to-morrow-第3章

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interest　in　them。　　The　overgrown　yard　of　his　cot…



tage　could　be　laid　over　with　concrete　。　。　。　after



to…morrow。







〃We　may　just　as　well　do　away　with　the　fence。



You　could　have　your　drying…line　out；　quite　clear　of



your　flowers。〃　　He　winked；　and　she　would　blush



faintly。







This　madness　that　had　entered　her　life　through



the　kind　impulses　of　her　heart　had　reasonable　de…



tails。　　What　if　some　day　his　son　returned？　　But



she　could　not　even　be　quite　sure　that　he　ever　had　a



son；　and　if　he　existed　anywhere　he　had　been　too



long　away。　　When　Captain　Hagberd　got　excited



in　his　talk　she　would　steady　him　by　a　pretence　of



belief；　laughing　a　little　to　salve　her　conscience。







Only　once　she　had　tried　pityingly　to　throw　some



doubt　on　that　hope　doomed　to　disappointment；　but



the　effect　of　her　attempt　had　scared　her　very　much。



All　at　once　over　that　man's　face　there　came　an　ex…



pression　of　horror　and　incredulity；　as　though　he



had　seen　a　crack　open　out　in　the　firmament。







〃Youyouyou　don't　think　he's　drowned！〃







For　a　moment　he　seemed　to　her　ready　to　go　out



of　his　mind；　for　in　his　ordinary　state　she　thought



him　more　sane　than　people　gave　him　credit　for。



On　that　occasion　the　violence　of　the　emotion　was



followed　by　a　most　paternal　and　complacent　re…



covery。







〃Don't　alarm　yourself；　my　dear；〃　he　said　a　lit…



tle　cunningly：　〃the　sea　can't　keep　him。　　He　does



not　belong　to　it。　　None　of　us　Hagberds　ever　did



belong　to　it。　　Look　at　me；　I　didn't　get　drowned。



Moreover；　he　isn't　a　sailor　at　all；　and　if　he　is　not　a



sailor　he's　bound　to　come　back。　　There's　nothing



to　prevent　him　coming　back。　。　。　。〃







His　eyes　began　to　wander。







〃To…morrow。〃







She　never　tried　again；　for　fear　the　man　should



go　out　of　his　mind　on　the　spot。　　He　depended　on



her。　　She　seemed　the　only　sensible　person　in　the



town；　and　he　would　congratulate　himself　frankly



before　her　face　on　having　secured　such　a　level…



headed　wife　for　his　son。　　The　rest　of　the　town；　he



confided　to　her　once；　in　a　fit　of　temper；　was　certainly



queer。　　The　way　they　looked　at　youthe　way　they



talked　to　you！　　He　had　never　got　on　with　any　one



in　the　place。　　Didn't　like　the　people。　　He　would



not　have　left　his　own　country　if　it　had　not　been



clear　that　his　son　had　taken　a　fancy　to　Colebrook。







She　humoured　him　in　silence；　listening　patiently



by　the　fence；　crocheting　with　downcast　eyes。



Blushes　came　with　difficulty　on　her　dead…white



complexion；　under　the　negligently　twisted　opu…



lence　of　mahogany…coloured　hair。　　Her　father　was



frankly　carroty。







She　had　a　full　figure；　a　tired；　unrefreshed　face。



When　Captain　Hagberd　vaunted　the　necessity　and



propriety　of　a　home　and　the　delights　of　one's　own



fireside；　she　smiled　a　little；　with　her　lips　only。　　Her



home　delights　had　been　confined　to　the　nursing　of



her　father　during　the　ten　best　years　of　her　life。







A　bestial　roaring　coming　out　of　an　upstairs　win…



dow　would　interrupt　their　talk。　　She　would　begin



at　once　to　roll　up　her　crochet…work　or　fold　her　sew…



ing；　without　the　slightest　sign　of　haste。　　Mean…



while　the　howls　and　roars　of　her　name　would　go　on；



making　the　fishermen　strolling　upon　the　sea…wall



on　the　other　side　of　the　road　turn　their　heads　to…



wards　the　cottages。　　She　would　go　in　slowly　at　the



front　door；　and　a　moment　afterwards　there　would



fall　a　profound　silence。　　Presently　she　would　re…



appear；　leading　by　the　hand　a　man；　gross　and　un…



wieldy　like　a　hippopotamus；　with　a　bad…tempered；



surly　face。







He　was　a　widowed　boat…builder；　whom　blindness



had　overtaken　years　before　in　the　full　flush　of　busi…



