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第34章

dream days(做梦的日子)-第34章

小说: dream days(做梦的日子) 字数: 每页4000字

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was   flooding   them   was   new;   and   accounted   for   all。      It   was   Moonlight 

Land; and Past…Ten… o'clock Land; and we were in it and of it; and all its 

other   denizens   fully   understood;   and;   tongue…free   and   awakened   at   last; 

responded       and   comprehended        and    knew。     The     other   two;   doubtless; 

hurrying forward full of their mission; noted little of all this。               I; who was 

only a super; had leisure to take it all in; and; though the language and the 

message   of   the   land   were   not   all   clear   to   me   then;   long   afterwards   I 

remembered and understood。 

     Under the farthest hedge; at the loose end of things; where the outer 

world   began   with   the   paddock;   there   was   darkness   once   againnot   the 

blackness      that  crouched     so   solidly   under    the  crowding      laurels;   but  a 

duskiness      hung    from    far…spread    arms    of   high…standing      elms。    There; 

where the small grave made a darker spot on the grey; I overtook them; 

only just in time to see Rosa laid stiffly out; her cherry cheeks pale in the 

moonlight; but her brave smile triumphant and undaunted as ever。                      It was 

a   tiny   grave   and   a   shallow   one;   to   hold   so   very   much。 Rosa   once   in; 

Potiphar;   who   had   hitherto   stood   erect;   stout…necked;   through   so   many 

days   and   such   various   weather;   must   needs   bow   his   head   and   lie   down 



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                                           DREAM DAYS 



meekly on his side。           The elephant and the beetle; equal now in a silent 

land   where   a   vertebra   and   a   red   circulation   counted   for   nothing;   had   to 

snuggle   down   where   best   they   might;   only   a   little   less   crowded   than   in 

their native Ark。 

     The earth was shovelled in and stamped down; and I was glad that no 

orisons were said and no speechifying took place。                    The whole thing was 

natural     and    right   and    self…explanatory;      and    needed     no    justifying    or 

interpreting to our audience of stars and flowers。                 The connexion was not 

entirely     broken     nowone      link   remained     between      us   and   them。     The 

Noah's Ark; with its cargo of sad…faced emigrants; might be hull down on 

the   horizon;   but   two   of   its   passengers   had   missed   the   boat   and   would 

henceforth be always near us; and; as we played above them; an elephant 

would understand; and a beetle would hear; and crawl again in spirit along 

a   familiar    floor。   Henceforth       the   spotty   horse    would     scour    along   far… 

distant   plains   and know   the   homesickness   of   alien stables;   but   Potiphar; 

though never again would he paw the arena when bull…fights were on the 

bill;   was   spared   maltreatment   by   town…bred   strangers;   quite   capable   of 

mistaking   him   for   a   cow。      Jerry   and   Esmeralda   might   shed   their   limbs 

and     their  stuffing;    by   slow    or   swift   degrees;     in  uttermost     parts   and 

unguessed corners of the globe; but Rosa's book was finally closed; and no 

worse   fate   awaited   her   than   natural   dissolution   almost   within   touch   and 

hail of familiar faces and objects that had been friendly to her since first 

she   opened   her   eyes   on   a   world   where   she   had   never   been   treated   as   a 

stranger。 

     As   we   turned   to   go;   the   man   in   the   moon;   tangled   in   elm…boughs; 

caught my eye for a moment; and I thought that never had he looked so 

friendly。     He   was   going   to   see   after   them;   it   was   evident;   for   he   was 

always   there;   more   or   less;   and   it   was   no   trouble   to   him   at   all;   and   he 

would tell them how things were still going; up here; and throw in a story 

or two of his own whenever they seemed a trifle dull。                     It made the going 

away rather easier; to know one had left somebody behind on the spot; a 

good fellow;  too;  cheery;   comforting; with   a   fund of anecdote;   a   man   in 

whom one had every confidence。 



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