第5章

类别:其他 作者:Swinburne, Algernon Charles字数:9516更新时间:19/01/07 15:14:13
\"Ido,Ido!\"hecried;\"butoh,Ihavenowife!Ihavenowife!\" TantSanniewasmuchaffected,andcameandstoodnearthebed。 \"Askhimifhewon’thavealittlepap——nice,fine,flourpap。Thereissomeboilingonthekitchenfire。\" TheGermanmadetheproposal,butthewidowerwavedhishand。 \"No,nothingshallpassmylips。Ishouldbesuffocated。No,no!Speaknotoffoodtome!\" \"Pap,andalittlebrandyin,\"saidTantSanniecoaxingly。 Bonapartecaughttheword。 \"Perhaps,perhaps——ifIstruggledwithmyself——forthesakeofmydutiesI mightimbibeafewdrops,\"hesaid,lookingwithquiveringlipupintotheGerman’sface。\"Imustdomyduty,mustInot?\" TantSanniegavetheorder,andthegirlwentforthepap。 \"Iknowhowitwaswhenmyfirsthusbanddied。Theycoulddonothingwithme,\"theBoer—womansaid,\"tillIhadeatenasheep’strotter,andhoney,andalittleroaster—cake。Iknow。\" Bonapartesatuponthebedwithhislegsstretchedoutinfrontofhim,andahandoneachknee,blubberingsoftly。 \"Oh,shewasawoman!Youareverykindtotryandcomfortme,butshewasmywife。ForawomanthatismywifeIcouldlive;forthewomanthatismywifeIcoulddie!ForawomanthatismywifeIcould——Ah!thatsweetword\"wife\";whenwillitrestuponmylipsagain?\" Whenhisfeelingshadsubsidedalittleheraisedthecornersofhisturned—downmouth,andspoketotheGermanwithflabbylips。 \"Doyouthinksheunderstandsme?Oh,tellhereveryword,thatshemayknowIthankher。\" Atthatinstantthegirlreappearedwithabasinofsteaminggruelandablackbottle。 TantSanniepouredsomeofitscontentsintothebasin,stirreditwell,andcametothebed。 \"Oh,Ican’t,Ican’t!Ishalldie!Ishalldie!\"saidBonaparte,puttinghishandstohisside。 \"Come,justalittle,\"saidTantSanniecoaxingly;\"justadrop。\" \"It’stoothick,it’stoothick。Ishouldchoke。\" TantSannieaddedfromthecontentsofthebottleandheldoutaspoonful; Bonaparteopenedhismouthlikealittlebirdwaitingforaworm,andhelditopen,asshedippedagainandagainintothepap。 \"Ah,thiswilldoyourheartgood,\"saidTantSannie,inwhosemindtherelativefunctionsofheartandstomachwereexceedinglyill—defined。 Whenthebasinwasemptiedtheviolenceofhisgriefwasmuchassuaged;helookedatTantSanniewithgentletears。 \"Tellhim,\"saidtheBoer—woman,\"thatIhopehewillsleepwell,andthattheLordwillcomforthim,astheLordonlycan。\" \"Blessyou,dearfriend,Godblessyou,\"saidBonaparte。 WhenthedoorwassafelyshutontheGerman,theHottentot,andtheDutchwoman,hegotoffthebedandwashedawaythesoaphehadrubbedonhiseyelids。 \"Bon,\"hesaid,slappinghisleg,\"you’rethecutestladIevercameacross。Ifyoudon’tturnouttheoldHymns—and—prayers,andpummeltheRaggedcoat,andgetyourarmsroundthefatone’swaistandawedding—ringonherfinger,thenyouarenotBonaparte。ButyouareBonaparte。Bon,you’reafineboy!\" Makingwhichpleasingreflection,hepulledoffhistrousersandgotintobedcheerfully。 Chapter1。VII。HeSetsHisTrap。 \"MayIcomein?IhopeIdonotdisturbyou,mydearfriend,\"saidBonaparte,lateoneevening,puttinghisnoseinatthecabindoor,wheretheGermanandhissonsatfinishingtheirsupper。 ItwasnowtwomonthssincehehadbeeninstalledasschoolmasterinTantSannie’shousehold,andhehadgrownmightyandmoremightydaybyday。Hevisitedthecabinnomore,satclosetoTantSanniedrinkingcoffeealltheevening,andwalkedaboutloftilywithhishandsunderthecoat—tailsoftheGerman’sblackclothandfailedtoseeevenaniggerwhowishedhimadeferentialgoodmorning。ItwasthereforewithnosmallsurprisethattheGermanperceivedBonaparte’srednoseatthedoor。 \"Walkin,walkin,\"hesaidjoyfully。\"Boy,boy,seeifthereisanycoffeeleft。Well,none。Makeafire。Wehavedonesupper,but——\" \"Mydearfriend,\"saidBonaparte,takingoffhishat,\"Icamenottosup,notformerecreaturecomforts,butforanhourofbrotherlyintercoursewithakindredspirit。Thepressofbusinessandtheweightofthought,buttheyalone,maysometimespreventmefromsharingthesecretsofmybosomwithhimforwhomIhavesogreatasympathy。YouperhapswonderwhenIshallreturnthetwopounds——\" \"Oh,no,no!Makeafire,makeafire,boy。Wewillhaveapotofhotcoffeepresently,\"saidtheGerman,rubbinghishandsandlookingabout,notknowinghowbesttoshowhispleasureattheunexpectedvisit。 ForthreeweekstheGerman’sdiffident\"Goodevening\"hadmetwithastatelybow;thechinofBonaparteliftingitselfhigherdaily;andhisshadowhadnotdarkenedthecabindoorwaysincehecametoborrowthetwopounds。TheGermanwalkedtotheheadofthebedandtookdownabluebagthathungthere。BluebagswereaspecialityoftheGerman’s。Hekeptabovefiftystowedawayindifferentcornersofhisroom——somefilledwithcuriousstones,somewithseedsthathadbeeninhispossessionfifteenyears,somewithrustynails,buckles,andbitsofoldharness——inall,awonderfulassortment,buthighlyprized。 \"Wehavesomethingherenotsobad,\"saidtheGerman,smilingknowingly,ashedivedhishandintothebagandtookoutahandfulofalmondsandraisins;\"Ibuytheseformychickens。Theyincreaseinsize,buttheystillthinktheoldmanmusthavesomethingniceforthem。Andtheoldman——well,abigboymayhaveasweettoothsometimes,mayhenot?Ha,ha!\"saidtheGerman,chucklingathisownjoke,asheheapedtheplatewithalmonds。\"Hereisastone——twostonestocrackthem——nolatepatentimprovement——well,Adam’snut—cracker;ha,ha!ButIthinkweshalldo。 Wewillnotleavethemuncracked。Wewillconsumeafewwithoutfashionableimprovements。\" HeretheGermansatdownononesideofthetable,Bonaparteontheother; eachonewithacoupleofflatstonesbeforehim,andtheplatebetweenthem。 \"Donotbeafraid,\"saidtheGerman,\"donotbeafraid。Idonotforgettheboyatthefire;Icrackforhim。Thebagisfull。Why,thisisstrange,\"hesaidsuddenly,crackinguponalargenut;\"threekernels!I havenotobservedthatbefore。Thismustberetained。Thisisvaluable。\" Hewrappedthenutgravelyinpaper,andputitcarefullyinhiswaistcoatpocket。\"Valuable,veryvaluable!\"hesaid,shakinghishead。 \"Ah,myfriend,\"saidBonaparte,\"whatjoyitistobeoncemoreinyoursociety。\" TheGerman’seyesglistened,andBonaparteseizedhishandandsqueezeditwarmly。Theythenproceededtocrackandeat。AfterawhileBonapartesaid,stuffingahandfulofraisinsintohismouth: \"Iwassodeeplygrieved,mydearfriend,thatyouandTantSanniehadsomeslightunpleasantnessthisevening。\" \"Oh,no,no,\"saidtheGerman;\"itisallrightnow。Afewsheepmissing; butImakeitgoodmyself。Igivemytwelvesheep,andworkintheothereight。\" \"Itisratherhardthatyoushouldhavetomakegoodthelostsheep,saidBonaparte;\"itisnofaultofyours。\" \"Well,\"saidtheGerman,\"thisisthecase。LasteveningIcountthesheepatthekraal——twentyaremissing。Iasktheherd;hetellsmetheyarewiththeotherflock;hetellsmesodistinctly;howcanIthinkhelies? ThisafternoonIcounttheotherflock。Thesheeparenotthere。Icomebackhere:theherdisgone;thesheeparegone。ButIcannot——no,Iwillnot——believehestolethem,\"saidtheGerman,growingsuddenlyexcited。 \"Someoneelse,butnothe。Iknowthatboy。Iknewhimthreeyears。Heisagoodboy。Ihaveseenhimdeeplyaffectedonaccountofhissoul。 Andshewouldsendthepoliceafterhim!IsayIwouldrathermakethelossgoodmyself。Iwillnothaveit;hehasfledinfear。Iknowhisheart。Itwas,\"saidtheGerman,withalittlegentlehesitation,\"undermywordsthathefirstfelthisneedofaSaviour。\" Bonapartecrackedsomemorealmonds,thensaid,yawning,andmoreasthoughheaskedforthesakeofhavingsomethingtoconverseaboutthanfromanyinteresthefeltinthesubject: \"Andwhathasbecomeoftheherd’swife?\" TheGermanwasalightagaininamoment。 \"Yes;hiswife。Shehasachildsixdaysold,andTantSanniewouldturnheroutintothefieldsthisnight。That,\"saidtheGermanrising,\"thatiswhatIcallcruelty——diabolicalcruelty。Mysoulabhorsthatdeed。ThemanthatcoulddosuchathingIcouldrunhimthroughwithaknife!\"saidtheGerman,hisgreyeyesflashing,andhisbushyblackbeardaddingtothemurderousfuryofhisaspect。Thensuddenlysubsiding,hesaid,\"Butallisnowwell;TantSanniegivesherwordthatthemaidshallremainforsomedays。IgotoOomMuller’stomorrowtolearnifthesheepmaynotbethere。Iftheyarenot,thenIreturn。Theyaregone,thatisall。I makeitgood。\" \"TantSannieisasingularwoman,\"saidBonaparte,takingthetobaccobagtheGermanpassedtohim。 \"Singular!Yes,\"saidtheGerman;\"butherheartisonherrightside。I havelivedlongyearswithher,andImaysay,Ihaveforheranaffection,whichshereturns。Imaysay,\"addedtheGermanwithwarmth,\"Imaysay,thatthereisnotonesoulonthisfarmforwhomIhavenotanaffection。\" \"Ah,myfriend,\"saidBonaparte,\"whenthegraceofGodisinourhearts,isitnotwithusall?Dowenotlovetheverywormwetreadupon,andaswetreaduponit?Doweknowdistinctionsofrace,orofsex,orofcolour?No! \"’Lovesoamazing,sodivine,Itfillsmysoul,mylife,myall。’\" Afteratimehesankintoalessferventmood,andremarked: \"ThecolouredfemalewhowaitsuponTantSannieappearstobeofavirtuousdisposition,anindividualwho——\" \"Virtuous!\"saidtheGerman;\"Ihaveconfidenceinher。Thereisthatinherwhichispure,thatwhichisnoble。Therichandhighthatwalkthisearthwithloftyeyelidsmightexchangewithher。\" TheGermanheregotuptobringacoalforBonaparte’spipe,andtheysattogethertalkingforawhile。AtlengthBonaparteknockedtheashesoutofhispipe。 \"ItistimethatItookmydeparture,dearfriend,\"hesaid;\"but,beforeI doso,shallwenotclosethiseveningofsweetcommunionandbrotherlyintercoursebyafewwordsofprayer?Oh,howgoodandhowpleasantathingitisforbrethrentodwelltogetherinunity!ItislikethedewuponthemountainsofHermon;fortheretheLordbestowedablessing,evenlifeforevermore。\" \"Stayanddrinksomecoffee,\"saidtheGerman。 \"No,thankyou,myfriend;Ihavebusinessthatmustbedonetonight,\"saidBonaparte。\"Yourdearsonappearstohavegonetosleep。Heisgoingtotakethewagontothemilltomorrow!Whatalittlemanheis。\" \"Afineboy。\" Butthoughtheboynoddedbeforethefirehewasnotasleep;andtheyallkneltdowntopray。 WhentheyrosefromtheirkneesBonaparteextendedhishandtoWaldo,andpattedhimonthehead。 \"Goodnight,mylad,\"saidhe。\"Asyougotothemilltomorrow,weshallnotseeyouforsomedays。Goodnight!Good—bye!TheLordblessandguideyou;andmayHebringyoubacktousinsafetyandfindusallasyouhaveleftus!\"Helaidsomeemphasisonthelastwords。\"Andyou,mydearfriend,\"headded,turningwithredoubledwarmthtotheGerman,\"long,longshallIlookbacktothiseveningasatimeofrefreshingfromthepresenceoftheLord,asanhourofblessedintercoursewithabrotherinJesus。 