首页 >出版文学> The Tale of Balen>第5章
  "Ido,Ido!"hecried;"butoh,Ihavenowife!Ihavenowife!"
  TantSanniewasmuchaffected,andcameandstoodnearthebed。
  "Askhimifhewon’thavealittlepap——nice,fine,flourpap。Thereissomeboilingonthekitchenfire。"
  TheGermanmadetheproposal,butthewidowerwavedhishand。
  "No,nothingshallpassmylips。Ishouldbesuffocated。No,no!Speaknotoffoodtome!"
  "Pap,andalittlebrandyin,"saidTantSanniecoaxingly。
  Bonapartecaughttheword。
  "Perhaps,perhaps——ifIstruggledwithmyself——forthesakeofmydutiesI
  mightimbibeafewdrops,"hesaid,lookingwithquiveringlipupintotheGerman’sface。"Imustdomyduty,mustInot?"
  TantSanniegavetheorder,andthegirlwentforthepap。
  "Iknowhowitwaswhenmyfirsthusbanddied。Theycoulddonothingwithme,"theBoer—womansaid,"tillIhadeatenasheep’strotter,andhoney,andalittleroaster—cake。Iknow。"
  Bonapartesatuponthebedwithhislegsstretchedoutinfrontofhim,andahandoneachknee,blubberingsoftly。
  "Oh,shewasawoman!Youareverykindtotryandcomfortme,butshewasmywife。ForawomanthatismywifeIcouldlive;forthewomanthatismywifeIcoulddie!ForawomanthatismywifeIcould——Ah!thatsweetword"wife";whenwillitrestuponmylipsagain?"
  Whenhisfeelingshadsubsidedalittleheraisedthecornersofhisturned—downmouth,andspoketotheGermanwithflabbylips。
  "Doyouthinksheunderstandsme?Oh,tellhereveryword,thatshemayknowIthankher。"
  Atthatinstantthegirlreappearedwithabasinofsteaminggruelandablackbottle。
  TantSanniepouredsomeofitscontentsintothebasin,stirreditwell,andcametothebed。
  "Oh,Ican’t,Ican’t!Ishalldie!Ishalldie!"saidBonaparte,puttinghishandstohisside。
  "Come,justalittle,"saidTantSanniecoaxingly;"justadrop。"
  "It’stoothick,it’stoothick。Ishouldchoke。"
  TantSannieaddedfromthecontentsofthebottleandheldoutaspoonful;
  Bonaparteopenedhismouthlikealittlebirdwaitingforaworm,andhelditopen,asshedippedagainandagainintothepap。
  "Ah,thiswilldoyourheartgood,"saidTantSannie,inwhosemindtherelativefunctionsofheartandstomachwereexceedinglyill—defined。
  Whenthebasinwasemptiedtheviolenceofhisgriefwasmuchassuaged;helookedatTantSanniewithgentletears。
  "Tellhim,"saidtheBoer—woman,"thatIhopehewillsleepwell,andthattheLordwillcomforthim,astheLordonlycan。"
  "Blessyou,dearfriend,Godblessyou,"saidBonaparte。
  WhenthedoorwassafelyshutontheGerman,theHottentot,andtheDutchwoman,hegotoffthebedandwashedawaythesoaphehadrubbedonhiseyelids。
  "Bon,"hesaid,slappinghisleg,"you’rethecutestladIevercameacross。Ifyoudon’tturnouttheoldHymns—and—prayers,andpummeltheRaggedcoat,andgetyourarmsroundthefatone’swaistandawedding—ringonherfinger,thenyouarenotBonaparte。ButyouareBonaparte。Bon,you’reafineboy!"
