Having closed and secured the door on Lady Montbarry’s departure, Agnes put on her dressing-gown, and, turning to her open boxes, began the business of unpacking1. In the hurry of making her toilet for dinner, she had taken the first dress that lay uppermost in the trunk, and had thrown her travelling costume on the bed. She now opened the doors of the wardrobe for the first time, and began to hang her dresses on the hooks in the large compartment2 on one side.
After a few minutes only of this occupation, she grew weary of it, and decided3 on leaving the trunks as they were, until the next morning. The oppressive south wind, which had blown throughout the day, still prevailed at night. The atmosphere of the room felt close; Agnes threw a shawl over her head and shoulders, and, opening the window, stepped into the balcony to look at the view.
The night was heavy and overcast4: nothing could be distinctly seen. The canal beneath the window looked like a black gulf5; the opposite houses were barely visible as a row of shadows, dimly relieved against the starless and moonless sky. At long intervals6, the warning cry of a belated gondolier was just audible, as he turned the corner of a distant canal, and called to invisible boats which might be approaching him in the darkness. Now and then, the nearer dip of an oar8 in the water told of the viewless passage of other gondolas9 bringing guests back to the hotel. Excepting these rare sounds, the mysterious night-silence of Venice was literally10 the silence of the grave.
Leaning on the parapet of the balcony, Agnes looked vacantly into the black void beneath. Her thoughts reverted11 to the miserable12 man who had broken his pledged faith to her, and who had died in that house. Some change seemed to have come over her since her arrival in Venice; some new influence appeared to be at work. For the first time in her experience of herself, compassion13 and regret were not the only emotions aroused in her by the remembrance of the dead Montbarry. A keen sense of the wrong that she had suffered, never yet felt by that gentle and forgiving nature, was felt by it now. She found herself thinking of the bygone days of her humiliation14 almost as harshly as Henry Westwick had thought of them — she who had rebuked15 him the last time he had spoken slightingly of his brother in her presence! A sudden fear and doubt of herself, startled her physically16 as well as morally. She turned from the shadowy abyss of the dark water as if the mystery and the gloom of it had been answerable for the emotions which had taken her by surprise. Abruptly17 closing the window, she threw aside her shawl, and lit the candles on the mantelpiece, impelled18 by a sudden craving19 for light in the solitude20 of her room.
The cheering brightness round her, contrasting with the black gloom outside, restored her spirits. She felt herself enjoying the light like a child!
Would it be well (she asked herself) to get ready for bed? No! The sense of drowsy21 fatigue22 that she had felt half an hour since was gone. She returned to the dull employment of unpacking her boxes. After a few minutes only, the occupation became irksome to her once more. She sat down by the table, and took up a guide-book. ‘Suppose I inform myself,’ she thought, ‘on the subject of Venice?’
Her attention wandered from the book, before she had turned the first page of it.
The image of Henry Westwick was the presiding image in her memory now. Recalling the minutest incidents and details of the evening, she could think of nothing which presented him under other than a favourable23 and interesting aspect. She smiled to herself softly, her colour rose by fine gradations, as she felt the full luxury of dwelling24 on the perfect truth and modesty25 of his devotion to her. Was the depression of spirits from which she had suffered so persistently26 on her travels attributable, by any chance, to their long separation from each other — embittered27 perhaps by her own vain regret when she remembered her harsh reception of him in Paris? Suddenly conscious of this bold question, and of the self-abandonment which it implied, she returned mechanically to her book, distrusting the unrestrained liberty of her own thoughts. What lurking28 temptations to forbidden tenderness find their hiding-places in a woman’s dressing-gown, when she is alone in her room at night! With her heart in the tomb of the dead Montbarry, could Agnes even think of another man, and think of love? How shameful29! how unworthy of her! For the second time, she tried to interest herself in the guide-book — and once more she tried in vain. Throwing the book aside, she turned desperately30 to the one resource that was left, to her luggage — resolved to fatigue herself without mercy, until she was weary enough and sleepy enough to find a safe refuge in bed.
For some little time, she persisted in the monotonous31 occupation of transferring her clothes from her trunk to the wardrobe. The large clock in the hall, striking mid-night, reminded her that it was getting late. She sat down for a moment in an arm-chair by the bedside, to rest.
