第23章

类别:其他 作者:Willa Cather字数:10227更新时间:19/01/07 15:03:41
ThatwasthefirstthingTheaKronborgfeltabouttheforest,asshedrovethroughitoneMaymorninginHenryBiltmer’sdemocratwagon——anditwasthefirstgreatforestshehadeverseen。ShehadgotoffthetrainatFlag— staffthatmorning,rolledoffintothehigh,chillairwhenallthepinesonthemountainwerefiredbysunrise,sothatsheseemedtofallfromsleepdirectlyintotheforest。 OldBiltmerfollowedafaintwagontrailwhichransouth— east,andwhich,astheytraveled,continuallydippedlower,fallingawayfromthehighplateauontheslopeofwhichFlagstaffsits。Thewhitepeakofthemountain,thesnow gorgesabovethetimber,nowdisappearedfromtimetotimeastheroaddroppedanddropped,andtheforestclosedbehindthewagon。Morethanthemountaindisappearedastheforestclosedthus。Theaseemedtobetakingverylittlethroughthewoodwithher。Thepersonalityofwhichshewassotiredseemedtoletgoofher。Thehigh,spark— lingairdrankituplikeblotting—paper。ItwaslostinthethrillingblueofthenewskyandthesongofthethinwindinthePINONS。Theold,frettedlineswhichmarkedoneoff,whichdefinedher,——madeherTheaKronborg,Bowers’saccompanist,asopranowithafaultymiddlevoice,——wereallerased。 Sofarshehadfailed。HertwoyearsinChicagohadnotresultedinanything。ShehadfailedwithHarsanyi,andshehadmadenogreatprogresswithhervoice。ShehadcometobelievethatwhateverBowershadtaughtherwasofsecondaryimportance,andthatintheessentialthingsshehadmadenoadvance。Herstudentlifeclosedbehindher,liketheforest,andshedoubtedwhethershecouldgobacktoitifshetried。Probablyshewouldteachmusicinlittlecountrytownsallherlife。Failurewasnotsotragicasshewouldhavesupposed;shewastiredenoughnottocare。 Shewasgettingbacktotheearliestsourcesofgladnessthatshecouldremember。Shehadlovedthesun,andthebrilliantsolitudesofsandandsun,longbeforetheseotherthingshadcomealongtofastenthemselvesuponherandtormenther。Thatnight,whensheclamberedintoherbigGermanfeatherbed,shefeltcompletelyreleasedfromtheenslavingdesiretogetonintheworld。Darknesshadonceagainthesweetwonderthatithadinchildhood。 II THEA’SlifeattheOttenburgranchwassimpleandfulloflight,likethedaysthemselves。Sheawokeeverymorningwhenthefirstfierceshaftsofsunlightdartedthroughthecurtainlesswindowsofherroomattheranchhouse。Afterbreakfastshetookherlunch—basketandwentdowntothecanyon。Usuallyshedidnotreturnuntilsunset。 PantherCanyonwaslikeathousandothers——oneofthoseabruptfissureswithwhichtheearthintheSouthwestisriddled;soabruptthatyoumightwalkovertheedgeofanyoneofthemonadarknightandneverknowwhathadhappenedtoyou。ThiscanyonheadedontheOttenburgranch,aboutamilefromtheranchhouse,anditwasacces— sibleonlyatitshead。Thecanyonwalls,forthefirsttwohundredfeetbelowthesurface,wereperpendicularcliffs,stripedwitheven—runningstrataofrock。Fromthereontothebottomthesideswerelessabrupt,wereshelving,andlightlyfringedwithPINONSanddwarfcedars。Theeffectwasthatofagentlercanyonwithinawilderone。 ThedeadcitylayatthepointwheretheperpendicularouterwallceasedandtheV—shapedinnergorgebegan。 Thereastratumofrock,softerthanthoseabove,hadbeenhollowedoutbytheactionoftimeuntilitwaslikeadeepgrooverunningalongthesidesofthecanyon。Inthishollow(likeagreatfoldintherock)theAncientPeoplehadbuilttheirhousesofyellowishstoneandmor— tar。Theover—hangingcliffabovemadearooftwohun— dredfeetthick。Thehardstratumbelowwasanever— lastingfloor。Thehousesstoodalonginarow,likethebuildingsinacityblock,orlikeabarracks。 Inbothwallsofthecanyonthesamestreakofsoftrock hadbeenwashedout,andthelonghorizontalgroovehadbeenbuiltupwithhouses。