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第12节

falk-第12节

小说: falk 字数: 每页4000字

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nese theatres across the water made; in the sparsely

twinkling masses of gloom an Eastern town pre…

sents at night; blazing centres of light; and of a

distant and howling uproar。  I felt him become

suddenly tractable again like an animal; like a

good…tempered horse when the object that scares

him is removed。  Yes。  I felt in the darkness there

how tractable he was; without my conviction of his

inflexibilitytenacity; rather; perhapsbeing in

the least weakened。  His very arm abandoning it…

self to my grasp was as hard as marblelike a limb

of iron。  But I heard a tumultuous scuffling of

boot…soles within。  The unspeakable idiots inside

were crowding to the windows; climbing over each

other's backs behind the blinds; billiard cues and all。

Somebody broke a window pane; and with the sound

of falling glass; so suggestive of riot and devasta…

tion; Schomberg reeled out after us in a state of

funk which had prevented his parting with his

brandy and soda。  He must have trembled like an

aspen leaf。  The piece of ice in the long tumbler

he held in his hand tinkled with an effect of chat…

tering teeth。  〃I beg you; gentlemen;〃 he expost…

ulated thickly。  〃Come!  Really; now; I must in…

sist 。 。 。〃



How proud I am of my presence of mind!

〃Hallo;〃 I said instantly in a loud and naive tone;

〃somebody's breaking your windows; Schomberg。

Would you please tell one of your boys to bring

out here a pack of cards and a couple of lights?

And two long drinks。  Will you?〃



To receive an order soothed him at once。  It was

business。  〃Certainly;〃 he said in an immensely

relieved tone。  The night was rainy; with wander…

ing gusts of wind; and while we waited for the can…

dles Falk said; as if to justify his panic; 〃I don't

interfere in anybody's business。  I don't give any

occasion for talk。  I am a respectable man。  But

this fellow is always making out something wrong;

and can never rest till he gets somebody to believe

him。〃



This was the first of my knowledge of Falk。

This desire of respectability; of being like every…

body else; was the only recognition he vouchsafed

to the organisation of mankind。  For the rest he

might have been the member of a herd; not of a so…

ciety。  Self…preservation was his only concern。

Not selfishness; but mere self…preservation。  Sel…

fishness presupposes consciousness; choice; the pres…

ence of other men; but his instinct acted as though

he were the last of mankind nursing that law like

the only spark of a sacred fire。  I don't mean to

say that living naked in a cavern would have satis…

fied him。  Obviously he was the creature of the

conditions to which he was born。  No doubt self…

preservation meant also the preservation of these

conditions。  But essentially it meant something

much more simple; natural; and powerful。  How

shall I express it?  It meant the preservation of the

five senses of his bodylet us saytaking it in its

narrowest as well as in its widest meaning。  I think

you will admit before long the justice of this judg…

ment。  However; as we stood there together in the

dark verandah I had judged nothing as yetand

I had no desire to judgewhich is an idle practice

anyhow。  The light was long in coming。



〃Of course;〃 I said in a tone of mutual under…

standing; 〃it isn't exactly a game of cards I want

with you。〃



I saw him draw his hands down his facethe

vague stir of the passionate and meaningless ges…

ture; but he waited in silent patience。  It was only

when the lights had been brought out that he

opened his lips。  I understood his mumble to mean

that 〃he didn't know any game。〃



〃Like this Schomberg and all the other fools

will have to keep off;〃 I said tearing open the pack。

〃Have you heard that we are universally supposed

to be quarrelling about a girl?  You know who

of course。  I am really ashamed to ask; but is it

possible that you do me the honour to think me dan…

gerous?〃



As I said these words I felt how absurd it was

and also I felt flatteredfor; really; what else

could it be?  His answer; spoken in his usual dis…

passionate undertone; made it clear that it was so;

