第12章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"The Tale of Balen",免费读到尾

  \"’Mysalvationisinwork,ifIshouldstopbutforonemomentyouwouldcreepdownuponme,’hereplied。Andtheyputouttheirlongnecksfurther。

  \"’Lookdownintothecreviceatyourfeet,’theysaid。’Seewhatliethere——whitebones!Asbraveandstrongamanasyouclimbedtotheserocks。’Andhelookedup。Hesawtherewasnouseinstriving;hewouldneverholdTruth,neverseeher,neverfindher。Sohelaydownhere,forhewasverytired。Hewenttosleepforever。Heputhimselftosleep。

  Sleepisverytranquil。Youarenotlonelywhenyouareasleep,neitherdoyourhandsache,noryourheart。Andthehunterlaughedbetweenhisteeth。

  \"’HaveItornfrommyheartallthatwasdearest;haveIwanderedaloneinthelandofnight;haveIresistedtemptation;haveIdweltwherethevoiceofmykindisneverheard,andlabouredalone,toliedownandbefoodforyou,yeharpies?’

  \"Helaughedfiercely;andtheEchoesofDespairslunkaway,forthelaughofabrave,strongheartisasadeathblowtothem。

  \"Neverthelesstheycreptoutagainandlookedathim。

  \"’Doyouknowthatyourhairiswhite?’theysaid,’thatyourhandsbegintotremblelikeachild’s?Doyouseethatthepointofyourshuttleisgone?——itiscrackedalready。Ifyoushouldeverclimbthisstair,’theysaid,’itwillbeyourlast。Youwillneverclimbanother。’

  \"Andheanswered,’Iknowit!’andworkedon。

  \"Theold,thinhandscutthestonesillandjaggedly,forthefingerswerestiffandbent。Thebeautyandthestrengthofthemanwasgone。

  \"Atlast,anold,wizened,shrunkenfacelookedoutabovetherocks。Itsawtheeternalmountainsrisewithwallstothewhiteclouds;butitsworkwasdone。

  \"Theoldhunterfoldedhistiredhandsandlaydownbytheprecipicewherehehadworkedawayhislife。Itwasthesleepingtimeatlast。Belowhimoverthevalleysrolledthethickwhitemist。Onceitbroke;andthroughthegapthedyingeyeslookeddownonthetreesandfieldsoftheirchildhood。Fromafarseemedbornetohimthecryofhisownwildbirds,andheheardthenoiseofpeoplesingingastheydanced。Andhethoughtheheardamongthemthevoicesofhisoldcomrades;andhesawfaroffthesunlightshineonhisearlyhome。Andgreattearsgatheredinthehunter’seyes。

  \"’Ah!Theywhodietheredonotdiealone,’hecried。

  \"Thenthemistsrolledtogetheragain;andheturnedhiseyesaway。

  \"’Ihavesought,’hesaid,’forlongyearsIhavelaboured;butIhavenotfoundher。Ihavenotrested,Ihavenotrepined,andIhavenotseenher;

  nowmystrengthisgone。WhereIliedownwornoutothermenwillstand,youngandfresh。BythestepsthatIhavecuttheywillclimb;bythestairsthatIhavebuilttheywillmount。Theywillneverknowthenameofthemanwhomadethem。Attheclumsyworktheywilllaugh;whenthestonesrolltheywillcurseme。Buttheywillmount,andonmywork;theywillclimb,andbymystair!Theywillfindher,andthroughme!Andnomanlivethtohimselfandnomandiethtohimself。’

  \"Thetearsrolledfrombeneaththeshrivelledeyelids。IfTruthhadappearedabovehiminthecloudsnowhecouldnothaveseenher,themistofdeathwasinhiseyes。

  \"’Mysoulhearstheirgladstepcoming,’hesaid;’andtheyshallmount!

  theyshallmount!’Heraisedhisshrivelledhandtohiseyes。

  \"Thenslowlyfromthewhiteskyabove,throughthestillair,camesomethingfalling,falling,falling。Softlyitfluttereddown,anddroppedontothebreastofthedyingman。Hefeltitwithhishands。Itwasafeather。Hediedholdingit。\"