  Makingwhichpleasingreflection,hepulledoffhistrousersandgotintobedcheerfully。
  Chapter1。VII。HeSetsHisTrap。
  "MayIcomein?IhopeIdonotdisturbyou,mydearfriend,"saidBonaparte,lateoneevening,puttinghisnoseinatthecabindoor,wheretheGermanandhissonsatfinishingtheirsupper。
  ItwasnowtwomonthssincehehadbeeninstalledasschoolmasterinTantSannie’shousehold,andhehadgrownmightyandmoremightydaybyday。Hevisitedthecabinnomore,satclosetoTantSanniedrinkingcoffeealltheevening,andwalkedaboutloftilywithhishandsunderthecoat—tailsoftheGerman’sblackclothandfailedtoseeevenaniggerwhowishedhimadeferentialgoodmorning。ItwasthereforewithnosmallsurprisethattheGermanperceivedBonaparte’srednoseatthedoor。
  "Walkin,walkin,"hesaidjoyfully。"Boy,boy,seeifthereisanycoffeeleft。Well,none。Makeafire。Wehavedonesupper,but——"
  "Mydearfriend,"saidBonaparte,takingoffhishat,"Icamenottosup,notformerecreaturecomforts,butforanhourofbrotherlyintercoursewithakindredspirit。Thepressofbusinessandtheweightofthought,buttheyalone,maysometimespreventmefromsharingthesecretsofmybosomwithhimforwhomIhavesogreatasympathy。YouperhapswonderwhenIshallreturnthetwopounds——"
  "Oh,no,no!Makeafire,makeafire,boy。Wewillhaveapotofhotcoffeepresently,"saidtheGerman,rubbinghishandsandlookingabout,notknowinghowbesttoshowhispleasureattheunexpectedvisit。
  ForthreeweekstheGerman’sdiffident"Goodevening"hadmetwithastatelybow;thechinofBonaparteliftingitselfhigherdaily;andhisshadowhadnotdarkenedthecabindoorwaysincehecametoborrowthetwopounds。TheGermanwalkedtotheheadofthebedandtookdownabluebagthathungthere。BluebagswereaspecialityoftheGerman’s。Hekeptabovefiftystowedawayindifferentcornersofhisroom——somefilledwithcuriousstones,somewithseedsthathadbeeninhispossessionfifteenyears,somewithrustynails,buckles,andbitsofoldharness——inall,awonderfulassortment,buthighlyprized。
  "Wehavesomethingherenotsobad,"saidtheGerman,smilingknowingly,ashedivedhishandintothebagandtookoutahandfulofalmondsandraisins;"Ibuytheseformychickens。Theyincreaseinsize,buttheystillthinktheoldmanmusthavesomethingniceforthem。Andtheoldman——well,abigboymayhaveasweettoothsometimes,mayhenot?Ha,ha!"saidtheGerman,chucklingathisownjoke,asheheapedtheplatewithalmonds。"Hereisastone——twostonestocrackthem——nolatepatentimprovement——well,Adam’snut—cracker;ha,ha!ButIthinkweshalldo。
  Wewillnotleavethemuncracked。Wewillconsumeafewwithoutfashionableimprovements。"
  HeretheGermansatdownononesideofthetable,Bonaparteontheother;
  eachonewithacoupleofflatstonesbeforehim,andtheplatebetweenthem。
  "Donotbeafraid,"saidtheGerman,"donotbeafraid。Idonotforgettheboyatthefire;Icrackforhim。Thebagisfull。Why,thisisstrange,"hesaidsuddenly,crackinguponalargenut;"threekernels!I
  havenotobservedthatbefore。Thismustberetained。Thisisvaluable。"
  Hewrappedthenutgravelyinpaper,andputitcarefullyinhiswaistcoatpocket。"Valuable,veryvaluable!"hesaid,shakinghishead。
  "Ah,myfriend,"saidBonaparte,"whatjoyitistobeoncemoreinyoursociety。"
  TheGerman’seyesglistened,andBonaparteseizedhishandandsqueezeditwarmly。Theythenproceededtocrackandeat。AfterawhileBonapartesaid,stuffingahandfulofraisinsintohismouth:
  "Iwassodeeplygrieved,mydearfriend,thatyouandTantSanniehadsomeslightunpleasantnessthisevening。"
  "Oh,no,no,"saidtheGerman;"itisallrightnow。Afewsheepmissing;
  butImakeitgoodmyself。Igivemytwelvesheep,andworkintheothereight。"
  "Itisratherhardthatyoushouldhavetomakegoodthelostsheep,saidBonaparte;"itisnofaultofyours。"
  "Well,"saidtheGerman,"thisisthecase。LasteveningIcountthesheepatthekraal——twentyaremissing。Iasktheherd;hetellsmetheyarewiththeotherflock;hetellsmesodistinctly;howcanIthinkhelies?
