第43章

类别:其他 作者:Frances Hodgson Burnett字数:10100更新时间:19/01/07 14:57:26
\"GodinHeaven!\"washerinwardcry。\"Godofalltheworlds!Donotlethimdie。`IfyeaskanythinginmynamethatIwilldo。’Christsaidit。InthenameofJesusofNazareth——donotlethimdie!Alltheworldsareyours——allthepower——listentous——listentous。Lord,Ibelieve——helpthoumyunbelief。Ifthisterrorrobsmeoffaith,andIpraymadly——forgive,forgiveme。Donotcountitagainstmeassin。Youmadehim。Hehassufferedandbeenalone。Itisnottime——itisnottimeyetforhimtogo。Hehasknownnojoyandnobrightthing。Donotlethimgooutofthewarmworldlikeablindman。Donotlethimdie。Perhapsthisisnotprayer,butraging。Forgive——forgive!Allpowerisgonefromme。Godoftheworlds,andthegreatwinds,andthemyriadstars——donotlethimdie!\" Sheknewherthoughtswerewild,buttheirtorrentboreherwiththemintoastrange,greatsilence。Shedidnothearthevicar’swords,ortheresponsesofthepeople。Shewasnotwithinthegreystonewalls。Shehadbeendrawnawayasintothedarknessandstillnessofthenight,andnosoulbutherownseemednear。Throughthestillnessandthedarkherprayingseemedtocallandecho,clamouringagainandagain。 ItmustreachSomething——itmustbeheard,becauseshecriedsoloud,thoughtothehumanbeingsabouthersheseemedkneelinginsilence。Shewentonandon,repeatingherwords,changingthem,endingandbeginningagain,pouringforthafloodofappeal。Shethoughtlaterthatthefloodmusthavebeenatitshighesttidewhen,singularly,itwasstemmed。 Withoutwarning,awaveofawepassedoverherwhichstrangelysilencedher——andleftherbowedandkneeling,butcryingoutnomore。Thedarknesshadbecomestill,evenasithadnotbeenstillbefore。Suddenlyshecoweredasshekneltandheldherbreath。Somethinghaddrawnalittlenear。 Nothoughts——nowords——nocrieswereneededasthegreatstillnessgrewandspread,andfoldedherbeingwithinit。 Shewaited——onlywaited。Shedidnotknowhowlongatimepassedbeforeshefeltherselfdrawnbackfromthesilentandshadowyplaces——awakening,asitwere,tothesoundsinthechurch。 \"OurFather,\"shebegantosay,assimplyasachild。 \"OurFatherwhoartinHeaven——hallowedbethyname。\" Therewasastirringamongthecongregation,andsoundsoffeet,asthepeoplebegantomovedowntheaisleinreverentslowness。Shecaughtagaintheoccasionalsoundofasubduedsob。Rosaliegentlytouchedher,andsherose,followingheroutofthebigpewandpassingdowntheaisleafterthevillagers。 Outsidetheentrancethepeoplewaitedasiftheywantedtoseeheragain。Foreheadsweretouchedasbefore,andeyesfollowedher。Shewastothegeneralmindthecentreofthedrama,and\"theA’mighty\"woulddowelltohearher。Shehadbeendoinghisworkforhim\"sameashislordship。\" Theydidnotexpecthertosmileatsuchatime,whenshereturnedtheirgreetings,andshedidnot,buttheysaidafterwards,intheircottages,that\"troubleornotshewasawonderforlooks,thatshewas——MissVanderpoel。\" Rosalieslippedahandthroughherarm,andtheywalkedhometogether,veryclosetoeachother。NowandthentherewasaquestioninginRosy’slook。Butneitherofthemspokeonce。 OnanoaktableinthehallaletterfromMr。Penzancewaslying。Itwasbrief,hurried,andanxious。TherumourthatMountDunstanhadbeenailingwastrue,andthattheyhadfelttheymustconcealthematterfromthevillagerswastruealso。Forsomebafflingreasonthefeverhadnotabsolutelydeclareditself,buttheyoungdoctorswerebesetbygraveforebodings。Insuchcasesthemostserioussymptomsmightsuddenlydevelop。Oneneverknew。Mr。Penzancewasevidentlytornbyfearswhichhedesperatelystrovetosuppress。ButBettycouldseetheanguishonhisfineoldface,andbetweenthelinesshereaddreadandwarningnotputintowords。Shebelievedthat,fearingtheworst,hefelthemustpreparehermind。 \"Hehaslivedunderagreatstrainformonths,\"heended。 \"Itbeganlongbeforetheoutbreakofthefever。Iamnotstrongundermysenseofthecrueltyofthings——andIhaveneverlovedhimasIlovehimto—day。\" Bettytookthelettertoherroom,andreadittwoorthreetimes。BecauseshehadaskedintelligentquestionsofthemedicalauthorityshehadconsultedonhervisittoLondon,sheknewsomethingofthefeveranditshabits。Evenherunclericalknowledgewassuchasitwasnotwelltoreflectupon。Sherefoldedtheletterandlaiditaside。 \"Imustnotthink。Imustdosomething。Itmaypreventmylistening,\"shesaidaloudtothesilenceofherroom。 Shecasthereyesaboutherasifinsearch。Uponherdesklayanotebook。Shetookitupandopenedit。Itcontainedlistsofplants,offlowerseeds,ofbulbs,andshrubs。 Eachlistwasheadedwithanexplanatorynote。 \"Yes,thiswilldo,\"shesaid。\"IwillgoandtalktoKedgers。\" Kedgersandeverymanunderhimhadbeenattheservice,buttheyhadreturnedtotheirrespectiveduties。Kedgers,givingdirectionstosomeundergardenerswhowereclearingflowerbedsandpreparingthemfortheirwinterrest,turnedtomeetherassheapproached。ToKedgersthesightofhercomingtowardshimonagardenpathwasajoyfulthing。 Hehaddonewonders,itistrue,butifshehadnotstoodbyhissidewithinspirationaswellasconfidence,heknewthatthingsmighthave\"comeoutdifferent。\" \"Youwasbornagardener,miss——bornone,\"hehadsaidmonthsago。 Itwasthetimewhenflowerbedsmustbeplannedforthecomingyear。Hernotebookwasfilledwithmemorandaofthethingstheymusttalkabout。 Itwasgood,normal,healthyworktodo。Thescentoftherich,damp,upturnedmouldwasagoodthingtoinhale。Theywalkedfromoneendtoanother,stoodbeforeclumpsofshrubs,andstudiedbitsofwall。Hereamassofbluemightgrow,herelowthingsofwhiteandpaleyellow。Aquickly—climbingrosewouldhangsheetsofbloomoverthisdeadtree。ThisshelteredwallwouldholdwarmthforaMarechalNiel。 \"Youmusttakecareofitall——evenifIamnotherenextyear,\"MissVanderpoelsaid。 Kedgers’absorbedfacechanged。 \"Nothere,miss,\"heexclaimed。\"Younothere!Thingswouldn’tgrow,miss。\"Hecheckedhimself,hisweather— toughenedskinreddeningbecausehewasafraidhehadperhapstakenaliberty。Andthenmovinghishatuneasilyonhishead,hetookanother。\"Butit’strueenough,\"lookingdownonthegravelwalk,\"we——wecouldn’texpecttokeepyou。\" Shedidnotlookasifshehadnoticedtheliberty,butshedidnotlookquitelikeherself,Kedgersthought。Ifshehadbeenanotheryounglady,andbutforhisestablishedfeelingthatshewassomehowimmunefromallills,hewouldhavethoughtshehadaheadache,orwaslowinhermind。 Shespentanhourortwowithhim,andtogethertheyplannedforthechangingseasonsoftheyeartocome。Howshecouldkeephermindonathing,andwhataheadshehadforplanning,andwhataneyeforcolour!Butyes——therewassomethingabitwrongsomehow。Nowandthenshewouldstopandstandstillforamoment,andsuddenlyitstruckKedgersthatshelookedasifshewerelistening。 \"Didyouthinkyouheardsomething,miss?\"heaskedheroncewhenshepausedandworethislook。 \"No,\"sheanswered,\"no。\"Anddrewhimonquickly—— almostasifshedidnotwanthimtohearwhatshehadseemedlisteningfor。 Whenshelefthimandwentbacktothehouse,allthelovelinessofspring,summerandautumnhadbeenthoughtoutandprovidedfor。Kedgersstoodonthepathandlookedafterheruntilshepassedthroughtheterracedoor。Hechewedhislipuneasily。Thenherememberedsomethingandfeltabitrelieved。Itwastheserviceheremembered。 \"Ah!it’sthatthat’supsether——andit’snatural,seeinghowshe’shelpedhimandDunstanvillage。It’sonlynatural。\" Hechewedhislipagain,andnoddedhisheadinoddreflection。 \"Ay!Ay!\"hesummedherup。