ness。　　He　behaved　to　his　daughter　as　if　she　had



been　responsible　for　its　incurable　character。　　He



had　been　heard　to　bellow　at　the　top　of　his　voice；



as　if　to　defy　Heaven；　that　he　did　not　care：　he　had



made　enough　money　to　have　ham　and　eggs　for　his



breakfast　every　morning。　　He　thanked　God　for　it；



in　a　fiendish　tone　as　though　he　were　cursing。







Captain　Hagberd　had　been　so　unfavourably　im…



pressed　by　his　tenant；　that　once　he　told　Miss　Bes…



sie；　〃He　is　a　very　extravagant　fellow；　my　dear。〃







She　was　knitting　that　day；　finishing　a　pair　of



socks　for　her　father；　who　expected　her　to　keep　up



the　supply　dutifully。　　She　hated　knitting；　and；　as



she　was　just　at　the　heel　part；　she　had　to　keep　her



eyes　on　her　needles。







〃Of　course　it　isn't　as　if　he　had　a　son　to　provide



for；〃　Captain　Hagberd　went　on　a　little　vacantly。



〃Girls；　of　course；　don't　require　so　muchh'm



h'm。　　They　don't　run　away　from　home；　my　dear。〃







〃No；〃　said　Miss　Bessie；　quietly。







Captain　Hagberd；　amongst　the　mounds　of



turned…up　earth；　chuckled。　　With　his　maritime　rig；



his　weather…beaten　face；　his　beard　of　Father　Nep…



tune；　he　resembled　a　deposed　sea…god　who　had　ex…



changed　the　trident　for　the　spade。







〃And　he　must　look　upon　you　as　already　pro…



vided　for；　in　a　manner。　　That's　the　best　of　it　with



the　girls。　　The　husbands　。　。　。〃　　He　winked。　　Miss



Bessie；　absorbed　in　her　knitting；　coloured　faintly。







〃Bessie！　my　hat！〃　old　Carvil　bellowed　out　sud…



denly。　　He　had　been　sitting　under　the　tree　mute



and　motionless；　like　an　idol　of　some　remarkably



monstrous　superstition。　　He　never　opened　his



mouth　but　to　howl　for　her；　at　her；　sometimes　about



her；　and　then　he　did　not　moderate　the　terms　of　his



abuse。　　Her　system　was　never　to　answer　him　at　all；



and　he　kept　up　his　shouting　till　he　got　attended　to



till　she　shook　him　by　the　arm；　or　thrust　the



mouthpiece　of　his　pipe　between　his　teeth。　　He　was



one　of　the　few　blind　people　who　smoke。　　When　he



felt　the　hat　being　put　on　his　head　he　stopped　his



noise　at　once。　　Then　he　rose；　and　they　passed　to…



gether　through　the　gate。







He　weighed　heavily　on　her　arm。　　During　their



slow；　toilful　walks　she　appeared　to　be　dragging



with　her　for　a　penance　the　burden　of　that　infirm



bulk。　　Usually　they　crossed　the　road　at　once　（the



cottages　stood　in　the　fields　near　the　harbour；　two



hundred　yards　away　from　the　end　of　the　street）；



and　for　a　long；　long　time　they　would　remain　in



view；　ascending　imperceptibly　the　flight　of　wooden



steps　that　led　to　the　top　of　the　sea…wall。　　It　ran



on　from　east　to　west；　shutting　out　the　Channel　like



a　neglected　railway　embankment；　on　which　no　train



had　ever　rolled　within　memory　of　man。　　Groups



of　sturdy　fishermen　would　emerge　upon　the　sky；



walk　along　for　a　bit；　and　sink　without　haste。　　Their



brown　nets；　like　the　cobwebs　of　gigantic　spiders；



lay　on　the　shabby　grass　of　the　slope；　and；　looking



up　from　the　end　of　the　street；　the　people　of　the



town　would　recognise　the　two　Carvils　by　the　creep…



ing　slowness　of　their　gait。　　Captain　Hagberd；　pot…



tering　aimlessly　about　his　cottages；　would　raise　his



head　to　see　how　they　got　on　in　their　promenade。







He　advertised　still　in　the　Sunday　papers　for



Harry　Hagberd。　　These　sheets　were　read　in　for…



eign　parts　to　the　end　of　the　world；　he　informed　Bes…



sie。　　At　the　same　time　he　seemed　to　think　that　his



son　was　in　Englandso　near　to　Colebrook　that　he



would　of　course　turn　up　〃to…morrow。〃　　Bessie；



without　committing　herself　to　that　opinion　in　so



many　words；　argued　that　in　that　case　the　expense



of　advertising　was　unnecessary；　Captain　Hagberd



had　better　spend　that　weekly　half…crown　on　him…



self。　　She　declared　she　did　not　know　what　he　lived



on