amy foster-第5章

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this　silent　encounter　fairly　staggered　him。　　He　had



admitted　since　（for　the　story　has　been　a　legitimate



subject　of　conversation　about　here　for　years）　that



he　made　more　than　one　step　backwards。　　Then　a



sudden　burst　of　rapid；　senseless　speech　persuaded



him　at　once　that　he　had　to　do　with　an　escaped　luna…



tic。　　In　fact；　that　impression　never　wore　off　com…



pletely。　　Smith　has　not　in　his　heart　given　up　his



secret　conviction　of　the　man's　essential　insanity　to



this　very　day。







〃As　the　creature　approached　him；　jabbering　in



a　most　discomposing　manner；　Smith　（unaware　that



he　was　being　addressed　as　'gracious　lord；'　and　ad…



jured　in　God's　name　to　afford　food　and　shelter）



kept　on　speaking　firmly　but　gently　to　it；　and　re…



treating　all　the　time　into　the　other　yard。　　At　last；



watching　his　chance；　by　a　sudden　charge　he　bun…



dled　him　headlong　into　the　wood…lodge；　and　in…



stantly　shot　the　bolt。　　Thereupon　he　wiped　his



brow；　though　the　day　was　cold。　　He　had　done　his



duty　to　the　community　by　shutting　up　a　wander…



ing　and　probably　dangerous　maniac。　　Smith　isn't



a　hard　man　at　all；　but　he　had　room　in　his　brain　only



for　that　one　idea　of　lunacy。　　He　was　not　imagina…



tive　enough　to　ask　himself　whether　the　man　might



not　be　perishing　with　cold　and　hunger。　　Meantime；



at　first；　the　maniac　made　a　great　deal　of　noise　in



the　lodge。　　Mrs。　Smith　was　screaming　upstairs；



where　she　had　locked　herself　in　her　bedroom；　but



Amy　Foster　sobbed　piteously　at　the　kitchen　door；



wringing　her　hands　and　muttering；　'Don't！



don't！'　　I　daresay　Smith　had　a　rough　time　of　it



that　evening　with　one　noise　and　another；　and　this



insane；　disturbing　voice　crying　obstinately　through



the　door　only　added　to　his　irritation。　　He　couldn't



possibly　have　connected　this　troublesome　lunatic



with　the　sinking　of　a　ship　in　Eastbay；　of　which



there　had　been　a　rumour　in　the　Darnford　market…



place。　　And　I　daresay　the　man　inside　had　been　very



near　to　insanity　on　that　night。　　Before　his　excite…



ment　collapsed　and　he　became　unconscious　he　was



throwing　himself　violently　about　in　the　dark；　roll…



ing　on　some　dirty　sacks；　and　biting　his　fists　with



rage；　cold；　hunger；　amazement；　and　despair。







〃He　was　a　mountaineer　of　the　eastern　range　of



the　Carpathians；　and　the　vessel　sunk　the　night　be…



fore　in　Eastbay　was　the　Hamburg　emigrant…ship



Herzogin　Sophia…Dorothea；　of　appalling　mem…



ory。







〃A　few　months　later　we　could　read　in　the　papers



the　accounts　of　the　bogus　'Emigration　Agencies'



