The following nights proved still more cruel. The murderers had wished to pass this part of the twenty-four hours together, so as to be able to defend themselves against the drowned man, and by a strange effect, since they had been doing so, they shuddered2 the more. They were exasperated3, and their nerves so irritated, that they underwent atrocious attacks of suffering and terror, at the exchange of a simple word or look. At the slightest conversation between them, at the least talk, they had alone, they began raving4, and were ready to draw blood.
The sort of remorse5 Laurent experienced was purely6 physical. His body, his irritated nerves and trembling frame alone were afraid of the drowned man. His conscience was for nothing in his terror. He did not feel the least regret at having killed Camille. When he was calm, when the spectre did not happen to be there, he would have committed the murder over again, had he thought his interests absolutely required it.
During the daytime he laughed at himself for his fright, making up his mind to be stronger, and he harshly rebuked7 Therese, whom he accused of troubling him. According to what he said, it was Therese who shuddered, it was Therese alone who brought on the frightful8 scenes, at night, in the bedroom. And, as soon as night came, as soon as he found himself shut in with his wife, icy perspiration9 pearled on his skin, and his frame shook with childish terror.
He thus underwent intermittent10 nervous attacks that returned nightly, and threw his senses into confusion while showing him the hideous11 green face of his victim. These attacks resembled the accesses of some frightful illness, a sort of hysteria of murder. The name of illness, of nervous affection, was really the only one to give to the terror that Laurent experienced. His face became convulsed, his limbs rigid12, his nerves could be seen knotting beneath his skin. The body suffered horribly, while the spirit remained absent. The wretch13 felt no repentance14. His passion for Therese had conveyed a frightful evil to him, and that was all.
Therese also found herself a prey15 to these heavy shocks. But, in her terror, she showed herself a woman: she felt vague remorse, unavowed regret. She, at times, had an inclination16 to cast herself on her knees and beseech17 the spectre of Camille to pardon her, while swearing to appease18 it by repentance. Maybe Laurent perceived these acts of cowardice19 on the part of Therese, for when they were agitated20 by the common terror, he laid the blame on her, and treated her with brutality21.
On the first nights, they were unable to go to bed. They waited for daylight, seated before the fire, or pacing to and fro as on the evening of the wedding-day. The thought of lying down, side by side, on the bed, caused them a sort of terrifying repugnance22. By tacit consent, they avoided kissing one another, and they did not even look at their couch, which Therese tumbled about in the morning.
When overcome with fatigue23, they slept for an hour or two in the armchairs, to awaken24 with a start, under the influence of the sinister25 denouement26 of some nightmare. On awakening27, with limbs stiff and tired, shivering all over with discomfort28 and cold, their faces marbled with livid blotches29, they contemplated30 one another in bewilderment astonished to see themselves there. And they displayed strange bashfulness towards each other, ashamed at showing their disgust and terror.
But they struggled against sleep as much as they could. They seated themselves, one on each side of the chimney, and talked of a thousand trifles, being very careful not to let the conversation drop. There was a broad space between them in front of the fire. When they turned their heads, they imagined that Camille had drawn31 a chair there, and occupied this space, warming his feet in a lugubrious32, bantering33 fashion. This vision, which they had seen on the evening of the wedding-day, returned each night.
And this corpse34 taking a mute, but jeering35 part, in their interviews, this horribly disfigured body ever remaining there, overwhelmed them with continued anxiety. Not daring to move, they half blinded themselves staring at the scorching36 flames, and, when unable to resist any longer, they cast a timid glance aside, their eyes irritated by the glowing coal, created the vision, and conveyed to it a reddish glow.
Laurent, in the end, refused to remain seated any longer, without avowing37 the cause of this whim38 to Therese. The latter understood that he must see Camille as she saw him; and, in her turn, she declared that the heat made her feel ill, and that she would be more comfortable a few steps away from the chimney. Pushing back her armchair to the foot of the bed, she remained there overcome, while her husband resumed his walk in the room. From time to time, he opened the window, allowing the icy air of the cold January night to fill the apartment, and this calmed his fever.
For a week, the newly-married couple passed the nights in this fashion, dozing39 and getting a little rest in the daytime, Therese behind the counter in the shop, Laurent in his office. At night they belonged to pain and fear. And the strangest part of the whole business was the attitude they maintained towards each other. They did not utter one word of love, but feigned40 to have forgotten the past; and seemed to accept, to tolerate one another like sick people, feeling secret pity for their mutual41 sufferings.
Both hoped to conceal42 their disgust and fear, and neither seemed to think of the peculiar43 nights they passed, which should have enlightened them as to the real state of their beings. When they sat up until morning, barely exchanging a word, turning pale at the least sound, they looked as if they thought all newly-married folk conducted themselves in the same way, during the first days of their marriage. This was the clumsy hypocrisy44 of two fools.
They were soon so overcome by weariness that they one night decided45 to lie on the bed. They did not undress, but threw themselves, as they were, on the quilt, fearing lest their bare skins should touch, for they fancied they would receive a painful shock at the least contact. Then, when they had slept thus, in an anxious sleep, for two nights, they risked removing their clothes, and slipping between the sheets. But they remained apart, and took all sorts of precautions so as not to come together.
