It was quite dark, and round her swept as it were a whirlpool of snow. The swift flakes1 struck at her eyes and ears like a swarm2 of vicious flies. In such a wind, the blows of the soft thin snow, beating upon her face, now from one quarter, now from another, were enough to bewilder even a strong woman like Kirsty. They were like hail to a horse. After trying for a while to force her way, she suddenly became aware of utter ignorance as to the direction in which she was going, and, for the first time in her life, a fell terror possessed3 her—not for herself, but for Steenie and her father and mother. To herself, Kirsty was nobody, but she belonged to David and Marion Barclay, and what were they and Steenie to do without her! They would go on looking for her till they too died, and were buried yards deep in the snow!
She kept struggling on, her head bent4, and her body leaning forward, forcing herself against, it hardly seemed through, the snow-filled wind—but whither? It was only by the feel of the earth under her feet, that she could tell, and at times she was by no means sure, whether she was going up or down hill. She kept on and on, almost hopeless of getting anywhere, certain of nothing but that, if once she sat down, she would never rise again. Fatigue5 that must not yield, and the in-roads of the cold sleep, at length affected6 her brain, and her imagination began to take its own way with her. She thought herself condemned7 to one of those awful dust-towers, for she had read Prideaux, specially8 devilish invention of the Persians, in which by the constant stirring of the dust so that it filled the air, the lungs of the culprit were at length absolutely choked up. Dead of the dust, she revived to the snow: it was fearfully white, for it was all dead faces; she crushed and waded9 through those that fell, while multitudes came whirling upon her from all sides. Gladly would she have thrown herself down among them, but she must walk, walk on for ever!
All the time, she felt in her dim suffering as if not she but those at home suffered: she had deserted10 them in trouble, and do what she might she would never get back to them! She could, she thought, if she but put forth11 the needful energy, but the last self-exhaustive effort never would come!
Where was the dog? He had left her! he was nowhere near her! She tried to call him, but the storm choked every sound in her very throat. He would never have left her to save himself! He who makes the dogs must be at least as faithful as they! So she was not left comfortless!
Then she heard, or thought she heard the church-bell, and that may have had something to do with the strange dream out of which she came gradually to herself.
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1 flakes | |
小薄片( flake的名词复数 ); (尤指)碎片; 雪花; 古怪的人 | |
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2 swarm | |
n.(昆虫)等一大群;vi.成群飞舞;蜂拥而入 | |
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3 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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4 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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5 fatigue | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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6 affected | |
adj.不自然的,假装的 | |
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7 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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8 specially | |
adv.特定地;特殊地;明确地 | |
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9 waded | |
(从水、泥等)蹚,走过,跋( wade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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11 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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