For the major portion of the return trip to Kansas City, there was nothing to mar1 the very agreeable illusion underwhich Clyde rested. He sat beside Hortense, who leaned her head against his shoulder. And although Sparser2,who had waited for the others to step in before taking the wheel, had squeezed her arm and received ananswering and promising3 look, Clyde had not seen that.
But the hour being late and the admonitions of Hegglund, Ratterer and Higby being all for speed, and the moodof Sparser, because of the looks bestowed4 upon him by Hortense, being the gayest and most drunken, it was notlong before the outlying lamps of the environs began to show.
For the car was rushed along the road at break-neck speed. At one point, however, where one of the eastern trunklines approached the city, there was a long and unexpected and disturbing wait at a grade crossing where twofreight trains met and passed. Farther in, at North Kansas City, it began to snow, great soft slushy flakes,feathering down and coating the road surface with a slippery layer of mud which required more caution than hadbeen thus far displayed. It was then half past five. Ordinarily, an additional eight minutes at high speed wouldhave served to bring the car within a block or two of the hotel. But now, with another delay near Hannibal Bridgeowing to grade crossing, it was twenty minutes to six before the bridge was crossed and Wyandotte Streetreached. And already all four of these youths had lost all sense of the delight of the trip and the pleasure thecompanionship of these girls had given them. For already they were worrying as to the probability of theirreaching the hotel in time. The smug and martinetish figure of Mr. Squires6 loomed7 before them all.
"Gee8, if we don't do better than this," observed Ratterer to Higby, who was nervously9 fumbling10 with his watch,"we're not goin' to make it. We'll hardly have time, as it is, to change."Clyde, hearing him, exclaimed: "Oh, crickets! I wish we could hurry a little. Gee, I wish now we hadn't come today.
It'll be tough if we don't get there on time."And Hortense, noting his sudden tenseness and unrest, added: "Don't you think you'll make it all right?""Not this way," he said. But Hegglund, who had been studying the flaked11 air outside, a world that seemed dottedwith falling bits of cotton, called: "Eh, dere Willard. We certainly gotta do better dan dis. It means de razoo forus if we don't get dere on time."And Higby, for once stirred out of a gambler-like effrontery12 and calm, added: "We'll walk the plank13 all rightunless we can put up some good yarn14. Can't anybody think of anything?" As for Clyde, he merely sighednervously.
And then, as though to torture them the more, an unexpected crush of vehicles appeared at nearly everyintersection. And Sparser, who was irritated by this particular predicament, was contemplating16 with impatiencethe warning hand of a traffic policeman, which, at the intersection15 of Ninth and Wyandotte, had been raisedagainst him. "There goes his mit again," he exclaimed. "What can I do about that! I might turn over toWashington, but I don't know whether we'll save any time by going over there."A full minute passed before he was signaled to go forward. Then swiftly he swung the car to the right and threeblocks over into Washington Street.
But here the conditions were no better. Two heavy lines of traffic moved in opposite directions. And at eachsucceeding corner several precious moments were lost as the cross-traffic went by. Then the car would tear on tothe next corner, weaving its way in and out as best it could.
At Fifteenth and Washington, Clyde exclaimed to Ratterer: "How would it do if we got out at Seventeenth andwalked over?""You won't save any time if I can turn over there," called Sparser. "I can get over there quicker than you can."He crowded the other cars for every inch of available space. At Sixteenth and Washington, seeing what heconsidered a fairly clear block to the left, he turned the car and tore along that thoroughfare to as far asWyandotte once more. Just as he neared the corner and was about to turn at high speed, swinging in close to thecurb to do so, a little girl of about nine, who was running toward the crossing, jumped directly in front of themoving machine. And because there was no opportunity given him to turn and avoid her, she was struck anddragged a number of feet before the machine could be halted. At the same time, there arose piercing screamsfrom at least half a dozen women, and shouts from as many men who had witnessed the accident.
Instantly they all rushed toward the child, who had been thrown under and passed over by the wheels. AndSparser, looking out and seeing them gathering18 about the fallen figure, was seized with an uninterpretable mentalpanic which conjured19 up the police, jail, his father, the owner of the car, severe punishment in many forms. Andthough by now all the others in the car were up and giving vent17 to anguished20 exclamations21 such as "Oh, God! He hit a little girl"; "Oh, gee, he's killed a kid!" "Oh, mercy!" "Oh, Lord!" "Oh, heavens, what'll we do now?" heturned and exclaimed: "Jesus, the cops! I gotta get outa this with this car."And, without consulting the others, who were still half standing22, but almost speechless with fear, he shot thelever into first, second and then high, and giving the engine all the gas it would endure, sped with it to the nextcorner beyond.
But there, as at the other corners in this vicinity, a policeman was stationed, and having already seen somecommotion at the corner west of him, had already started to leave his post in order to ascertain23 what it was. As hedid so, cries of "Stop that car"--"Stop that car"--reached his ears. And a man, running toward the sedan from thescene of the accident, pointed24 to it, and called: "Stop that car, stop that car. They've killed a child."Then gathering what was meant, he turned toward the car, putting his police whistle to his mouth as he did so.
