第19章
加入书架 A- A+
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  \"Whenyouhavethreewagonstolookafterallnight,youaresometimessotiredyoucanhardlystand。AtfirstwhenIwalkedalongdrivingmywagonsinthenightitwasglorious;thestarshadneverlookedsobeautifultome;andonthedarknightswhenwerodethroughthebushtherewerewill—

  o’—the—wispsdancingoneachsideoftheroad。Ifoundoutthateventhedampanddarkarebeautiful。ButIsoonchanged,andsawnothingbuttheroadandmyoxen。Ionlywishedforasmoothpieceofroad,sothatI

  mightsitatthefrontanddoze。Attheplaceswhereweoutspannedthereweresometimesrareplantsandflowers,thefestoonshangingfromthebush—

  trees,andnutsandinsects,suchasweneverseehere;butafteralittlewhileIneverlookedatthem——Iwastootired。

  \"IateasmuchasIcould,andthenlaydownonmyfaceunderthewagontilltheboycametowakemetoinspan,andthenwedroveonagainallnight;soitwent,soitwent。IthinksometimeswhenIwalkedbymyoxenIcalledtotheminmysleep,forIknowIthoughtofnothing;Iwaslikeananimal。Mybodywasstrongandwelltowork,butmybrainwasdead。Ifyouhavenotfeltit,Lyndall,youcannotunderstandit。Youmaywork,andwork,andwork,tillyouareonlyabody,notasoul。Now,whenIseeoneofthoseevil—lookingmenthatcomefromEurope——navvies,withthebeast—

  like,sunkenface,differentfromanyKaffer’s——Iknowwhatbroughtthatlookintotheireyes;andifIhaveonlyoneinchoftobaccoIgivethemhalf。Itiswork,grinding,mechanicalwork,thattheyortheirancestorshavedone,thathasmadethemintobeasts。Youmayworkaman’sbodysothathissouldies。Workisgood。Ihaveworkedattheoldfarmfromthesun’srisingtillitssetting,butIhavehadtimetothink,andtimetofeel。Youmayworkamansothatallbuttheanimalinhimisgone;andthatgrowsstrongerwithphysicallabour。

  \"Youmayworkamantillheisadevil。Iknowit,becauseIhavefeltit。

  Youwillneverunderstandthechangethatcameoverme。NoonebutIwilleverknowhowgreatitwas。ButIwasnevermiserable;whenIcouldkeepmyoxenfromstickingfast,andwhenIcouldfindaplacetoliedownin,I

  hadallIwanted。AfterIhaddriveneightmonthsarainyseasoncame。

  Foreighteenhoursoutofthetwenty—fourweworkedinthewet。Themudwentuptotheaxlessometimes,andwehadtodigthewheelsout,andweneverwentfarinaday。Mymastersworeatmemorethanever,butwhenhehaddonehealwaysofferedmehisbrandy—flask。WhenIfirstcamehehadoffereditme,andIhadalwaysrefused;butnowIdrankasmyoxendidwhenIgavethemwater——withoutthinking。AtlastIboughtbrandyformyselfwheneverwepassedanhotel。

  \"OneSundayweoutspannedonthebanksofaswollenrivertowaitforitsgoingdown。Itwasdrizzlingstill,soIlayunderthewagononthemud。

  Therewasnodryplaceanywhere;andallthedungwaswet,sotherewasnofiretocookfood。Mylittleflaskwasfilledwithbrandy,andIdranksomeandwenttosleep。WhenIwokeitwasdrizzlingstill,soIdranksomemore。Iwasstiffandcold;andmymaster,wholaybyme,offeredmehisflask,becauseminewasempty。Idranksome,andthenIthoughtI

  wouldgoandseeiftheriverwasgoingdown。IrememberthatIwalkedtotheroad,anditseemedtobegoingawayfromme。WhenIwokeupIwaslyingbyalittlebushonthebankoftheriver。Itwasafternoon;allthecloudshadgone,andtheskywasdeepblue。TheBushmanboywasgrillingribsatthefire。Helookedatmeandgrinnedfromeartoear。’Masterwasalittlenice,’hesaid,’andlaydownintheroad。Somethingmightrideovermaster,soIcarriedhimthere。’Hegrinnedatmeagain。Itwasasthoughhesaid,’YouandIarecomrades。Ihavelaininaroad,too。I

  knowallaboutit。’