among　the　Sclavonian　peasantry　in　the　more　re…



mote　provinces　of　Austria。　　The　object　of　these



scoundrels　was　to　get　hold　of　the　poor　ignorant



people's　homesteads；　and　they　were　in　league　with



the　local　usurers。　　They　exported　their　victims



through　Hamburg　mostly。　　As　to　the　ship；　I　had



watched　her　out　of　this　very　window；　reaching



close…hauled　under　short　canvas　into　the　bay　on　a



dark；　threatening　afternoon。　　She　came　to　an　an…



chor；　correctly　by　the　chart；　off　the　Brenzett　Coast…



guard　station。　　I　remember　before　the　night　fell



looking　out　again　at　the　outlines　of　her　spars　and



rigging　that　stood　out　dark　and　pointed　on　a　back…



ground　of　ragged；　slaty　clouds　like　another　and　a



slighter　spire　to　the　left　of　the　Brenzett　church…



tower。　　In　the　evening　the　wind　rose。　　At　midnight



I　could　hear　in　my　bed　the　terrific　gusts　and　the



sounds　of　a　driving　deluge。







〃About　that　time　the　Coastguardmen　thought



they　saw　the　lights　of　a　steamer　over　the　anchoring…



ground。　　In　a　moment　they　vanished；　but　it　is　clear



that　another　vessel　of　some　sort　had　tried　for　shel…



ter　in　the　bay　on　that　awful；　blind　night；　had



rammed　the　German　ship　amidships　（a　breach



as　one　of　the　divers　told　me　afterwards'that　you



could　sail　a　Thames　barge　through'）；　and　then



had　gone　out　either　scathless　or　damaged；　who　shall



say；　but　had　gone　out；　unknown；　unseen；　and　fatal；



to　perish　mysteriously　at　sea。　　Of　her　nothing　ever



came　to　light；　and　yet　the　hue　and　cry　that　was



raised　all　over　the　world　would　have　found　her　out



if　she　had　been　in　existence　anywhere　on　the　face



of　the　waters。







〃A　completeness　without　a　clue；　and　a　stealthy



silence　as　of　a　neatly　executed　crime；　characterise



this　murderous　disaster；　which；　as　you　may　remem…



ber；　had　its　gruesome　celebrity。　　The　wind　would



have　prevented　the　loudest　outcries　from　reaching



the　shore；　there　had　been　evidently　no　time　for　sig…



nals　of　distress。　　It　was　death　without　any　sort　of



fuss。　　The　Hamburg　ship；　filling　all　at　once；　cap…



sized　as　she　sank；　and　at　daylight　there　was　not



even　the　end　of　a　spar　to　be　seen　above　water。　　She



was　missed；　of　course；　and　at　first　the　Coastguard…



men　surmised　that　she　had　either　dragged　her　an…



chor　or　parted　her　cable　some　time　during　the



night；　and　had　been　blown　out　to　sea。　　Then；　after



the　tide　turned；　the　wreck　must　have　shifted　a　little



and　released　some　of　the　bodies；　because　a　child



a　little　fair…haired　child　in　a　red　frock



came　ashore　abreast　of　the　Martello　tower。　　By



the　afternoon　you　could　see　along　three　miles　of



beach　dark　figures　with　bare　legs　dashing　in



and　out　of　the　tumbling　foam；　and　rough…look…



ing　men；　women　with　hard　faces；　children；　mostly



fair…haired；　were　being　carried；　stiff　and　dripping；



on　stretchers；　on　wattles；　on　ladders；　in　a　long



procession　past　the　door　of　the　'Ship　Inn；'　to　be



laid　out　in　a　row　under　the　north　wall　of　the



Brenzett　Church。







〃Officially；　the　body　of　the　little　girl　in　the　red



frock　is　the　first　thing　that　came　ashore　from　that



ship。　　But　I　have　patients　amongst　the　seafaring



population　of　West　Colebrook；　and；　unofficially；　I



am　informed　that　very　early　that　morning　two



brothers；　who　went　down　to　look　after　their　cobble



hauled　up　on　the　beach；　found；　a　good　way　from



Brenzett；　an　ordinary　ship's　hencoop　lying　high



and　dry　on　the　shore；　with　eleven　drowned　ducks



inside。　　Their　families　ate　the　birds；　and　the　hen…



coop　was　split　into　firewood　with　a　hatchet。　　It　is



possible　that　a　man　（supposing　he　happened　to　be



on　deck　at　the　time　of　the　accident）　might　have



floated　ashore　on　that　hencoop。　　He　might。　　I　ad…



mit　it　is　improbable；　but　there　was　the　manand



for　days；　nay；　for　weeksit　didn't　enter　our　heads



that　we　had　amongst　us　the　only　living　soul　that



had　escaped　from　that　disaster。　　The　man　himself；



even　when　he　learned　to　speak　intelligibly；　could



tell　us　very　little。　　He　remembered　he　had　felt　bet…



ter　（after　the　ship　had　anchored；　I　suppose）；　and



that　the　darkness；　the　wind；　and　the　rain　took　his



breath　away。　　This　looks　as　if　he　had　been　on　deck



some　time　during　that　night。　　But　we　mustn't　forget



he　had　been　taken　out　of　his　knowledge；　that　he



had　been　sea…sick　and　battened　down　below　for　four



days；　that　he　had　no　general　notion　of　a　ship　or　of



the　sea；　and　therefore　could　have　no　definite　idea



of　what　was　happening　to　him。　　The　rain；　the



wind；　the　darkness　he　knew；　he　understood　the



bleating　of　the　sheep；　and　he　remembered　the　pain



of　his　wretchedness　and　misery；　his　heartbroken　as…



tonishment　that　it　was　neither　seen　nor　understood；



his　dismay　at　finding　all　the　men　angry　and　all　the



women　fierce。　　He　had　approached　them　as　a　beg…



gar；　it　is　true；　he　said；　but　in　his　country；　even　if



they　gave　nothing；　they　spoke　gently　to　beggars。



The　children　in　his　country　were　not　taught　to