第8章

类别:其他 作者:Thomas Hardy字数:9411更新时间:19/01/07 14:37:59
\"Butyoumustnotsacrificeyourselftoherfromanysenseofjustice,\"repliedEustaciaquickly。 \"Ifyoudonotloveheritisthemostmercifulthinginthelongruntoleaveherassheis。That’salwaysthebestway。There,nowIhavebeenunwomanly,Isuppose。 WhenyouhaveleftmeIamalwaysangrywithmyselfforthingsthatIhavesaidtoyou。\" Wildevewalkedapaceortwoamongtheheatherwithoutreplying。 Thepausewasfilledupbytheintonationofapollardthornalittlewaytowindward,thebreezesfilteringthroughitsunyieldingtwigsasthroughastrainer。 Itwasasifthenightsangdirgeswithclenchedteeth。 Shecontinued,halfsorrowfully,\"Sincemeetingyoulast,ithasoccurredtomeonceortwicethatperhapsitwasnotforloveofmeyoudidnotmarryher。Tellme,Damon——I’lltrytobearit。HadInothingwhatevertodowiththematter?\" \"Doyoupressmetotell?\" \"Yes,Imustknow。IseeIhavebeentooreadytobelieveinmyownpower。\" \"Well,theimmediatereasonwasthatthelicensewouldnotdofortheplace,andbeforeIcouldgetanothersheranaway。Uptothatpointyouhadnothingtodowithit。 SincethenheraunthasspokentomeinatonewhichI don’tatalllike。\" \"Yes,yes!Iamnothinginit——Iamnothinginit。 Youonlytriflewithme。Heaven,whatcanI,EustaciaVye,bemadeoftothinksomuchofyou!\" \"Nonsense;donotbesopassionate……Eustacia,howwerovedamongthesebusheslastyear,whenthehotdayshadgotcool,andtheshadesofthehillskeptusalmostinvisibleinthehollows!\" Sheremainedinmoodysilencetillshesaid,\"Yes;andhowIusedtolaughatyoufordaringtolookuptome! Butyouhavewellmademesufferforthatsince。\" \"Yes,youservedmecruellyenoughuntilIthoughtIhadfoundsomeonefairerthanyou。Ablessedfindforme,Eustacia。\" \"Doyoustillthinkyoufoundsomebodyfairer?\" \"SometimesIdo,sometimesIdon’t。Thescalesarebalancedsonicelythatafeatherwouldturnthem。\" \"Butdon’tyoureallycarewhetherImeetyouorwhetherIdon’t?\"shesaidslowly。 \"Icarealittle,butnotenoughtobreakmyrest,\" repliedtheyoungmanlanguidly。\"No,allthat’spast。 IfindtherearetwoflowerswhereIthoughttherewasonlyone。Perhapstherearethree,orfour,oranynumberasgoodasthefirst……Mineisacuriousfate。 Whowouldhavethoughtthatallthiscouldhappentome?\" Sheinterruptedwithasuppressedfireofwhicheitherloveorangerseemedanequallypossibleissue,\"Doyoulovemenow?\" \"Whocansay?\" \"Tellme;Iwillknowit!\" \"Ido,andIdonot,\"saidhemischievously。\"Thatis,Ihavemytimesandmyseasons。Onemomentyouaretootall,anothermomentyouaretoodo—nothing,anothertoomelancholy,anothertoodark,anotherIdon’tknowwhat,except——thatyouarenotthewholeworldtomethatyouusedtobe,mydear。 Butyouareapleasantladytoknowandnicetomeet,andIdaresayassweetasever——almost。\" Eustaciawassilent,andsheturnedfromhim,tillshesaid,inavoiceofsuspendedmightiness,\"Iamforawalk,andthisismyway。\" \"Well,Icandoworsethanfollowyou。\" \"Youknowyoucan’tdootherwise,forallyourmoodsandchanges!\"sheanswereddefiantly。\"Saywhatyouwill; tryasyoumay;keepawayfrommeallthatyoucan——youwillneverforgetme。Youwilllovemeallyourlifelong。 Youwouldjumptomarryme!\" \"SoIwould!\"saidWildeve。\"SuchstrangethoughtsasI’vehadfromtimetotime,Eustacia;andtheycometomethismoment。Youhatetheheathasmuchasever; thatIknow。\" \"Ido,\"shemurmureddeeply。\"’Tismycross,myshame,andwillbemydeath!\" \"Iabhorittoo,\"saidhe。\"Howmournfullythewindblowsroundusnow!