  \"WhenIturnedmyheadfromhimIsawtheearth,sopureaftertherain,sogreen,sofresh,soblue;andIwasadrunkencarrier,whomhisleaderhadpickedupinthemud,andlaidattheroadsidetosleepouthisdrink。I

  remembermyoldlife,andIrememberyou。Isawhow,oneday,youwouldreadinthepapers:’AGermancarrier,namedWaldoFarber,waskilledthroughfallingfromhiswagon,beinginstantlycrushedunderthewheel。

  Deceasedwassupposedtohavebeendrunkatthetimeoftheaccident。’

  Therearethosenoticesinthepapereverymonth。Isatup,andItookthebrandy—flaskoutofmypocket,andIflungitasfarasIcouldintothedarkwater。TheHottentotboyrandowntoseeifhecouldcatchit;ithadsunktothebottom。Ineverdrankagain。But,Lyndall,sinlooksmuchmoreterribletothosewholookatitthantothosewhodoit。Aconvict,oramanwhodrinks,seemssomethingsofaroffandhorriblewhenweseehim;buttohimselfheseemsquiteneartous,andlikeus。Wewonderwhatkindofacreatureheis;butheisjustwe,ourselves。Weareonlythewood,theknifethatcarvesonusisthecircumstance。

  \"IdonotknowwhyIkeptonworkingsohardforthatmaster。Ithinkitwasastheoxencomeeverydayandstandbytheyokes;theydonotknowwhy。PerhapsIwouldhavebeenwithhimstill;butonedaywestartedwithloadsfortheDiamondFields。Theoxenwereverythinnow,andtheyhadbeenstandingaboutintheyokealldaywithoutfood,whilethewagonswerebeingloaded。Notfarfromthetownwasahill。Whenwecametothefootthefirstwagonstuckfast。Itriedforalittlewhiletourgetheoxen,butIsoonsawtheonespancouldneverpullitup。Iwenttotheotherwagontoloosenthatspantojointhemoninfront,butthetransport—

  rider,whowaslyingatthebackofthewagon,jumpedout。

  \"’Theyshallbringitupthehill;andifhalfofthemdieforittheyshalldoitalone,’hesaid。

  \"Hewasnotdrunk,butinbadtemper,forhehadbeendrunkthenightbefore。Hesworeatme,andtoldmetotakethewhipandhelphim。Wetriedforalittletime,thenItoldhimitwasnouse,theycouldneverdoit。Hesworelouderandcalledtotheleaderstocomeonwiththeirwhips,andtogethertheylashed。Therewasoneox,ablackox,sothinthattheridgeofhisbackbonealmostcutthroughhisflesh。

  \"’Itisyou,devil,isit,thatwillnotpull?’thetransport—ridersaid。

  ’Iwillshowyousomething。’Helookedlikeadevil。

  \"Hetoldtheboystoleaveoffflogging,andheheldtheoxbythehorn,andtookuparoundstoneandknockeditsnosewithittillthebloodcame。

  Whenhehaddonetheycalledtotheoxenandtookuptheirwhipsagain,andtheoxenstrainedwiththeirbacksbent,butthewagondidnotmoveaninch。

  \"’Soyouwon’t,won’tyou?’hesaid。I’llhelpyou。’

  \"Hetookouthisclasp—knife,andranitintothelegofthetremblingoxthreetimes,uptothehilt。Thenheputtheknifeinhispocket,andtheytooktheirwhips。Theoxen’sflanksquivered,andtheyfoamedatthemouth。Straining,theymovedthewagonafewfeetforward,thenstoodwithbentbackstokeepitfromslidingback。Fromtheblackox’snostrilsfoamandbloodwerestreamingontotheground。Itturneditsheadinitsanguishandlookedatmewithitsgreatstartingeyes。Itwasprayingforhelpinitsagonyandweakness,andtheytooktheirwhipsagain。Thecreaturebellowedaloud。IfthereisaGod,itwascallingtoitsMakerforhelp。Thenastreamofclearbloodburstfrombothnostrils;itfellontotheground,andthewagonslippedback。Themanwalkeduptoit。

  \"’Youaregoingtoliedown,devil,areyou?We’llseeyoudon’ttakeittooeasy。’

  \"Thethingwasjustdying。Heopenedhisclasp—knifeandstoopeddownoverit。IdonotknowwhatIdidthen。ButafterwardIknowIhadhimonthestones,andIwaskneelingonhim。Theboysdraggedmeoff。Iwishtheyhadnot。Ilefthimstandinginthesandintheroad,shakinghimself,andIwalkedbacktothetown。Itooknothingfromthataccursedwagon,soI

  hadonlytwoshillings。Butitdidnotmatter。ThenextdayIgotworkatawholesalestore。Myworkwastopackandunpackgoods,andtocarryboxes,andIhadtoworkfromsixinthemorningtosixintheevening;soIhadplentyoftime。

