The autumn of that year broke upon us with sobbing1 winds and wild, wet gusts2 of tempest laden3 with flying leaves. In the choked trenches4, drowned grasses swayed and swung like torn skirt fringes of the meadows; in the woods, drenched5 leaves clung together and talked, through the lulls6, of the devastation7 that was wrecking8 their aftermath of glory.
It had been blowing in soft, irresistible9 onrushes all one dank October day, and all day had I spent in the high woods that crown the gentle hills three or four miles to the southwest of the city. The air in the long, quiet glades10 was mystic with the smell of decay; the heels of vanishing forms seemed to twinkle from tangled11 bends of undergrowth as I approached them. Then often, in going by a spot I could have thought lately tenanted, a sense would tingle12 through me as of something listening behind some aged13 trunk that stood back from my path.
Gradually dark shut in, and I must needs thread my way among the trees, while some little show of light remained, if I did not wish to be belated in the dense14 thickets15. It would not have troubled me greatly had this actually happened. To yield my tired limbs and wearier soul to some bed of moss16 set in the heart of an antique wood seemed a blessed and most restful thing to do. But the old man awaited me at home, and thither17 my duty must carry me.
I had traversed a darkling alley18 of leafage, treading noiseless on the spongy floor of it, and was coming out into a little lap of tree-inclosed lawn that it led to when I stopped in a moment and drew myself back with a start.
Something was there before me—a fantastic moving shape, that footed the grass in a weird19, sinuous20 dance of intricate paces, and waving arms, and feet that hardly rustled21 on the dead leaves. It was all wild, elfin; ineffably22 strange and unearthly. I felt as if the dead past were revealed to me, and that here I might lay down my burden and yield the poor residue23 of life to one last ecstasy24.
Dipping, swaying; now here, now there, about the dusky plat of lawn; sometimes motionless for an instant, so that its drooping25 skirts and long, loosened hair made but one tree-like figure of it; again whirling into motion, with its dark tresses flung abroad—the figure circled round to within a yard of where I was standing26.
Then in a loud, tremulous tone I cried “Zyp!” and sprung into the open.
She gave a shriek27, craned her neck forward to gaze at me, and, falling upon her knees at my feet, clasped her arms about me.
For a full minute we must have remained thus; and I heard nothing but the breathless panting of the girl.
“Zyp,” I whispered at last, “what are you doing here, in the name of heaven?”
“I wanted to see you, Renny. I have walked all the way from Southampton. Night came upon me as I was passing through the wood—and—and I couldn’t help it—I couldn’t help it.”
“This mad dancing?”
“I’m so unhappy. Renny, poor Zyp is so unhappy!”
“Does this look like it?”
“The elves caught me. It was so lovely to shake off all the weight and the misery29 and the womanliness.”
“Are you tired of being a woman, Zyp?”
“Tired? My heart aches so that I could die. Oh, I hate it all! No, no, Renny, don’t believe me! My little child! My little, little child! How can I have her and not be a woman!”
“Get up, Zyp, and let’s find our way out of this.”
“Not till you’ve promised me. Where can we talk better? The foolish people never dare to walk here at night. You love the woods, too, Renny. Oh, why didn’t I wait for you? Why, why didn’t I wait for you?”
“Come, we must go.”
“Not till you’ve promised to help me.”
“I promise.”
She caught my hand and kissed it as she knelt; then rose to her feet and her dark eyes burned upon me in the gloom.
“You didn’t expect to see me?”
“How could I? Least of all here.”
“It’s on the road from Southampton. At least, if it isn’t, the woods drew me and I couldn’t help but go.”
“Why have you come from Southampton?”
“We fled there to escape him.”
“Him? Who?” Yet I had no need to ask.
“That horrible man. Oh, his white face and the eyes in it! Renny, I think Jason will die of that face.”
I remembered Duke’s words and was silent.
“It comes upon us in all places and at all hours. Wherever we go he finds means to track us and to follow—in the streets; in churches, where we sometimes sit now; at windows, staring in and never moving. Renny,” she came close up against me to whisper in my ear, and put her arm round my neck like the Zyp of old. Perhaps she was half-changeling again in that atmosphere of woodland leafiness. “Renny—once he tried to poison Jason!”
“Oh, Zyp, don’t say that!”
“He did—he did. Jason was sitting by an open window in the dark, and a tumbler of spirit and water was on the table by him. He was leaning back in his chair, as if asleep, but he was really looking all the time from under his eyelids30. A hand came very gently through the window, pinched something into the glass, and went away again quite softly.”
“You don’t know how the long strain has told upon him. Sometimes in the beginning he thought he must face it out, for life or death, and end the struggle. But he isn’t really brave, I think.”