But Sparser, having by this time heard the cries and seen the policeman leaving, dashed swiftly past him intoSeventeenth Street, along which he sped at almost forty miles an hour, grazing the hub of a truck in one instance,scraping the fender of an automobile25 in another, and missing by inches and quarter inches vehicles orpedestrians, while those behind him in the car were for the most part sitting bolt upright and tense, their eyeswide, their hands clenched27, their faces and lips set--or, as in the case of Hortense and Lucille Nickolas and TinaKogel, giving voice to repeated, "Oh, Gods!" "Oh, what's going to happen now?"But the police and those who had started to pursue were not to be outdone so quickly. Unable to make out thelicense plate number and seeing from the first motions of the car that it had no intention of stopping, the officerblew a loud and long blast on his police whistle. And the policeman at the next corner seeing the car speed byand realizing what it meant, blew on his whistle, then stopped, and springing on the running board of a passingtouring car ordered it to give chase. And at this, seeing what was amiss or awind, three other cars, driven byadventurous spirits, joined in the chase, all honking28 loudly as they came.
But the Packard had far more speed in it than any of its pursuers, and although for the first few blocks of thepursuit there were cries of "Stop that car!" "Stop that car!" still, owing to the much greater speed of the car, thesesoon died away, giving place to the long wild shrieks29 of distant horns in full cry.
Sparser by now having won a fair lead and realizing that a straight course was the least baffling to pursue, turnedswiftly into McGee, a comparatively quiet thoroughfare along which he tore for a few blocks to the wide andwinding Gillham Parkway, whose course was southward. But having followed that at terrific speed for a shortdistance, he again--at Thirty-first--decided30 to turn--the houses in the distance confusing him and the suburbancountry to the north seeming to offer the best opportunity for evading31 his pursuers. And so now he swung the carto the left into that thoroughfare, his thought here being that amid these comparatively quiet streets it waspossible to wind in and out and so shake off pursuit--at least long enough to drop his passengers somewhere andreturn the car to the garage.
And this he would have been able to do had it not been for the fact that in turning into one of the more outlyingstreets of this region, where there were scarcely any houses and no pedestrians26 visible, he decided to turn off hislights, the better to conceal32 the whereabouts of the car. Then, still speeding east, north, and east and south byturns, he finally dashed into one street where, after a few hundred feet, the pavement suddenly ended. But because another cross street was visible a hundred feet or so further on, and he imagined that by turning into thathe might find a paved thoroughfare again, he sped on and then swung sharply to the left, only to crash roughlyinto a pile of paving stones left by a contractor33 who was preparing to pave the way. In the absence of lights hehad failed to distinguish this. And diagonally opposite to these, lengthwise of a prospective34 sidewalk, had beenlaid a pile of lumber35 for a house.
Striking the edge of the paving stones at high speed, he caromed, and all but upsetting the car, made directly forthe lumber pile opposite, into which he crashed. Only instead of striking it head on, the car struck one end,causing it to give way and spread out, but only sufficiently36 to permit the right wheels to mount high upon it andso throw the car completely over onto its left side in the grass and snow beyond the walk. Then there, amid acrash of glass and the impacts of their own bodies, the occupants were thrown down in a heap, forward and to theleft.
What happened afterwards is more or less of a mystery and a matter of confusion, not only to Clyde, but to allthe others. For Sparser and Laura Sipe, being in front, were dashed against the wind-shield and the roof andknocked senseless, Sparser, having his shoulder, hip5 and left knee wrenched37 in such a way as to make itnecessary to let him lie in the car as he was until an ambulance arrived. He could not possibly be lifted outthrough the door, which was in the roof as the car now lay. And in the second seat, Clyde, being nearest the doorto the left and next to him Hortense, Lucille Nickolas and Ratterer, was pinioned38 under and yet not crushed bytheir combined weights. For Hortense in falling had been thrown completely over him on her side against theroof, which was now the left wall. And Lucille, next above her, fell in such a way as to lie across Clyde'sshoulders only, while Ratterer, now topmost of the four, had, in falling, been thrown over the seat in front ofhim. But grasping the steering39 wheel in front of him as he fell, the same having been wrenched from Sparser'shands, he had broken his fall in part by clinging to it. But even so, his face and hands were cut and bruised40 andhis shoulder, arm and hip slightly wrenched, yet not sufficiently to prevent his being of assistance to the others.
For at once, realizing the plight41 of the others as well as his own, and stirred by their screams, Ratterer was movedto draw himself up and out through the top or side door which he now succeeded in opening, scrambling42 over theothers to reach it.
Once out, he climbed upon the chassis43 beam of the toppled car, and, reaching down, caught hold of thestruggling and moaning Lucille, who like the others was trying to climb up but could not. And exerting all hisstrength and exclaiming, "Be still, now, honey, I gotcha. You're all right, I'll getcha out," he lifted her to a sittingposition on the side of the door, then down in the snow, where he placed her and where she sat crying and feelingher arms and her head. And after her he helped Hortense, her left cheek and forehead and both hands badlybruised and bleeding, but not seriously, although she did not know that at the time. She was whimpering andshivering and shaking--a nervous chill having succeeded the dazed and almost unconscious state which hadfollowed the first crash.
At that moment, Clyde, lifting his bewildered head above the side door of the car, his left cheek, shoulder andarm bruised, but not otherwise injured, was thinking that he too must get out of this as quickly as possible. Achild had been killed; a car stolen and wrecked45; his job was most certainly lost; the police were in pursuit andmight even find them there at any minute. And below him in the car was Sparser, prone46 where he fell, butalready being looked to by Ratterer. And beside him Laura Sipe, also unconscious. He felt called upon to dosomething--to assist Ratterer, who was reaching down and trying to lay hold of Laura Sipe without injuring her.