  \"Ihiredalittleroom,andsubscribedtoalibrary,soIhadeverythingI

  needed;andintheweekofChristmasholidaysIwenttoseethesea。I

  walkedallnight,Lyndall,toescapetheheat,andalittleaftersunriseI

  gottothetopofahighhill。Beforemewasalong,low,blue,monotonousmountain。Iwalkedlookingatit,butIwasthinkingoftheseaIwantedtosee。AtlastIwonderedwhatthatcuriousbluethingmightbe;thenitstruckmeitwasthesea!Iwouldhaveturnedbackagain,onlyIwastootired。Iwonderifallthethingswelongtosee——thechurches,thepictures,themeninEurope——willdisappointusso!YouseeIhaddreamedofitsolong。WhenIwasalittleboy,mindingsheepbehindthekopje,I

  usedtoseethewavesstretchingoutasfarastheeyecouldreachinthesunlight。Mysea!Istheideaalwaysmorebeautifulthanthereal?

  \"Igottothebeachthatafternoon,andIsawthewaterrunupanddownonthesand,andIsawthewhitefoambreakers;theywerepretty,butI

  thoughtIwouldgobackthenextday。Itwasnotmysea。

  \"ButIbegantolikeitwhenIsatbyitthatnightinthemoonlight;andthenextdayIlikeditbetter;andbeforeIleftIlovedit。Itwasnotliketheskyandstars,thattalkofwhathasnobeginningandnoend;butitissohuman。OfallthethingsIhaveeverseen,onlytheseaislikeahumanbeing;theskyisnot,northeearth。Buttheseaisalwaysmoving,alwayssomethingdeepinitselfisstirringit。Itneverrests。Itisalwayswanting,wanting,wanting。Ithurrieson;andthenitcreepsbackslowlywithouthavingreached,moaning。Itisalwaysaskingaquestion,anditnevergetstheanswer。Icanhearitinthedayandinthenight;

  thewhitefoambreakersaresayingthatwhichIthink。Iwalkalonewiththemwhenthereisnoonetoseeme,andIsingwiththem。Iliedownonthesandandwatchthemwithmyeyeshalfshut。Theskyisbetter,butitissohighaboveourheads。Ilovethesea。Sometimeswemustlookdowntoo。AfterfivedaysIwentbacktoGrahamstown。

  \"Ihadgloriousbooks,andinthenightIcouldsitinmylittleroomandreadthem;butIwaslonely。Booksarenotthesamethingswhenyouarelivingamongpeople。Icannottellwhy,buttheyaredead。Onthefarmtheywouldhavebeenlivingbeingstome;buthere,wherethereweresomanypeopleaboutme,Iwantedsomeonetobelongtome。Iwaslonely。I

  wantedsomethingthatwasfleshandblood。Onceonthisfarmtherecameastranger;Ididnotaskhisname,buthesatamongthekarooandtalkedwithme。Now,whereverIhavetravelledIhavelookedforhim——inhotels,instreets,inpassengerwagonsastheyrushedin,throughtheopenwindowsofhousesIhavelookedforhim,butIhavenotfoundhim——neverheardavoicelikehis。OnedayIwenttotheBotanicGardens。Itwasahalf—

  holiday,andthebandwastoplay。Istoodinthelongraisedavenueandlookeddown。Thereweremanyflowers,andladiesandchildrenwerewalkingaboutbeautifullydressed。Atlastthemusicbegan。Ihadnotheardsuchmusicbefore。

  \"Atfirstitwasslowandeven,liketheeverydaylife,whenwewalkthroughitwithoutthoughtorfeeling;thenitgrewfaster,thenitpaused,hesitated,thenitwasquitestillforaninstant,andthenitburstout。

  Lyndall,theymadeheavenrightwhentheymadeitallmusic。Ittakesyouupandcarriesyouaway,away,tillyouhavethethingsyoulongedfor,youareupclosetothem。Youhavegotoutintoalarge,free,openplace。I

  couldnotseeanythingwhileitwasplaying;Istoodwithmyheadagainstmytree;but,whenitwasdone,Isawthattherewereladiessittingclosetomeonawoodenbench,andthestrangerwhohadtalkedtomethatdayinthekaroowassittingbetweenthem。Theladieswereverypretty,andtheirdressesbeautiful。Idonotthinktheyhadbeenlisteningtothemusic,fortheyweretalkingandlaughingverysoftly。Iheardalltheysaid,andcouldevensmelltheroseonthebreastofone。Iwasafraidhewouldseeme;soIwenttotheothersideofthetree,andsoontheygotupandbegantopaceupanddownintheavenue。

