amy foster-第4章

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would　crowd　up　to　the　table　asking　many　questions；



for　there　was　work　to　be　got　all　the　year　round　at



three　dollars　a　day　in　America；　and　no　military



service　to　do。







〃But　the　American　Kaiser　would　not　take　every…



body。　　Oh；　no！　　He　himself　had　a　great　difficulty



in　getting　accepted；　and　the　venerable　man　in　uni…



form　had　to　go　out　of　the　room　several　times　to



work　the　telegraph　on　his　behalf。　　The　American



Kaiser　engaged　him　at　last　at　three　dollars；　he



being　young　and　strong。　　However；　many　able



young　men　backed　out；　afraid　of　the　great　dis…



tance；　besides；　those　only　who　had　some　money



could　be　taken。　　There　were　some　who　sold　their



huts　and　their　land　because　it　cost　a　lot　of　money



to　get　to　America；　but　then；　once　there；　you　had



three　dollars　a　day；　and　if　you　were　clever　you



could　find　places　where　true　gold　could　be　picked



up　on　the　ground。　　His　father's　house　was　getting



over　full。　　Two　of　his　brothers　were　married　and



had　children。　　He　promised　to　send　money　home



from　America　by　post　twice　a　year。　　His　father



sold　an　old　cow；　a　pair　of　piebald　mountain　ponies



of　his　own　raising；　and　a　cleared　plot　of　fair　pas…



ture　land　on　the　sunny　slope　of　a　pine…clad　pass　to



a　Jew　inn…keeper　in　order　to　pay　the　people　of　the



ship　that　took　men　to　America　to　get　rich　in　a



short　time。







〃He　must　have　been　a　real　adventurer　at　heart；



for　how　many　of　the　greatest　enterprises　in　the



conquest　of　the　earth　had　for　their　beginning　just



such　a　bargaining　away　of　the　paternal　cow　for　the



mirage　or　true　gold　far　away！　　I　have　been　telling



you　more　or　less　in　my　own　words　what　I　learned



fragmentarily　in　the　course　of　two　or　three　years；



during　which　I　seldom　missed　an　opportunity　of　a



friendly　chat　with　him。　　He　told　me　this　story　of



his　adventure　with　many　flashes　of　white　teeth　and



lively　glances　of　black　eyes；　at　first　in　a　sort　of　anx…



ious　baby…talk；　then；　as　he　acquired　the　language；



with　great　fluency；　but　always　with　that　singing；



soft；　and　at　the　same　time　vibrating　intonation　that



instilled　a　strangely　penetrating　power　into　the



sound　of　the　most　familiar　English　words；　as　if



they　had　been　the　words　of　an　unearthly　language。



And　he　always　would　come　to　an　end；　with　many



emphatic　shakes　of　his　head；　upon　that　awful　sen…



sation　of　his　heart　melting　within　him　directly　he



set　foot　on　board　that　ship。　　Afterwards　there



seemed　to　come　for　him　a　period　of　blank　ignorance；



at　any　rate　as　to　facts。　　No　doubt　he　must　have



been　abominably　sea…sick　and　abominably　unhappy



this　soft　and　passionate　adventurer；　taken　thus



out　of　his　knowledge；　and　feeling　bitterly　as　he　lay



in　his　emigrant　bunk　his　utter　loneliness；　for　his



was　a　highly　sensitive　nature。　　The　next　thing　we



know　of　him　for　certain　is　that　he　had　been　hiding



in　Hammond's　pig…pound　by　the　side　of　the　road



to　Norton　six　miles；　as　the　crow　flies；　from　the　sea。



Of　these　experiences　he　was　unwilling　to　speak：



they　seemed　to　have　seared　into　his　soul　a　sombre



sort　of　wonder　and　indignation。　　Through　the　ru…



mours　of　the　country…side；　which　lasted　for　a　good



many　days　after　his　arrival；　we　know　that　the　fish…



ermen　of　West　Colebrook　had　been　disturbed　and



startled　by　heavy　knocks　against　the　walls　of



weatherboard　cottages；　and　by　a　voice　crying



piercingly　strange　words　in　the　night。　　Several　of



them　turned　out　even；　but；　no　doubt；　he　had　fled　in



sudden　alarm　at　their　rough　angry　tones　hailing



each　other　in　the　darkness。　　A　sort　of　frenzy　must



have　helped　him　up　the　steep　Norton　hill。　　It　was



he；　no　doubt；　who　early　the　following　morning　had



been　seen　lying　（in　a　swoon；　I　should　say）　on　the



roadside　grass　by　the　Brenzett　carrier；　who　actually



got　down　to　have　a　nearer　look；　but　drew　back；　in…



timidated　by　the　perfect　immobility；　and　by　some…



thing　queer　in　the　aspect　of　that　tramp；　sleeping



so　still　under　the　showers。　　As　the　day　advanced；



some　children　came　dashing　into　school　at　Norton



in　such　a　fright　that　the　schoolmistress　went　out



and　spoke　indignantly　to　a　'horrid…looking　man'



