Dare I say it? Dare I say that I, a plain, prosaic1 lieutenant2 in therepublican service have done the incredible things here set out for the loveof a woman--for a chimera3 in female shape; for a pale, vapid4 ghost ofwoman-loveliness? At times I tell myself I dare not: that you will laugh,and cast me aside as a fabricator; and then again I pick up my pen andcollect the scattered6 pages, for I MUST write it--the pallid7 splendour ofthat thing I loved, and won, and lost is ever before me, and will not beforgotten. The tumult8 of the struggle into which that vision led me stillthrobs in my mind, the soft, lisping voices of the planet I ransacked9 for itssake and the roar of the destruction which followed me back from thequest drowns all other sounds in my ears! I must and will write--itrelieves me; read and believe as you list.
At the moment this story commences I was thinking of grill- ed steakand tomatoes--steak crisp and brown on both sides, and tomatoes red as asetting sun!
Much else though I have forgotten, THAT fact remains10 as clear as thelast sight of a well-remembered shore in the mind of some wave-tossedtraveller. And the occasion which produced that prosaic thought was anight well calculated to make one think of supper and fireside, though theone might be frugal11 and the other lonely, and as I, Gulliver Jones, the poorforesaid Navy lieutenant, with the honoured stars of our Republic on mycollar, and an undeserved snub from those in authority rankling12 in myheart, picked my way homeward by a short cut through the dismalness13 of aNew York slum I longed for steak and stout14, slippers15 and a pipe, with allthe pathetic keenness of a troubled soul.
It was a wild, black kind of night, and the weirdness16 of it showed up asI passed from light to light or crossed the mouths of dim alleys17 leadingHeaven knows to what infernal dens18 of mystery and crime even in thislatter-day city of ours. The moon was up as far as the church steeples;large vapoury clouds scudding20 across the sky between us and her, and astrong, gusty21 wind, laden22 with big raindrops snarled23 angrily round cornersand sighed in the parapets like strange voices talking about things not of human interest.
It made no difference to me, of course. New York in this year ofgrace is not the place for the supernatural be the time never so fit forwitch-riding and the night wind in the chimney-stacks sound never somuch like the last gurgling cries of throttled24 men. No! the world wasvery matter-of-fact, and particularly so to me, a poor younger son withfive dollars in my purse by way of fortune, a packet of unpaid25 bills in mybreastpocket, and round my neck a locket with a portrait therein of thatdear buxom26, freckled27, stub-nosed girl away in a little southern seaporttown whom I thought I loved with a magnificent affection. Gods! I hadnot even touched the fringe of that affliction.
Thus sauntering along moodily28, my chin on my chest and much tooabsorbed in reflection to have any nice apprecia- tion of what washappening about me, I was crossing in front of a dilapidated block ofhouses, dating back nearly to the time of the Pilgrim Fathers, when I had avague consciousness of something dark suddenly sweeping29 by me-- athing like a huge bat, or a solid shadow, if such a thing could be, and thenext instant there was a thud and a bump, a bump again, a half-stifled cry,and then a hurried vision of some black carpeting that flapped and shookas though all the winds of Eblis were in its folds, and then apparentlydisgorged from its inmost recesses31 a little man.
Before my first start of half-amused surprise was over I saw him bythe flickering33 lamp-light clutch at space as he tried to steady himself,stumble on the slippery curb34, and the next moment go down on the back ofhis head with a most ugly thud.
Now I was not destitute35 of feeling, though it had been my lot to seemen die in many ways, and I ran over to that motionless form without anidea that anything but an ordinary accident had occurred. There he lay,silent and, as it turned out afterwards, dead as a door-nail, the strangest oldfellow ever eyes looked upon, dressed in shabby sorrel- coloured clothesof antique cut, with a long grey beard upon his chin, pent-roof eyebrows,and a wizened36 complexion37 so puckered38 and tanned by exposure to Heavenonly knew what weathers that it was impossible to guess his nationality.
I lifted him up out of the puddle39 of black blood in which he was lying, and his head dropped back over my arm as though it had been fixed40 to hisbody with string alone. There was neither heart-beat nor breath in him,and the last flicker32 of life faded out of that gaunt face even as I watched.
It was not altogether a pleasant situation, and the only thing to do appearedto be to get the dead man into proper care (though little good it could dohim now!) as speedily as possible. So, sending a chance passer-by intothe main street for a cab, I placed him into it as soon as it came, and therebeing nobody else to go, got in with him myself, telling the driver at thesame time to take us to the nearest hospital.
"Is this your rug, captain?" asked a bystander just as we were drivingoff.