  ThisafternoonIcounttheotherflock。Thesheeparenotthere。Icomebackhere:theherdisgone;thesheeparegone。ButIcannot——no,Iwillnot——believehestolethem,"saidtheGerman,growingsuddenlyexcited。
  "Someoneelse,butnothe。Iknowthatboy。Iknewhimthreeyears。Heisagoodboy。Ihaveseenhimdeeplyaffectedonaccountofhissoul。
  Andshewouldsendthepoliceafterhim!IsayIwouldrathermakethelossgoodmyself。Iwillnothaveit;hehasfledinfear。Iknowhisheart。Itwas,"saidtheGerman,withalittlegentlehesitation,"undermywordsthathefirstfelthisneedofaSaviour。"
  Bonapartecrackedsomemorealmonds,thensaid,yawning,andmoreasthoughheaskedforthesakeofhavingsomethingtoconverseaboutthanfromanyinteresthefeltinthesubject:
  "Andwhathasbecomeoftheherd’swife?"
  TheGermanwasalightagaininamoment。
  "Yes;hiswife。Shehasachildsixdaysold,andTantSanniewouldturnheroutintothefieldsthisnight。That,"saidtheGermanrising,"thatiswhatIcallcruelty——diabolicalcruelty。Mysoulabhorsthatdeed。ThemanthatcoulddosuchathingIcouldrunhimthroughwithaknife!"saidtheGerman,hisgreyeyesflashing,andhisbushyblackbeardaddingtothemurderousfuryofhisaspect。Thensuddenlysubsiding,hesaid,"Butallisnowwell;TantSanniegivesherwordthatthemaidshallremainforsomedays。IgotoOomMuller’stomorrowtolearnifthesheepmaynotbethere。Iftheyarenot,thenIreturn。Theyaregone,thatisall。I
  makeitgood。"
  "TantSannieisasingularwoman,"saidBonaparte,takingthetobaccobagtheGermanpassedtohim。
  "Singular!Yes,"saidtheGerman;"butherheartisonherrightside。I
  havelivedlongyearswithher,andImaysay,Ihaveforheranaffection,whichshereturns。Imaysay,"addedtheGermanwithwarmth,"Imaysay,thatthereisnotonesoulonthisfarmforwhomIhavenotanaffection。"
  "Ah,myfriend,"saidBonaparte,"whenthegraceofGodisinourhearts,isitnotwithusall?Dowenotlovetheverywormwetreadupon,andaswetreaduponit?Doweknowdistinctionsofrace,orofsex,orofcolour?No!
  "’Lovesoamazing,sodivine,Itfillsmysoul,mylife,myall。’"
  Afteratimehesankintoalessferventmood,andremarked:
  "ThecolouredfemalewhowaitsuponTantSannieappearstobeofavirtuousdisposition,anindividualwho——"
  "Virtuous!"saidtheGerman;"Ihaveconfidenceinher。Thereisthatinherwhichispure,thatwhichisnoble。Therichandhighthatwalkthisearthwithloftyeyelidsmightexchangewithher。"
  TheGermanheregotuptobringacoalforBonaparte’spipe,andtheysattogethertalkingforawhile。AtlengthBonaparteknockedtheashesoutofhispipe。
  "ItistimethatItookmydeparture,dearfriend,"hesaid;"but,beforeI
  doso,shallwenotclosethiseveningofsweetcommunionandbrotherlyintercoursebyafewwordsofprayer?Oh,howgoodandhowpleasantathingitisforbrethrentodwelltogetherinunity!ItislikethedewuponthemountainsofHermon;fortheretheLordbestowedablessing,evenlifeforevermore。"
  "Stayanddrinksomecoffee,"saidtheGerman。
  "No,thankyou,myfriend;Ihavebusinessthatmustbedonetonight,"saidBonaparte。"Yourdearsonappearstohavegonetosleep。Heisgoingtotakethewagontothemilltomorrow!Whatalittlemanheis。"
  "Afineboy。"
  Butthoughtheboynoddedbeforethefirehewasnotasleep;andtheyallkneltdowntopray。
  WhentheyrosefromtheirkneesBonaparteextendedhishandtoWaldo,andpattedhimonthehead。
  "Goodnight,mylad,"saidhe。"Asyougotothemilltomorrow,weshallnotseeyouforsomedays。Goodnight!Good—bye!TheLordblessandguideyou;andmayHebringyoubacktousinsafetyandfindusallasyouhaveleftus!"Helaidsomeemphasisonthelastwords。"Andyou,mydearfriend,"headded,turningwithredoubledwarmthtotheGerman,"long,longshallIlookbacktothiseveningasatimeofrefreshingfromthepresenceoftheLord,asanhourofblessedintercoursewithabrotherinJesus。
  Maysuchoftenreturn。TheLordblessyou!"headded,withyetdeeperfervour,"richly,richly。"
  Thenheopenedthedoorandvanishedoutintothedarkness。
  "He,he,he!"laughedBonaparte,ashestumbledoverthestones。"Ifthereisn’ttherarestlotoffoolsonthisfarmthateverGodAlmightystucklegsto。He,he,he!Whenthewormscomeoutthentheblackbirdsfeed。
  Ha,ha,ha!"Thenhedrewhimselfup;evenwhenalonehelikedtoposewithacertaindignity;itwassecondnaturetohim。
  Helookedinatthekitchendoor。TheHottentotmaidwhoactedasinterpreterbetweenTantSannieandhimselfwasgone,andTantSannieherselfwasinbed。
  "Nevermind,Bon,myboy,"hesaid,ashewalkedroundtohisownroom,"tomorrowwilldo。He,he,he!"
  Chapter1。VIII。HeCatchestheOldBird。
  Atfouro’clockthenextafternoontheGermanrodeacrosstheplain,returningfromhissearchforthelostsheep。Herodeslowly,forhehadbeeninthesaddlesincesunriseandwassomewhatweary,andtheheatoftheafternoonmadehishorsesleepyasitpickeditswayslowlyalongthesandyroad。Everynowandthenagreatredspiderwouldstartoutofthekarooononesideofthepathandrunacrosstotheother,butnothingelsebrokethestillmonotony。Presently,behindoneofthehighestofthemilk—bushesthatdottedtheroadside,theGermancaughtsightofaKafferwoman,seatedthereevidentlyforsuchshadowasthemilk—bushmightaffordfromtheslopingraysofthesun。
  TheGermanturnedthehorse’sheadoutoftheroad。Itwasnothiswaytopassalivingcreaturewithoutawordofgreeting。Comingnearer,hefounditwasnootherthanthewifeoftheabscondingKafferherd。Shehadababytiedonherbackbyadirtystripofredblanket;anotherstriphardlylargerwastwistedroundherwaist,fortherestherblackbodywasnaked。
  Shewasasullen,ill—lookingwomanwithlipshideouslyprotruding。
  TheGermanquestionedherastohowshecamethere。ShemutteredinbrokenDutchthatshehadbeenturnedaway。Hadshedoneevil?Sheshookherheadsullenly。Hadshehadfoodgivenher?Shegruntedanegative,andfannedthefliesfromherbaby。Tellingthewomantoremainwhereshewas,heturnedhishorse’sheadtotheroadandrodeoffatafuriouspace。
  "Hard—hearted!cruel!Oh,myGod!Isthistheway?Isthischarity?"
  "Yes,yes,yes,"ejaculatedtheoldmanasherodeon;but,presently,hisangerbegantoevaporate,hishorse’spaceslackened,andbythetimehehadreachedhisowndoorhewasnoddingandsmiling。
  Dismountingquickly,hewenttothegreatchestwherehisprovisionswerekept。Herehegotoutalittlemeal,alittlemealies,afewroaster—
  cakes。Thesehetiedupinthreebluehandkerchiefs,andputtingthemintoasailclothbag,hestrungthemoverhisshoulders。Thenhelookedcircumspectlyoutatthedoor。Itwasverybadtobediscoveredintheactofgiving;itmadehimreduptotherootsofhisoldgrizzledhair。Noonewasabout,however,soherodeoffagain。Besidethemilk—bushsattheKafferwomanstill——likeHagar,hethought,thrustoutbyhermistressinthewildernesstodie。Tellinghertoloosenthehandkerchieffromherhead,hepouredintoitthecontentsofhisbag。Thewomantieditupinsullensilence。
  "Youmusttryandgettothenextfarm,"saidtheGerman。
  Thewomanshookherhead;shewouldsleepinthefield。
  TheGermanreflected。Kafferwomenwereaccustomedtosleepintheopenair;butthen,thechildwassmall,andaftersohotadaythenightmightbechilly。Thatshewouldcreepbacktothehutsatthehomesteadwhenthedarknessfavouredher,theGerman’ssagacitydidnotmakeevidenttohim。
  Hetookofftheoldbrownsalt—and—peppercoat,andhelditouttoher。
  Thewomanreceiveditinsilence,andlaiditacrossherknee。"Withthattheywillsleepwarmly;notsobad。Ha,ha!"saidtheGerman。Andherodehome,noddinghisheadinamannerthatwouldhavemadeanyothermandizzy。
