第 2 节
作者:卡车      更新:2021-02-27 02:28      字数:9322
  house。
  It stood upon what would have been an island in the creek; had not a
  narrow causeway; barely broad enough for a road; joined it to that
  larger island on which stands the town of St。 George。  As the main
  road approaches the ferry it runs through some rough; hilly; open
  ground; which on the right side towards the ocean has never been
  cultivated。  The distance from the ocean here may; perhaps; be a
  quarter of a mile; and the ground is for the most part covered with
  low furze。  On the left of the road the land is cultivated in
  patches; and here; some half mile or more from the ferry; a path
  turns away to Crump Island。  The house cannot be seen from the road;
  and; indeed; can hardly be seen at all; except from the sea。  It
  lies; perhaps; three furlongs from the high road; and the path to it
  is but little used; as the passage to and from it is chiefly made by
  water。
  Here; at the time of our story; lived Mr。 Bergen; and here lived Mr。
  Bergen's daughter。  Miss Bergen was well known at St。 George's as a
  steady; good girl; who spent her time in looking after her father's
  household matters; in managing his two black maid…servants and the
  black gardener; and who did her duty in that sphere of life to which
  she had been called。  She was a comely; well…shaped young woman;
  with a sweet countenance; rather large in size; and very quiet in
  demeanour。  In her earlier years; when young girls usually first bud
  forth into womanly beauty; the neighbours had not thought much of
  Anastasia Bergen; nor had the young men of St。 George been wont to
  stay their boats under the window of Crump Cottage in order that
  they might listen to her voice or feel the light of her eye; but
  slowly; as years went by; Anastasia Bergen became a woman that a man
  might well love; and a man learned to love her who was well worthy
  of a woman's heart。  This was Caleb Morton; the Presbyterian
  minister of St。 George; and Caleb Morton had been engaged to marry
  Miss Bergen for the last two years past; at the period of Aaron
  Trow's escape from prison。
  Caleb Morton was not a native of Bermuda; but had been sent thither
  by the synod of his church from Nova Scotia。  He was a tall;
  handsome man; at this time of some thirty years of age; of a
  presence which might almost have been called commanding。  He was
  very strong; but of a temperament which did not often give him
  opportunity to put forth his strength; and his life had been such
  that neither he nor others knew of what nature might be his courage。
  The greater part of his life was spent in preaching to some few of
  the white people around him; and in teaching as many of the blacks
  as he could get to hear him。  His days were very quiet; and had been
  altogether without excitement until he had met with Anastasia
  Bergen。  It will suffice for us to say that he did meet her; and
  that now; for two years past; they had been engaged as man and wife。
  Old Mr。 Bergen; when he heard of the engagement; was not well
  pleased at the information。  In the first place; his daughter was
  very necessary to him; and the idea of her marrying and going away
  had hardly as yet occurred to him; and then he was by no means
  inclined to part with any of his money。  It must not be presumed
  that he had amassed a fortune by his trade in cedar wood。  Few
  tradesmen in Bermuda do; as I imagine; amass fortunes。  Of some few
  hundred pounds he was possessed; and these; in the course of nature;
  would go to his daughter when he died; but he had no inclination to
  hand any portion of them over to his daughter before they did go to
  her in the course of nature。  Now; the income which Caleb Morton
  earned as a Presbyterian clergyman was not large; and; therefore; no
  day had been fixed as yet for his marriage with Anastasia。
  But; though the old man had been from the first averse to the match;
  his hostility had not been active。  He had not forbidden Mr。 Morton
  his house; or affected to be in any degree angry because his
  daughter had a lover。  He had merely grumbled forth an intimation
  that those who marry in haste repent at leisure;that love kept
  nobody warm if the pot did not boil; and that; as for him; it was as
  much as he could do to keep his own pot boiling at Crump Cottage。
  In answer to this Anastasia said nothing。  She asked him for no
  money; but still kept his accounts; managed his household; and
  looked patiently forward for better days。
  Old Mr。 Bergen himself spent much of his time at Hamilton; where he
  had a woodyard with a couple of rooms attached to it。  It was his
  custom to remain here three nights of the week; during which
