sk.carrie-第14节

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e　first　time　he　had　really　looked）　that　she　was　far　from　repulsive。　Her　face　was　round　rather　than　oval；　and　the　eyes　were　so　dark　that　they　seemed　to　cast　shadows　beneath　them；　like　bruises。　Her　hair　was　darkish　blonde；　slightly　wiry；　pulled　back　in　a　bun　that　was　not　being　to　her。　The　lips　were　full；　almost　lush；　the　teeth　naturally　white。　Her　body；　for　the　most　part；　was　indeterminate。　A　baggy　sweater　concealed　her　breasts　except　for　token　nubs。　The　skirt　was　colourful　but　awful　all　the　same：　It　fell　to　a　1958　midshin　hem　in　an　odd　and　clumsy　A…line。　The　calves　were　strong　and　rounded　（the　attempt　to　conceal　these　with　heathery　knee…socks　was　bizarre　but　unsuccessful）　and　handsome。
She　was　looking　up　with　an　expression　that　was　slightly　fearful；　slightly　something　else。　He　was　quite　sure　he　knew　what　the　something　else　was。　Sue　had　been　right；　and　being　right；　he　had　just　time　to　wonder　if　this　was　doing　a　kindness　or　making　things　even　worse。
'If　you　don't　have　a　date　for　the　Ball；　would　you　want　to　go　with　me？'
Now　she　blinked；　and　as　she　did　so；　a　strange　thing　happened。　The　time　it　took　to　happen　could　have　been　no　more　than　the　doorway　to　a　second；　but　afterwards　he　had　no　trouble　recalling　it；　as　one　does　with　dreams　or　the　sensation　of　deja　vu。　He　felt　a　dizziness　as　if　his　mind　was　no　longer　controlling。　his　body　…　the　miserable；　out…of…control　feeling　he　associated　with　drinking　too　much　and　then　ing　to　the　vomiting　point。
Then　it　was　gone。
'What？　What？'
She　wasn't　angry；　at　least。　He　had　expected　a　brief　gust　of　rage　and　then　a　sweeping　retreat。　But　she　wasn't　angry；　she　seemed　unable　to　cope　with　what　he　had　said　at　all。　They　were　alone　in　the　study　hall　now；　perfectly　between　the　ebb　of　old　students　and　the　flow　of　new　ones。
'The　Spring　Ball；'　he　said；　a　little　shaken。　'It's　next　Friday　and　I　know　this　is　late　notice　but…？
'I　don't　like　to　be　tricked；'　she　said　softly；　and　lowered　her　head。　She　hesitated　for　just　a　second；　and　then　passed　him　by。　She　stopped　and　turned　and　he　suddenly　saw　dignity　in　her；　something　so　natural　that　he　doubted　if　she　was　even　aware　of　it。　'Do　You　People　think　you　can　just　go　on　tricking　me　forever？　I　know　who　you　go　around　with。'
'I　don't　go　around　with　anyone　I　don't　want　to；'　Tommy　said　patiently。　'I'm　asking　you　because　I　want　to　ask　you。'　Ultimately；　he　knew　this　to　be　the　truth。　If　Sue　was　making　a　gesture　of　atonement；　she　was　doing　it　only　at　secondhand。
The　Period　Six　students　were　ing　in　now；　and　some　of　them　were　looking　over　curiously。　Dale　Ullman　said　something　to　a　boy　Tommy　didn't　know　and　both　of　them　snickered。
'e　on；'　Tommy　said。　They　walked　out　into　the　hall。
They　were　halfway　to　Wing　Four　…　his　class　was　the　other　way　…　walking　together　but　perhaps　only　by　accident；　when　she　said；　almost　too　quietly　to　hear：　'I'd　love　to。　Love　to。'
He　was　perceptive　enough　to　know　it　was　not　an　acceptance；　and　again　doubt　assailed　him。　Still；　it　was　started。　'Do　it；　then。　It　will　be　all　right。　For　both　of　us。　We'll　see　to　it。'
'No；'　she　said；　and　in　her　sudden　pensiveness　she　could　have　been　mistaken　for　beautiful。　'It　will　be　a　nightmare。'
'I　don't　have　tickets；'　he　said；　as　if　he　hadn't　heard。　'This　is　the　last　day　they　sell　them。'
'Hey；　Tommy；　you're　going　the　wrong　way！'　Brent　Gillian　yelled。
She　stopped。　'You're　going　to　be　late。'
'Will　you？'
'Your　class；'　she　said　distraught。　'Your　class。　The　bell　is　going　to　ring。'
'Will　you？'
'Yes；'　she　said　with　angry　helplessness。　'You　knew　I　would。'　She　swiped　at　her　eyes　with　the　back　of　her　hand。
'No；'　he　said。　'But　now　I　do。　I'll　pick　you　up　at　seventhirty。'
'Fine；'　she　whispered。　‘Thank　you。'　She　looked　as　if　she　might　swoon。
And　then；　more　uncertain　than　ever；　he　touched　her　hand。
From　The　Shadow　Exploded　（pp。　74…76）：
Probably　no　other　aspect　of　the　Carrie　White　affair　had　been　so　misunderstood；　second…guessed；　and　shrouded　in　mystery　as　the　part　played　by　Thomas　Everett　Ross；　Carrie's　ill…starred　escort　to　the　Ewen　High　School　Spring　Ball。
Morton　Cratzchbarken；　in　an　admittedly　sensationalized　address　to　The　National　Colloquium　on　Psychic　Phenomena　last　year；　said　that　the　two　most　stunning　events　of　the　twentieth　century　have　been　the　assassination　of　John　F。　Kennedy　in　1963　and　the　destruction　that　came　to　Chamberlain；　Maine；　in　May　of　1979。　Cratzchbarken　points　out　that　both　events　were　driven　home　to　the　citizenry　by　mass　media；　and　both　events　have　almost　shouted　the　frightening　fact　that；　while　something　had　ended；　something　else　had　been　irrevocably　set　in　motion；　for　good　or　ill。　If　the　parison　can　be　made；　then　Thomas　Ross　played　the　part　of　Lee　Harvey　Oswald　…　trigger　man　in　a　catastrophe。　The　question　that　still　remains　is：　Did　he　do　so　wittingly　or　unwittingly？
Susan　Snell；　by　her　own　admission；　was　to　have　been　escorted　by　Ross　to　the　annual　event。　She　claims　that　she　suggested　Ross　take　Carrie　to　make　up　for　her　part　in　the　shower…room　incident。　Those　who　oppose　this　story；　most　lately　led　by　George　Jerome　of　Harvard；　claim　that　this　is　either　a　highly　romantic　distortion　or　an　outright　lie。　Jerome　argues　with　great　force　and　eloquence　that　it　is　hardly　typical　of　high…school…age　adolescents　to　feel　that　they　have　to　'atone'　for　anything　…　particularly　for　an　offence　against　a　peer　who　has　been　ostracized　from　existing　cliques。
'It　would　be　uplifting　if　we　could　believe　that　adolescent　human　nature　is　capable　of　salvaging　the　pride　and　self　image　of　the　low　bird　in　the　pecking　order　with　such　a　gesture；'　Jerome　has　said　in　a　recent　issue　of　The　Atlantic　Monthly；　'but　we　know　better。　The　low　bird　is　not　picked　tenderly　out　of　the　dust　by　its　fellows；　rather；　it　is　despatched　quickly　and　without　mercy。'
Jerome；　of　course；　is　absolutely　right…about　birds；　at　any　rate　…　and　his　eloquence　is　undoubtedly　responsible　in　large　part　for　the　advancement　of　the　'practical　joker'　theory；　which　The　White　mission　approached　but　did　not　actually　state。　This　theory　hypothesizes　that　Ross　and　Christine　Hargensen　（see　pp。　10…18）　were　at　the　centre　of　a　loose　conspiracy　to　get　Carrie　White　to　the　Spring　Ball；　and；　once　there；　plete　her　humiliation。　Some　theorists　（mostly　crime　writers）　also　claim　that　Sue　Snell　was　an　active　part　of　this　conspiracy。　This　casts　the　mysterious　Mr　Ross　in　the　worst　possible　light；　that　of　a　practical　joker　deliberately　manoeuvring　an　unstable　girl　into　an　situation　of　extreme　stress。