\"She’sagreatladythat——she’sagreatlady——sameasifshe’dbeenborninacivilisedland。\" DuringtherestofthedaythelookofquestioninRosalie’seyeschangedinitsnature。Whenhersisterwasnearhershefoundherselfglancingatherwithanewfeeling。Itwasagrowingfeeling,whichgraduallybecame——anxiousness。 Bettypresentedtohertheaspectofonewithdrawnintosomeremotespace。Shewasnotlivingthisdayasherdayswereusuallylived。Shedidnotsitstillorstrollaboutthegardensquietly。Theconsecutivenessofheractionseemedbroken。Shedidonethingafteranother,asifshemustfilleachmoment。ThiswasnotherBetty。LadyAnstrutherswatchedandthoughtuntil,intheend,anewpainedfearbegantocreepslowlyintohermind,andmakeherfeelasifshewereslightlytremblingthoughherhandsdidnotshake。 Shedidnotdaretoallowherselftothinkthethingsheknewshewasonthebrinkofthinking。Shethrustitawayfromher,andtriednottothinkatall。HerBetty——hersplendidBetty,whomnothingcouldhurt——whocouldnotbetouchedbyanyawfulthing——herdearBetty! Intheafternoonshesawherwritenotessteadilyforanhour,thenshewentoutintothestablesandvisitedthehorses,talkedtothecoachmanandtoherowngroom。Shewasverykindtoavillageboywhohadbeenrecentlytakenonasanadditionalassistantinthestable,andwhowasratherfrightenedandshy。Sheknewhismother,whohadalargefamily,andshehad,indeed,giventheboyhisplacethathemightbetrainedunderthegreatMr。Buckham,whowascoachmanandheadofthestables。Shesaidencouragingthingswhichquitecheeredhim,andshespokeprivatelytoMr。Buckhamabouthim。Thenshewalkedintheparkalittle,butnotforlong。WhenshecamebackRosaliewaswaitingforher。 \"Iwanttotakealongdrive,\"shesaid。\"Ifeelrestless。 Willyoucomewithme,Betty?\"Yes,shewouldgowithher,soBuckhambroughtthelandauwithitspairofbighorses,andtheyrolleddowntheavenue,andintothesmooth,whitehighroad。Hetookthemfar——pastthegreatmarshes,betweenmilesofbaredhedges,pastfarmsandscatteredcottages。Sometimesheturnedintolanes,wherethehedgeswereclosertoeachother,andwhere,hereandthere,theycaughtsightofnewpointsofviewbetweentrees。BettywasgladtofeelRosy’sslimbodynearherside,andshewasconsciousthatitgraduallyseemedtodrawcloserandcloser。ThenRosy’shandslippedintohersandhelditsoftlyonherlap。 Whentheydrovetogetherinthiswaytheywereusuallybothofthemrathersilentandquiet,butnowRosaliespokeofmanythings——ofUghtred,ofNigel,oftheDunholms,ofNewYork,andtheirfatherandmother。 \"IwanttotalkbecauseI’mnervous,Ithink,\"shesaidhalfapologetically。\"Idonotwanttositstillandthinktoomuch——offather’scoming。Youdon’tmindmytalking,doyou,Betty?\" \"No,\"Bettyanswered。\"Itisgoodforyouandforme。\" AndshemetthepressureofRosy’shandhalfway。 ButRosywastalking,notbecauseshedidnotwanttositstillandthink,butbecauseshedidnotwantBettytodoso。 Andallthetimeshewastryingtothrustawaythethoughtgrowinginhermind。 Theyspenttheeveningtogetherinthelibrary,andBettyreadaloud。Shereadalongtime——untilquitelate。Shewishedtotireherselfaswellastoforceherselftostoplistening。 Whentheysaidgood—nighttoeachotherRosyclungtoherasdesperatelyasshehadclungonthenightafterherarrival。 Shekissedheragainandagain,andthenhungherheadandexcusedherself。 \"Forgivemeforbeing——nervous。I’mashamedofmyself,\" shesaid。\"PerhapsintimeIshallgetoverbeingacoward。\" Butshesaidnothingofthefactthatshewasnotacowardforherself,butthroughaslowlyformulatingandstruggled—— againstfear,whichchilledherveryheart,andwhichshecouldbestcoverbyapretenceofbeingapoltroon。 Shecouldnotsleepwhenshewenttobed。Thenightseemedcrowdedwithstrange,terrifiedthoughts。