"Not mine," I answered somewhat roughly. "You don't suppose I goabout at this time of night with Turkey carpets under my arm, do you? Itbelongs to this old chap here who has just dropped out of the skies on tohis head; chuck it on top and shut the door!" And that rug, the verymain- spring of the startling things which followed, was thus care- lesslythrown on to the carriage, and off we went.
Well, to be brief, I handed in that stark41 old traveller from nowhere atthe hospital, and as a matter of curiosity sat in the waiting-room while theyexamined him. In five minutes the house-surgeon on duty came in to seeme, and with a shake of his head said briefly-"Gone, sir--clean gone! Broke his neck like a pipe-stem. Moststrange-looking man, and none of us can even guess at his age. Not afriend of yours, I suppose?""Nothing whatever to do with me, sir. He slipped on the pavementand fell in front of me just now, and as a mat- ter of common charity Ibrought him in here. Were there any means of identification on him?""None whatever," answered the doctor, taking out his notebook and, asa matter of form, writing down my name and address and a few briefparticulars, "nothing what- ever except this curious-looking bead42 hunground his neck by a blackened thong43 of leather," and he handed me a thingabout as big as a filbert nut with a loop for suspension and apparently30 ofrock crystal, though so begrimed and dull its nature was difficult to speakof with certainty. The bead was of no seeming value and slipped unintentionally into my waistcoat pocket as I chatted for a few minutesmore with the doctor, and then, shaking hands, I said goodbye, and wentback to the cab which was still waiting outside.
It was only on reaching home I noticed the hospital porters hadomitted to take the dead man's carpet from the roof of the cab when theycarried him in, and as the cab- man did not care about driving back to thehospital with it, and it could not well be left in the street, I somewhatreluctantly carried it indoors with me.
Once in the shine of my own lamp and a cigar in my mouth I had acloser look at that ancient piece of art work from heaven, or the otherplace, only knows what ancient loom44.
A big, strong rug of faded Oriental colouring, it covered half the floorof my sitting-room45, the substance being of a material more like camel'shair than anything else, and run- ning across, when examined closely, weresome dark fibres so long and fine that surely they must have come fromthe tail of Solomon's favourite black stallion itself. But the strangestthing about that carpet was its pattern. It was threadbare enough to allconscience in places, yet the design still lived in solemn, age-wasted hues,and, as I dragged it to my stove-front and spread it out, it seemed to methat it was as much like a star map done by a scribe who had latelyrecovered from delirium46 tremens as anything else. In the centre appeareda round such as might be taken for the sun, while here and there, "in thefield," as heralds47 say, were lesser48 orbs49 which from their size and positioncould represent smaller worlds circling about it. Between these orbswere dotted lines and arrow-heads of the oldest form pointing in alldirections, while all the intervening spaces were filled up with wovencharacters half-way in appearance between Runes and Cryptic-Sanskrit.
Round the borders these characters ran into a wild maze50, a perfect jungleof an alphabet through which none but a wizard could have forced a wayin search of meaning.
Altogether, I thought as I kicked it out straight upon my floor, it wasa strange and not unhandsome article of furniture--it would do nicely forthe mess-room on the Carolina, and if any representatives of yonderpoor old fel- low turned up tomorrow, why, I would give them a couple of dollars for it. Little did I guess how dear it would be at any price!
Meanwhile that steak was late, and now that the tempor- aryexcitement of the evening was wearing off I fell dull again. What a dark,sodden world it was that frowned in on me as I moved over to the windowand opened it for the benefit of the cool air, and how the wind howledabout the roof tops. How lonely I was! What a fool I had been to askfor long leave and come ashore51 like this, to curry52 favour with a set ofstubborn dunderheads who cared nothing for me--or Polly, and could notor would not understand how important it was to the best interests of theService that I should get that promotion53 which alone would send me backto her an eligible54 wooer! What a fool I was not to have volunteered forsome desperate service instead of wast- ing time like this! Then at leastlife would have been interesting; now it was dull as ditch-water, withwretched vistas55 of stagnant56 waiting between now and that joyful57 day whenI could claim that dear, rosy-checked girl for my own. What a fool I hadbeen!
"I wish, I wish," I exclaimed, walking round the little room, "I wish Iwere--"While these unfinished exclamations58 were actually passing my lips Ichanced to cross that infernal mat, and it is no more startling than true, butat my word a quiver of expectation ran through that gaunt web--a rustle59 ofantici- pation filled its ancient fabric5, and one frayed60 corner surged up, andas I passed off its surface in my stride, the sentence still unfinished on mylips, wrapped itself about my left leg with extraordinary swiftness and soeffectively that I nearly fell into the arms of my landlady61, who opened thedoor at the moment and came in with a tray and the steak and tomatoesmentioned more than once already.
