第 9 节
作者:打倒一切      更新:2021-02-18 22:30      字数:9322
  as though it were a coronet; and placed it between them on his
  table。
  〃Philip;〃 she stammered; with the tears in her voice and eyes;
  〃if you will let meI have come to stay。〃
  The table was no longer between them。  He caught her in his arms
  and kissed her face and her uncovered head again and again。  From
  outside the rain beat drearily and the fog rolled through the
  street; but inside before the fire the two young people sat close
  together; asking eager questions or sitting in silence; staring
  at the flames with wondering; happy eyes。
  The Lion and the Unicorn saw them only once again。  It was a
  month later when they stopped in front of the shop in a four…
  wheeler; with their baggage mixed on top of it; and steamer…
  labels pasted over every trunk。
  〃And; oh; Prentiss!〃 Carroll called from the cab…window。  〃I came
  near forgetting。  I promised to gild the Lion and the Unicorn
  if I won out in London。  So have it done; please; and send the
  bill to me。  For I've won out all right。〃  And then he shut the
  door of the cab; and they drove away forever。
  〃Nice gal; that;〃 growled the Lion。  〃I always liked her。  I am
  glad they've settled it at last。〃
  The Unicorn sighed; sentimentally。  〃The other one's worth two of
  her;〃 he said。
  ON THE FEVER SHIP
  There were four rails around the ship's sides; the three lower
  ones of iron and the one on top of wood; and as he looked between
  them from the canvas cot he recognized them as the prison…bars
  which held him in。  Outside his prison lay a stretch of blinding
  blue water which ended in a line of breakers and a yellow coast
  with ragged palms。  Beyond that again rose a range of mountain…
  peaks; and; stuck upon the loftiest peak of all; a tiny block…
  house。  It rested on the brow of the mountain against the naked
  sky as impudently as a cracker…box set upon the dome of a great
  cathedral。
  As the transport rode on her anchor…chains; the iron bars around
  her sides rose and sank and divided the landscape with parallel
  lines。  From his cot the officer followed this phenomenon with
  severe; painstaking interest。  Sometimes the wooden rail swept up
  to the very block…house itself; and for a second of time
  blotted it from sight。  And again it sank to the level of the
  line of breakers; and wiped them out of the picture as though
  they were a line of chalk。
  The soldier on the cot promised himself that the next swell of
  the sea would send the lowest rail climbing to the very top of
  the palm…trees or; even higher; to the base of the mountains; and
  when it failed to reach even the palm…trees he felt a distinct
  sense of ill use; of having been wronged by some one。  There was
  no other reason for submitting to this existence; save these
  tricks upon the wearisome; glaring landscape; and; now; whoever
  it was who was working them did not seem to be making this effort
  to entertain him with any heartiness。
  It was most cruel。  Indeed; he decided hotly; it was not to be
  endured; he would bear it no longer; he would make his escape。
  But he knew that this move; which could be conceived in a
  moment's desperation; could only be carried to success with great
  strategy; secrecy; and careful cunning。  So he fell back upon his
  pillow and closed his eyes; as though he were asleep; and
  then opening them again; turned cautiously; and spied upon his
  keeper。  As usual; his keeper sat at the foot of the cot turning
  the pages of a huge paper filled with pictures of the war printed
  in daubs of tawdry colors。  His keeper was a hard…faced boy
  without human pity or consideration; a very devil of obstinacy
  and fiendish cruelty。  To make it worse; the fiend was a person
  without a collar; in a suit of soiled khaki; with a curious red
  cross bound by a safety…pin to his left arm。  He was intent upon
  the paper in his hands; he was holding it between his eyes and
  his prisoner。  His vigilance had relaxed; and the moment seemed
  propitious。  With a sudden plunge of arms and legs; the prisoner
  swept the bed sheet from him; and sprang at the wooden rail and
  grasped the iron stanchion beside it。  He had his knee pressed
  against the top bar and his bare toes on the iron rail beneath
  it。  Below him the blue water waited for him。  It was cool and
  dark and gentle and deep。  It would certainly put out the fire in
  his bones; he thought; it might even shut out the glare of the
  sun which scorched his eyeballs。
  But as he balanced for the leap; a swift weakness and nausea
  swept over him; a weight seized upon his body and limbs。  He
  could not lift the lower foot from the iron rail; and he swayed
