第5章

类别:其他 作者:Herbert George Wells字数:9549更新时间:19/01/07 15:15:33
Hestruckoutapathobliquetotheroomandpacedtoandfro,strugglingwithintolerablevastimpressions。 Thethingshehadderivedfromthecylindersandthethingshehadseen,conflicted,confusedhim。 Itseemedtohimthemostamazingthingofallthatinhisthirtyyearsoflifehehadnevertriedtoshapeapictureofthesecomingtimes。\"Weweremakingthefuture,\"hesaid,\"andhardlyanyofustroubledtothinkwhatfutureweweremaking。Andhereitis!\" \"Whathavetheygotto,whathasbeendone?HowdoIcomeintothemidstofitall?\"Thevastnessofstreetandhousehewaspreparedfor,themultitudesofpeople。Butconflictsinthecityways!Andthesystematisedsensualityofaclassofrichmen! HethoughtofBellamy,theheroofwhoseSocialisticUtopiahadsooddlyanticipatedthisactualexperience。 ButherewasnoUtopia,noSocialisticstate。 Hehadalreadyseenenoughtorealisethattheancientantithesisofluxury,wasteandsensualityontheonehandandabjectpovertyontheother,stillprevailed。 Heknewenoughoftheessentialfactorsoflifetounderstandthatcorrelation。Andnotonlywerethebuildingsofthecitygiganticandthecrowdsinthestreetgigantic,butthevoiceshehadheardintheways,theuneasinessofHoward,theveryatmospherespokeofgiganticdiscontent。Whatcountrywashein?StillEnglanditseemed,andyetstrangely\"un—English。\"Hismindglancedattherestoftheworld,andsawonlyanenigmaticalveil。 Heprowledabouthisapartment,examiningeverythingasacagedanimalmightdo。Hefeltverytired,feltthatfeverishexhaustionthatdoesnotadmitofrest。 Helistenedforlongspacesundertheventilatortocatchsomedistantechoofthetumultshefeltmustbeproceedinginthecity。 Hebegantotalktohimself。\"Twohundredandthreeyears!\"hesaidtohimselfoverandoveragain,laughingstupidly。\"ThenIamtwohundredandthirty—threeyearsold!Theoldestinhabitant。Surelytheyhaven’treversedthetendencyofourtimeandgonebacktotheruleoftheoldest。Myclaimsareindisputable。Mumble,mumble。IremembertheBulgarianatrocitiesasthoughitwasyesterday。’Tisagreatage!Haha!\"Hewassurprisedatfirsttohearhimselflaughing,andthenlaughedagaindeliberatelyandlouder。Thenherealisedthathewasbehavingfoolishly。\"Steady,\"hesaid。\"Steady!\" Hispacingbecamemoreregular。\"Thisnewworld,\"hesaid。\"Idon’tunderstandit。__Why?__…… Butitisall__why!__\" \"IsupposetheycanflyanddoallsortsofthingsLetmetryandrememberjusthowitbegan。\" Hewassurprisedatfirsttofindhowvaguethememoriesofhisfirstthirtyyearshadbecome。Herememberedfragments,forthemostparttrivialmoments,thingsofnogreatimportancethathehadobserved。Hisboyhoodseemedthemostaccessibleatfirst,herecalledschoolbooksandcertainlessonsinmensuration。Thenherevivedthemoresalientfeaturesofhislife,memoriesofthewifelongsincedead,hermagicinfluencenowgonebeyondcorruption,ofhisrivalsandfriendsandbetrayers,oftheswiftdecisionofthisissueandthat,andthenofhis,lastyearsofmisery,offluctuatingresolves,andatlastofhisstrenuousstudies。Inalittlewhileheperceivedhehaditallagain;dimperhaps,likemetallonglaidaside,butinnowaydefectiveorinjured,capableofre—polishing。Andthehueofitwasadeepeningmisery。 Wasitworthre—polishing?Byamiraclehehadbeenliftedoutofalifethathadbecomeintolerable。 Herevertedtohispresentcondition。Hewrestledwiththefactsinvain。Itbecameaninextricabletangle。 Hesawtheskythroughtheventilatorpinkwithdawn。Anoldpersuasioncameoutofthedarkrecessesofhismemory。\"Imustsleep,\"hesaid。Itappearedasadelightfulrelieffromthismentaldistressandfromthegrowingpainandheavinessofhislimbs。Hewenttothestrangelittlebed,laydownandwaspresentlyasleep。 Hewasdestinedtobecomeveryfamiliarindeedwiththeseapartmentsbeforeheleftthem,forheremainedimprisonedforthreedays。Duringthattimenoone,exceptHoward,enteredhisprison。Themarvelofhisfatemingledwithandinsomewayminimisedthemarvelofhissurvival。Hehadawakenedtomankinditseemedonlytobesnatchedawayintothisunaccountablesolitude。Howardcameregularlywithsubtlysustainingandnutritivefluids,andlightandpleasantfoods,quitestrangetoGraham。Healwaysclosedthedoorcarefullyasheentered。Onmattersofdetailhewasincreasinglyobliging,butthebearingofGrahamonthegreatissuesthatwereevidentlybeingcontestedsocloselybeyondthesoundproofwallsthatenclosedhim,hewouldnotelucidate。 Heevaded,aspolitelyaspossible,everyquestiononthepositionofaffairsintheouterworld。 AndinthosethreedaysGraham’sincessantthoughtswentfarandwide。Allthathehadseen,allthiselaboratecontrivancetopreventhimseeing,workedtogetherinhismind。Almosteverypossibleinterpretationofhispositionhedebated——evenasitchanced,therightinterpretation。Thingsthatpresentlyhappenedtohim,cametohimatlastcredible,byvirtueofthisseclusion。Whenatlengththemomentofhisreleasearrived,itfoundhimprepared。 Howard’sbearingwentfartodeepenGraham’simpressionofhisownstrangeimportance;thedoorbetweenitsopeningandclosingseemedtoadmitwithhimabreathofmomentoushappening。Hisenquiriesbecamemoredefiniteandsearching。Howardretreatedthroughprotestsanddifficulties。Theawakeningwasunforeseen,herepeated;ithappenedtohavefalleninwiththetrendofasocialconvulsion。 \"ToexplainitImusttellyouthehistoryofagrossandahalfofyears,\"protestedHoward。 \"Thethingisthis,\"saidGraham。\"YouareafraidofsomethingIshalldo。InsomewayIamarbitrator——Imightbearbitrator。\" \"Itisnotthat。Butyouhave——Imaytellyouthismuch——theautomaticincreaseofyourpropertyputsgreatpossibilitiesofinterferenceinyourhands。 Andincertainotherwaysyouhaveinfluence,withyoureighteenthcenturynotions。\" \"Nineteenthcentury,\"correctedGraham。 \"Withyouroldworldnotions,anyhow,ignorantasyouareofeveryfeatureofourState。\" \"AmIafool?\" \"Certainlynot。\" \"DoIseemtobethesortofmanwhowouldactrashly?\" \"Youwereneverexpectedtoactatall。Noonecountedonyourawakening。Noonedreamtyouwouldeverawake。TheCouncilhadsurroundedyouwithantisepticconditions。Asamatteroffact,wethoughtthatyouweredead——amerearrestofdecay。 And——butitistoocomplex。Wedarenotsuddenly——whileyouarestillhalfawake。\" \"Itwon’tdo,\"saidGraham。\"Supposeitisasyousay——whyamInotbeingcrammednightanddaywithfactsandwarningsandallthewisdomofthetimetofitmeformyresponsibilities?AmIanywisernowthantwodaysago,ifitistwodays,whenI awoke?\" Howardpulledhislip。 \"Iambeginningtofeel——everyhourIfeelmoreclearly——asenseofcomplexconcealmentofwhichyouarethesalientpoint。IsthisCouncil,orcommittee,orwhatevertheyare,cookingtheaccountsofmyestate?Isthatit?\" \"Thatnoteofsuspicion——\"saidHoward。 \"Ugh!\"saidGraham。\"Now,markmywords,itwillbeillforthosewhohaveputmehere。Itwillbeill。Iamalive。Makenodoubtofit,Iamalive。 Everydaymypulseisstrongerandmymindclearerandmorevigorous。Nomorequiescence。Iamamancomebacktolife。AndIwantto__live———__\" \"__Live!