  Theboyhadshadedhiseyeswithhishand。Onthewoodofthecarvinggreatdropsfell。Thestrangermusthavelaughedathim,orremainedsilent。Hedidso。

  \"Howdidyouknowit?\"theboywhisperedatlast。\"Itisnotwrittenthere——notonthatwood。Howdidyouknowit?\"

  \"Certainly,\"saidthestranger,\"thewholeofthestoryisnotwrittenhere,butitissuggested。Andtheattributeofalltrueart,thehighestandthelowest,isthis——thatitraysmorethanitsays,andtakesyouawayfromitself。Itisalittledoorthatopensintoaninfinitehallwhereyoumayfindwhatyouplease。Men,thinkingtodetract,say:’Peoplereadmoreinthisorthatworkofgeniusthanwaseverwritteninit,’notperceivingthattheypaythehighestcompliment。Ifwepickupthefingerandnailofarealman,wecandecipherawholestory——couldalmostreconstructthecreatureagain,fromheadtofoot。ButhalfthebodyofaMumboo—jumbowidolleavesusutterlyinthedarkastowhattherestwaslike。Weseewhatwesee,butnothingmore。Thereisnothingsouniversallyintelligibleastruth。Ithasathousandmeanings,andsuggestsathousandmore。\"

  Heturnedoverthewoodenthing。

  \"Thoughamanshouldcarveitintomatterwiththeleastpossiblemanipulativeskill,itwillyetfindinterpreters。Itisthesoulthatlooksoutwithburningeyesthroughthemostgrossfleshlyfilament。

  Whosoevershouldportraytrulythelifeanddeathofalittleflower——itsbirth,suckinginofnourishment,reproductionofitskind,witheringandvanishing——wouldhaveshapedasymbolofallexistence。Alltruefactsofnatureorthemindarerelated。Yourlittlecarvingrepresentssomementalfactsastheyreallyare,thereforefiftydifferenttruestoriesmightbereadfromit。Whatyourworkwantsisnottruth,butbeautyofexternalform,theotherhalfofart。\"Heleanedalmostgentlytowardtheboy。

  \"Skillmaycomeintime,butyouwillhavetoworkhard。Theloveofbeautyandthedesireforitmustbeborninaman;theskilltoreproduceithemustmake。Hemustworkhard。\"

  \"AllmylifeIhavelongedtoseeyou,\"theboysaid。

  Thestrangerbrokeofftheendofhiscigar,andlitit。Theboyliftedtheheavywoodfromthestranger’skneeanddrewyetnearerhim。Inthedog—likemannerofhisdrawingneartherewassomethingsuperblyridiculous,unlessonechancedtoviewitinanotherlight。Presentlythestrangersaid,whiffing,\"Dosomethingforme。\"

  Theboystartedup。

  \"No;staywhereyouare。Idon’twantyoutogoanyowhere;Iwantyoutotalktome。Tellmewhatyouhavebeendoingallyourlife。\"

  Theboyslunkdownagain。Wouldthatthemanhadaskedhimtorootupbusheswithhishandsforhishorsetofeedon;ortoruntothefarendoftheplainforthefossilsthatlaythere,ortogathertheflowersthatgrewonthehillsattheedgeoftheplain;hewouldhaverunandbeenbackquickly——butnow!

  \"Ihaveneverdoneanything,\"hesaid。

  \"Thentellmeofthatnothing。IliketoknowwhatotherfolkshavebeendoingwhosewordIcanbelieve。Itisinteresting。Whatwasthefirstthingyoueverwantedverymuch?\"

  Theboywaitedtoremember,thenbeganhesitatingly,butsoonthewordsflowed。Inthesmallestpastwefindaninexhaustibleminewhenoncewebegintodigatit。

