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第26章

st. ives-第26章

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attire; if we can talk so of the dead。  He had a horrid look of a 

waxwork。  In the tossing of the lights he seemed to make faces and 

mouths at us; to frown; and to be at times upon the point of 

speech。  The cart; with this shabby and tragic freight; and 

surrounded by its silent escort and bright torches; continued for 

some distance to creak along the high…road; and I to follow it in 

amazement; which was soon exchanged for horror。  At the corner of a 

lane the procession stopped; and; as the torches ranged themselves 

along the hedgerow…side; I became aware of a grave dug in the midst 

of the thoroughfare; and a provision of quicklime piled in the 

ditch。  The cart was backed to the margin; the body slung off the 

platform and dumped into the grave with an irreverent roughness。  A 

sharpened stake had hitherto served it for a pillow。  It was now 

withdrawn; held in its place by several volunteers; and a fellow 

with a heavy mallet (the sound of which still haunts me at night) 

drove it home through the bosom of the corpse。  The hole was filled 

with quicklime; and the bystanders; as if relieved of some 

oppression; broke at once into a sound of whispered speech。



My shirt stuck to me; my heart had almost ceased beating; and I 

found my tongue with difficulty。



'I beg your pardon;' I gasped to a neighbour; 'what is this? what 

has he done? is it allowed?'



'Why; where do you come from?' replied the man。



'I am a traveller; sir;' said I; 'and a total stranger in this part 

of the country。  I had lost my way when I saw your torches; and 

came by chance on this … this incredible scene。  Who was the man?'



'A suicide;' said he。  'Ay; he was a bad one; was Johnnie Green。'



It appeared this was a wretch who had committed many barbarous 

murders; and being at last upon the point of discovery fell of his 

own hand。  And the nightmare at the crossroads was the regular 

punishment; according to the laws of England; for an act which the 

Romans honoured as a virtue!  Whenever an Englishman begins to 

prate of civilisation (as; indeed; it's a defect they are rather 

prone to); I hear the measured blows of a mallet; see the 

bystanders crowd with torches about the grave; smile a little to 

myself in conscious superiority … and take a thimbleful of brandy 

for the stomach's sake。



I believe it must have been at my next stage; for I remember going 

to bed extremely early; that I came to the model of a good old…

fashioned English inn; and was attended on by the picture of a 

pretty chambermaid。  We had a good many pleasant passages as she 

waited table or warmed my bed for me with a devil of a brass 

warming pan; fully larger than herself; and as she was no less pert 

than she was pretty; she may be said to have given rather better 

than she took。  I cannot tell why (unless it were for the sake of 

her saucy eyes); but I made her my confidante; told her I was 

attached to a young lady in Scotland; and received the 

encouragement of her sympathy; mingled and connected with a fair 

amount of rustic wit。  While I slept the down…mail stopped for 

supper; it chanced that one of the passengers left behind a copy of 

the EDINBURGH COURANT; and the next morning my pretty chambermaid 

set the paper before me at breakfast; with the remark that there 

was some news from my lady…love。  I took it eagerly; hoping to find 

some further word of our escape; in which I was disappointed; and I 

was about to lay it down; when my eye fell on a paragraph 

immediately concerning me。  Faa was in hospital; grievously sick; 

and warrants were out for the arrest of Sim and Candlish。  These 

two men had shown themselves very loyal to me。  This trouble 

emerging; the least I could do was to be guided by a similar 

loyalty to them。  Suppose my visit to my uncle crowned with some 

success; and my finances re…established; I determined I should 

immediately return to Edinburgh; put their case in the hands of a 

good lawyer; and await events。  So my mind was very lightly made up 

to what proved a mighty serious matter。  Candlish and Sim were all 

very well in their way; and I do sincerely trust I should have been 

at some pains to help them; had there been nothing else。  But in 

truth my heart and my eyes were set on quite another matter; and I 

received the news of their tribulation almost with joy。  That is 

never a bad wind that blows where we want to go; and you may be 

sure there was nothing unwelcome in a circumstance that carried me 

back to Edinburgh and Flora。  From that hour I began to indulge 

myself with the making of imaginary scenes and interviews; in which 

I confounded the aunt; flattered Ronald; and now in the witty; now 

in the sentimental manner; declared my love and received the 

assurance of its return。  By means of this exercise my resolution 

daily grew stronger; until at last I had piled together such a mass 

of obstinacy as it would have taken a cataclysm of nature to 

subvert。



'Yes;' said I to the chambermaid; 'here is news of my lady…love 

indeed; and very good news too。'



All that day; in the teeth of a keen winter wind; I hugged myself 

in my plaid; and it was as though her arms were flung around me。









CHAPTER XII … I FOLLOW A COVERED CART NEARLY TO MY DESTINATION





AT last I began to draw near; by reasonable stages; to the 

neighbourhood of Wakefield; and the name of Mr。 Burchell Fenn came 

to the top in my memory。  This was the gentleman (the reader may 

remember) who made a trade of forwarding the escape of French 

prisoners。  How he did so: whether he had a sign…board; ESCAPES 

FORWARDED; APPLY WITHIN; what he charged for his services; or 

whether they were gratuitous and charitable; were all matters of 

which I was at once ignorant and extremely curious。  Thanks to my 

proficiency in English; and Mr。 Romaine's bank…notes; I was getting 

on swimmingly without him; but the trouble was that I could not be 

easy till I had come to the bottom of these mysteries; and it was 

my difficulty that I knew nothing of him beyond the name。  I knew 

not his trade beyond that of Forwarder of Escapes … whether he 

lived in town or country; whether he were rich or poor; nor by what 

kind of address I was to gain his confidence。  It would have a very 

bad appearance to go along the highwayside asking after a man of 

whom I could give so scanty an account; and I should look like a 

fool; indeed; if I were to present myself at his door and find the 

police in occupation!  The interest of the conundrum; however; 

tempted me; and I turned aside from my direct road to pass by 

Wakefield; kept my ears pricked; as I went; for any mention of his 

name; and relied for the rest on my good fortune。  If Luck (who 

must certainly be feminine) favoured me as far as to throw me in 

the man's way; I should owe the lady a candle; if not; I could very 

readily console myself。  In this experimental humour; and with so 

little to help me; it was a miracle that I should have brought my 

enterprise to a good end; and there are several saints in the 

calendar who might be happy to exchange with St。 Ives!



I had slept that night in a good inn at Wakefield; made my 

breakfast by candle…light with the passengers of an up…coach; and 

set off in a very ill temper with myself and my surroundings。  It 

was still early; the air raw and cold; the sun low; and soon to 

disappear under a vast canopy of rain…clouds that had begun to 

assemble in the north…west; and from that quarter invaded the whole 

width of the heaven。  Already the rain fell in crystal rods; 

already the whole face of the country sounded with the discharge of 

drains and ditches; and I looked forward to a day of downpour and 

the hell of wet clothes; in which particular I am as dainty as a 

cat。  At a corner of the road; and by the last glint of the 

drowning sun; I spied a covered cart; of a kind that I thought I 


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