Thedeadcityhadthustwostreets,onesetineithercliff,facingeachotheracrosstheravine,withariverofblueairbetweenthem。 Thecanyontwistedandwoundlikeasnake,andthesetwostreetswentonforfourmilesormore,interruptedbytheabruptturningsofthegorge,butbeginningagainwithineachturn。Thecanyonhadadozenofthesefalseendingsnearitshead。Beyond,thewindingswerelargerandlessperceptible,anditwentonforahundredmiles,toonarrow,precipitous,andterribleformantofollowit。 TheCliffDwellerslikedwidecanyons,wherethegreatcliffscaughtthesun。PantherCanyonhadbeendesertedforhundredsofyearswhenthefirstSpanishmissionariescameintoArizona,butthemasonryofthehouseswasstillwonderfullyfirm;hadcrumbledonlywherealandslideorarollingboulderhadtornit。 Allthehousesinthecanyonwerecleanwiththeclean— nessofsun—baked,wind—sweptplaces,andtheyallsmelledofthetoughlittlecedarsthattwistedthemselvesintotheverydoorways。Oneoftheserock—roomsTheatookforherown。Fredhadtoldherhowtomakeitcomfortable。ThedayaftershecameoldHenrybroughtoverononeofthepack—poniesarollofNavajoblanketsthatbelongedtoFred,andThealinedhercavewiththem。Theroomwasnotmorethaneightbytenfeet,andshecouldtouchthestoneroofwithherfinger—tips。Thiswasheroldidea:anestinahighcliff,fullofsun。Allmorninglongthesunbeatuponhercliff,whiletheruinsontheoppositesideofthecanyonwereinshadow。Intheafternoon,whenshehadtheshadeoftwohundredfeetofrockwall,theruinsontheothersideofthegulfstoodoutintheblazingsun— light。Beforeherdoorranthenarrow,windingpaththathadbeenthestreetoftheAncientPeople。Theyuccaandniggerheadcactusgreweverywhere。Fromherdoorstepshelookedoutontheocher—coloredslopethatrandown severalhundredfeettothestream,andthishotrockwassparselygrownwithdwarftrees。Theircolorsweresopalethattheshadowsofthelittletreesontherockstoodoutsharperthanthetreesthemselves。WhenTheafirstcame,thechokecherrybusheswereinblossom,andthescentofthemwasalmostsickeninglysweetafterashower。Attheverybottomofthecanyon,alongthestream,therewasathreadofbright,flickering,golden—green,——cottonwoodseedlings。Theymadealiving,chatteringscreenbehindwhichshetookherbatheverymorning。 TheawentdowntothestreambytheIndianwatertrail。Shehadfoundabathing—poolwithasandbottom,wherethecreekwasdamnedbyfallentrees。Theclimbbackwaslongandsteep,andwhenshereachedherlittlehouseinthecliffshealwaysfeltfreshdelightinitscom— fortandinaccessibility。Bythetimeshegotthere,thewoollyred—and—grayblanketsweresaturatedwithsun— light,andshesometimesfellasleepassoonasshestretchedherbodyontheirwarmsurfaces。Sheusedtowonderatherowninactivity。Shecouldlietherehourafterhourinthesunandlistentothestridentwhirofthebiglocusts,andtothelight,ironicallaughterofthequakingasps。Allherlifeshehadbeenhurryingandsputtering,asifshehadbeenbornbehindtimeandhadbeentryingtocatchup。Now,shereflected,asshedrewherselfoutlongupontherugs,itwasasifshewerewaitingforsomethingtocatchupwithher。Shehadgottoaplacewhereshewasoutofthestreamofmeaninglessactivityandundirectedeffort。 Hereshecouldlieforhalfadayundistracted,holdingpleasantandincompleteconceptionsinhermind——almostinherhands。Theywerescarcelyclearenoughtobecalledideas。Theyhadsomethingtodowithfragranceandcolorandsound,butalmostnothingtodowithwords。Shewassingingverylittlenow,butasongwouldgothroughherheadallmorning,asaspringkeepswellingup,anditwas likeapleasantsensationindefinitelyprolonged。Itwasmuchmorelikeasensationthanlikeanidea,oranactofremembering。