第20章

类别:其他 作者:Swinburne, Algernon Charles字数:9778更新时间:19/01/07 15:14:13
Shewasdirtyandlazy,andlikedtololltherewhentravellerscame,tohearthementalk,butshehadasoftheart。Presentlyahandcameoutofthewindow,andapairofvelvetslipperstouchedhisshoulder,tinyslipperswithblackflowers。Hepulledthemoutofherhand。Onlyonewoman’sfeethadwornthem,heknewthat。 \"Leftherelastsummerbyalady,\"saidthegirl;\"mightbetheoneyouarelookingfor。Neversawanyfeetsosmall。\" Gregoryroseandquestionedher。 Theymighthavecomeinawagonandspider,shecouldnottell。Butthegentlemanwasveryhandsome,tall,lovelyfigure,blueeyes,woreglovesalwayswhenhewentout。AnEnglishofficer,perhaps;noAfricander,certainly。 Gregorystoppedher。 Thelady?Well,shewaspretty,rather,thegirlsaid;verycold,dullair,silent。Theystayedfor,itmightbe,fivedays;sleptinthewingoveragainstthestoep;quarrelledsometimes,shethought——thelady。Shehadseeneverythingwhenshewentintowait。Onedaythegentlemantouchedherhair;shedrewbackfromhimasthoughhisfingerspoisonedher。Wenttotheotherendoftheroomifhecametositnearher。Walkedoutalone。Coldwifeforsuchahandsomehusband,thegirlthought;sheevidentlypitiedhim,hewassuchabeautifulman。Theywentawayearlyonemorning,how,orinwhichway,thegirlcouldnottell。 Gregoryinquiredoftheservants,butnothingmorewastobelearnt;sothenextmorninghesaddledhishorseandwenton。Atthefarmshecametothegoodoldoomsandtantesaskedhimtohavecoffee,andthelittleshoelesschildrenpeepedoutatthestrangerfrombehindovensandgables;butnoonehadseenwhatheaskedfor。Thiswayandthatherodetopickupthethreadhehaddropped,butthespiderandthewagon,thelittleladyandthehandsomegentleman,noonehadseen。Inthetownshefaredyetworse。 Onceindeedhopecametohim。Onthestoepofanhotelatwhichhestayedthenightinacertainlittlevillage,therewalkedagentleman,graveandkindly—looking。Itwasnothardtoopenconversationwithhimabouttheweather,andthen——Hadheeverseensuchandsuchpeople,agentlemanandalady,aspiderandwagon,arriveatthatplace?Thekindlygentlemanshookhishead。Whatwastheladylike,heinquired。 Gregorypainted。Hairlikesilkenfloss,smallmouth,underlipveryfullandpink,upperlippinkbutverythinandcurled;therewerefourwhitespotsonthenailofherrighthandforefinger,andhereyebrowswereverydelicatelycurved。 \"Yes;andarose—budtingeinthecheeks;handslikelilies,andperfectlyseraphicsmile。\" \"Thatisshe!thatisshe!\"criedGregory。 Whoelsecoulditbe?Heaskedwhereshehadgoneto。Thegentlemanmostthoughtfullystrokedhisbeard。 Hewouldtrytoremember。Werenotherears——。Heresuchaviolentfitofcoughingseizedhimthatheranawayintothehouse。Anill—fedclerkandadirtybarmanstandinginthedoorwaylaughedaloud。Gregorywonderediftheycouldbelaughingatthegentleman’scough,andthenheheardsomeonelaughingintheroomintowhichthegentlemanhadgone。Hemustfollowhimandtrytolearnmore;buthesoonfoundthattherewasnothingmoretobelearntthere。PoorGregory! Backwardandforward,backwardandforward,fromthedirtylittlehotelwherehehaddroppedthethread,tothisfarmandtothat,rodeGregory,tillhisheartwassickandtired。Thatfromthatspotthewagonmighthavegoneitsownwayandthespideranotherwasanideathatdidnotoccurtohim。Atlasthesawitwasnouselingeringinthatneighbourhood,andpressedon。 Onedaycomingtoalittletown,hishorsesknockedup,andheresolvedtorestthemthere。