amy foster-第1章

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AMY　FOSTER









by　Joseph　Conrad

















Kennedy　is　a　country　doctor；　and　lives　in　Cole…



brook；　on　the　shores　of　Eastbay。　　The　high



ground　rising　abruptly　behind　the　red　roofs　of　the



little　town　crowds　the　quaint　High　Street　against



the　wall　which　defends　it　from　the　sea。　　Beyond



the　sea…wall　there　curves　for　miles　in　a　vast　and



regular　sweep　the　barren　beach　of　shingle；　with　the



village　of　Brenzett　standing　out　darkly　across　the



water；　a　spire　in　a　clump　of　trees；　and　still　further



out　the　perpendicular　column　of　a　lighthouse；　look…



ing　in　the　distance　no　bigger　than　a　lead　pencil；



marks　the　vanishing…point　of　the　land。　　The　coun…



try　at　the　back　of　Brenzett　is　low　and　flat；　but　the



bay　is　fairly　well　sheltered　from　the　seas；　and　occa…



sionally　a　big　ship；　windbound　or　through　stress



of　weather；　makes　use　of　the　anchoring　ground　a



mile　and　a　half　due　north　from　you　as　you　stand



at　the　back　door　of　the　〃Ship　Inn〃　in　Brenzett。



A　dilapidated　windmill　near　by　lifting　its　shattered



arms　from　a　mound　no　loftier　than　a　rubbish　heap；



and　a　Martello　tower　squatting　at　the　water's　edge



half　a　mile　to　the　south　of　the　Coastguard　cottages；



are　familiar　to　the　skippers　of　small　craft。　　These



are　the　official　seamarks　for　the　patch　of　trust…



worthy　bottom　represented　on　the　Admiralty　charts



by　an　irregular　oval　of　dots　enclosing　several　fig…



ures　six；　with　a　tiny　anchor　engraved　among　them；



and　the　legend　〃mud　and　shells〃　over　all。







The　brow　of　the　upland　overtops　the　square



tower　of　the　Colebrook　Church。　　The　slope　is



green　and　looped　by　a　white　road。　　Ascending



along　this　road；　you　open　a　valley　broad　and　shal…



low；　a　wide　green　trough　of　pastures　and　hedges



merging　inland　into　a　vista　of　purple　tints　and



flowing　lines　closing　the　view。







In　this　valley　down　to　Brenzett　and　Colebrook



and　up　to　Darnford；　the　market　town　fourteen



miles　away；　lies　the　practice　of　my　friend　Kennedy。



He　had　begun　life　as　surgeon　in　the　Navy；　and



afterwards　had　been　the　companion　of　a　famous



traveller；　in　the　days　when　there　were　continents



with　unexplored　interiors。　　His　papers　on　the



fauna　and　flora　made　him　known　to　scientific　socie…



ties。　　And　now　he　had　come　to　a　country　practice



from　choice。　　The　penetrating　power　of　his



mind；　acting　like　a　corrosive　fluid；　had　destroyed



his　ambition；　I　fancy。　　His　intelligence　is　of　a



scientific　order；　of　an　investigating　habit；　and　of



that　unappeasable　curiosity　which　believes　that



there　is　a　particle　of　a　general　truth　in　every　mys…



tery。







A　good　many　years　ago　now；　on　my　return　from



abroad；　he　invited　me　to　stay　with　him。　　I　came



readily　enough；　and　as　he　could　not　neglect　his



patients　to　keep　me　company；　he　took　me　on　his



roundsthirty　miles　or　so　of　an　afternoon；　some…



times。　　I　waited　for　him　on　the　roads；　the　horse



reached　after　the　leafy　twigs；　and；　sitting　in



the　dogcart；　I　could　hear　Kennedy's　laugh　through



the　half…open　door　left　open　of　some　cottage。　　He



had　a　big；　hearty　laugh　that　would　have　fitted　a



man　twice　his　size；　a　brisk　manner；　a　bronzed　face；



and　a　pair　of　grey；　profoundly　attentive　eyes。　　He



had　the　talent　of　making　people　talk　to　him　freely；



and　an　inexhaustible　patience　in　listening　to　their



tales。







One　day；　as　we　trotted　out　of　a　large　village　into



a　shady　bit　of　road；　I　saw　on　our　left　hand　a　low；



black　cottage；　with　diamond　panes　in　the　windows；



a　creeper　on　the　end　wall；　a　roof　of　shingle；　and



some　roses　climbing　on　the　rickety　trellis…work　of



the　tiny　porch。　　Kennedy　pulled　up　to　a　walk。　　A



woman；　in　full　sunlight；　was　throwing　a　dripping