Musichadnevercometoherinthatsensu— ousformbefore。Ithadalwaysbeenathingtobestruggledwith,hadalwaysbroughtanxietyandexaltationandcha— grin——nevercontentandindolence。Theabegantowon— derwhetherpeoplecouldnotutterlylosethepowertowork,astheycanlosetheirvoiceortheirmemory。Shehadalwaysbeenalittledrudge,hurryingfromonetasktoanother——asifitmattered!Andnowherpowertothinkseemedconvertedintoapowerofsustainedsensation。Shecouldbecomeamerereceptacleforheat,orbecomeacolor,likethebrightlizardsthatdartedaboutonthehotstonesoutsideherdoor;orshecouldbecomeacontinuousrepeti— tionofsound,likethecicadas。 III THEfacultyofobservationwasneverhighlydevelopedinTheaKronborg。Agreatdealescapedhereyeasshepassedthroughtheworld。Butthethingswhichwereforher,shesaw;sheexperiencedthemphysicallyandre— memberedthemasiftheyhadoncebeenapartofherself。 Therosessheusedtoseeintheflorists’shopsinChicagoweremerelyroses。Butwhenshethoughtofthemoon— flowersthatgrewoverMrs。Tellamantez’sdoor,itwasasifshehadbeenthatvineandhadopenedupinwhiteflow— erseverynight。Therewerememoriesoflightonthesandhills,ofmassesofprickly—pearblossomsshehadfoundinthedesertinearlychildhood,ofthelateafternoonsunpour— ingthroughthegrapeleavesandthemintbedinMrs。 Kohler’sgarden,whichshewouldneverlose。Theserecol— lectionswereapartofhermindandpersonality。InChicagoshehadgotalmostnothingthatwentintohersubconsciousselfandtookrootthere。Buthere,inPantherCanyon,therewereagainthingswhichseemeddestinedforher。 PantherCanyonwasthehomeofinnumerableswallows。 TheybuiltnestsinthewallfarabovethehollowgrooveinwhichThea’sownrockchamberlay。Theyseldomven— turedabovetherimofthecanyon,totheflat,wind—swepttableland。Theirworldwastheblueair—riverbetweenthecanyonwalls。Inthatbluegulfthearrow—shapedbirdsswamalldaylong,withonlyanoccasionalmovementofthewings。Theonlysadthingaboutthemwastheirtim— idity;thewayinwhichtheylivedtheirlivesbetweentheechoingcliffsandneverdaredtoriseoutoftheshadowofthecanyonwalls。Astheyswampastherdoor,Theaoftenfelthoweasyitwouldbetodreamone’slifeoutinsomecleftintheworld。 Fromtheancientdwellingtherecamealwaysadignified,unobtrusivesadness;nowstronger,nowfainter,——likethearomaticsmellwhichthedwarfcedarsgaveoutinthesun,——butalwayspresent,apartoftheaironebreathed。 Atnight,whenTheadreamedaboutthecanyon,——orintheearlymorningwhenshehurriedtowardit,anticipatingit,——herconceptionofitwasofyellowrocksbakinginsunlight,theswallows,thecedarsmell,andthatpeculiarsadness——avoiceoutofthepast,notveryloud,thatwentonsayingafewsimplethingstothesolitudeeternally。 Standingupinherlodge,Theacouldwithherthumbnaildislodgeflakesofcarbonfromtherockroof——thecooking—smokeoftheAncientPeople。Theywerethatnear!Atimid,nest—buildingfolk,liketheswallows。HowoftenThearememberedRayKennedy’smoralizingaboutthecliffcities。Heusedtosaythatheneverfeltthehard— nessofthehumanstruggleorthesadnessofhistoryashefeltitamongthoseruins。Heusedtosay,too,thatitmadeonefeelanobligationtodoone’sbest。OnthefirstdaythatTheaclimbedthewatertrailshebegantohaveintui— tionsaboutthewomenwhohadwornthepath,andwhohadspentsogreatapartoftheirlivesgoingupanddownit。Shefoundherselftryingtowalkastheymusthavewalked,withafeelinginherfeetandkneesandloinswhichshehadneverknownbefore,——whichmusthavecomeuptoheroutoftheaccustomeddustofthatrockytrail。ShecouldfeeltheweightofanIndianbabyhangingtoherbackassheclimbed。 