  "Iwishhewouldnotcomebacktonight,"saidEm,herfacewetwithtears。
  "Itwillbejustthesameifhecomesbacktomorrow,"saidLyndall。
  ThetwogirlssatonthestepofthecabinweepingfortheGerman’sreturn。
  Lyndallshadedhereyeswithherhandfromthesunsetlight。
  "Therehecomes,"shesaid,"whistling’AchJerusalemduschone’soloudI
  canhearhimfromhere。"
  "Perhapshehasfoundthesheep。"
  "Foundthem!"saidLyndall。"Hewouldwhistlejustsoifheknewhehadtodietonight。"
  "Youlookatthesunset,eh,chickens?"theGermansaid,ashecameupatasmartcanter。"Ah,yes,thatisbeautiful!"headded,ashedismounted,pausingforamomentwithhishandonthesaddletolookattheeveningsky,wherethesunshotuplongflamingstreaks,betweenwhichandtheeyethinyellowcloudsfloated。"Ei!youweep?"saidtheGerman,asthegirlsranuptohim。
  BeforetheyhadtimetoreplythevoiceofTantSanniewasheard。
  "Youchild,ofthechild,ofthechildofaKaffer’sdog,comehere!"
  TheGermanlookedup。HethoughttheDutchwoman,comeouttocoolherselfintheyard,calledtosomemisbehavingservant。Theoldmanlookedroundtoseewhoitmightbe。
  "YouoldvagabondofaprayingGerman,areyoudeaf?"
  TantSanniestoodbeforethestepsofthekitchen;uponthemsattheleanHottentot,uponthehigheststoodBonaparteBlenkins,bothhandsfoldedunderthetailsofhiscoat,andhiseyesfixedonthesunsetsky。
  TheGermandroppedthesaddleontheground。
  "Bish,bish,bish!whatmaythisbe?"hesaid,andwalkedtowardthehouse。
  "Verystrange!"
  Thegirlsfollowedhim:Emstillweeping;Lyndallwithherfaceratherwhiteandhereyeswideopen。
  "AndIhavetheheartofadevil,didyousay?Youcouldrunmethroughwithaknife,couldyou?"criedtheDutchwoman。"IcouldnotdrivetheKaffermaidawaybecauseIwasafraidofyou,wasI?Oh,youmiserablerag!Ilovedyou,didI?Iwouldhavelikedtomarryyou,wouldI?wouldI?WOULDI?"criedtheBoer—woman;"youcat’stail,youdog’spaw!Benearmyhousetomorrowmorningwhenthesunrises,"shegasped,"myKafferswilldragyouthroughthesand。Theywoulddoitgladly,anyofthem,forabitoftobacco,forallyourprayingswiththem。"
  "Iambewildered,Iambewildered,saidtheGerman,standingbeforeherandraisinghishandtohisforehead;"I——Idonotunderstand。"
  "Askhim,askhim?"criedTantSannie,pointingtoBonaparte;"heknows。
  Youthoughthecouldnotmakemeunderstand,buthedid,hedid,youoldfool!IknowenoughEnglishforthat。Youbehere,"shoutedtheDutchwoman,"whenthemorningstarrises,andIwillletmyKafferstakeyououtanddragyou,tillthereisnotoneboneleftinyouroldbodythatisnotbrokenasfineasbobootie—meat,youoldbeggar!Allyourragsarenotworththat——theyshouldbethrownoutontotheash—heap,"criedtheBoer—woman;"butIwillhavethemformysheep。Notonerottenhoofofyouroldmaredoyoutakewithyou;Iwillhaveher——all,allformysheepthatyouhavelost,yougodlessthing!"
