第19章

类别:其他 作者:Swinburne, Algernon Charles字数:9914更新时间:19/01/07 15:14:13
\"Whenyouhavethreewagonstolookafterallnight,youaresometimessotiredyoucanhardlystand。AtfirstwhenIwalkedalongdrivingmywagonsinthenightitwasglorious;thestarshadneverlookedsobeautifultome;andonthedarknightswhenwerodethroughthebushtherewerewill— o’—the—wispsdancingoneachsideoftheroad。Ifoundoutthateventhedampanddarkarebeautiful。ButIsoonchanged,andsawnothingbuttheroadandmyoxen。Ionlywishedforasmoothpieceofroad,sothatI mightsitatthefrontanddoze。Attheplaceswhereweoutspannedthereweresometimesrareplantsandflowers,thefestoonshangingfromthebush— trees,andnutsandinsects,suchasweneverseehere;butafteralittlewhileIneverlookedatthem——Iwastootired。 \"IateasmuchasIcould,andthenlaydownonmyfaceunderthewagontilltheboycametowakemetoinspan,andthenwedroveonagainallnight;soitwent,soitwent。IthinksometimeswhenIwalkedbymyoxenIcalledtotheminmysleep,forIknowIthoughtofnothing;Iwaslikeananimal。Mybodywasstrongandwelltowork,butmybrainwasdead。Ifyouhavenotfeltit,Lyndall,youcannotunderstandit。Youmaywork,andwork,andwork,tillyouareonlyabody,notasoul。Now,whenIseeoneofthoseevil—lookingmenthatcomefromEurope——navvies,withthebeast— like,sunkenface,differentfromanyKaffer’s——Iknowwhatbroughtthatlookintotheireyes;andifIhaveonlyoneinchoftobaccoIgivethemhalf。Itiswork,grinding,mechanicalwork,thattheyortheirancestorshavedone,thathasmadethemintobeasts。Youmayworkaman’sbodysothathissouldies。Workisgood。Ihaveworkedattheoldfarmfromthesun’srisingtillitssetting,butIhavehadtimetothink,andtimetofeel。Youmayworkamansothatallbuttheanimalinhimisgone;andthatgrowsstrongerwithphysicallabour。 \"Youmayworkamantillheisadevil。Iknowit,becauseIhavefeltit。 Youwillneverunderstandthechangethatcameoverme。NoonebutIwilleverknowhowgreatitwas。ButIwasnevermiserable;whenIcouldkeepmyoxenfromstickingfast,andwhenIcouldfindaplacetoliedownin,I hadallIwanted。AfterIhaddriveneightmonthsarainyseasoncame。 Foreighteenhoursoutofthetwenty—fourweworkedinthewet。Themudwentuptotheaxlessometimes,andwehadtodigthewheelsout,andweneverwentfarinaday。Mymastersworeatmemorethanever,butwhenhehaddonehealwaysofferedmehisbrandy—flask。WhenIfirstcamehehadoffereditme,andIhadalwaysrefused;butnowIdrankasmyoxendidwhenIgavethemwater——withoutthinking。AtlastIboughtbrandyformyselfwheneverwepassedanhotel。 \"OneSundayweoutspannedonthebanksofaswollenrivertowaitforitsgoingdown。Itwasdrizzlingstill,soIlayunderthewagononthemud。 Therewasnodryplaceanywhere;andallthedungwaswet,sotherewasnofiretocookfood。Mylittleflaskwasfilledwithbrandy,andIdranksomeandwenttosleep。WhenIwokeitwasdrizzlingstill,soIdranksomemore。Iwasstiffandcold;andmymaster,wholaybyme,offeredmehisflask,becauseminewasempty。Idranksome,andthenIthoughtI wouldgoandseeiftheriverwasgoingdown。IrememberthatIwalkedtotheroad,anditseemedtobegoingawayfromme。WhenIwokeupIwaslyingbyalittlebushonthebankoftheriver。Itwasafternoon;allthecloudshadgone,andtheskywasdeepblue。TheBushmanboywasgrillingribsatthefire。Helookedatmeandgrinnedfromeartoear。’Masterwasalittlenice,’hesaid,’andlaydownintheroad。Somethingmightrideovermaster,soIcarriedhimthere。’Hegrinnedatmeagain。Itwasasthoughhesaid,’YouandIarecomrades。Ihavelaininaroad,too。I knowallaboutit。’ \"WhenIturnedmyheadfromhimIsawtheearth,sopureaftertherain,sogreen,sofresh,soblue;andIwasadrunkencarrier,whomhisleaderhadpickedupinthemud,andlaidattheroadsidetosleepouthisdrink。I remembermyoldlife,andIrememberyou。Isawhow,oneday,youwouldreadinthepapers:’AGermancarrier,namedWaldoFarber,waskilledthroughfallingfromhiswagon,beinginstantlycrushedunderthewheel。 Deceasedwassupposedtohavebeendrunkatthetimeoftheaccident。’ Therearethosenoticesinthepapereverymonth。Isatup,andItookthebrandy—flaskoutofmypocket,andIflungitasfarasIcouldintothedarkwater。TheHottentotboyrandowntoseeifhecouldcatchit;ithadsunktothebottom。Ineverdrankagain。But,Lyndall,sinlooksmuchmoreterribletothosewholookatitthantothosewhodoit。Aconvict,oramanwhodrinks,seemssomethingsofaroffandhorriblewhenweseehim;buttohimselfheseemsquiteneartous,andlikeus。Wewonderwhatkindofacreatureheis;butheisjustwe,ourselves。Weareonlythewood,theknifethatcarvesonusisthecircumstance。 \"IdonotknowwhyIkeptonworkingsohardforthatmaster。Ithinkitwasastheoxencomeeverydayandstandbytheyokes;theydonotknowwhy。PerhapsIwouldhavebeenwithhimstill;butonedaywestartedwithloadsfortheDiamondFields。Theoxenwereverythinnow,andtheyhadbeenstandingaboutintheyokealldaywithoutfood,whilethewagonswerebeingloaded。Notfarfromthetownwasahill。Whenwecametothefootthefirstwagonstuckfast。Itriedforalittlewhiletourgetheoxen,butIsoonsawtheonespancouldneverpullitup。Iwenttotheotherwagontoloosenthatspantojointhemoninfront,butthetransport— rider,whowaslyingatthebackofthewagon,jumpedout。 \"’Theyshallbringitupthehill;andifhalfofthemdieforittheyshalldoitalone,’hesaid。 \"Hewasnotdrunk,butinbadtemper,forhehadbeendrunkthenightbefore。Hesworeatme,andtoldmetotakethewhipandhelphim。Wetriedforalittletime,thenItoldhimitwasnouse,theycouldneverdoit。Hesworelouderandcalledtotheleaderstocomeonwiththeirwhips,andtogethertheylashed。Therewasoneox,ablackox,sothinthattheridgeofhisbackbonealmostcutthroughhisflesh。 \"’Itisyou,devil,isit,thatwillnotpull?’thetransport—ridersaid。 ’Iwillshowyousomething。’Helookedlikeadevil。 \"Hetoldtheboystoleaveoffflogging,andheheldtheoxbythehorn,andtookuparoundstoneandknockeditsnosewithittillthebloodcame。 Whenhehaddonetheycalledtotheoxenandtookuptheirwhipsagain,andtheoxenstrainedwiththeirbacksbent,butthewagondidnotmoveaninch。 \"’Soyouwon’t,won’tyou?’hesaid。I’llhelpyou。’ \"Hetookouthisclasp—knife,andranitintothelegofthetremblingoxthreetimes,uptothehilt。Thenheputtheknifeinhispocket,andtheytooktheirwhips。Theoxen’sflanksquivered,andtheyfoamedatthemouth。Straining,theymovedthewagonafewfeetforward,thenstoodwithbentbackstokeepitfromslidingback。Fromtheblackox’snostrilsfoamandbloodwerestreamingontotheground。Itturneditsheadinitsanguishandlookedatmewithitsgreatstartingeyes。Itwasprayingforhelpinitsagonyandweakness,andtheytooktheirwhipsagain。Thecreaturebellowedaloud。IfthereisaGod,itwascallingtoitsMakerforhelp。Thenastreamofclearbloodburstfrombothnostrils;itfellontotheground,andthewagonslippedback。Themanwalkeduptoit。 \"’Youaregoingtoliedown,devil,areyou?We’llseeyoudon’ttakeittooeasy。’ \"Thethingwasjustdying。Heopenedhisclasp—knifeandstoopeddownoverit。IdonotknowwhatIdidthen。ButafterwardIknowIhadhimonthestones,andIwaskneelingonhim。Theboysdraggedmeoff。Iwishtheyhadnot。Ilefthimstandinginthesandintheroad,shakinghimself,andIwalkedbacktothetown。Itooknothingfromthataccursedwagon,soI hadonlytwoshillings。Butitdidnotmatter。ThenextdayIgotworkatawholesalestore。Myworkwastopackandunpackgoods,andtocarryboxes,andIhadtoworkfromsixinthemorningtosixintheevening;soIhadplentyoftime。 \"Ihiredalittleroom,andsubscribedtoalibrary,soIhadeverythingI needed;andintheweekofChristmasholidaysIwenttoseethesea。I walkedallnight,Lyndall,toescapetheheat,andalittleaftersunriseI gottothetopofahighhill。Beforemewasalong,low,blue,monotonousmountain。Iwalkedlookingatit,butIwasthinkingoftheseaIwantedtosee。AtlastIwonderedwhatthatcuriousbluethingmightbe;thenitstruckmeitwasthesea!Iwouldhaveturnedbackagain,onlyIwastootired。Iwonderifallthethingswelongtosee——thechurches,thepictures,themeninEurope——willdisappointusso!YouseeIhaddreamedofitsolong。WhenIwasalittleboy,mindingsheepbehindthekopje,I usedtoseethewavesstretchingoutasfarastheeyecouldreachinthesunlight。Mysea!Istheideaalwaysmorebeautifulthanthereal? \"Igottothebeachthatafternoon,andIsawthewaterrunupanddownonthesand,andIsawthewhitefoambreakers;theywerepretty,butI thoughtIwouldgobackthenextday。Itwasnotmysea。 \"ButIbegantolikeitwhenIsatbyitthatnightinthemoonlight;andthenextdayIlikeditbetter;andbeforeIleftIlovedit。Itwasnotliketheskyandstars,thattalkofwhathasnobeginningandnoend;butitissohuman。OfallthethingsIhaveeverseen,onlytheseaislikeahumanbeing;theskyisnot,northeearth。Buttheseaisalwaysmoving,alwayssomethingdeepinitselfisstirringit。Itneverrests。Itisalwayswanting,wanting,wanting。Ithurrieson;andthenitcreepsbackslowlywithouthavingreached,moaning。Itisalwaysaskingaquestion,anditnevergetstheanswer。Icanhearitinthedayandinthenight; thewhitefoambreakersaresayingthatwhichIthink。Iwalkalonewiththemwhenthereisnoonetoseeme,andIsingwiththem。Iliedownonthesandandwatchthemwithmyeyeshalfshut。Theskyisbetter,butitissohighaboveourheads。Ilovethesea。Sometimeswemustlookdowntoo。AfterfivedaysIwentbacktoGrahamstown。 \"Ihadgloriousbooks,andinthenightIcouldsitinmylittleroomandreadthem;butIwaslonely。Booksarenotthesamethingswhenyouarelivingamongpeople。Icannottellwhy,buttheyaredead。Onthefarmtheywouldhavebeenlivingbeingstome;buthere,wherethereweresomanypeopleaboutme,Iwantedsomeonetobelongtome。Iwaslonely。I wantedsomethingthatwasfleshandblood。Onceonthisfarmtherecameastranger;Ididnotaskhisname,buthesatamongthekarooandtalkedwithme。Now,whereverIhavetravelledIhavelookedforhim——inhotels,instreets,inpassengerwagonsastheyrushedin,throughtheopenwindowsofhousesIhavelookedforhim,butIhavenotfoundhim——neverheardavoicelikehis。OnedayIwenttotheBotanicGardens。Itwasahalf— holiday,andthebandwastoplay。Istoodinthelongraisedavenueandlookeddown。Thereweremanyflowers,andladiesandchildrenwerewalkingaboutbeautifullydressed。Atlastthemusicbegan。Ihadnotheardsuchmusicbefore。 \"Atfirstitwasslowandeven,liketheeverydaylife,whenwewalkthroughitwithoutthoughtorfeeling;thenitgrewfaster,thenitpaused,hesitated,thenitwasquitestillforaninstant,andthenitburstout。 Lyndall,theymadeheavenrightwhentheymadeitallmusic。Ittakesyouupandcarriesyouaway,away,tillyouhavethethingsyoulongedfor,youareupclosetothem。Youhavegotoutintoalarge,free,openplace。I couldnotseeanythingwhileitwasplaying;Istoodwithmyheadagainstmytree;but,whenitwasdone,Isawthattherewereladiessittingclosetomeonawoodenbench,andthestrangerwhohadtalkedtomethatdayinthekaroowassittingbetweenthem。Theladieswereverypretty,andtheirdressesbeautiful。Idonotthinktheyhadbeenlisteningtothemusic,fortheyweretalkingandlaughingverysoftly。Iheardalltheysaid,andcouldevensmelltheroseonthebreastofone。Iwasafraidhewouldseeme;soIwenttotheothersideofthetree,andsoontheygotupandbegantopaceupanddownintheavenue。 \"Allthetimethemusicplayedtheychatted,andhecarriedonhisarmthescarfoftheprettiestlady。Ididnothearthemusic;Itriedtocatchthesoundofhisvoiceeachtimehewentby。WhenIwaslisteningtothemusicIdidnotknowIwasbadlydressed;nowIfeltsoashamedofmyself。 Ineverknewbeforewhatalow,horriblethingIwas,dressedintancord。 Thatdayonthefarm,whenwesatonthegroundunderthethorn—trees,I thoughthequitebelongedtome;now,Isawhewasnotmine。Buthewasstillasbeautiful。Hisbrowneyesaremorebeautifulthananyone’seyes,exceptyours。 \"Atlasttheyturnedtogo,andIwalkedafterthem。Whentheygotoutofthegatehehelpedtheladiesintoaphaeton,andstoodforamomentwithhisfootonthesteptalkingtothem。Hehadalittlecaneinhishand,andanItaliangreyhoundranafterhim。Justwhentheydroveawayoneoftheladiesdroppedherwhip。 \"’Pickitup,fellow,’shesaid;andwhenIbroughtithershethrewsixpenceontheground。Imighthavegonebacktothegardenthen;butI didnotwantmusic;Iwantedclothes,andtobefashionableandfine。I feltthatmyhandswerecoarse,andthatIwasvulgar。Inevertriedtoseehimagain。 \"Istayedinmysituationfourmonthsafterthat,butIwasnothappy。I hadnorest。Thepeopleaboutmepressedonme,andmademedissatisfied。 Icouldnotforgetthem。EvenwhenIdidnotseethemtheypressedonme,andmadememiserable。Ididnotlovebooks;Iwantedpeople。WhenI walkedhomeundertheshadytreesinthestreetIcouldnotbehappy,forwhenIpassedthehousesIheardmusic,andsawfacesbetweenthecurtains。 Ididnotwantanyofthem,butIwantedsomeoneformine,forme。I couldnothelpit。Iwantedafinerlife。 \"Onlyonedaysomethingmademehappy。Anursecametothestorewithalittlegirlbelongingtooneofourclerks。Whilethemaidwentintotheofficetogiveamessagetoitsfather,thelittlechildstoodlookingatme。Presentlyshecameclosetomeandpeepedupintomyface。 \"’Nicecurls,prettycurls,’shesaid;’Ilikecurls。’ \"Shefeltmyhairallover,withherlittlehands。WhenIputoutmyarmsheletmetakeherandsitheronmyknee。Shekissedmewithhersoftmouth。Wewerehappytillthenurse—girlcameandshookher,andaskedherifshewasnotashamedtositonthekneeofthatstrangeman。ButIdonotthinkmylittleoneminded。Shelaughedatmeasshewentout。 \"IftheworldwasallchildrenIcouldlikeit;butmenandwomendrawmesostrangely,andthenpressmeaway,tillIaminagony。Iwasnotmeanttoliveamongpeople。Perhapssomeday,whenIamgrownolder,IwillbeabletogoandliveamongthemandlookatthemasIlookattherocks,andbushes,withoutlettingthemdisturbme,andtakemyselffromme;butnotnow。SoIgrewmiserable;akindoffeverseemedtoeatme;Icouldnotrest,orread,orthink;soIcamebackhere。IknewyouwerenotherebutitseemedasthoughIshouldbeneareryou;anditisyouIwant——youthattheotherpeoplesuggesttome,butcannotgive。\" Hehadfilledallthesheetshehadtaken,andnowlifteddownthelastfromthemantelpiece。Emhaddroppedasleep,andlayslumberingpeacefullyontheskinbeforethefire。Outofdoorsthestormstillraged;butinafitfulmanner,asthoughgrowinghalfwearyofitself。Hebentoverhispaperagain,witheagerflushedcheek,andwroteon。 \"Ithasbeenadelightfuljourney,thisjourneyhome。Ihavewalkedonfoot。Theeveningbeforelast,whenitwasjustsunset,Iwasalittlefootsoreandthirsty,andwentoutoftheroadtolookforwater。