Thelittlehotelofthetownwasabrightandsunnyplace,likethejovialfaceofthecleanlittlewomanwhokeptit,andwhotrottedabouttalkingalways——talkingtothecustomersinthetaproom,andtothemaidsinthekitchen,andtothepassers—bywhenshecouldhailthemfromthewindows;talking,asgood—naturedwomenwithlargemouthsandsmallnosesalwaysdo,inseasonandout。 Therewasalittlefrontparlourinthehotel,keptforstrangerswhowantedtobealone。Gregorysattheretoeathisbreakfast,andthelandladydustedtheroomandtalkedofthegreatfindsattheDiamondFields,andthebadnessofmaid—servants,andtheshamefulconductoftheDutchparsoninthattowntotheEnglishinhabitants。Gregoryatehisbreakfastandlistenedtonothing。Hehadaskedhisonequestion,andhadhadhisanswer;nowshemighttalkon。 Presentlyadoorinthecorneropenedandawomancameout——aMozambiquer,witharedhandkerchieftwistedroundherhead。Shecarriedinherhandatray,withasliceoftoastcrumbledfine,andahalf—filledcupofcoffee,andaneggbrokenopen,butnoteaten。Herebonyfacegrinnedcomplacentlyassheshutthedoorsoftlyandsaid,\"Goodmorning。\" Thelandladybegantotalktoher。 \"Youarenotgoingtoleaveherreally,Ayah,areyou?\"shesaid。\"Themaidssayso;butI’msureyouwouldn’tdosuchathing。\" TheMozambiquergrinned。 \"HusbandsaysImustgohome。\" \"Butshehasn’tgotanyoneelse,andwon’thaveanyoneelse。Come,now,\" saidthelandlady,\"I’venotimetobesittingalwaysinasickroom,notifIwaspaidanythingforit。\" TheMozambiqueronlyshowedherwhiteteethgood—naturedlyforanswer,andwentout,andthelandladyfollowedher。 Gregory,gladtobealone,watchedthesunshineasitcameoverthefuchsiasinthewindow,andranupanddownonthepanelleddoorinthecorner。TheMozambiquerhadcloseditlooselybehindher,andpresentlysomethingtoucheditinside。Itmovedalittle,thenitwasstill,thenmovedagain;thenthroughthegapasmallnoseappeared,andayellowearoverlappingoneeye;thenthewholeheadobtruded,placeditselfcriticallyononeside,wrinkleditsnosedisapprovinglyatGregory,andwithdrew。 Throughthehalf—opendoorcameafaintscentofvinegar,andtheroomwasdarkandstill。 Presentlythelandladycameback。 \"Leftthedooropen,\"shesaid,bustlingtoshutit;\"butadarkywillbeadarky,andnevercarriesaheadonitsshoulderslikeotherfolks。Notill,Ihopesir?\"shesaid,lookingatGregorywhenshehadshutthebedroomdoor。 \"No,\"saidGregory,\"no。\" Thelandladybeganputtingthethingstogether。 \"Who,\"askedGregory,\"isinthatroom?\" Gladtohavealittleinnocentpieceofgossiptorelate,andsomeonewillingtohearit,thelandladymadethemostofalittlestoryassheclearedthetable。Sixmonthsbeforealadyhadcomealonetothehotelinawagon,withonlyacolouredleaderanddriver。Eightdaysafteralittlebabyhadbeenborn。 IfGregorystoodupandlookedoutatthewindowhewouldseeabluegum— treeinthegraveyard;closebyitwasalittlegrave。Thebabywasburiedthere。Atinything——onlylivedtwohours,andthemotherherselfalmostwentwithit。Afterawhileshewasbetter;butonedayshegotupoutofbed,dressedherselfwithoutsayingawordtoanyone,andwentout。Itwasadrizzlyday;alittletimeaftersomeonesawhersittingonthewetgroundunderthebluegum—tree,withtheraindrippingfromherhatandshawl。Theywenttofetchher,butshewouldnotcomeuntilshechose。 Whenshedid,shehadgonetobedandhadnotrisenagainfromit;neverwould,thedoctorsaid。 Shewasverypatient,poorthing。Whenyouwentintoaskherhowshewasshesaidalways\"Better,\"or\"Nearlywell!\"andlaystillinthedarkenedroom,andnevertroubledanyone。TheMozambiquertookcareofher,andshewouldnotallowanyoneelsetotouchher;wouldnotsomuchasallowanyoneelsetoseeherfootuncovered。