Theemptyhouses,amongwhichshewanderedintheafternoon,theblanketedoneinwhichshelayallmorning,werehauntedbycertainfearsanddesires;feelingsaboutwarmthandcoldandwaterandphysicalstrength。ItseemedtoTheathatacertainunderstandingofthoseoldpeoplecameuptoheroutoftherockshelfonwhichshelay;thatcertainfeelingsweretransmittedtoher,suggestionsthatweresimple,insistent,andmonotonous, likethebeatingofIndiandrums。Theywerenotexpressi— bleinwords,butseemedrathertotranslatethemselvesintoattitudesofbody,intodegreesofmusculartensionorrelaxation;thenakedstrengthofyouth,sharpasthesun— shafts;thecrouchingtimorousnessofage,thesullennessofwomenwhowaitedfortheircaptors。Atthefirstturningofthecanyontherewasahalf—ruinedtowerofyellowmasonry,awatch—toweruponwhichtheyoungmenusedtoenticeeaglesandsnarethemwithnets。SometimesforawholemorningTheacouldseethecopperybreastandshouldersofanIndianyouththereagainstthesky; seehimthrowthenet,andwatchthestrugglewiththeeagle。 OldHenryBiltmer,attheranch,hadbeenagreatdealamongthePuebloIndianswhoarethedescendantsoftheCliff—Dwellers。AftersupperheusedtositandsmokehispipebythekitchenstoveandtalktoTheaaboutthem。 Hehadneverfoundanyonebeforewhowasinterestedinhisruins。EverySundaytheoldmanprowledaboutinthecanyon,andhehadcometoknowagooddealmoreaboutitthanhecouldaccountfor。HehadgatheredupawholechestfulofCliff—DwellerrelicswhichhemeanttotakebacktoGermanywithhimsomeday。HetaughtTheahowtofindthingsamongtheruins:grinding—stones,anddrillsandneedlesmadeofturkey—bones。Therewerefrag— mentsofpotteryeverywhere。OldHenryexplainedtoherthattheAncientPeoplehaddevelopedmasonryandpot— teryfarbeyondanyothercrafts。Aftertheyhadmadehousesforthemselves,thenextthingwastohousethepreciouswater。Heexplainedtoherhowalltheircustomsandceremoniesandtheirreligionwentbacktowater。Themenprovidedthefood,butwaterwasthecareofthewo— men。Thestupidwomencarriedwaterformostoftheirlives;theclevereronesmadethevesselstoholdit。Theirpotterywastheirmostdirectappealtowater,theenvelopeandsheathofthepreciouselementitself。Thestrongest Indianneedwasexpressedinthosegracefuljars,fashionedslowlybyhand,withouttheaidofawheel。 WhenTheatookherbathatthebottomofthecanyon,inthesunnypoolbehindthescreenofcottonwoods,shesometimesfeltasifthewatermusthavesovereignquali— ties,fromhavingbeentheobjectofsomuchserviceanddesire。Thatstreamwastheonlylivingthingleftofthedramathathadbeenplayedoutinthecanyoncenturiesago。Intherapid,restlessheartofit,flowingswifterthantherest,therewasacontinuityoflifethatreachedbackintotheoldtime。Theglitteringthreadofcurrenthadakindoflightlyworn,looselyknitpersonality,gracefulandlaughing。Thea’sbathcametohaveaceremonialgravity。 Theatmosphereofthecanyonwasritualistic。 Onemorning,asshewasstandinguprightinthepool,splashingwaterbetweenhershoulder—bladeswithabigsponge,somethingflashedthroughhermindthatmadeherdrawherselfupandstandstilluntilthewaterhadquitedrieduponherflushedskin。Thestreamandthebrokenpottery:whatwasanyartbutanefforttomakeasheath,amouldinwhichtoimprisonforamomenttheshining,elusiveelementwhichislifeitself,——lifehurryingpastusandrunningaway,toostrongtostop,toosweettolose?TheIndianwomenhadhelditintheirjars。InthesculptureshehadseenintheArtInstitute,ithadbeencaughtinaflashofarrestedmotion。Insinging,onemadeavesselofone’sthroatandnostrilsandhelditonone’sbreath,caughtthestreaminascaleofnaturalintervals。 IV THEAhadasuperstitiousfeelingaboutthepotsherds,andlikedbettertoleavetheminthedwellingswhereshefoundthem。