“You look astonished,” said he, with a smile. “Did you think, then, that you were the only man in the world with a taste for solitude10? You see that there are other hermits11 in the wilderness12 besides yourself.”
“Do you mean to say that you live here?” I asked in no conciliatory voice.
“Up yonder,” he answered, tossing his head backward. “I thought as we were neighbours, Mr. Upperton, that I could not do less than look in and see if I could assist you in any way.”
“Thank you,” I said coldly, standing13 with my hand upon the latch14 of the door. “I am a man of simple tastes, and you can do nothing for me. You have the advantage of me in knowing my name.”
He appeared to be chilled by my ungracious manner.
“I learned it from the masons who were at work here,” he said. “As for me, I am a surgeon, the surgeon of Gaster Fell. That is the name p. 163I have gone by in these parts, and it serves as well as another.”
“Not much room for practice here?” I observed.
“Not a soul except yourself for miles on either side.”
“You appear to have had need of some assistance yourself,” I remarked, glancing at a broad white splash, as from the recent action of some powerful acid, upon his sunburnt cheek.
“That is nothing,” he answered, curtly15, turning his face half round to hide the mark. “I must get back, for I have a companion who is waiting for me. If I can ever do anything for you, pray let me know. You have only to follow the beck upward for a mile or so to find my place. Have you a bolt on the inside of your door?”
“Yes,” I answered, rather startled at this question.
“Keep it bolted, then,” he said. “The fell is a strange place. You never know who may be about. It is as well to be on the safe side. Goodbye.” He raised his hat, turned on his heel and lounged away along the bank of the little stream.
I was still standing with my hand upon the latch, gazing after my unexpected visitor, when I became aware of yet another dweller16 in the wilderness. Some distance along the path which the stranger was taking there lay a great grey boulder17, and leaning against this was a small, p. 164wizened man, who stood erect18 as the other approached, and advanced to meet him. The two talked for a minute or more, the taller man nodding his head frequently in my direction, as though describing what had passed between us. Then they walked on together, and disappeared in a dip of the fell. Presently I saw them ascending20 once more some rising ground farther on. My acquaintance had thrown his arm round his elderly friend, either from affection or from a desire to aid him up the steep incline. The square burly figure and its shrivelled, meagre companion stood out against the sky-line, and turning their faces, they looked back at me. At the sight, I slammed the door, lest they should be encouraged to return. But when I peeped from the window some minutes afterward21, I perceived that they were gone.
All day I bent22 over the Egyptian papyrus23 upon which I was engaged; but neither the subtle reasonings of the ancient philosopher of Memphis, nor the mystic meaning which lay in his pages, could raise my mind from the things of earth. Evening was drawing in before I threw my work aside in despair. My heart was bitter against this man for his intrusion. Standing by the beck which purled past the door of my cabin, I cooled my heated brow, and thought the matter over. Clearly it was the small mystery hanging over these neighbours of mine which had p. 165caused my mind to run so persistently24 on them. That cleared up, they would no longer cause an obstacle to my studies. What was to hinder me, then, from walking in the direction of their dwelling25, and observing for myself, without permitting them to suspect my presence, what manner of men they might be? Doubtless, their mode of life would be found to admit of some simple and prosaic26 explanation. In any case, the evening was fine, and a walk would be bracing27 for mind and body. Lighting28 my pipe, I set off over the moors29 in the direction which they had taken.
About half-way down a wild glen there stood a small clump30 of gnarled and stunted31 oak trees. From behind these, a thin dark column of smoke rose into the still evening air. Clearly this marked the position of my neighbour’s house. Trending away to the left, I was able to gain the shelter of a line of rocks, and so reach a spot from which I could command a view of the building without exposing myself to any risk of being observed. It was a small, slate-covered cottage, hardly larger than the boulders32 among which it lay. Like my own cabin, it showed signs of having been constructed for the use of some shepherd; but, unlike mine, no pains had been taken by the tenants33 to improve and enlarge it. Two little peeping windows, a cracked and weather-beaten door, and a discoloured barrel for catching34 the rain water, were the only external p. 166objects from which I might draw deductions35 as to the dwellers36 within. Yet even in these there was food for thought, for as I drew nearer, still concealing37 myself behind the ridge38, I saw that thick bars of iron covered the windows, while the old door was slashed39 and plated with the same metal. These strange precautions, together with the wild surroundings and unbroken solitude, gave an indescribably ill omen40 and fearsome character to the solitary41 building. Thrusting my pipe into my pocket, I crawled upon my hands and knees through the gorse and ferns until I was within a hundred yards of my neighbour’s door. There, finding that I could not approach nearer without fear of detection, I crouched42 down, and set myself to watch.
