amy foster-第7部分

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ing。　　The　crooked　cross　made　by　the　castaway；　a



cross　whose　tracing　no　doubt　seemed　to　him　the



most　solemn　part　of　the　whole　ceremony；　is　all　that



remains　now　to　perpetuate　the　memory　of　his　name。







〃His　courtship　had　lasted　some　timeever　since



he　got　his　precarious　footing　in　the　community。　　It



began　by　his　buying　for　Amy　Foster　a　green　satin



ribbon　in　Darnford。　　This　was　what　you　did　in　his



country。　　You　bought　a　ribbon　at　a　Jew's　stall　on



a　fair…day。　　I　don't　suppose　the　girl　knew　what　to



do　with　it；　but　he　seemed　to　think　that　his　honoura…



ble　intentions　could　not　be　mistaken。







〃It　was　only　when　he　declared　his　purpose　to



get　married　that　I　fully　understood　how；　for　a　hun…



dred　futile　and　inappreciable　reasons；　howshall



I　say　odious？he　was　to　all　the　countryside。



Every　old　woman　in　the　village　was　up　in　arms。



Smith；　coming　upon　him　near　the　farm；　promised



to　break　his　head　for　him　if　he　found　him　about



again。　　But　he　twisted　his　little　black　moustache



with　such　a　bellicose　air　and　rolled　such　big；　black



fierce　eyes　at　Smith　that　this　promise　came　to　noth…



ing。　　Smith；　however；　told　the　girl　that　she　must



be　mad　to　take　up　with　a　man　who　was　surely　wrong



in　his　head。　　All　the　same；　when　she　heard　him　in



the　gloaming　whistle　from　beyond　the　orchard　a



couple　of　bars　of　a　weird　and　mournful　tune；　she



would　drop　whatever　she　had　in　her　handshe



would　leave　Mrs。　Smith　in　the　middle　of　a　sentence



and　she　would　run　out　to　his　call。　　Mrs。　Smith



called　her　a　shameless　hussy。　　She　answered　noth…



ing。　　She　said　nothing　at　all　to　anybody；　and　went



on　her　way　as　if　she　had　been　deaf。　　She　and　I　alone



all　in　the　land；　I　fancy；　could　see　his　very　real



beauty。　　He　was　very　good…looking；　and　most



graceful　in　his　bearing；　with　that　something　wild



as　of　a　woodland　creature　in　his　aspect。　　Her　moth…



er　moaned　over　her　dismally　whenever　the　girl　came



to　see　her　on　her　day　out。　　The　father　was　surly；



but　pretended　not　to　know；　and　Mrs。　Finn　once



told　her　plainly　that　'this　man；　my　dear；　will　do



you　some　harm　some　day　yet。'　　And　so　it　went　on。



They　could　be　seen　on　the　roads；　she　tramping　stol…



idly　in　her　finerygrey　dress；　black　feather；　stout



boots；　prominent　white　cotton　gloves　that　caught



your　eye　a　hundred　yards　away；　and　he；　his　coat



slung　picturesquely　over　one　shoulder；　pacing　by



her　side；　gallant　of　bearing　and　casting　tender



glances　upon　the　girl　with　the　golden　heart。　　I



wonder　whether　he　saw　how　plain　she　was。　　Perhaps



among　types　so　different　from　what　he　had　ever



