第 39 节
作者:青涩春天      更新:2022-07-12 16:22      字数:9321
  harbor。By…the…bye; doctor; remember you have promised to go
  cruising with us before we leave the Isle of Man。〃
  〃Many thanks; but suppose we keep to the matter in hand。 What
  next?〃
  Allan hesitated。 In both senses of the word his mind was at sea
  already。
  〃What did you do on board the yacht?〃
  〃Oh; I know! I put the cabin to rightsthoroughly to rights。 I
  give you my word of honor; I turned every blessed thing
  topsy…turvy。 And my friend there came off in a shore…boat and
  helped me。Talking of boats; I have never asked you yet whether
  your boat came to any harm last night。 If there's any damage
  done; I insist on being allowed to repair it。〃
  The doctor abandoned all further attempts at the cultivation of
  Allan's memory in despair。
  〃I doubt if we shall be able to reach our object conveniently in
  this way;〃 he said。 〃It will be better to take the events of the
  dream in their regular order; and to ask the questions that
  naturally suggest themselves as we go on。 Here are the first two
  events to begin with。 You dream that your father appears to
  youthat you and he find yourselves in the cabin of a shipthat
  the water rises over you; and that you sink in it together。 Were
  you down in the cabin of the wreck; may I ask?〃
  〃I couldn't be down there;〃 replied Allan; 〃as the cabin was full
  of water。 I looked in and saw it; and shut the door again。〃
  〃Very good;〃 said Mr。 Hawbury。 〃Here are the waking impressions
  clear enough; so far。 You have had the cabin in your mind; and
  you have had the water in your mind; and the sound of the channel
  current (as I well know without asking) was the last sound in
  your ears when you went to sleep。 The idea of drowning comes too
  naturally out of such impressions as these to need dwelling on。
  Is there anything else before we go on? Yes; there is one more
  circumstance left to account for。〃
  〃The most important circumstance of all;〃 remarked Midwinter;
  joining in the conversation; without stirring from his place at
  the window。
  〃You mean the appearance of Mr。 Armadale's father? I was just
  coming to that;〃 answered Mr。 Hawbury。 〃Is your father alive?〃 he
  added; addressing himself to Allan once more。
  〃My father died before I was born。〃
  The doctor started。 〃This complicates it a little;〃 he said。 〃How
  did you know that the figure appearing to you in the dream was
  the figure of your father?〃
  Allan hesitated again。 Midwinter drew his chair a little away
  from the window; and looked at the doctor attentively for the
  first time。
  〃Was your father in your thoughts before you went to sleep?〃
  pursued Mr。 Hawbury。 〃Was there any description of himany
  portrait of him at homein your mind?〃
  〃Of course there was!〃 cried Allan; suddenly seizing the lost
  recollection。 〃Midwinter! you remember the miniature you found on
  the floor of the cabin when we were putting the yacht to rights?
  You said I didn't seem to value it; and I told you I did; because
  it was a portrait of my father〃
  〃And was the face in the dream like the face in the miniature?〃
  asked Mr。 Hawbury。
  〃Exactly like! I say; doctor; this is beginning to get
  interesting!〃
  〃What do you say now?〃 asked Mr。 Hawbury; turning toward the
  window again。
  Midwinter hurriedly left his chair; and placed himself at the
  table with Allan。 Just as he had once already taken refuge from
  the tyranny of his own superstition in the comfortable common
  sense of Mr。 Brock; so; with the same headlong eagerness; with
  the same straightforward sincerity of purpose; he now took refuge
  in the doctor's theory of dreams。 〃I say what my friend says;〃 he
  answered; flushing with a sudden enthusiasm; 〃this is beginning
  to get interesting。 Go on; pray go on。〃
  The doctor looked at his strange guest more indulgently than he
  had looked yet。 〃You are the only mystic I have met with;〃 he
  said; 〃who is willing to give fair evidence fair play。 I don't
  despair of converting you before our inquiry comes to an end。 Let
  us get on to the next set of events;〃 he resumed; after referring
  for a moment to the manuscript。 〃The interval of oblivion which
  is described as succeeding the first of the appearances in the
  dream may be easily disposed of。 It means; in plain English; the
  momentary cessation of the brain's intellectual action; while a
  deeper wave of sleep flows over it; just as the sense of being
  alone in the darkness; which follows; indicates the renewal of
  that action; previous to the reproduction of another set of
  impressions。 Let us see what they are。 A lonely pool; surrounded
  by an open country; a sunset sky on the further side of the pool;
  and the shadow of a woman on the near side。 Very good; now for
  it; Mr。 Armadale! How did that pool get into your head? The open
  country you saw on your way from Castletown to this place But we
  have no pools or lakes hereabouts; and you can have seen none
  recently elsewhere; for you came here after a cruise at sea。 Must
  we fall back on a picture; or a book; or a conversation with your
  friend?〃
  Allan looked at Midwinter。 〃I don't remember talking about pools
  or lakes;〃 he said。 〃Do you?〃
  Instead of answering the question; Midwinter suddenly appealed to
  the doctor。
  〃Have you got the last number of the Manx newspaper?〃 he asked。
  The doctor produced it from the sideboard。 Midwinter turned to
  the page containing those extracts from the recently published
  〃Travels in Australia;〃 which had roused Allan's; interest on the
  previous evening; and the reading of which had ended by sending
  his friend to sleep。 Therein the passage describing the
  sufferings of the travelers from thirst; and the subsequent
  discovery which saved their livesthere; appearing at the climax
  of the narrative; was the broad pool of water which had figured
  in Allan's dream!