TheywereallofBetty,thoughsometimesshethoughtofherfather’scoming,ofhermotherinNewYork,andofBetty’ssteadyworkingthroughouttheday。Sometimesshecried,twistingherhandstogether,andsometimesshedroppedintoafeverishsleep,anddreamedthatshewaswatchingBetty’sface,yetwasafraidtolookatit。 Sheawakenedsuddenlyfromoneofthesedreams,andsatuprightinbedtofindthedawnbreaking。Sheroseandthrewonadressing—gown,andwenttohersister’sroombecauseshecouldnotbeartostayaway。 Thedoorwasnotlocked,andshepusheditopengently。 Oneofthewindowshaditsblinddrawnup,andlookedlikeapatchofdullgrey。Bettywasstandinguprightnearit。 Shewasinhernight—gown,andalongblackplaitofhairhungoveroneshoulderheavily。Shelookedallblackandwhiteinstrongcontrast。Thegreylightsetherforthasatallghost。 LadyAnstruthersslidforward,feelingatightnessinherchest。 \"Thedawnwakenedmetoo,\"shesaid。 \"Ihavebeenwaitingtoseeitcome,\"answeredBetty。\"Itisgoingtobeadull,drearyday。\" CHAPTERXLVII \"IHAVENOWORDORLOOKTOREMEMBER\" Itwasadullanddrearyday,asBettyhadforeseenitwouldbe。Heavyraincloudshungandthreatened,andtheatmospherewasdampandchill。ItwasoneofthosedaysoftheEnglishautumnwhichspeakonlyoftheendofthings,bereavingoneofthepowertoremembernextyear’sspringandsummer,which,afterall,mustsurelycome。Skyisgrey,treesaregrey,deadleavesliedampbeneaththefeet,sunlightandbirdsseemforgottenthings。Allthathasbeensadandtoberegrettedorfearedhangsheavyintheairandswaysallthought。Inthepassingofthesehoursthereisnohopeanywhere。Bettyappearedatbreakfastinshortdressandclosehat。Sheworethicklittleboots,asifforwalking。 \"Iamgoingtomakevisitsinthevillage,\"shesaid。\"I wantabasketofgoodthingstotakewithme。Stourton’schildrenneedfeedingaftertheirmeasles。TheylookedverythinwhenIsawthemplayingintheroadyesterday。\" \"Yes,dear,\"Rosalieanswered。\"Mrs。Noakesshallpreparethebasket。Goodchickenbroth,andjelly,andnourishingthings。Jennings,\"tothebutler,\"youknowthekindofbasketMissVanderpoelwants。SpeaktoMrs。Noakes,please。\" \"Yes,mylady,\"JenningsknewthekindofbasketandsodidMrs。Noakes。BelowstairsastrongsympathywithMissVanderpoel’smovementshaddeveloped。Nooneresentedthepreparationofbaskets。Somehowtheywerealwaysmanaged,evenifaskedforatuntimelyhours。 Bettywassittingsilent,lookingoutintothegreynessoftheautumn—smittenpark。 \"Are——areyoulisteningforanything,Betty?\"LadyAnstruthersaskedratherfalteringly。\"Youhaveasortoflisteninglookinyoureyes。\" Bettycamebacktotheroom,asitwere。 \"HaveI,\"shesaid。\"Yes,IthinkIwaslisteningfor—— something。\" AndRosaliedidnotaskherwhatshelistenedfor。Shewasafraidsheknew。 ItwasnotonlytheStourtonsBettyvisitedthismorning。 Shepassedfromonecottagetoanother——toseeoldwomen,andoldmen,aswellasyoungones,whoforonereasonoranotherneededhelpandencouragement。Byonebedsideshereadaloud;byanothershesatandtoldcheerfulstories; shelistenedtotalkinlittlekitchens,andinonehousewelcomedanewbornthing。Asshewalkedsteadilyovergreyroadanddowngreylanesdampmistroseandhungabouther。Andshedidnotwalkalone。Fearwalkedwithher,andanguish,agreyghostbyherside。Onceshefoundherselfstandingquitestillonasidepath,coveringherfacewithherhands。Shefilledeverymomentofthemorning,andwalkeduntilshewastired。Beforeshewenthomeshecalledatthepostoffice,andMr。Tewsongreetedherwithasolemnface。Hedidnotwaittobequestioned。 \"There’sbeennonewsto—day,miss,sofar,\"hesaid。\"Andthatseemsasiftheymightbesogivenuptohardworkatadreadfultimethatthere’sbeennochanceforanythingtogetout。