Iwentdownintoadeeplittlekloof。Sometreesranalongthebottom,andI thoughtIshouldfindwaterthere。ThesunhadquitesetwhenIgottothebottomofit。Itwasverystill——notaleafwasstirringanywhere。InthebedofthemountaintorrentIthoughtImightfindwater。Icametothebank,andleapeddownintothedrybed。TheflooronwhichIstoodwasoffinewhitesand,andthebanksroseoneverysidelikethewallsofaroom。 \"Abovetherewasaprecipiceofrocks,andatinystreamofwateroozedfromthemandfellslowlyontotheflatstonebelow。Eachdropyoucouldhearfalllikealittlesilverbell。Therewasoneamongthetreesonthebankthatstoodcutoutagainstthewhitesky。Alltheothertreesweresilent;butthisoneshookandtrembledagainstthesky。Everythingelsewasstill;butthoseleaveswerequivering,quivering。Istoodonthesand;Icouldnotgoaway。Whenitwasquitedark,andthestarshadcome,Icreptout。Doesitseemstrangetoyouthatitshouldhavemademesohappy?ItisbecauseIcannottellyouhownearIfelttothingsthatwecannotseebutwealwaysfeel。Tonighthasbeenawild,stormynight。I havebeenwalkingacrosstheplainforhoursinthedark。Ihavelikedthewind,becauseIhaveseemedforcingmywaythroughtoyou。Iknewyouwerenothere,butIwouldhearofyou。WhenIusedtositonthetransportwagonhalf—sleeping,Iusedtostartawakebecauseyourhandswereonme。 Inmylodgings,manynightsIhaveblownthelightout,andsatinthedark,thatImightseeyourfacestartoutmoredistinctly。Sometimesitwasthelittlegirl’sfacewhousedtocometomebehindthekopjewhenI mindedsheep,andsitbymeinherbluepinafore;sometimesitwasolder。 Iloveboth。Iamveryhelpless;Ishallneverdoanything;butyouwillwork,andIwilltakeyourworkformine。SometimessuchasuddengladnessseizesmewhenIrememberthatsomewhereintheworldyouarelivingandworking。Youaremyveryown;nothingelseismyownso。WhenIhavefinishedIamgoingtolookatyourroomdoor——\" Hewrote;andthewind,whichhadspentitsfury,moanedroundandroundthehouse,mostlikeatiredchildwearywithcrying。 Emwokeup,andsatbeforethefire,rubbinghereyes,andlistening,asitsobbedaboutthegables,andwanderedawayoverthelongstonewalls。 \"Howquietithasgrownnow,\"shesaid,andsighedherself,partlyfromwearinessandpartlyfromsympathywiththetiredwind。Hedidnotanswerher;hewaslostinhisletter。 Sheroseslowlyafteratime,andrestedherhandonhisshoulder。 \"Youhavemanyletterstowrite,\"shesaid。 \"No,\"heanswered;\"itisonlyonetoLyndall。\" Sheturnedaway,andstoodlongbeforethefirelookingintoit。Ifyouhaveadeadlyfruittogive,itwillnotgrowsweeterbykeeping。 \"Waldo,dear,\"shesaid,puttingherhandonhis,\"leaveoffwriting。\" Hethrewbackthedarkhairfromhisforeheadandlookedather。 \"Itisnousewritinganymore,\"shesaid。 \"Whynot?\"heasked。 Sheputherhandoverthepapershehadwritten。 \"Waldo,\"shesaid,\"Lyndallisdead。\" Chapter2。XII。Gregory’sWomanhood。 Slowlyovertheflatcameacart。OnthebackseatsatGregory,hisarmsfolded,hishatdrawnoverhiseyes。AKafferboysatonthefrontseatdriving,andathisfeetsatDoss,who,nowandagain,liftedhisnoseandeyesabovethelevelofthesplashboard,tolookatthesurroundingcountry;andthen,withanexceedinglyknowingwinkofhislefteye,turnedtohiscompanions,therebyintimatingthatheclearlyperceivedhiswhereabouts。Noonenoticedthecartcoming。Waldo,whowasatworkathiscarpenter’stableinthewagon—house,sawnothing,tillchancingtolookdownheperceivedDossstandingbeforehim,thelegstrembling,thelittlenosewrinkled,andaseriesofshortsuffocatingbarksgivingutterancetohisjoyatreunion。 