__\" Howard’sfacelitwithanidea。HecametowardsGrahamandspokeinaneasyconfidentialtone。 \"TheCouncilsecludesyouhereforyourgood。 Youarerestless。Naturally——anenergeticman! Youfinditdullhere。Butweareanxiousthateverythingyoumaydesire——everydesire——everysortofdesire……Theremaybesomething。Isthereanysortofcompany?\" Hepausedmeaningly。 \"Yes,\"saidGrahamthoughtfully。\"Thereis。\" \"Ah!__Now!__Wehavetreatedyouneglectfully。\" \"Thecrowdsinyonderstreetsofyours。\" \"That,\"saidHoward,\"Iamafraid——。But——\" Grahambeganpacingtheroom。Howardstoodnearthedoorwatchinghim。TheimplicationofHoward’ssuggestionwasonlyhalfevidenttoGrahamCompany?Supposeheweretoaccepttheproposal,demandsomesortof__company__?Wouldtherebeanypossibilitiesofgatheringfromtheconversationo?thisadditionalpersonsomevagueinklingofthestrugglethathadbrokenoutsovividlyathiswakingmoment? Hemeditatedagain,andthesuggestiontookcolour。 HeturnedonHowardabruptly。 \"Whatdoyoumeanbycompany?\" Howardraisedhiseyesandshruggedhisshoulders。 \"Humanbeings,\"hesaid,withacurioussmileonhisheavyface。 \"Oursocialideas,\"hesaid,\"haveacertainincreasedliberality,perhaps,incomparisonwithyourtimes。Ifamanwishestorelievesuchatediumasthis——byfemininesociety,forinstance。Wethinkitnoscandal。Wehaveclearedourmindsofformulae。 Thereisinourcityaclass,anecessaryclass,nolongerdespised——discreet——\" Grahamstoppeddead。 \"Itwouldpassthetime,\"saidHoward。\"ItisathingIshouldperhapshavethoughtofbefore,but,asamatteroffact,somuchishappening——\" Heindicatedtheexteriorworld。 Grahamhesitated。Foramomentthefigureofapossiblewomanthathisimaginationsuddenlycreateddominatedhismindwithanintenseattraction。Thenheflashedintoanger。 \"NoI\"heshouted。 Hebeganstridingrapidlyupanddowntheroom。 \"Everythingyousay,everythingyoudo,convincesme——ofsomegreatissueinwhichIamconcerned。 Idonotwanttopassthetime,asyoucallit。Yes,I know。Desireandindulgencearelifeinasense—— andDeath!Extinction!InmylifebeforeIsleptIhadworkedoutthatpitifulquestion。Iwillnotbeginagain。Thereisacity,amultitude——。AndmeanwhileIamherelikearabbitinabag。\" Hisragesurgedhigh。Hechokedforamomentandbegantowavehisclenchedfists。Hegavewaytoanangerfit,hesworearchaiccurses。Hisgestureshadthequalityofphysicalthreats。 \"Idonotknowwhoyourpartymaybe。Iaminthedark,andyoukeepmeinthedark。ButIknowthis,thatIamsecludedherefornogoodpurpose。 Fornogoodpurpose。Iwarnyou,Iwarnyouoftheconsequences。OnceIcomeatmypower——\" Herealisedthattothreatenthusmightbeadangertohimself。Hestopped。Howardstoodregardinghimwithacuriousexpression。 \"ItakeitthisisamessagetotheCouncil,\"saidHoward。 Grahamhadamomentaryimpulsetoleapupontheman,fellorstunhim。Itmusthaveshownuponhisface;atanyrateHoward’smovementwasquick。Inasecondthenoiselessdoorhadclosedagain,andthemanfromthenineteenthcenturywasalone。 Foramomenthestoodrigid,withclenchedhandshalfraised。Thenheflungthemdown。\"WhatafoolIhavebeen!\"hesaid,andgavewaytohisangeragain,stampingabouttheroomandshoutingcurses。 Foralongtimehekepthimselfinasortoffrenzy,ragingathisposition,athisownfolly,attheknaveswhohadimprisonedhim。Hedidthisbecausehedidnotwanttolookcalmlyathisposition。Heclungtohisanger——becausehewasafraidofFear。 PresentlyhefoundhimselfreasoningwithhimselfThisimprisonmentwasunaccountable,butnodoubtthelegalforms——newlegalforms——ofthetimepermittedit。