amy foster-第3章

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Late　in　the　evening　Kennedy；　breaking　a　spell



of　moodiness　that　had　come　over　him；　returned　to



the　story。　　Smoking　his　pipe；　he　paced　the　long



room　from　end　to　end。　　A　reading…lamp　concen…



trated　all　its　light　upon　the　papers　on　his　desk；



and；　sitting　by　the　open　window；　I　saw；　after　the



windless；　scorching　day；　the　frigid　splendour　of　a



hazy　sea　lying　motionless　under　the　moon。　　Not　a



whisper；　not　a　splash；　not　a　stir　of　the　shingle；　not



a　footstep；　not　a　sigh　came　up　from　the　earth　be…



lownever　a　sign　of　life　but　the　scent　of　climbing



jasmine；　and　Kennedy's　voice；　speaking　behind　me；



passed　through　the　wide　casement；　to　vanish　out…



side　in　a　chill　and　sumptuous　stillness。







〃。　。　。　　The　relations　of　shipwrecks　in　the



olden　time　tell　us　of　much　suffering。　　Often　the



castaways　were　only　saved　from　drowning　to　die



miserably　from　starvation　on　a　barren　coast；　oth…



ers　suffered　violent　death　or　else　slavery；　passing



through　years　of　precarious　existence　with　people



to　whom　their　strangeness　was　an　object　of　suspi…



cion；　dislike　or　fear。　　We　read　about　these　things；



and　they　are　very　pitiful。　　It　is　indeed　hard　upon



a　man　to　find　himself　a　lost　stranger；　helpless；



incomprehensible；　and　of　a　mysterious　origin；　in



some　obscure　corner　of　the　earth。　　Yet　amongst　all



the　adventurers　shipwrecked　in　all　the　wild　parts　of



the　world　there　is　not　one；　it　seems　to　me；　that　ever



had　to　suffer　a　fate　so　simply　tragic　as　the　man　I



am　speaking　of；　the　most　innocent　of　adventurers



cast　out　by　the　sea　in　the　bight　of　this　bay；　almost



within　sight　from　this　very　window。







〃He　did　not　know　the　name　of　his　ship。　　Indeed；



in　the　course　of　time　we　discovered　he　did　not　even



know　that　ships　had　names'like　Christian　peo…



ple'；　and　when；　one　day；　from　the　top　of　the　Tal…



fourd　Hill；　he　beheld　the　sea　lying　open　to　his　view；



his　eyes　roamed　afar；　lost　in　an　air　of　wild　surprise；



as　though　he　had　never　seen　such　a　sight　before。



And　probably　he　had　not。　　As　far　as　I　could　make



out；　he　had　been　hustled　together　with　many　others



on　board　an　emigrant…ship　lying　at　the　mouth　of



the　Elbe；　too　bewildered　to　take　note　of　his　sur…



roundings；　too　weary　to　see　anything；　too　anxious



to　care。　　They　were　driven　below　into　the　'tween…



deck　and　battened　down　from　the　very　start。　　It



was　a　low　timber　dwellinghe　would　saywith



wooden　beams　overhead；　like　the　houses　in　his　coun…



try；　but　you　went　into　it　down　a　ladder。　　It　was



very　large；　very　cold；　damp　and　sombre；　with　places



in　the　manner　of　wooden　boxes　where　people　had　to



sleep；　one　above　another；　and　it　kept　on　rocking　all



ways　at　once　all　the　time。　　He　crept　into　one　of



these　boxes　and　laid　down　there　in　the　clothes　in



which　he　had　left　his　home　many　days　before；　keep…



ing　his　bundle　and　his　stick　by　his　side。　　People



groaned；　children　cried；　water　dripped；　the　lights



went　out；　the　walls　of　the　place　creaked；　and　every…



thing　was　being　shaken　so　that　in　one's　little　box



one　dared　not　lift　one's　head。　　He　had　lost　touch



with　his　only　companion　（a　young　man　from　the



same　valley；　he　said）；　and　all　the　time　a　great　noise



of　wind　went　on　outside　and　heavy　blows　fell



boom！　boom！　　An　awful　sickness　overcame　him；



even　to　the　point　of　making　him　neglect　his　pray…



ers。　　Besides；　one　could　not　tell　whether　it　was



morning　or　evening。　　It　seemed　always　to　be　night



in　that　place。







〃Before　that　he　had　been　travelling　a　long；　long



time　on　the　iron　track。　　He　looked　out　of　the　win…



dow；　which　had　a　wonderfully　clear　glass　in　it；　and



the　trees；　the　houses；　the　fields；　and　the　long　roads



seemed　to　fly　round　and　round　about　him　till　his