The silence in the house now caught her attention, and held it — held it disagreeably. Was everybody in bed and asleep but herself? Surely it was time for her to follow the general example? With a certain irritable32 nervous haste, she rose again and undressed herself. ‘I have lost two hours of rest,’ she thought, frowning at the reflection of herself in the glass, as she arranged her hair for the night. ‘I shall be good for nothing to-morrow!’
She lit the night-light, and extinguished the candles — with one exception, which she removed to a little table, placed on the side of the bed opposite to the side occupied by the arm-chair. Having put her travelling-box of matches and the guide-book near the candle, in case she might be sleepless33 and might want to read, she blew out the light, and laid her head on the pillow.
The curtains of the bed were looped back to let the air pass freely over her. Lying on her left side, with her face turned away from the table, she could see the arm-chair by the dim night-light. It had a chintz covering — representing large bunches of roses scattered34 over a pale green ground. She tried to weary herself into drowsiness35 by counting over and over again the bunches of roses that were visible from her point of view. Twice her attention was distracted from the counting, by sounds outside — by the clock chiming the half-hour past twelve; and then again, by the fall of a pair of boots on the upper floor, thrown out to be cleaned, with that barbarous disregard of the comfort of others which is observable in humanity when it inhabits an hotel. In the silence that followed these passing disturbances36, Agnes went on counting the roses on the arm-chair, more and more slowly. Before long, she confused herself in the figures — tried to begin counting again — thought she would wait a little first — felt her eyelids37 drooping38, and her head reclining lower and lower on the pillow — sighed faintly — and sank into sleep.
How long that first sleep lasted, she never knew. She could only remember, in the after-time, that she woke instantly.
Every faculty39 and perception in her passed the boundary line between insensibility and consciousness, so to speak, at a leap. Without knowing why, she sat up suddenly in the bed, listening for she knew not what. Her head was in a whirl; her heart beat furiously, without any assignable cause. But one trivial event had happened during the interval7 while she had been asleep. The night-light had gone out; and the room, as a matter of course, was in total darkness.
She felt for the match-box, and paused after finding it. A vague sense of confusion was still in her mind. She was in no hurry to light the match. The pause in the darkness was, for the moment, agreeable to her.
In the quieter flow of her thoughts during this interval, she could ask herself the natural question:— What cause had awakened40 her so suddenly, and had so strangely shaken her nerves? Had it been the influence of a dream? She had not dreamed at all — or, to speak more correctly, she had no waking remembrance of having dreamed. The mystery was beyond her fathoming41: the darkness began to oppress her. She struck the match on the box, and lit her candle.
As the welcome light diffused42 itself over the room, she turned from the table and looked towards the other side of the bed.
In the moment when she turned, the chill of a sudden terror gripped her round the heart, as with the clasp of an icy hand.
She was not alone in her room!
There — in the chair at the bedside — there, suddenly revealed under the flow of light from the candle, was the figure of a woman, reclining. Her head lay back over the chair. Her face, turned up to the ceiling, had the eyes closed, as if she was wrapped in a deep sleep.
The shock of the discovery held Agnes speechless and helpless. Her first conscious action, when she was in some degree mistress of herself again, was to lean over the bed, and to look closer at the woman who had so incomprehensibly stolen into her room in the dead of night. One glance was enough: she started back with a cry of amazement43. The person in the chair was no other than the widow of the dead Montbarry — the woman who had warned her that they were to meet again, and that the place might be Venice!
Her courage returned to her, stung into action by the natural sense of indignation which the presence of the Countess provoked.
‘Wake up!’ she called out. ‘How dare you come here? How did you get in? Leave the room — or I will call for help!’
She raised her voice at the last words. It produced no effect. Leaning farther over the bed, she boldly took the Countess by the shoulder and shook her. Not even this effort succeeded in rousing the sleeping woman. She still lay back in the chair, possessed44 by a torpor45 like the torpor of death — insensible to sound, insensible to touch. Was she really sleeping? Or had she fainted?
Agnes looked closer at her. She had not fainted. Her breathing was audible, rising and falling in deep heavy gasps46. At intervals she ground her teeth savagely47. Beads48 of perspiration49 stood thickly on her forehead. Her clenched50 hands rose and fell slowly from time to time on her lap. Was she in the agony of a dream? or was she spiritually conscious of something hidden in the room?