Whenpeople’shangingoveraman’sbedattheend,it’sasifeverythingstoppedbutthat——that’sstoppingforalltime。\" Afterluncheontherainbegantofallsoftly,slowly,andwithasuggestionofendlessness。Itwasasortofmistitself,andbecameadampshadowamongthebarebranchesoftreeswhichsoonbegantodrip。 \"Youhavebeenwalkingaboutallmorning,andyouaretired,dear,\"LadyAnstrutherssaidtoher。\"Won’tyougotoyourroomandrest,Betty?\" Yes,shewouldgotoherroom,shesaid。SomenewbookshadarrivedfromLondonthismorning,andshewouldlookoverthem。Shetalkedalittleabouthervisitsbeforeshewent,andwhen,asshetalked,Ughtredcameovertoherandstoodclosetohersideholdingherhandandstrokingit,shesmiledathimsweetly——thesmileheadored。Hestrokedthehandandsoftlypattedit,watchingherwistfully。Suddenlyheliftedittohislips,andkisseditagainandagainwithasortofpassion。 \"Iloveyousomuch,AuntBetty,\"hecried。\"Webothloveyousomuch。Somethingmakesmeloveyouto—daymorethaneverIdidbefore。Italmostmakesmecry。Iloveyouso。\" Shestoopedswiftlyanddrewhimintoherarmsandkissedhimcloseandhard。Heheldhisheadbackalittleandlookedintotheblueunderherlashes。 \"Iloveyoureyes,\"hesaid。\"Anyonewouldloveyoureyes,AuntBetty。Butwhatisthematterwiththem?Youarenotcryingatall,but——oh!whatisthematter?\" \"No,Iamnotcryingatall,\"shesaid,andsmiled——almostlaughed。 Butaftershehadkissedhimagainshetookherbooksandwentupstairs。 Shedidnotliedown,andshedidnotreadwhenshewasaloneinherroom。Shedrewalongchairbeforethewindowandwatchedtheslowfallingoftherain。Thereisnothinglikeit——thatslowweepingoftherainonanEnglishautumnday。 Softandlightthoughitwas,theparkbegantolooksodden。 Thebaretreesheldouttheirbrancheslikeimploringarms,thebrowngardenbedswereneatandbare。Thesamerainwasdrip—drippingatMountDunstan——uponthedesolategreathouse——uponthevillage——uponthemoundsandancientstonetombsinthechurchyard,sinkingintotheearth——sinkingdeep,suckedinbytheclaybeneath——thecolddampclay。 Sheshookherselfshudderingly。Whyshouldthethoughtcometoher——thecolddampclay?Shewouldnotlistentoit,shewouldthinkofNewYork,ofitsroaringstreetsandcrashofsound,oftherushoffiercelifethere——ofherfatherandmother。ShetriedtoforceherselftocalluppicturesofBroadway,swarmingwithcrowdsofblackthings,which,seenfromthewindowsofitsmonstrousbuildings,seemedlikeswarmsofants,burstoutofant—hills,outofathousandant— hills。Shetriedtoremembershopwindows,thethingsinthem,thethrongsgoingby,andthethrongspassinginandoutofgreat,swingingglassdoors。ShedraggedupbeforeheravisionofRosalie,drivingwithhermotherandherself,lookingaboutheratthenewbuildingsandchangedstreets,flushedandmaderadiantbytheacceleratedpaceandexcitementofherbelovedNewYork。But,oh,theslow,penetratingrainfall,and——thecolddampclay! Sherose,makinganinvoluntarysoundwhichwashalfamoan。Thelongmirrorsetbetweentwowindowsshowedhermomentarilyanawfulyoungfigure,throwingupitsarms。 WasthatBettyVanderpoel——that? \"Whatdoesonedo,\"shesaid,\"whentheworldcomestoanend?Whatdoesonedo?\" Allherdaysshehaddonethings——therehadalwaysbeensomethingtodo。Nowtherewasnothing。Shewentsuddenlytoherbellandrangforhermaid。Thewomanansweredthesummonsatonce。 \"SendwordtothestablethatIwantChildeHarold。I donotwantMason。Ishallridealone。\" \"Yes,miss,\"Amblestonanswered,withoutanyexteriorsignofemotion。Shewastoowell—trainedapersontoexpressanyshadeofherinternalamazement。Aftershehadtransmittedtheordertothepropermanagershereturnedandchangedhermistress’scostume。 