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第22节

the turmoil-第22节

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other people in the carriage I came in; and of  course they didn't think to

wait for me。  That's why〃



〃Yes;〃 said Bibbs; 〃I〃  And that seemed all he had to say just then。



Mary looked out through the dusty window。  〃I think we'd better be going

home; if you please;〃 she said。



〃Yes;〃 Bibbs agreed; not moving。  〃It will be dark before we get there。〃



She gave him a quick little glance。  〃I think you must be very tired; Mr。

Sheridan; and I know you have reason to be;〃 she said; gently。  〃If  you'll

let me; I'll〃  And without explaining her purpose she opened  the door on

her side of the coupe and leaned out。



Bibbs started in blank perplexity; not knowing what she meant to do。



〃Driver!〃 she called; in her clear voice; loudly。  〃Driver! We'd like to

start; please!  Driver!  Stop at the house just north of Mr。 Sheridan's;

please。〃  The wheels began to move; and she leaned back beside Bibbs once

more。  〃I noticed that he was asleep when we got in;〃 she said。   〃I  suppose

they have a great deal of night work。〃



Bibbs drew a long breath and waited till he could command his voice。   〃I've

never been able to apologize quickly;〃 he said; with his accustomed  slowness;

〃because if I try to I stammer。  My brother Roscoe whipped me  once; when we

were boys; for stepping on his slate…pencil。  It took me so  long to tell him

it was an accident; he finished before I did。〃



Mary Vertrees had never heard anything quite like the drawling; gentle  voice

or the odd implication that his not noticing the motionless state  of their

vehicle was an 〃accident。〃  She had formed a casual impression  of him; not

without sympathy; but at once she discovered that he was  unlike any of her

cursory and vague imaginings of him。  And suddenly she  saw a picture he had

not intended to paint for sympathy: a sturdy boy  hammering a smaller; sickly

boy; and the sickly boy unresentful。  Not  that picture alone; others flashed

before her。  Instantaneously she had a  glimpse of Bibbs's life and into his

life。   She had a queer feeling; new  to her experience; of knowing him

instantly。  It startled her a litttle;  and then; with some surprise; she

realized that she was glad he had sat so  long; after getting into the coupe;

before he noticed that it had not  started。  What she did not realize;

however; was that she had made no  response to his apology; and they passed

out of the cemetery gates;  neither having spoken again。



Bibbs was so content with the silence he did not know that it was  silence。

The dusk; gathering in their small inclosure; was filled with a  rich presence

for him; and presently it was so dark that neither of the  two could see the

other; nor did even their garments touch。  But neither  had any sense of being

alone。  The wheels creaked steadily; rumbling  presently on paved streeets;

there were the sounds; as from a distance; of  the plod…plod of the horses;

and sometimes the driver became audible;  coughing asthmatically; or saying;

〃You; JOE!〃 with a spiritless flap of  the whip upon an unresponsive back。

Oblongs of light from the lamps at  street…corners came swimming into the

interior of the coupe and; thinning  rapidly to lances; passed utterly;

