第2章
加入书架 A- A+
点击下载App,搜索"THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE",免费读到尾

  Inthevalleysoftheheathnothingsaveitsownwildfacewasvisibleatanytimeofday;butthisspotcommandedahorizonenclosingatractoffarextent,andinmanycaseslyingbeyondtheheathcountry。

  Noneofitsfeaturescouldbeseennow,butthewholemadeitselffeltasavaguestretchofremoteness。

  Whilethemenandladswerebuildingthepile,achangetookplaceinthemassofshadewhichdenotedthedistantlandscape。Redsunsandtuftsoffireonebyonebegantoarise,fleckingthewholecountryround。

  Theywerethebonfiresofotherparishesandhamletsthatwereengagedinthesamesortofcommemoration。

  Someweredistant,andstoodinadenseatmosphere,sothatbundlesofpalestraw—likebeamsradiatedaroundthemintheshapeofafan。Somewerelargeandnear,glowingscarlet—redfromtheshade,likewoundsinablackhide。

  SomewereMaenades,withwinyfacesandblownhair。

  Thesetincturedthesilentbosomofthecloudsabovethemandlituptheirephemeralcaves,whichseemedthenceforthtobecomescaldingcaldrons。Perhapsasmanyasthirtybonfirescouldbecountedwithinthewholeboundsofthedistrict;andasthehourmaybetoldonaclock—facewhenthefiguresthemselvesareinvisible,sodidthemenrecognizethelocalityofeachfirebyitsangleanddirection,thoughnothingofthescenerycouldbeviewed。

  ThefirsttallflamefromRainbarrowsprangintothesky,attractingalleyesthathadbeenfixedonthedistantconflagrationsbacktotheirownattemptinthesamekind。

  Thecheerfulblazestreakedtheinnersurfaceofthehumancircle——nowincreasedbyotherstragglers,maleandfemale——withitsowngoldlivery,andevenoverlaidthedarkturfaroundwithalivelyluminousness,whichsoftenedoffintoobscuritywherethebarrowroundeddownwardsoutofsight。

  Itshowedthebarrowtobethesegmentofaglobe,asperfectasonthedaywhenitwasthrownup,eventhelittleditchremainingfromwhichtheearthwasdug。

  Notaploughhadeverdisturbedagrainofthatstubbornsoil。

  Intheheath’sbarrennesstothefarmerlayitsfertilitytothehistorian。Therehadbeennoobliteration,becausetherehadbeennotending。

  Itseemedasifthebonfire—makerswerestandinginsomeradiantupperstoryoftheworld,detachedfromandindependentofthedarkstretchesbelow。Theheathdowntherewasnowavastabyss,andnolongeracontinuationofwhattheystoodon;fortheireyes,adaptedtotheblaze,couldseenothingofthedeepsbeyonditsinfluence。

  Occasionally,itistrue,amorevigorousflarethanusualfromtheirfaggotssentdartinglightslikeaides—de—campdowntheinclinestosomedistantbush,pool,orpatchofwhitesand,kindlingthesetorepliesofthesamecolour,tillallwaslostindarknessagain。ThenthewholeblackphenomenonbeneathrepresentedLimboasviewedfromthebrinkbythesublimeFlorentineinhisvision,andthemutteredarticulationsofthewindinthehollowswereascomplaintsandpetitionsfromthe\"soulsofmightyworth\"suspendedtherein。

  Itwasasifthesemenandboyshadsuddenlydivedintopastages,andfetchedtherefromanhouranddeedwhichhadbeforebeenfamiliarwiththisspot。TheashesoftheoriginalBritishpyrewhichblazedfromthatsummitlayfreshandundisturbedinthebarrowbeneaththeirtread。

  Theflamesfromfuneralpileslongagokindledtherehadshonedownuponthelowlandsasthesewereshiningnow。

