when the world shook-第45节

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reflection　he　might　be　unjust　to　Oro　in　this　particular；　since　he

never　told　that　story；　it　was　only　shown　in　some　pictures　which

very　likely　were　just　made　up　to　astonish　us。　Meanwhile；　it　was

his　business　to　preach　to　this　old　sinner　down　in　that　hole；　and

he　confessed　honestly　that　he　did　not　like　the　job。　Still；　it

must　be　done；　so　with　our　leave　he　would　go　apart　and　seek

inspiration；　which　at　present　seemed　to　be　quite　lacking。



Thus　declaimed　Bastin　and　departed。



〃Don't　you　tell　your　opinion　about　the　Deluge　or　he　may　cause

another　just　to　show　that　you　are　wrong；〃　called　Bickley　after

him。



〃I　can't　help　that；〃　answered　Bastin。　〃Certainly　I　shall　not

hide　the　truth　to　save　Oro's　feelings；　if　he　has　got　any。　If　he

revenges　himself　upon　us　in　any　way；　we　must　just　put　up　with　it

like　other　martyrs。〃



〃I　haven't　the　slightest　ambition　to　be　a　martyr；〃　said

Bickley。



〃No；〃　shouted　Bastin　from　a　little　distance；　〃I　am　quite　aware

of　that；　as　you　have　often　said　so　before。　Therefore；　if　you

become　one；　I　am　sorry　to　say　that　I　do　not　see　how　you　can

expect　any　benefit。　You　would　only　be　like　a　man　who　puts　a

sovereign　into　the　offertory　bag　in　mistake　for　a　shilling。　The

extra　nineteen　shillings　will　do　him　no　good　at　all；　since　in　his

heart　he　regrets　the　error　and　wishes　that　he　could　have　them

back。〃



Then　he　departed；　leaving　me　laughing。　But　Bickley　did　not

laugh。



〃Arbuthnot；〃　he　said；　〃I　have　come　to　the　conclusion　that　I

have　gone　quite　mad。　I　beg　you　if　I　should　show　signs　of

homicidal　mania；　which　I　feel　developing　in　me　where　Bastin　is

concerned；　or　of　other　abnormal　violence；　that　you　will　take

whatever　steps　you　consider　necessary；　even　to　putting　me　out　of

the　way　if　that　is　imperative。〃



〃What　do　you　mean？〃　I　asked。　〃You　seem　sane　enough。〃



〃Sane；　when　I　believe　that　I　have　seen　and　experienced　a　great

number　of　things　which　I　know　it　to　be　quite　impossible　that　I

should　have　seen　or　experienced。　The　only　explanation　is　that　I

am　suffering　from　delusions。〃



〃Then　is　Bastin　suffering　from　delusions；　too？〃



〃Certainly；　but　that　is　nothing　new　in　his　case。〃



〃I　don't　agree　with　you；　Bickleyabout　Bastin；　I　mean。　I　am　by

no　means　certain　that　he　is　not　the　wisest　of　the　three　of　us。　He

has　a　faith　and　he　sticks　to　it；　as　millions　have　done　before

him；　and　that　is　better　than　making　spiritual　experiments；　as　I

am　sorry　to　say　I　do；　or　rejecting　things　because　one　cannot

understand　them；　as　you　do；　which　is　only　a　form　of　intellectual

vanity。〃



〃I　won't　argue　the　matter；　Arbuthnot；　it　is　of　no　use。　I　repeat

that　I　am　mad；　and　Bastin　is　mad。〃



〃How　about　me？　I　also　saw　and　experienced　these　things。　Am　I

mad；　too？〃



〃You　ought　to　be；　Arbuthnot。　If　it　isn't　enough　to　drive　a　man

mad　when　he　sees　himself　exactly　reproduced　in　an　utterly

impossible　moving…picture　show　exhibited　by　an　utterly　impossible

young　woman　in　an　utterly　impossible　underground　city；　then　I

don't　know　what　is。



〃What　do　you　mean？〃　I　asked；　starting。



〃Mean？　Well；　if　you　didn't　notice　it；　there's　hope　for　you。〃



〃Notice　what？〃



〃All　that　envoy　scene。　There；　as　I　thought；　appeared　Yva。　Do

you　admit　that？〃



〃Of　course；　there　could　be　no　mistake　on　that　point。〃



〃Very　well。　Then　according　to　my　version　there　came　a　man；

still　young；　dressed　in　outlandish　clothes；　who　made　propositions

of　peace　and　wanted　to　marry　Yva；　who　wanted　to　marry　him。　Is

that　right？〃



〃Absolutely。〃



〃Well；　and　didn't　you　recognise　the　man？〃



〃No；　I　only　noticed　that　he　was　a　fine…looking　fellow　whose

appearance　reminded　me　of　someone。〃



〃I　suppose　it　must　be　true；〃　mused　Bickley；　〃that　we　do　not

know　ourselves。〃



〃So　the　old　Greek　thought；　since　he　urged　that　this　should　be

our　special　study。　'Know　thyself；'　you　remember。〃



〃I　meant　physically；　not　intellectually。　Arbuthnot；　do　you　mean

to　tell　me　that　you　did　not　recognise　your　own　double　in　that

man？　Shave　off　your　beard　and　put　on　his　clothes　and　no　one　could

distinguish　you　apart。〃



　I　sprang　up；　dropping　my　pipe。



〃Now　you　mention　it；〃　I　said　slowly；　〃I　suppose　there　was　a

resemblance。　I　didn't　look　at　him　very　much；　I　was　studying　the

simulacrum　of　Yva。　Also；　you　know　it　is　some　time　sinceI　mean；

there　are　no　pier…glasses　in　Orofena。〃



〃The　man　was　you；〃　went　on　Bickley　with　conviction。　〃If　I　were