It was the draught62 caused by the opening door, of course, that hadmade the dead man's rug lift so strangely-- what else could it have been?
I made this apology to the good woman, and when she had set the tableand closed the door took another turn or two about my den19, con-tinuing asI did so my angry thoughts.
"Yes, yes," I said at last, returning to the stove and taking my stand,hands in pockets, in front of it, "anything were better than this, any enterprise however wild, any adventure however desperate. Oh, I wish Iwere anywhere but here, anywhere out of this redtape-ridden world of ours!
I WISH I WERE IN THE PLANET MARS!"How can I describe what followed those luckless words? Even as Ispoke the magic carpet quivered responsively under my feet, and anundulation went all round the fringe as though a sudden wind wereshaking it. It humped up in the middle so abruptly63 that I came downsitting with a shock that numbed64 me for the moment. It threw me on myback and billowed up round me as though I were in the trough of a stormysea. Quicker than I can write it lapped a corner over and rolled me in itsfolds like a chrysalis in a cocoon65. I gave a wild yell and made one franticstruggle, but it was too late. With the leathery strength of a giant and theswiftness of an accomplished66 cigar- roller covering a "core" with leaf, itswamped my efforts, straightened my limbs, rolled me over, lapped me infold after fold till head and feet and everything were gone-- crushed lifeand breath back into my innermost being, and then, with the last particleof consciousness, I felt myself lifted from the floor, pass once round theroom, and finally shoot out, point foremost, into space through the openwindow, and go up and up and up with a sound of rending67 atmospheresthat seemed to tear like riven silk in one pro- longed shriek68 under my head,and to close up in thunder astern until my reeling senses could stand it nolonger. and time and space and circumstances all lost their meaning tome.
收听单词发音 |
1
prosaic
|
|
| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
lieutenant
|
|
| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
chimera
|
|
| n.神话怪物；梦幻 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
vapid
|
|
| adj.无味的；无生气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
fabric
|
|
| n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
pallid
|
|
| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
tumult
|
|
| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
ransacked
|
|
| v.彻底搜查( ransack的过去式和过去分词 )；抢劫，掠夺 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
frugal
|
|
| adj.节俭的，节约的，少量的，微量的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
rankling
|
|
| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
dismalness
|
|
| 阴沉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
slippers
|
|
| n. 拖鞋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
weirdness
|
|
| n.古怪，离奇，不可思议 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
alleys
|
|
| 胡同，小巷( alley的名词复数 )； 小径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
dens
|
|
| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
den
|
|
| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
scudding
|
|
| n.刮面v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
gusty
|
|
| adj.起大风的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
laden
|
|
| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
snarled
|
|
| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
throttled
|
|
| v.扼杀( throttle的过去式和过去分词 )；勒死；使窒息；压制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
unpaid
|
|
| adj.未付款的，无报酬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
buxom
|
|
| adj.（妇女）丰满的，有健康美的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
freckled
|
|
| adj.雀斑；斑点；晒斑；（使）生雀斑v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
moodily
|
|
| adv.喜怒无常地；情绪多变地；心情不稳地；易生气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
recesses
|
|
| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
flicker
|
|
| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
flickering
|
|
| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
curb
|
|
| n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
destitute
|
|
| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
wizened
|
|
| adj.凋谢的；枯槁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
complexion
|
|
| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
puckered
|
|
| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
puddle
|
|
| n.(雨)水坑，泥潭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
stark
|
|
| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
bead
|
|
| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
thong
|
|
| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
loom
|
|
| n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
sitting-room
|
|
| n.（BrE）客厅，起居室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
delirium
|
|
| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
heralds
|
|
| n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
lesser
|
|
| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
orbs
|
|
| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
maze
|
|
| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
ashore
|
|
| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
curry
|
|
| n.咖哩粉，咖哩饭菜；v.用咖哩粉调味，用马栉梳，制革 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
promotion
|
|
| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
eligible
|
|
| adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
vistas
|
|
| 长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
stagnant
|
|
| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
joyful
|
|
| adj.欢乐的，令人欢欣的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
exclamations
|
|
| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
rustle
|
|
| v.沙沙作响；偷盗(牛、马等)；n.沙沙声声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
frayed
|
|
| adj.磨损的v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
landlady
|
|
| n.女房东，女地主 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
draught
|
|
| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
numbed
|
|
| v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
cocoon
|
|
| n.茧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
accomplished
|
|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
rending
|
|
| v.撕碎( rend的现在分词 )；分裂；（因愤怒、痛苦等而）揪扯（衣服或头发等）；（声音等）刺破 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
shriek
|
|
| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |