第18章

类别:其他 作者:Swinburne, Algernon Charles字数:10458更新时间:19/01/07 15:14:13
Thewatergatheredslowlyonhershawl,andfellontothewetstones;butshelaytherecryingbitterly。Forsothelivingsoulwillcrytothedead,andthecreaturetoitsGod;andofallthiscryingtherecomesnothing。Theliftingupofthehandsbringsnosalvation;redemptionisfromwithin,andneitherfromGodnorman;itiswroughtoutbythesoulitself,withsufferingandthroughtime。 Doss,onthekitchendoorstep,shivered,andwonderedwherehismistressstayedsolong;andonce,sittingsadlythereinthedamp,hehaddroppedasleep,anddreamedthatoldOttogavehimapieceofbread,andpattedhimonthehead,andwhenhewokehisteethchattered,andhemovedtoanotherstonetoseeifitwasdrier。Atlastheheardhismistress’step,andtheywentintothehousetogether。Shelitacandle,andwalkedtotheBoer—woman’sbedroom。Onanailundertheladyinpinkhungthekeyofthewardrobe。Shetookitdownandopenedthegreatpress。Fromalittledrawershetookfiftypounds(allshehadintheworld),relockedthedoor,andturnedtohangupthekey。Themarksoftearswerestillonherface,butshesmiled。Thenshepaused,hesitated。 \"Fiftypoundsforalover!Anoblereward!\"shesaid,andopenedthewardrobeandreturnedthenotestothedrawer,whereEmmightfindthem。 Onceinherownroom,shearrangedthefewarticlessheintendedtotaketomorrow,burntheroldletters,andthenwentbacktothefrontroomtolookatthetime。Thereweretwohoursyetbeforeshemustcallhim。Shesatdownatthedressing—tabletowait,andleanedherelbowsonit,andburiedherfaceinherhands。Theglassreflectedthelittlebrownheadwithitsevenparting,andthetinyhandsonwhichitrested。\"OnedayI willlovesomethingutterly,andthenIwillbebetter,\"shesaidonce。 Presentlyshelookedup。Thelarge,darkeyesfromtheglasslookedbackather。Shelookeddeepintothem。 \"Weareallalone,youandI,\"shewhispered;\"noonehelpsus,nooneunderstandsus;butwewillhelpourselves。\"Theeyeslookedbackather。 Therewasaworldofassuranceintheirstilldepths。Sotheyhadlookedathereversinceshecouldremember,whenitwasbutasmallchild’sfaceaboveabluepinafore。\"Weshallneverbequitealone,youandI,\"shesaid;\"weshallalwaysbetogether,aswewerewhenwewerelittle。\" Thebeautifuleyeslookedintothedepthsofhersoul。 \"Wearenotafraid;wewillhelpourselves!\"shesaid。Shestretchedoutherhandandpresseditoverthemontheglass。\"Deareyes!wewillneverbequitealonetilltheypartus——tillthen!\" Chapter2。X。GregoryRoseHasAnIdea。 GregoryRosewasintheloftputtingitneat。Outsidetherainpoured;asixmonths’droughthadbroken,andthethirstyplainwasdrenchedwithwater。Whatitcouldnotswallowranoffinmadrivuletstothegreatsloot,thatnowfoamedlikeanangryriveracrosstheflat。Eventhelittlefurrowbetweenthefarmhouseandthekraalswasnowastream,knee— deep,whichalmostboreawaytheKafferwomenwhocrossedit。Ithadrainedfortwenty—fourhours,andstilltherainpouredon。Thefowlshadcollected——amelancholycrowd——inandaboutthewagon—house,andthesolitarygander,whoalonehadsurvivedthesixmonths’wantofwater,walkedhitherandthither,printinghiswebbedfootmarksonthemud,tohavethemwashedoutthenextinstantbythepeltingrain,whichateleveno’clockstillbeatonthewallsandroofswithunabatedardour。 