‘O no,’ said Mrs. Pettifer. ‘Stay with me till evening. I shall be lost without you. You needn’t go till quite evening.’
Janet had dipped into the ‘Life of Henry Martyn,’ which Mrs. Pettifer had from the Paddiford Lending Library, and her interest was so arrested by that pathetic missionary3 story, that she readily acquiesced4 in both propositions, and Mrs. Raynor set out.
She had been gone more than an hour, and it was nearly twelve o’clock, when Janet put down her book; and after sitting meditatively5 for some minutes with her eyes unconsciously fixed6 on the opposite wall, she rose, went to her bedroom, and, hastily putting on her bonnet7 and shawl, came down to Mrs. Pettifer, who was busy in the kitchen.
‘Mrs. Pettifer,’ she said, ‘tell mother, when she comes back, I’m gone to see what has become of those poor Lakins in Butchers Lane. I know they’re half starving, and I’ve neglected them so, lately. And then, I think, I’ll go on to Mrs. Crewe. I want to see the dear little woman, and tell her myself about my going to hear Mr. Tryan. She won’t feel it half so much if I tell her myself.’
‘Won’t you wait till your mother comes, or put it off till to-morrow?’ said Mrs. Pettifer, alarmed. ‘You’ll hardly be back in time for dinner, if you get talking to Mrs. Crewe. And you’ll have to pass by your husband’s, you know; and yesterday, you were so afraid of seeing him.’
‘O, Robert will be shut up at the office now, if he’s not gone out of the town. I must go—I feel I must be doing something for some one—not be a mere8 useless log any longer. I’ve been reading about that wonderful Henry Martyn; he’s just like Mr. Tryan—wearing himself out for other people, and I sit thinking of nothing but myself. I must go. Good-bye; I shall be back soon.’
She ran off before Mrs. Pettifer could utter another word of dissuasion9, leaving the good woman in considerable anxiety lest this new impulse of Janet’s should frustrate10 all precautions to save her from a sudden shock.
Janet having paid her visit in Butcher Lane, turned again into Orchard11 Street on her way to Mrs. Crewe’s, and was thinking, rather sadly, that her mother’s economical housekeeping would leave no abundant surplus to be sent to the hungry Lakins, when she saw Mr. Pilgrim in advance of her on the other side of the street. He was walking at a rapid pace, and when he reached Dempster’s door he turned and entered without knocking.
Janet was startled. Mr. Pilgrim would never enter in that way unless there were some one very ill in the house. It was her husband; she felt certain of it at once. Something had happened to him. Without a moment’s pause, she ran across the street, opened the door, and entered. There was no one in the passage. The dining-room door was wide open—no one was there. Mr. Pilgrim, then, was already up-stairs. She rushed up at once to Dempster’s room—her own room. The door was open, and she paused in pale horror at the sight before her, which seemed to stand out only with the more appalling12 distinctness because the noonday light was darkened to twilight13 in the chamber14.
Two strong nurses were using their utmost force to hold Dempster in bed, while the medical assistant was applying a sponge to his head, and Mr. Pilgrim was busy adjusting some apparatus15 in the background. Dempster’s face was purple and swollen16, his eyes dilated17, and fixed with a look of dire18 terror on something he seemed to see approaching him from the iron closet. He trembled violently, and struggled as if to jump out of bed.
‘Let me go, let me go,’ he said in a loud, hoarse19 whisper; ‘she’s coming ... she’s cold ... she’s dead ... she’ll strangle me with her black hair. Ah!’ he shrieked20 aloud, ‘her hair is all serpents ... they’re black serpents ... they hiss22 ... they hiss . .. let me go . . . let me go . . . she wants to drag me with her cold arms ... her arms are serpents ... they are great white serpents ... they’ll twine23 round me ... she wants to drag me into the cold water ... her bosom24 is cold ... it is black ... it is all serpents ...’
‘No, Robert,’ Janet cried, in tones of yearning25 pity, rushing to the side of the bed, and stretching out her arms towards him, ‘no, here is Janet. She is not dead—she forgives you.’
Dempster’s maddened senses seemed to receive some new impression from her appearance. The terror gave way to rage.
‘Ha! you sneaking26 hypocrite!’ he burst out in a grating voice, ‘you threaten me ... you mean to have your revenge on me, do you? Do your worst! I’ve got the law on my side ... I know the law ... I’ll hunt you down like a hare ... prove it ... prove that I was tampered27 with ... prove that I took the money ... prove it ... you can prove nothing ... you damned psalm-singing maggots! I’ll make a fire under you, and smoke off the whole pack of you ... I’ll sweep you up ... I’ll grind you to powder ... small powder ... (here his voice dropt to a low tone of shuddering28 disgust) ... powder on the bed-clothes ... running about ... black lice ... they are coming in swarms29 ... Janet! come and take them away ... curse you! why don’t you come? Janet!’