Maysuchoftenreturn。TheLordblessyou!\"headded,withyetdeeperfervour,\"richly,richly。\" Thenheopenedthedoorandvanishedoutintothedarkness。 \"He,he,he!\"laughedBonaparte,ashestumbledoverthestones。\"Ifthereisn’ttherarestlotoffoolsonthisfarmthateverGodAlmightystucklegsto。He,he,he!Whenthewormscomeoutthentheblackbirdsfeed。 Ha,ha,ha!\"Thenhedrewhimselfup;evenwhenalonehelikedtoposewithacertaindignity;itwassecondnaturetohim。 Helookedinatthekitchendoor。TheHottentotmaidwhoactedasinterpreterbetweenTantSannieandhimselfwasgone,andTantSannieherselfwasinbed。 \"Nevermind,Bon,myboy,\"hesaid,ashewalkedroundtohisownroom,\"tomorrowwilldo。He,he,he!\" Chapter1。VIII。HeCatchestheOldBird。 Atfouro’clockthenextafternoontheGermanrodeacrosstheplain,returningfromhissearchforthelostsheep。Herodeslowly,forhehadbeeninthesaddlesincesunriseandwassomewhatweary,andtheheatoftheafternoonmadehishorsesleepyasitpickeditswayslowlyalongthesandyroad。Everynowandthenagreatredspiderwouldstartoutofthekarooononesideofthepathandrunacrosstotheother,butnothingelsebrokethestillmonotony。Presently,behindoneofthehighestofthemilk—bushesthatdottedtheroadside,theGermancaughtsightofaKafferwoman,seatedthereevidentlyforsuchshadowasthemilk—bushmightaffordfromtheslopingraysofthesun。 TheGermanturnedthehorse’sheadoutoftheroad。Itwasnothiswaytopassalivingcreaturewithoutawordofgreeting。Comingnearer,hefounditwasnootherthanthewifeoftheabscondingKafferherd。Shehadababytiedonherbackbyadirtystripofredblanket;anotherstriphardlylargerwastwistedroundherwaist,fortherestherblackbodywasnaked。 Shewasasullen,ill—lookingwomanwithlipshideouslyprotruding。 TheGermanquestionedherastohowshecamethere。ShemutteredinbrokenDutchthatshehadbeenturnedaway。Hadshedoneevil?Sheshookherheadsullenly。Hadshehadfoodgivenher?Shegruntedanegative,andfannedthefliesfromherbaby。Tellingthewomantoremainwhereshewas,heturnedhishorse’sheadtotheroadandrodeoffatafuriouspace。 \"Hard—hearted!cruel!Oh,myGod!Isthistheway?Isthischarity?\" \"Yes,yes,yes,\"ejaculatedtheoldmanasherodeon;but,presently,hisangerbegantoevaporate,hishorse’spaceslackened,andbythetimehehadreachedhisowndoorhewasnoddingandsmiling。 Dismountingquickly,hewenttothegreatchestwherehisprovisionswerekept。Herehegotoutalittlemeal,alittlemealies,afewroaster— cakes。Thesehetiedupinthreebluehandkerchiefs,andputtingthemintoasailclothbag,hestrungthemoverhisshoulders。Thenhelookedcircumspectlyoutatthedoor。Itwasverybadtobediscoveredintheactofgiving;itmadehimreduptotherootsofhisoldgrizzledhair。Noonewasabout,however,soherodeoffagain。Besidethemilk—bushsattheKafferwomanstill——likeHagar,hethought,thrustoutbyhermistressinthewildernesstodie。Tellinghertoloosenthehandkerchieffromherhead,hepouredintoitthecontentsofhisbag。Thewomantieditupinsullensilence。 \"Youmusttryandgettothenextfarm,\"saidtheGerman。 Thewomanshookherhead;shewouldsleepinthefield。 TheGermanreflected。Kafferwomenwereaccustomedtosleepintheopenair;butthen,thechildwassmall,andaftersohotadaythenightmightbechilly。Thatshewouldcreepbacktothehutsatthehomesteadwhenthedarknessfavouredher,theGerman’ssagacitydidnotmakeevidenttohim。 