Shewasstrangeinmanyways,butshepaidwell,poorthing;andnowtheMozambiquerwasgoing,andshewouldhavetotakeupwithsomeoneelse。 Thelandladyprattledonpleasantly,andnowcarriedawaythetraywiththebreakfastthings。WhenshewasgoneGregoryleanedhisheadonhishands,buthedidnotthinklong。 Beforedinnerhehadriddenoutofthetowntowhereonariseanumberoftransport—wagonswereoutspanned。TheDutchmandriverofonewonderedatthestranger’seagernesstofreehimselfofhishorses。Stolenperhaps; butitwasworthhiswhiletobuythematsolowaprice。Sothehorseschangedmasters,andGregorywalkedoffwithhissaddlebagsslungacrosshisarm。Onceoutofsightofthewagonshestruckoutoftheroadandwalkedacrosstheveld,thedry,floweringgrasseswavingeverywhereabouthim;half—wayacrosstheplainhecametoadeepgullywhichtheraintorrentshadwashedout,butwhichwasnowdry。Gregorysprungdownintoitsredbed。Itwasasafeplace,andquiet。Whenhehadlookedabouthimhesatdownundertheshadeofanoverhangingbankandfannedhimselfwithhishat,fortheafternoonwashot,andhehadwalkedfast。Athisfeetthedustyantsranabout,andthehighredbankbeforehimwascoveredbyanetworkofrootsandfibreswashedbarebytherains。AbovehisheadrosetheclearblueAfricansky;athissidewerethesaddlebagsfullofwomen’sclothing。Gregorylookeduphalfplaintivelyintothebluesky。 \"AmI,amIGregoryNazianzenRose?\"hesaid。 Itwasalsostrange,hesittingthereinthatslootinthatup—countryplain!——strangeasthefantastic,changingshapesinasummercloud。Atlast,tiredout,hefellasleep,withhisheadagainstthebank。Whenhewoketheshadowhadstretchedacrossthesloot,andthesunwasontheedgeoftheplain。Nowhemustbeupanddoing。Hedrewfromhisbreastpocketalittlesixpennylooking—glass,andhungitononeoftherootsthatstuckoutfromthebank。Thenhedressedhimselfinoneoftheold—fashionedgownsandagreatpinked—outcollar。Thenhetookoutarazor。Tuftbytuftthesoftbrownbeardfelldownintothesand,andthelittleantstookittolinetheirnestswith。Thentheglassshowedafacesurroundedbyafrilledcap,whiteasawoman’s,withalittlemouth,averyshortupperlip,andarecedingchin。 Presentlyarathertallwoman’sfigurewasmakingitswayacrosstheveld。 Asitpassedahollowed—outantheapitkneltdown,andstuffedinthesaddlebagswiththeman’sclothing,closinguptheanthillwithbitsofgroundtolookasnaturalaspossible。Likeasinnerhidinghisdeedofsin,thehiderstartedonceandlookedround,butyettherewasnoonenearsaveameerkat,whohadliftedherselfoutofherholeandsatonherhindlegswatching。Hedidnotlikethatevensheshouldsee,andwhenheroseshedivedawayintoherhole。Thenhewalkedonleisurely,thattheduskmighthavereachedthevillagestreetsbeforehewalkedthere。Thefirsthousewasthesmith’s,andbeforetheopendoortwoidleurchinslolled。 Ashehurriedupthestreetinthegatheringgloomheheardthemlaughlongandloudlybehindhim。Heglancedroundfearingly,andwouldalmosthavefled,butthatthestrangeskirtsclungabouthislegs。Andafterallitwasonlyasparkthathadalightedontheheadofone,andnotthestrangefiguretheylaughedat。 Thedoorofthehotelstoodwideopen,andthelightfelloutintothestreet。Heknocked,andthelandladycame。Shepeeredouttolookforthecartthathadbroughtthetraveller;butGregory’sheartwasbravenowhewassonearthequietroom。Hetoldherhehadcomewiththetransportwagonsthatstoodoutsidethetown。 Hehadwalkedin,andwantedlodgingsforthenight。 Itwasadeliberatelie,gliblytold;hewouldhavetoldfifty,thoughtherecordingangelhadstoodinthenextroomwithhispendippedintheink。 Whatwasittohim?Herememberedthatshelaytheresayingalways:\"Iambetter。