  FestivalfirestoThorandWodenhadfollowedonthesamegroundanddulyhadtheirday。Indeed,itisprettywellknownthatsuchblazesasthistheheathmenwerenowenjoyingareratherthelinealdescendantsfromjumbledDruidicalritesandSaxonceremoniesthantheinventionofpopularfeelingaboutGunpowderPlot。

  Moreovertolightafireistheinstinctiveandresistantactofmanwhen,atthewinteringress,thecurfewissoundedthroughoutNature。Itindicatesaspontaneous,Prometheanrebelliousnessagainstthatfiatthatthisrecurrentseasonshallbringfoultimes,colddarkness,miseryanddeath。Blackchaoscomes,andthefetteredgodsoftheearthsay,Lettherebelight。

  ThebrilliantlightsandsootyshadeswhichstruggledupontheskinandclothesofthepersonsstandingroundcausedtheirlineamentsandgeneralcontourstobedrawnwithDureresquevigouranddash。Yetthepermanentmoralexpressionofeachfaceitwasimpossibletodiscover,forasthenimbleflamestowered,nodded,andswoopedthroughthesurroundingair,theblotsofshadeandflakesoflightuponthecountenancesofthegroupchangedshapeandpositionendlessly。Allwasunstable;quiveringasleaves,evanescentaslightning。Shadowyeye—sockets,deepasthoseofadeath’shead,suddenlyturnedintopitsoflustre:alantern—jawwascavernous,thenitwasshining;

  wrinkleswereemphasizedtoravines,orobliteratedentirelybyachangedray。Nostrilsweredarkwells;

  sinewsinoldnecksweregiltmouldings;thingswithnoparticularpolishonthemwereglazed;brightobjects,suchasthetipofafurze—hookoneofthemencarried,wereasglass;eyeballsglowedlikelittlelanterns。

  ThosewhomNaturehaddepictedasmerelyquaintbecamegrotesque,thegrotesquebecamepreternatural;

  forallwasinextremity。

  Henceitmaybethatthefaceofanoldman,whohadlikeothersbeencalledtotheheightsbytherisingflames,wasnotreallythemerenoseandchinthatitappearedtobe,butanappreciablequantityofhumancountenance。

  Hestoodcomplacentlysunninghimselfintheheat。

  Withaspeaker,orstake,hetossedtheoutlyingscrapsoffuelintotheconflagration,lookingatthemidstofthepile,occasionallyliftinghiseyestomeasuretheheightoftheflame,ortofollowthegreatsparkswhichrosewithitandsailedawayintodarkness。Thebeamingsight,andthepenetratingwarmth,seemedtobreedinhimacumulativecheerfulness,whichsoonamountedtodelight。

  Withhisstickinhishandhebegantojigaprivateminuet,abunchofcoppersealsshiningandswinginglikeapendulumfromunderhiswaistcoat:healsobegantosing,inthevoiceofabeeupaflue——

  \"Theking’call’ddown’hisno—blesall’,Byone’,bytwo’,bythree’;

  EarlMar’—shal,I’ll’goshrive’—thequeen’,Andthou’shaltwend’withme’。

  \"Aboon’,aboon’,quothEarl’Mar—shal’,Andfell’onhisbend’—dedknee’,Thatwhat’—so—e’er’thequeen’shallsay’,Noharm’there—of’maybe’。\"

  Wantofbreathpreventedacontinuanceofthesong;

  andthebreakdownattractedtheattentionofafirm—

  standingmanofmiddleage,whokepteachcornerofhiscrescent—shapedmouthrigorouslydrawnbackintohischeek,asiftodoawaywithanysuspicionofmirthfulnesswhichmighterroneouslyhaveattachedtohim。

  \"Afairstave,GrandferCantle;butIamafeard’tistoomuchforthemouldyweasandofsuchaoldmanasyou,\"

  hesaidtothewrinkledreveller。\"Dostn’twishth’

  wastthreesixesagain,Grandfer,asyouwaswhenyoufirstlearnttosingit?\"