Gregory,asheworkedintheloft,tooknonoticeofitbeyondstuffingasackintothebrokenpanetokeepitout;and,inspiteofthepeltandpatter,Em’sclearvoicemightbeheardthroughtheopentrap—doorfromthediningroom,whereshesatatwork,singingthe\"BlueWater:\" \"Andtakemeaway,Andtakemeaway,Andtakemeaway,TotheBlueWater\"—— thatquaint,childishsongofthepeople,thathasaworldofsweetness,andsad,vagueyearningwhensungoverandoverdreamilybyawoman’svoiceasshesitsaloneatherwork。 ButGregoryheardneitherthatnoryettheloudlaughteroftheKaffermaids,thateverynowandagainbrokethroughfromthekitchen,wheretheyjokedandworked。OflateGregoryhadgrownstrangelyimpervioustothesoundsandsightsabouthim。Hisleasehadrunout,butEmhadsaid,\"Donotrenewit;Ineedonetohelpme;juststayon。\"And,shehadadded,\"Youmustnotremaininyourownlittlehouse;livewithme;youcanlookaftermyostrichesbetterso。\" AndGregorydidnotthankher。Whatdifferencediditmaketohim,payingrentornot,livingthereornot;itwasallone。Butyethecame。Emwishedthathewouldstillsometimestalkofthestrengthofthemaster— rightofman;butGregorywasasonesmittenonthecheek—bone。 Shemightdowhatshepleased,hewouldfindnofault,hadnowordtosay。 Hehadforgottenthatitisman’srighttorule。Onthatrainymorninghehadlightedhispipeatthekitchenfire,andwhenbreakfastwasoverstoodinthefrontdoorwatchingthewaterrushdowntheroadtillthepipediedoutinhismouth。Emsawshemustdosomethingforhim,andfoundhimalargecalicoduster。Hehadsometimestalkedofputtingtheloftneat,andtodayshecouldfindnothingelseforhimtodo。Soshehadtheladderputtothetrap—doorthatheneednotgooutinthewet,andGregorywiththebroomanddustermountedtotheloft。Onceatworkheworkedhard。Hedusteddowntheveryrafters,andcleanedthebrokencandle—mouldsandbentforksthathadstuckinthethatchfortwentyyears。Heplacedtheblackbottlesneatlyinrowsonanoldboxinthecorner,andpiledtheskinsononeanother,andsortedtherubbishinalltheboxes;andateleveno’clockhisworkwasalmostdone。Heseatedhimselfonthepacking—casewhichhadonceheldWaldo’sbooks,andproceededtoexaminethecontentsofanotherwhichhehadnotyetlookedat。Itwascarelesslynaileddown。Heloosenedoneplank,andbegantoliftoutvariousarticlesoffemaleattire——old—fashionedcaps,aprons,dresseswithlongpointedbodiessuchasherememberedtohaveseenhismotherwearwhenhewasalittlechild。 Heshookthemoutcarefullytoseetherewerenomoths,andthensatdowntofoldthemupagainonebyone。TheyhadbelongedtoEm’smother,andthebox,aspackedatherdeath,hadstooduntouchedandforgottentheselongyears。Shemusthavebeenatallwoman,thatmotherofEm’s,forwhenhestooduptoshakeoutadresstheneckwasonalevelwithhis,andtheskirttouchedtheground。Gregorylaidanightcapoutonhisknee,andbeganrollingupthestrings;butpresentlyhisfingersmovedslowerandslower,thenhischinrestedonhisbreast,andfinallytheimploringblueeyeswerefixedonthefrillabstractedly。WhenEm’svoicecalledtohimfromthefootoftheladderhestarted,andthrewthenightcapbehindhim。 Shewasonlycometotellhimthathiscupofsoupwasready;and,whenhecouldhearthatshewasgone,hepickedupthenightcapagain,andagreatbrownsun—kapje——justsuchakapjeandsuchadressasoneofthoseherememberedtohaveseenasisterofmercywear。