That night when the flood waters rose to a head was a terrible one for Winton—one ghastly in the extreme for all lost souls whose black destinies guided their footsteps to the mill.
Perhaps a terror of being trapped—to what hideous1 fate, who knows?—somewhere in the tortuous2 darkness of the building, sent my brother leaping by a mad impulse into the waste uproar3 of the night. Anyhow, before my confused senses could fully4 grasp the dread5 nature of the situation, he had rushed past me, plunged7 into and up the yard, and was racing8 for his life.
As he sprang by, the cripple made a frantic9 clutch at him, nipped the flying skirt of his coat, staggered and rolled over, actually with a fragment of torn cloth in his hand. He was up on his feet directly, however, and off in pursuit, though I in my turn vainly grasped at him as he fled by.
Then reason returned to me and I followed.
It all happened in a moment, and there were we three hotly engaged in such a tragic10 game of follow-my-leader as surely had never before been played in the old city. And there was no fear of comment or interference. We had the streets, the wind and rain, the night to ourselves, and, before our eyes, if these failed us, the wastes of eternity11.
Racing in the tracks of the cripple, as he followed in Jason’s, I managed to keep measured pace with him, and that was all. How he made such time over the ground with his crooked12 limbs was matter for marvel13, yet, I think, in that mad brief burst I never lessened14 the distance between us by a yard. It was a comparative test of the fearful, the revengeful and the apprehensive15 impulses, and sorely I dreaded16 in the whirling scurry17 of the chase that the second would win.
Across the yard—to the left over the short stone bridge, under whose arch the choked mill-tail tumbled and snarled18—a little further and up Chis’ll street, with a sharp swerve19 to the right, the hunted man rushed with Duke at his heels. Then a hundred yards on, in one lightning-like moment, Jason, giving out in a breathless impulse of despair, as it seemed, threw himself against the shadowy buttress20 of a wall, crouching21 with his back to the angle of it; Duke, checking his flying footsteps some paces short of his victim, came to a sudden stop; and I, carried forward by my own impetus22, almost fell against the cripple, and, staggering, seized him by the arms from behind, and so held him fiercely, my lungs pumping like piston23 rods. Suddenly I marveled to find my captive offering no resistance.
Seeking for the reason of this collapse24, I raised my eyes and wondered: “Can this account for it?”
We stood outside Dr. Crackenthorpe’s house. Light came through a lower window, immediately opposite us, and set in the luminous26 square, like an ugly shadow on a wall, was the profile and upper half of the body of the doctor himself. He seemed to be bending over some task and the outline of his face was clearly defined.
Suddenly the clothed flesh of the arms I grasped seemed to flicker27, as it were, with shuddering28 convulsion, and from the lips of the man held against me the breath came sibilant like the breath of one caught in a horror of nightmare.
Before I could think how to act the figure of the doctor rose erect29, and I saw him fix his hat on his head. Evidently he was preparing to leave the house.
I felt myself drawn30 irresistibly31 to one side. Helpless as a child, I stumbled in the wake of the cripple, tripping over his heels at every step. He hardly seemed to notice the drag set upon him, but stole into a patch of deep shadow, without the dim wedge of light cast through the window, and I had to go, too, if I would keep my hold on him.
Crouching there, with what secret terror on one side and marvel on the other it is impossible to describe, we saw the dark street and the driving rain traversed by a shaft32 of light as the hall door was pulled open, and become blackness again with its closing. Then, descending33 the shallow flight of steps, his head bent34 to the storm, and one hand raised to his hat, the doctor came into view and the whole body of the cripple seemed to shoot rigid35 with sudden tension.
This fourth actor on the scene, turning away from us, walked, unconscious of Jason hidden in the shadow as he passed him, up the street, his hand still to his head, his long skirts driven in front of him by the wind, so that he looked as if his destiny were pulling him reluctant forward by all-embracing leading strings36.
As he went up the slope and vanished in the darkness, a groan37 as if of pent-up agony issued from Duke, and immediately he drew me from the shadow and round to the foot of the steps.
A chink of light that divided the blackness above us, showed that the door had not been closed to. Probably the doctor had gone forth38 on some brief errand only, and would return in a moment.
Suddenly I became conscious that Duke was mounting the steps—that some strange spirit, in which his first mission of hate was absorbed, was moving him to enter the house.
“Where are you going?” I cried, struggling with him. He gave no answer; took not the least notice of me. What response could I expect from a madman like this? Staring before him—panting like one at the end of a race—he slowly ascended39, dragging me with him. Then on the turn of a thought, I quitted my hold of him and he staggered forward. The next instant he had recovered himself, had pushed open the door and was in the hall.
I hurried to where Jason yet stood motionless, his face white as a patch of plaster set against the darkness of the wall.
“Keep off!” he cried, in a wavering voice.
“You fool! It’s I! Didn’t you see him go into that house? Some insane fancy had drawn him off the scent40. Run back to the mill—do you hear? I won’t leave him—he shan’t follow.”
He came from his corner and clutched me with shaking hands.
“Where’s there money? It’s all useless without that, I tell you. Give it to me or I’ll kill you. I’ve as much right to it as you. My God! Why didn’t you tell me the old man was dead? It was devilish to let me go in on him like that. Tell me where to find money and I’ll take it and be off!”
“Listen to me. If he comes out again while you talk I won’t answer for the result. We’ll discuss money matters by and by. Go now—back to the mill, do you understand? And wait till I come!”