  \"Hey?\"saidGrandferCantle,stoppinginhisdance。

  \"Dostn’twishwastyoungagain,Isay?There’saholeinthypoorbellowsnowadaysseemingly。\"

  \"Butthere’sgoodartinme?IfIcouldn’tmakealittlewindgoalongwaysIshouldseemnoyoungerthanthemostagedman,shouldI,Timothy?\"

  \"Andhowaboutthenew—marriedfolksdownthereattheQuietWomanInn?\"theotherinquired,pointingtowardsadimlightinthedirectionofthedistanthighway,butconsiderablyapartfromwherethereddlemanwasatthatmomentresting。\"What’stherightsofthematterabout’em?Yououghttoknow,beinganunderstandingman。\"

  \"Butalittlerakish,hey?Iowntoit。MasterCantleisthat,orhe’snothing。Yet’tisagayfault,neigbbourFairway,thatagewillcure。\"

  \"Iheardthattheywerecominghometonight。Bythistimetheymusthavecome。Whatbesides?\"

  \"Thenextthingisforustogoandwish’emjoy,Isuppose?\"

  \"Well,no。\"

  \"No?Now,Ithoughtwemust。Imust,or’twouldbeveryunlikeme——thefirstineveryspreethat’sgoing!

  \"Dothou’puton’afri’—ar’scoat’,AndI’ll’puton’a—no’—ther,Andwe’willto’QueenEle’anorgo’,LikeFri’arand’hisbro’ther。

  ImetMis’essYeobright,theyoungbride’saunt,lastnight,andshetoldmethathersonClymwascominghomea’Christmas。Wonderfulclever,’abelieve——ah,I

  shouldliketohaveallthat’sunderthatyoungman’shair。

  Well,then,Ispoketoherinmywell—knownmerryway,andshesaid,’Othatwhat’sshapedsovenerableshouldtalklikeafool!’——that’swhatshesaidtome。Idon’tcareforher,bejownedifIdo,andsoItoldher。

  ’BejownedifIcarefor’ee,’Isaid。Ihadherthere——hey?\"

  \"Iratherthinkshehadyou,\"saidFairway。

  \"No,\"saidGrandferCantle,hiscountenanceslightlyflagging。

  \"’Tisn’tsobadasthatwithme?\"

  \"Seemingly’tis,however,isitbecauseoftheweddingthatClymiscominghomea’Christmas——tomakeanewarrangementbecausehismotherisnowleftinthehousealone?\"

  \"Yes,yes——that’sit。But,Timothy,hearkentome,\"

  saidtheGrandferearnestly。\"Thoughknownassuchajoker,Ibeanunderstandingmanifyoucatchmeserious,andIamseriousnow。Icantell’eelotsaboutthemarriedcouple。

  Yes,thismorningatsixo’clocktheywentupthecountrytodothejob,andneithervellnormarkhavebeenseenof’emsince,thoughIreckonthatthisafternoonhasbrought’emhomeagainmanandwoman——wife,thatis。

  Isn’titspokelikeaman,Timothy,andwasn’tMis’essYeobrightwrongaboutme?\"

  \"Yes,itwilldo。Ididn’tknowthetwohadwalkedtogethersincelastfall,whenherauntforbadthebanns。

  Howlonghasthisnewset—tobeeninmanglingthen?Doyouknow,Humphrey?\"

  \"Yes,howlong?\"saidGrandferCantlesmartly,likewiseturningtoHumphrey。\"Iaskthatquestion。\"

  \"Eversinceherauntalteredhermind,andsaidshemighthavethemanafterall,\"repliedHumphrey,withoutremovinghiseyesfromthefire。Hewasasomewhatsolemnyoungfellow,andcarriedthehookandleatherglovesofafurze—cutter,hislegs,byreasonofthatoccupation,beingsheathedinbulgingleggingsasstiffasthePhilistine’sgreavesofbrass。\"That’swhytheywentawaytobemarried,Icount。Yousee,afterkickingupsuchanunny—watchandforbiddingthebanns’twouldhavemadeMis’essYeobrightseemfoolish—liketohaveabangingweddinginthesameparishallasifshe’dnevergainsaidit。\"