Ifshetookafewbitsbacktoherownlodgeandhidthemundertheblankets,shediditguiltily,asifshewerebeingwatched。Shewasaguestinthesehouses,andoughttobehaveassuch。Nearlyeveryafternoonshewenttothechamberswhichcontainedthemostinterestingfragmentsofpottery,satandlookedatthemforawhile。Someofthemwerebeautifullydeco— rated。Thiscare,expendeduponvesselsthatcouldnotholdfoodorwateranybetterfortheadditionallaborputuponthem,madeherheartgoouttothoseancientpotters。Theyhadnotonlyexpressedtheirdesire,buttheyhadexpresseditasbeautifullyastheycould。Food,fire,water,andsomethingelse——evenhere,inthiscrackintheworld,sofarbackinthenightofthepast!Downhereatthebeginningthatpainfulthingwasalreadystirring;theseedofsorrow,andofsomuchdelight。 Therewerejarsdoneinadelicateoverlay,likepinecones;andthereweremanypatternsinalowrelief,likebasket—work。Someofthepotterywasdecoratedincolor,redandbrown,blackandwhite,ingracefulgeo— metricalpatterns。Oneday,onafragmentofashallowbowl,shefoundacrestedserpent’shead,paintedinredonterra—cotta。Againshefoundhalfabowlwithabroadbandofwhitecliff—housespaintedonablackground。 Theywerescarcelyconventionalizedatall;theretheywereintheblackborder,justastheystoodintherockbeforeher。Itbroughthercenturiesnearertothesepeo— pletofindthattheysawtheirhousesexactlyasshesawthem。 Yes,RayKennedywasright。Allthesethingsmadeonefeelthatoneoughttodoone’sbest,andhelptofulfillsomedesireofthedustthatsleptthere。Adreamhadbeendreamedtherelongago,inthenightofages,andthewindhadwhisperedsomepromisetothesadnessofthesavage。 Intheirownway,thosepeoplehadfeltthebeginningsofwhatwastocome。Thesepotsherdswerelikefettersthatboundonetoalongchainofhumanendeavor。 NotonlydidtheworldseemolderandrichertoTheanow,butsheherselfseemedolder。Shehadneverbeenaloneforsolongbefore,orthoughtsomuch。Nothinghadeverengrossedhersodeeplyasthedailycontemplationofthatlineofpale—yellowhousestuckedintothewrinkleofthecliff。MoonstoneandChicagohadbecomevague。Hereeverythingwassimpleanddefinite,asthingshadbeeninchildhood。Hermindwaslikearagbagintowhichshehadbeenfranticallythrustingwhatevershecouldgrab。Andhereshemustthrowthislumberaway。Thethingsthatwerereallyhersseparatedthemselvesfromtherest。Herideasweresimplified,becamesharperandclearer。Shefeltunitedandstrong。 WhenTheahadbeenattheOttenburgranchfortwomonths,shegotaletterfromFredannouncingthathe\"mightbealongatalmostanytimenow。\"Thelettercameatnight,andthenextmorningshetookitdownintothecanyonwithher。Shewasdelightedthathewascomingsoon。Shehadneverfeltsogratefultoanyone,andshewantedtotellhimeverythingthathadhappenedtohersinceshehadbeenthere——morethanhadhappenedinallherlifebefore。CertainlyshelikedFredbetterthananyoneelseintheworld。TherewasHarsanyi,ofcourse——butHarsanyiwasalwaystired。Justnow,andhere,shewantedsomeonewhohadneverbeentired,whocouldcatchanideaandrunwithit。 Shewasashamedtothinkwhatanapprehensivedrudge shemustalwayshaveseemedtoFred,andshewonderedwhyhehadconcernedhimselfaboutheratall。Perhapsshewouldneverbesohappyorsogood—lookingagain,andshewouldlikeFredtoseeher,foronce,atherbest。 Shehadnotbeensingingmuch,butsheknewthathervoicewasmoreinterestingthanithadeverbeenbefore。 Shehadbeguntounderstandthat——withher,atleast—— voicewas,firstofall,vitality;alightnessinthebodyandadrivingpowerintheblood。Ifshehadthat,shecouldsing。Whenshefeltsokeenlyalive,lyingonthatinsensi— bleshelfofstone,whenherbodyboundedlikearubberballawayfromitshardness,thenshecouldsing。This,too,shecouldexplaintoFred。Hewouldknowwhatshemeant。 