But so confused were his thoughts that he would have stood there without helping47 any one had it not been forRatterer, who called most irritably48, "Give us a hand here, Clyde, will you? Let's see if we can get her out. She'sfainted." And Clyde, turning now instead of trying to climb out, began to seek to lift her from within, standing onthe broken glass window of the side beneath his feet and attempting to draw her body back and up off the bodyof Sparser. But this was not possible. She was too limp--too heavy. He could only draw her back--off the body ofSparser--and then let her rest there, between the second and first seats on the car's side.
But, meanwhile, at the back Hegglund, being nearest the top and only slightly stunned49, had managed to reach thedoor nearest him and throw it back. Thus, by reason of his athletic50 body, he was able to draw himself up and out,saying as he did so: "Oh, Jesus, what a finish! Oh, Christ, dis is de limit! Oh, Jesus, we better beat it outa disbefore de cops git here."At the same time, however, seeing the others below him and hearing their cries, he could not contemplateanything so desperate as desertion. Instead, once out, he turned and making out Maida below him, exclaimed:
"Here, for Christ's sake, gimme your hand. We gotta get outa dis and dam quick, I tell ya." Then turning fromMaida, who for the moment was feeling her wounded and aching head, he mounted the top chassis beam againand, reaching down, caught hold of Tina Kogel, who, only stunned, was trying to push herself to a sittingposition while resting heavily on top of Higby. But he, relieved of the weight of the others, was already kneeling,and feeling his head and face with his hands.
"Gimme your hand, Dave," called Hegglund. "Hurry! For Christ's sake! We ain't got no time to lose around here.
Are ya hurt? Christ, we gotta git outa here, I tellya. I see a guy comin' acrost dere now an' I doughno wedder he'sa cop or not." He started to lay hold of Higby's left hand, but as he did so Higby repulsed51 him.
"Huh, uh," he exclaimed. "Don't pull. I'm all right. I'll get out by myself. Help the others." And standing up, hishead above the level of the door, he began to look about within the car for something on which to place his foot.
The back cushion having fallen out and forward, he got his foot on that and raised himself up to the door level onwhich he sat and drew out his leg. Then looking about, and seeing Hegglund attempting to assist Ratterer andClyde with Sparser, he went to their aid.
Outside, some odd and confusing incidents had already occurred. For Hortense, who had been lifted out beforeClyde, and had suddenly begun to feel her face, had as suddenly realized that her left cheek and forehead werenot only scraped but bleeding. And being seized by the notion that her beauty might have been permanentlymarred by this accident, she was at once thrown into a state of selfish panic which caused her to becomecompletely oblivious53, not only to the misery54 and injury of the others, but to the danger of discovery by the police,the injury to the child, the wreck44 of this expensive car--in fact everything but herself and the probability orpossibility that her beauty had been destroyed. She began to whimper on the instant and wave her hands up anddown. "Oh, goodness, goodness, goodness!" she exclaimed desperately55. "Oh, how dreadful! Oh, how terrible!
Oh, my face is all cut." And feeling an urgent compulsion to do something about it, she suddenly set off (andwithout a word to any one and while Clyde was still inside helping Ratterer) south along 35th Street, toward thecity where were lights and more populated streets. Her one thought was to reach her own home as speedily aspossible in order that she might do something for herself.
Of Clyde, Sparser, Ratterer and the other girls--she really thought nothing. What were they now? It was only intermittently56 and between thoughts of her marred52 beauty that she could even bring herself to think of the injuredchild--the horror of which as well as the pursuit by the police, maybe, the fact that the car did not belong toSparser or that it was wrecked, and that they were all liable to arrest in consequence, affecting her but slightly.
Her one thought in regard to Clyde was that he was the one who had invited her to this ill-fated journey--hencethat he was to blame, really. Those beastly boys--to think they should have gotten her into this and then didn'thave brains enough to manage better.
The other girls, apart from Laura Sipe, were not seriously injured--any of them. They were more frightened thananything else, but now that this had happened they were in a panic, lest they be overtaken by the police, arrested,exposed and punished. And accordingly they stood about, exclaiming "Oh, gee, hurry, can't you? Oh, dear, weought all of us to get away from here. Oh, it's all so terrible." Until at last Hegglund exclaimed: "For Christ'ssake, keep quiet, cantcha? We're doing de best we can, cantcha see? You'll have de cops down on us in a minuteas it is."And then, as if in answer to his comment, a lone57 suburbanite58 who lived some four blocks from the scene acrossthe fields and who, hearing the crash and the cries in the night, had ambled59 across to see what the trouble was,now drew near and stood curiously60 looking at the stricken group and the car.
"Had an accident, eh?" he exclaimed, genially61 enough. "Any one badly hurt? Gee, that's too bad. And that's aswell car, too. Can I help any?"Clyde, hearing him talk and looking out and not seeing Hortense anywhere, and not being able to do more forSparser than stretch him in the bottom of the car, glanced agonizingly about. For the thought of the police andtheir certain pursuit was strong upon him. He must get out of this. He must not be caught here. Think of whatwould happen to him if he were caught--how he would be disgraced and punished probably--all his fine worldstripped from him before he could say a word really. His mother would hear--Mr. Squires--everybody. Mostcertainly he would go to jail. Oh, how terrible that thought was--grinding really like a macerating wheel to hisflesh. They could do nothing more for Sparser, and they only laid themselves open to being caught by lingering.
So asking, "Where'd Miss Briggs go?" he now began to climb out, then started looking about the dark and snowyfields for her. His thought was that he would first assist her to wherever she might desire to go.