superstitious　I　should　think　it　a　queer　sort　of　omen。　But　as　I　am

not；　I　know　that　I　must　be　mad。〃



〃Why？　After　all；　an　ancient　man　and　a　modern　man　might　resemble

each　other。〃



〃There　are　degrees　in　resemblance；〃　said　Bickley　with　one　of

his　contemptuous　snorts。　〃It　won't　do；　Humphrey；　my　boy；〃　he

added。　〃I　can　only　think　of　one　possible　explanationoutside　of

the　obvious　one　of　madness。〃



〃What　is　that？〃



〃The　Glittering　Lady　produced　what　Bastin　called　that

cinematograph　show　in　some　way　or　other；　did　she　not？　She　said

that　in　order　to　do　this　she　loosed　some　hidden　forces。　I　suggest

that　she　did　nothing　of　the　sort。〃



〃Then　whence　did　the　pictures　come　and　why？〃



〃From　her　own　brain；　in　order　to　impress　us　with　a　cock…and…

bull；　fairy…book　story。　If　this　were　so　she　would　quite　naturally

fill　the　role　of　the　lover　of　the　piece　with　the　last　man　who　had

happened　to　impress　her。　Hence　the　resemblance。〃



〃You　presuppose　a　great　deal；　Bickley；　including　supernatural

cunning　and　unexampled　hypnotic　influence。　I　don't　know；　first；

why　she　should　be　so　anxious　to　add　another　impression　to　the

many　we　have　received　in　this　place；　and；　secondly；　if　she　was；

how　she　managed　to　mesmerise　three　average　but　totally　different

men　into　seeing　the　same　things。　My　explanation　is　that　you　were

deceived　as　to　the　likeness；　which；　mind　you；　I　did　not

recognise；　nor；　apparently；　did　Bastin。〃



〃Bastin　never　recognises　anything。　But　if　you　are　in　doubt；　ask

Yva　herself。　She　ought　to　know。　Now　I'm　off　to　try　to　analyse

that　confounded　Life…water；　which　I　suspect　is　of　the　ordinary

spring　variety；　lightened　up　with　natural　carbonic　acid　gas　and

possibly　not　uninfluenced　by　radium。　The　trouble　is　that　here　I

can　only　apply　some　very　elementary　tests。〃



So　he　went　also；　in　an　opposite　direction　to　Bastin；　and　I　was

left　alone　with　Tommy；　who　annoyed　me　much　by　attempting

continually　to　wander　off　into　the　cave；　whence　I　must　recall

him。　I　suppose　that　my　experiences　of　the　day；　reviewed　beneath

the　sweet　influences　of　the　wonderful　tropical　night；　affected

me。　At　any　rate；　that　mystical　side　of　my　nature；　to　which　I

think　I　alluded　at　the　beginning　of　this　record；　sprang　into

active　and；　in　a　sense；　unholy　life。　The　normal　vanished；　the

abnormal　took　possession；　and　that　is　unholy　to　most　of　us

creatures　of　habit　and　tradition；　at　any　rate；　if　we　are　British。

I　lost　my　footing　on　the　world；　my　spirit　began　to　wander　in

strange　places；　of　course；　always　supposing　that　we　have　a

spirit；　which　Bickley　would　deny。



I　gave　up　reason；　I　surrendered　myself　to　unreason；　it　is　a　not

unpleasant　process；　occasionally。　Supposing　now　that　all　we　see

and　accept　is　but　the　merest　fragment　of　the　truth；　or　perhaps

only　a　refraction　thereof？　Supposing　that　we　do　live　again　and

again；　and　that　our　animating　principle；　whatever　it　might　be；

does　inhabit　various　bodies；　which；　naturally　enough；　it　would

shape　to　its　own　taste　and　likeness？　Would　that　taste　and

likeness　vary　so　very　much　over；　let　us　say；　a　million　years　or

so；　which；　after　all；　is　but　an　hour；　or　a　minute；　in　the　aeons

of　Eternity？



On　this　hypothesis；　which　is　so　wild　that　one　begins　to　suspect

that　it　may　be　true；　was　it　impossible　that　I　and　that　murdered

man　of　the　far　past　were　in　fact　identical？　If　the　woman　were　the

same；　preserved　across　the　gulf　in　some　unknown　fashion；　why

should　not　her　lover　be　the　same？　What　did　I　sayher　lover？　Was

I　her　lover？　No；　I　was　the　lover　of　one　who　had　diedmy　lost

wife。　Well；　if　I　had　died　and　lived　again；　why　should　notwhy

should　not　that　Sleeperhave　lived　again　during　her　long　sleep？

Through　all　those　years　the　spirit　must　have　had　some　home；　and；

if　so；　in　what　shapes　did　it　live？　There　were　points；

similarities；　which　rushed　in　upon　meoh！　it　was　ridiculous。

Bickley　was　right。　We　were　all　mad！



There　was　another　thing。　Oro　had　declared　that　we　were　at　war

with　Germany。　If　this　were　so；　how　could　he　know　it？　Such

knowledge　would　presume　powers　of　telepathy　or　vision　beyond

those　given　to　man。　I　could　not　believe　that　he　possessed　these；

as　Bickley　said；　it　would　be　past　experience。　Yet　it　was　most

strange　that　he　who　was　uninformed　as　to　our　national　history　and

dangers；　should　have　hit　upon　a　country　with　which　we　might　well

have　been　plunged　into　sudden　struggle。　Here　again　I　was

bewildered　and　overcome。　My　brain　rocked。　I　would　seek　sleep；　and

in　it　escape；　or　at　any　rate　rest