hemingway, ernest - islands in the stream-第4节
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e if I talk too much。 This has aroused me。 Heˇs got her feeling very bad。〃
¨What are you going to do about them now； Louis？〃
¨I been to get conch pearls；〃 he said。
They had stopped in the shade of a palm while he had been talking and he brought out a quite clean cloth from his pocket and unfolded it to show a half dozen of the shiny； nacreous pink； unpearllike pearls that are sometimes found in conches by the natives when they clean them and that no woman Thomas Hudson had ever known except Queen Mary of England has ever cared for as a gift。 Of course Thomas Hudson could not think that he knew Queen Mary except through the papers and in pictures and a profile of her in The New Yorker but the fact that she liked conch pearls made him feel that he knew her better than he knew many other people he had known for a long time。 Queen Mary liked conch pearls and the island was celebrating her birthday tonight； he thought； but he was afraid conch pearls would not make the gentlemanˇs lady feel very much better。 Then； too； it Was always possible that Queen Mary said she liked them to please her subjects in the Bahamas。
They had walked down to the Ponce de Le？n and Louis was saying； ¨His lady was crying； Mr。 Tom。 She was crying very bitterly。 So I suggested I might go up to Royˇs and get some conch pearls for her to inspect。〃
¨They ought to make her very happy；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨If she likes conch pearls。〃
¨I hope they will。 Iˇm taking them up now。〃
Thomas Hudson went into the bar where it was cool and almost dark after the glare of the coral road and had a gin and tonic water with a piece of lime peel in the glass and a few drops of Angostura in the drink。 Mr。 Bobby was behind the bar looking terrible。 Four Negro boys were playing billiards； occasionally lifting the table when necessary to bring off a difficult carom。 The singing had stopped upstairs and it was very quiet in the room except for the click of the balls。 Two of the crew of the yacht that was tied up in the slip were at the bar and as Thomas Hudsonˇs eyes adjusted to the light it was dim and cool and pleasant。 Louis came downstairs。
¨Gentlemanˇs asleep；〃 he said。 ¨I left the pearls with his lady。 Sheˇs looking at them and crying。〃
He saw the two sailors from the yacht look at each other but they didnˇt say anything。 He stood there； holding the long； pleasantly bitter drink； tasting the first swallow of it； and it reminded him of Tanga； Mombasa； and Lamu and all that coast and he had a sudden nostalgia for Africa。 Here he was； settled on the island； when he could as well be in Africa。 Hell； he thought； I can always go there。 You have to make it inside of yourself wherever you are。 You are doing all right at that here。
¨Tom； do you really like the taste of that stuff？〃 Bobby asked him。
¨Sure。 Or I wouldnˇt drink it。〃
¨I opened a bottle by mistake once and it tasted like quinine。〃
¨Itˇs got quinine in it。〃
¨People surely are crazy；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Man can drink anything he wants。 He has money to pay for it Heˇs supposed to be taking his pleasure and he spoils good gin by putting it into some kind of a Hindu drink with quinine in it。〃
¨It tastes good to me。 I like the quinine taste with the lime peel。 I think it sort of opens up the pores of the stomach or something。 I get more of a kick out of it than any other gin drink。 It makes me feel good。〃
¨I know。 Drinking always makes you feel good。 Drinking makes me feel terrible。 Whereˇs Roger？〃
Roger was a friend of Thomas Hudsonˇs； who had a fishing shack down the island。
¨He ought to be over soon。 Weˇre going to eat with Johnny Goodner。〃
¨What men like you and Roger Davis and Johnny Goodner that been around stay around this island for I donˇt know。〃
¨Itˇs a good island。 You stay here； donˇt you？〃
¨I stay to make a living。〃
¨You could make a living in Nassau。〃
¨Nassau； hell。 Thereˇs more fun here。 This is a good island for having fun。 Plenty money been made here； too。〃
¨I like to live here。〃
¨Sure；〃 said Bobby。 ¨I do； too。 You know that。 If I can make a living。 You sell those pictures you paint all the time？〃
¨They sell pretty good now。〃
¨People paying money for pictures of Uncle Edward。 Pictures of Negroes in the water。 Negroes on land。 Negroes in boats。 Turtle boats。 Sponge boats。 Squalls making up。 Waterspouts。 Schooners that got wrecked。 Schooners building。 Everything they could see free。 They really buy them？〃
¨Sure they buy them。 Once a year you have a show in New York and they sell them。〃