But just then in the distance was heard the horns and the hum of at least two motorcycles speeding swiftly in thedirection of this very spot. For already the wife of the suburbanite, on hearing the crash and the cries in thedistance, had telephoned the police that an accident had occurred here. And now the suburbanite was explaining:
"That's them. I told the wife to telephone for an ambulance." And hearing this, all these others now began to run,for they all realized what that meant. And in addition, looking across the fields one could see the lights of theseapproaching machines. They reached Thirty-first and Cleveland together. Then one turned south toward this veryspot, along Cleveland Avenue. And the other continued east on Thirty-first, reconnoitering for the accident.
"Beat it, for God's sake, all of youse," whispered Hegglund, excitedly. "Scatter62!" And forthwith, seizing MaidaAxelrod by the hand, he started to run east along Thirty-fifth Street, in which the car then lay--along the outlyingeastern suburbs. But after a moment, deciding that that would not do either, that it would be too easy to pursuehim along a street, he cut northeast, directly across the open fields and away from the city.
And now, Clyde, as suddenly sensing what capture would mean--how all his fine thoughts of pleasure wouldmost certainly end in disgrace and probably prison, began running also. Only in his case, instead of followingHegglund or any of the others, he turned south along Cleveland Avenue toward the southern limits of the city.
But like Hegglund, realizing that that meant an easy avenue of pursuit for any one who chose to follow, he tootook to the open fields. Only instead of running away from the city as before, he now turned southwest and rantoward those streets which lay to the south of Fortieth. Only much open space being before him before he shouldreach them, and a clump63 of bushes showing in the near distance, and the light of the motorcycle alreadysweeping the road behind him, he ran to that and for the moment dropped behind it.
Only Sparser and Laura Sipe were left within the car, she at that moment beginning to recover consciousness.
And the visiting stranger, much astounded64, was left standing outside.
"Why, the very idea!" he suddenly said to himself. "They must have stolen that car. It couldn't have belonged tothem at all."And just then the first motorcycle reaching the scene, Clyde from his not too distant hiding place was able tooverhear. "Well, you didn't get away with it after all, did you? You thought you were pretty slick, but you didn'tmake it. You're the one we want, and what's become of the rest of the gang, eh? Where are they, eh?"And hearing the suburbanite declare quite definitely that he had nothing to do with it, that the real occupants ofthe car had but then run away and might yet be caught if the police wished, Clyde, who was still within earshotof what was being said, began crawling upon his hands and knees at first in the snow south, south and west,always toward some of those distant streets which, lamplit and faintly glowing, he saw to the southwest of him,and among which presently, if he were not captured, he hoped to hide--to lose himself and so escape--if the fateswere only kind--the misery and the punishment and the unending dissatisfaction and disappointment which now,most definitely, it all represented to him.
返回堪萨斯城的路上，开头一直安然无事，并没有破坏克莱德依然陶醉其中的美梦。他坐在霍丹斯身旁，霍丹斯头靠在他肩上。虽然斯帕塞在开车前等候大家入座时拧了一下她的胳臂，而她却报之以脉脉含情的巧目一盼。可是这一切，克莱德并没有看到。
时间已经很晚了，赫格伦。拉特勒和希格比催促斯帕塞开快车，何况斯帕塞刚才有幸得到了霍丹斯的秋波，心里那种乐陶陶的快活劲儿也不用提了，所以没有多久，近郊灯光便开始在前方闪现了。汽车正以令人头昏目眩的高速在公路上疾驰而去。但是突然停车了，这里是东行的铁路主干线通往市内的必经之地，有两列货车正在这里交叉通过，出乎他们意料之外，因此心烦意乱地等了老长时间。再过去，到北堪萨斯城时，开始下雪了，一大片。一大片柔软的。
容易融化的雪片，如同鹅毛一般飘下来，给路面铺上了一层滑溜的泥浆，因此开车就得比刚才谨慎小心一些。这时已是五点半了。通常只要开快一些，八分钟就可以开到离酒店只有一两个街区的地方。不过，这会儿在汉尼拔桥附近火车交叉通过，耽搁了一阵子，因此驶过大桥，开到威恩多特街已是五点四十分了。这四个年轻小伙子仿佛对这次郊游早已失去兴趣，就是对他们身旁那些姑娘也不再觉得乐趣无穷了。此刻他们最担心的是:
能不能及时赶到大酒店。服饰整洁而又纪律严明的斯夸尔斯先生的身影，已在他们面前隐约可见。
"喂，要是再不开快一些，"拉特勒对正在忐忑不安地摸弄手表的希格比说，"恐怕我们就不能及时赶到了。我们连换衣服都来不及了。"克莱德听到他的话，就大声嚷嚷说:
"嘿，那可要不得!
我真巴不得车子开得更快。唉，要是今天我们不出来多好。要是我们不能准时赶到，那事情就坏了。
"霍丹斯发现他突如其来紧张不安的神色，就找补着说:
"你说赶不到吗?
""照这样车速是赶不到的，"他说。赫格伦一直在欣赏车窗外的雪景……一个仿佛飞絮弥漫的大千世界……这会儿大声嚷道:
"喂，亲爱的威拉德，我们当然还得开快些才行。要是我们不能准时赶到，那就要我们的命了。"希格比素有赌徒本色，平时不动声色，这会儿也着急了，找补着说:
"我们要是编不出一点理由来，也许就通通给炒鱿鱼了。谁有什么高招吗?