\" Thelandladyputhissupperinthelittleparlourwherehehadsatinthemorning。Whenitwasonthetableshesatdownintherocking—chair,asherfashionwastoknitandtalk,thatshemightgathernewsforhercustomersinthetaproom。Inthewhitefaceunderthequeer,deep—fringedcapshesawnothingofthemorning’straveller。Thenewcomerwascommunicative。Shewasanursebyprofession,shesaid;hadcometotheTransvaal,hearingthatgoodnurseswereneededthere。Shehadnotyetfoundwork。Thelandladydidnotperhapsknowwhethertherewouldbeanyforherinthattown? Thelandladyputdownherknittingandsmoteherfathandstogether。 Ifitwasn’ttheveryfingerofGod’sprovidence,asthoughyousawithangingoutofthesky,shesaid。Herewasaladyillandneedinganewnursethatveryday,andnotabletogetonetohermind,andnow——well,ifitwasn’tenoughtoconvertalltheAtheistsandFreethinkersintheTransvaal,shedidn’tknow! Thenthelandladyproceededtodetailfacts。 \"I’msureyouwillsuither,\"sheadded;\"you’rejustthekind。Shehasheapsofmoneytopayyouwith;haseverythingthatmoneycanbuy。AndI gotaletterwithacheckinitforfiftypoundstheotherdayfromsomeone,whosaysI’mtospenditforher,andnottoletherknow。Sheisasleepnow,butI’lltakeyouintolookather。\" Thelandladyopenedthedoorofthenextroom,andGregoryfollowedher。A tablestoodnearthebed,andalampburninglowstoodonit;thebedwasagreatfour—posterwithwhitecurtains,andthequiltwasofrichcrimsonsatin。ButGregorystoodjustinsidethedoorwithhisheadbentlow,andsawnofurther。 \"Comenearer!I’llturnthelampupabit,thatyoucanhavealookather。Aprettything,isn’tit?\"saidthelandlady。 Nearthefootofthebedwasadentinthecrimsonquilt,andoutofitDoss’smallheadandbrighteyeslookedknowingly。 ThenGregorylookedupatwhatlayonthecushion。Alittlewhite,whiteface,transparentasanangel’swithaclothboundroundtheforehead,andwithsofthairtossedaboutonthepillow。 \"Wehadtocutitoff,\"saidthewoman,touchingitwithherforefinger。 \"Softassilk,likeawaxdoll’s。\" ButGregory’sheartwasbleeding。 \"Nevergetupagain,thedoctorsays,\"saidthelandlady。 Gregoryutteredoneword。Inaninstantthebeautifuleyesopenedwidely,lookedroundtheroomandintothedarkcorners。 \"Whoishere?WhomdidIhearspeak?\" Gregoryhadsunkbackbehindthecurtain;thelandladydrewitaside,andpulledhimforward。 \"Onlythislady,ma’am——anursebyprofession。Sheiswillingtostayandtakecareofyou,ifyoucancometotermswithher。\" Lyndallraisedherselfonherelbow,andcastonekeenscrutinizingglanceoverhim。 \"HaveIneverseenyoubefore?\"sheasked。 \"No。\" Shefellbackwearily。 \"Perhapsyouwouldliketoarrangethetermsbetweenyourselves,\"saidthelandlady。\"Hereisachair。Iwillbebackpresently。\" Gregorysatdown,withbentheadandquickbreath。Shedidnotspeak,andlaywithhalf—closedeyes,seemingtohaveforgottenhim。 \"Willyouturnthelampdownalittle?\"shesaidatlast;\"Icannotbearthelight。\" Thenhisheartgrewbraverintheshadow,andhespoke。Nursingwastohim,hesaid,hischosenlife’swork。Hewantednomoneyif——Shestoppedhim。 \"ItakenoserviceforwhichIdonotpay,\"shesaid。\"WhatIgavetomylastnurseIwillgivetoyou;ifyoudonotlikeityoumaygo。\" AndGregorymutteredhumbly,hewouldtakeit。 Afterwardshetriedtoturnherself。Heliftedher!Ah!ashrunkenlittlebody,hecouldfeelitsweaknessashetouchedit。Hishandsweretohimglorifiedforwhattheyhaddone。 \"Thankyou!thatissonice。Otherpeoplehurtmewhentheytouchme,\"shesaid。\"Thankyou!\"Thenafteralittlewhilesherepeatedhumbly,\"Thankyou;theyhurtmeso。