“May I come with you for a while to your study? I want to speak to you privately1 without your uncle knowing about it, or even what the subject is. You don’t mind, do you? It is not idle curiosity. No, no. It is on the subject to which we are all committed.”
“Is it necessary to keep my uncle in the dark about it? He might be offended.”
“It is not necessary; but it is advisable. It is for his sake that I asked. My friend is an old man, and it might concern him unduly—even alarm him. I promise you there shall be nothing that could cause him anxiety in our silence, or at which he could take umbrage2.”
“Go on, sir!” said Adam simply.
“You see, your uncle is now an old man. I know it, for we were boys together. He has led an uneventful and somewhat self-contained life, so that any such condition of things as has now arisen is apt to perplex him from its very strangeness. In fact, any new matter is trying to old people. It has its own disturbances3 and its own anxieties, and neither of these things are good for lives that should be restful. Your uncle is a strong man, with a very happy and placid4 nature. Given health and ordinary conditions of life, there is no reason why he should not live to be a hundred. You and I, therefore, who both love him, though in different ways, should make it our business to protect him from all disturbing influences. I am sure you will agree with me that any labour to this end would be well spent. All right, my boy! I see your answer in your eyes; so we need say no more of that. And now,” here his voice changed, “tell me all that took place at that interview. There are strange things in front of us—how strange we cannot at present even guess. Doubtless some of the difficult things to understand which lie behind the veil will in time be shown to us to see and to understand. In the meantime, all we can do is to work patiently, fearlessly, and unselfishly, to an end that we think is right. You had got so far as where Lilla opened the door to Mr. Caswall and the negro. You also observed that Mimi was disturbed in her mind at the way Mr. Caswall looked at her cousin.”
“Certainly—though ‘disturbed’ is a poor way of expressing her objection.”
“Can you remember well enough to describe Caswall’s eyes, and how Lilla looked, and what Mimi said and did? Also Oolanga, Caswall’s West African servant.”
“I’ll do what I can, sir. All the time Mr. Caswall was staring, he kept his eyes fixed5 and motionless—but not as if he was in a trance. His forehead was wrinkled up, as it is when one is trying to see through or into something. At the best of times his face has not a gentle expression; but when it was screwed up like that it was almost diabolical6. It frightened poor Lilla so that she trembled, and after a bit got so pale that I thought she had fainted. However, she held up and tried to stare back, but in a feeble kind of way. Then Mimi came close and held her hand. That braced7 her up, and—still, never ceasing her return stare—she got colour again and seemed more like herself.”
“Did he stare too?”
“More than ever. The weaker Lilla seemed, the stronger he became, just as if he were feeding on her strength. All at once she turned round, threw up her hands, and fell down in a faint. I could not see what else happened just then, for Mimi had thrown herself on her knees beside her and hid her from me. Then there was something like a black shadow between us, and there was the nigger, looking more like a malignant8 devil than ever. I am not usually a patient man, and the sight of that ugly devil is enough to make one’s blood boil. When he saw my face, he seemed to realise danger—immediate danger—and slunk out of the room as noiselessly as if he had been blown out. I learned one thing, however—he is an enemy, if ever a man had one.”
“That still leaves us three to two!” put in Sir Nathaniel.
“Then Caswall slunk out, much as the nigger had done. When he had gone, Lilla recovered at once.”
“Now,” said Sir Nathaniel, anxious to restore peace, “have you found out anything yet regarding the negro? I am anxious to be posted regarding him. I fear there will be, or may be, grave trouble with him.”
“Yes, sir, I’ve heard a good deal about him—of course it is not official; but hearsay9 must guide us at first. You know my man Davenport—private secretary, confidential10 man of business, and general factotum11. He is devoted12 to me, and has my full confidence. I asked him to stay on board the West African and have a good look round, and find out what he could about Mr. Caswall. Naturally, he was struck with the aboriginal13 savage14. He found one of the ship’s stewards15, who had been on the regular voyages to South Africa. He knew Oolanga and had made a study of him. He is a man who gets on well with niggers, and they open their hearts to him. It seems that this Oolanga is quite a great person in the nigger world of the African West Coast. He has the two things which men of his own colour respect: he can make them afraid, and he is lavish16 with money. I don’t know whose money—but that does not matter. They are always ready to trumpet17 his greatness. Evil greatness it is—but neither does that matter. Briefly18, this is his history. He was originally a witch-finder—about as low an occupation as exists amongst aboriginal savages19. Then he got up in the world and became an Obi-man, which gives an opportunity to wealth via blackmail20. Finally, he reached the highest honour in hellish service. He became a user of Voodoo, which seems to be a service of the utmost baseness and cruelty. I was told some of his deeds of cruelty, which are simply sickening. They made me long for an opportunity of helping21 to drive him back to hell. You might think to look at him that you could measure in some way the extent of his vileness22; but it would be a vain hope. Monsters such as he is belong to an earlier and more rudimentary stage of barbarism. He is in his way a clever fellow—for a nigger; but is none the less dangerous or the less hateful for that. The men in the ship told me that he was a collector: some of them had seen his collections. Such collections! All that was potent23 for evil in bird or beast, or even in fish. Beaks24 that could break and rend25 and tear—all the birds represented were of a predatory kind. Even the fishes are those which are born to destroy, to wound, to torture. The collection, I assure you, was an object lesson in human malignity26. This being has enough evil in his face to frighten even a strong man. It is little wonder that the sight of it put that poor girl into a dead faint!”