The　author　doesn't　believe　that　likely　in　fight　of　Mr　Ross's　character。　This　is　a　facet　which　has　remained　largely　unexplored　by　his　detractors；　who　have　painted　him　as　a　rather　dull　clique…centred　athlete；　the　phrase　'dumb　jock'　expresses　this　view　of　Tommy　Ross　perfectly。
It　is　true　that　Ross　was　an　athlete　of　above…average　ability。　His　best　sport　was　baseball；　and　he　was　a　member　of　the　Ewen　varsity　squad　from　his　Sophomore　year。　Dick　O'Connell；　general　manager　of　the　Boston　Red　Sox；　has　indicated　that　Ross　would　have　been　offered　a　fairly　large　bonus　for　signing　a　contract；　had　he　lived。
But　Ross　was　also　a　straight…A　student　（hardly　fitting　the　'dumb…jock'　image）；　and　his　parents　have　both　said　that　he　had　decided　pro　baseball　would　have　to　wait　until　he　had　finished　college；　where　he　planned　to　study　for　an　English　degree。　His　interests　including　writing　poetry；　and　a　poem　written　six　months　prior　to　his　death　was　published　in　an　established　'little　magazine'　called　Everleaf。　This　is　available　in　Appendix　V。
His　surviving　classmates　also　give　him　high　marks；　and　this　is　significant。　There　were　only　twelve　survivors　of　what　has　bee　known　in　the　popular　press　as　Prom　Night。　Those　who　were　not　in　attendance　were　largely　the　unpopular　members　of　the　Junior　and　Senior　classes。　If　these　'outs'　remember　Ross　as　a　friendly；　goodnatured　fellow　（many　referred　to　him　as　'a　hell　of　a　good　shit'）；　does　not　Professor　Jerome's　thesis　suffer　accordingly'
Ross's　school　records　…　which　cannot；　according　to　state　law；　be　photostated　here　…　when　taken　with　class　mates'　recollections　and　the　ments　of　relatives；　neighbours；　and　teachers；　form　a　picture　of　an　extraordinary　young　man。　This　is　a　fact　that　jells　very　badly　with　Professor　Jerome's　picture　of　a　peer…worshipping；　sly　young　tough。　He　apparently　had　a　high　enough　tolerance　to　verbal　abuse　and　enough　independence　from　his　peer　group　to　ask　Carrie　in　the　first　place。　In　fact；　Thomas　Ross　appears　to　have　been　something　of　a　rarity　…　a　socially　conscious　young　man。
No　case　will　be　made　here　for　his　sainthood。　There　is　none　to　be　made。　But　intensive　research　has　satisfied　me　that　neither　was　he　a　human　chicken　in　a　public…school　barnyard；　joining　mindlessly　in　the　ruin　of　a　weaker　hen　。。。
She　lay
（i　am　not　afraid　not　afraid　of　her）
on　her　bed　with　an　arm　thrown　over　her　eyes。　It　was　Saturday　night。　If　she　was　to　make　the　dress　she　had　in　mind；　she　would　have　to　start　tomorrow　at　the
（i'm　not　afraid　momma）
latest。　She　had　already　bought　the　material　at　John's　in　Westover。　The　heavy；　crumpled　velvet　richness　of　it　frightened　her。　The　price　had　also　frightened　her；　and　she　had　been　intimidated　by　the　size　of　the　place；　the　chic　ladies　wandering　here　and　here　in　their　light　spring　dresses；　examining　bolts　of　cloth。　There　was　an　echoing　strangeness　in　the　atmosphe