第 58 节
作者:套牢      更新:2021-02-20 15:34      字数:9321
  preparing; Shargar told his storyhow having heard a rumour of
  apprenticeship to a tailor; he had the same night dropped from the
  gable window to the ground; and with three halfpence in his pocket
  had wandered and begged his way to Aberdeen; arriving with one
  halfpenny left。
  'But what am I to do wi' ye?' said Robert once more; in as much
  perplexity as ever。
  'Bide till I hae tellt ye; as I said I wad;' answered Shargar。
  'Dinna ye think I'm the haveless (careless and therefore helpless)
  crater I used to be。  I hae been in Aberdeen three days!  Ay; an' I
  hae seen you ilka day in yer reid goon; an' richt braw it is。  Luik
  ye here!'
  He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out what amounted to two or
  three shillings; chiefly in coppers; which he exposed with triumph
  on the table。
  'Whaur got ye a' that siller; man?' asked Robert。
  'Here and there; I kenna whaur; but I hae gien the weicht o' 't for
  't a' the samerinnin' here an' rinnin' there; cairryin' boxes till
  an' frae the smacks; an' doin' a'thing whether they bade me or no。
  Yesterday mornin' I got thrippence by hingin' aboot the Royal afore
  the coches startit。  I luikit a' up and doon the street till I saw
  somebody hine awa wi' a porkmanty。  Till 'im I ran; an' he was an
  auld man; an' maist at the last gasp wi' the weicht o' 't; an' gae
  me 't to carry。  An' wha duv ye think gae me a shillin' the verra
  first nicht?Wha but my brither Sandy?'
  'Lord Rothie?'
  'Ay; faith。  I kent him weel eneuch; but little he kent me。  There
  he was upo' Black Geordie。  He's turnin' auld noo。'
  'Yer brither?'
  'Na。 He's young eneuch for ony mischeef; but Black Geordie。  What on
  earth gars him gang stravaguin' aboot upo' that deevil?  I doobt
  he's a kelpie; or a hell…horse; or something no canny o' that kin';
  for faith! brither Sandy's no ower canny himsel'; I'm thinkin'。  But
  Geordiethe aulder the waur set (inclined)。  An' sae I'm thinkin'
  wi' his maister。'
  'Did ye iver see yer father; Shargar?'
  'Na。 Nor I dinna want to see 'im。  I'm upo' my mither's side。  But
  that's naething to the pint。  A' that I want o' you 's to lat me
  come hame at nicht; an' lie upo' the flure here。  I sweir I'll lie
  i' the street gin ye dinna lat me。  I'll sleep as soun' 's Peter
  MacInnes whan Maccleary's preachin'。  An' I winna ate muckleI hae
  a dreidfu' pooer o' aitin'an' a' 'at I gether I'll fess hame to
  you; to du wi' 't as ye like。Man; I cairriet a heap o' things the
  day till the skipper o' that boat 'at ye gaed intil wi' Maister
  Ericson the nicht。  He's a fine chiel' that skipper!'
  Robert was astonished at the change that had passed upon Shargar。
  His departure had cast him upon his own resources; and allowed the
  individuality repressed by every event of his history; even by his
  worship of Robert; to begin to develop itself。  Miserable for a few
  weeks; he had revived in the fancy that to work hard at school would
  give him some chance of rejoining Robert。  Thence; too; he had
  watched to please Mrs。 Falconer; and had indeed begun to buy golden
  opinions from all sorts of people。  He had a hope in prospect。  But
  into the midst fell the whisper of the apprenticeship like a
  thunderbolt out of a clear sky。  He fled at once。
  'Weel; ye can hae my bed the nicht;' said Robert; 'for I maun sit up
  wi' Mr。 Ericson。'
  ''Deed I'll hae naething o' the kin'。  I'll sleep upo' the flure; or
  else upo' the door…stane。  Man; I'm no clean eneuch efter what I've
  come throu sin' I drappit frae the window…sill i' the ga'le…room。
  But jist len' me yer plaid; an' I'll sleep upo' the rug here as gin
  I war i' Paradees。  An' faith; sae I am; Robert。  Ye maun gang to
  yer bed some time the nicht forby (besides); or ye winna be fit for
  yer wark the morn。  Ye can jist gie me a kick; an' I'll be up afore
  ye can gie me anither。'
  Their supper arrived from below; and; each on one side of the fire;
  they ate the porridge; conversing all the while about old timesfor
  the youngest life has its old times; its golden ageand old
  adventures;Dooble Sanny; Betty; &c。; &c。  There were but two
  subjects which Robert avoidedMiss St。 John and the Bonnie Leddy。
  Shargar was at length deposited upon the little bit of hearthrug
  which adorned rather than enriched the room; with Robert's plaid of
  shepherd tartan around him; and an Ainsworth's dictionary under his
  head for a pillow。