"克莱德只是焦急不安地在长叹短吁。
随后，仿佛故意一回又一回地折磨他们似的，几乎每到一个交岔路口，想不到都是挤满了车子。这一窘况使斯帕塞很恼火，而在第九街和威恩多特街的交岔路口，交通警把手一举，向他示意禁止通行，这下子使他心中更加着急了。
"交通警又在举手啦，"他大声嚷道。"这叫我怎么办!
我可以拐入华盛顿街，不过，能不能省点时间，我可说不上来。"过了整整一分钟，他才得到信号，车子可以往前开去。他马上向右一拐，飞也似的驶去，过了三个街区，才进入华盛顿街。
不过，这里情况也不见得好多少。挤得密密麻麻的车子，象两股洪流一般按着各自相反方向奔驰不息。每个交岔路口都得花去一些宝贵的时间，等候横越而去的车子开走。随后，他们的车子飞快地开到另一个交岔路口，从别的车辆中间穿过，并且还得尽快超过它们。
在第十五街和华盛顿街的交岔路口，克莱德对拉特勒大声嚷道:
"我们在第十七街下车一块走回去，怎么样?
""我要是能开到那里，你们走也省不了多少时间，"斯帕塞大声喊道。"反正车子快得多，我包管比你们先到。"他让车子挤进车流中间，几乎连一英寸空隙也都不剩。在第十六街与华盛顿街交岔路口，他看见左面一条街好象空一点，就拐了进去，沿着这条大街径直往前驰去，这样又开到了威恩多特街。正当他快要开到交岔路口，打算加速拐弯，逼近路边石的时候，有一个约莫九岁光景的小女孩朝十字路口跑过来，正好冲到了汽车跟前。因为他已经没有机会拐弯躲闪，这个小女孩就被撞倒了，而且被拖了好几英尺远车子才煞住。这时候，至少有五六个女人尖声叫了起来，还有许多目击这次车祸的男人也在大声喊叫。
他们一下子都向那个被汽车撞倒又被车轮碾过的小女孩奔去。斯帕塞往车窗外一望，只见人们围在一具动弹不得的躯体四周，心里顿时充满了说不出的惶恐，由此马上联想到警察。监狱。他父亲。车主，以及各式各样的严厉惩罚。
车里所有的人都站了起来，一迭连声惊呼:
"啊，我的上帝呀!
他撞倒了一个小女孩!
""唉，他把一个小女孩给压死了!
""啊，多吓人哪!
""啊，我的主呀!
""啊，老天哪，现在叫我们怎么办呀?
"斯帕塞把车子一拐弯，大声嚷道:
"老天哪，警察!
我非得开车逃跑不可。"没有征得其他几个人(他们还弯着腰站在那里，吓得几乎说不出话来)的同意，斯帕塞便把汽车排挡杆扳到头一档。第二档，一直扳到第三档，同时又给发动机加足汽油，飞也似的开往下一个路口。
不过，那里正象附近其它路口一样，也有一个警察在站岗。他看见西面路口乱糟糟的，就离岗去了解情况。这时，他只听到"拦住那辆汽车"……"拦住那辆汽车"的喊叫声。还有一个人，从车祸现场一直跟在这辆汽车后面追奔，一面指着那辆车，大声叫喊:
"拦住那辆汽车，拦住那辆汽车。他们撞死了一个小孩。
"这时，警察才算闹明白，转过身来，向那辆汽车奔了过去，一面吹起了警笛。斯帕塞一听见喊叫声，又看见警察离了岗奔来，便飞快地从警察身边一擦而过，拐入第十七街，几乎以每小时四十英里的车速疾驰而去，一会儿擦过一辆卡车的轮毂，一会儿碰上另一辆汽车的挡泥板，在仅有几英寸乃至于四分之一英寸空隙中与车辆和行人交臂而过;而坐在他后面的那些人，多半身子直挺着，心里紧张极了，眼睛睁得老大的，两手紧攥着，脸孔和嘴唇也都绷紧着……就拿霍丹斯。露西尔。尼古拉斯和蒂娜。科格尔来说，她们一迭连声地喊叫:
"啊，老天哪!
""啊，这下子怎么得了?
"不过，警察和跟踪追奔的那些人，毕竟不是一下子就能甩掉的。那个警察因为看不清汽车牌照号码，又见这辆汽车司机压根儿不想停车的样子，就吹起了警笛，那尖啸声经久不息。前面十字路口的警察，看见这辆汽车飞奔而去，知道这是怎么回事，也吹起警笛来，随后拦住和跳上一辆过路的旅游车，下令司机向前追赶。至此，还有三辆车子，一看出了岔子，在冒险精神的驱使下，也奋起直追，一路上使劲儿揿喇叭。
可是帕卡德牌汽车车速毕竟比后面追赶的汽车要快得多，在头几个街区还听得见"拦住那辆汽车!
""拦住那辆汽车!