  \"Allthetimethemusicplayedtheychatted,andhecarriedonhisarmthescarfoftheprettiestlady。Ididnothearthemusic;Itriedtocatchthesoundofhisvoiceeachtimehewentby。WhenIwaslisteningtothemusicIdidnotknowIwasbadlydressed;nowIfeltsoashamedofmyself。

  Ineverknewbeforewhatalow,horriblethingIwas,dressedintancord。

  Thatdayonthefarm,whenwesatonthegroundunderthethorn—trees,I

  thoughthequitebelongedtome;now,Isawhewasnotmine。Buthewasstillasbeautiful。Hisbrowneyesaremorebeautifulthananyone’seyes,exceptyours。

  \"Atlasttheyturnedtogo,andIwalkedafterthem。Whentheygotoutofthegatehehelpedtheladiesintoaphaeton,andstoodforamomentwithhisfootonthesteptalkingtothem。Hehadalittlecaneinhishand,andanItaliangreyhoundranafterhim。Justwhentheydroveawayoneoftheladiesdroppedherwhip。

  \"’Pickitup,fellow,’shesaid;andwhenIbroughtithershethrewsixpenceontheground。Imighthavegonebacktothegardenthen;butI

  didnotwantmusic;Iwantedclothes,andtobefashionableandfine。I

  feltthatmyhandswerecoarse,andthatIwasvulgar。Inevertriedtoseehimagain。

  \"Istayedinmysituationfourmonthsafterthat,butIwasnothappy。I

  hadnorest。Thepeopleaboutmepressedonme,andmademedissatisfied。

  Icouldnotforgetthem。EvenwhenIdidnotseethemtheypressedonme,andmadememiserable。Ididnotlovebooks;Iwantedpeople。WhenI

  walkedhomeundertheshadytreesinthestreetIcouldnotbehappy,forwhenIpassedthehousesIheardmusic,andsawfacesbetweenthecurtains。

  Ididnotwantanyofthem,butIwantedsomeoneformine,forme。I

  couldnothelpit。Iwantedafinerlife。

  \"Onlyonedaysomethingmademehappy。Anursecametothestorewithalittlegirlbelongingtooneofourclerks。Whilethemaidwentintotheofficetogiveamessagetoitsfather,thelittlechildstoodlookingatme。Presentlyshecameclosetomeandpeepedupintomyface。

  \"’Nicecurls,prettycurls,’shesaid;’Ilikecurls。’

  \"Shefeltmyhairallover,withherlittlehands。WhenIputoutmyarmsheletmetakeherandsitheronmyknee。Shekissedmewithhersoftmouth。Wewerehappytillthenurse—girlcameandshookher,andaskedherifshewasnotashamedtositonthekneeofthatstrangeman。ButIdonotthinkmylittleoneminded。Shelaughedatmeasshewentout。

  \"IftheworldwasallchildrenIcouldlikeit;butmenandwomendrawmesostrangely,andthenpressmeaway,tillIaminagony。Iwasnotmeanttoliveamongpeople。Perhapssomeday,whenIamgrownolder,IwillbeabletogoandliveamongthemandlookatthemasIlookattherocks,andbushes,withoutlettingthemdisturbme,andtakemyselffromme;butnotnow。SoIgrewmiserable;akindoffeverseemedtoeatme;Icouldnotrest,orread,orthink;soIcamebackhere。IknewyouwerenotherebutitseemedasthoughIshouldbeneareryou;anditisyouIwant——youthattheotherpeoplesuggesttome,butcannotgive。\"

  Hehadfilledallthesheetshehadtaken,andnowlifteddownthelastfromthemantelpiece。Emhaddroppedasleep,andlayslumberingpeacefullyontheskinbeforethefire。Outofdoorsthestormstillraged;butinafitfulmanner,asthoughgrowinghalfwearyofitself。Hebentoverhispaperagain,witheagerflushedcheek,andwroteon。

