amy foster-第3部分

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head　swam。　　He　gave　me　to　understand　that　he　had



on　his　passage　beheld　uncounted　multitudes　of　peo…



plewhole　nationsall　dressed　in　such　clothes　as



the　rich　wear。　　Once　he　was　made　to　get　out　of　the



carriage；　and　slept　through　a　night　on　a　bench　in



a　house　of　bricks　with　his　bundle　under　his　head；



and　once　for　many　hours　he　had　to　sit　on　a　floor　of



flat　stones　dozing；　with　his　knees　up　and　with　his



bundle　between　his　feet。　　There　was　a　roof　over　him；



which　seemed　made　of　glass；　and　was　so　high　that



the　tallest　mountain…pine　he　had　ever　seen　would



have　had　room　to　grow　under　it。　　Steam…machines



rolled　in　at　one　end　and　out　at　the　other。　　People



swarmed　more　than　you　can　see　on　a　feast…day



round　the　miraculous　Holy　Image　in　the　yard　of



the　Carmelite　Convent　down　in　the　plains　where；



before　he　left　his　home；　he　drove　his　mother　in　a



wooden　carta　pious　old　woman　who　wanted　to



offer　prayers　and　make　a　vow　for　his　safety。　　He



could　not　give　me　an　idea　of　how　large　and　lofty



and　full　of　noise　and　smoke　and　gloom；　and　clang



of　iron；　the　place　was；　but　some　one　had　told　him



it　was　called　Berlin。　　Then　they　rang　a　bell；　and



another　steam…machine　came　in；　and　again　he　was



taken　on　and　on　through　a　land　that　wearied　his



eyes　by　its　flatness　without　a　single　bit　of　a　hill　to



be　seen　anywhere。　　One　more　night　he　spent　shut



up　in　a　building　like　a　good　stable　with　a　litter　of



straw　on　the　floor；　guarding　his　bundle　amongst　a



lot　of　men；　of　whom　not　one　could　understand　a



single　word　he　said。　　In　the　morning　they　were　all



led　down　to　the　stony　shores　of　an　extremely　broad



muddy　river；　flowing　not　between　hills　but　between



houses　that　seemed　immense。　　There　was　a　steam…



machine　that　went　on　the　water；　and　they　all　stood



upon　it　packed　tight；　only　now　there　were　with



them　many　women　and　children　who　made　much



noise。　　A　cold　rain　fell；　the　wind　blew　in　his　face；



he　was　wet　through；　and　his　teeth　chattered。　　He



and　the　young　man　from　the　same　valley　took　each



other　by　the　hand。







〃They　thought　they　were　being　taken　to　Amer…



ica　straight　away；　but　suddenly　the　steam…machine



bumped　against　the　side　of　a　thing　like　a　house　on



the　water。　　The　walls　were　smooth　and　black；　and



there　uprose；　growing　from　the　roof　as　it　were；



bare　trees　in　the　shape　of　crosses；　extremely　high。



That's　how　it　appeared　to　him　then；　for　he　had



never　seen　a　ship　before。　　This　was　the　ship　that



was　going　to　swim　all　the　way　to　America。　　Voices



shouted；　everything　swayed；　there　was　a　ladder



dipping　up　and　down。　　He　went　up　on　his　hands



and　knees　in　mortal　fear　of　falling　into　the　water



below；　which　made　a　great　splashing。　　He　got　sep…



arated　from　his　companion；　and　when　he　descended



into　the　bottom　of　that　ship　his　heart　seemed　to　melt



suddenly　within　him。







〃It　was　then　also；　as　he　told　me；　that　he　lost　con…



tact　for　good　and　all　with　one　of　those　three　men



who　the　summer　before　had　been　going　about



through　all　the　little　towns　in　the　foothills　of　his



country。　　They　would　arrive　on　market　days　driv…



ing　in　a　peasant's　cart；　and　would　set　up　an　office



in　an　inn　or　some　other　Jew's　house。　　There　were





three　of　them；　of　whom　one　with　a　long　beard



looked　venerable；　and　they　had　red　cloth　collars



round　their　necks　and　gold　lace　on　their　sleeves



like　Government　officials。　　They　sat　proudly　behind



a　long　table；　and　in　the　next　room；　so　that　the　com…



mon　people　shouldn't　hear；　they　kept　a　cunning



telegraph　machine；　through　which　they　could　talk



to　the　Emperor　of　America。　　The　fathers　hung



about　the　door；　but　the　young　men　of　the　mountains



would　crowd　up　to　the　table　asking　many　questions；



for　there　was　work　to　be　got　all　the　year　round　at



three　dollars　a　day　in　America；　and　no　military



service　to　do。







〃But　the　American　Kaiser　would　not　take　every…



body。　　Oh；　no！　　He　himself　had　a　great　difficulty



in　getting　accepted；　and　the　venerable　man　in　uni…



form　had　to　go　out　of　the　room　several　times　to



work　the　telegraph　on　his　behalf。　　The　American



Kaiser　engaged　him　at　last　at　three　dollars；　he



being　young　and　strong。　　However；　many　able



young　men　backed　out；　afraid　of　the　great　dis…



tance；　besides；　those　only　who　had　some　money



could　be　taken。　　There　were　some　who　sold　their



huts　and　their　land　because　it　cost　a　lot　of　money



to　get　to　America；　but　then；　once　there；　you　had



three　dollars　a　day；　and　if　you　were　clever　you



could　find　places　where　true　gold　could　be　picked



up　on　the　ground。　　His　father's　house　was　getting



over　full。　　Two　of　his　brothers　were　married　and