  Aconfused,disorderedstory——thelittlemadelargeandthelargesmall,andnothingshowingitsinwardmeaning。Itisnottillthepasthasrecededmanystepsthatbeforetheclearesteyesitfallsintoco—ordinatepictures。ItisnottilltheIwetellofhasceasedtoexistthatittakesitsplaceamongotherobjectiverealities,andfindsitstruenicheinthepicture。Thepresentandthenearpastisaconfusion,whosemeaningflashesonusasitslinksawayintothedistance。

  Thestrangerlitonecigarfromtheendofanother,andpuffedandlistenedwithhalf—closedeyes。

  \"Iwillremembermoretotellyouifyoulike,\"saidtheboy。

  Hespokewiththatextremegravitycommontoallveryyoungthingswhofeeldeeply。Itisnottilltwentythatwelearntobeindeadlyearnestandtolaugh。Thestrangernodded,whilethefellowsoughtforsomethingmoretorelate。Hewouldtellalltothismanofhis——allthatheknew,allthathehadfelt,hisinmostsorestthought。Suddenlythestrangerturneduponhim。

  \"Boy,\"hesaid,\"youarehappytobehere。\"

  Waldolookedathim。Washisdelightfuloneridiculinghim?Here,withthisbrownearthandtheselowhills,whiletherarewonderfulworldlayallbeyond。Fortunatetobehere?

  Thestrangerreadhisglance。

  \"Yes,\"hesaid;\"herewiththekaroo—bushesandredsand。DoyouwonderwhatImean?Toallwhohavebeenbornintheoldfaiththerecomesatimeofdanger,whentheoldslipsfromus,andwehavenotyetplantedourfeetonthenew。WehearthevoicefromSinaithunderingnomore,andthestillsmallvoiceofreasonisnotyetheard。Wehaveprovedthereligionourmothersfedusontobeadelusion;inourbewildermentweseenorulebywhichtoguideourstepsdaybyday;andyeteverydaywemuststepsomewhere。\"

  Thestrangerleanedforwardandspokemorequickly。\"Wehaveneveroncebeentaughtbywordoracttodistinguishbetweenreligionandthemorallawsonwhichithasartfullyfasteneditself,andfromwhichithassuckeditsvitality。Whenwehavedraggeddowntheweedsandcreepersthatcoveredthesolidwallandhavefoundthemtoberottenwood,weimaginethewallitselftoberottenwoodtoo。Wefinditissolidandstandingonlywhenwefallheadlongagainstit。Wehavebeentaughtthatallrightandwrongoriginateinthewillofanirresponsiblebeing。Itissometimebeforeweseehowtheinexorable’Thoushaltandshaltnot,’arecarvedintothenatureofthings。Thisisthetimeofdanger。\"

  Hisdark,mistyeyeslookedintotheboy’s。

  \"Intheendexperiencewillinevitablyteachusthatthelawsforawiseandnoblelifehaveafoundationinfinitelydeeperthanthefiatofanybeing,Godorman,eveninthegroundworkofhumannature。

  \"Shewillteachusthatwhososheddethman’sblood,thoughbymanhisbloodbenotshed,thoughnomanavengeandnohellawait,yeteverydropshallblisteronhissoulandeatinthenameofthedead。Shewillteachthatwhosotakesalovenotlawfullyhisown,gathersaflowerwithapoisononitspetals;thatwhosorevenges,strikeswithaswordthathastwoedges——

  oneforhisadversary,oneforhimself;thatwholivestohimselfisdead,thoughthegroundisnotyetonhim;thatwhowrongsanothercloudshisownsun;andthatwhosinsinsecretstandsaccursedandcondemnedbeforetheoneJudgewhodealseternaljustice——hisownall—knowingself。

  \"Experiencewillteachusthis,andreasonwillshowuswhyitmustbeso;

  butatfirsttheworldswingsbeforeoureyes,andnovoicecriesout,’Thisistheway,walkyeinit!’Youarehappytobehere,boy!Whenthesuspensefillsyouwithpainyoubuildstonewallsanddigearthforrelief。Othershavestoodwhereyoustandtoday,andhavefeltasyoufeel;andanotherreliefhasbeenofferedthem,andtheyhavetakenit。

