"The next day they went," he repeated. "Darby was not only clever—he was extremely sensitive. Ridicule6 was unbearable7 to him. And though he was a literary fellow, and artistic8 and all that, he[199] was practical, too, for all he was so brilliant and winning. It actually troubled him that people should believe anything but what he called 'the strictly9 logical,' and he thought Joan's ideas far too flexible and credulous10. It was really for Joan's sake, he said in joke, whom he rather suspected of spiritualistic leanings, that he intended to make the excursion into the country. And he would tell nobody. He would make no inquiries11. He would conduct the search along somewhat unusual lines, he declared. One of them should sleep in the room. At one o'clock precisely12 the other should quietly mount a ladder fixed13 just where the mythical14 ladder had been and enter the room in that way, thus preventing any mischievous15 practical jokes from without, and insuring help to the man within, should he need it.
"And Joan agreed to this. He was interested himself, and he'd have been as eager and scornful as Darby if it hadn't occurred to him—for he was a terribly literal fellow—that four tragedies, sad as these had been, and all unexplained, couldn't be accounted for by chance nor made less sad even[200] by a good logician16 like Darby. So he suggested one or two friends to fall back upon in case of foul17 play of any kind. And Darby looked at him and laughed a little sneering18 laugh and called him——" The man choked and bent19 lower. He seemed to be unable to speak for some seconds. Then he hurried on, speaking from this point very rapidly and using a kind of clumsy gesture that brought the scenes he spoke of strangely clear to the men around him.
"He called him a coward. So Joan agreed to go. And on the afternoon of the day before Christmas they took a long ladder and a lantern and some sandwiches and two revolvers and drove in a butcher's cart to the little village. And Joan was as eager as Darby that no one should know. You see, Darby called him a coward.
"They slipped into the old, dingy20 mill at dusk, and went over it with the greatest thoroughness. Everything was open and empty. Only the corner bedroom and one of the living rooms were furnished at all. The dust lay thick in the mill proper, but the living rooms were singularly free[201] from it. Darby noticed this and remarked it to Joan. 'It doesn't smell half so musty, either,' he said. 'I'm glad of that. I hate old, musty smells.'
"Then a queer, crawly feeling came over Joan, and he said: 'Darby, let's go home. Life's short enough, heaven knows. If anything——' And then Darby told him once for all that if he wanted to go home he might, and otherwise he might shut up.
"'Do you want it dusty and smelly?' said he.
"'Yes,' said Joan, 'I do. I don't see why it isn't, either. It's just as old and just as deserted21 as the other part.'
"'You might get a little dust from the other side and scatter22 it about,' said Darby, and before Joan could reply he had scooped23 a handful of dry, brown dust from the bagroom of the mill and laid it about on the bureau and chairs of the bedroom. 'Now come out for our last patrol,' he said. They went out and studied the mill carefully. As they came around to the house side, keeping carefully in the shadow, Joan looked surprised[202] and pointed24 to the door by which they had entered.
"'That door's shut,' he said.
"'Well?' asked Darby.
"'We left it ajar.'
"'Oh, the wind!' said Darby, and went up to the door softly, listening for any escaping joker. He rattled25 the knob and pushed it inward, but the door did not yield. 'Why, you couldn't have left it ajar,' he said, 'it's locked!'
"Joan stared at the house, wondering if it was possible that the window-panes really shone so brightly. And the cobwebs about the blinds, where were they? He could have sworn that the porch was full of dead leaves and sticks when they went in—it was as clean as his hand now.
"'We'll go in by the window, the broken one, at the back,' he said quietly. They went around the house and hunted for the broken window, but did not find it. The window was not only whole but locked. Then Joan set his teeth.
"'The broken window must have been at the mill side,' he said, 'we'll go there.' So they went around[203] and clambered in by a paneless window and went to the bedroom. The room was dim, but they could distinguish objects fairly well. Darby looked queerly at Joan.
"'So you cleared away the dust,' he asked.
"'What dust?' asked Joan. Then he followed Darby's eyes, and where the little piles of brown dust had lain were only clean, bare boards.
"Outside, the teams of the home-coming farmers rolled by. A dog barked, and now a child called. But they seemed far away—in another country. Where the two young fellows stood, there was a strange lonely belt of silence.
"'Perhaps I brushed the chair as we went out,' said Darby slowly. But he looked at Joan queerly.
"They took their supper, and then Joan announced his intention of staying in the room while Darby patrolled the house, and climbed the ladder at one. At first Darby demurred27. He had planned to stay. But Joan was inflexible28. It was utterly29 useless to argue with him, so Darby agreed. If Joan wanted help he was to call. At eleven and twelve Darby was to climb the ladder and look in,[204] and at one he was to come in, whatever the situation. At the slightest intimation of danger of any kind Joan was to fire his revolver and Darby was to call for help and rush up the ladder. For all that the people were so quiet round about, they were probably uneasy—they knew that things might happen on the night before Christmas.
"Joan sat for some time after Darby had left him, staring about the room. It was simply furnished with a large bed, a table, and two deal chairs. Thrown over the bed was a moth-eaten blanket, checked white and red. Joan swept it off from the bed and shook it, closing his eyes instinctively30 to avoid the dust. But no dust came. He shook it again. It was as fresh and clean as his handkerchief. He threw it back on the bed and looked out at Darby walking quietly around in the shadow.
"He was glad Darby was out there. He got to thinking of ghosts and strange preparations for their coming. The boards of the window creaked, and he gasped31 and stared, only to see Darby's face at the window. 'Anything happened?' he[205] signalled. Joan shook his head. It must be eleven o'clock. How was it possible? The time had seemed so short. He stared at a big star till his eyes swam. He felt dull and drowsy32. He had sat up late the night before, and he needed sleep.
"A thought came to him, and it seemed somehow very original and striking. He tapped on the pane26 to Darby.
"'I'll lie down and take a little nap,' he whispered, opening the window softly. 'You can call me at twelve.' Darby nodded.
"'How do you feel, old fellow? All right?' he asked."
The man choked again and was silent for a time. The strain was growing. The men waited for something to happen as one awaits the falling of the red, snapping embers.
"Joan lay down in that bed," said the stranger hoarsely33, and from this point he hurried on almost too quickly for clearness, "on that hideous34 checked blanket, and fell asleep. He fell asleep thinking of Darby's words and how thoughtful they were: 'How do you feel, old fellow? All right?'
[206]
"He had bad dreams. He dreamed a woman stood at the foot of the bed and stared at him and motioned him to go. And she was an unnatural35 woman. She kept changing colour, from red to yellow, from yellow to cream colour, from cream colour to white, from white to—ah! she was a dead woman!
"She motioned him to go, but he refused. She came to the side of the bed and took off her long red sash and bound him down. Then he was willing to go indeed, and strained his muscles in useless efforts to break away, but she laughed at him and then breathed in his face till her damp, icy breath chilled his very soul—and he woke, covered with the sweat of terror—to see her standing36 at the foot of the bed, looking, looking into his staring eyes!
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1
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2
Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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3
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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4
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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5
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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ridicule
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| v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄 | |
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7
unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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8
artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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9
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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10
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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11
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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12
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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13
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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14
mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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15
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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logician
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| n.逻辑学家 | |
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17
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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18
sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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19
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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20
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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21
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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22
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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23
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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24
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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26
pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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27
demurred
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| v.表示异议，反对( demur的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
inflexible
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| adj.不可改变的，不受影响的，不屈服的 | |
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29
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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30
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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31
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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32
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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33
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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34
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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35
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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36
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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