amy foster-第8章

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it；　on　warm　evenings；　of　wearing　his　coat　over　one



shoulder；　like　a　hussar's　dolman；　his　manner　of



leaping　over　the　stiles；　not　as　a　feat　of　agility；　but



in　the　ordinary　course　of　progressionall　these



peculiarities　were；　as　one　may　say；　so　many　causes



of　scorn　and　offence　to　the　inhabitants　of　the　vil…



lage。　　They　wouldn't　in　their　dinner　hour　lie　flat



on　their　backs　on　the　grass　to　stare　at　the　sky。



Neither　did　they　go　about　the　fields　screaming　dis…



mal　tunes。　　Many　times　have　I　heard　his　high…



pitched　voice　from　behind　the　ridge　of　some　slop…



ing　sheep…walk；　a　voice　light　and　soaring；　like　a



lark's；　but　with　a　melancholy　human　note；　over　our



fields　that　hear　only　the　song　of　birds。　　And　I



should　be　startled　myself。　　Ah！　　He　was　different：



innocent　of　heart；　and　full　of　good　will；　which　no…



body　wanted；　this　castaway；　that；　like　a　man　trans…



planted　into　another　planet；　was　separated　by　an



immense　space　from　his　past　and　by　an　immense



ignorance　from　his　future。　　His　quick；　fervent　ut…



terance　positively　shocked　everybody。　　'An　excit…



able　devil；'　they　called　him。　　One　evening；　in　the



tap…room　of　the　Coach　and　Horses　（having　drunk



some　whisky）；　he　upset　them　all　by　singing　a　love



song　of　his　country。　　They　hooted　him　down；　and



he　was　pained；　but　Preble；　the　lame　wheelwright；



and　Vincent；　the　fat　blacksmith；　and　the　other　nota…



bles　too；　wanted　to　drink　their　evening　beer　in



peace。　　On　another　occasion　he　tried　to　show　them



how　to　dance。　　The　dust　rose　in　clouds　from　the



sanded　floor；　he　leaped　straight　up　amongst　the



deal　tables；　struck　his　heels　together；　squatted　on



one　heel　in　front　of　old　Preble；　shooting　out　the



other　leg；　uttered　wild　and　exulting　cries；　jumped　up



to　whirl　on　one　foot；　snapping　his　fingers　above　his



headand　a　strange　carter　who　was　having　a　drink



in　there　began　to　swear；　and　cleared　out　with　his



half…pint　in　his　hand　into　the　bar。　　But　when　sud…



denly　he　sprang　upon　a　table　and　continued　to



dance　among　the　glasses；　the　landlord　interfered。



He　didn't　want　any　'acrobat　tricks　in　the　tap…



room。'　　They　laid　their　hands　on　him。　　Having



had　a　glass　or　two；　Mr。　Swaffer's　foreigner　tried



to　expostulate：　was　ejected　forcibly：　got　a　black



eye。







〃I　believe　he　felt　the　hostility　of　his　human　sur…



roundings。　　But　he　was　toughtough　in　spirit；



too；　as　well　as　in　body。　　Only　the　memory　of　the



sea　frightened　him；　with　that　vague　terror　that　is



left　by　a　bad　dream。　　His　home　was　far　away；　and



he　did　not　want　now　to　go　to　America。　　I　had　often



explained　to　him　that　there　is　no　place　on　earth



where　true　gold　can　be　found　lying　ready　and　to　be



got　for　the　trouble　of　the　picking　up。　　How　then；



he　asked；　could　he　ever　return　home　with　empty



hands　when　there　had　been　sold　a　cow；　two　ponies；



and　a　bit　of　land　to　pay　for　his　going？　　His　eyes



would　fill　with　tears；　and；　averting　them　from　the



immense　shimmer　of　the　sea；　he　would　throw　him…



self　face　down　on　the　grass。　　But　sometimes；　cock…



ing　his　hat　with　a　little　conquering　air；　he　would



defy　my　wisdom。　　He　had　found　his　bit　of　true



gold。　　That　was　Amy　Foster's　heart；　which　was　'a



golden　heart；　and　soft　to　people's　misery；'　he



would　say　in　the　accents　of　overwhelming　convic…



tion。







〃He　was　called　Yanko。　　He　had　explained　that



this　meant　little　John；　but　as　he　would　also　repeat



very　often　that　he　was　a　mountaineer　（some　word



sounding　in　the　dialect　of　his　country　like　Goorall）



he　got　it　for　his　surname。　　And　this　is　the　only



trace　of　him　that　the　succeeding　ages　may　find　in



the　marriage　register　of　the　parish。　　There　it



standsYanko　Goorallin　the　rector's　handwrit…



ing。　　The　crooked　cross　made　by　the　castaway；　a



cross　whose　tracing　no　doubt　seemed　to　him　the



most　solemn　part　of　the　whole　ceremony；　is　all　that



remains　now　to　perpetuate　the　memory　of　his　name。







〃His　courtship　had　lasted　some　timeever　since



he　got　his　precarious　footing　in　the　community。　　It



began　by　his　buying　for　Amy　Foster　a　green　satin



ribbon　in　Darnford。　　This　was　what　you　did　in　his



country。　　You　bought　a　ribbon　at　a　Jew's　stall　on



a　fair…day。　　I　don't　suppose　the　girl　knew　what　to



do　with　it；　but　he　seemed　to　think　that　his　honoura…



ble　intentions　could　not　be　mistaken。







〃It　was　only　when　he　declared　his　purpose　to



get　married　that　I　fully　understood　how；　for　a　hun…



dred　futile　and　inappreciable　reasons；　howshall



I　say　odious？he　was　to　all　the　countryside。



Every　old　woman　in　the　village　was　up　in　arms。



Smith；　coming　upon　him　near　the　farm；　promised



to　break　his　head　for　him　if　he　found　him　about



again。　　But　he　twisted　his　little　black　moustache



with　such　a　bellicose　air　and　rolled　such　big；　black



fierce　eyes　at　Smith　that　this　promise　came　to　noth…



ing。　　Smith；　however；　told　the　girl　that　she　must



be　mad　to　take　up　with　a　man　who　was　surely　wrong



in　his　head。　　All　the　same；　when　she　heard　him　in



the　gloaming　whistle　from　beyond　the　orchard　a



couple　of　bars　of　a　weird　and　mournful　tune；　she



would　drop　whatever　she　had　in　her　handshe



would　leave　Mrs。　Smith　in　the　middle　of　a　sentence



and　she　would　run　out　to　his　call。　　Mrs。　Smith



called　her　a　shameless　hussy。　　She　answered　noth…



ing。　　She　said　nothing　at　all　to　anybody；　and　went



on　her　way　as　if　she　had　been　deaf。　　She　and　I　alone



all　in　the　land；　I　fancy；　could　see　his　very　real



beauty。　　He　was　very　good…looking；　and　most



graceful　in　his　bearing；　with　that　something　wild



as　of　a　woodland　creature　in　his　aspect。　　Her　moth…



er　moaned　over　her　dismally　whenever　the　girl　came



to　see　her　on　her　day　out。　　The　father　was　surly；



but　pretended　not　to　know；　and　Mrs。　Finn　once



told　her　plainly　that　'this　man；　my　dear；　will　do



you　some　harm　some　day　yet。'　　And　so　it　went　on。



They　could　be　seen　on　the　roads；　she　tramping　stol…



idly　in　her　finerygrey　dress；　black　feather；　stout



boots；　prominent　white　cotton　gloves　that　caught



your　eye　a　hundred　yards　away；　and　he；　his　coat



slung　picturesquely　over　one　shoulder；　pacing　by



her　side；　gallant　of　bearing　and　casting　tender



glances　upon　the　girl　with　the　golden　heart。　　I



wonder　whether　he　saw　how　plain　she　was。　　Perhaps



among　types　so　different　from　what　he　had　ever



seen；　he　had　not　the　power　to　judge；　or　perhaps



he　was　seduced　by　the　divine　quality　of　her



pity。







〃Yanko　was　in　great　trouble　meantime。　　In　his



country　you　get　an　old　man　for　an　ambassador　in



marriage　affairs。　　He　did　not　know　how　to　pro…



ceed。　　However；　one　day　in　the　midst　of　sheep　in　a



field　（he　was　now　Swaffer's　under…shepherd　with



Foster）　he　took　off　his　hat　to　the　father　and　de…



clared　himself　humbly。　　'I　daresay　she's　fool



enough　to　marry　you；'　was　all　Foster　said。　　'And



then；'　he　used　to　relate；　'he　puts　his　hat　on　his　head；



looks　black　at　me　as　if　he　wanted　to　cut　my　throat；



whistles　the　dog；　and　off　he　goes；　leaving　me　to　do



the　work。'　　The　Fosters；　of　course；　didn't　like　to



lose　the　wages　the　girl　earned：　Amy　used　to　give　all



her　money　to　her　mother。　　But　there　was　in　Foster



a　very　genuine　aversion　to　that　match。　　He　con…



tended　that　the　fellow　was　very　good　with　sheep；



but　was　not　fit　for　any　girl　to　marry。　　For　one



thing；　he　used　to　go　along　the　hedges　muttering　to



himself　like　a　dam'　fool；　and　then；　these　foreign…



ers　behave　very　queerly　to　women　sometimes。　　And



perhaps　he　would　want　to　carry　her　o