  \"Whenthedayhascomewhentheyhaveseenthepathinwhichtheymightwalk,theyhavenotthestrengthtofollowit。Habitshavefastenedonthemfromwhichnothingbutdeathcanfreethem;whichclingcloserthanhissacerdotalsanctimonytoapriest;whichfeedontheintellectlikeaworm,sappingenergy,hope,creativepower,allthatmakesamanhigherthanabeast——leavingonlythepowertoyearn,toregret,andtosinklowerintheabyss。

  \"Boy,\"hesaid,andthelistenerwasnotmoreunsmilingnowthanthespeaker,\"youarehappytobehere!Staywhereyouare。Ifyoueverpray,letitbeonlytheoneoldprayer——’Leadusnotintotemptation。’Liveonherequietly。Thetimemayyetcomewhenyouwillbethatwhichothermenhavehopedtobeandneverwillbenow。\"

  Thestrangerrose,shookthedustfromhissleeve,andashamedathisownearnestness,lookedacrossthebushesforhishorse。

  \"Weshouldhavebeenonourwayalready,\"hesaid。\"Weshallhavealongrideinthedarktonight。\"

  Waldohastenedtofetchtheanimal;buthereturnedleadingitslowly。Thesooneritcamethesoonerwoulditsriderbegone。

  Thestrangerwasopeninghissaddlebag,inwhichwereabrightFrenchnovelandanoldbrownvolume。Hetookthelastandhelditouttotheboy。

  \"Itmaybeofsomehelptoyou,\"hesaid,carelessly。\"ItwasagospeltomewhenIfirstfellonit。Youmustnotexpecttoomuch;butitmaygiveyouacentreroundwhichtohangyourideas,insteadoflettingthemlieaboutinaconfusionthatmakestheheadache。Weofthisgenerationarenotdestinedtoeatandbesatisfiedasourfatherswere;wemustbecontenttogohungry。\"

  Hesmiledhisautomatonsmile,andrebuttonedthebag。Waldothrustthebookintohisbreast,andwhilehesaddledthehorsethestrangermadeinquiriesastothenatureoftheroadandthedistancetothenextfarm。

  Whenthebagswerefixed,Waldotookuphiswoodenpostandbegantofastenitontothesaddle,tyingitwiththelittlebluecottonhandkerchieffromhisneck。Thestrangerlookedoninsilence。Whenitwasdonetheboyheldthestirrupforhimtomount。

  \"Whatisyourname?\"heinquired,unglovinghisrighthandwhenhewasinthesaddle。

  Theboyreplied:

  \"Well,Itrustweshallmeetagainsomeday,soonerorlater。\"

  Heshookhandswiththeunglovedhand;thendrewontheglove,andtouchedhishorse,androdeslowlyaway。Theboystoodtowatchhim。

  Oncewhenthestrangerhadgonehalfacrosstheplainhelookedback。

  \"Poordevil,\"hesaid,smilingandstrokinghismoustache。Thenhelookedtoseeifthelittlebluehandkerchiefwerestillsafelyknotted。\"Poordevil!\"

  Hesmiled,andthenhesighedwearily,verywearily。

  AndWaldowaitedtillthemovingspeckhaddisappearedonthehorizon;thenhestoopedandkissedpassionatelyahoof—markinthesand。Thenhecalledhisyoungbirdstogether,andputhisbookunderhisarm,andwalkedhomealongthestonewall。Therewasararebeautytohiminthesunshinethatevening。

  Chapter2。III。GregoryRoseFindsHisAffinity。

  Thenewman,GregoryRose,satatthedoorofhisdwelling,hisarmsfolded,hislegscrossed,andaprofoundmelancholyseemingtorestoverhissoul。Hishousewasalittlesquaredaub—and—wattlebuilding,faroutinthekaroo,twomilesfromthehomestead。Itwascoveredoutsidewithasombrecoatingofbrownmud,twolittlepanesbeingletintothewallsforwindows。Behinditwerethesheep—kraals,andtotherightalargedam,nowprincipallycontainingbakedmud。Faroffthelittlekopjeconcealedthehomestead,andwasnotitselfanobjectconspicuousenoughtorelievethedrearymonotonyofthelandscape。