  \"Exactly——seemfoolish—like;andthat’sverybadforthepoorthingsthatbeso,thoughIonlyguessasmuch,tobesure,\"saidGrandferCantle,stillstrenuouslypreservingasensiblebearingandmien。

  \"Ah,well,Iwasatchurchthatday,\"saidFairway,\"whichwasaverycuriousthingtohappen。\"

  \"If’twasn’tmyname’sSimple,\"saidtheGrandferemphatically。\"Iha’n’tbeenthereto—year;

  andnowthewinterisa—comingonIwon’tsayIshall。\"

  \"Iha’n’tbeenthesethreeyears,\"saidHumphrey;

  \"forI’msodeadsleepyofaSunday;and’tissoterriblefartogetthere;andwhenyoudogetthere’tissuchamortalpoorchancethatyou’llbechoseforupabove,whensomanybain’t,thatIbideathomeanddon’tgoatall。\"

  \"Inotonlyhappenedtobethere,\"saidFairway,withafreshcollectionofemphasis,\"butIwassittinginthesamepewasMis’essYeobright。Andthoughyoumaynotseeitassuch,itfairlymademybloodruncoldtohearher。Yes,itisacuriousthing;butitmademybloodruncold,forIwascloseatherelbow。\"

  Thespeakerlookedrounduponthebystanders,nowdrawingclosertohearhim,withhislipsgatheredtighterthaneverintherigorousnessofhisdescriptivemoderation。

  \"’Tisaseriousjobtohavethingshappento’eethere,\"

  saidawomanbehind。

  \"’Yearetodeclareit,’wastheparson’swords,\"

  Fairwaycontinued。\"Andthenupstoodawomanatmyside——a—touchingofme。’Well,bedamnedifthereisn’tMis’essYeobrighta—standingup,’Isaidtomyself。Yes,neighbours,thoughIwasinthetempleofprayerthat’swhatIsaid。

  ’Tisagainstmyconsciencetocurseandswearincompany,andIhopeanywomanherewilloverlookit。StillwhatIdidsayIdidsay,and’twouldbealieifIdidn’townit。\"

  \"So’twould,neighbourFairway。\"

  \"’Bedamnedifthereisn’tMis’essYeobrighta—standingup,’

  Isaid,\"thenarratorrepeated,givingoutthebadwordwiththesamepassionlessseverityoffaceasbefore,whichprovedhowentirelynecessityandnotgustohadtodowiththeiteration。\"AndthenextthingIheardwas,’Iforbidthebanns,’fromher。’I’llspeaktoyouaftertheservice,’saidtheparson,inquiteahomelyway——yes,turningallatonceintoacommonmannoholierthanyouorI。Ah,herfacewaspale!MaybeyoucancalltomindthatmonumentinWeatherburychurch——thecross—leggedsoldierthathavehadhisarmknockedawaybytheschoolchildren?Well,hewouldabouthavematchedthatwoman’sface,whenshesaid,’Iforbidthebanns。’\"

  Theaudienceclearedtheirthroatsandtossedafewstalksintothefire,notbecausethesedeedswereurgent,buttogivethemselvestimetoweighthemoralofthestory。

  \"I’msurewhenIheardthey’dbeenforbidIfeltasgladasifanybodyhadgiedmesixpence,\"saidanearnestvoice——thatofOllyDowden,awomanwholivedbymakingheathbrooms,orbesoms。Hernaturewastobeciviltoenemiesaswellastofriends,andgratefultoalltheworldforlettingherremainalive。

  \"Andnowthemaidhavemarriedhimjustthesame,\"

  saidHumphrey。

  \"AfterthatMis’essYeobrightcameroundandwasquiteagreeable,\"Fairwayresumed,withanunheedingair,toshowthathiswordswerenoappendagetoHumphrey’s,buttheresultofindependentreflection。