\" Gregorysatdowntrembling。Hislittleewe—lamb,couldtheyhurther? ThedoctorsaidofGregoryfourdaysafter,\"SheisthemostexperiencednurseIevercameincontactwith。\" Gregory,standinginthepassage,hearditandlaughedinhisheart。Whatneedhadheofexperience?Experienceteachesusinamillenniumwhatpassionteachesusinanhour。AKafferstudiesallhislifethediscerningofdistantsounds;buthewillneverhearmystep,whenmylovehearsit,comingtoherwindowinthedarkovertheshortgrass。 AtfirstGregory’sheartwassorewhendaybydaythebodygrewlighter,andthemouthhefedtookless;butafterwardhegrewaccustomedtoit,andwashappy。Forpassionhasonecry,oneonly——\"Oh,totouchthee,Beloved!\" InthatquietroomLyndalllayonthebedwiththedogatherfeet,andGregorysatinhisdarkcornerwatching。 Sheseldomslept,andthroughthoselong,longdaysshewouldliewatchingtheroundstreakofsunlightthatcamethroughtheknotintheshutter,orthemassivelion’spawonwhichthewardroberested。Whatthoughtswereinthoseeyes?Gregorywondered;hedarednotask。 SometimesDosswherehelayonherfeetwoulddreamthattheytwowereinthecart,tearingovertheveld,withtheblackhorsessnorting,andthewindintheirfaces;andhewouldstartupinhissleepandbarkaloud。 Thenawaking,hewouldlickhismistress’handalmostremorsefully,andslinkquietlydownintohisplace。 Gregorythoughtshehadnopain,shenevergroaned;onlysometimes,whenthelightwasnearher,hethoughthecouldseecontractionsaboutherlipsandeyebrows。 Hesleptonthesofaoutsideherdoor。 Onenighthethoughtheheardasound,and,openingitsoftly,helookedin。Shewascryingoutaloud,asifsheandherpainwerealoneintheworld。Thelightfellontheredquilt,andthelittlehandsthatwereclaspedoverthehead。Thewide—openeyeswerelookingup,andtheheavydropsfellslowlyfromthem。 \"Icannotbearanymore,notanymore,\"shesaidinadeepvoice。\"Oh,God,God!haveInotborneinsilence?HaveInotenduredtheselong,longmonths?Butnow,now,oh,God,Icannot!\" Gregorykneltinthedoorwaylistening。 \"Idonotaskforwisdom,nothumanlove,notwork,notknowledge,notforallthingsIhavelongedfor,\"shecried;\"onlyalittlefreedomfrompain! Onlyonelittlehourwithoutpain!ThenIwillsufferagain。\" Shesatup,andbitthelittlehandGregoryloved。 Hecreptawaytothefrontdoor,andstoodlookingoutatthequietstarlight。Whenhecamebackshewaslyinginherusualposture,thequieteyeslookingatthelion’sclaw。Hecameclosetothebed。 \"Youhavemuchpaintonight?\"heaskedher。 \"No,notmuch。\" \"CanIdoanythingforyou?\" \"No,nothing。\" Shestilldrewherlipstogether,andmotionedwithherfingerstowardthedogwholaysleepingatherfeet。Gregoryliftedhimandlaidhimatherside。ShemadeGregoryturnopenthebosomofhernightdress,thatthedogmightputhisblackmuzzlebetweenherbreasts。Shecrossedherarmsoverhim。Gregoryleftthemlyingtheretogether。 Nextday,whentheyaskedherhowshewas,sheanswered\"Better。\" \"Someoneoughttotellher,\"saidthelandlady;\"wecan’tlethersoulgooutintoeternitynotknowing,especiallywhenIdon’tthinkitwasallrightaboutthechild。Yououghttogoandtellher,doctor。\" So,thelittledoctor,edgedonandon,wentinatlast。Whenhecameoutoftheroomheshookhisfistinthelandlady’sface。 \"Thenexttimeyouhaveanydevil’sworktodo,doityourself,\"hesaid,andheshookhisfistinherfaceagain,andwentawayswearing。 WhenGregorywentintothebedroomheonlyfoundhermoved,herbodycurledup,anddrawnclosetothewall。Hedarednotdisturbher。Atlast,afteralongtime,sheturned。 \"Bringmefood,\"shesaid,\"Iwanttoeat。