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第76节

classic mystery and detective stories-第76节

小说: classic mystery and detective stories 字数: 每页4000字

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spirit sobs; and now they were pressing on; crowding through the

room;eager; eager to reach their prey。  Nearer they came;nearer

still!  They were round my bed now!  Through my closed eyelids I

could almost see their dreadful shapes; in all my quivering flesh I

felt their terrors as they bent over me;lower; lower。 。 。 。



With a start I aroused myself and sat up。  Was I asleep or awake?

I was trembling all over still; and it required the greatest effort

of courage I had ever made to enable me to spring from my bed and

strike a light。  What a state my nerves or my digestion must be in!

From my childhood the wind had always affected me strangely; and I

blamed myself now for allowing my imagination to run away with me

at the first。  I found a novel which I had brought up to my room

with me; one of the modern; Chinese…American school; where human

nature is analyzed with the patient; industrious indifference of

the true Celestial。  I took the book to bed with me; and soon under

its soothing influences fell asleep。  I dreamt a good deal;

nightmares; the definite recollection of which; as is so often the

case; vanished from my mind as soon as I awoke; leaving only a

vague impression of horror。  They had been connected with the wind;

of that alone I was conscious; and I went down to breakfast;

maliciously hoping that others' rest had been as much disturbed as

my own。



To my surprise; however; I found that I had again been the only

sufferer。  Indeed; so impressed were most of the party with the

quiet in which their night had been passed; that they boldly

declared my storm to have been the creature of my dreams。  There is

nothing more annoying when you feel yourself aggrieved by fate than

to be told that your troubles have originated in your own fancy; so

I dropped the subject。  Though the discussion spread for a few

minutes round the whole table; Alan took no part in it。  Neither

did George; except for what I thought a rather unnecessarily rough

expression of his disbelief in the cause of my night's disturbance。

As we rose from breakfast I saw Alan glance towards his brother;

and make a movement; evidently with the purpose of speaking to him。

Whether or not George was aware of the look or action; I cannot

say; but at the same moment he made rapidly across the room to

where one of his principal guests was standing; and at once engaged

him in conversation。  So earnestly and so volubly was he borne on;

that they were still talking together when we ladies appeared again

some minutes later; prepared for our walk to church。  That was not

the only occasion during the day on which I witnessed as I thought

the same by…play going on。  Again and again Alan appeared to be

making efforts to engage George in private conversation; and again

and again the latter successfully eluded him。



The church was about a mile away from the house; and as Lucy did

not like having the carriages out on a Sunday; one service a week

as a rule contented the household。  In the afternoon we took the

usual Sunday walk。  On returning from it; I had just taken off my

outdoor things; and was issuing from my bedroom; when I found

myself face to face with Alan。  He was coming out of George's

study; and had succeeded apparently in obtaining that interview for

which he had been all day seeking。  One glance at his face told me

what its nature had been。  We paused opposite each other for a

moment; and he looked at me earnestly。



〃Are you going to church?〃 he inquired at last; abruptly。



〃No;〃 I answered; with some surprise。  〃I did not know that any one

was going this evening。〃



〃Will you come with me?〃



〃Yes; certainly; if you don't mind waiting a moment for me to put

my things on。〃



〃There's plenty of time;〃 he answered; 〃meet me in the hall。〃



A few minutes later we started。



It was a calm; cloudless night; and although the moon was not yet

half…full; and already past her meridian; she filled the clear air

with gentle light。  Not a word broke our silence。  Alan walked

hurriedly; looking straight before him; his head upright; his lips

twitching nervously; while every now and then a half…uttered moan

escaped unconsciously from between them。  At last I could bear it

no longer; and burst forth with the first remark which occurred to

me。  We were passing a big; black; queer…shaped stone standing in

rather a lonely uncultivated spot at one end of the garden。  It was

an old acquaintance of my childhood; but my thoughts had been

turned towards it now from the fact that I could see it from my

bedroom window; and had been struck afresh by its uncouth;

incongruous appearance。



〃Isn't there some story connected with that stone?〃 I asked。  〃I

remember that we always called it the Dead Stone as children。〃



Alan cast a quick; sidelong glance in that direction; and his brows

contracted in an irritable frown。  〃I don't know;〃 he answered

shortly; 〃they say that there is a woman buried beneath it; I

believe。〃



〃A woman buried there!〃 I exclaimed in surprise; 〃but who?〃



〃How should I know?  They know nothing whatever about it。  The

place is full of stupid traditions of that kind。〃  Then; looking

suspiciously round at me; 〃Why do you ask?〃



〃I don't know; it was just something to say;〃 I answered

plaintively。  His strange mood so worked upon my nerves; that it

was all that I could do to restrain my tears。  I think that my tone

struck his conscience; for he made a few feverish attempts at

conversation after that。  But they were so entirely abortive that

he soon abandoned the effort; and we finished our walk to church as

speechlessly as we had begun it。



The service was bright; and the sermon perhaps a little

commonplace; but sensible as it seemed to me in matter; and

adequate in style。  The peaceful evening hymn which followed; the

short solemn pause of silent prayer at the end; soothed and

refreshed my spirit。  A hasty glance at my companion's face as he

stood waiting for me in the porch; with the full light from the

church streaming round him; assured me that the same influence had

touched him too。  Haggard and sad he still looked; it is true; but

his features were composed; and the expression of actual pain had

left his eyes。



Silent as we had come we started homeward through the waning

moonlight; but this silence was of a very different nature to the

other; and after a minute or two I did not hesitate to break it。



〃It was a good sermon?〃 I observed; interrogatively。



〃Yes;〃 he assented; 〃I suppose you would call it so; but I confess

that I should have found the text more impressive without its

exposition。〃



〃Poor man!〃



〃But don't you often find it so?〃 he asked。  〃Do you not often

wish; to take this evening's instance; that clergymen would infuse

themselves with something of St。 Paul's own spirit?  Then perhaps

they would not water all the strength out of his words in their

efforts to explain them。〃



〃That is rather a large demand to make upon them; is it not?〃



〃Is it?〃 he questioned。  〃I don't ask them to be inspired saints。

I don't expect St。 Paul's breadth and depth of thought。  But could

they not have something of his vigorous completeness; something of

the intensity of his feeling and belief?  Look at the text of to…

night。  Did not the preacher's examples and applications take

something from its awful unqualified strength?〃



〃Awful!〃 I exclaimed; in surprise; 〃that is hardly the expression I

should have used in connection with those words。〃



〃Why not?〃



〃Oh; I don't know。  The text is very beautiful; of course; and at

times; when people are tiresome and one ought to be nice to them;

it is very difficult to act up to。  But〃



〃But you think that 'awful' is rather a big adjective to use for so

small a duty;〃 interposed Alan; and the moonlight showed the

flicker of a smile upon his face。  Then he continued; gravely; 〃I

doubt whether you yourself realize the full import of the words。

The precept of charity is not merely a code of rules by which to

order our conduct to our neighbors; it is the picture of a

spiritual condition; and such; where it exists in us; must by its

very nature be roused into activity by anything that affects us。

So with this particular injunction; every circumstance in our lives

is a challenge to it; and in presence of all alike it admits of one

attitude only: 'Beareth all things; endureth all things。'  I hope

it will be long before that 'all' sticks in your gizzard; Evie;

before you come face to face with things which nature cannot bear;

and yet which must be borne。〃



He stopped; his voice quivering; and then after a pause went on

again more calmly; 〃And throughout it is the same。  Moral precepts

everywhere; which will admit of no compromise; no limitation; and

yet which are at war with our strongest passions。  If one could

only interpose some 'unless;' some 'except

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