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christie johnstone-第13部分

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an' then sent him wi' a puckle o' her ain siller to Veeneece; and
Antoniothink o' that; lassiespairted on their wedding…day。〃

_Lizzy Johnstone; a Fishwife; aged 12。_ 〃Hech! hech! it's lamentable。〃

_Jean Carnie。_ 〃I'm saying; mairriage is quick wark; in some pairtshere
there's an awfu' trouble to get a man。〃

_A young Fishwife。_ 〃Ay; is there。〃

_Omnes。_ 〃Haw! haw! haw!〃 (The fish…wife hides。)

_Christie。_ 〃Fill your taupsels; lads and lasses; and awa to Veneece。〃

_Sandy Liston (sturdily)。_ 〃I'll no gang to sea this day。〃

_Christie。_ 〃Noo; we are in the hall o' judgment。 Here are set the
judges; awfu' to behold; there; on his throne; presides the Juke。〃

_Flucker。_ 〃She's awa to her Ennglish。〃

_Lizzy Johnstone。_ 〃Did we come to Veeneece to speak Scoetch; ye useless
fule?〃

_Christie。_ 〃Here; pale and hopeless; but resigned; stands the broken
mairchant; Antonio; there; wi scales and knives; and revenge in his
murderin' eye; stands the crewel Jew Shylock。〃

〃Aweel;〃 muttered Sandy; considerately; 〃I'll no mak a disturbance on a
wedding day。〃

_Christie。_ 〃They wait for BellI dinna mind his minda laerned lawyer;
ony way; he's sick; but sends ane mair laerned still; and; when this ane
comes; he looks not older nor wiser than mysel。〃

_Flucker。_ 〃No possible!〃

_Christie。_ 〃Ye needna be sae sarcy; Flucker; for when he comes to his
wark he soon lets 'em kenruns his een like lightening ower the boend。
'This bond's forfeit。 Is Antonio not able to dischairge the money?' 'Ay!'
cries Bassanio; 'here's the sum thrice told。' Says the young judge in a
bit whisper to Shylock; 'Shylock; there's thrice thy money offered thee。
Be mairceful;' says he; out loud。 'Wha'll mak me?' says the Jew body。
'Mak ye!' says he; 'maircy is no a thing ye strain through a sieve; mon;
it droppeth like the gentle dew fra' heaven upon the place beneath; it
blesses him that gives and him that taks; it becomes the king better than
his throne; and airthly power is maist like God's power when maircy
seasons justice。'〃

_Robert Haw; Fisherman。_ 〃Dinna speak like that to me; onybody; or I
shall gie ye my boat; and fling my nets intil it; as ye sail awa wi'
her。〃

_Jean Carnie。_ 〃Sae he let the puir deevil go。 Oh! ye ken wha could stand
up against siccan a shower o' Ennglish as thaat。〃

_Christie。_ 〃He just said; 'My deeds upon my heed。 I claim the law;' says
he; 'there is no power in the tongue o' man to alter me。 I stay here on
my boend。'〃

_Sandy Liston。_ 〃I hae sat quiet!quiet I hae sat against my will; no to
disturb Jamie Drysel's weddin'; but ye carry the game ower far; Shylock;
my lad。 I'll just give yon bluidy…minded urang…utang a hidin'; and bring
Tony off; the gude; puir…spirited creature。 And him; an' me; an'
Bassanee; an' Porshee; we'll all hae a gill thegither。〃

He rose; and was instantly seized by two of the company; from whom he
burst furiously; after a struggle; and the next moment was heard to fall
clean from the top to the bottom of the stairs。 Flucker and Jean ran out;
the rest appealed against the interruption。

_Christie。_ 〃Hech! he's killed。 Sandy Liston's brake his neck。〃

〃What aboot it; lassy?〃 said a young fisherman; 〃it's Antonio I'm feared
for; save him; lassy; if poessible; but I doot ye'll no get him clear o'
yon deevelich heathen。