  〃Don't put away the paper;〃 said the doctor; when Midwinter had
  shown it to him; with the necessary explanation。 〃Before we are
  at the end of the inquiry; it is quite possible we may want that
  extract again。 We have got at the pool。 How about the sunset?
  Nothing of that sort is referred to in the newspaper extract。
  Search your memory again; Mr。 Armadale; we want your waking
  impression of a sunset; if you please。〃
  Once more; Allan was at a loss for an answer; and; once more;
  Midwinter's ready memory helped him through the difficulty。
  〃I think I can trace our way back to this impression; as I traced
  our way back to the other;〃 he said; addressing the doctor。
  〃After we got here yesterday afternoon; my friend and I took a
  long walk over the hills〃
  〃That's it!〃 interposed Allan。 〃I remember。 The sun was setting
  as we came back to the hotel for supper; and it was such a
  splendid red sky; we both stopped to look at it。 And then we
  talked about Mr。 Brock; and wondered how far he had got on his
  journey home。 My memory may be a slow one at starting; doctor;
  but when it's once set going; stop it if you can! I haven't half
  done yet。〃
  〃Wait one minute; in mercy to Mr。 Midwinter's memory and mine;〃
  said the doctor。 〃We have traced back to your waking impressions
  the vision of the open country; the pool; and the sunset。 But the
  Shadow of the Woman has not been accounted for yet。 Can you find
  us the original of this mysterious figure in the dream
  landscape?〃
  Allan relapsed into his former perplexity; and Midwinter waited
  for what was to come; with his eyes fixed in breathless interest
  on the doctor's face。 For the first time there was unbroken
  silence in the room。 Mr。 Hawbury looked interrogatively from
  Allan to Allan's friend。 Neither of them answered him。 Between
  the shadow and the shadow's substance there was a great gulf of
  mystery; impenetrable alike to all three of them。
  〃Patience;〃 said the doctor; composedly。 〃Let us leave the figure
  by the pool for the present and try if we can't pick her up again
  as we go on。 Allow me to observe; Mr。 Midwinter; that it is not
  very easy to identify a shadow; but we won't despair。 This
  impalpable lady of the lake may take some consistency when we
  next meet with her。〃
  Midwinter made no reply。 From that moment his interest in the
  inquiry began to flag。
  〃What is the next scene in the dream?〃 pursued Mr。 Hawbury;
  referring to the manuscript。 〃Mr。 Armadale finds himself in a
  room。 He is standing before a long window opening on a lawn and
  flower…garden; and the rain is pattering against the glass。 The
  only thing he sees in the room is a little statue; and the only
  company he has is the Shadow of a Man standing opposite to him。
  The Shadow stretches out its arm; and the statue falls in
  fragments on the floor; and the dreamer; in anger and distress at
  the catastrophe (observe; gentlemen; that here the sleeper's
  reasoning faculty wakes up a little; and the dream passes
  rationally; for a moment; from cause to effect); stoops to look
  at the broken pieces。 When he looks up again; the scene has
  vanished。 That is to say; in the ebb and flow of sleep; it is the
  turn of the flow now; and the brain rests a little。 What's the
  matter; Mr。 Armadale? Has that restive memory of yours run away
  with you again?〃
  〃Yes;〃 said Allan。 〃I'm off at full gallop。 I've run the broken
  statue to earth; it's nothing more nor less than a china
  shepherdess I