Therese got into bed first, and lay down close to the wall. Laurent waited until she had made herself quite comfortable, and then ventured to stretch himself out at the opposite edge of the mattress46, so that there was a broad space between them. It was there that the corpse of Camille lay.
When the two murderers were extended under the same sheet, and had closed their eyes, they fancied they felt the damp corpse of their victim, lying in the middle of the bed, and turning their flesh icy cold. It was like a vile47 obstacle separating them. They were seized with fever and delirium48, and this obstacle, in their minds, became material. They touched the corpse, they saw it spread out, like a greenish and dissolved shred49 of something, and they inhaled50 the infectious odour of this lump of human putrefaction51. All their senses were in a state of hallucination, conveying intolerable acuteness to their sensations.
The presence of this filthy52 bedfellow kept them motionless, silent, abstracted with anguish53. Laurent, at times, thought of taking Therese violently in his arms; but he dared not move. He said to himself that he could not extend his hand, without getting it full of the soft flesh of Camille. Next he fancied that the drowned man came to sleep between them so as to prevent them clasping one another, and he ended by understanding that Camille was jealous.
Nevertheless, ever and anon, they sought to exchange a timid kiss, to see what would happen. The young man jeered54 at his wife, and ordered her to embrace him. But their lips were so cold that it seemed as if the dead man had got between their mouths. Both felt disgusted. Therese shuddered with horror, and Laurent who heard her teeth chattering55, railed at her:
"Why are you trembling?" he exclaimed. "Are you afraid of Camille? Ah! the poor man is as dead as a doornail at this moment."
Both avoided saying what made them shudder1. When an hallucination brought the countenance56 of the drowned man before Therese, she closed her eyes, keeping her terror to herself, not daring to speak to her husband of her vision, lest she should bring on a still more terrible crisis. And it was just the same with Laurent. When driven to extremities57, he, in a fit of despair, accused Therese of being afraid of Camille. The name, uttered aloud, occasioned additional anguish. The murderer raved58.
"Yes, yes," he stammered59, addressing the young woman, "you are afraid of Camille. I can see that plain enough! You are a silly thing, you have no pluck at all. Look here! just go to sleep quietly. Do you think your husband will come and pull you out of bed by the heels, because I happen to be sleeping with you?"
This idea that the drowned man might come and pull them out of bed by the heels, made the hair of Laurent stand on end, and he continued with greater violence, while still in the utmost terror himself.
"I shall have to take you some night to the cemetery60. We will open the coffin61 Camille is in, and you will see what he looks like! Then you will perhaps cease being afraid. Go on, he doesn't know we threw him in the water."
"We threw him into the water, because he was in our way," resumed her husband. "And we'll throw him in again, will we not? Don't act like a child. Show a little strength. It's silly to trouble our happiness. You see, my dear, when we are dead and underground, we shall be neither less nor more happy, because we cast an idiot in the Seine, and we shall have freely enjoyed our love which will have been an advantage. Come, give me a kiss."
The young woman kissed him, but she was icy cold, and half crazy, while he shuddered as much as she did.
For a fortnight Laurent was asking himself how he could kill Camille again. He had flung him in the water; and yet he was not dead enough, because he came every night to sleep in the bed of Therese. While the murderers thought that having committed the crime, they could love one another in peace, their resuscitated64 victim arrived to make their touch like ice. Therese was not a widow. Laurent found that he was mated to a woman who already had a drowned man for husband.
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1
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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exasperated
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| adj.恼怒的 | |
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raving
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| adj.说胡话的；疯狂的，怒吼的；非常漂亮的；令人醉心[痴心]的v.胡言乱语(rave的现在分词)n.胡话；疯话adv.胡言乱语地；疯狂地 | |
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remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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6
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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7
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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16
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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beseech
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| v.祈求，恳求 | |
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appease
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| v.安抚，缓和，平息，满足 | |
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cowardice
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| n.胆小，怯懦 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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brutality
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| n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮 | |
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repugnance
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| n.嫌恶 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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24
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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denouement
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| n.结尾，结局 | |
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awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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28
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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29
blotches
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| n.（皮肤上的）红斑，疹块( blotch的名词复数 )；大滴 [大片]（墨水或颜色的）污渍 | |
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30
contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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32
lugubrious
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| adj.悲哀的，忧郁的 | |
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33
bantering
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| adj.嘲弄的v.开玩笑，说笑，逗乐( banter的现在分词 )；（善意地）取笑，逗弄 | |
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34
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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35
jeering
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| adj.嘲弄的，揶揄的v.嘲笑( jeer的现在分词 ) | |
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36
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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avowing
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| v.公开声明，承认( avow的现在分词 ) | |
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38
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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39
dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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40
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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41
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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42
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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43
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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44
hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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45
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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46
mattress
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| n.床垫，床褥 | |
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47
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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48
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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49
shred
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| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
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50
inhaled
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| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
putrefaction
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| n.腐坏，腐败 | |
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52
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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53
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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54
jeered
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| v.嘲笑( jeer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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56
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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57
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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58
raved
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| v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
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59
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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60
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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61
coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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62
smothered
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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63
groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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64
resuscitated
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| v.使（某人或某物）恢复知觉，苏醒( resuscitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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