In the middle of the night a loud cry rang through the village. Then there was a sound of something scuffling; and then dead silence. All that could be seen out of the window was the branch of lilac tree hanging motionless and ponderous¹ across the road. It was a hot still night. There was no moon. The cry made everything seem ominous². Who had cried? Why had she cried? It was a woman’s voice, made by some extremity³ of feeling almost sexless, almost expressionless. It was as if human nature had cried out against some iniquity⁴, some inexpressible horror. There was dead silence. The stars shone perfectly⁵ steadily⁶. The fields lay still. The trees were motionless. Yet all seemed guilty, convicted, ominous. One felt that something ought to be done. Some light ought to appear tossing, moving agitatedly⁷. Someone ought to come running down the road. There should be lights in the cottage windows. And then perhaps another cry, but less sexless, less wordless, comforted, appeased⁸. But no light came. No feet were heard. There was no second cry. The first had been swallowed up, and there was dead silence.

One lay in the dark listening intently. It had been merely a voice. There was nothing to connect it with. No picture of any sort came to interpret it, to make it intelligible⁹ to the mind. But as the dark arose at last all one saw was an obscure human form, almost without shape, raising a gigantic arm in vain against some overwhelming iniquity.

下一页  尾页