  \"Supposingtheywereashamed,Idon’tseewhytheyshouldn’thavedoneithere—right,\"saidawide—spreadwomanwhosestayscreakedlikeshoeswhenevershestoopedorturned。

  \"’Tiswelltocalltheneighbourstogetherandtohaeagoodracketoncenowandthen;anditmayaswellbewhenthere’saweddingasattide—times。Idon’tcareforcloseways。\"

  \"Ah,now,you’dhardlybelieveit,butIdon’tcareforgayweddings,\"saidTimothyFairway,hiseyesagaintravellinground。\"IhardlyblameThomasinYeobrightandneighbourWildevefordoingitquiet,ifImustownit。

  Aweddingathomemeansfiveandsix—handedreelsbythehour;

  andtheydoaman’slegsnogoodwhenhe’soverforty。\"

  \"True。Onceatthewoman’shouseyoucanhardlysaynaytobeingoneinajig,knowingallthetimethatyoubeexpectedtomakeyourselfworthyourvictuals。\"

  \"YoubeboundtodanceatChristmasbecause’tisthetimeo’

  year;youmustdanceatweddingsbecause’tisthetimeo’life。

  Atchristeningsfolkwillevensmuggleinareelortwo,if’tisnofurtheronthanthefirstorsecondchiel。

  Andthisisnotnamingthesongsyou’vegottosing……FormypartIlikeagoodheartyfuneralaswellasanything。

  You’veassplendidvictualsanddrinkasatotherparties,andevenbetter。Anditdon’twearyourlegstostumpsintalkingoverapoorfellow’swaysasitdotostandupinhornpipes。\"

  \"Ninefolksoutoftenwouldown’twasgoingtoofartodancethen,Isuppose?\"suggestedGrandferCantle。

  \"’Tistheonlysortofpartyastaidmancanfeelsafeatafterthemughavebeenroundafewtimes。\"

  \"Well,Ican’tunderstandaquietladylikelittlebodylikeTamsinYeobrightcaringtobemarriedinsuchameanway,\"

  saidSusanNunsuch,thewidewoman,whopreferredtheoriginalsubject。\"’Tisworsethanthepoorestdo。

  AndIshouldn’thavecaredabouttheman,thoughsomemaysayhe’sgood—looking。\"

  \"Togivehimhisduehe’saclever,learnedfellowinhisway——a’mostascleverasClymYeobrightusedtobe。

  HewasbroughtuptobetterthingsthankeepingtheQuietWoman。Anengineer——that’swhatthemanwas,asweknow;buthethrewawayhischance,andso’atookapublichousetolive。Hislearningwasnousetohimatall。\"

  \"Veryoftenthecase,\"saidOlly,thebesom—maker。\"Andyethowpeopledostriveafteritandgetit!Theclassoffolkthatcouldn’tusetomakearoundOtosavetheirbonesfromthepitcanwritetheirnamesnowwithoutasputterofthepen,oftentimeswithoutasingleblot——whatdoIsay?——why,almostwithoutadesktoleantheirstomachsandelbowsupon。\"

  \"True——’tisamazingwhatapolishtheworldhavebeenbroughtto,\"saidHumphrey。

  \"Why,aforeIwentasoldierintheBang—upLocals(aswewascalled),intheyearfour,\"chimedinGrandferCantlebrightly,\"Ididn’tknownomorewhattheworldwaslikethanthecommonestmanamongye。Andnow,jownitall,Iwon’tsaywhatIbain’tfitfor,hey?\"

  \"Couldstsignthebook,nodoubt,\"saidFairway,\"ifwastyoungenoughtojoinhandswithawomanagain,likeWildeveandMis’essTamsin,whichismorethanHumphtherecoulddo,forhefollowshisfatherinlearning。Ah,Humph,wellI

  canmindwhenIwasmarriedhowIzidthyfather’smarkstaringmeinthefaceasIwenttoputdownmyname。

  Heandyourmotherwerethecouplemarriedjustaforewewereandtherestoodtheyfather’scrosswitharmsstretchedoutlikeagreatbangingscarecrow。Whataterribleblackcrossthatwas——thyfather’sverylikenessinen!