〃Auld Sandy's cheap sairved;〃 added he; with all the indifference a human
tone could convey。

〃Oh; Cursty;〃 said Lizzie Johnstone; with a peevish accent; 〃dinna break
the bonny yarn for naething。〃

_Flucker (returning)。_ 〃He's a' reicht。〃

_Christie。_ 〃Is he no dead?〃

_Flucker。_ 〃Him deed? he's soberthat's a' the change I see。〃

_Christie。_ 〃Can he speak? I'm asking ye。〃

_Flucker。_ 〃Yes; he can speak。〃

_Christie。_ 〃What does he say; puir body?〃

_Flucker。_ 〃He sat up; an' sought a gill fra' the wifepuir body!〃

_Christie。_ 〃Hech! hech! he was my pupil in the airt o' sobriety!aweel;
the young judge rises to deliver the sentence of the coort。 Silence!〃
thundered Christie。 A lad and a lass that were slightly flirting were
discountenanced。

_Christie。_ 〃'A pund o' that same mairchant's flesh is thine! the coort
awards it; and the law does give it。'〃

_A young Fishwife。_ 〃There; I thoucht sae; he's gaun to cut him; he's
gaun to cut him; I'll no can bide。〃 _(Exibat。)_

_Christie。_ 〃There's a fulish goloshen。 'Have by a doctor to stop the
blood。''I see nae doctor in the boend;' says the Jew body。〃

_Flucker。_ 〃Bait your hook wi' a boend; and ye shall catch yon carle's
saul; Satin; my lad。〃

_Christie (with dismal pathos)。_ 〃Oh; Flucker; dinna speak evil o'
deegnetiesthat's maybe fishing for yoursel' the noo!…'An' ye shall
cut the flesh frae off his breest。''A sentence;' says Shylock; 'come;
prepare。'〃

Christie made a dash _en Shylock;_ and the company trembled。

_Christie。_ 〃'Bide a wee;' says the judge; 'this boend gies ye na a drap
o' bluid; the words expressly are; a pund o' flesh!'〃

_(A Dramatic Pause。)_

_Jean Carnie (drawing her breath)。_ 〃That's into your mutton; Shylock〃

_Christie (with dismal pathos)。_ 〃Oh; Jean! yon's an awfu' voolgar
exprassion to come fra' a woman's mooth。〃

〃Could ye no hae said; 'intil his bacon'?〃 said Lizzie Johnstone;
confirming the remonstrance。

_Christie。_ 〃'Then tak your boend; an' your pund o' flesh; but in cutting
o' 't; if thou dost shed one drop of Christian bluid; thou diest!'〃

_Jean Carnie。_ 〃Hech!〃

_Christie。_ 〃'Thy goods are by the laws Veneece con…fis…cate;
confiscate!'〃

Then; like an artful narrator; she began to wind up the story more
rapidly。

〃Sae Shylock got to be no sae saucy。 'Pay the boend thrice;' says he;
'and let the puir deevil go。''Here it's;' says Bassanio。Na! the young
judge wadna let him。'He has refused it in open coort; no a bawbee for
Shylock but just the forfeiture; an' he daur na tak it。''I'm awa';'
says he。 'The deivil tak ye a'。'Na! he wasna to win clear sae; ance
they'd gotten the Jew on the hep; they worried him; like good Christians;
that's a fact。 The judge fand a law that fitted him; for conspiring
against the life of a citizen; an' he behooved to give up hoose an'
lands; and be a Christian; yon was a soor draphe tarned no weel; puir
auld villain; an' scairtit; an' the lawyers sent ane o' their weary
parchments till his hoose; and the puir auld heathen signed awa' his
siller; an' Abraham; an' Isaac; an' Jacob; on the heed o' 't。 I pity him;
an auld; auld man; and his dochter had rin off wi' a Christian ladthey
ca' her Jessica; and didn't she steal his very diamond ring that his ain
lass gied him when he was young; an' maybe no sae hard…hairted?〃