Itmust,ofcourse,belegal。ThesepeopleweretwohundredyearsfurtheroninthemarchofcivilisationthantheVictoriangeneration。Itwasnotlikelytheywouldbeless——humane。Yettheyhadclearedtheirmindsofformulae!Washumanityaformulaaswellaschastity? Hisimaginationsettoworktosuggestthingsthatmightbedonetohim。Theattemptsofhisreasontodisposeofthesesuggestions,thoughforthemostpartlogicallyvalid,werequiteunavailing。\"Whyshouldanythingbedonetome?\" \"Iftheworstcomestotheworst,\"hefoundhimselfsayingatlast,\"Icangiveupwhattheywant。 Butwhatdotheywant?Andwhydon’ttheyaskmeforitinsteadofcoopingmeup?\" HereturnedtohisformerpreoccupationwiththeCouncil’spossibleintentions。HebegantoreconsiderthedetailsofHoward’sbehaviour,sinisterglances,inexplicablehesitations。Then,foratime,hismindcircledabouttheideaofescapingfromtheserooms; butwhithercouldheescapeintothisvast,crowdedworld?HewouldbeworseoffthanaSaxonyeomansuddenlydroppedintonineteenthcenturyLondon。 Andbesides,howcouldanyoneescapefromtheserooms? \"Howcanitbenefitanyoneifharmshouldhappentome?\" Hethoughtofthetumult,thegreatsocialtroubleofwhichhewassounaccountablytheaxis。Atext,irrelevantenoughandyetcuriouslyinsistent,camefloatingupoutofthedarknessofhismemory。ThisalsoaCouncilhadsaid: \"Itisexpedientforusthatonemanshoulddieforthepeople。\" CHAPTERVIII THEROOFSPACES Asthefansinthecircularapertureoftheinnerroomrotatedandpermittedglimpsesofthenight,dimsoundsdriftedinthereby。AndGraham,standingunderneath,wrestlingdarklywiththeunknownpowersthatimprisonedhim,andwhichhehadnowdeliberatelychallenged,wasstartledbythesoundofavoice。 Hepeeredupandsawintheintervalsoftherotation,darkanddim,thefaceandshouldersofamanregardinghim。Whenadarkhandwasextended,theswiftvanstruckit,swungroundandbeatonwithalittlebrownishpatchontheedgeofitsthinblade,andsomethingbegantofalltherefromuponthefloor,drippingsilently。 Grahamlookeddown,andtherewerespotsofbloodathisfeet。Helookedupagaininastrangeexcitement。 Thefigurehadgone。 Heremainedmotionless——hiseverysenseintentupontheflickeringpatchofdarkness,foroutsideitwashighnight。Hebecameawareofsomefaint,remote,darkspecksfloatinglightlythroughtheouterair。Theycamedowntowardshim,fitfully,eddyingly,andpassedasideoutoftheuprushfromthefan。Agleamoflightflickered,thespecksflashedwhite,andthenthedarknesscameagain。Warmedandlitashewas,heperceivedthatitwassnowingwithinafewfeetofhim。 Grahamwalkedacrosstheroomandcamebacktotheventilatoragain。Hesawtheheadofamanpassnear。Therewasasoundofwhispering。Thenasmartblowonsomemetallicsubstance,effort,voices,andthevansstopped。Agustofsnowflakeswhirledintotheroom,andvanishedbeforetheytouchedthefloor。\"Don’tbeafraid,\"saidavoice。 Grahamstoodunderthevan。\"Whoareyou?\" hewhispered。 Foramomenttherewasnothingbutaswayingofthefan,andthentheheadofamanwasthrustcautiouslyintotheopening。HisfaceappearednearlyinvertedtoGraham;hisdarkhairwaswetwithdissolvingflakesofsnowuponit。Hisarmwentupintothedarknessholdingsomethingunseen。Hehadayouthfulfaceandbrighteyes,andtheveinsofhisforeheadwereswollen。Heseemedtobeexertinghimselftomaintainhisposition。 ForseveralsecondsneitherhenorGrahamspoke。 \"YouweretheSleeper?\"saidthestrangeratlast。 \"Yes,\"saidGraham。\"Whatdoyouwantwithme?