"的呼喊声，到后来，由于帕卡德开得太快了，呼喊声很快就听不见了，只有从远处传来了又长又尖。仿佛在绝望地号叫的汽车喇叭声。
这时，斯帕塞抢先开了好长一段路，他知道一直开下去，最容易被人赶上，就马上拐入麦吉街。这是一条比较冷清的大街，他就径直往前冲过了一两个街区，并开到了路面宽阔。迂回曲折向南而去的吉勒姆公园路。不过，他以吓人的速度开了短短一段路以后，在第三十一街又决定拐一个弯……远处的房子弄得他方向不明，而北面一带的郊区看来可以使他最容易躲过后面的追捕者。因此，他就让车子往左一拐，开进这条大街，心里暗想:
到了这些比较冷僻的街道，他可以弯来弯去，甩掉追捕者……至少有足够时间，让车上的人在方便地点下车，随即把车子开回车库。
斯帕塞本来可以做到这一点，但由于这一带房屋稀少。看不见行人，一开到近郊的一条街以后，他就决定关掉车灯，让人们更不容易发现汽车的行踪。
随后，他飞快地朝东。朝北，接着又朝东。朝南转弯，最后冲进一条街，不料一两百英尺以外，铺设的路面突然到了顶头。多亏在大约一百英尺开外，望得见另一条交叉的马路，所以，他心里想只要一拐进去，也许又能找到一条路面平整的大道。于是，他就加速向前驰去，接着猛地往左急转弯，不料车子却狠狠地朝一堆铺路石子冲了过去(这一堆石子，原是铺路承包商存放在这里的)，由于熄了前灯，事前他没有看清楚。在这堆石子斜对过，未来的人行道上还堆置了盖房木料。
他的车子开足了马力，先是撞上了铺路石子堆，一下子又被撞了回来，差点儿翻了个儿，稍后径直冲进了对面的木料堆。只不过车子不是从正面，而是从边上冲了进去，木料一下子给崩塌了，已是东坍西倒，正好使后面的车轮高高地翘起，把汽车完全抛向左面，陷入道旁杂草丛生的雪地里。在车上玻璃震碎和人体相撞的一片嘈杂声中，车里的人都给抛向前面和左面，乱七八糟叠成了一堆。
以后发生的情况，多少是一个谜，不仅对克莱德，而且对所有的人，也都是模糊不清的。因为，斯帕塞和劳拉。赛普坐在头上，同挡风玻璃窗和车顶相撞，一下子昏厥了过去。斯帕塞的肩膀。臀部。左膝，由于伤势严重，不得不躺在车里，等救护车开来。如今汽车倾覆，车门朝天，也就没法从车门里把他们拖出来。克莱德坐在第二排座位上，离左边的车门最近，紧挨着他的是霍丹斯。露西尔。尼古拉斯和拉特勒。克莱德被挤压在他们下面，这几个人合在一起的体重，总算还没有把他压碎。因为，霍丹斯摔倒时，不知怎的越过了克莱德，侧面半个身子完全给甩到车顶上，而现在车顶好象已成为左壁了。在她身旁的露西尔。尼古拉斯撞倒时，不知怎的只是压在克莱德的肩膀上。四个人里头躺在最上面的，却是拉特勒。他摔倒时，不知怎的给抛到了前面的一排座位上。不过，他一下子抓住了他前头的方向盘，也就是斯帕塞在车子猛撞时不得不放手扔下的方向盘。拉特勒由于紧紧抓住了方向盘，多少摔得比较轻些。不过纵然这样，他的脸和两手也都受了伤，流血了，他的肩膀。胳臂。臀部受了一点轻伤，还不妨碍他搭救别人。拉特勒马上想到别人和他自己身陷困境，又听见他们的尖厉喊叫声，他就马上竭尽全力，从现在他头顶上的车门里爬了出来;他是好不容易从别人身上一直爬到车门口，最后终于把车门打开的。
他一爬出来，就爬到那辆倾覆的车子底盘横梁上，把手向下伸去，抓住了正在呻吟。挣扎的露西尔。露西尔同别人一样，正一个劲儿往上爬，可就是枉然徒劳。拉特勒使出了浑身力气，大声嚷道:
"现在保持镇静，亲爱的，我会抓住你的。得了，我会把你拖出来的。"他终于把她拖了出来，让她坐在车门边，过了一会儿，要她坐到雪地上。她坐在那里抽抽噎噎地哭了，一面抚摸自己的胳臂和脑袋。露西尔获救后，拉特勒又帮着去拉霍丹斯;她的左颊。前额和两只手伤得够呛，不断在淌血，不过算不上特别严重，虽然那时候她自己还一点儿都不知道。她正在唏嘘啜泣，浑身颤栗，瑟瑟发抖……她先是被撞得昏了过去，几乎失去了知觉，接下来心里感到一阵寒栗。
这时，克莱德早已晕头转向，从车门里探出头来，他的左颊。肩膀和胳臂淌着鲜血，不过别处没有受伤，他心里想自个儿也非得赶紧爬出去不可。轧死了一个孩子;一辆偷来的车子给撞毁了;他在大酒店里的差使，当然也给丢了。警察正在追捕中，也许随时都会上这儿找到他们的。在车里，被挤压在他底下的是斯帕塞，趴在他摔倒的地方，不过，拉特勒已经在照料他了。在他身旁是劳拉。赛普，也已昏迷了过去。他觉得自己应该出一点力……去助拉特勒一臂之力。拉特勒正俯着身子，竭尽全力，想在不让她受到伤害的情况下把劳拉。赛普抓住。不过，克莱德脑子里早已乱成一团，要不是拉特勒气呼呼地喊道:
"克莱德，帮帮忙好吗?
看咱们能不能把她拉出来。她已昏过去了。"他很可能会伫立在那里纹丝不动，谁也不去搭救哩。这时，克莱德一转过身来，不是先很费劲地爬出来，而是想方设法从里头把她托举起来。他站在车子一侧已被震碎的玻璃窗上，想把她的身子从斯帕塞的身子底下拖出来，然后再托举上去，可是怎么也不成。她身子太软……可又太沉重。他只能把她往后拖……先把她从斯帕塞身边拖开……然后让她留在车上第一。第二两排座位中间。
在汽车后面的赫格伦，离顶部最近，只是稍微昏晕过一阵，这时好歹爬到了离他最近的车门，把车门打开了。他由于爱好体育运动，身强力壮，一点儿也不费劲地站了起来，爬了出去，还大声嚷道:
"啊，耶稣呀，我们就这样都来啦!
