第 24 节
作者:连过十一人      更新:2021-02-27 02:16      字数:9322
  Yes; I think we will marry next week。〃
  〃Kerner;〃 said I; 〃you are a fool。〃
  〃Have an absinthe drip?〃 said Kerner; grandly。
  〃To…night you are the guest of Art in paying quan…
  tities。  I think we will get a flat with a bath。〃
  〃I never tried one  I mean an absinthe drip;〃
  said I。
  The waiter brought it and poured the water slowly
  over the ice in the dripper。
  〃It looks exactly like the Mississippi River water
  in the big bend below Natchez;〃 said I; fascinated;
  gazing at the be…muddled drip。
  〃There are such flats for eight dollars a week;〃
  said Kerner。
  〃You are a fool;〃 said I; and began to sip the
  filtration。  〃What you need;〃 I continued; 〃is the
  official attention of one Jesse Holmes。〃
  Kerner; not being a Southerner; did not compre…
  hend; so he sat; sentimental; figuring on his flat in
  his sordid; artistic way; while I gazed into the green
  eyes of the sophisticated Spirit of Wormwood。
  Presently I noticed casually that a procession of
  bacchantes limned on the wall immediately below the
  ceiling bad begun to move; traversing the room from
  right to left in a gay and spectacular pilgrimage。  I
  did not confide my discovery to Kerner。  The artistic
  temperament is too high…strung to view such devia…
  tions from the natural laws of the art of kalsomining。
  I sipped my absinthe drip and sawed wormwood。
  One absinthe drip is not much  but I said again to
  Kerner; kindly:
  〃You are a fool。〃 And then; in the vernacular:
  〃Jesse Holmes for yours。〃
  And then I looked around and saw the Fool…Killer;
  as he had always appeared to my imagination; sitting
  at a nearby table; and regarding us with his reddish;
  fatal; relentless eyes。  He was Jesse Holmes from top
  to toe; he had the long; gray; ragged beard; the
  gray clothes of ancient cut; the executioner's look;
  and the dusty shoes of one who bad been called from
  afar。  His eyes were turned fixedly upon Kerner。  I
  shuddered to think that I bad invoked him from his
  assiduous southern duties。  I thought of flying; and
  then I kept my seat; reflecting that many men bad es…
  caped his ministrations when it seemed that nothing
  short of an appointment as Ambassador to Spain
  could save them from him。  I had called my brother
  Kerner a fool and was in danger of hell fire。  That
  was nothing; but I would try to save him from Jesse
  Holmes。
  The Fool…Killer got up from his table and came
  over to ours。  He rested his hands upon it; and
  turned his burning; vindictive eyes upon Kerner; ig…
  noring me。
  〃You are a hopeless fool;〃 be said to the artist。
  〃Haven't you had enough of starvation yet?  I of…
  fer you one more opportunity。  Give up this girl and
  come back to your home。  Refuse; and you must take
  the consequences。〃
  The Fool…Killer's threatening face was within a
  foot of his victim's; but to my horror; Kerner made
  not the slightest sign of being aware of his presence。
  〃We will be married next week;〃 be muttered ab…
  sent…mindedly。  〃With my studio furniture and some
  second…hand stuff we can make out。〃
  〃You have decided your own fate;〃 said the Fool…
  Killer; in a low but terrible voice。  〃You may con…
  sider yourself as one dead。  You have had your last
  chance。〃
  〃In the moonlight;〃 went on Kerner; softly; 〃we
  will sit under the skylight with our guitar and sing
  away the false delights of pride and money。〃
  〃On your own head be it;〃 hissed the Fool…Killer;
  and my scalp prickled when I perceived that neither
  Kerner's eyes nor his ears took the slightest cog…
  nizance of Jesse Holmes。  And then I knew that for
  some reason the veil had been lifted for me alone; and
  that I bad been elected to save my friend from de…
  struction at the Fool…Killer's bands。  Something of
  the fear and wonder of it must have showed itself in
  my face。
  〃Excuse me;〃 said Kerner; with his wan; amiable
  smile; 〃was I talking to myself?  I think it is getting
  to be a habit with me。〃
  The Fool…Killer turned and walked out of Far…
  ronils。
  〃Wait here for me;〃 said I; rising; 〃I must speak
  to that man。  Had you no answer for him?  Because
  you are a fool must you die like a mouse under his
  foot?  Could you not utter one squeak in your own
  defence?