  BeforethedoorsatGregoryRoseinhisshirt—sleeves,onacamp—stool,andeverandanonhesigheddeeply。Therewasthatinhiscountenanceforwhichevenhisdepressingcircumstancesfailedtoaccount。Againandagainhelookedatthelittlekopje,atthemilk—pailathisside,andatthebrownpony,whoashortwayoffcroppedthedrybushes——andsighed。

  Presentlyheroseandwentintohishouse。Itwasonetinyroom,thewhitewashedwallsprofuselycoveredwithprintscutfromthe\"IllustratedLondonNews\",andinwhichtherewasanoticeablepreponderanceoffemalefacesandfigures。Astretcherfilledoneendofthehut,andarackforagunandalittlehanginglooking—glassdiversifiedthegableopposite,whileinthecentrestoodachairandtable。Allwasscrupulouslyneatandclean,forGregorykeptalittledusterfoldedinthecornerofhistable—

  drawer,justashehadseenhismotherdo,andeverymorningbeforehewentouthesaidhisprayers,andmadehisbed,anddustedthetableandthelegsofthechairs,andeventhepicturesonthewallandthegun—rack。

  Onthishotafternoonhetookfrombeneathhispillowawatch—bagmadebyhissisterJemima,andtookoutthewatch。Onlyhalfpastfour!Withasuppressedgroanhedroppeditbackandsatdownbesidethetable。Half—

  pastfour!Presentlyherousedhimself。HewouldwritetohissisterJemima。Healwayswrotetoherwhenhewasmiserable。Shewashissafety—

  valve。Heforgotherwhenhewashappy;butheusedherwhenhewaswretched。

  Hetookoutinkandpaper。Therewasafamilycrestandmottoonthelatter,fortheRosessincecomingtothecolonyhaddiscoveredthattheywereofdistinguishedlineage。OldRosehimself,anhonestEnglishfarmer,knewnothingofhisnobledescent;buthiswifeanddaughterknew——

  especiallyhisdaughter。TherewereRosesinEnglandwhokeptaparkanddatedfromtheConquest。Sothecolonial\"RoseFarm\"became\"RoseManor\"

  inremembranceoftheancestraldomain,andtheclaimoftheRosestonoblebloodwasestablished——intheirownmindsatleast。

  Gregorytookuponeofthewhite,crestedsheets;butondeeperreflectionhedeterminedtotakeapinkone,asmoresuitabletothestateofhisfeelings。Hebegan:

  \"KopjeAlone,\"Mondayafternoon。

  \"MyDearJemima——\"

  Thenhelookedupintothelittleglassopposite。Itwasayouthfulfacereflectedthere,withcurlingbrownbeardandhair;butinthedarkblueeyestherewasalookoflanguidlongingthattouchedhim。Here—dippedhispenandwrote:

  \"WhenIlookupintothelittleglassthathangsoppositeme,Iwonderifthatchangedandsadface——\"

  Herehesatstillandreflected。Itsoundedalmostasifhemightbeconceitedorunmanlytobelookingathisownfaceintheglass。No,thatwouldnotdo。Sohelookedforanotherpinksheetandbeganagain。

  \"KopjeAlone,\"Mondayafternoon。

  \"DearSister,——ItishardlysixmonthssinceIleftyoutocometothisspot,yetcouldyounowseemeIknowwhatyouwouldsay,Iknowwhatmotherwouldsay——’CanthatbeourGreg——thatthingwiththestrangelookinhiseyes?’

