the holly-tree-第5章
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radius of fifty yards of that tremendous sickle。
That was a good Inn; too; with the kind; cheerful landlady and the
honest landlord; where I lived in the shadow of Mont Blanc; and
where one of the apartments has a zoological papering on the walls;
not so accurately joined but that the elephant occasionally rejoices
in a tiger's hind legs and tail; while the lion puts on a trunk and
tusks; and the bear; moulting as it were; appears as to portions of
himself like a leopard。 I made several American friends at that
Inn; who all called Mont Blanc Mount Blank;except one good…
humoured gentleman; of a very sociable nature; who became on such
intimate terms with it that he spoke of it familiarly as 〃Blank;〃
observing; at breakfast; 〃Blank looks pretty tall this morning;〃 or
considerably doubting in the courtyard in the evening; whether there
warn't some go…ahead naters in our country; sir; that would make out
the top of Blank in a couple of hours from first startnow!
Once I passed a fortnight at an Inn in the North of England; where I
was haunted by the ghost of a tremendous pie。 It was a Yorkshire
pie; like a fort;an abandoned fort with nothing in it; but the
waiter had a fixed idea that it was a point of ceremony at every
meal to put the pie on the table。 After some days I tried to hint;
in several delicate ways; that I considered the pie done with; as;
for example; by emptying fag…ends of glasses of wine into it;
putting cheese…plates and spoons into it; as into a basket; putting
wine…bottles into it; as into a cooler; but always in vain; the pie
being invariably cleaned out again and brought up as before。 At
last; beginning to be doubtful whether I was not the victim of a
spectral illusion; and whether my health and spirits might not sink
under the horrors of an imaginary pie; I cut a triangle out of it;
fully as large as the musical instrument of that name in a powerful
orchestra。 Human provision could not have foreseen the resultbut
the waiter mended the pie。 With some effectual species of cement;
he adroitly fitted the triangle in again; and I paid my reckoning
and fled。
The Holly…Tree was getting rather dismal。 I made an overland
expedition beyond the screen; and penetrated as far as the fourth
window。 Here I was driven back by stress of weather。 Arrived at my
winter…quarters once more; I made up the fire; and took another Inn。
It was in the remotest part of Cornwall。 A great annual Miners'
Feast was being holden at the Inn; when I and my travelling
companions presented ourselves at night among the wild crowd that
were dancing before it by torchlight。 We had had a break…down in
the dark; on a stony morass some miles away; and I had the honour of
leading one of the unharnessed post…horses。 If any lady or
gentleman; on perusal of the present lines; will take any very tall
post…horse with his traces hanging about his legs; and will conduct
him by the bearing…rein into the heart of a country dance of a
hundred and fifty couples; that lady or gentleman will then; and
only then; form an adequate idea of the extent to which that post…
horse will tread on his conductor's toes。 Over and above which; the
post…horse; finding three hundred people whirling about him; will
probably rear; and also lash out with his hind legs; in a manner
incompatible with dignity or self…respect on his conductor's part。
With such little drawbacks on my usually impressive aspect; I
appeared at this Cornish Inn; to the unutterable wonder of the
Cornish Miners。 It was full; and twenty times full; and nobody
could be received but the post…horse;though to get rid of that
noble animal was something。 While my fellow…travellers and I were
discussing how to pass the night and so much of the next day as must
intervene before the jovial blacksmith and the jovial wheelwright
would be in a condition to go out on the morass and mend the coach;
an honest man stepped forth from the crowd and proposed his unlet
floor of two rooms; with supper of eggs and bacon; ale and punch。
We joyfully accompanied him home to the strangest of clean houses;
where we were well entertained to the satisfaction of all parties。
But the novel feature of the entertainment was; that our host was a
chair…maker; and that the chairs assigned to us were mere frames;
altogether without bottoms of any sort; so that we passed the
evening on perches。 Nor was this the absurdest consequence; for
when we unbent at supper; and any one of us gave way to laughter; he
forgot the peculiarity of his position; and instantly disappeared。
I myself; doubled up into an attitude from which self…extrication
was impossible; was taken out of my frame; like a clown in a comic
pantomime who has tumbled into a tub; five times by the taper's
light during the eggs and bacon。
The Holly…Tree was fast reviving within me a sense of loneliness。 I
began to feel conscious that my subject would never carry on until I
was dug out。 I might be a week here;weeks!
There was a story with a singular idea in it; connected with an Inn
I once passed a night at in a picturesque old town on the Welsh
border。 In a large double…bedded room of this Inn there had been a
suicide committed by poison; in one bed; while a tired traveller
slept unconscious in the other。 After that time; the suicide bed
was never used; but the other constantly was; the disused bedstead
remaining in the room empty; though as to all other respects in its
old state。 The story ran; that whosoever slept in this room; though
never so entire a stranger; from never so far off; was invariably
observed to come down in the morning with an impression that he
smelt Laudanum; and that his mind always turned upon the subject of
suicide; to which; whatever kind of man he might be; he was certain
to make some reference if he conversed with any one。 This went on
for years; until it at length induced the landlord to take the
disused bedstead down; and bodily burn it;bed; hangings; and all。
The strange influence (this was the story) now changed to a fainter
one; but never changed afterwards。 The occupant of that room; with
occasional but very rare exceptions; would come down in the morning;
trying to recall a forgotten dream he had had in the night。 The
landlord; on his mentioning his perplexity; would suggest various
commonplace subjects; not one of which; as he very well knew; was
the true subject。 But the moment the landlord suggested 〃Poison;〃
the traveller started; and cried; 〃Yes!〃 He never failed to accept
that suggestion; and he never recalled any more of the dream。
This reminiscence brought the Welsh Inns in general before me; with
the women in their round hats; and the harpers with their white
beards (venerable; but humbugs; I am afraid); playing outside the
door while I took my dinner。 The transition was natural to the
Highland Inns; with the oatmeal bannocks; the honey; the venison
steaks; the trout from the loch; the whisky; and perhaps (having the
materials so temptingly at hand) the Athol brose。 Once was I coming
south from the Scottish Highlands in hot haste; hoping to change
quickly at the station at the bottom of a certain wild historical
glen; when these eyes did with mortification see the landlord come
out with a telescope and sweep the whole prospect for the horses;
which horses were away picking up their own living; and did not
heave in sight under four hours。 Having thought of the loch…trout;
I was taken by quick association to the Anglers' Inns of England (I
have assisted at innumerable feats of angling by lying in the bottom
of the boat; whole summer days; doing nothing with the greatest
perseverance; which I have generally found to be as effectual
towards the taking of fish as the finest tackle and the utmost
science); and to the pleasant white; clean; flower…pot…decorated
bedrooms of those inns; overlooking the river; and the ferry; and
the green ait; and the ch