第 26 节
作者:随便看看      更新:2022-07-12 16:23      字数:9322
  cannot answer for what my fancy might do if I were alone here; or what
  tricks my senses might play with me if they had me to themselves。                    But;
  in company with another man; and especially with Dick; I would consent
  to outface all the Ghosts that were ever of in the universe。〃
  '〃I had not the vanity to suppose that I was of so much importance to…
  night;〃 said the other。
  '〃Of so much;〃 rejoined the leader; more seriously than he had spoken
  yet;   〃that  I  would;    for  the  reason    I  have  given;   on   no   account    have
  undertaken to pass the night here alone。〃
  'It was within a few minutes of One。             The head of the younger man
  had drooped when he made his last remark; and it drooped lower now。
  '〃Keep awake; Dick!〃 said the leader; gaily。            〃The small hours are the
  worst。〃
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  'He tried; but his head drooped again。
  '〃Dick!〃 urged the leader。         〃Keep awake!〃
  '〃I   can't;〃  he   indistinctly    muttered。      〃I   don't   know     what    strange
  influence is stealing over me。          I can't。〃
  'His   companion   looked   at   him   with   a   sudden   horror;   and   I;   in   my
  different way; felt a new horror also; for; it was on the stroke of One; and I
  felt   that   the   second   watcher   was   yielding   to   me;   and   that   the   curse   was
  upon me that I must send him to sleep。
  '〃Get up and walk; Dick!〃 cried the leader。             〃Try!〃
  'It   was in vain to go behind   the   slumber's   chair   and shake   him。   One
  o'clock     sounded;     and   I  was   present    to   the  elder   man;    and   he   stood
  transfixed   before   me。      'To   him   alone;   I   was   obliged   to   relate   my   story;
  without hope of benefit。         To him alone; I was an awful phantom making a
  quite   useless   confession。      I   foresee   it   will   ever   be   the   same。 The   two
  living men together will never come to release me。                   When I appear; the
  senses of one of the two will be locked in sleep; he will neither see nor
  hear me; my communication will ever be made to a solitary listener; and
  will ever be unserviceable。          Woe!     Woe! Woe!'
  As the Two old men; with these words; wrung their hands; it shot into
  Mr。    Goodchild's      mind    that   he   was   in  the   terrible   situation    of  being
  virtually   alone   with   the   spectre;   and   that   Mr。   Idle's   immoveability   was
  explained   by   his   having   been   charmed   asleep   at   One   o'clock。         In   the
  terror of this sudden discovery which produced an indescribable dread; he
  struggled so hard to get free from the four fiery threads; that he snapped
  them; after he had pulled them out to a great width。                   Being then out of
  bonds; he caught up Mr。 Idle from the sofa and rushed down…stairs with
  him。
  'What are you about; Francis?' demanded Mr。 Idle。                  'My bedroom is
  not down here。         What the deuce are you carrying me at all for?                  I can
  walk with a stick now。         I don't want to be carried。        Put me down。'
  Mr。   Goodchild   put   him   down   in   the   old   hall;   and   looked   about   him
  wildly。
  'What     are  you    doing?    Idiotically     plunging     at  your   own    sex;  and
  rescuing   them   or   perishing   in   the   attempt?'   asked   Mr。   Idle;   in   a   highly
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  petulant state。
  'The One old man!' cried Mr。 Goodchild; distractedly; … 'and the Two
  old men!'
  Mr。 Idle deigned no other reply than 'The One old woman; I think you
  mean;'   as   he   began    hobbling     his   way   back   up   the   staircase;   with  the
  assistance of its broad balustrade。
  'I assure you; Tom;' began Mr。 Goodchild; attending at his side; 'that
  since you fell asleep … '
  'Come; I like that!' said Thomas Idle; 'I haven't closed an eye!'