He was about to retort, but some sound, real or fancied, strangled the words in his throat. He leaped from me—glanced fearfully at the light streaming from the open door—crossed the street, his body bent double, and, keeping this posture41, hurried with a rapid shuffling42 motion back in the direction of the mill.
Standing43 with one foot on the lowest step leading up to the house, I watched till he was out of sight, then turned and looked into the dimly lighted hall. What should I do? How act with the surest safety and promptitude in so immediate25 a crisis? I could not guess what unspeakable attraction had so strangely drawn the hunter from his trembling quarry44 at the supreme45 moment; only I saw that he had vanished and that the hall was empty of him.
A quick, odd sound coming from the interior of the house decided46 me. I sprung up the steps and softly entered the hall. The door leading to the doctor’s private room, where the murderous busts47 grinned down, stood open; and from here issued the noise, that was like the bestial48 sputtering49 growl50 of some tigerish thing mouthing and mangling51 its prey52.
I stepped hastily over the threshold and stopped with a jerk of terror.
Something was there, in the dully lighted room—down on the rug before the fire. Something had rolled and raved53 and tore at the material beneath it—an animal’s skin, judged by the whisps of ragged54 hair that stuck in the creature’s claws and between his teeth that had rent them out—something—Duke, who foamed55 and raged as he lay sprawled56 on his hands and knees and snarled like a wild beast in his frenzy57 of insanity58.
“He’s mad—mad!” I whispered to myself in an awful voice; and yet he heard me and paused in the height of his fury, and looked round and up at me standing white-lipped by the door.
Then suddenly, while I was striving, amid the wild heat of my brain, to identify some hooded59 memory that raised its head in darkness, the maniac60 sprung to his feet, gripped me by the wrist and pointed61 down at the huddled62 heap beneath him.
“Look!” he shrieked64, the firelight dancing in his glittering eyes. “Look! we’ve met at last! The dog that scared and tortured the wretched sick boy—the dog, the devil! Into the fire with him to blaze and writhe65 and scream as a devil should!”
He plunged again, snarling66; and, before I could gather sense to stop him, had seized and flung the whole mass upon the burning coals. Flames shot out and around, and the room in a moment was sick with the stench of flaring67 pelt68. I rushed to tear the heap away; but he met and struggled with me like a fiend inspired, and helpless I saw the flames lick higher.
Straining against me, he laughed and yelled: “He wants water! He shrieks69 to Abraham—but not a drop—not one! Look at his red tongue, shooting out in agony! They fall before me—at last, at last! My time has come!”
His voice rose to a scream—there was a responsive shout from the door. I slewed70 my head round and saw the white face of the servant girl peering through the opening behind the figure of Dr. Crackenthorpe standing there in black, blank amazement71.
“Help!” I cried; “he’s mad!”
With a deep oath the doctor strode forward, and Duke saw him. In an instant, with a cry of different tone—a shriek63 of terror—he spun72 me from him, sprung past the other, drove the girl screaming into the passage, and was gone.
“Stop! By all——”
The doctor’s exclamation73 was for me. I had staggered back, but an immediate fear drove me, with no time for explanation, to hurried pursuit.
“Out of the way!” I cried, violently; “he mustn’t escape!”
He would have barred my passage. I came against him with a shock that sent him reeling. As his hands clutched vainly in the air I rushed from the room and from the house.
With my first plunge6 into the street a weltering stream of fire ran across the sky, and in a moment an explosive crash shook the city like the bursting open of the gates of torment74.
Amid flood and storm and the numbing75 slam of thunder the tragedy of the night was drawing to its close.
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1
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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2
tortuous
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| adj.弯弯曲曲的，蜿蜒的 | |
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3
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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4
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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6
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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8
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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10
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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11
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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12
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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13
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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14
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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15
apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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16
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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17
scurry
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| vi.急匆匆地走；使急赶；催促；n.快步急跑，疾走；仓皇奔跑声；骤雨，骤雪；短距离赛马 | |
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18
snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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19
swerve
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| v.突然转向，背离；n．转向，弯曲，背离 | |
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20
buttress
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| n.支撑物；v.支持 | |
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21
crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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22
impetus
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| n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力 | |
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23
piston
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| n.活塞 | |
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24
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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25
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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26
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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27
flicker
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| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
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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
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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30
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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31
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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32
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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33
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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34
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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35
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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36
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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37
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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38
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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39
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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41
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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42
shuffling
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| adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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43
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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44
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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45
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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46
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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47
busts
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| 半身雕塑像( bust的名词复数 )； 妇女的胸部； 胸围； 突击搜捕 | |
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48
bestial
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| adj.残忍的；野蛮的 | |
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49
sputtering
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| n.反应溅射法；飞溅；阴极真空喷镀；喷射v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的现在分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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50
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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51
mangling
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| 重整 | |
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52
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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53
raved
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| v.胡言乱语( rave的过去式和过去分词 )；愤怒地说；咆哮；痴心地说 | |
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54
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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55
foamed
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| 泡沫的 | |
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56
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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57
frenzy
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| n.疯狂，狂热，极度的激动 | |
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58
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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59
hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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60
maniac
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| n.精神癫狂的人；疯子 | |
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61
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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62
huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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63
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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64
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
writhe
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| vt.挣扎，痛苦地扭曲；vi.扭曲，翻腾，受苦；n.翻腾，苦恼 | |
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66
snarling
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的现在分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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67
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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68
pelt
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| v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火 | |
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69
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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70
slewed
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| adj.喝醉的v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去式 )( slew的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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72
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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73
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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74
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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75
numbing
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| adj.使麻木的，使失去感觉的v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的现在分词 ) | |
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