  \"Ithasbeenadelightfuljourney,thisjourneyhome。Ihavewalkedonfoot。Theeveningbeforelast,whenitwasjustsunset,Iwasalittlefootsoreandthirsty,andwentoutoftheroadtolookforwater。Iwentdownintoadeeplittlekloof。Sometreesranalongthebottom,andI

  thoughtIshouldfindwaterthere。ThesunhadquitesetwhenIgottothebottomofit。Itwasverystill——notaleafwasstirringanywhere。InthebedofthemountaintorrentIthoughtImightfindwater。Icametothebank,andleapeddownintothedrybed。TheflooronwhichIstoodwasoffinewhitesand,andthebanksroseoneverysidelikethewallsofaroom。

  \"Abovetherewasaprecipiceofrocks,andatinystreamofwateroozedfromthemandfellslowlyontotheflatstonebelow。Eachdropyoucouldhearfalllikealittlesilverbell。Therewasoneamongthetreesonthebankthatstoodcutoutagainstthewhitesky。Alltheothertreesweresilent;butthisoneshookandtrembledagainstthesky。Everythingelsewasstill;butthoseleaveswerequivering,quivering。Istoodonthesand;Icouldnotgoaway。Whenitwasquitedark,andthestarshadcome,Icreptout。Doesitseemstrangetoyouthatitshouldhavemademesohappy?ItisbecauseIcannottellyouhownearIfelttothingsthatwecannotseebutwealwaysfeel。Tonighthasbeenawild,stormynight。I

  havebeenwalkingacrosstheplainforhoursinthedark。Ihavelikedthewind,becauseIhaveseemedforcingmywaythroughtoyou。Iknewyouwerenothere,butIwouldhearofyou。WhenIusedtositonthetransportwagonhalf—sleeping,Iusedtostartawakebecauseyourhandswereonme。

  Inmylodgings,manynightsIhaveblownthelightout,andsatinthedark,thatImightseeyourfacestartoutmoredistinctly。Sometimesitwasthelittlegirl’sfacewhousedtocometomebehindthekopjewhenI

  mindedsheep,andsitbymeinherbluepinafore;sometimesitwasolder。

  Iloveboth。Iamveryhelpless;Ishallneverdoanything;butyouwillwork,andIwilltakeyourworkformine。SometimessuchasuddengladnessseizesmewhenIrememberthatsomewhereintheworldyouarelivingandworking。Youaremyveryown;nothingelseismyownso。WhenIhavefinishedIamgoingtolookatyourroomdoor——\"

  Hewrote;andthewind,whichhadspentitsfury,moanedroundandroundthehouse,mostlikeatiredchildwearywithcrying。

  Emwokeup,andsatbeforethefire,rubbinghereyes,andlistening,asitsobbedaboutthegables,andwanderedawayoverthelongstonewalls。

  \"Howquietithasgrownnow,\"shesaid,andsighedherself,partlyfromwearinessandpartlyfromsympathywiththetiredwind。Hedidnotanswerher;hewaslostinhisletter。

  Sheroseslowlyafteratime,andrestedherhandonhisshoulder。

  \"Youhavemanyletterstowrite,\"shesaid。

  \"No,\"heanswered;\"itisonlyonetoLyndall。\"

  Sheturnedaway,andstoodlongbeforethefirelookingintoit。Ifyouhaveadeadlyfruittogive,itwillnotgrowsweeterbykeeping。

  \"Waldo,dear,\"shesaid,puttingherhandonhis,\"leaveoffwriting。\"

  Hethrewbackthedarkhairfromhisforeheadandlookedather。

  \"Itisnousewritinganymore,\"shesaid。

  \"Whynot?\"heasked。

  Sheputherhandoverthepapershehadwritten。

  \"Waldo,\"shesaid,\"Lyndallisdead。\"

  Chapter2。XII。Gregory’sWomanhood。

  Slowlyovertheflatcameacart。OnthebackseatsatGregory,hisarmsfolded,hishatdrawnoverhiseyes。AKafferboysatonthefrontseatdriving,andathisfeetsatDoss,who,nowandagain,liftedhisnoseandeyesabovethelevelofthesplashboard,tolookatthesurroundingcountry;andthen,withanexceedinglyknowingwinkofhislefteye,turnedtohiscompanions,therebyintimatingthatheclearlyperceivedhiswhereabouts。Noonenoticedthecartcoming。Waldo,whowasatworkathiscarpenter’stableinthewagon—house,sawnothing,tillchancingtolookdownheperceivedDossstandingbeforehim,thelegstrembling,thelittlenosewrinkled,andaseriesofshortsuffocatingbarksgivingutterancetohisjoyatreunion。