_Jean Carnie。_ 〃Oh; the jaud! suppose he was a Jew; it was na her
business to clean him oot。〃

_A young Fishwife。_ 〃Aweel; it was only a Jew body; that's my comfort。〃

_Christie。_ 〃Ye speak as a Jew was na a man; has not a Jew eyes; if ye
please?〃

_Lizzy Johnstone。_ 〃Ay; has he!and the awfuest lang neb atween 'em。〃

_Christie。_ 〃Has not a Jew affections; paassions; organs?〃

_Jean。_ 〃Na! Christie; thir lads comes fr' Italy!〃

_Christie。_ 〃If you prick him; does he not bleed? if you tickle him; does
na he lauch?〃

_A young Fishwife (pertly)。_ 〃I never kittlet a Jew; for my pairtsae
I'll no can tell ye。〃

_Christie。_ 〃If you poison him; does he not die? and if you wrang him〃
(with fury) 〃shall he not revenge?〃

_Lizzie Johnstone。_ 〃Oh! but ye're a fearsome lass。〃

_Christie。_ 〃Wha'll give me a sang for my bonny yarn?〃

Lord Ipsden; who had been an unobserved auditor of the latter part of the
tale; here inquired whether she had brought her book。

〃What'n buik?〃

〃Your music…book!〃

〃Here's my music…book;〃 said Jean; roughly tapping her head。

〃And here's mines;〃 said Christie; birdly; touching her bosom。

〃Richard;〃 said she; thoughtfully; 〃I wish ye may no hae been getting in
voolgar company。 Div ye think we hae minds like rinning water?〃

_Flucker (avec malice)。_ 〃And tongues like the mill…clack abune it?
Because if ye think sae; captainye're no far wrang!〃

_Christie。_ 〃Na! we hae na muckle gowd maybe; but our minds are gowden
vessels。〃

_Jean。_ 〃Aha! lad。〃

_Christie。_ 〃They are not saxpenny sieves; to let music an' meter
through; and leave us none the wiser or better。 Dinna gang in low voolgar
company; or you a lost laddy。〃

_Ipsden。_ 〃Vulgar; again! everybody has a different sense for that word;
I think。 What is vulgar?〃

_Christie。_ 〃Voolgar folk sit on an chair; ane; twa; whiles three hours;
eatin' an' abune drinkin'; as still as hoegs; or gruntin' puir every…day
clashes; goessip; rubbich; when ye are aside them; ye might as weel be
aside a cuddy; they canna gie ye a sang; they canna gie ye a story; they
canna think ye a thoucht; to save their useless lives; that's voolgar
folk。〃

She sings。 〃A caaller herrin'!〃

_Jean。_ 〃A caaller herrin'!〃

_Omnes。_

〃Come buy my bonny caaller herrin'; Six a penny caaller from the sea;〃
etc。

The music chimed in; and the moment the song was done; without pause; or
anything to separate or chill the succession of the arts; the fiddles
diverged with a gallant plunge into 〃The Dusty Miller。〃 The dancers found
their feet by an instinct as rapid; and a rattling reel shook the floor
like thunder。 Jean Carnie assumed the privilege of a bride; and seized
his lordship; Christie; who had a mind to dance with him too; took
Flucker captive; and these four were one reel! There were seven others。

The principle of reel dancing is articulation; the foot strikes the
ground for every _accented_ note (and; by the by; it is their weakness of
accent which makes all English reel and hornpipe players such failures)。

And in the best steps of all; which it has in common with the hornpipe;
such as the quick 〃heel and toe;〃 〃the sailor's fling;〃 and the 〃double
shuffle;〃 the foot strikes the ground for every _single_ note of the
instrument。

All good dancing is beautiful。

But this articulate dancing; compared with the loose; lawless diffluence
of motion that goes by that name; gives me (I must confess it) as much
more pleasure as articulate singing is superior to tunes played on the
voice by a young lady:

Or the clean playing of my mothe

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