blanket　over　a　line　stretched　between　two　old　ap…



ple…trees。　　And　as　the　bobtailed；　long…necked　chest…



nut；　trying　to　get　his　head；　jerked　the　left　hand；



covered　by　a　thick　dogskin　glove；　the　doctor　raised



his　voice　over　the　hedge：　〃How's　your　child；



Amy？〃







I　had　the　time　to　see　her　dull　face；　red；　not　with



a　mantling　blush；　but　as　if　her　flat　cheeks　had　been



vigorously　slapped；　and　to　take　in　the　squat　figure；



the　scanty；　dusty　brown　hair　drawn　into　a　tight



knot　at　the　back　of　the　head。　　She　looked　quite



young。　　With　a　distinct　catch　in　her　breath；　her



voice　sounded　low　and　timid。







〃He's　well；　thank　you。〃







We　trotted　again。　　〃A　young　patient　of



yours；〃　I　said；　and　the　doctor；　flicking　the　chest…



nut　absently；　muttered；　〃Her　husband　used　to　be。〃







〃She　seems　a　dull　creature；〃　I　remarked　list…



lessly。







〃Precisely；〃　said　Kennedy。　　〃She　is　very　pas…



sive。　　It's　enough　to　look　at　the　red　hands　hanging



at　the　end　of　those　short　arms；　at　those　slow；　prom…



inent　brown　eyes；　to　know　the　inertness　of　her　mind



an　inertness　that　one　would　think　made　it　ever…



lastingly　safe　from　all　the　surprises　of　imagina…



tion。　　And　yet　which　of　us　is　safe？　　At　any　rate；



such　as　you　see　her；　she　had　enough　imagination



to　fall　in　love。　　She's　the　daughter　of　one　Isaac



Foster；　who　from　a　small　farmer　has　sunk　into　a



shepherd；　the　beginning　of　his　misfortunes　dating



from　his　runaway　marriage　with　the　cook　of　his



widowed　fathera　well…to…do；　apoplectic　grazier；



who　passionately　struck　his　name　off　his　will；　and



had　been　heard　to　utter　threats　against　his　life。



But　this　old　affair；　scandalous　enough　to　serve　as



a　motive　for　a　Greek　tragedy；　arose　from　the　simi…



larity　of　their　characters。　　There　are　other　trage…



dies；　less　scandalous　and　of　a　subtler　poignancy；



arising　from　irreconcilable　differences　and　from



that　fear　of　the　Incomprehensible　that　hangs　over



all　our　headsover　all　our　heads。　。　。　。〃







The　tired　chestnut　dropped　into　a　walk；　and　the



rim　of　the　sun；　all　red　in　a　speckless　sky；　touched



familiarly　the　smooth　top　of　a　ploughed　rise　near



the　road　as　I　had　seen　it　times　innumerable　touch



the　distant　horizon　of　the　sea。　　The　uniform



brownness　of　the　harrowed　field　glowed　with　a　rosy



tinge；　as　though　the　powdered　clods　had　sweated



out　in　minute　pearls　of　blood　the　toil　of　uncounted



ploughmen。　　From　the　edge　of　a　copse　a　waggon



with　two　horses　was　rolling　gently　along　the　ridge。



Raised　above　our　heads　upon　the　sky…line；　it　loomed



up　against　the　red　sun；　triumphantly　big；　enor…



mous；　like　a　chariot　of　giants　drawn　by　two　slow…



stepping　steeds　of　legendary　proportions。　　And



the　clumsy　figure　of　the　man　plodding　at　the　head



of　the　leading　horse　projected　itself　on　the　back…



ground　of　the　Infinite　with　a　heroic　uncouthness。



The　end　of　his　carter's　whip　quivered　high　up　in



the　blue。　　Kennedy　discoursed。







〃She's　the　eldest　of　a　large　family。　　At　the　age



of　fifteen　they　put　her　out　to　service　at　the　New



Barns　Farm。　　I　attended　Mrs。　Smith；　the　tenant's



wife；　and　saw　that　girl　there　for　the　first　time。



Mrs。　Smith；　a　genteel　person　with　a　sharp　nose；



made　her　put　on　a　black　dress　every　afternoon。　　I



don't　know　what　induced　me　to　notice　her　at　all。



There　are　faces　that　call　your　attention　by　a　cu…



rious　want　of　definiteness　in　their　whole　aspect；　as；



walking　in　a　mist；　you　peer　attentively　at　a　vague



shape　which；　after　all；　may　be　nothing　more　cu…



rious　or　strange　than　a　signpost。　　The　only　pecu…



liarity　I　perceived　in　her　was　a　slight　hesitation　in



her　utterance；　a　sort　of　preliminary　stammer　which



passes　away　with　the　first　word。　　When　sharply



s