The doubt involved in that last question was unendurable. Agnes determined51 to rouse the servants who kept watch in the hotel at night.
The bell-handle was fixed52 to the wall, on the side of the bed by which the table stood.
She raised herself from the crouching53 position which she had assumed in looking close at the Countess; and, turning towards the other side of the bed, stretched out her hand to the bell. At the same instant, she stopped and looked upward. Her hand fell helplessly at her side. She shuddered54, and sank back on the pillow.
What had she seen?
She had seen another intruder in her room.
Midway between her face and the ceiling, there hovered55 a human head — severed56 at the neck, like a head struck from the body by the guillotine.
Nothing visible, nothing audible, had given her any intelligible57 warning of its appearance. Silently and suddenly, the head had taken its place above her. No supernatural change had passed over the room, or was perceptible in it now. The dumbly-tortured figure in the chair; the broad window opposite the foot of the bed, with the black night beyond it; the candle burning on the table — these, and all other objects in the room, remained unaltered. One object more, unutterably horrid58, had been added to the rest. That was the only change — no more, no less.
By the yellow candlelight she saw the head distinctly, hovering59 in mid-air above her. She looked at it steadfastly60, spell-bound by the terror that held her.
The flesh of the face was gone. The shrivelled skin was darkened in hue61, like the skin of an Egyptian mummy — except at the neck. There it was of a lighter62 colour; there it showed spots and splashes of the hue of that brown spot on the ceiling, which the child’s fanciful terror had distorted into the likeness63 of a spot of blood. Thin remains64 of a discoloured moustache and whiskers, hanging over the upper lip, and over the hollows where the cheeks had once been, made the head just recognisable as the head of a man. Over all the features death and time had done their obliterating65 work. The eyelids were closed. The hair on the skull66, discoloured like the hair on the face, had been burnt away in places. The bluish lips, parted in a fixed grin, showed the double row of teeth. By slow degrees, the hovering head (perfectly still when she first saw it) began to descend67 towards Agnes as she lay beneath. By slow degrees, that strange doubly-blended odour, which the Commissioners68 had discovered in the vaults69 of the old palace — which had sickened Francis Westwick in the bed-chamber of the new hotel — spread its fetid exhalations over the room. Downward and downward the hideous70 apparition71 made its slow progress, until it stopped close over Agnes — stopped, and turned slowly, so that the face of it confronted the upturned face of the woman in the chair.
There was a pause. Then, a supernatural movement disturbed the rigid72 repose73 of the dead face.
The closed eyelids opened slowly. The eyes revealed themselves, bright with the glassy film of death — and fixed their dreadful look on the woman in the chair.
Agnes saw that look; saw the eyelids of the living woman open slowly like the eyelids of the dead; saw her rise, as if in obedience74 to some silent command — and saw no more.
Her next conscious impression was of the sunlight pouring in at the window; of the friendly presence of Lady Montbarry at the bedside; and of the children’s wondering faces peeping in at the door.
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1
unpacking
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| n.取出货物，拆包[箱]v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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overcast
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| adj.阴天的，阴暗的，愁闷的；v.遮盖，（使）变暗，包边缝；n.覆盖，阴天 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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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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interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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gondolas
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| n.狭长小船( gondola的名词复数 )；货架（一般指商店，例如化妆品店）；吊船工作台 | |
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literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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humiliation
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| n.羞辱 | |
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rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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craving
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| n.渴望,热望 | |
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solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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embittered
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| v.使怨恨，激怒( embitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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shameful
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| adj.可耻的，不道德的 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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drowsiness
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| n.睡意；嗜睡 | |
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36
disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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37
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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38
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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fathoming
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| 测量 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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torpor
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| n.迟钝；麻木；（动物的）冬眠 | |
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46
gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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48
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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49
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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50
clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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52
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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53
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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54
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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55
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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56
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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57
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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58
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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59
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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steadfastly
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| adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝 | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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62
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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63
likeness
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| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
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64
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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65
obliterating
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| v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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66
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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67
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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68
commissioners
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| n.专员( commissioner的名词复数 )；长官；委员；政府部门的长官 | |
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vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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70
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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71
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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72
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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73
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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