  Anastasia was left alone at the cottage; and it happened by no means
  seldom that she was altogether alone; for the negro whom they called
  the gardener would go to her father's place at Hamilton; and the two
  black girls would crawl away up to the road; tired with the monotony
  of the sea at the cottage。  Caleb had more than once told her that
  she was too much alone; but she had laughed at him; saying that
  solitude in Bermuda was not dangerous。  Nor; indeed; was it; for the
  people are quiet and well…mannered; lacking much energy; but being;
  in the same degree; free from any propensity to violence。
  〃So you are going;〃 she said to her lover; one evening; as he rose
  from the chair on which he had been swinging himself at the door of
  the cottage which looks down over the creek of the sea。  He had sat
  there for an hour talking to her as she worked; or watching her as
  she moved about the place。  It was a beautiful evening; and the sun
  had been falling to rest with almost tropical glory before his feet。
  The bright oleanders were red with their blossoms all around him;
  and he had thoroughly enjoyed his hour of easy rest。  〃So you are
  going;〃 she said to him; not putting her work out of her hand as he
  rose to depart。
  〃Yes; and it is time for me to go。  I have still work to do before I
  can get to bed。  Ah; well; I suppose the day will come at last when
  I need not leave you as soon as my hour of rest is over。〃
  〃Come; of course it will come。  That is; if your reverence should
  choose to wait for it another ten years or so。〃
  〃I believe you would not mind waiting twenty years。〃
  〃Not if a certain friend of mine would come down and see me of
  evenings when I'm alone after the day。  It seems to me that I
  shouldn't mind waiting as long as I had that to look for。〃
  〃You are right not to be impatient;〃 he said to her; after a pause;
  as he held her hand before he went。  〃Quite right。  I only wish I
  could school myself to be as easy about it。〃
  〃I did not say I was easy;〃 said Anastasia。  〃People are seldom easy
  in this world; I take it。  I said I could be patient。  Do not look
  in that way; as though you pretended that you were dissatisfied with
  me。  You know that I am true to you; and you ought to be very proud
  of me。〃
  〃I am proud of you; Anastasia〃 on hearing which she got up and
  courtesied to him。  〃I am proud of you; so proud of you that I feel
  you should not be left here all alone; with no one to help you if
  you were in trouble。〃
  〃Women don't get into trouble as men do; and do not want any one to
  help them。  If you were alone in the house you would have to go to
  bed without your supper; because you could not make a basin of
  boiled milk ready for your own meal。  Now; when your reverence has
  gone; I shall go to work and have my tea comfortably。〃  And then he
  did go; bidding God bless her as he left her。  Three hours after
  that he was disturbed in his own lodgings by one of the negro girls
  from the cottage rushing to his door; and begging him in Heaven's
  name to come down to the assistance of her mistress。
  When Morton left her; Anastasia did not proceed to do as she had
  said; and seemed to have forgotten her evening meal。  She had been
  working sedulously with her needle during all that last
  conversation; but when her lover was gone; she allowed the work to
  fall from her hands; and sat motionless for awhile; gazing at the
  last streak of colour left by the setting sun; but there was no
  longer a sign of its glory to be traced in the heavens around her。
  The twilight in Bermuda is not long and enduring as it is with us;
  though the daylight does not depart suddenly; leaving the darkness
  of night behind it without any intermediate time of warning; as is
  the case farther south; down among the islands of the tropics。  But
  the soft; sweet light of the evening had waned and gone; and night
  had absolutely come upon her; while Anastasia was still seated
  before the cottage with her eyes fixed upon the white streak of
  motionless sea which was still visible through the gloom。  She was
  thinking of him; of his ways of life; of his happiness; and of her
  duty towards him。  She had told him; with her pretty feminine
  falseness; that she could wait without impatience; but now she said
  to herself that it would not be good for him to wait longer。  He
  lived alone and without comfort; working very hard for his poor
  pittance; and she could see; and feel; and understand that a
  companion in his life was to him almost a necessity。  She would tell
  her father that all this must be brought to an end。  She would not
  ask him for money; but she woul