Gregory’smindwasveryfullofthought。Hetookdownafragmentofanoldlooking—glassfrombehindabeam,andputthekapjeon。Hisbeardlookedsomewhatgrotesqueunderit;heputuphishandtohideit——thatwasbetter。Theblueeyeslookedoutwiththemildgentlenessthatbecameeyeslookingoutfromunderakapje。Nexthetookthebrowndress,and,lookingroundfurtively,slippeditoverhishead。Hehadjustgothisarmsinthesleeves,andwastryingtohookuptheback,whenanincreaseinthepatteroftherainatthewindowmadehimdragitoffhastily。Whenheperceivedtherewasnoonecominghetumbledthethingsbackintothebox,and,coveringitcarefully,wentdowntheladder。 Emwasstillatherwork,tryingtoadjustanewneedleinthemachine。 Gregorydrankhissoup,andthensatbeforeher,anawfulandmysteriouslookinhiseyes。 \"Iamgoingtotowntomorrow,\"hesaid。 \"I’malmostafraidyouwon’tbeabletogo,\"saidEm,whowasintentonherneedle;\"Idon’tthinkitisgoingtoleaveofftoday。\" \"Iamgoing,\"saidGregory。 Emlookedup。 \"Buttheslootsareasfullasrivers;youcannotgo。Wecanwaitforthepost,\"shesaid。 \"Iamnotgoingforthepost,\"saidGregory,impressively。 Emlookedforexplanation;nonecame。 \"Whenwillyoubeback?\" \"Iamnotcomingback。\" \"Areyougoingtoyourfriends?\" Gregorywaited,thencaughtherbythewrist。 \"Lookhere,Em,\"hesaidbetweenhisteeth,\"Ican’tstanditanymore。I amgoingtoher。\" Sincethatday,whenhehadcomehomeandfoundLyndallgone,hehadnevertalkedofher;butEmknewwhoitwaswhoneededtobespokenofbynoname。 Shesaid,whenhehadreleasedherhand: \"Butyoudonotknowwheresheis?\" \"Yes,Ido。ShewasinBloemfonteinwhenIheardlast。Iwillgothere,andIwillfindoutwhereshewentthen,andthen,andthen!Iwillhaveher。\" Emturnedthewheelquickly,andtheill—adjustedneedlesprungintotwentyfragments。 \"Gregory,\"shesaid,\"shedoesnotwantus;shetoldussoclearlyinthelettershewrote。\"Aflushroseonherfaceasshespoke。\"Itwillonlybepaintoyou,Gregory:Willsheliketohaveyounearher?\" Therewasananswerhemighthavemade,butitwashissecret,andhedidnotchoosetoshareit。Hesaidonly: \"Iamgoing。\" \"Willyoubegonelong,Gregory?\" \"Idonotknow;perhapsIshallnevercomeback。Dowhatyoupleasewithmythings。Icannotstayhere!\" Herosefromhisseat。 \"Peoplesay,forget,forget!\"hecried,pacingtheroom。Theyaremad! theyarefools!Dotheysaysotomenwhoaredyingofthirst——forget,forget?Whyisitonlytoustheysayso!Itisalietosaythattimemakesiteasy;itisafterward,afterwardthatiteatsinatyourheart! \"Allthesemonths,\"hecriedbitterly,\"Ihavelivedherequietly,dayafterday,asifIcaredforwhatIate,andwhatIdrank,andwhatIdid! Icarefornothing!Icannotbearit!Iwillnot!Forget!forget!\" ejaculatedGregory。\"Youcanforgetalltheworld,butyoucannotforgetyourself。Whenonethingismoretoyouthanyourself,howareyoutoforgetit? \"Iread,\"hesaid——\"yes;andthenIcometoawordsheused,anditisallbackwithmeagain!Igotocountmysheep,andIseeherfacebeforeme,andIstandandletthesheeprunby。Ilookatyou,andinyoursmile,asomethingatthecornerofyourlips,Iseeher。HowcanIforgetherwhen,wheneverIturn,sheisthere,andnotthere?Icannot,Iwillnot,livewhereIdonotseeher。 \"Iknowwhatyouthink,\"hesaid,turninguponher。