alone."
"And I'm willing to do so."
"That is downright wicked of you, Jelly. Dr. Rane loved his wife. What motive48 do you suppose he could have had for killing49 her?"
"To get the tontine money," replied Jelly, in a whisper.
The two women gazed at each other; gaze meeting gaze. And then Mrs. Gass suddenly grew whiter than Dr. Rane, and began to shiver as though some strange chill had struck her.
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1
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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anonymous
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| adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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7
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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8
preoccupied
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| adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式) | |
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9
unnaturally
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| adv.违反习俗地；不自然地；勉强地；不近人情地 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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untied
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| 松开，解开( untie的过去式和过去分词 )； 解除，使自由； 解决 | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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15
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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16
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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19
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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gushed
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| v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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omission
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| n.省略，删节；遗漏或省略的事物，冗长 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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30
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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31
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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32
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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33
ailed
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| v.生病( ail的过去式和过去分词 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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35
retarded
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| a.智力迟钝的，智力发育迟缓的 | |
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consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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37
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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38
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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39
conspiring
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| 密谋( conspire的现在分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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40
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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41
hospitably
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| 亲切地，招待周到地，善于款待地 | |
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42
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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43
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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44
confide
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| v.向某人吐露秘密 | |
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45
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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46
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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47
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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48
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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49
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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