\" Shedidnotanswer。Itstonewasindeedsolemnandpervasive。 Compoundutterancesaddressedthemselvestotheirsenses,anditwaspossibletoviewbyearthefeaturesoftheneighbourhood。 Acousticpictureswerereturnedfromthedarkenedscenery; theycouldhearwherethetractsofheatherbeganandended; wherethefurzewasgrowingstalkyandtall;whereithadbeenrecentlycut;inwhatdirectionthefir—clumplay,andhownearwasthepitinwhichtheholliesgrew; forthesedifferingfeatureshadtheirvoicesnolessthantheirshapesandcolours。 \"God,howlonelyitis!\"resumedWildeve。\"Whatarepicturesqueravinesandmiststouswhoseenothingelse?\" Whyshouldwestayhere?WillyougowithmetoAmerica? IhavekindredinWisconsin。\" \"Thatwantsconsideration。\" \"Itseemsimpossibletodowellhere,unlessonewereawildbirdoralandscape—painter。Well?\" \"Givemetime,\"shesoftlysaid,takinghishand。 \"Americaissofaraway。Areyougoingtowalkwithmealittleway?\" AsEustaciautteredthelatterwordssheretiredfromthebaseofthebarrow,andWildevefollowedher,sothatthereddlemancouldhearnomore。 Heliftedtheturvesandarose。Theirblackfiguressankanddisappearedfromagainstthesky。Theywereastwohornswhichthesluggishheathhadputforthfromitscrown,likeamollusc,andhadnowagaindrawnin。 Thereddleman’swalkacrossthevale,andoverintothenextwherehiscartlay,wasnotsprightlyforaslimyoungfellowoftwenty—four。Hisspiritwasperturbedtoaching。 Thebreezesthatblewaroundhismouthinthatwalkcarriedoffuponthemtheaccentsofacommination。 Heenteredthevan,wheretherewasafireinastove。 Withoutlightinghiscandlehesatdownatonceonthethree—leggedstool,andponderedonwhathehadseenandheardtouchingthatstill—lovedoneofhis。 Heutteredasoundwhichwasneithersighnorsob,butwasevenmoreindicativethaneitherofatroubledmind。 \"MyTamsie,\"hewhisperedheavily。\"Whatcanbedone?Yes,IwillseethatEustaciaVye。\" 10—ADesperateAttemptatPersuasionThenextmorning,atthetimewhentheheightofthesunappearedveryinsignificantfromanypartoftheheathascomparedwiththealtitudeofRainbarrow,andwhenallthelittlehillsinthelowerlevelswerelikeanarchipelagoinafog—formedAegean,thereddlemancamefromthebramblednookwhichhehadadoptedashisquartersandascendedtheslopesofMistoverKnap。 Thoughtheseshaggyhillswereapparentlysosolitary,severalkeenroundeyeswerealwaysreadyonsuchawintrymorningasthistoconvergeuponapasser—by。 Featheredspeciessojournedhereinhidingwhichwouldhavecreatedwonderiffoundelsewhere。Abustardhauntedthespot,andnotmanyyearsbeforethisfiveandtwentymighthavebeenseeninEgdonatonetime。 Marsh—harrierslookedupfromthevalleybyWildeve’s。 Acream—colouredcourserhadusedtovisitthishill,abirdsorarethatnotmorethanadozenhaveeverbeenseeninEngland;butabarbarianrestedneithernightnordaytillhehadshottheAfricantruant,andafterthateventcream—colouredcoursersthoughtfittoenterEgdonnomore。 AtravellerwhoshouldwalkandobserveanyofthesevisitantsasVennobservedthemnowcouldfeelhimselftobeindirectcommunicationwithregionsunknowntoman。 Hereinfrontofhimwasawildmallard——justarrivedfromthehomeofthenorthwind。ThecreaturebroughtwithinhimanamplitudeofNorthernknowledge。Glacialcatastrophes,snowstormepisodes,glitteringauroraleffects,Polarisinthezenith,Franklinunderfoot——thecategoryofhiscommonplaceswaswonderful。Butthebird,likemanyotherphilosophers,seemedashelookedatthereddlemantothinkthatapresentmomentofcomfortablerealitywasworthadecadeofmemories。 