head　swam。　　He　gave　me　to　understand　that　he　had



on　his　passage　beheld　uncounted　multitudes　of　peo…



plewhole　nationsall　dressed　in　such　clothes　as



the　rich　wear。　　Once　he　was　made　to　get　out　of　the



carriage；　and　slept　through　a　night　on　a　bench　in



a　house　of　bricks　with　his　bundle　under　his　head；



and　once　for　many　hours　he　had　to　sit　on　a　floor　of



flat　stones　dozing；　with　his　knees　up　and　with　his



bundle　between　his　feet。　　There　was　a　roof　over　him；



which　seemed　made　of　glass；　and　was　so　high　that



the　tallest　mountain…pine　he　had　ever　seen　would



have　had　room　to　grow　under　it。　　Steam…machines



rolled　in　at　one　end　and　out　at　the　other。　　People



swarmed　more　than　you　can　see　on　a　feast…day



round　the　miraculous　Holy　Image　in　the　yard　of



the　Carmelite　Convent　down　in　the　plains　where；



before　he　left　his　home；　he　drove　his　mother　in　a



wooden　carta　pious　old　woman　who　wanted　to



offer　prayers　and　make　a　vow　for　his　safety。　　He



could　not　give　me　an　idea　of　how　large　and　lofty



and　full　of　noise　and　smoke　and　gloom；　and　clang



of　iron；　the　place　was；　but　some　one　had　told　him



it　was　called　Berlin。　　Then　they　rang　a　bell；　and



another　steam…machine　came　in；　and　again　he　was



taken　on　and　on　through　a　land　that　wearied　his



eyes　by　its　flatness　without　a　single　bit　of　a　hill　to



be　seen　anywhere。　　One　more　night　he　spent　shut



up　in　a　building　like　a　good　stable　with　a　litter　of



straw　on　the　floor；　guarding　his　bundle　amongst　a



lot　of　men；　of　whom　not　one　could　understand　a



single　word　he　said。　　In　the　morning　they　were　all



led　down　to　the　stony　shores　of　an　extremely　broad



muddy　river；　flowing　not　between　hills　but　between



houses　that　seemed　immense。　　There　was　a　steam…



machine　that　went　on　the　water；　and　they　all　stood



upon　it　packed　tight；　only　now　there　were　with



them　many　women　and　children　who　made　much



noise。　　A　cold　rain　fell；　the　wind　blew　in　his　face；



he　was　wet　through；　and　his　teeth　chattered。　　He



and　the　young　man　from　the　same　valley　took　each



other　by　the　hand。







〃They　thought　they　were　being　taken　to　Amer…



ica　straight　away；　but　suddenly　the　steam…machine



bumped　against　the　side　of　a　thing　like　a　house　on



the　water。　　The　walls　were　smooth　and　black；　and



there　uprose；　growing　from　the　roof　as　it　were；



bare　trees　in　the　shape　of　crosses；　extremely　high。



That's　how　it　appeared　to　him　then；　for　he　had



never　seen　a　ship　before。　　This　was　the　ship　that



was　going　to　swim　all　the　way　to　America。　　Voices



shouted；　everything　swayed；　there　was　a　ladder



dipping　up　and　down。　　He　went　up　on　his　hands



and　knees　in　mortal　fear　of　falling　into　the　water



below；　which　made　a　great　splashing。　　He　got　sep…



arated　from　his　companion；　and　when　he　descended



into　the　bottom　of　that　ship　his　heart　seemed　to　melt



suddenly　within　him。







〃It　was　then　also；　as　he　told　me；　that　he　lost　con…



tact　for　good　and　all　with　one　of　those　three　men



who　the　summer　before　had　been　going　about



through　all　the　little　towns　in　the　foothills　of　his



country。　　They　would　arrive　on　market　days　driv…



ing　in　a　peasant's　cart；　and　would　set　up　an　office



in　an　inn　or　some　other　Jew's　house。　　There　were





three　of　them；　of　whom　one　with　a　long　beard



looked　venerable；　and　they　had　red　cloth　collars



round　their　necks　and　gold　lace　on　their　sleeves



like　Government　officials。　　They　sat　proudly　behind



a　long　table；　and　in　the　next　room；　so　that　the　com…



mon　people　shouldn't　hear；　they　kept　a　cunning



telegraph　machine；　through　which　they　could　talk



to　the　Emperor　of　America。　　The　fathers　hung



about　the　door；　but　the　young　men　of　the　mountains



would　crowd　up　to　the　table　asking　many　questions；



for　there　was　work　to　be　got　a