“No, Zyp, he isn’t.”
“And now it has gone too far. All his spirit is broken. He clings to me like a child. He sits with his hand in mine, staring and listening and dreadfully waiting. And that other doesn’t mean to kill him now, I think—not murder him, I mean. He sees he can do it more hideously33 by following—by only following and looking, Renny.”
In a moment she bowed her head upon my arm and burst into a convulsive flood of crying. I waited for the first of it to subside34 before I spoke35 again. These, almost the only tears I had ever known fall from her, were eloquent36 of her change, indeed.
“Oh!” she cried, presently, in a broken voice. “He didn’t treat me well at first—my husband—but this piteous clinging to me now—something chokes——” she flung her head back from me and wrenched37 with her hands at the bosom38 of her dress, as if the heart underneath39 were swollen40 to breaking. Then she tossed up her arms and, drooping her head, once more fell to a passion of weeping.
“Zyp,” I said, quietly, when she could hear me, “what is it you want me to do?”
“We want money, Renny——” she gasped41, still with fluttering sobs42, drying her eyes half-fiercely as if in resentment43 of that brief self-abandonment. “He has no spirit to make it now as he used. We have escaped to Southampton, intending to go abroad somewhere, and lose ourselves and be lost. We fled in a fright, unthinking, and now we can get no further. You’ll help us, Renny, won’t you?”
“I’ll help you, Zyp, now and always, if you need it—always, as far as it is possible for me to.”
“We don’t want much—enough to get away, that’s all. If he could only be free a little while, I think perhaps he might recover partly and be strong to seek for work.”
“It will take me a day or two.”
“So long? Oh, Renny!”
“I must go to London to raise it. I can’t possibly manage it otherwise.”
She gave a heavy forlorn sigh.
“I hope it won’t come too late?”
“You can trust me, dear, not to delay a minute longer over it than is absolutely necessary.”
“You will come on to the mill, Zyp?”
“Not now; it is useless. I hear my baby calling, Renny.”
“But—what will you do?”
“Walk back to Southampton.”
“To-night?”
“Part of the way, at least. When I get tired I shall sleep.”
“Sleep? Where?”
“Under some tree or bush. Where could I better?”
“Zyp! You mustn’t. Anything might happen to you.”
Her face took a flash of scorn.
“To me—in the woods or the open fields? You forget who I am, Renny.”
No insistence46 or argument on my part could alter her determination. Return she would, then and there.
“Well,” I said at last, hopeless of shaking her, “how shall I convey the money to you?”
“Jason shall come and fetch it.”
“Jason?”
“Yes. I can’t leave the child again. Besides, it will be better for him to move and act than sit still always watching and waiting.”
“Very well, then. Let him come when he likes. To-morrow I will get the money.”
She came and took my hand and looked up in my face. “Good-by, you good man,” she said. “Give me one kiss, Renny.”
I stooped and touched her cheek with my lips.
“That is for the baby,” I said, “and God bless Zyp and the little one.”
She backed from me a pace or two, with her dark eyes dreaming.
“Did you think I could ever be like this, Renny? I wonder if they will turn to me as they used?”
She dropped upon her knees before a little plant of yellow woundwort that grew beside a tree. She caressed47 it, she murmured to it, she gave it a dozen fond names in the strangest of elfin language. It did not stir. It remained just a quiet, drowsy48 woodland thing.
“Ah!” she cried, leaping to her feet, “it’s jealous of the baby. What do I care?” She gave it a little slap with her hand. “Wake up, you sulky thing!” she cried—“I’m going to tell you something. There’s no flower like my baby in all the world!”
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1
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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2
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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4
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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6
lulls
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| n.间歇期（lull的复数形式）vt.使镇静，使安静（lull的第三人称单数形式） | |
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7
devastation
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| n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤 | |
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wrecking
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| 破坏 | |
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9
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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glades
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| n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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11
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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12
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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13
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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alley
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| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
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19
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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sinuous
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| adj.蜿蜒的，迂回的 | |
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21
rustled
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| v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
ineffably
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| adv.难以言喻地，因神圣而不容称呼地 | |
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23
residue
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| n.残余，剩余，残渣 | |
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24
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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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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27
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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28
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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29
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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30
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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31
abject
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| adj.极可怜的，卑屈的 | |
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32
contemptible
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| adj.可鄙的，可轻视的，卑劣的 | |
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33
hideously
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| adv.可怕地，非常讨厌地 | |
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34
subside
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| vi.平静，平息；下沉，塌陷，沉降 | |
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35
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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36
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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37
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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38
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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39
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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40
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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41
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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42
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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43
resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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44
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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45
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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46
insistence
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| n.坚持；强调；坚决主张 | |
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47
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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