Twoeggs,andtoast,andmeat—— twolargeslicesoftoast,please。\" Wondering,Gregorybroughtatraywithallthatshehadaskedfor。 \"Sitmeup,andputitclosetome,\"shesaid;\"Iamgoingtoeatitall。\" Shetriedtodrawthethingsnearherwithherfingers,andre—arrangedtheplates。Shecutthetoastintolongstrips,brokeopenbotheggs,putatinymorselofbreadintoherownmouth,andfedthedogwithpiecesofmeatputintohisjawswithherfingers。 \"Isittwelveo’clockyet?\"shesaid;\"IthinkIdonotgenerallyeatsoearly。Putitaway,please,carefully——no,donottakeitaway——onlyonthetable。WhentheclockstrikestwelveIwilleatit。\" Shelaydowntrembling。Afteralittlewhileshesaid: \"Givememyclothes。\" Helookedather。 \"Yes;Iamgoingtodresstomorrow。Ishouldgetupnow,butitisratherlate。Putthemonthatchair。Mycollarsareinthelittlebox,mybootsbehindthedoor。\" Hereyesfollowedhimintentlyashecollectedthearticlesonebyone,andplacedthemonthechairasshedirected。 \"Putitnearer,\"shesaid,\"Icannotseeit;\"andshelaywatchingtheclothes,withherhandunderhercheek。 \"Nowopentheshutterwide,\"shesaid;\"Iamgoingtoread。\" Theold,oldtonewasagaininthesweetvoice。Heobeyedher;andopenedtheshutter,andraisedherupamongthepillows。 \"Nowbringmybookstome,\"shesaid,motioningeagerlywithherfingers; \"thelargebook,andthereviewsandtheplays——Iwantthemall。\" Hepiledthemroundheronthebed;shedrewthemgreedilycloser,hereyesverybright,butherfaceaswhiteasamountainlily。 \"Nowthebigoneoffthedrawers。No,youneednothelpmetoholdmybook,\"shesaid;\"Icanholditformyself。\" Gregorywentbacktohiscorner,andforalittletimetherestlessturningoverofleaveswastobeheard。 \"Willyouopenthewindow,\"shesaid,almostquerulously,\"andthrowthisbookout?Itissoutterlyfoolish。Ithoughtitwasavaluablebook;butthewordsaremerelystrungtogether,theymakenosense。Yes——so!\"shesaidwithapproval,seeinghimflingitoutintothestreet。\"ImusthavebeenveryfoolishwhenIthoughtthatbookgood。\" Thensheturnedtoread,andleanedherlittleelbowsresolutelyonthegreatvolume,andknitherbrows。ThiswasShakespeare——itmustmeansomething。 \"Iwishyouwouldtakeahandkerchiefandtieittightroundmyhead,itachesso。\" Hehadnotbeenlonginhisseatwhenhesawdropsfallfrombeneaththehandsthatshadedtheeyes,ontothepage。 \"Iamnotaccustomedtosomuchlight,itmakesmyheadswimalittle,\"shesaid。\"Gooutandclosetheshutter。\" Whenhecameback,shelayshrivelledupamongthepillows。 Heheardnosoundofweeping,buttheshouldersshook。Hedarkenedtheroomcompletely。 WhenGregorywenttohissofathatnight,shetoldhimtowakeherearly; shewouldbedressedbeforebreakfast。Nevertheless,whenmorningcame,shesaiditwasalittlecold,andlayalldaywatchingherclothesuponthechair。Stillshesentforheroxeninthecountry;theywouldstartonMondayandgodowntotheColony。 Intheafternoonshetoldhimtoopenthewindowwide,anddrawthebednearit。 Itwasaleadenafternoon,thedullrain—cloudsrestedclosetotheroofsofthehouses,andthelittlestreetwassilentanddeserted。Nowandthenagustofwindeddyingroundcaughtupthedriedleaves,whirledthemhitherandthitherunderthetrees,anddroppedthemagainintothegutter; thenallwasquiet。Shelaylookingout。 Presentlythebellofthechurchbegantotoll,andupthevillagestreetcamealongprocession。Theywerecarryinganoldmantohislastresting— place。Shefollowedthemwithhereyestilltheyturnedinamongthetreesatthegate。 \"Whowasthat?\"sheasked。 \"Anoldman,\"heanswered,\"averyoldman;theysayhewasninety—four; buthisnameIdonotknow。\"