啊，基督呀，真受不了!
啊，基督呀，趁警察还没有赶到之前，最好还是溜之大吉吧!
"不过，他看见在他底下的那几个人，又听见他们的呼喊声，自己也就不想临阵脱逃了。相反，他一出来，就转过身去，看见了下面的梅达，大声嚷道:
"来吧，看在基督面上，快把你的手伸给我。我说一。二。三，要快点爬出来。"他终于把梅达拉了出来，这时梅达还在抚摸自己受了伤的隐隐作痛的脑袋。赫格伦转过身来，又爬上车子底盘桁梁，俯下身子，抓住了蒂娜。科格尔。原来她只是昏迷了过去，沉甸甸地压在希格比身上，这时好不容易想坐起来。希格比呢，众人的重量从他身上一去掉，便跪在那里，两手摸着自己脑勺和脸儿。
"把你的手给我，戴夫，(戴夫系戴维斯。希格比的昵称。)"赫格伦大声喊道。
"快一点!
看在基督面上，别耽误时间呀。你受伤了吗?
我说，我们可得滑脚溜了。
我看见有一个家伙，正向这儿走过来，我可不知道他是不是警察。"他抓住了希格比的左手，不料，希格比却把他推开了。
"住手，"他大声喊道。"不要拉我。我没事儿。我自个儿会爬出来的。快去帮帮别人吧。"他站了起来，他的脑袋已从车门里探了出来，他两眼往车子里扫视一遍，给自己找一个落脚地方。后面的座垫已给甩到前面去了，他就脚踩那个座垫，让自己身子探出车外，坐在车门上，然后再把他的脚弄出来。接着，他举目四顾，只见赫格伦正在帮拉特勒和克莱德的忙，想要把斯帕塞拖出来，于是就走过去，助他们一臂之力。
这时，车外已发生了一些乱糟糟的怪事。因为，比克莱德先出来的霍丹斯，突然摸了一下自己面孔，发现左颊和前额不但给扎破了，而且还不断在淌血。
她一想到她的美貌很可能被这一意外事故永远给毁了，马上感到一种纯属只顾自己的惶恐，以致所有一切她都忘得一干二净……不论是别人的不幸受伤也好，还是有被警察发现的危险也好，还是那个小孩的惨死，以至这辆豪华汽车被撞毁也好……事实上，除了她自己和她的美貌有可能毁掉以外，她通通都给忘了。
她马上抽抽噎噎地哭了起来，两手还上下挥舞着。"啊，老天哪，老天呀，我的老天呀!
"她绝望地呼叫着。"啊，多可怕!
啊!
多吓人!
啊，我的脸被扎破了。"随后，她觉得现在要赶快想办法才行，于是，她就突然不告而别，溜了。此时，克莱德还在车里帮着拉特勒呢。霍丹斯沿着第三十五街往南，径直向灯光通明。行人如织的市中心区走去。她心中只有一个念头，就是赶快回家转，先要好好照顾自己呗。
至于克莱德。斯帕塞。拉特勒，以及其他女友……说实话，她早都忘得一干二净了。现在，他们算得了什么呢?
她只是在想到自己被毁了的美貌时，偶尔才想到那个被车压死的小女孩……至于这一事故多么令人害怕，警察的追捕，被撞毁了的汽车并不属于斯帕塞，因此现在他们很可能全部被捕，等等，她简直很少经心在意。她对克莱德只是这样想的:
正是他邀她参加这次倒霉的郊游，所以，说真的，一切都得怪他。这些笨头笨脑的小伙子……唉，他们居然会把她也给拉扯进去，瞧他们笨头笨脑那副德行，能把事情办好吗。
别的几位姑娘，除了劳拉。赛普以外，哪一位伤势都不算严重。一开头她们只是一个劲儿叫吓坏罢了。可现在她们却真的感到惊恐，生怕警察赶来把她们抓走，揭发出去，受到惩罚。因此，她们就站在汽车附近，大声喊道:
"喂，你们快一点，好吗?
唉，老天哪，我们得一起滑脚溜呀。啊，这事太可怕了。"后来，赫格伦喊道:
"看在基督面上，别吭声，好吗?
我们使的劲儿可都到了顶，你们看见了没有?
你们这样乱嚷嚷，警察一下子就赶来抓我们啦。"这才把她们给制住了。
一个孤独的郊区居民，住在离出事地点有四排房子的田野对面，这时，他仿佛是应声而至了。因为晚上他一听到撞击声和呼喊声，就款步踱过来，看看究竟出了什么事。此刻，他走到近处，站在一边，好奇地直瞅着这一伙遇难者和那辆汽车。
"出事了，嗯?
"他态度相当温和，大声说道。"谁是重伤呀?
嘿，多倒霉!
还是一辆多漂亮的车子啊。要不要我帮忙?