Vennpassedonthroughthesetowardsthehouseoftheisolatedbeautywholivedupamongthemanddespisedthem。 ThedaywasSunday;butasgoingtochurch,excepttobemarriedorburied,wasexceptionalatEgdon,thismadelittledifference。HehaddeterminedupontheboldstrokeofaskingforaninterviewwithMissVye——toattackherpositionasThomasin’srivaleitherbyartorbystorm,showingtherein,somewhattooconspicuously,thewantofgallantrycharacteristicofacertainastutesortofmen,fromclownstokings。ThegreatFrederickmakingwaronthebeautifulArchduchess,NapoleonrefusingtermstothebeautifulQueenofPrussia,werenotmoredeadtodifferenceofsexthanthereddlemanwas,inhispeculiarway,inplanningthedisplacementofEustacia。 Tocallatthecaptain’scottagewasalwaysmoreorlessanundertakingfortheinferiorinhabitants。 Thoughoccasionallychatty,hismoodswereerratic,andnobodycouldbecertainhowhewouldbehaveatanyparticularmoment。Eustaciawasreserved,andlivedverymuchtoherself。Exceptthedaughterofoneofthecotters,whowastheirservant,andaladwhoworkedinthegardenandstable,scarcelyanyonebutthemselveseverenteredthehouse。TheyweretheonlygenteelpeopleofthedistrictexcepttheYeobrights,andthoughfarfromrich,theydidnotfeelthatnecessityforpreservingafriendlyfacetowardseveryman,bird,andbeastwhichinfluencedtheirpoorerneighbours。 Whenthereddlemanenteredthegardentheoldmanwaslookingthroughhisglassatthestainofblueseainthedistantlandscape,thelittleanchorsonhisbuttonstwinklinginthesun。HerecognizedVennashiscompaniononthehighway,butmadenoremarkonthatcircumstance,merelysaying,\"Ah,reddleman——youhere?Haveaglassofgrog?\" Venndeclined,onthepleaofitbeingtooearly,andstatedthathisbusinesswaswithMissVye。Thecaptainsurveyedhimfromcaptowaistcoatandfromwaistcoattoleggingsforafewmoments,andfinallyaskedhimtogoindoors。 MissVyewasnottobeseenbyanybodyjustthen; andthereddlemanwaitedinthewindow—benchofthekitchen,hishandshangingacrosshisdivergentknees,andhiscaphangingfromhishands。 \"Isupposetheyoungladyisnotupyet?\"hepresentlysaidtotheservant。 \"Notquiteyet。Folksnevercalluponladiesatthistimeofday。\" \"ThenI’llstepoutside,\"saidVenn。\"Ifsheiswillingtoseeme,willshepleasesendoutword,andI’llcomein。\" Thereddlemanleftthehouseandloiteredonthehilladjoining。Aconsiderabletimeelapsed,andnorequestforhispresencewasbrought。Hewasbeginningtothinkthathisschemehadfailed,whenhebeheldtheformofEustaciaherselfcomingleisurelytowardshim。 Asenseofnoveltyingivingaudiencetothatsingularfigurehadbeensufficienttodrawherforth。 Sheseemedtofeel,afterabarelookatDiggoryVenn,thatthemanhadcomeonastrangeerrand,andthathewasnotsomeanasshehadthoughthim;forhercloseapproachdidnotcausehimtowritheuneasily,orshifthisfeet,orshowanyofthoselittlesignswhichescapeaningenuousrusticattheadventoftheuncommoninwomankind。 Onhisinquiringifhemighthaveaconversationwithhershereplied,\"Yes,walkbesideme,\"andcontinuedtomoveon。 Beforetheyhadgonefaritoccurredtotheperspicaciousreddlemanthathewouldhaveactedmorewiselybyappearinglessunimpressionable,andheresolvedtocorrecttheerrorassoonashecouldfindopportunity。 \"Ihavemadesobold,miss,astostepacrossandtellyousomestrangenewswhichhascometomyearsaboutthatman。\" \"Ah!whatman?\" Hejerkedhiselbowtothesoutheast——thedirectionoftheQuietWoman。 