  〃You are drunk;〃 said Kerner; heartlessly。 〃No
  one addressed me。〃
  〃The destroyer of your mind;〃 said I; 〃stood
  above you just now and marked you for his victim。
  You are not blind or deaf。〃
  〃I recognized no such person;〃 said Kerner。  〃I
  have seen no one but you at this table。  Sit down。
  Hereafter you shall have no more absinthe drips。〃
  〃Wait here;〃 said I; furious; 〃if you don't care
  for your own life; I will save it for you。〃
  I hurried out and overtook the man in gray half…
  way down the block。  He looked as I bad seen him in
  my fancy a thousand times … truculent; gray and
  awful。  He walked with the white oak staff; and but
  for the street…sprinkler the dust would have been fly…
  ing under his tread。
  I caught him by the sleeve and steered him to a
  dark angle of a building。  I knew he was a myth; and
  I did not want a cop to see me conversing with va…
  cancy; for I might land in Bellevue minus my silver
  matchbox and diamond ring。
  〃Jesse Holmes;〃 said I; facing him with apparent
  bravery; 〃I know you。  I have heard of you all my
  life。  I know now what a scourge you have been to
  your country。  Instead of killing fools you have been
  murdering the youth and genius that are necessary to
  make a people live and grow great。  You are a fool
  yourself; Holmes; you began killing off the brightest
  and best of our countrymen three generations ago;
  when the old and obsolete standards of society and
  honor and orthodoxy were narrow and bigoted。  You
  proved that when you put your murderous mark upon
  my friend Kerner  the wisest chap I ever knew in
  my life。〃
  The Fool…Killer looked at me grimly and closely。
  〃You've a queer jag;〃 said he; curiously。  〃Oh;
  yes; I see who you are now。  You were sitting with
  him at the table。  Well; if I'm not mistaken; I heard
  you call him a fool; too。〃
  〃I did;〃 said I。 〃I delight in doing so。  It is
  from envy。  By all the standards that you know he is
  the most egregious and grandiloquent and gorgeous
  fool in all the world。  That's why you want to kill
  him。〃
  〃Would you mind telling me who or what you think
  I am?〃 asked the old man。
  I laughed boisterously and then stopped suddenly;
  for I remembered that it would not do to be seen so
  hilarious in the company of nothing but a brick
  wall。
  〃You are Jesse Holmes; the Fool…Killer;〃 I said;
  solemnly; 〃and you are going to kill my friend Ker…
  ner。  I don't know who rang you up; but if you do
  kill him I'll see that you get pinched for it。  That
  is;〃 I added; despairingly; 〃if I can get a cop to see
  you。  They have a poor eye for mortals; and I think
  it would take the whole force to round up a myth mur…
  derer。〃
  〃Well;〃 said the Fool…Killer; briskly; 〃I must be
  going。  You had better go home and sleep it off。
  Good…night。〃
  At this I was moved by a sudden fear for Kerner to
  a softer and more pleading mood。  I leaned against
  the gray man's sleeve and besought him:
  〃Good Mr。 Fool…Killer; please don't kill little Ker…
  ner。  Why can't you go back South and kill Con…
  gressmen and clay…caters and let us alone?  Why
  don't you go up on Fifth Avenue and kill millionaires
  that keep their money locked up and won't let young
  fools marry because one of 'em lives on the wrong
  street?  Come and have a drink; Jesse。  Will you
  never get on to your job?〃
  〃Do you know this girl that your friend has made
  himself a fool about?〃 asked the Fool…Killer。
  〃I have the honor;〃 said I; 〃and that's why I
  called Kerner a fool。  He is a fool because he has
  waited so long before marrying her。  He is a fool
  because be has been waiting in the hopes of getting
  the consent of some absurd two…million…dollar…fool
  parent or something of the sort。〃
  〃Maybe;〃 said the Fool…Killer  〃 maybe I  I
  might have looked at it differently。  Would you mind
  going back to the restaurant and bringing your friend
  Kerner here?〃
  〃OH; what's the use; Jesse;〃 I yawned。  〃He can't
  see you。  He didn't know you were talking to him
  at the table; You are a fictitious character; you
  know。〃
  〃Maybe He can this time。  Will you go fetch
  him?〃
  〃All right;〃 said I; 〃but I've a suspicion that
  you're not strictly sober; Jesse。  You seem to be wa…
  vering and losing your outlines。  Don't vanish before
  I get back。〃
  I went back to Kerner and said:
  〃There's a man with an invisible homicidal mania
  waiting to see you outside。  I believe he wants to
  murder you。  Come along。  You won't see him; so
  there's nothing to be frightened about。〃
  Kerner looked anxious。
  〃Why;〃 said be; 〃I had no idea one absinthe
  would do that。  You'd bet