  Em,whoseeyeshadachedwithlookingoutacrosstheplain,wasnowatworkinabackroom,andknewnothingtill,lookingup,shesawGregory,withhisstrawhatandblueeyes,standinginthedoorway。Hegreetedherquietly,hunghishatupinitsoldplacebehindthedoor,andforanychangeinhismannerorappearancehemighthavebeengoneonlythedaybeforetofetchlettersfromthetown。Onlyhisbeardwasgone,andhisfacewasgrownthinner。Hetookoffhisleathergaiters,saidtheafternoonwashotandtheroadsdusty,andaskedforsometea。Theytalkedofwool,andthecattle,andthesheep,andEmgavehimthepileoflettersthathadcomeforhimduringthemonthsofabsence,butofthethingthatlayattheirheartsneithersaidanything。Thenhewentouttolookatthekraals,andatsupperEmgavehimhotcakesandcoffee。Theytalkedabouttheservants,andthenatetheirmealinquiet。Sheaskednoquestions。

  WhenitwasendedGregorywentintothefrontroom,andlayinthedarkonthesofa。

  \"Doyounotwantalight?\"Emasked,venturingtolookin。

  \"No,\"heanswered;thenpresentlycalledtoher,\"Comeandsithere;Iwanttotalktoyou。\"

  Shecameandsatonafootstoolnearhim。

  \"Doyouwishtohearanything?\"heasked。

  Shewhispered:

  \"Yes,ifitdoesnothurtyou。\"

  \"Whatdifferencedoesitmaketome?\"hesaid。\"IfItalkoramsilent,isthereanychange?\"

  Yethelayquietforalongtime。Thelightthroughtheopendoorshowedhimtoher,wherehelay,withhisarmthrownacrosshiseyes。Atlasthespoke。Perhapsitwasarelieftohimtospeak。

  ToBloemfonteinintheFreeState,towhichthroughanagenthehadtracedthem,Gregoryhadgone。AtthehotelwhereLyndallandherstrangerhadstayedheputup;hewasshowntheveryroominwhichtheyhadslept。Thecolouredboywhohaddriventhemtothenexttowntoldhiminwhichhousetheyhadboarded,andGregorywenton。Inthattownhefoundtheyhadleftthecart,andboughtaspiderandfourgreys,andGregory’sheartrejoiced。

  Nowindeeditwouldbeeasytotracetheircourse。Andheturnedhisstepsnorthward。

  Atthefarmhouseswherehestoppedtheoomsandtantesrememberedclearlythespiderwithitsfourgreyhorses。AtoneplacetheBoer—wifetoldhowthetall,blue—eyedEnglishmanhadboughtmilk,andaskedthewaytothenextfarm。AtthenextfarmtheEnglishmanhadboughtabunchofflowers,andgivenhalfacrownforthemtothelittlegirl。Itwasquitetrue;theBoer—mothermadehergetitoutoftheboxandshowit。Atthenextplacetheyhadslept。Heretheytoldhimthatthegreatbulldog,whohatedallstrangers,hadwalkedinintheeveningandlaiditsheadinthelady’slap。Soateveryplaceheheardsomething,andtracedthemstepbystep。

  AtonedesolatefarmtheBoerhadagooddealtotell。Theladyhadsaidshelikedawagonthatstoodbeforethedoor。WithoutaskingthepricetheEnglishmanhadofferedahundredandfiftypoundsfortheoldthing,andboughtoxenworthtenpoundsforsixteen。TheDutchmanchuckled,forhehadtheSalt—riem’smoneyintheboxunderhisbed。Gregorylaughedtoo,insilence;hecouldnotlosesightofthemnow,soslowlytheywouldhavetomovewiththatcumbrousox—wagon。Yet,whenthateveningcame,andhereachedalittlewaysideinn,noonecouldtellhimanythingofthetravellers。

  Themaster,asurlycreature,halfstupidwithBoer—brandy,satonthebenchbeforethedoorsmoking。Gregorysatbesidehim,questioning,buthesmokedon。Herememberednothingofsuchstrangers。Howshouldheknowwhohadbeentheremonthsandmonthsbefore?Hesmokedon。Gregory,veryweary,triedtowakehismemory,saidthattheladyhewasseekingforwasverybeautiful,hadalittlemouth,andtiny,verytiny,feet。Themanonlysmokedonassullenlyasatfirst。Whatwerelittle,verylittle,mouthsandfeettohim。Buthisdaughterleanedoutinthewindowabove。

点击下载App,搜索"The Tale of Balen",免费读到尾