Eustaciaturnedquicklytohim。\"DoyoumeanMr。Wildeve?\" \"Yes,thereistroubleinahouseholdonaccountofhim,andIhavecometoletyouknowofit,becauseIbelieveyoumighthavepowertodriveitaway。\" \"I?Whatisthetrouble?\" \"Itisquiteasecret。ItisthathemayrefusetomarryThomasinYeobrightafterall。\" Eustacia,thoughsetinwardlypulsingbyhiswords,wasequaltoherpartinsuchadramaasthis。 Sherepliedcoldly,\"Idonotwishtolistentothis,andyoumustnotexpectmetointerfere。\" \"But,miss,youwillhearoneword?\" \"Icannot。Iamnotinterestedinthemarriage,andevenifIwereIcouldnotcompelMr。Wildevetodomybidding。\" \"AstheonlyladyontheheathIthinkyoumight,\"saidVennwithsubtleindirectness。\"Thisishowthecasestands。 Mr。WildevewouldmarryThomasinatonce,andmakeallmatterssmooth,ifsobetherewerenotanotherwomaninthecase。Thisotherwomanissomepersonhehaspickedupwith,andmeetsontheheathoccasionally,Ibelieve。Hewillnevermarryher,andyetthroughherhemaynevermarrythewomanwholoveshimdearly。 Now,ifyou,miss,whohavesomuchswayoverusmenfolk,weretoinsistthatheshouldtreatyouryoungneighbourTamsinwithhonourablekindnessandgiveuptheotherwoman,hewouldperhapsdoit,andsaveheragooddealofmisery。\" \"Ah,mylife!\"saidEustacia,withalaughwhichunclosedherlipssothatthesunshoneintohermouthasintoatulip,andlentitasimilarscarletfire。\"Youthinktoomuchofmyinfluenceovermenfolkindeed,reddleman。 IfIhadsuchapowerasyouimagineIwouldgostraightanduseitforthegoodofanybodywhohasbeenkindtome——whichThomasinYeobrighthasnotparticularly,tomyknowledge。\" \"Canitbethatyoureallydon’tknowofit——howmuchshehadalwaysthoughtofyou?\" \"Ihaveneverheardawordofit。AlthoughweliveonlytwomilesapartIhaveneverbeeninsideheraunt’shouseinmylife。\" ThesuperciliousnessthatlurkedinhermannertoldVennthatthusfarhehadutterlyfailed。Heinwardlysighedandfeltitnecessarytounmaskhissecondargument。 \"Well,leavingthatoutofthequestion,’tisinyourpower,Iassureyou,MissVye,todoagreatdealofgoodtoanotherwoman。\" Sheshookherhead。 \"YourcomelinessislawwithMr。Wildeve。Itislawwithallmenwhosee’ee。Theysay,’Thiswell— favouredladycoming——what’shername?Howhandsome!’ HandsomerthanThomasinYeobright,\"thereddlemanpersisted,sayingtohimself,\"Godforgivearascalforlying!\"Andshewashandsomer,butthereddlemanwasfarfromthinkingso。 TherewasacertainobscurityinEustacia’sbeauty,andVenn’seyewasnottrained。Inherwinterdress,asnow,shewaslikethetiger—beetle,which,whenobservedindullsituations,seemstobeofthequietestneutralcolour,butunderafullilluminationblazeswithdazzlingsplendour。 Eustaciacouldnothelpreplying,thoughconsciousthatsheendangeredherdignitythereby。\"ManywomenarelovelierthanThomasin,\"shesaid,\"sonotmuchattachestothat。\" Thereddlemansufferedthewoundandwenton:\"Heisamanwhonoticesthelooksofwomen,andyoucouldtwisthimtoyourwilllikewithywind,ifyouonlyhadthemind。\" \"SurelywhatshecannotdowhohasbeensomuchwithhimIcannotdolivinguphereawayfromhim。\" Thereddlemanwheeledandlookedherintheface。 \"MissVye!\"hesaid。 \"Whydoyousaythat——asifyoudoubtedme?\"Shespokefaintly,andherbreathingwasquick。\"Theideaofyourspeakinginthattonetome!\"sheadded,withaforcedsmileofhauteur。 \"Whatcouldhavebeeninyourmindtoleadyoutospeaklikethat?\" \"MissVye,whyshouldyoumakebelievethatyoudon’tknowthisman?