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小说: the holly-tree 字数: 每页4000字

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discerned; going on before him at a curious fitfully bounding pace;

what he at first supposed to be a gig…umbrella that had been blown

from some conveyance; but what he presently believed to be a lean

dwarf man upon a little pony。  Having followed this object for some

distance without gaining on it; and having called to it many times

without receiving any answer; he pursued it for miles and miles;

when; at length coming up with it; he discovered it to be the last

bustard in Great Britain; degenerated into a wingless state; and

running along the ground。  Resolved to capture him or perish in the

attempt; he closed with the bustard; but the bustard; who had formed

a counter…resolution that he should do neither; threw him; stunned

him; and was last seen making off due west。  This weird main; at

that stage of metempsychosis; may have been a sleep…walker or an

enthusiast or a robber; but I awoke one night to find him in the

dark at my bedside; repeating the Athanasian Creed in a terrific

voice。  I paid my bill next day; and retired from the county with

all possible precipitation。



That was not a commonplace story which worked itself out at a little

Inn in Switzerland; while I was staying there。  It was a very homely

place; in a village of one narrow zigzag street; among mountains;

and you went in at the main door through the cow…house; and among

the mules and the dogs and the fowls; before ascending a great bare

staircase to the rooms; which were all of unpainted wood; without

plastering or papering;like rough packing…cases。  Outside there

was nothing but the straggling street; a little toy church with a

copper…coloured steeple; a pine forest; a torrent; mists; and

mountain…sides。  A young man belonging to this Inn had disappeared

eight weeks before (it was winter…time); and was supposed to have

had some undiscovered love affair; and to have gone for a soldier。

He had got up in the night; and dropped into the village street from

the loft in which he slept with another man; and he had done it so

quietly; that his companion and fellow…labourer had heard no

movement when he was awakened in the morning; and they said; 〃Louis;

where is Henri?〃  They looked for him high and low; in vain; and

gave him up。  Now; outside this Inn; there stood; as there stood

outside every dwelling in the village; a stack of firewood; but the

stack belonging to the Inn was higher than any of the rest; because

the Inn was the richest house; and burnt the most fuel。  It began to

be noticed; while they were looking high and low; that a Bantam

cock; part of the live stock of the Inn; put himself wonderfully out

of his way to get to the top of this wood…stack; and that he would

stay there for hours and hours; crowing; until he appeared in danger

of splitting himself。  Five weeks went on;six weeks;and still

this terrible Bantam; neglecting his domestic affairs; was always on

the top of the wood…stack; crowing the very eyes out of his head。

By this time it was perceived that Louis had become inspired with a

violent animosity towards the terrible Bantam; and one morning he

was seen by a woman; who sat nursing her goitre at a little window

in a gleam of sun; to catch up a rough billet of wood; with a great

oath; hurl it at the terrible Bantam crowing on the wood…stack; and

bring him down dead。  Hereupon the woman; with a sudden light in her

mind; stole round to the back of the wood…stack; and; being a good

climber; as all those women are; climbed up; and soon was seen upon

the summit; screaming; looking down the hollow within; and crying;

〃Seize Louis; the murderer!  Ring the church bell!  Here is the

body!〃  I saw the murderer that day; and I saw him as I sat by my

fire at the Holly…Tree Inn; and I see him now; lying shackled with

cords on the stable litter; among the mild eyes and the smoking

breath of the cows; waiting to be taken away by the police; and

stared at by the fearful village。  A heavy animal;the dullest

animal in the stables;with a stupid head; and a lumpish face

devoid of any trace of insensibility; who had been; within the

knowledge of the murdered youth; an embezzler of certain small

moneys belonging to his master; and who had taken this hopeful mode

of putting a possible accuser out of his way。  All of which he

confessed next day; like a sulky wretch who couldn't be troubled any

more; now that they had got hold of him; and meant to make an end of

him。  I saw him once again; on the day of my departure from the Inn。

In that Canton the headsman still does his office with a sword; and

I came upon this murderer sitting bound; to a chair; with his eyes

bandaged; on a scaffold in a little market…place。  In that instant;