I had hardly settled into my hiding place, when the door of the cottage swung open, and the man who had introduced himself to me as the surgeon of Gaster Fell came out, bareheaded, with a spade in his hands. In front of the door there was a small cultivated patch containing potatoes, peas and other forms of green stuff, and here he proceeded to busy himself, trimming, weeding and arranging, singing the while in a powerful though not very musical voice. He was all engrossed43 in his work, with his back to the cottage, when there emerged from the half-open door the same attenuated44 creature whom I had seen in the morning. I could perceive now that he was a man of sixty, wrinkled, bent, and feeble, with sparse45, grizzled hair, and long, colourless face. With a cringing46, sidelong gait, he shuffled47 toward his companion, who was unconscious of his approach until he was close upon him. His light footfall or his breathing may have finally given notice of his proximity48, for the worker sprang round and faced him. Each made a quick step toward the other, as though in greeting, and then—even now I feel the horror of the instant—the tall man rushed upon and knocked his companion to the earth, then whipping up his body, ran with great speed over the intervening ground and disappeared with his burden into the house.
Case hardened as I was by my varied49 life, the suddenness and violence of the thing made me shudder50. The man’s age, his feeble frame, his humble51 and deprecating manner, all cried shame against the deed. So hot was my anger, that I was on the point of striding up to the cabin, unarmed as I was, when the sound of voices from within showed me that the victim had recovered. The sun had sunk beneath the horizon, and all was grey, save a red feather in the cap of Pennigent. Secure in the failing light, I approached near and strained my ears to catch what was passing. I could hear the high, querulous voice of the elder man and the deep, rough monotone of his assailant, mixed with a strange metallic52 p. 168jangling and clanking. Presently the surgeon came out, locked the door behind him and stamped up and down in the twilight53, pulling at his hair and brandishing54 his arms, like a man demented. Then he set off, walking rapidly up the valley, and I soon lost sight of him among the rocks.
When his footsteps had died away in the distance, I drew nearer to the cottage. The prisoner within was still pouring forth55 a stream of words, and moaning from time to time like a man in pain. These words resolved themselves, as I approached, into prayers—shrill, voluble prayers, pattered forth with the intense earnestness of one who sees impending56 an imminent57 danger. There was to me something inexpressibly awesome58 in this gush59 of solemn entreaty60 from the lonely sufferer, meant for no human ear, and jarring upon the silence of the night. I was still pondering whether I should mix myself in the affair or not, when I heard in the distance the sound of the surgeon’s returning footfall. At that I drew myself up quickly by the iron bars and glanced in through the diamond-paned window. The interior of the cottage was lighted up by a lurid61 glow, coming from what I afterward discovered to be a chemical furnace. By its rich light I could distinguish a great litter of retorts, test tubes and condensers62, which sparkled over the table, and threw strange, grotesque63 shadows on the wall. On the further side of the p. 169room was a wooden framework resembling a hencoop, and in this, still absorbed in prayer, knelt the man whose voice I heard. The red glow beating upon his upturned face made it stand out from the shadow like a painting from Rembrandt, showing up every wrinkle upon the parchment-like skin. I had but time for a fleeting64 glance; then, dropping from the window, I made off through the rocks and the heather, nor slackened my pace until I found myself back in my cabin once more. There I threw myself upon my couch, more disturbed and shaken than I had ever thought to feel again.
Such doubts as I might have had as to whether I had indeed seen my former fellow-lodger upon the night of the thunderstorm were resolved the next morning. Strolling along down the path which led to the fell, I saw in one spot where the ground was soft the impressions of a foot—the small, dainty foot of a well-booted woman. That tiny heel and high instep could have belonged to none other than my companion of Kirkby-Malhouse. I followed her trail for some distance, till it still pointed65, as far as I could discern it, to the lonely and ill-omened cottage. What power could there be to draw this tender girl, through wind and rain and darkness, across the fearsome moors to that strange rendezvous66?