  \"Yes,Jemima,itisyourGreg,andthechangehasbeencomingovermeeversinceIcamehere;butitisgreatestsinceyesterday。YouknowwhatsorrowsIhavepassedthrough,Jemima;howunjustlyIwasalwaystreatedatschool,themasterskeepingmebackandcallingmeablockhead,though,astheythemselvesallowed,Ihadthebestmemoryofanyboyintheschool,andcouldrepeatwholebooksfrombeginningtoend。Youknowhowcruellyfatheralwaysusedme,callingmeanoodleandamilksop,justbecausehecouldn’tunderstandmyfinenature。Youknowhowhehasmadeafarmerofmeinsteadofaminister,asIoughttohavebeen;youknowitall,Jemima;

  andhowIhaveborneitall,notasawoman,whowhinesforeverytouch,butasamanshould——insilence。

  \"Buttherearethings,thereisathing,whichthesoullongstopourforthintoakindredear。

  \"Dearsister,haveyoueverknownwhatitistokeepwantingandwantingandwantingtokisssomeone’smouth,andyoumaynot;totouchsomeone’shand,andyoucannot?Iaminlove,Jemima。

  \"TheoldDutchwomanfromwhomIhirethisplacehasalittlestepdaughter,andhernamebeginswith’E’。

  \"SheisEnglish。IdonotknowhowherfathercametomarryaBoer—woman。

  Itmakesmefeelsostrangetoputdownthatletter,thatIcanhardlygoonwriting’E’。I’velovedhereversinceIcamehere。ForweeksIhavenotbeenabletoeatordrink;myverytobaccowhenIsmokehasnotaste;

  andIcanremainfornomorethanfiveminutesinoneplace,andsometimesfeelasthoughIwerereallygoingmad。

  \"EveryeveningIgotheretofetchmymilk。Yesterdayshegavemesomecoffee。Thespoonfellontheground。Shepickeditup;whenshegaveitmeherfingertouchedmine。Jemima,IdonotknowifIfanciedit——I

  shiveredhot,andsheshiveredtoo!Ithought,’Itisallright;shewillbemine;shelovesme!’Justthen,Jemima,incameafellow,agreat,coarsefellow,aGerman——aridiculousfellow,withcurlsrightdowntohisshoulders;itmakesonesicktolookathim。He’sonlyaservantoftheBoer—woman’s,andalow,vulgar,uneducatedthing;that’sneverbeentoboarding—schoolinhislife。Hehadbeentothenextfarmseekingsheep。

  Whenhecameinshesaid,’Goodevening,Waldo。Havesomecoffee!’ANDSHE

  KISSEDHIM。

  \"AlllastnightIheardnothingelsebut’Havesomecoffee;havesomecoffee。’IfIwenttosleepforamomentIdreamedthatherfingerwaspressingmine;butwhenIwokewithastartIheardhersay,’Goodevening,Waldo。Havesomecoffee!’

  \"Isthismadness?

  \"Ihavenoteatenamouthfultoday。ThiseveningIgoandproposetoher。

  IfsherefusesmeIshallgoandkillmyselftomorrow。Thereisadamofwatercloseby。Thesheephavedrunkmostofitup,butthereisstillenoughifItieastonetomyneck。

  \"Itisachoicebetweendeathandmadness。Icanendurenomore。Ifthisshouldbethelastletteryouevergetfromme,thinkofmetenderly,andforgiveme。Withouther,lifewouldbeahowlingwilderness,alongtribulation。Sheismyaffinity;theoneloveofmylife,ofmyyouth,ofmymanhood;mysunshine;myGod—givenblossom。

  \"’Theyneverlovedwhodreamedthattheylovedonce,Andwhosaith,’Ilovedonce’?——

  Notangels,whosedeepeyeslookdownthroughrealmsoflight!’