¨Auction them off？〃
¨No。 The dealer who shows them puts a price on them。 People buy them。 Museums buy one once in a while。〃
¨Canˇt you sell them yourself？〃
¨Sure。〃
¨Iˇd like to buy a waterspout；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Damn big waterspout。 Black as hell。 Maybe better two waterspouts going roaring over the flats making a noise so you canˇt hear。 Sucking all the water across and scare you to death。 Me in the dinghy sponging and nothing I can do。 Waterspout blow the water glass right out of my hand。 Almost suck the dinghy up out of the water。 Godˇs own hell of a waterspout。 How much would one like that cost？ I could hang it right here。 Or hang it up at home if it wouldnˇt scare the old woman to death。〃
¨It would depend on how big it was。〃
¨Make it as big as you want；〃 Bobby said grandly。 ¨You canˇt make a picture like that too damn big。 Put in three waterspouts。 I seen three waterspouts closer than that across by Andros Island one time。 They went right up to the sky and one sucked up a spongerˇs boat and when it dropped the motor went right through the hull。〃
¨Itˇs just what the canvas would cost；〃 Thomas Hudson said。 ¨Iˇd only charge for the canvas。〃
¨By God； get a big canvas then；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Weˇll paint waterspouts that will scare people right out of this bar and right off the damned island。〃
He was moved by the grandeur of the project but its possibilities were just opening up to him。
¨Tom； boy； do you think you could paint a full hurricane？ Paint her right in the eye of the storm when sheˇs already blew from one side and calmed and just starting from the other？ Put in everything from the Negroes lashed in the coconut palms to the ships blowing over the crest of the island？ Put in the big hotel going。 Put in two…by…fours sailing through the air like lances and dead pelicans blowing by like they were part of the gusts of rain。 Have the glass down to twenty…seven and the wind velocities blown away。 Have the sea breaking on the ten…fathom bar and the moon come out in the eye of the storm。 Have a tidal wave come up and submerge every living thing。 Have women blown out to sea with their clothes stripped from them by the wind。 Have dead Negroes floating everywhere and flying through the air〃
¨Itˇs an awfully big canvas；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨To hell with the canvas！〃 Bobby said。 ¨Iˇll get a mainsail off a schooner。 Weˇll paint the greatest goddam pictures in the world and live throughout history。 Youˇve just been painting these little simple pictures。〃
¨Iˇll start on the waterspouts；〃 Thomas Hudson said。
¨Right；〃 said Bobby； hating to come back from the big project。 ¨Thatˇs sound。 But by God we can make some great pictures with the knowledge you and Iˇve got and with the training youˇve put in already。〃
¨Iˇll start on the waterspouts tomorrow。〃
¨Good；〃 said Bobby。 ¨Thatˇs a beginning。 But by God Iˇd like us to paint that hurricane； too。 Anybody ever paint the sinking of the Titanic？〃
¨Not on a really big scale。〃
¨We could paint that。 Thereˇs a subject that always appealed to my imagination。 You could get in the coldness of the iceberg as it moved off after they struck it。 Paint the whole thing in a dense fog。 Get in every detail。 Get that man that got in the boat with the women because he thought he could help because he was a yachtsman。 Paint him getting into the boat stepping on a few women just as big as life。 He reminds me of that fellow we got upstairs now。 Why donˇt you go upstairs and make a drawing of that one while heˇs asleep and use him in the painting？〃
¨I think we better just start with the waterspouts。〃
¨Tom； I want you to be a big painter；〃 Bobby said。 ¨Leave all that chicken stuff behind。 Youˇve just been wasting yourself。 Why thereˇs three paintings weˇve outlined together in less than half an hour and I havenˇt even started to draw on my imagination。 And what have you been doing up until now？ Painting a Negro turning a loggerhead turtle on the beach。 Not even a green turtle。 A common loggerhead。 Or painting two Negroes in a dinghy bullying a mess of crawfish。 Youˇve wasted your life； man。〃 He stopped and had a quick one from underneath the bar。
¨That donˇt count；〃 he said。 ¨You never saw me take that one。 Look； Tom； those are three great paintings。 Big paintings。 Worldwide paintings。 Fit to hang in the Crystal Palace alongside the masterpieces of all time。 Except the first； of course； is a small subject。 But we havenˇt started yet。 No reason why we canˇt paint one to end them all。 What do you think of this？〃
He took a very quick o