\" \"IcomefromOstrog,Sire。\" \"Ostrog?\" ThemanintheventilatortwistedhisheadroundsothathisprofilewastowardsGraham。Heappearedtobelistening。Suddenlytherewasahastyexclamation,andtheintrudersprangbackjustintimetoescapethesweepofthereleasedfan。AndwhenGrahampeereduptherewasnothingvisiblebuttheslowlyfallingsnow。 Itwasperhapsaquarterofanhourbeforeanythingreturnedtotheventilator。Butatlastcamethesamemetallicinterferenceagain;thefansstoppedandthefacereappeared。Grahamhadremainedallthistimeinthesameplace,alertandtremulouslyexcited。 \"Whoareyou?Whatdoyouwant?\"hesaid。 \"Wewanttospeaktoyou,Sire,\"saidtheintruder。 \"Wewant——Ican’tholdthething。Wehavebeentryingtofindawaytoyouthesethreedays。\" \"Isitrescue?\"whisperedGraham。\"Escape?\" \"Yes,Sire。Ifyouwill。\" \"Youaremyparty——thepartyoftheSleeper?\" \"Yes,Sire。\" \"WhatamItodo?\"saidGraham。 Therewasastruggle。Thestranger’sarmappeared,andhishandwasbleeding。Hiskneescameintoviewovertheedgeofthefunnel。\"Standawayfromme,\" hesaid,andhedroppedratherheavilyonhishandsandoneshoulderatGraham’sfeet。Thereleasedventilatorwhirlednoisily。Thestrangerrolledover,sprangupnimblyandstoodpanting,handtoabruisedshoulder,andwithhisbrighteyesonGraham。 \"YouareindeedtheSleeper,\"hesaid。\"Isawyouasleep。Whenitwasthelawthatanyonemightseeyou。\" \"Iamthemanwhowasinthetrance,\"saidGraham。 \"Theyhaveimprisonedmehere。IhavebeenheresinceIawoke——atleastthreedays。\" Theintruderseemedabouttospeak,heardsomething,glancedswiftlyatthedoor,andsuddenlyleftGrahamandrantowardsit,shoutingquickincoherentwords。Abrightwedgeofsteelflashedinhishand,andhebegantap,tap,aquicksuccessionofblowsuponthehinges。\"Mind!\"criedavoice。\"Oh!\" Thevoicecamefromabove。 Grahamglancedup,sawthesolesoftwofeet,ducked,wasstruckontheshoulderbyoneofthem,andaheavyweightborehimtotheearth。Hefellonhiskneesandforward,andtheweightwentoverhishead。Hekneltupandsawasecondmanfromaboveseatedbeforehim。 \"Ididnotseeyou,Sire,\"pantedtheman。HeroseandassistedGrahamtoarise。\"Areyouhurt,Sire?\" hepanted。Asuccessionofheavyblowsontheventilatorbegan,somethingfellclosetoGraham’sface,andashiveringedgeofwhitemetaldanced,fellover,andlayflatuponthefloor。 \"Whatisthis?\"criedGraham,confusedandlookingattheventilator。\"Whoareyou?Whatareyougoingtodo?Remember,Iunderstandnothing。\" \"Standback,\"saidthestranger,anddrewhimfromundertheventilatorasanotherfragmentofmetalfellheavily。 \"Wewantyoutocome,Sire,\"pantedthenewcomer,andGrahamglancingathisfaceagain,sawanewcuthadchangedfromwhitetoredonhisfore— head,andacoupleoflittletricklesofbloodstartingtherefrom。\"Yourpeoplecallforyou。\" \"Comewhere?Mypeople?\" \"Tothehallaboutthemarkets。Yourlifeisindangerhere。Wehavespies。Welearnedbutjustintime。TheCouncilhasdecided——thisveryday—— eithertodrugorkillyou。Andeverythingisready。 Thepeoplearedrilled,thewind—vanepolice,theengineers,andhalftheway—gearersarewithus。Wehavethehallscrowded——shouting。ThewholecityshoutsagainsttheCouncil。Wehavearms。\"Hewipedthebloodwithhishand。\"Yourlifehereisnotworth——\" \"Butwhyarms?\" \"Thepeoplehaverisentoprotectyou,Sire。 What?\" Heturnedquicklyasthemanwhohadfirstcomedownmadeahissingwithhisteeth。Grahamsawthelatterstartback,gesticulatetothemtoconcealthemselves,andmoveasiftohidebehindtheopeningdoor。 