Poor Janet was kneeling by the bed with her face buried in her hands. She almost wished her worst moment back again rather than this. It seemed as if her husband was already imprisoned30 in misery31, and she could not reach him—his ear deaf for ever to the sounds of love and forgiveness. His sins had made a hard crust round his soul; her pitying voice could not pierce it.
‘Not there, isn’t she?’ he went on in a defiant32 tone. ‘Why do you ask me where she is? I’ll have every drop of yellow blood out of your veins33 if you come questioning me. Your blood is yellow ... in your purse ... running out of your purse ... What! you’re changing it into toads34, are you? They’re crawling ... they’re flying ... they’re flying about my head ... the toads are flying about. Ostler! ostler! bring out my gig ... bring it out, you lazy beast . . . ha! you’ll follow me, will you? ... you’ll fly about my head ... you’ve got fiery35 tongues ... Ostler! curse you! why don’t you come? Janet! come and take the toads away ... Janet!’
This last time he uttered her name with such a shriek21 of terror, that Janet involuntarily started up from her knees, and stood as if petrified36 by the horrible vibration37. Dempster stared wildly in silence for some moments; then he spoke again in a hoarse whisper:—
‘Dead ... is she dead? She did it, then. She buried herself in the iron chest ... she left her clothes out, though ... she isn’t dead ... why do you pretend she’s dead? ... she’s coming ... she’s coming out of the iron closet ... there are the black serpents ... stop her ... let me go ... stop her ... she wants to drag me away into the cold black water ... her bosom is black ... it is all serpents ... they are getting longer ... the great white serpents are getting longer ...’
Here Mr. Pilgrim came forward with the apparatus to bind38 him, but Dempster’s struggles became more and more violent. ‘Ostler! ostler!’ he shouted, ‘bring out the gig ... give me the whip!’—and bursting loose from the strong hands that held him, he began to flog the bed-clothes furiously with his right arm.
‘Get along, you lame39 brute40!—sc—sc—sc! that’s it! there you go! They think they’ve outwitted me, do they? The sneaking idiots! I’ll be up with them by-and-by. I’ll make them say the Lord’s Prayer backwards41 ... I’ll pepper them so that the devil shall eat them raw ... sc—sc—sc—we shall see who’ll be the winner yet ... get along, you damned limping beast ... I’ll lay your back open ... I’ll ...’
He raised himself with a stronger effort than ever to flog the bed-clothes, and fell back in convulsions. Janet gave a scream, and sank on her knees again. She thought he was dead.
As soon as Mr. Pilgrim was able to give her a moment’s attention, he came to her, and, taking her by the arm, attempted to draw her gently out of the room.
‘Now, my dear Mrs. Dempster, let me persuade you not to remain in the room at present. We shall soon relieve these symptoms, I hope: it is nothing but the delirium42 that ordinarily attends such cases.’
‘Oh, what is the matter? what brought it on?’
‘He fell out of the gig; the right leg is broken. It is a terrible accident, and I don’t disguise that there is considerable danger attending it, owing to the state of the brain. But Mr. Dempster has a strong constitution, you know; in a few days these symptoms may be allayed43, and he may do well. Let me beg of you to keep out of the room at present: you can do no good until Mr. Dempster is better, and able to know you. But you ought not to be alone; let me advise you to have Mrs. Raynor with you.’
‘Yes, I will send for mother. But you must not object to my being in the room. I shall be very quiet now, only just at first the shock was so great; I knew nothing about it. I can help the nurses a great deal; I can put the cold things to his head. He may be sensible for a moment and know me. Pray do not say any more against it: my heart is set on being with him.’
Mr. Pilgrim gave way, and Janet, having sent for her mother and put off her bonnet and shawl, returned to take her place by the side of her husband’s bed.
该作者的其它作品
《弗洛斯河上的磨坊 The Mill on the Floss》
《米德尔马契 Middlemarch》
该作者的其它作品
《弗洛斯河上的磨坊 The Mill on the Floss》
《米德尔马契 Middlemarch》
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1
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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2
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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4
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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5
meditatively
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| adv.冥想地 | |
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6
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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7
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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8
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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9
dissuasion
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| n.劝止；谏言 | |
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10
frustrate
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| v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦 | |
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11
orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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12
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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13
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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14
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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15
apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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16
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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17
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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18
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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19
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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20
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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22
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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23
twine
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| v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕 | |
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24
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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25
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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26
sneaking
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| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
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27
tampered
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| v.窜改( tamper的过去式 )；篡改；（用不正当手段）影响；瞎摆弄 | |
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28
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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29
swarms
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| 蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 ) | |
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30
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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32
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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33
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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34
toads
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| n.蟾蜍，癞蛤蟆( toad的名词复数 ) | |
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35
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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36
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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37
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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38
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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39
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 | |
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40
brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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41
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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42
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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43
allayed
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| v.减轻，缓和( allay的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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