seen；　he　had　not　the　power　to　judge；　or　perhaps



he　was　seduced　by　the　divine　quality　of　her



pity。







〃Yanko　was　in　great　trouble　meantime。　　In　his



country　you　get　an　old　man　for　an　ambassador　in



marriage　affairs。　　He　did　not　know　how　to　pro…



ceed。　　However；　one　day　in　the　midst　of　sheep　in　a



field　（he　was　now　Swaffer's　under…shepherd　with



Foster）　he　took　off　his　hat　to　the　father　and　de…



clared　himself　humbly。　　'I　daresay　she's　fool



enough　to　marry　you；'　was　all　Foster　said。　　'And



then；'　he　used　to　relate；　'he　puts　his　hat　on　his　head；



looks　black　at　me　as　if　he　wanted　to　cut　my　throat；



whistles　the　dog；　and　off　he　goes；　leaving　me　to　do



the　work。'　　The　Fosters；　of　course；　didn't　like　to



lose　the　wages　the　girl　earned：　Amy　used　to　give　all



her　money　to　her　mother。　　But　there　was　in　Foster



a　very　genuine　aversion　to　that　match。　　He　con…



tended　that　the　fellow　was　very　good　with　sheep；



but　was　not　fit　for　any　girl　to　marry。　　For　one



thing；　he　used　to　go　along　the　hedges　muttering　to



himself　like　a　dam'　fool；　and　then；　these　foreign…



ers　behave　very　queerly　to　women　sometimes。　　And



perhaps　he　would　want　to　carry　her　off　somewhere



or　run　off　himself。　　It　was　not　safe。　　He



preached　it　to　his　daughter　that　the　fellow　might



ill…use　her　in　some　way。　　She　made　no　answer。　　It



was；　they　said　in　the　village；　as　if　the　man　had　done



something　to　her。　　People　discussed　the　matter。　　It



was　quite　an　excitement；　and　the　two　went　on



'walking　out'　together　in　the　face　of　opposition。



Then　something　unexpected　happened。







〃I　don't　know　whether　old　Swaffer　ever　under…



stood　how　much　he　was　regarded　in　the　light　of　a



father　by　his　foreign　retainer。　　Anyway　the　rela…



tion　was　curiously　feudal。　　So　when　Yanko　asked



formally　for　an　interview'and　the　Miss　too'　（he



called　the　severe；　deaf　Miss　Swaffer　simply　Miss）



it　was　to　obtain　their　permission　to　marry。



Swaffer　heard　him　unmoved；　dismissed　him　by　a



nod；　and　then　shouted　the　intelligence　into　Miss



Swaffer's　best　ear。　　She　showed　no　surprise；　and



only　remarked　grimly；　in　a　veiled　blank　voice；　'He



certainly　won't　get　any　other　girl　to　marry　him。'







〃It　is　Miss　Swaffer　who　has　all　the　credit　of　the



munificence：　but　in　a　very　few　days　it　came　out



that　Mr。　Swaffer　had　presented　Yanko　with　a　cot…



tage　（the　cottage　you've　seen　this　morning）　and



something　like　an　acre　of　groundhad　made　it



over　to　him　in　absolute　property。　　Willcox　expe…



dited　the　deed；　and　I　remember　him　telling　me　he



had　a　great　pleasure　in　making　it　ready。　　It　re…



cited：　'In　consideration　of　saving　the　life　of　my



beloved　grandchild；　Bertha　Willcox。'