but not precisely as flattering as I supposed。  He

thought me dangerous with Hermann; more than

with the girl herself; but; as to quarrelling; I saw

at once how inappropriate the word was。  We had

no quarrel。  Natural forces are not quarrelsome。

You can't quarrel with the wind that inconveniences

and humiliates you by blowing off your hat in a

street full of people。  He had no quarrel with me。

Neither would a boulder; falling on my head; have

had。  He fell upon me in accordance with the law

by which he was movednot of gravitation; like a

detached stone; but of self…preservation。  Of course

this is giving it a rather wide interpretation。

Strictly speaking; he had existed and could have

existed without being married。  Yet he told me that

he had found it more and more difficult to live

alone。  Yes。  He told me this in his low; careless

voice; to such a pitch of confidence had we arrived

at the end of half an hour。



It took me just about that time to convince him

that I had never dreamed of marrying Hermann's

niece。  Could any necessity have been more extrava…

gant?  And the difficulty was the greater because

he was so hard hit that he couldn't imagine any…

body being able to remain in a state of indifference。

Any man with eyes in his head; he seemed to think;

could not help coveting so much bodily magnifi…

cence。  This profound belief was conveyed by the

manner he listened sitting sideways to the table and

playing absently with a few cards I had dealt to

him at random。  And the more I saw into him the

more I saw of him。  The wind swayed the lights

so that his sunburnt face; whiskered to the eyes;

seemed to successively flicker crimson at me and to

go out。  I saw the extraordinary breadth of the

high cheek…bones; the perpendicular style of the

features; the massive forehead; steep like a cliff;

denuded at the top; largely uncovered at the tem…

ples。  The fact is I had never before seen him with…

out his hat; but now; as if my fervour had made

him hot; he had taken it off and laid it gently on

the floor。  Something peculiar in the shape and

setting of his yellow eyes gave them the provoking

silent intensity which characterised his glance。

But the face was thin; furrowed; worn; I discov…

ered that through the bush of his hair; as you may

detect the gnarled shape of a tree trunk lost in a

dense undergrowth。  These overgrown cheeks were

sunken。  It was an anchorite's bony head fitted with

a Capuchin's beard and adjusted to a herculean

body。  I don't mean athletic。  Hercules; I take it;

was not an athlete。  He was a strong man; suscep…

tible to female charms; and not afraid of dirt。

And thus with Falk; who was a strong man。  He

was extremely strong; just as the girl (since I

must think of them together) was magnificently at…

tractive by the masterful power of flesh and blood;

expressed in shape; in size; in attitudethat is by

a straight appeal to the senses。  His mind mean…

time; preoccupied with respectability; quailed be…

fore Schomberg's tongue and seemed absolutely

impervious to my protestations; and I went so far

as to protest that I would just as soon think of

marrying my mother's (dear old lady!) faithful

female cook as Hermann's niece。  Sooner; I pro…

tested; in my desperation; much sooner; but it did

not appear that he saw anything outrageous in the

proposition; and in his sceptical immobility he

seemed to nurse the argument that at all events the

cook was very; very far away。  It must be said that;

just before; I had gone wrong by appealing to the

evidence of my manner whenever I called on board

the Diana。  I had never attempted to approach the

girl; or to speak to her; or even to look at her in any

marked way。  Nothing could be clearer。  But; as

his own idea oflet us saycourting; seemed to

consist precisely in sitting silently for hours in the

vicinity of the beloved object; that line of argu…

ment inspired him with distrust。  Staring down his

extended legs he let out a gruntas much as to

say; 〃That's all very fine; but you can't throw dust

in MY eyes。〃



At last I was exasperated into saying; 〃Why

don't you put the matter at rest by talking to Her…

mann?〃 and I added sneeringly: 〃You don't ex…

pect me perhaps to speak for you?〃



To this he said; very loud for him; 〃Would

you?〃



And for the first time he lifted his head to look

at me with wonder and incredulity。  He lifted his

head so sharply that there could be no mistake。  I

had touched a spring。  I saw the whole extent of

my opportunity; and could hardly believe in it。



〃Why。  Speak to 。 。 。  Well; of course;〃 I

proceeded very slowly; watching him with great at…

tention; for; on my word; I feared a joke。  〃Not;

perhaps; to the you

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