Hetookofftheoldbrownsalt—and—peppercoat,andhelditouttoher。 Thewomanreceiveditinsilence,andlaiditacrossherknee。\"Withthattheywillsleepwarmly;notsobad。Ha,ha!\"saidtheGerman。Andherodehome,noddinghisheadinamannerthatwouldhavemadeanyothermandizzy。 \"Iwishhewouldnotcomebacktonight,\"saidEm,herfacewetwithtears。 \"Itwillbejustthesameifhecomesbacktomorrow,\"saidLyndall。 ThetwogirlssatonthestepofthecabinweepingfortheGerman’sreturn。 Lyndallshadedhereyeswithherhandfromthesunsetlight。 \"Therehecomes,\"shesaid,\"whistling’AchJerusalemduschone’soloudI canhearhimfromhere。\" \"Perhapshehasfoundthesheep。\" \"Foundthem!\"saidLyndall。\"Hewouldwhistlejustsoifheknewhehadtodietonight。\" \"Youlookatthesunset,eh,chickens?\"theGermansaid,ashecameupatasmartcanter。\"Ah,yes,thatisbeautiful!\"headded,ashedismounted,pausingforamomentwithhishandonthesaddletolookattheeveningsky,wherethesunshotuplongflamingstreaks,betweenwhichandtheeyethinyellowcloudsfloated。\"Ei!youweep?\"saidtheGerman,asthegirlsranuptohim。 BeforetheyhadtimetoreplythevoiceofTantSanniewasheard。 \"Youchild,ofthechild,ofthechildofaKaffer’sdog,comehere!\" TheGermanlookedup。HethoughttheDutchwoman,comeouttocoolherselfintheyard,calledtosomemisbehavingservant。Theoldmanlookedroundtoseewhoitmightbe。 \"YouoldvagabondofaprayingGerman,areyoudeaf?\" TantSanniestoodbeforethestepsofthekitchen;uponthemsattheleanHottentot,uponthehigheststoodBonaparteBlenkins,bothhandsfoldedunderthetailsofhiscoat,andhiseyesfixedonthesunsetsky。 TheGermandroppedthesaddleontheground。 \"Bish,bish,bish!whatmaythisbe?\"hesaid,andwalkedtowardthehouse。 \"Verystrange!\" Thegirlsfollowedhim:Emstillweeping;Lyndallwithherfaceratherwhiteandhereyeswideopen。 \"AndIhavetheheartofadevil,didyousay?Youcouldrunmethroughwithaknife,couldyou?\"criedtheDutchwoman。\"IcouldnotdrivetheKaffermaidawaybecauseIwasafraidofyou,wasI?Oh,youmiserablerag!Ilovedyou,didI?Iwouldhavelikedtomarryyou,wouldI?wouldI?WOULDI?\"criedtheBoer—woman;\"youcat’stail,youdog’spaw!Benearmyhousetomorrowmorningwhenthesunrises,\"shegasped,\"myKafferswilldragyouthroughthesand。Theywoulddoitgladly,anyofthem,forabitoftobacco,forallyourprayingswiththem。\" \"Iambewildered,Iambewildered,saidtheGerman,standingbeforeherandraisinghishandtohisforehead;\"I——Idonotunderstand。\" \"Askhim,askhim?\"criedTantSannie,pointingtoBonaparte;\"heknows。 Youthoughthecouldnotmakemeunderstand,buthedid,hedid,youoldfool!IknowenoughEnglishforthat。Youbehere,\"shoutedtheDutchwoman,\"whenthemorningstarrises,andIwillletmyKafferstakeyououtanddragyou,tillthereisnotoneboneleftinyouroldbodythatisnotbrokenasfineasbobootie—meat,youoldbeggar!Allyourragsarenotworththat——theyshouldbethrownoutontotheash—heap,\"criedtheBoer—woman;\"butIwillhavethemformysheep。Notonerottenhoofofyouroldmaredoyoutakewithyou;Iwillhaveher——all,allformysheepthatyouhavelost,yougodlessthing!\" TheBoer—womanwipedthemoisturefromhermouthwiththepalmofherhand。 TheGermanturnedtoBonaparte,whostillstoodonthestepabsorbedinthebeautyofthesunset。 \"Donotaddressme;donotapproachme,lostman,\"saidBonaparte,notmovinghiseyenorloweringhischin。\"Thereisacrimefromwhichallnaturerevolts;thereisacrimewhosenameisloathsometothehumanear—— thatcrimeisyours;thatcrimeisingratitude。