  dizzily and trembled。  He trembled。  He who had raced his men and
  beaten them up the hot hill to the trenches of San Juan。  But now
  he was a baby in the hands of a giant; who caught him by the
  wrist and with an iron arm clasped him around his waist and
  pulled him down; and shouted; brutally; 〃Help; some of you'se;
  quick; he's at it again。  I can't hold him。〃
  More giants grasped him by the arms and by the legs。  One of them
  took the hand that clung to the stanchion in both of his; and
  pulled back the fingers one by one; saying; 〃Easy now;
  Lieutenanteasy。〃
  The ragged palms and the sea and block…house were swallowed up in
  a black fog; and his body touched the canvas cot again with a
  sense of home…coming and relief and rest。  He wondered how he
  could have cared to escape from it。  He found it so good to be
  back again that for a long time he wept quite happily; until the
  fiery pillow was moist and cool。
  The world outside of the iron bars was like a scene in a theatre
  set for some great event; but the actors were never ready。  He
  remembered confusedly a play he had once witnessed before that
  same scene。  Indeed; he believed he had played some small part in
  it; but he remembered it dimly; and all trace of the men who had
  appeared with him in it was gone。  He had reasoned it out that
  they were up there behind the range of mountains; because great
  heavy wagons and ambulances and cannon were emptied from the
  ships at the wharf above and were drawn away in long lines behind
  the ragged palms; moving always toward the passes between the
  peaks。  At times he was disturbed by the thought that he should
  be up and after them; that some tradition of duty made his
  presence with them imperative。  There was much to be done back of
  the mountains。  Some event of momentous import was being carried
  forward there; in which he held a part; but the doubt soon passed
  from him; and he was content to lie and watch the iron bars
  rising and falling between the block…house and the white
  surf。
  If they had been only humanely kind; his lot would have been
  bearable; but they starved him and held him down when he wished
  to rise; and they would not put out the fire in the pillow; which
  they might easily have done by the simple expedient of throwing
  it over the ship's side into the sea。  He himself had done this
  twice; but the keeper had immediately brought a fresh pillow
  already heated for the torture and forced it under his head。
  His pleasures were very simple; and so few that he could not
  understand why they robbed him of them so jealously。  One was to
  watch a green cluster of bananas that hung above him from the
  awning twirling on a string。  He could count as many of them as
  five before the bunch turned and swung lazily back again; when he
  could count as high as twelve; sometimes when the ship rolled
  heavily he could count to twenty。  It was a most fascinating
  game; and contented him for many hours。  But when they found this
  out they sent for the cook to come and cut them down; and the
  cook carried them away to his galley。
  Then; one day; a man came out from the shore; swimming through
  the blue water with great splashes。  He was a most charming man;
  who spluttered and dove and twisted and lay on his back and
  kicked his legs in an excess of content and delight。  It was a
  real pleasure to watch him; not for days had anything so amusing
  appeared on the other side of the prison…bars。  But as soon as
  the keeper saw that the man in the water was amusing his
  prisoner; he leaned over the ship's side and shouted; 〃Sa…ay;
  you; don't you know there's sharks in there?〃
  And the swimming man said; 〃The hll there is!〃 and raced back
  to the shore like a porpoise with great lashing of the water; and
  ran up the beach half…way to the palms before he was satisfied to
  stop。  Then the prisoner wept again。  It was so disappointing。
  Life was robbed of everything now。  He remembered that in a
  previous existence soldiers who cried were laughed at and mocked。
  But that was so far away and it was such an absurd superstition
  that he had no patience with it。  For what could be more
  comforting to a man when he is treated cruelly than to cry。
  It was so obvious an exercise; and when one is so feeble that one
  cannot vault a four…railed barrier it is something to feel that
  at least one is strong enough to cry。
  He escaped occasionally; traversing space with marvellous
  rapidity and to great distances; but never to any successful
  purpose; and his flight inevitably ended in ignominious recapture
  and a sudden awakening in bed。  At these moments the familiar and
  hated palm