  \"Yourdisconsolatebrother,onwhatis,inallprobability,thelastanddistractednightofhislife。

  \"GregoryNazianzenRose。

  \"P。S。——Tellmothertotakecareofmypearlstuds。Ilefttheminthewash—hand—standdrawer。Don’tletthechildrengetholdofthem。

  \"P。P。S。——Ishalltakethisletterwithmetothefarm。IfIturndownonecorneryoumayknowIhavebeenaccepted;ifnot,youmayknowitisallupwithyourheartbrokenbrother,G。N。R。\"

  Gregoryhavingfinishedthisletter,readitoverwithmuchapproval,putitinanenvelope,addressedit,andsatcontemplatingtheinkpot,somewhatrelievedinmind。

  Theeveningturnedoutchillyandverywindyaftertheday’sheat。Fromafaroff,asGregorynearedthehomesteadonthebrownpony,hecoulddistinguishalittlefigureinalittleredcloakatthedoorofthecow—

  kraal。Emleanedoverthepolesthatbarredthegate,andwatchedthefrothingmilkrunthroughtheblackfingersoftheherdsman,whiletheunwillingcowsstoodwithtetheredheadsbythemilkingpoles。Shehadthrowntheredcloakoverherownhead,andhelditunderherchinwithalittlehand,tokeepfromherearsthewind,thatplayfullyshookit,andtossedthelittlefringeofyellowhairintohereyes。

  \"Isitnottoocoldforyoutobestandinghere?\"saidGregory,comingsoftlyclosetoher。

  \"Oh,no;itissonice。Ialwayscometowatchthemilking。Thatredcowwiththeshorthornsisbringingupthecalfofthewhitecowthatdied。

  Shelovesitso——justasifitwereherown。Itissonicetoseeherlickitslittleears。Justlook!\"

  \"Thecloudsareblack。Ithinkitisgoingtoraintonight,\"saidGregory。

  \"Yes,\"answeredEm,lookingupaswellasshecouldforthelittleyellowfringe。

  \"ButI’msureyoumustbecold,\"saidGregory,andputhishandunderthecloak,andfoundthereasmallfistdoubledup,soft,andverywarm。Hehelditfastinhishand。

  \"Oh,Em,Iloveyoubetterthanalltheworldbesides!Tellme,doyoulovemealittle?\"

  \"Yes,Ido,\"saidEm,hesitating,andtryingsoftlytofreeherhand。

  \"Betterthaneverything;betterthanalltheworld,darling?\"heasked,bendingdownsolowthattheyellowhairwasblownintohiseyes。

  \"Idon’tknow,\"saidEm,gravely。\"Idoloveyouverymuch;butIlovemycousinwhoisatschool,andWaldo,verymuch。YouseeIhaveknownthemsolong!\"

  \"Oh,Em,donottalktomesocoldly!\"Gregorycried,seizingthelittlearmthatrestedonthegate,andpressingittillshewashalfafraid。Theherdsmanhadmovedawaytotheotherendofthekraalnow,andthecows,busywiththeircalves,tooknonoticeofthelittlehumanfarce。\"Em,ifyoutalksotomeIwillgomad!Youmustloveme,lovemebetterthanall!Youmustgiveyourselftome。IhavelovedyousincethatfirstmomentwhenIsawyouwalkingbythestonewallwiththejuginyourhands。

  Youweremadeforme,createdforme!IwillloveyoutillIdie!Oh,Em,donotbesocold,socrueltome!\"

  Heheldherarmsotightlythatherfingersrelaxedtheirhold,andthecloakfluttereddownontotheground,andthewindplayedmoreroughlythaneverwiththelittleyellowhead。

  \"Idoloveyouverymuch,\"shesaid;\"butIdonotknowifIwanttomarryyou。IloveyoubetterthanWaldo,butIcan’ttellifIloveyoubetterthanLyndall。IfyouwouldletmewaitforaweekIthinkperhapsIcouldtellyou。\"

  Gregorypickedupthecloakandwrappeditroundher。

  \"IfyoucouldbutlovemeasIloveyou,\"hesaid;\"butnowomancanloveasamancan。IwillwaittillSaturday。Iwillnotoncecomenearyoutillthen。Good—bye!Oh,Em,\"hesaid,turningagain,andtwininghisarmabouther,andkissinghersurprisedlittlemouth,\"ifyouarenotmywifeIcannotlive。Ihaveneverlovedanotherwoman,andInevershall!——

  never,never!\"

点击下载App,搜索"The Tale of Balen",免费读到尾