Thiswomanhasbeenyourbenefactress;onherfarmyouhavelived;afterhersheepyouhavelooked; intoherhouseyouhavebeenallowedtoenterandholdDivineservice——anhonourofwhichyouwereneverworthy;andhowhaveyourewardedher?—— basely,basely,basely!\" \"Butitisallfalse,liesandfalsehoods。Imust,Iwillspeak,\"saidtheGerman,suddenlylookingroundbewildered。\"DoIdream?Areyoumad? Whatmayitbe?\" \"Go,dog,\"criedtheDutchwoman;\"Iwouldhavebeenarichwomanthisdayifithadnotbeenforyourlaziness。PrayingwiththeKaffersbehindthekraalwalls。Go,youKaffer’sdog!\" \"Butwhatthenisthematter?WhatmayhavehappenedsinceIleft?\"saidtheGerman,turningtotheHottentotwoman,whosatuponthestep。 Shewashisfriend;shewouldtellhimkindlythetruth。Thewomanansweredbyaloud,ringinglaugh。 \"Giveithim,oldmissis!Giveithim!\" Itwassonicetoseethewhitemanwhohadbeenmasterhunteddown。Thecolouredwomanlaughed,andthrewadozenmealiegrainsintohermouthtochew。 Allangerandexcitementfadedfromtheoldman’sface。Heturnedslowlyawayandwalkeddownthelittlepathtohiscabin,withhisshouldersbent; itwasalldarkbeforehim。Hestumbledoverthethresholdofhisownwell—knowndoor。 Em,sobbingbitterly,wouldhavefollowedhim;buttheBoer—womanpreventedherbyafloodofspeechwhichconvulsedtheHottentot,solowwereitsimages。 \"Come,Em,\"saidLyndall,liftinghersmallproudhead,\"letusgoin。Wewillnotstaytohearsuchlanguage。\" ShelookedintotheBoer—woman’seyes。TantSannieunderstoodthemeaningofthelookifnotthewords。Shewaddledafterthem,andcaughtEmbythearm。ShehadstruckLyndallonceyearsbefore,andhadneverdoneitagain,soshetookEm。 \"Soyouwilldefyme,too,willyou,youEnglishman’sugliness!\"shecried,andwithonehandsheforcedthechilddown,andheldherheadtightlyagainstherknee;withtheothershebeatherfirstupononecheek,andthenupontheother。 ForoneinstantLyndalllookedon,thenshelaidhersmallfingersontheBoer—woman’sarm。WiththeexertionofhalfitsstrengthTantSanniemighthaveflungthegirlbackuponthestones。Itwasnotthepoweroftheslightfingers,tightlythoughtheyclinchedherbroadwrist——sotightlythatatbedtimethemarkswerestillthere;buttheBoer—womanlookedintothecleareyesandatthequiveringwhitelips,andwithahalf—surprisedcurserelaxedherhold。ThegirldrewEm’sarmthroughherown。 \"Move!\"shesaidtoBonaparte,whostoodinthedoor,andhe,Bonapartetheinvincible,inthehourofhistriumph,movedtogiveherplace。 TheHottentotceasedtolaugh,andanuncomfortablesilencefellonallthethreeinthedoorway。 Onceintheirroom,Emsatdownonthefloorandwailedbitterly。Lyndalllayonthebedwithherarmdrawnacrosshereyes,verywhiteandstill。 \"Hoo,hoo!\"criedEm;\"andtheywon’tlethimtakethegreymare;andWaldohasgonetothemill。Hoo,hoo,andperhapstheywon’tletusgoandsaygood—byetohim。Hoo,hoo,hoo!\" \"Iwishyouwouldbequiet,\"saidLyndallwithoutmoving。\"DoesitgiveyousuchfelicitytoletBonaparteknowheishurtingyou?Wewillasknoone。Itwillbesuppertimesoon。Listen——andwhenyouheartheclinkoftheknivesandforkswewillgooutandseehim。 Emsuppressedhersobsandlistenedintently,kneelingatthedoor。 Suddenlysomeonecametothewindowandputtheshutterup。 \"Whowasthat?\"saidLyndall,starting。 \"Thegirl,Isuppose,\"saidEm。Howearlysheisthisevening!\" ButLyndallsprangfromthebedandseizedthehandleofthedoor,shakingitfiercely。Thedoorwaslockedontheoutside。Shegroundherteeth。 \"Whatisthematter?\"askedEm。 Theroomwasinperfectdarknessnow。