〃Of　course；　after　that　no　power　on　earth　could



prevent　them　from　getting　married。







〃Her　infatuation　endured。　　People　saw　her　go…



ing　out　to　meet　him　in　the　evening。　　She　stared



with　unblinking；　fascinated　eyes　up　the　road　where



he　was　expected　to　appear；　walking　freely；　with　a



swing　from　the　hip；　and　humming　one　of　the　love…



tunes　of　his　country。　　When　the　boy　was　born；　he



got　elevated　at　the　'Coach　and　Horses；'　essayed



again　a　song　and　a　dance；　and　was　again　ejected。



People　expressed　their　commiseration　for　a　woman



married　to　that　Jack…in…the…box。　　He　didn't　care。



There　was　a　man　now　（he　told　me　boastfully）　to



whom　he　could　sing　and　talk　in　the　language　of　his



country；　and　show　how　to　dance　by…and…by。







〃But　I　don't　know。　　To　me　he　appeared　to　have



grown　less　springy　of　step；　heavier　in　body；　less



keen　of　eye。　　Imagination；　no　doubt；　but　it　seems



to　me　now　as　if　the　net　of　fate　had　been　drawn



closer　round　him　already。







〃One　day　I　met　him　on　the　footpath　over　the



Talfourd　Hill。　　He　told　me　that　'women　were　fun…



ny。'　　I　had　heard　already　of　domestic　differences。



People　were　saying　that　Amy　Foster　was　begin…



ning　to　find　out　what　sort　of　man　she　had　married。



He　looked　upon　the　sea　with　indifferent；　unseeing



eyes。　　His　wife　had　snatched　the　child　out　of　his



arms　one　day　as　he　sat　on　the　doorstep　crooning　to



it　a　song　such　as　the　mothers　sing　to　babies　in　his



mountains。　　She　seemed　to　think　he　was　doing　it



some　harm。　　Women　are　funny。　　And　she　had　ob…



jected　to　him　praying　aloud　in　the　evening。　　Why？



He　expected　the　boy　to　repeat　the　prayer　aloud



after　him　by…and…by；　as　he　used　to　do　after　his　old



father　when　he　was　a　childin　his　own　country。



And　I　discovered　he　longed　for　their　boy　to　grow



up　so　that　he　could　have　a　man　to　talk　with　in　that



language　that　to　our　ears　sounded　so　disturbing；



so　passionate；　and　so　bizarre。　　Why　his　wife



should　dislike　the　idea　he　couldn't　tell。　　But　that



would　pass；　he　said。　　And　tilting　his　head　know…



ingly；　he　tapped　his　breastbone　to　indicate　that　she



had　a　good　heart：　not　hard；　not　fierce；　open　to　com…



passion；　charitable　to　the　poor！







〃I　walked　away　thoughtfully；　I　wondered



whether　his　difference；　his　strangeness；　were　not



penetrating　with　repulsion　that　dull　nature　they



had　begun　by　irresistibly　attracting。　　I　won…



dered。　。　。　。〃







The　Doctor　came　to　the　window　and　looked　out



at　the　frigid　splendour　of　the　sea；　immense　in



the　haze；　as　if　enclosing　all　the　earth　with　all



the　hearts　lost　among　the　passions　of　love　and



fear。







〃Physiologically；　now；〃　he　said；　turning　away



abruptly；　〃it　was　possible。　　It　was　possible。〃







He　remained　silent。　　Then　went　on







〃At　all　events；　the　next　time　I　saw　him　he　was



illlung　trouble。　　He　was　tough；　but　I　daresay　he



was　not　acclimatised　as　well　as　I　had　supposed。　　It



was　a　bad　winter；　and；　of　course；　these　mountain…



eers　do　get　fits　of　home　sickness；　and　a　state　of　de…



pression　would　make　him　vulnerable。　　He　was　lying



half　dressed　on　a　couch　downstairs。







〃A　table　covered　with　a　dark　oilcloth　took　up　all



the　middle　of　the　little　room。　　There　was　a　wicker



cradle　on　the　floor；　a　kettle　spouting　steam　on　the



hob；　and　some　child's　linen　lay　drying　on　the



fender。　　The　room　was　warm；　but　the　door　opens



right　into　the　garden；　as　you　noticed　perhaps。







〃He　was　very　feverish；　and　kept　on　muttering



to　himself。　　She　sat　on　a　chair　and　looked　at　him



fixedly　across　the　table　with　her　brown；　blurred



eyes。　　'Why　don't　you　have　him　upstairs？'　I



asked。　　With　a　start　and　a　confused　stammer　she



said；　'Oh！　ah！　I　couldn't　sit　with　him　upstairs；



Sir。'







〃I　gave　her　certain　directions；　and　going　out…



side；　I　said　again　that　he　ought　to　be　in　bed　up…



stairs。　　She　wrung　her　hands。　　'I　couldn't。　　I



couldn't。　　He　keeps　on　saying　somethingI　don't



know　what。'　　With　the　memory　of　all　the　talk



against　the　man　that　had　been　dinn