  TosavemysoulIcouldn’thelplaughingwhenIziden,thoughallthetimeIwasashotasdog—days,whatwiththemarrying,andwhatwiththewomana—hangingtome,andwhatwithJackChangleyandalotmorechapsgrinningatmethroughchurchwindow。Butthenextmomentastrawmotewouldhaveknockedmedown,forIcalledtomindthatifthyfatherandmotherhadhadhighwordsonce,they’dbeenatittwentytimessincethey’dbeenmanandwife,andIzidmyselfasthenextpoorstunpolltogetintothesamemess……Ah——well,whataday’twas!\"

  \"WildeveisolderthanTamsinYeobrightbyagood—fewsummers。

  Aprettymaidtoosheis。Ayoungwomanwithahomemustbeafooltotearhersmockforamanlikethat。\"

  Thespeaker,apeat—orturf—cutter,whohadnewlyjoinedthegroup,carriedacrosshisshoulderthesingularheart—shapedspadeoflargedimensionsusedinthatspeciesoflabour,anditswell—whettededgegleamedlikeasilverbowinthebeamsofthefire。

  \"Ahundredmaidenswouldhavehadhimifhe’dasked’em,\"

  saidthewidewoman。

  \"Didsteverknowaman,neighbour,thatnowomanatallwouldmarry?\"inquiredHumphrey。

  \"Ineverdid,\"saidtheturf—cutter。

  \"NorI,\"saidanother。

  \"NorI,\"saidGrandferCantle。

  \"Well,now,Ididonce,\"saidTimothyFairway,addingmorefirmnesstooneofhislegs。\"Ididknowofsuchaman。

  Butonlyonce,mind。\"Hegavehisthroatathoroughrakeround,asifitwerethedutyofeverypersonnottobemistakenthroughthicknessofvoice。\"Yes,Iknewofsuchaman,\"

  hesaid。

  \"Andwhatghastlygallicrowmightthepoorfellowhavebeenlike,MasterFairway?\"askedtheturf—cutter。

  \"Well,’awasneitheradeafman,noradumbman,norablindman。What’awasIdon’tsay。\"

  \"Isheknownintheseparts?\"saidOllyDowden。

  \"Hardly,\"saidTimothy;\"butInamenoname……Come,keepthefireupthere,youngsters。\"

  \"WhateverisChristianCantle’steetha—chatteringfor?\"

  saidaboyfromamidthesmokeandshadesontheothersideoftheblaze。\"Beyea—cold,Christian?\"

  Athinjibberingvoicewasheardtoreply,\"No,notatall。\"

  \"Comeforward,Christian,andshowyourself。Ididn’tknowyouwerehere,\"saidFairway,withahumanelookacrosstowardsthatquarter。

  Thusrequested,afalteringman,withreedyhair,noshoulders,andagreatquantityofwristandanklebeyondhisclothes,advancedasteportwobyhisownwill,andwaspushedbythewillofothershalfadozenstepsmore。

  HewasGrandferCantle’syoungestson。

  \"Whatbeyequakingfor,Christian?\"saidtheturf—

  cutterkindly。

  \"I’mtheman。\"

  \"Whatman?\"

  \"Themannowomanwillmarry。\"

  \"Thedeuceyoube!\"saidTimothyFairway,enlarginghisgazetocoverChristian’swholesurfaceandagreatdealmore,GrandferCantlemeanwhilestaringasahenstaresattheduckshehashatched。

  \"Yes,Ibehe;anditmakesmeafeard,\"saidChristian。

  \"D’yethink’twillhurtme?IshallalwayssayIdon’tcare,andsweartoit,thoughIdocareallthewhile。\"