leaving greater darkness。  And yet  neither of these two last attendants at

Jim Sheridan's funeral broke the  silence。



It was Mary who preceived the strangeness of ittoo late。  Abruptly  she

realized that for an indefinite interval she had been thinking of her

companion and not talking to him。  〃Mr。 Sheridan;〃 she began; not knowing

what she was going to say; but impelled to say anything; as she realized  the

queerness of this drive〃Mr。 Sheridan; I〃



The coupe stopped。  〃You; JOE!〃 said the driver; reproachfully; and  climbed

down and opened the door。



〃What's the trouble?〃 Bibbs inquired。



〃Lady said stop at the first house north of Mr。 Sheridan's; sir。〃



Mary was incredulous; she felt that it couldn't be true and that it  mustn't

be true that they had driven all the way without speaking。



〃What?〃 Bibbs demanded。



〃We're there; sir;〃 said the driver; sympathetically。  〃Next house north  of

Mr。 Sheridan's。〃



Bibbs descended to the curb。  〃Why; yes;〃 he said。  〃Yes; you seem to be

right。〃  And while he stood staring at the dimly illuminated front  windows of

Mr。 Vertrees's house Mary got out; unassisted。



〃Let me help you;〃 said Bibbs; stepping toward her mechanically; and she  was

several feet from the coupe when he spoke。



〃Oh no;〃 she murmured。  〃I think I can〃  She meant that she could get  out

of the coupe without help; but; perceiving that she had already  accomplished

this feat; she decided not to complete the sentence。



〃You; JOE!〃 cried the driver; angrily; climbing to his box。  And he  rumbled

away at his team's best pacea snail's。



〃Thank you for bringing me home; Mr。 Sheridan;〃 said Mary; stiffly。  She  did

not offer her hand。  〃Good night。〃



〃Good night;〃 Bibbs said in response; and; turning with her; walked  beside

her to the door。  Mary made that a short walk; she almost ran。   Realization

of the queerness of their drive was growing upon her;  beginning to shock her;

she stepped aside from the light that fell  through the glass panels of the

door and withheld her hand as it touched  the old…fashioned bell…handle。



〃I'm quite safe; thank you;〃 she said; with a little emphasis。  〃Good night。〃



〃Good night;〃 said Bibbs; and went obediently。  When he reached the  street he

looked back; but she had vanished within the house。



Moving slowly away; he caromed against two people who were turning out  from

the pavement to cross the street。  They were Roscoe and his wife。



〃Where are your eyes; Bibbs?〃 demanded Roscoe。  〃Sleep…walking; as usual?〃



But Sibyl took the wanderer by the arm。  〃Come over to our house for a  little

while; Bibbs;〃 she urged。  〃I want to〃



〃No; I'd better〃



〃Yes。  I want you to。  Your father's gone to bed; and they're all quiet  over

thereall worn out。  Just come for a minute。〃



He yielded; and when they were in the house she repeated herself with  real

feeling: 〃'All worn out!'  Well; if anybody is; YOU are; Bibbs!  And  I don't

wonder; you've done every bit of the work of it。  You mustn't get  down sick

again。  I'm going to make you take a little brandy。〃



He let her have her own way; following her into the dining…room; and was

grateful when she brought him a tiny glass filled from one of the  decanters

on the sideboard。  Roscoe gloomily poured for himself a much  heavier libation

in a larger glass; and the two men sat; while Sibyl  leaned against the

sideboard; reviewing the episodes of the day and  recalling the names of the

donors of flowers and wreaths。  She pressed  Bibbs to remain longer when he

rose to go; and then; as he persisted; she  went with him to the front door。

He opened it; and she said:



〃Bibbs; you were coming out of the Vertreeses' house when we met you。   How

did you happen to be there?〃



〃I had only been to the door;〃 he said。  〃Good night; Sibyl。〃



〃Wait;〃 she insisted。  〃We saw you coming out。〃



〃I wasn't;〃 he explained; moving to depart。  〃I'd just brought Miss  Vertrees

home。〃



〃What?〃 she cried。



〃Yes;〃 he said; and stepped out upon the porch; 〃that was it。  Good  night;

Sibyl。〃



〃Wait!〃 she said; following him across the threshold。  〃How did that  happen?

I thought you were going to wait while those men filled the the〃  She

paused; but moved nearer him insistently。



〃I did wait。  Miss Vertrees was there;〃 he said; reluctantly。  〃She had

walked away for a while and didn't notice that the carriages were  leaving。

When she came back the coupe waiting for me was the only one left。〃



She regarded him with dilating eyes。  She spoke with a slow  breathlessness。

〃And she drove home from Jim's funeralwith you!〃



Without warning she burst into laughter; clapped her hand ineffectually  over

her mouth; and ran back uproariously into the house; hurling the  door shut

behind her。





Bibbs went home pondering。  He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed。   The

laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion; but it  seemed to

him that she had only affected to effort to suppress it and  that she wished

it to be significant。  Significant of what?  And why had  she wished to

impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?   He found no answer;

but she had succeeded in disturbing him; and he  wished that he had not

encountered her。



At home; uncles; aunts; and cousins from out of town were wandering about  the

house; several mournfully admiring the 〃Bay of Naples;〃 and others  occupied

with the Moor and the plumbing; while they waited for trains。   Edith and her

mother had retired to some upper fastness; but Bibbs  interviewed Jackson and

had the various groups of relatives summoned to  the dining…room for food。

One great…uncle; ol

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