Anotherweekpassed。Theadidthesamethingsasbefore,feltthesameinfluences,wentoverthesameideas; buttherewasaliveliermovementinherthoughts,andafresheningofsensation,likethebrightnesswhichcameovertheunderbrushafterashower。Apersistentaffirmation—— ordenial——wasgoingoninher,likethetappingofthewoodpeckerintheonetallpinetreeacrossthechasm。 Musicalphrasesdroveeachotherrapidlythroughhermind,andthesongofthecicadawasnowtoolongandtoosharp。Everythingseemedsuddenlytotaketheformofadesireforaction。 Itwaswhileshewasinthisabstractedstate,waitingfortheclocktostrike,thatTheaatlastmadeuphermindwhatshewasgoingtotrytodointheworld,andthatshewasgoingtoGermanytostudywithoutfurtherlossoftime。 OnlybythemerestchancehadsheevergottoPantherCanyon。TherewascertainlynokindlyProvidencethatdirectedone’slife;andone’sparentsdidnotintheleastcarewhatbecameofone,solongasonedidnotmisbehaveandendangertheircomfort。One’slifewasatthemercyofblindchance。Shehadbettertakeitinherownhandsandloseeverythingthanmeeklydrawtheploughundertherodofparentalguidance。Shehadseenitwhenshewasat homelastsummer,——thehostilityofcomfortable,self— satisfiedpeopletowardanyseriouseffort。Eventoherfatheritseemedindecorous。Whenevershespokeseriously,helookedapologetic。YetshehadclungfasttowhateverwasleftofMoonstoneinhermind。Nomoreofthat!TheCliff—Dwellershadlengthenedherpast。Shehadolderandhigherobligations。 V ONESundayafternoonlateinJulyoldHenryBiltmerwasrheumaticallydescendingintotheheadofthecanyon。TheSundaybeforehadbeenoneofthosecloudydays——fortunatelyrare——whenthelifegoesoutofthatcountryanditbecomesagrayghost,anempty,shiveringuncertainty。Henryhadspentthedayinthebarn;hiscanyonwasarealityonlywhenitwasfloodedwiththelightofitsgreatlamp,whentheyellowrockscastpurpleshad— ows,andtheresinwasfairlycookinginthecorkscrewcedars。Theyuccaswereinblossomnow。Outofeachclumpofsharpbayonetleavesroseatallstalkhungwithgreenish—whitebellswiththick,fleshypetals。Thenigger— headcactuswasthrustingitscrimsonbloomsupoutofeverycreviceintherocks。 Henryhadcomeoutonthepretextofhuntingaspadeandpick—axethatyoungOttenburghadborrowed,buthewaskeepinghiseyesopen。Hewasreallyverycuriousaboutthenewoccupantsofthecanyon,andwhattheyfoundtodotherealldaylong。Helethiseyetravelalongthegulfforamileorsotothefirstturning,wherethefis— surezigzaggedoutandthenrecededbehindastoneprom— ontoryonwhichstoodtheyellowish,crumblingruinoftheoldwatch—tower。 Fromthebaseofthistower,whichnowthrewitsshadowforward,bitsofrockkeptflyingoutintotheopengulf——skatingupontheairuntiltheylosttheirmomen— tum,thenfallinglikechipsuntiltheyrangupontheledgesatthebottomofthegorgeorsplashedintothestream。 Biltmershadedhiseyeswithhishand。Thereontheprom— ontory,againstthecream—coloredcliff,weretwofiguresnimblymovinginthelight,bothslenderandagile,entirely absorbedintheirgame。Theylookedliketwoboys。Bothwerehatlessandbothworewhiteshirts。 Henryforgothispick—axeandfollowedthetrailbeforethecliff—housestowardthetower。Behindthetower,ashewellknew,wereheapsofstones,largeandsmall,piledagainstthefaceofthecliff。HehadalwaysbelievedthattheIndianwatchmenpiledthemthereforammunition。 TheaandFredhadcomeuponthesemissilesandwerethrowingthemfordistance。AsBiltmerapproachedhecouldhearthemlaughing,andhecaughtThea’svoice,highandexcited,witharingofvexationinit。Fredwasteachinghertothrowaheavystonelikeadiscus。WhenitwasFred’sturn,hesentatriangular—shapedstoneoutintotheairwithconsiderableskill。Theawatchediten—