Shehadcontemplatedhertask,andwasstandingbehindMissVanderpoel’schair,puttingthelasttouchtoherveil,whenshebecameconsciousofaslightstiffeningoftheneckwhichheldsowellthehandsomehead,thentheheadslowlyturnedtowardsthewindowgivinguponthefrontpark。MissVanderpoelwaslisteningtosomething,listeningsointentlythatAmblestonfeltthat,forafewmoments,shedidnotseemtobreathe。Themaid’shandsfellfromtheveil,andshebegantolistenalso。Shehadbeenattheservicethedaybefore。 MissVanderpoelrosefromherchairslowly——veryslowly,andtookastepforward。Thenshestoodstillandlistenedagain。 \"Openthatwindow,ifyouplease,\"shecommanded——\"asifastoneimagewasspeaking\"——Amblestonsaidlater。Thewindowwasthrownopen,andforafewsecondstheybothstoodstillagain。WhenMissVanderpoelspoke,itwasasifshehadforgottenwhereshewas,orasifshewereinadream。 \"Itistheringers,\"shesaid。\"Theyaretollingthepassingbell。\" Theservingwomanwassoftofheart,andhadherfeminineemotions。Therehadbeenmuchtalkofthisthingintheservant’shall。SheturneduponBetty,andforgotallrulesandtraining。 \"Oh,miss!\"shecried。\"He’sgone——he’sgone!Thatgoodman——outofthishardworld。Oh,miss,excuseme—— do!\"Andassheburstintowildtears,sheranoutoftheroom…… Rosaliehadbeensittinginthemorningroom。Shealsohadstriventooccupyherselfwithwork。Shehadwrittentohermother,shehadread,shehadembroidered,andthenreadagain。WhatwasBettydoing——whatwasshethinkingnow? Shelaidherbookdowninherlap,andcoveringherfacewithherhands,breathedadesperatelittleprayer。Thatlifeshouldbepainandemptinesstoherself,seemedsomehownaturalsinceshehadmarriedNigel——butpainandemptinessforBetty——No!No!No!NotforBetty!Piteoussorrowpoureduponherlikeaflood。Shedidnotknowhowthetimepassed。Shesat,huddledtogetherinherchair,withhiddenface。Shecouldnotbeartolookattherainandghostmistoutofdoors。Oh,ifhermotherwereonlyhere,andshemightspeaktoher!Andasherlovingtearsbrokeforthafresh,sheheardthedooropen。 \"Ifyouplease,mylady——Ibegyourpardon,mylady,\"asshestartedanduncoveredherface。 \"Whatisit,Jennings?\" Thefigureatthedoorwasthatoftheserious,elderlybutler,andheworearespectfullygraveair。 \"Asyourladyshipissittinginthisroom,wethoughtitlikelyyouwouldnothear,thewindowsbeingclosed,andwefeltsure,mylady,thatyouwouldwishtoknow————\" LadyAnstruthers’handsshookastheyclungtothearmsofherchair。 \"Toknow————\"shefaltered。\"Hearwhat?\" \"Thepassingbellistolling,mylady。Ithasjustbegun。 ItisforLordMountDunstan。There’snotadryeyedownstairs,yourladyship,notone。\" Heopenedthewindows,andshestoodup。Jenningsquietlylefttheroom。Theslow,heavyknellstruckponderouslyonthedampair,andshestoodandshivered。 Amomentortwolatersheturned,becauseitseemedasifshemust。 Betty,inherridinghabit,wasstandingmotionlessagainstthedoor,herwonderfuleyesstillasdeath,gazingather,gazinginanawful,simplesilence。 Oh,whatwastheuseofbeingafraidtospeakatsuchatimeasthis?InonemomentRosywaskneelingatherfeet,clingingaboutherknees,kissingherhands,theveryclothofherhabit,andsobbingaloud。 \"Oh,mydarling——mylove——myownBetty!Idon’tknow——andIwon’task——butspeaktome——speakjustaword——mydearestdear!\" Bettyraisedherupanddrewherwithintheroom,closingthedoorbehindthem。 \"KindlittleRosy,\"shesaid。\"Icametospeak——becausewetwoloveeachother。Youneednotask,Iwilltellyou。 Thatbellistollingforthemanwhotaughtme——toKNOW。 Heneverspoketomeoflove。Ihavenotonewordorlooktoremember。Andnow————Oh,listen——listen!Ihavebeenlisteningsincethemorningofyesterday。\"Itwasanawfulthing——herwhiteface,withalltheflameoflifesweptoutofit。