  With the peculiar sensitiveness on the subject of the disgraceful action
  of   going   to   sleep   out   of   bed;   which   is   the   lot   of   all   mankind;   Mr。   Idle
  persisted   in   this   declaration。    The   same   peculiar   sensitiveness   impelled
  Mr。 Goodchild; on being taxed with the same crime; to repudiate it with
  honourable resentment。           The settlement of the question of The One old
  man and The Two old men was thus presently complicated; and soon made
  quite impracticable。        Mr。 Idle said it was all Bride…cake; and fragments;
  newly     arranged;     of  things   seen    and   thought    about    in  the   day。   Mr。
  Goodchild said how could that be; when he hadn't been asleep; and what
  right could Mr。 Idle have to say so; who had been asleep?                   Mr。 Idle said
  he    had   never   been    asleep;   and   never    did   go   to  sleep;   and   that  Mr。
  Goodchild;       as  a  general   rule;  was    always    asleep。   They   consequently
  parted for the rest of the night; at their bedroom doors; a little ruffled。              Mr。
  Goodchild's last words were; that he had had; in that real and tangible old
  sitting…room of that real and tangible old Inn (he supposed Mr。 Idle denied
  its   existence?);    every   sensation     and   experience;    the   present   record    of
  which is now within a line or two of completion; and that he would write
  it out and print it every word。        Mr。 Idle returned that he might if he liked …
  and he did like; and has now done it。
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  CHAPTER V
  Two of the many passengers by a certain late Sunday evening train; Mr。
  Thomas Idle and Mr。 Francis Goodchild; yielded up their tickets at a little
  rotten platform (converted into artificial touchwood by smoke and ashes);
  deep in the manufacturing bosom of Yorkshire。                   A mysterious bosom it
  appeared; upon a damp; dark; Sunday night; dashed through in the train to
  the music of the whirling wheels; the panting of the engine; and the part…
  singing     of  hundreds      of  third…class    excursionists;    whose     vocal    efforts
  'bobbed arayound' from sacred to profane; from hymns; to our transatlantic
  sisters   the   Yankee   Gal   and   Mairy   Anne;   in   a   remarkable   way。      There
  seemed   to   have   been   some   large   vocal   gathering   near   to   every   lonely
  station on the line。      No town was visible; no village was visible; no light
  was    visible;   but;  a  multitude     got  out   singing;   and   a  multitude    got   in
  singing;   and   the   second   multitude   took   up   the   hymns;   and   adopted   our
  transatlantic sisters; and sang of their own egregious wickedness; and of
  their bobbing arayound; and of how the ship it was ready and the wind it
  was   fair;   and   they   were   bayound   for   the   sea;   Mairy Anne;   until   they   in
  their turn became a getting… out multitude; and were replaced by another
  getting…in multitude; who did the same。             And at every station; the getting…
  in multitude; with an artistic reference to the completeness of their chorus;
  incessantly cried; as with one voice while scuffling into the carriages; 'We
  mun aa' gang toogither!'
  The   singing   and   the   multitudes   had   trailed   off   as   the   lonely   places
  were left and the great towns were neared; and the way had lain as silently
  as a train's way ever can; over the vague black streets of the great gulfs of
  towns;     and   among     their   branchless    woods     of  vague    black    chimneys。
  These towns looked; in the cinderous wet; as though they had one and all
  been   on   fire   and   were   just   put   out   …   a   dreary   and   quenched   panorama;
  many miles long。
  Thus;   Thomas   and   Francis   got   to   Leeds;   of   which   enterprising   and
  important   commercial   centre   it   may  be   observed   with   delicacy;   that   you
  must either like it very much or not at all。          Next day; the first of the Race…
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  Week; they took train to Doncaster。
  And instantly the character; both of travellers and of luggage; entirely
  changed; and no other business than race…business any longer existed on
  the    face   of  the   earth。    The    talk   was    all  of  horses    and   'John    Scott。'
  Guards   whispered   behind   their   hands   to   station…mast