I have said that a little beck flowed down the valley and past my very door. A week or so after the doings which I have described, I was seated by my window when I perceived something white drifting slowly down the stream. My first thought was that it was a drowning sheep; but picking up my stick, I strolled to the bank and hooked it ashore67. On examination it proved to be a large sheet, torn and tattered68, with the initials J. C. in the corner. What gave it its sinister69 significance, however, was that from hem19 to hem it was all dabbled70 and discoloured.
Shutting the door of my cabin, I set off up the glen in the direction of the surgeon’s cabin. I had not gone far before I perceived the very man himself. He was walking rapidly along the hillside, beating the furze bushes with a cudgel and bellowing71 like a madman. Indeed, at the sight of him, the doubts as to his sanity72 which had arisen in my mind were strengthened and confirmed.
As he approached I noticed that his left arm was suspended in a sling73. On perceiving me he stood irresolute74, as though uncertain whether to come over to me or not. I had no desire for an interview with him, however, so I hurried past him, on which he continued on his way, still shouting and striking about with his club. When he had disappeared over the fells, I made my way down to his cottage, determined75 to find some clue to what had occurred. I was surprised, on reaching it, to find the iron-plated door flung wide open. The ground immediately outside p. 171it was marked with the signs of a struggle. The chemical apparatus76 within and the furniture were all dashed about and shattered. Most suggestive of all, the sinister wooden cage was stained with blood-marks, and its unfortunate occupant had disappeared. My heart was heavy for the little man, for I was assured I should never see him in this world more.
There was nothing in the cabin to throw any light upon the identity of my neighbours. The room was stuffed with chemical instruments. In one corner a small bookcase contained a choice selection of works of science. In another was a pile of geological specimens77 collected from the limestone78.
I caught no glimpse of the surgeon upon my homeward journey; but when I reached my cottage I was astonished and indignant to find that somebody had entered it in my absence. Boxes had been pulled out from under the bed, the curtains disarranged, the chairs drawn79 out from the wall. Even my study had not been safe from this rough intruder, for the prints of a heavy boot were plainly visible on the ebony-black carpet.
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1
discomfited
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| v.使为难( discomfit的过去式和过去分词)；使狼狈；使挫折；挫败 | |
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2
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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3
shimmering
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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4
thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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5
furrows
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| n.犁沟( furrow的名词复数 )；（脸上的）皱纹v.犁田，开沟( furrow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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6
variance
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| n.矛盾，不同 | |
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7
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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8
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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9
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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10
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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11
hermits
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| （尤指早期基督教的）隐居修道士，隐士，遁世者( hermit的名词复数 ) | |
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12
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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13
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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14
latch
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| n.门闩，窗闩；弹簧锁 | |
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15
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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16
dweller
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| n.居住者，住客 | |
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17
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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18
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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19
hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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20
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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21
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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22
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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23
papyrus
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| n.古以纸草制成之纸 | |
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24
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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25
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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26
prosaic
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| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
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27
bracing
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| adj.令人振奋的 | |
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28
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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29
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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30
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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31
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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32
boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾 | |
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33
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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34
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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35
deductions
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| 扣除( deduction的名词复数 )； 结论； 扣除的量； 推演 | |
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36
dwellers
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| n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 ) | |
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37
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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38
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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39
slashed
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| v.挥砍( slash的过去式和过去分词 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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40
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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41
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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42
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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44
attenuated
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| v.（使）变细( attenuate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变薄；（使）变小；减弱 | |
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45
sparse
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| adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的 | |
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46
cringing
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| adj.谄媚，奉承 | |
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47
shuffled
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| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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48
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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49
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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50
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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51
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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52
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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53
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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54
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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55
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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56
impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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57
imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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58
awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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59
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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60
entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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61
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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62
condensers
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| n.冷凝器( condenser的名词复数 )；（尤指汽车发动机内的）电容器 | |
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63
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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64
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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65
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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66
rendezvous
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| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
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67
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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68
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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69
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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70
dabbled
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| v.涉猎( dabble的过去式和过去分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资 | |
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71
bellowing
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| v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的现在分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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72
sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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73
sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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74
irresolute
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| adj.无决断的，优柔寡断的，踌躇不定的 | |
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75
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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76
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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77
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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78
limestone
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| n.石灰石 | |
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79
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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