on　the　road。　　He　edged　away；　hanging　his　head；



for　a　few　steps；　and　then　suddenly　ran　off　with　ex…



traordinary　fleetness。　　The　driver　of　Mr。　Brad…



ley's　milk…cart　made　no　secret　of　it　that　he　had



lashed　with　his　whip　at　a　hairy　sort　of　gipsy　fel…



low　who；　jumping　up　at　a　turn　of　the　road　by　the



Vents；　made　a　snatch　at　the　pony's　bridle。　　And



he　caught　him　a　good　one　too；　right　over　the　face；



he　said；　that　made　him　drop　down　in　the　mud　a



jolly　sight　quicker　than　he　had　jumped　up；　but　it



was　a　good　half…a…mile　before　he　could　stop　the



pony。　　Maybe　that　in　his　desperate　endeavours　to



get　help；　and　in　his　need　to　get　in　touch　with　some



one；　the　poor　devil　had　tried　to　stop　the　cart。　　Also



three　boys　confessed　afterwards　to　throwing　stones



at　a　funny　tramp；　knocking　about　all　wet　and



muddy；　and；　it　seemed；　very　drunk；　in　the　narrow



deep　lane　by　the　limekilns。　　All　this　was　the　talk　of



three　villages　for　days；　but　we　have　Mrs。　Finn's



（the　wife　of　Smith's　waggoner）　unimpeachable



testimony　that　she　saw　him　get　over　the　low　wall　of



Hammond's　pig…pound　and　lurch　straight　at　her；



babbling　aloud　in　a　voice　that　was　enough　to　make



one　die　of　fright。　　Having　the　baby　with　her　in　a



perambulator；　Mrs。　Finn　called　out　to　him　to　go



away；　and　as　he　persisted　in　coming　nearer；　she　hit



him　courageously　with　her　umbrella　over　the　head



and；　without　once　looking　back；　ran　like　the　wind



with　the　perambulator　as　far　as　the　first　house　in



the　village。　　She　stopped　then；　out　of　breath；　and



spoke　to　old　Lewis；　hammering　there　at　a　heap　of



stones；　and　the　old　chap；　taking　off　his　immense



black　wire　goggles；　got　up　on　his　shaky　legs　to



look　where　she　pointed。　　Together　they　followed



with　their　eyes　the　figure　of　the　man　running　over



a　field；　they　saw　him　fall　down；　pick　himself　up；



and　run　on　again；　staggering　and　waving　his　long



arms　above　his　head；　in　the　direction　of　the　New



Barns　Farm。　　From　that　moment　he　is　plainly　in



the　toils　of　his　obscure　and　touching　destiny。



There　is　no　doubt　after　this　of　what　happened　to



him。　　All　is　certain　now：　Mrs。　Smith's　intense　ter…



ror；　Amy　Foster's　stolid　conviction　held　against



the　other's　nervous　attack；　that　the　man　'meant　no



harm'；　Smith's　exasperation　（on　his　return　from



Darnford　Market）　at　finding　the　dog　barking



himself　into　a　fit；　the　back…door　locked；　his　wife　in



hysterics；　and　all　for　an　unfortunate　dirty　tramp；



supposed　to　be　even　then　lurking　in　his　stackyard。



Was　he？　　He　would　teach　him　to　frighten　women。







〃Smith　is　notoriously　hot…tempered；　but　the



sight　of　some　nondescript　and　miry　creature　sitting



crosslegged　amongst　a　lot　of　loose　straw；　and



swinging　itself　to　and　fro　like　a　bear　in　a　cage；



made　him　pause。　　Then　this　tramp　stood　up　si…



lently　before　him；　one　mass　of　mud　and　filth　from



head　to　foot。　　Smith；　alone　amongst　his　stacks　with



this　apparition；　in　the　stormy　twilight　ringing　with



the　infuriated　barking　of　the　dog；　felt　the　dread



of　an　inexplicable　strangeness。　　But　when　that　be…



ing；　parting　with　his　black　hands　the　long　matted



locks　that　hung　before　his　face；　as　you　part　the　two



halves　of　a　curtain；　looked　out　at　him　with　glisten…



ing；　wild；　black…and…white　eyes；　the　weirdness　of



this　silent　encounter　fairly　staggered　him。　　He　had



admitted　since　（for　th