\"YouthinkIammad; youthinkIamgoingtoseewhethershewillnotlikeme!Iamnotsofoolish。Ishouldhaveknownatfirstshenevercouldsufferme。WhoamI,whatamI,thatsheshouldlookatme?Itwasrightthatsheleftme; rightthatsheshouldnotlookatme。Ifanyonesaysitisnot,itisalie!Iamnotgoingtospeaktoher,\"headded——\"onlytoseeher;onlytostandsometimesinaplacewhereshehasstoodbefore。\" Chapter2。XI。AnUnfinishedLetter。 GregoryRosehadbeengonesevenmonths。Emsataloneonawhitesheepskinbeforethefire。 TheAugustnight—wind,weirdandshrill,howledroundthechimneysandthroughthecrannies,andinwallsanddoors,andutteredalonglowcryasitforceditswayamongthecleftsofthestonesonthekopje。Itwasawildnight。Theprickly—peartree,stiffanduprightasithelditsarms,feltthewind’smight,andknockeditsflatleavesheavilytogether,tillgreatbranchesbrokeoff。TheKaffers,astheysleptintheirstrawhuts,whisperedonetoanotherthatbeforemorningtherewouldnotbeanarmfulofthatchleftontheroofs;andthebeamsofthewagon—housecreakedandgroanedasifitwereheavyworktoresisttheimportunityofthewind。 Emhadnotgonetobed。Whocouldsleeponanightlikethis?Sointhediningroomshehadlightedafire,andsatonthegroundbeforeit,turningtheroaster—cakesthatlayonthecoalstobake。Itwouldsaveworkinthemorning;andsheblewoutthelightbecausethewindthroughthewindow—chinksmadeitflickerandrun;andshesatsingingtoherselfasshewatchedthecakes。Theylayatoneendofthewidehearthonabedofcoals,andattheotherendafireburntupsteadily,castingitsamberglowoverEm’slighthairandblackdress,withtheruffleofcrepeabouttheneck,andoverthewhitecurlsofthesheepskinonwhichshesat。 Louderandmorefiercelyyethowledthestorm;butEmsangon,andheardnothingbutthewordsofhersong,andheardthemonlyfaintly,assomethingrestful。Itwasanold,childishsongshehadoftenheardhermothersinglongago: Wherethereedsdancebytheriver,Wherethewillow’ssongissaid,Onthefaceofthemorningwater,Isreflectedawhiteflower’shead。 Shefoldedherhandsandsangthenextversedreamily: Wherethereedsshakebytheriver,Wherethemoonlight’ssheenisshed,Onthefaceofthesleepingwater,Twoleavesofawhiteflowerfloatdead。 Dead,Dead,Dead! Sheechoedtherefrainsoftlytillitdiedaway,andthenrepeatedit。Itwasasif,unknowntoherself,itharmonizedwiththepicturesandthoughtsthatsatwithhertherealoneinthefirelight。Sheturnedthecakesover,whilethewindhurleddownarowofbricksfromthegable,andmadethewallstremble。 Presentlyshepausedandlistened;therewasasoundasofsomethingknockingattheback—doorway。Butthewindhadraiseditslevelhigher,andshewentonwithherwork。Atlastthesoundwasrepeated。Thensherose,litthecandleandthefire,andwenttosee。Onlytosatisfyherself,shesaid,thatnothingcouldbeoutonsuchanight。 Sheopenedthedooralittleway,andheldthelightbehindhertodefenditfromthewind。Thefigureofatallmanstoodthere,andbeforeshecouldspeakhehadpushedhiswayin,andwasforcingthedoortoclosebehindhim。 \"Waldo!\"shecriedinastonishment。 Hehadbeengonemorethanayearandahalf。 \"Youdidnotexpecttoseeme,\"heanswered,asheturnedtowardher;\"I shouldhavesleptintheouthouse,andnottroubledyoutonight;butthroughtheshutterIsawglimmeringsofalight。