It was a thick night, with showers of rain at intervals5, but upon the first intimation of the change old Molly Muldoon had travelled faithfully across the rocks from Ballinlisheen, according to her promise, and after the other women had gone she remained to share in the task of nursing, and to aid Grania in what both believed to be the last night of Honor’s life. Towards three o’clock, every moment, it was thought, must see the end, but the chilly6, fatal hours passed by, and Honor still lived. About five o’clock Molly had to go to see after her chickens, which ‘would be mad,’ she explained, ‘the creatures, with hunger,’ but promised shortly to return. Grania merely nodded. She was sitting, as she had{212} sat all night, close beside the bed, gazing upon her sister with eyes from which even the desire for sleep seemed to be permanently7 banished8.
About seven o’clock Honor herself sank into a doze9 of exhaustion10, and Grania thereupon stole out of the cabin to go and look for little Phelim Daly, and send him for Murdough Blake, or in default of Murdough, for Teige O’Shaughnessy, so as to get one or other of them to go at once to Aranmore, and implore11 Father Tom for the love of Heaven to come to Inishmaan without delay.
She had hitherto been too absorbed to notice or think about the weather, but now, as she stepped outside the cabin and down the gully, she found that a sudden fog had come on, a dense12 waving curtain of mist, under which everything in front of her was already submerged. It was a fog that seemed to be coming to them from the Connemara side of{213} the bay, and had evidently only recently reached the island, for the sea to the south of it was quite clear. In the direction in which she was going vast cloud armies, still more or less detached one from another, were marching steadily13 onward14 to the assault. Height over height, fold upon fold, on they came; clinging to the rocks, following the little indentations of the shore, smothering15 every object the instant they touched it in a thick, cloying16, inextricable embrace. It was curious to see how partial was still this invasion. Here, to the left, the sea was clear, the pale rays of sun lighting17 up the wash of the waves as they broke over the outlying rocks and skerries; there, to the right, the bays and cooses were already choked to the very brim. Overhead at one moment she could see a sky, clear, seemingly, to the zenith; another minute and the thick woolly masses had swept over her, lower and lower still, pouring on and{214} on from their inexhaustible fog cauldrons away to the north and the north-west.
She hastened down the track, and along the lower ridge18 to the Dalys’ cabin; found the boy and despatched him on his errand, with strict orders not to rest or come back until he had found either Murdough or Teige O’Shaughnessy. Then she returned, to take up her place again beside Honor’s bed.
So the day wore on. Molly Muldoon did not return for a long, long time, and she remained therefore quite alone in the cabin. There was hardly any change. Honor continued to doze, and Grania, absorbed in watching her, had almost ceased to notice the passage of time. Suddenly, about three in the afternoon, she was startled by an extraordinarily19 rapid accession of darkness, almost like the coming on of night, a darkness so great as to make it all but impossible to see across the cabin.{215}
Going to the door and opening it, she found herself facing a solid-looking wall of vapour in which every detail of landscape seemed to be lost. To the south indeed the sea was still visible, but even here the whole surface was covered with a shroud20 of mist, dense in some places as wool, and curdling21 momentarily thicker and thicker, as battalion22 joined battalion, the more scattered23 ones stretching fleecy arms to one another across the still visible spaces of water. Evidently this was no morning mist, likely to disperse24, but a dense sea fog such as now and then in autumn and early spring, rarely at this season, enclosed the islands in its folds, rendering25 all communication from one to the other well-nigh impossible for days at a time.
Startled, she turned to look towards the larger island, by this time utterly26 lost to sight. What was to be done? she thought anxiously. How was Father Tom to be brought, and{216} would he ever be persuaded to venture across the sound in such a fog? What too could have delayed Murdough or Teige? Had Phelim failed to find either of them? Surely, if one happened to be away the other would have been at home? Here was another day passing, and that Honor could survive this night also was hardly to be expected.
That the nearness of the end was troubling the sick woman herself was clear, for when Grania got back to the bed Honor’s eyes were open and fixed27 themselves instantly upon her with a longing28 expression. Seeing that she wished to speak, Grania stooped and leaned over her. Honor’s white lips parted with a great effort.
‘Is he coming? allanah?’ she muttered breathlessly. ‘Auch, Grania dear, don’t be delaying! ’Tisn’t long I’ll be in it now, and you wouldn’t let me go without the good words at the last?{217}’
‘No, no, Honor; don’t think of it. Don’t be afraid. He’ll come, sure enough. Be easy, dear; he’ll come.’
Honor’s eyes closed again patiently with a satisfied expression, but Grania’s mind was a prey29 to desperate anxiety. What was to be done? Where could Phelim be? Was no one coming to them? She hurried back to the entrance and stood there, straining her eyes into the fog, her heart wrung30 with passionate31 anxiety.
Presently a movement made itself seen in it, and a figure was visible dimly struggling up the track towards her. Her whole soul went out in a prayer that it might be Murdough; surely it must be Murdough? But no, another moment showed that it was not a coat but a petticoat that was moving through the fog. It was only, in fact, the faithful Molly Muldoon come back to take her turn at the nursing. Grania beckoned32 to{218} her eagerly, and, having explained the situation in a few words, picked up her own petticoat and ran off through the fog in the direction of the old villa33. If Murdough Blake was to be found anywhere, it would be there, she knew.
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1
amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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2
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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3
perennial
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| adj.终年的；长久的 | |
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4
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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5
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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6
chilly
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| adj.凉快的，寒冷的 | |
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7
permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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8
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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doze
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| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
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10
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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11
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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12
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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13
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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14
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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15
smothering
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| （使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的现在分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制 | |
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16
cloying
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| adj.甜得发腻的 | |
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17
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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18
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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19
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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21
curdling
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| n.凝化v.（使）凝结( curdle的现在分词 ) | |
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battalion
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| n.营；部队；大队(的人) | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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24
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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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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28
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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29
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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30
wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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31
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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32
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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33
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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