AshedidsoHowardappeared,alittletrayinonehandandhisheavyfacedowncast。Hestarted,lookedup,thedoorslammedbehindhim,thetraytiltedside— ways,andthesteelwedgestruckhimbehindtheear。 Hewentdownlikeafelledtree,andlayashefellathwarttheflooroftheouterroom。Themanwhohadstruckhimbenthastily,studiedhisfaceforamoment,rose,andreturnedtohisworkatthedoor。 \"Yourpoison!\"saidavoiceinGraham’sear。 Thenabruptlytheywereindarkness。Theinnumerablecornicelightshadbeenextinguished。Grahamsawtheapertureoftheventilatorwithghostlysnowwhirlingaboveitanddarkfiguresmovinghastily。 Threekneltonthevan。Somedimthing——aladderwasbeingloweredthroughtheopening,andahandappearedholdingafitfulyellowlight。 Hehadamomentofhesitation。Butthemannerofthesemen,theirswiftalacrity,theirwords,marchedsocompletelywithhisownfearsoftheCouncil,withhisideaandhopeofarescue,thatitlastednotamoment。Andhispeopleawaitedhim! \"Idonotunderstand,\"hesaid,\"Itrust。Tellmewhattodo。\" ThemanwiththecutbrowgrippedGraham’sarm。 \"Clamberuptheladder,\"hewhispered。\"Quick。 Theywillhaveheard——\" Grahamfeltfortheladderwithextendedhands,puthisfootonthelowerrung,and,turninghishead,sawovertheshoulderofthenearestman,intheyellowflickerofthelight,thefirst—comerastrideoverHowardandstillworkingatthedoor。Grahamturnedtotheladderagain,andwasthrustbyhisconductorandhelpedupbythoseabove,andthenhewasstandingonsomethinghardandcoldandslipperyoutsidetheventilatingfunnel。 Heshivered。Hewasawareofagreatdifferenceinthetemperature。Halfadozenmenstoodabouthim,andlightflakesofsnowtouchedhandsandfaceandmelted。Foramomentitwasdark,thenforaflashaghastlyvioletwhite,andtheneverythingwasdarkagain。 Hesawhehadcomeoutupontheroofofthevastcitystructurewhichhadreplacedthemiscellaneoushouses,streetsandopenspacesofVictorianLondon。 Theplaceuponwhichhestoodwaslevel,withhugeserpentinecablesIyingathwartitineverydirection。 Thecircularwheelsofanumberofwindmillsloomedindistinctandgiganticthroughthedarknessandsnowfall,androaredwithavaryingloudnessasthefitfulwhitelightsmoteupfrombelow,touchedthesnoweddieswithatransientglitter,andmadeanevanescentspectreinthenight;andhereandthere,lowdown! somevaguelyoutlinedwind—drivenmechanismflickeredwithlividsparks。 Allthisheappreciatedinafragmentarymannerashisrescuersstoodabouthim。Someonethrewathicksoftcloakoffur—liketextureabouthim,andfasteneditbybuckledstrapsatwaistandshoulders。Thingsweresaidbriefly,decisively。Someonethrusthimforward。 Beforehismindwasyetclearadarkshapegrippedhisarm。\"Thisway,\"saidthisshape,urginghimalong,andpointedGrahamacrosstheflatroofinthedirectionofadimsemicircularhazeoflight。Grahamobeyed。 \"Mind!\"saidavoice,asGrahamstumbledagainstacable。\"Betweenthemandnotacrossthem,\"saidthevoice。And,\"Wemusthurry。\" \"Wherearethepeople?\"saidGraham。\"Thepeopleyousaidawaitedme?\" Thestrangerdidnotanswer。HeleftGraham’sarmasthepathgrewnarrower,andledthewaywithrapidstrides。Grahamfollowedblindly。Inaminutehefoundhimselfrunning。\"Aretheotherscoming?\" hepanted,butreceivednoreply。Hiscompanionglancedbackandranon。Theycametoasortofpathwayofopenmetal—work,transversetothedirectiontheyhadcome,andtheyturnedasidetofollowthis。Grahamlookedback,butthesnowstormhadhiddentheothers。 \"Comeon!\"saidhisguide。Runningnow,theydrewnearalittlewindmillspinninghighintheair。