"克莱德一听见这个人的话音，举目四望，哪儿都见不到霍丹斯。他只好把斯帕塞平放在车底上，此外再也帮不上他的忙了。他闷闷不乐地朝四下里张望着。因为他一想到警察，一想到警察一定会来追捕他们，心里就难受极了。他非得脱身不可。不能在这里被抓走。只要想一想，他要是被抓走了，那会怎么样，多丢脸，也许还会受到惩罚……说真的，他连一句话还来不及说，他那憧憬着的美好世界全给夺走了。他母亲也会知道……还有斯夸尔斯先生，一句话，所有的人都会知道。他一定会进监狱。啊，一想到这里，该有多可怕……真的，好象一个折磨人的旋轮在他肌体上碾磨似的。现在他们对斯帕塞已是无能为力了，在这里逗留过久，就有被抓走的危险。因此，他一面问:
"布里格斯小姐上哪儿去了?
"一面开始往外爬，不一会儿，就在黑黝黝。残雪点点的田野里寻找她。
他心中暗自思忖:
首先要帮助她，她想上哪儿，就把她送到那儿。
就在这时，他听见远处传来的警笛声和嘎嘎声，至少有两辆摩托车正飞快地向出事地点的方向开过来。原来那个郊区居民的妻子，听到远处撞击声和呼喊声，就给警署打电话，说这里出事了。这时，那个郊区居民还在解释说:
"是他们来了。刚才我要妻子打电话去叫急救车的。"一听这话，他们都明白这是怎么回事，所以，大家就一下子都跑了。再说，他们抬头一望，田野那一头，只见车灯正在渐渐逼近。本来这两辆车一块开到第三十一街与克里夫兰街的拐角处。
然后，有一辆车掉过头来，往南沿着克里夫兰街直奔出事地点。还有一辆则在第三十一街往东驶去，为了这次事故担任巡逻。
"看在上帝面上，大伙儿快跑呀，"赫格伦心情激奋地低声说。"散开!
"他马上抓住梅达。埃克塞尔罗德的手，沿着汽车倾覆的第三十五街往东一个劲儿直奔东郊。可是，不一会儿，他心里想这样也不行，因为沿着大街追捕他，这太容易了。于是，他转向东北，径直穿过旷野，从市区逃走了。
这时，克莱德突然意识到，一旦被抓住，就会导致怎么样的后果……他那醉心欢乐的美好的梦想，到头来必然落得个可耻下场，说不定甚至锒铛入狱，这时，他也开始逃跑了。只是他没有跟着赫格伦等人奔跑，相反，他往南拐入克里夫兰大街直奔南郊而去。不过，如同赫格伦一样，他也意识到，象这样走在大街上，不拘是谁要追上他，委实太容易了，所以，他就往旷野里飞奔而去。
不过，他不象刚才那样往郊外跑，而是转向西南，直奔第四十街以南那些街道。
只不过他先要走过一大片开旷的空地和附近一片矮树丛。摩托车的灯光已照到他背后的路面上了，他就马上奔进矮树丛，暂时躲藏起来。
只有斯帕塞和劳拉。赛普还留在车子里，她的神志渐渐清醒过来。那个陌生人一看到他们，简直惊骇万状，只好在车外站着。
"嘿，真有意思啊!
"他突然自言自语地说。"这辆车子他们一定是偷来的。压根儿不象是他们自己的。"就在这时，第一辆摩托车赶到了出事地点。从离他不远的藏身处，克莱德听到一个声音说:
"嗨，你们到底还是逃不了，是吧?
尽管你们自以为巧妙得很，可你们并没有成功。我们正要找你们，你们那帮人上哪儿去了，嗯?
他们究竟上哪儿去了，嗯?
"克莱德又听见那个郊区居民十分明确声称本人同这次事故毫无关系。他说:
车子里那些人刚刚跑掉，要是警察想追捕的话，也许还来得及。虽然克莱德还能听见他们的说话声，但他马上开始在雪地里爬行，先是朝南，继而朝南偏西，始终朝着远处一些街道爬行。他往西南方向望去，有一片昏暗的灯光。这时，他心里在想，既然刚才没有抓住他，他不妨就在那里躲一躲……暂时销声匿迹……以后，只要时来运转……躲掉这一灾难和惩罚，躲掉这没完没了的颓丧和不满……而所有这一切，如今他都得忍受。
收听单词发音 |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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sparser
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| adj.稀疏的，稀少的( sparse的比较级 ) | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hip
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| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
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squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) | |
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loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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gee
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| n.马；int.向右！前进！，惊讶时所发声音；v.向右转 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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fumbling
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| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
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flaked
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| 精疲力竭的，失去知觉的，睡去的 | |
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effrontery
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| n.厚颜无耻 | |
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plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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yarn
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| n.纱，纱线，纺线；奇闻漫谈，旅行轶事 | |
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intersection
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| n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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exclamations
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| n.呼喊( exclamation的名词复数 )；感叹；感叹语；感叹词 | |
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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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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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honking
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| v.（使）发出雁叫似的声音，鸣（喇叭），按（喇叭）( honk的现在分词 ) | |
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shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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evading
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| 逃避( evade的现在分词 )； 避开； 回避； 想不出 | |
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conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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contractor
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| n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌 | |
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prospective
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| adj.预期的，未来的，前瞻性的 | |
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lumber
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| n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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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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pinioned
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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42
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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chassis
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| n.汽车等之底盘；（飞机的）起落架；炮底架 | |
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44
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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prone
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| adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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irritably
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| ad.易生气地 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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51
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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52
marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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oblivious
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| adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的 | |
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54
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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intermittently
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| adv.间歇地；断断续续 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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suburbanite
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| n. 郊区居民 | |
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ambled
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| v.（马）缓行( amble的过去式和过去分词 )；从容地走，漫步 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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genially
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| adv.亲切地，和蔼地；快活地 | |
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62
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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63
clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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