——Iknowwhy,certainly。Heisbeneathyou,andyouareashamed。\" \"Youaremistaken。Whatdoyoumean?\" Thereddlemanhaddecidedtoplaythecardoftruth。 \"IwasatthemeetingbyRainbarrowlastnightandheardeveryword,\"hesaid。\"ThewomanthatstandsbetweenWildeveandThomasinisyourself。\" Itwasadisconcertingliftofthecurtain,andthemortificationofCandaules’wifeglowedinher。 Themomenthadarrivedwhenherlipwouldtrembleinspiteofherself,andwhenthegaspcouldnolongerbekeptdown。 \"Iamunwell,\"shesaidhurriedly。\"No——itisnotthat——I amnotinahumourtohearyoufurther。Leaveme,please。\" \"Imustspeak,MissVye,inspiteofpainingyou。 WhatIwouldputbeforeyouisthis。Howeveritmaycomeabout——whethersheistoblame,oryou——hercaseiswithoutdoubtworsethanyours。YourgivingupMr。Wildevewillbearealadvantagetoyou,forhowcouldyoumarryhim? Nowshecannotgetoffsoeasily——everybodywillblameherifsheloseshim。ThenIaskyou——notbecauseherrightisbest,butbecausehersituationisworst——togivehimuptoher。\" \"No——Iwon’t,Iwon’t!\"shesaidimpetuously,quiteforgetfulofherpreviousmannertowardsthereddlemanasanunderling。 \"Nobodyhaseverbeenservedso!Itwasgoingonwell——I willnotbebeatendown——byaninferiorwomanlikeher。 Itisverywellforyoutocomeandpleadforher,butisshenotherselfthecauseofallherowntrouble? AmInottoshowfavourtoanypersonImaychoosewithoutaskingpermissionofaparcelofcottagers?Shehascomebetweenmeandmyinclination,andnowthatshefindsherselfrightlypunishedshegetsyoutopleadforher!\" \"Indeed,\"saidVennearnestly,\"sheknowsnothingwhateveraboutit。ItisonlyIwhoaskyoutogivehimup。 Itwillbebetterforherandyouboth。Peoplewillsaybadthingsiftheyfindoutthataladysecretlymeetsamanwhohasill—usedanotherwoman。\" \"IhaveNOTinjuredher——hewasminebeforehewashers!Hecameback——because——becausehelikedmebest!\" shesaidwildly。\"ButIloseallself—respectintalkingtoyou。WhatamIgivingwayto!\" \"Icankeepsecrets,\"saidVenngently。\"Youneednotfear。 Iamtheonlymanwhoknowsofyourmeetingswithhim。 Thereisbutonethingmoretospeakof,andthenIwillbegone。Iheardyousaytohimthatyouhatedlivinghere——thatEgdonHeathwasajailtoyou。\" \"Ididsayso。Thereisasortofbeautyinthescenery,Iknow;butitisajailtome。Themanyoumentiondoesnotsavemefromthatfeeling,thoughheliveshere。 Ishouldhavecarednothingforhimhadtherebeenabetterpersonnear。\" Thereddlemanlookedhopeful;afterthesewordsfromherhisthirdattemptseemedpromising。\"Aswehavenowopenedourmindsabit,miss,\"hesaid,\"I’lltellyouwhatIhavegottopropose。SinceIhavetakentothereddletradeItravelagooddeal,asyouknow。\" Sheinclinedherhead,andsweptroundsothathereyesrestedinthemistyvalebeneaththem。 \"AndinmytravelsIgonearBudmouth。NowBudmouthisawonderfulplace——wonderful——agreatsaltsheeningseabendingintothelandlikeabow——thousandsofgentlepeoplewalkingupanddown——bandsofmusicplaying——officersbyseaandofficersbylandwalkingamongtherest——outofeverytenfolksyoumeetnineof’eminlove。\" \"Iknowit,\"shesaiddisdainfully。\"IknowBudmouthbetterthanyou。Iwasbornthere。Myfathercametobeamilitarymusiciantherefromabroad。Ah,mysoul,Budmouth!IwishIwastherenow。\" Thereddlemanwassurprisedtoseehowaslowfirecouldblazeonoccasion。\"Ifyouwere,miss,\"hereplied,\"inaweek’stimeyouwouldthinknomoreofWildevethanofoneofthosehe’th—croppersthatweseeyond。 Now,Icouldgetyouthere。\" \"How?