  'Man; I fin' mysel' jist like a muckle colley (sheep…dog);' he said。
  'Whan I close my een; I'm no sure 'at I'm no i' the inside o' yer
  auld luckie…daiddie's kilt。  The Lord preserve me frae ever sic a
  fricht again as yer grannie an' Betty gae me the nicht they fand me
  in 't!  I dinna believe it's in natur' to hae sic a fricht twise in
  ae lifetime。  Sae I'll fa' asleep at ance; an' say nae mairbut as
  muckle o' my prayers as I can min' upo' noo 'at grannie's no at my
  lug。'
  'Haud yer impidence; an' yer tongue thegither;' said Robert。 'Min'
  'at my grannie's been the best frien' ye ever had。'
  ''Cep' my ain mither;' returned Shargar; with a sleepy doggedness in
  his tone。
  During their conference; Ericson had been slumbering。  Robert had
  visited him from time to time; but he had not awaked。  As soon as
  Shargar was disposed of; he took his candle and sat down by him。  He
  grew more uneasy。  Robert guessed that the candle was the cause; and
  put it out。  Ericson was quieter。  So Robert sat in the dark。
  But the rain had now ceased。  Some upper wind had swept the clouds
  from the sky; and the whole world of stars was radiant over the
  earth and its griefs。
  'O God; where art thou?' he said in his heart; and went to his own
  room to look out。
  There was no curtain; and the blind had not been drawn down;
  therefore the earth looked in at the storm…window。  The sea neither
  glimmered nor shone。  It lay across the horizon like a low level
  cloud; out of which came a moaning。  Was this moaning all of the
  earth; or was there trouble in the starry places too? thought
  Robert; as if already he had begun to suspect the truth from
  afarthat save in the secret place of the Most High; and in the
  heart that is hid with the Son of Man in the bosom of the Father;
  there is troublea sacred unresteverywherethe moaning of a tide
  setting homewards; even towards the bosom of that Father。
  CHAPTER VIII。
  A HUMAN PROVIDENCE。
  Robert kept himself thoroughly awake the whole night; and it was
  well that he had not to attend classes in the morning。  As the gray
  of the world's reviving consciousness melted in at the window; the
  things around and within him looked and felt ghastly。  Nothing is
  liker the gray dawn than the soul of one who has been watching by a
  sick bed all the long hours of the dark; except; indeed; it be the
  first glimmerings of truth on the mind lost in the dark of a godless
  life。
  Ericson had waked often; and Robert had administered his medicine
  carefully。  But he had been mostly between sleeping and waking; and
  had murmured strange words; whose passing shadows rather than
  glimmers roused the imagination of the youth as with messages from
  regions unknown。
  As the light came he found his senses going; and went to his own
  room again to get a book that he might keep himself awake by reading
  at the window。  To his surprise Shargar was gone; and for a moment
  he doubted whether he had not been dreaming all that had passed
  between them the night before。  His plaid was folded up and laid
  upon a chair; as if it had been there all night; and his Ainsworth
  was on the table。  But beside it was the money Shargar had drawn
  from his pockets。
  About nine o'clock Dr。 Anderson arrived; found Ericson not so much
  worse as he had expected; comforted Robert; and told him he must go
  to bed。
  'But I cannot leave Mr。 Ericson;' said Robert。
  'Let your friendwhat's his odd name?watch him during the day。'
  'Shargar; you mean; sir。  But that's his nickname。  His rale name
  they say his mither says; is George Moraywi' an o an' no a
  u…r。Do you see; sir?' concluded Robert significantly。
  'No; I don't;' answered the doctor。
  'They say he's a son o' the auld Markis's; that's it。  His mither's
  a randy wife 'at gangs aboot the countrya gipsy they say。  There's
  nae doobt aboot her。  An' by a' accoonts the father's likly eneuch。'
  'And how on earth did you come to have such a questionable
  companion?'
  'Shargar's as fine a crater as ever God made;' said Robert warmly。
  'Ye'll alloo 'at God made him; doctor; though his father an' mither
  thochtna muckle aboot him or God either whan they got him atween
  them?  An' Shargar couldna help it。  It micht ha' been you or me for
  that maitter; doctor。'
  'I beg your pardon; Robert;' said Dr。 Anderson quietly; although
  delighted with the fervour of his young kinsman: 'I only wanted to
  know how he came to be your companion。'
  'I beg your pardon; doctorbut I thoucht ye was