Em,whoseeyeshadachedwithlookingoutacrosstheplain,wasnowatworkinabackroom,andknewnothingtill,lookingup,shesawGregory,withhisstrawhatandblueeyes,standinginthedoorway。Hegreetedherquietly,hunghishatupinitsoldplacebehindthedoor,andforanychangeinhismannerorappearancehemighthavebeengoneonlythedaybeforetofetchlettersfromthetown。Onlyhisbeardwasgone,andhisfacewasgrownthinner。Hetookoffhisleathergaiters,saidtheafternoonwashotandtheroadsdusty,andaskedforsometea。Theytalkedofwool,andthecattle,andthesheep,andEmgavehimthepileoflettersthathadcomeforhimduringthemonthsofabsence,butofthethingthatlayattheirheartsneithersaidanything。Thenhewentouttolookatthekraals,andatsupperEmgavehimhotcakesandcoffee。Theytalkedabouttheservants,andthenatetheirmealinquiet。Sheaskednoquestions。 WhenitwasendedGregorywentintothefrontroom,andlayinthedarkonthesofa。 \"Doyounotwantalight?\"Emasked,venturingtolookin。 \"No,\"heanswered;thenpresentlycalledtoher,\"Comeandsithere;Iwanttotalktoyou。\" Shecameandsatonafootstoolnearhim。 \"Doyouwishtohearanything?\"heasked。 Shewhispered: \"Yes,ifitdoesnothurtyou。\" \"Whatdifferencedoesitmaketome?\"hesaid。\"IfItalkoramsilent,isthereanychange?\" Yethelayquietforalongtime。Thelightthroughtheopendoorshowedhimtoher,wherehelay,withhisarmthrownacrosshiseyes。Atlasthespoke。Perhapsitwasarelieftohimtospeak。 ToBloemfonteinintheFreeState,towhichthroughanagenthehadtracedthem,Gregoryhadgone。AtthehotelwhereLyndallandherstrangerhadstayedheputup;hewasshowntheveryroominwhichtheyhadslept。Thecolouredboywhohaddriventhemtothenexttowntoldhiminwhichhousetheyhadboarded,andGregorywenton。Inthattownhefoundtheyhadleftthecart,andboughtaspiderandfourgreys,andGregory’sheartrejoiced。 Nowindeeditwouldbeeasytotracetheircourse。Andheturnedhisstepsnorthward。 Atthefarmhouseswherehestoppedtheoomsandtantesrememberedclearlythespiderwithitsfourgreyhorses。AtoneplacetheBoer—wifetoldhowthetall,blue—eyedEnglishmanhadboughtmilk,andaskedthewaytothenextfarm。AtthenextfarmtheEnglishmanhadboughtabunchofflowers,andgivenhalfacrownforthemtothelittlegirl。Itwasquitetrue;theBoer—mothermadehergetitoutoftheboxandshowit。Atthenextplacetheyhadslept。Heretheytoldhimthatthegreatbulldog,whohatedallstrangers,hadwalkedinintheeveningandlaiditsheadinthelady’slap。Soateveryplaceheheardsomething,andtracedthemstepbystep。 AtonedesolatefarmtheBoerhadagooddealtotell。Theladyhadsaidshelikedawagonthatstoodbeforethedoor。WithoutaskingthepricetheEnglishmanhadofferedahundredandfiftypoundsfortheoldthing,andboughtoxenworthtenpoundsforsixteen。TheDutchmanchuckled,forhehadtheSalt—riem’smoneyintheboxunderhisbed。Gregorylaughedtoo,insilence;hecouldnotlosesightofthemnow,soslowlytheywouldhavetomovewiththatcumbrousox—wagon。Yet,whenthateveningcame,andhereachedalittlewaysideinn,noonecouldtellhimanythingofthetravellers。 Themaster,asurlycreature,halfstupidwithBoer—brandy,satonthebenchbeforethedoorsmoking。Gregorysatbesidehim,questioning,buthesmokedon。Herememberednothingofsuchstrangers。Howshouldheknowwhohadbeentheremonthsandmonthsbefore?Hesmokedon。Gregory,veryweary,triedtowakehismemory,saidthattheladyhewasseekingforwasverybeautiful,hadalittlemouth,andtiny,verytiny,feet。Themanonlysmokedonassullenlyasatfirst。Whatwerelittle,verylittle,mouthsandfeettohim。Buthisdaughterleanedoutinthewindowabove。