\"saidEustacia,withintensecuriosityinherheavyeyes。 \"Myunclehasbeenforfiveandtwentyyearsthetrustymanofarichwidow—ladywhohasabeautifulhousefacingthesea。Thisladyhasbecomeoldandlame,andshewantsayoungcompany—keepertoreadandsingtoher,butcan’tgetonetohermindtosaveherlife,thoughshe’veadvertisedinthepapers,andtriedhalfadozen。Shewouldjumptogetyou,andUnclewouldmakeitalleasy。\" \"Ishouldhavetowork,perhaps?\" \"No,notrealwork——you’dhavealittletodo,suchasreadingandthat。YouwouldnotbewantedtillNewYear’sDay。\" \"Iknewitmeantwork,\"shesaid,droopingtolanguoragain。 \"Iconfesstherewouldbeatrifletodointhewayofamusingher;butthoughidlepeoplemightcallitwork,workingpeoplewouldcallitplay。Thinkofthecompanyandthelifeyou’dlead,miss;thegaietyyou’dsee,andthegentlemanyou’dmarry。Myuncleistoinquireforatrustworthyyoungladyfromthecountry,asshedon’tliketowngirls。\" \"Itistowearmyselfouttopleaseher!andIwon’tgo。 O,ifIcouldliveinagaytownasaladyshould,andgomyownways,anddomyowndoings,I’dgivethewrinkledhalfofmylife!Yes,reddleman,thatwouldI。\" \"HelpmetogetThomasinhappy,miss,andthechanceshallbeyours,\"urgedhercompanion。 \"Chance——’tisnochance,\"shesaidproudly。\"Whatcanapoormanlikeyouofferme,indeed?——Iamgoingindoors。 Ihavenothingmoretosay。Don’tyourhorseswantfeeding,oryourreddlebagswantmending,ordon’tyouwanttofindbuyersforyourgoods,thatyoustayidlingherelikethis?\" Vennspokenotanotherword。Withhishandsbehindhimheturnedaway,thatshemightnotseethehopelessdisappointmentinhisface。Thementalclearnessandpowerhehadfoundinthislonelygirlhadindeedfilledhismannerwithmisgivingevenfromthefirstfewminutesofclosequarterswithher。Heryouthandsituationhadledhimtoexpectasimplicityquiteatthebeckofhismethod。 ButasystemofinducementwhichmighthavecarriedweakercountrylassesalongwithithadmerelyrepelledEustacia。 Asarule,thewordBudmouthmeantfascinationonEgdon。 ThatRoyalportandwateringplace,iftrulymirroredinthemindsoftheheathfolk,musthavecombined,inacharmingandindescribablemanneraCarthaginianbustleofbuildingwithTarentineluxuriousnessandBaianhealthandbeauty。 Eustaciafeltlittlelessextravagantlyabouttheplace; butshewouldnotsinkherindependencetogetthere。 WhenDiggoryVennhadgonequiteaway,Eustaciawalkedtothebankandlookeddownthewildandpicturesquevaletowardsthesun,whichwasalsointhedirectionofWildeve’s。Themisthadnowsofarcollapsedthatthetipsofthetreesandbushesaroundhishousecouldjustbediscerned,asifboringupwardsthroughavastwhitecobwebwhichcloakedthemfromtheday。 Therewasnodoubtthathermindwasinclinedthitherward; indefinitely,fancifully——twininganduntwiningabouthimasthesingleobjectwithinherhorizononwhichdreamsmightcrystallize。Themanwhohadbegunbybeingmerelyheramusement,andwouldneverhavebeenmorethanherhobbybutforhisskillindesertingherattherightmoments,wasnowagainherdesire。 Cessationinhislove—makinghadrevivifiedherlove。 SuchfeelingasEustaciahadidlygiventoWildevewasdammedintoafloodbyThomasin。ShehadusedtoteaseWildeve,butthatwasbeforeanotherhadfavouredhim。Oftenadropofironyintoanindifferentsituationrendersthewholepiquant。 \"Iwillnevergivehimup——never!\"shesaidimpetuously。 Thereddleman’shintthatrumourmightshowhertodisadvantagehadnopermanentterrorforEustacia。Shewasasunconcernedatthatcontingencyasagoddessatalackoflinen。