\" \"Comeintothefire,\"shesaid;\"itisaterrificnightforanycreaturetobeout。Shallwenotgoandfetchyourthingsinfirst?\"sheadded。 \"Ihavenothingbutthis,\"hesaid,motioningtothelittlebundleinhishand。 \"Yourhorse?\" \"Isdead。\" Hesatdownonthebenchbeforethefire。 \"Thecakesarealmostready,\"shesaid;\"Iwillgetyousomethingtoeat。 Wherehaveyoubeenwanderingallthiswhile?\" \"Upanddown,upanddown,\"heansweredwearily;\"andnowthewhimhasseizedmetocomebackhere。Em,\"hesaid,puttinghishandonherarmasshepassedhim,\"haveyouheardfromLyndalllately?\" \"Yes,\"saidEm,turningquicklyfromhim。 \"Whereisshe?Ihadoneletterfromher,butthatisalmostayearagonow——justwhensheleft。Whereisshe?\" \"IntheTransvaal。Iwillgoandgetyousomesupper;wecantalkafterward。\" \"Canyougivemeherexactaddress?Iwanttowritetoher。\" ButEmhadgoneintothenextroom。 Whenfoodwasonthetableshekneltdownbeforethefire,turningthecakes,babblingrestlessly,eagerly,nowofthis,nowofthat。Shewasgladtoseehim——TantSanniewascomingsoontoshowherhernewbaby——hemuststayonthefarmnow,andhelpher。AndWaldohimselfwaswellcontenttoeathismealinsilence,askingnomorequestions。 \"Gregoryiscomingbacknextweek,\"shesaid;\"hewillhavebeengonejustahundredandthreedaystomorrow。Ihadaletterfromhimyesterday。\" \"Wherehashebeen?\" Buthiscompanionstoopedtoliftacakefromthefire。 \"Howthewindblows!Onecanhardlyhearone’sownvoice,\"shesaid。 \"Takethiswarmcake;noone’scakesarelikemine。Why,youhaveeatennothing!\" \"Iamalittleweary,\"hesaid;\"thewindwasmadtonight。\" Hefoldedhisarms,andrestedhisheadagainstthefireplace,whilstsheremovedthedishesfromthetable。Onthemantelpiecestoodaninkpotandsomesheetsofpaper。Presentlyhetookthemdownandturnedupthecornerofthetablecloth。 \"Iwillwriteafewlines,\"hesaid;\"tillyouarereadytositdownandtalk。\" Em,assheshookoutthetablecloth,watchedhimbendingintentlyoverhispaper。Hehadchangedmuch。Hisfacehadgrownthinner;hischeekswerealmosthollow,thoughtheywerecoveredbyadarkgrowthofbeard。 Shesatdownontheskinbesidehim,andfeltthelittlebundleonthebench;itwaspainfullysmallandsoft。Perhapsitheldashirtandabook,butnothingmore。Theoldblackhathadapieceofunhemmedmuslintwistedroundit,andonhiselbowwasalargepatchsofixedonwithyellowthreadthatherheartached。Onlyhishairwasnotchanged,andhunginsilkybeautifulwavesalmosttohisshoulders。 Tomorrowshewouldtaketheraggededgeoffhiscollar,andputanewbandroundhishat。Shedidnotinterrupthim,butshewonderedhowitwasthathesattowritesointentlyafterhislongwearywalk。Hewasnottirednow;hispenhurriedquicklyandrestlesslyoverthepaper,andhiseyewasbright。PresentlyEmraisedherhandtoherbreast,wherelaytheletteryesterdayhadbroughther。Soonshehadforgottenhim,asentirelyashehadforgottenher;eachwasinhisownworldwithhisown。HewaswritingtoLyndall。Hewouldtellherallhehadseen,allhehaddone,thoughitwerenothingworthrelating。Heseemedtohavecomebacktoher,andtobetalkingtohernowhesatthereintheoldhouse。 \"——andthenIgottothenexttown,andmyhorsewastired,soIcouldgonofurther,andlookedforwork。Ashopkeeperagreedtohiremeassalesman。