had　children。　　He　promised　to　send　money　home



from　America　by　post　twice　a　year。　　His　father



sold　an　old　cow；　a　pair　of　piebald　mountain　ponies



of　his　own　raising；　and　a　cleared　plot　of　fair　pas…



ture　land　on　the　sunny　slope　of　a　pine…clad　pass　to



a　Jew　inn…keeper　in　order　to　pay　the　people　of　the



ship　that　took　men　to　America　to　get　rich　in　a



short　time。







〃He　must　have　been　a　real　adventurer　at　heart；



for　how　many　of　the　greatest　enterprises　in　the



conquest　of　the　earth　had　for　their　beginning　just



such　a　bargaining　away　of　the　paternal　cow　for　the



mirage　or　true　gold　far　away！　　I　have　been　telling



you　more　or　less　in　my　own　words　what　I　learned



fragmentarily　in　the　course　of　two　or　three　years；



during　which　I　seldom　missed　an　opportunity　of　a



friendly　chat　with　him。　　He　told　me　this　story　of



his　adventure　with　many　flashes　of　white　teeth　and



lively　glances　of　black　eyes；　at　first　in　a　sort　of　anx…



ious　baby…talk；　then；　as　he　acquired　the　language；



with　great　fluency；　but　always　with　that　singing；



soft；　and　at　the　same　time　vibrating　intonation　that



instilled　a　strangely　penetrating　power　into　the



sound　of　the　most　familiar　English　words；　as　if



they　had　been　the　words　of　an　unearthly　language。



And　he　always　would　come　to　an　end；　with　many



emphatic　shakes　of　his　head；　upon　that　awful　sen…



sation　of　his　heart　melting　within　him　directly　he



set　foot　on　board　that　ship。　　Afterwards　there



seemed　to　come　for　him　a　period　of　blank　ignorance；



at　any　rate　as　to　facts。　　No　doubt　he　must　have



been　abominably　sea…sick　and　abominably　unhappy



this　soft　and　passionate　adventurer；　taken　thus



out　of　his　knowledge；　and　feeling　bitterly　as　he　lay



in　his　emigrant　bunk　his　utter　loneliness；　for　his



was　a　highly　sensitive　nature。　　The　next　thing　we



know　of　him　for　certain　is　that　he　had　been　hiding



in　Hammond's　pig…pound　by　the　side　of　the　road



to　Norton　six　miles；　as　the　crow　flies；　from　the　sea。



Of　these　experiences　he　was　unwilling　to　speak：



they　seemed　to　have　seared　into　his　soul　a　sombre



sort　of　wonder　and　indignation。　　Through　the　ru…



mours　of　the　country…side；　which　lasted　for　a　good



many　days　after　his　arrival；　we　know　that　the　fish…



ermen　of　West　Colebrook　had　been　disturbed　and



startled　by　heavy　knocks　against　the　walls　of



weatherboard　cottages；　and　by　a　voice　crying



piercingly　strange　words　in　the　night。　　Several　of



them　turned　out　even；　but；　no　doubt；　he　had　fled　in



sudden　alarm　at　their　rough　angry　tones　hailing



each　other　in　the　darkness。　　A　sort　of　frenzy　must



have　helped　him　up　the　steep　Norton　hill。　　It　was



he；　no　doubt；　who　early　the　following　morning　had



been　seen　lying　（in　a　swoon；　I　should　say）　on　the



roadside　grass　by　the　Brenzett　carrier；　who　actually



got　down　to　have　a　nearer　look；　but　drew　back；　in…



timidated　by　the　perfect　immobility；　and　by　some…



thing　queer　in　the　aspect　of　that　tramp；　sleeping



so　still　under　the　showers。　　As　the　day　advanced；



some　children　came　dashing　into　school　at　Norton



in　such　a　fright　that　the　schoolmistress　went　out



and　spoke　indignantly　to　a　'horrid…looking　man'



on　the　road。　　He　edged　away；　hanging　his　head；



for　a　few　steps；　and　then　suddenly　ran　off　with　ex…



traordinary　fleetness。　　The　driver　of　Mr。　Brad…



ley's　milk…cart　made　no　secret　of　it　that　he　had



lashed　with　his　whip　at　a　hairy　sort　of　gipsy　fel…



low　who；　jumping　up　at　a　turn　of　the　road　by　the



Vents；　made　a　snatch　at　the　pony's　bridle。　　And



he　caught　him　a　good　one　too；　right　over　the　face；



he　said；　that　made　him　drop　down　in　the　mud　a



jolly　sight　quicker　than　he　had　jumped　up；　but　it



was　a　good　half…a…mile　before　he　could　stop　the



pony。　　Maybe　that　in　his　desperate　endeavours　to



get　help；　and　in　his　need　to　get　in　touch　with　some



one；　the　poor　devil　had　tried　to　stop　the　cart。　　Also



three　boys　confessed　afterwards　to　throwing　stones



at　a　funny　tramp；　knocking　about　all　wet　and



muddy；　and；　it　seemed；　very　drunk；　in　the　narrow



deep　lane　by　the　limekilns。　　All　this　was　the　talk　of



three　villages　for　days；　but　we　have　Mrs。　Finn's



（the　wife　of　Smith's　waggoner）　unimpeachable



testimony　that　she　saw　him　get　over　the　low　wall　of



Hammond's　pig…pound　and　lurch　straight　at　her；



babbling　aloud　in　a　voice　that　was　enough　to　make



one　die　of　fright。　　Having　the　baby　with　her　in　a



perambulator；　Mrs。　Finn　called　out　to　him　to　go



away；　and　as　he　persisted　in　coming　nearer；　she　hit



him　courageously　with　her　umbrella　over　the　head



and；　without　once　looking　back；　ran　like　the　wind



with　the　perambulator　as　far　as　the　first　house　in



the　village。　　She　stopped　then；　out　of　breath