  \"Well,bedamnedifthisisn’tthequeereststarteverIknow’d,\"saidMr。Fairway。\"Ididn’tmeanyouatall。

  There’sanotherinthecountry,then!Whydidyerevealyermisfortune,Christian?\"

  \"’Twastobeif’twas,Isuppose。Ican’thelpit,canI?\"Heturneduponthemhispainfullycirculareyes,surroundedbyconcentriclinesliketargets。

  \"No,that’strue。But’tisamelancholything,andmybloodrancoldwhenyouspoke,forIfeltthereweretwopoorfellowswhereIhadthoughtonlyone。

  ’Tisasadthingforye,Christian。How’stknowthewomenwon’thaethee?\"

  \"I’veasked’em。\"

  \"SureIshouldneverhavethoughtyouhadtheface。

  Well,andwhatdidthelastonesaytoye?Nothingthatcan’tbegotover,perhaps,afterall?\"

  \"’Getoutofmysight,youslack—twisted,slim—lookingmaphrotightfool,’wasthewoman’swordstome。\"

  \"Notencouraging,Iown,\"saidFairway。\"’Getoutofmysight,youslack—twisted,slim—lookingmaphrotightfool,’

  isratherahardwayofsayingNo。Buteventhatmightbeovercomebytimeandpatience,soastoletafewgreyhairsshowthemselvesinthehussy’shead。

  Howoldbeyou,Christian?\"

  \"Thirty—onelasttatie—digging,MisterFairway。\"

  \"Notaboy——notaboy。Stillthere’shopeyet。\"

  \"That’smyagebybaptism,becausethat’sputdowninthegreatbookoftheJudgmentthattheykeepinchurchvestry;

  butMothertoldmeIwasbornsometimeaforeIwaschristened。\"

  \"Ah!\"

  \"Butshecouldn’ttellwhen,tosaveherlife,exceptthattherewasnomoon。\"

  \"Nomoon——that’sbad。Hey,neighbours,that’sbadforhim!\"

  \"Yes,’tisbad,\"saidGrandferCantle,shakinghishead。

  \"Motherknow’d’twasnomoon,forsheaskedanotherwomanthathadanalmanac,asshedidwheneveraboywasborntoher,becauseofthesaying,’Nomoon,noman,’whichmadeherafeardeveryman—childshehad。

  Doyereallythinkitserious,MisterFairway,thattherewasnomoon?\"

  \"Yes。’Nomoon,noman。’’Tisoneofthetruestsayingseverspitout。Theboynevercomestoanythingthat’sbornatnewmoon。Abadjobforthee,Christian,thatyoushouldhaveshowedyournosethenofalldaysinthemonth。\"

  \"Isupposethemoonwasterriblefullwhenyouwereborn?\"

  saidChristian,withalookofhopelessadmirationatFairway。

  \"Well,’awasnotnew,\"Mr。Fairwayreplied,withadisinterestedgaze。

  \"I’dsoonergowithoutdrinkatLammas—tidethanbeamanofnomoon,\"continuedChristian,inthesameshatteredrecitative。\"’TissaidIbeonlytheramesofaman,andnogoodformyraceatall;andIsupposethat’sthecauseo’t。\"

  \"Ay,\"saidGrandferCantle,somewhatsubduedinspirit;

  \"andyethismothercriedforscoresofhourswhen’awasaboy,forfearheshouldoutgrowhisselfandgoforasoldier。\"

  \"Well,there’smanyjustasbadashe。\"saidFairway。

  \"Wethersmustlivetheirtimeaswellasothersheep,poorsoul。\"

  \"SoperhapsIshallrubon?OughtItobeafearedo’

  nights,MasterFairway?\"

  \"You’llhavetoliealoneallyourlife;and’tisnottomarriedcouplesbuttosinglesleepersthataghostshowshimselfwhen’adocome。Onehasbeenseenlately,too。

点击下载App,搜索"THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE",免费读到尾