Hemademesignapromisetoremainsixmonths,andhegavemealittleemptyroomatthebackofthestoretosleepin。Ihadstillthreepoundsofmyown,andwhenyoujustcomefromthecountrythreepoundsseemsagreatdeal。 \"WhenIhadbeenintheshopthreedaysIwantedtogoawayagain。Aclerkinashophasthelowestworktodoofallthepeople。Itismuchbettertobreakstones;youhavetheblueskyaboveyou,andonlythestonestobendto。Iaskedmymastertoletmego,andIofferedtogivehimmytwopounds,andthebagofmealiesIhadboughtwiththeotherpound;buthewouldnot。 \"Ifoundoutafterwardhewasonlygivingmehalfasmuchashegavetotheothers——thatwaswhy。IhadfearwhenIlookedattheotherclerksthatI wouldatlastbecomelikethem。Alldaytheywerebowingandsmirkingtothewomenwhocamein;smiling,whenalltheywantedwastogettheirmoneyfromthem。Theyusedtorunandfetchthedressesandribbonstoshowthem,andtheyseemedtomelikewormswithoilon。Therewasonerespectablethinginthatstore——itwastheKafferstoreman。Hisworkwastoloadandunload,andheneverneededtosmileexceptwhenheliked,andhenevertoldlies。 \"TheotherclerksgavemethenameofOldSalvation;buttherewasonepersonIlikedverymuch。Hewasclerkinanotherstore。Heoftenwentpastthedoor。Heseemedtomenotlikeothers——hisfacewasbrightandfreshlikealittlechild’s。WhenhecametotheshopIfeltIlikedhim。 OnedayIsawabookinhispocket,andthatmademefeelnearhim。I askedhimifhewasfondofreading,andhesaid,yes,whentherewasnothingelsetodo。Thenextdayhecametome,andaskedmeifIdidnotfeellonely;heneversawmegoingoutwiththeotherfellows;hewouldcomeandseemethatevening,hesaid。 \"Iwasglad,andboughtsomemeatandflour,becausethegreymareandI alwaysatemealies;itisthecheapestthing;whenyouboilithardyoucan’teatmuchofit。Imadesomecakes,andIfoldedmygreatcoatontheboxtomakeitsofterforhim;andatlasthecame。 \"’You’vegotarummyplacehere,’hesaid。 \"Youseetherewasnothinginitbutpacking—casesforfurniture,anditwasratherempty。WhileIwasputtingthefoodontheboxhelookedatmybooks;hereadtheirnamesoutaloud。’ElementaryPhysiology,’’FirstPrinciples。’ \"’Golly!’hesaid;’I’vegotalotofdrystufflikethatathomeIgotforSunday—schoolprizes;butIonlykeepthemtolightmypipewithnow;theycomeinhandyforthat。’ThenheaskedmeifIhadeverreadabookcalledthe’Black—eyedCreole。’’Thatisthestyleforme,’hesaid;’therewherethefellowtakesthenigger—girlbythearm,andtheotherfellowcutsitoff!That’swhatIlike。’ \"ButwhathesaidafterthatIdon’tremember,onlyitmademefeelasifI werehavingabaddream,andIwantedtobefaraway。 \"Whenhehadfinishedeatinghedidnotstaylong;hehadtogoandseesomegirlshomefromaprayer—meeting;andheaskedhowitwasheneversawmewalkingoutwithanyonSundayafternoons。Hesaidhehadlotsofsweethearts,andhewasgoingtoseeonethenextWednesdayonafarm,andheaskedmetolendmymare。Itoldhimshewasveryold。Buthesaiditdidn’tmatter;hewouldcomethenextdaytofetchher。 \"Afterhewasgonemylittleroomgotbacktoitsoldlook。Iloveditso; Iwassogladtogetintoitatnight,anditseemedtobereproachingmeforbringinghimthere。Thenextdayhetookthegreymare。OnThursdayhedidnotbringherback,andonFridayIfoundthesaddleandbridlestandingatmydoor。 \"Intheafternoonhelookedintotheshop,andcalledout:’Hopeyougotyoursaddle,Farber?Yourbag—of—boneskickedoutsixmilesfromhere。 