a great sword (loaded with quicksilver in the thick part of the

blade) swept round him like a gust of wind or fire; and there was no

such creature in the world。  My wonder was; not that he was so

suddenly dispatched; but that any head was left unreaped; within a

radius of fifty yards of that tremendous sickle。



That was a good Inn; too; with the kind; cheerful landlady and the

honest landlord; where I lived in the shadow of Mont Blanc; and

where one of the apartments has a zoological papering on the walls;

not so accurately joined but that the elephant occasionally rejoices

in a tiger's hind legs and tail; while the lion puts on a trunk and

tusks; and the bear; moulting as it were; appears as to portions of

himself like a leopard。  I made several American friends at that

Inn; who all called Mont Blanc Mount Blank;except one good…

humoured gentleman; of a very sociable nature; who became on such

intimate terms with it that he spoke of it familiarly as 〃Blank;〃

observing; at breakfast; 〃Blank looks pretty tall this morning;〃 or

considerably doubting in the courtyard in the evening; whether there

warn't some go…ahead naters in our country; sir; that would make out

the top of Blank in a couple of hours from first startnow!



Once I passed a fortnight at an Inn in the North of England; where I

was haunted by the ghost of a tremendous pie。  It was a Yorkshire

pie; like a fort;an abandoned fort with nothing in it; but the

waiter had a fixed idea that it was a point of ceremony at every

meal to put the pie on the table。  After some days I tried to hint;

in several delicate ways; that I considered the pie done with; as;

for example; by emptying fag…ends of glasses of wine into it;

putting cheese…plates and spoons into it; as into a basket; putting

wine…bottles into it; as into a cooler; but always in vain; the pie

being invariably cleaned out again and brought up as before。  At

last; beginning to be doubtful whether I was not the victim of a

spectral illusion; and whether my health and spirits might not sink

under the horrors of an imaginary pie; I cut a triangle out of it;

fully as large as the musical instrument of that name in a powerful

orchestra。  Human provision could not have foreseen the resultbut

the waiter mended the pie。  With some effectual species of cement;

he adroitly fitted the triangle in again; and I paid my reckoning

and fled。



The Holly…Tree was getting rather dismal。  I made an overland

expedition beyond the screen; and penetrated as far as the fourth

window。  Here I was driven back by stress of weather。  Arrived at my

winter…quarters once more; I made up the fire; and took another Inn。



It was in the remotest part of Cornwall。  A great annual Miners'

Feast was being holden at the Inn; when I and my travelling

companions presented ourselves at night among the wild crowd that

were dancing before it by torchlight。  We had had a break…down in

the dark; on a stony morass some miles away; and I had the honour of

leading one of the unharnessed post…horses。  If any lady or

gentleman; on perusal of the present lines; will take any very tall

post…horse with his traces hanging about his legs; and will conduct

him by the bearing…rein into the heart of a country dance of a

hundred and fifty couples; that lady or gentleman will then; and

only then; form an adequate idea of the extent to which that post…

horse will tread on his conductor's toes。  Over and above which; the

post…horse; finding three hundred people whirling about him; will

probably rear; and also lash out with his hind legs; in a manner

incompatible with dignity or self…respect on his conductor's part。

With such little drawbacks on my usually impressive aspect; I

appeared at this Cornish Inn; to the unutterable wonder of the

Cornish Miners。  It was full; and twenty times full; and nobody

could be received but the post…horse;though to get rid of that

noble animal was something。  While my fellow…travellers and I were

discussing how to pass the night and so much of the next day as must

intervene before the jovial blacksmith and the jovial wheelwright

would be in a condition to go out on the morass and mend the coach;

an honest man stepped forth from the crowd and proposed his unle

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