Nothing more could be done at the moment, so they separated.
Adam was up in the early morning and took a smart walk round the Brow. As he was passing Diana’s Grove27, he looked in on the short avenue of trees, and noticed the snakes killed on the previous morning by the mongoose. They all lay in a row, straight and rigid28, as if they had been placed by hands. Their skins seemed damp and sticky, and they were covered all over with ants and other insects. They looked loathsome29, so after a glance, he passed on.
A little later, when his steps took him, naturally enough, past the entrance to Mercy Farm, he was passed by the negro, moving quickly under the trees wherever there was shadow. Laid across one extended arm, looking like dirty towels across a rail, he had the horrid-looking snakes. He did not seem to see Adam. No one was to be seen at Mercy except a few workmen in the farmyard, so, after waiting on the chance of seeing Mimi, Adam began to go slowly home.
Once more he was passed on the way. This time it was by Lady Arabella, walking hurriedly and so furiously angry that she did not recognise him, even to the extent of acknowledging his bow.
When Adam got back to Lesser30 Hill, he went to the coach-house where the box with the mongoose was kept, and took it with him, intending to finish at the Mound31 of Stone what he had begun the previous morning with regard to the extermination32. He found that the snakes were even more easily attacked than on the previous day; no less than six were killed in the first half-hour. As no more appeared, he took it for granted that the morning’s work was over, and went towards home. The mongoose had by this time become accustomed to him, and was willing to let himself be handled freely. Adam lifted him up and put him on his shoulder and walked on. Presently he saw a lady advancing towards him, and recognised Lady Arabella.
Hitherto the mongoose had been quiet, like a playful affectionate kitten; but when the two got close, Adam was horrified33 to see the mongoose, in a state of the wildest fury, with every hair standing34 on end, jump from his shoulder and run towards Lady Arabella. It looked so furious and so intent on attack that he called a warning.
“Look out—look out! The animal is furious and means to attack.”
Lady Arabella looked more than ever disdainful and was passing on; the mongoose jumped at her in a furious attack. Adam rushed forward with his stick, the only weapon he had. But just as he got within striking distance, the lady drew out a revolver and shot the animal, breaking his backbone35. Not satisfied with this, she poured shot after shot into him till the magazine was exhausted36. There was no coolness or hauteur37 about her now; she seemed more furious even than the animal, her face transformed with hate, and as determined38 to kill as he had appeared to be. Adam, not knowing exactly what to do, lifted his hat in apology and hurried on to Lesser Hill.
该作者的其它作品
《Dracula》
该作者的其它作品
《Dracula》
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1
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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2
umbrage
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| n.不快；树荫 | |
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3
disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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4
placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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5
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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6
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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7
braced
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| adj.拉牢的v.支住( brace的过去式和过去分词 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来 | |
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8
malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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9
hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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10
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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11
factotum
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| n.杂役；听差 | |
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12
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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13
aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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14
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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15
stewards
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| （轮船、飞机等的）乘务员( steward的名词复数 )； （俱乐部、旅馆、工会等的）管理员； （大型活动的）组织者； （私人家中的）管家 | |
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16
lavish
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| adj.无节制的；浪费的；vt.慷慨地给予，挥霍 | |
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17
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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18
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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19
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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20
blackmail
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| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
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21
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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22
vileness
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| n.讨厌，卑劣 | |
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23
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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24
beaks
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| n.鸟嘴( beak的名词复数 )；鹰钩嘴；尖鼻子；掌权者 | |
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rend
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| vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取 | |
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26
malignity
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| n.极度的恶意，恶毒；（病的）恶性 | |
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27
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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28
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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29
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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30
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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31
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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32
extermination
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| n.消灭，根绝 | |
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33
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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34
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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35
backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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36
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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37
hauteur
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| n.傲慢 | |
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38
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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