I’llsendyouacoupleofshillingstomorrow,thoughtheoldhidewasn’tworthit。Goodmorning。’ \"ButIsprungoverthecounter,andgothimbyhisthroat。Myfatherwassogentlewithher;heneverwouldrideheruphill,andnowthisfellowhadmurderedher!Iaskedhimwherehehadkilledher,andIshookhimtillheslippedoutofmyhand。Hestoodinthedoorgrinning。 \"’Itdidn’ttakemuchtokillthatbag—of—bones,whosemastersleepsinapacking—case,andwaitstillhiscompany’sfinishedtoeatontheplate。 Shouldn’twonderifyoufedheronsugar—bags,’hesaid;’andifyouthinkI’vejumpedher,you’dbettergoandlookyourself。You’llfindheralongtheroadbytheaasvogelsthatareeatingher。’ \"Icaughthimbyhiscollar,andIliftedhimfromtheground,andIthrewhimoutintothestreet,half—wayacrossit。Iheardthebookkeepersaytotheclerkthattherewasalwaysthedevilinthosemumfellows;buttheynevercalledmeSalvationafterthat。 \"Iamwritingtoyouofverysmallthings,butthereisnothingelsetotell;ithasbeenallsmallandyouwilllikeit。WheneveranythinghashappenedIhavealwaysthoughtIwouldtellittoyou。Thebackthoughtinmymindisalwaysyou。Afterthatonlyoneoldmancametovisitme。I hadseenhiminthestreetsoften;healwaysworeverydirtyblackclothes,andahatwithcreperoundit,andhehadoneeye,soInoticedhim。Onedayhecametomyroomwithasubscription—listforaminister’ssalary。 WhenIsaidIhadnothingtogivehelookedatmewithhisoneeye。 \"’Youngman,’hesaid,’howisitIneverseeyouinthehouseoftheLord?’Ithoughthewastryingtodogood,soIfeltsorryforhim,andI toldhimIneverwenttochapel。’Youngman,’hesaid,’itgrievesmetohearsuchgodlesswordsfromthelipsofonesoyoung——sofargoneinthepathsofdestruction。Youngman,ifyouforgetGod,Godwillforgetyou。 Thereisaseatontheright—handsideasyougoatthebottomdoorthatyoumayget。Ifyouaregivenovertotheenjoymentandfrivolitiesofthisworld,whatwillbecomeofyourneverdyingsoul?’ \"HewouldnotgotillIgavehimhalfacrownfortheminister’ssalary。 AfterwardIheardhewasthemanwhocollectedthepewrentsandgotapercentage。Ididn’tgettoknowanyoneelse。 \"WhenmytimeinthatshopwasdoneIhiredmyselftodriveoneofatransport—rider’swagons。 \"Thatfirstmorning,whenIsatinthefrontandcalledtomyoxen,andsawnothingaboutmebutthehills,withthebluecomingdowntothem,andthekaroobushes,Iwasdrunk;Ilaughed;myheartwasbeatingtillithurtme。 Ishutmyeyestight,thatwhenIopenedthemImightseetherewerenoshelvesaboutme。Theremustbeabeautyinbuyingandselling,ifthereisbeautyineverything:butitisveryuglytome。Mylifeastransport— riderwouldhavebeenthebestlifeintheworldifIhadhadonlyonewagontodrive。Mymastertoldmehewoulddriveone,Itheother,andhewouldhireanotherpersontodrivethethird。ButthefirstdayIdrovetwotohelphim,andafterthatheletmedriveallthree。Wheneverwecametoanhotelhestoppedbehindtogetadrink,andwhenherodeuptothewagonshecouldneverstand;theHottentotandIusedtolifthimup。 Wealwaystravelledallnight,andusedtooutspanforfiveorsixhoursintheheatofthedaytorest。IplannedthatIwouldlieunderawagonandreadforanhourortwoeverydaybeforeIwenttosleep,andIdidforthefirsttwoorthree;butafterthatIonlywantedtosleep,liketherest,andIpackedmybooksaway。