  TheBoer—womanwipedthemoisturefromhermouthwiththepalmofherhand。
  TheGermanturnedtoBonaparte,whostillstoodonthestepabsorbedinthebeautyofthesunset。
  "Donotaddressme;donotapproachme,lostman,"saidBonaparte,notmovinghiseyenorloweringhischin。"Thereisacrimefromwhichallnaturerevolts;thereisacrimewhosenameisloathsometothehumanear——
  thatcrimeisyours;thatcrimeisingratitude。Thiswomanhasbeenyourbenefactress;onherfarmyouhavelived;afterhersheepyouhavelooked;
  intoherhouseyouhavebeenallowedtoenterandholdDivineservice——anhonourofwhichyouwereneverworthy;andhowhaveyourewardedher?——
  basely,basely,basely!"
  "Butitisallfalse,liesandfalsehoods。Imust,Iwillspeak,"saidtheGerman,suddenlylookingroundbewildered。"DoIdream?Areyoumad?
  Whatmayitbe?"
  "Go,dog,"criedtheDutchwoman;"Iwouldhavebeenarichwomanthisdayifithadnotbeenforyourlaziness。PrayingwiththeKaffersbehindthekraalwalls。Go,youKaffer’sdog!"
  "Butwhatthenisthematter?WhatmayhavehappenedsinceIleft?"saidtheGerman,turningtotheHottentotwoman,whosatuponthestep。
  Shewashisfriend;shewouldtellhimkindlythetruth。Thewomanansweredbyaloud,ringinglaugh。
  "Giveithim,oldmissis!Giveithim!"
  Itwassonicetoseethewhitemanwhohadbeenmasterhunteddown。Thecolouredwomanlaughed,andthrewadozenmealiegrainsintohermouthtochew。
  Allangerandexcitementfadedfromtheoldman’sface。Heturnedslowlyawayandwalkeddownthelittlepathtohiscabin,withhisshouldersbent;
  itwasalldarkbeforehim。Hestumbledoverthethresholdofhisownwell—knowndoor。
  Em,sobbingbitterly,wouldhavefollowedhim;buttheBoer—womanpreventedherbyafloodofspeechwhichconvulsedtheHottentot,solowwereitsimages。
  "Come,Em,"saidLyndall,liftinghersmallproudhead,"letusgoin。Wewillnotstaytohearsuchlanguage。"
  ShelookedintotheBoer—woman’seyes。TantSannieunderstoodthemeaningofthelookifnotthewords。Shewaddledafterthem,andcaughtEmbythearm。ShehadstruckLyndallonceyearsbefore,andhadneverdoneitagain,soshetookEm。
  "Soyouwilldefyme,too,willyou,youEnglishman’sugliness!"shecried,andwithonehandsheforcedthechilddown,andheldherheadtightlyagainstherknee;withtheothershebeatherfirstupononecheek,andthenupontheother。
  ForoneinstantLyndalllookedon,thenshelaidhersmallfingersontheBoer—woman’sarm。WiththeexertionofhalfitsstrengthTantSanniemighthaveflungthegirlbackuponthestones。Itwasnotthepoweroftheslightfingers,tightlythoughtheyclinchedherbroadwrist——sotightlythatatbedtimethemarkswerestillthere;buttheBoer—womanlookedintothecleareyesandatthequiveringwhitelips,andwithahalf—surprisedcurserelaxedherhold。ThegirldrewEm’sarmthroughherown。
  "Move!"shesaidtoBonaparte,whostoodinthedoor,andhe,Bonapartetheinvincible,inthehourofhistriumph,movedtogiveherplace。
  TheHottentotceasedtolaugh,andanuncomfortablesilencefellonallthethreeinthedoorway。
  Onceintheirroom,Emsatdownonthefloorandwailedbitterly。Lyndalllayonthebedwithherarmdrawnacrosshereyes,verywhiteandstill。
  "Hoo,hoo!"criedEm;"andtheywon’tlethimtakethegreymare;andWaldohasgonetothemill。Hoo,hoo,andperhapstheywon’tletusgoandsaygood—byetohim。Hoo,hoo,hoo!"
  "Iwishyouwouldbequiet,"saidLyndallwithoutmoving。"DoesitgiveyousuchfelicitytoletBonaparteknowheishurtingyou?Wewillasknoone。Itwillbesuppertimesoon。Listen——andwhenyouheartheclinkoftheknivesandforkswewillgooutandseehim。
  Emsuppressedhersobsandlistenedintently,kneelingatthedoor。
  Suddenlysomeonecametothewindowandputtheshutterup。
  "Whowasthat?"saidLyndall,starting。
  "Thegirl,Isuppose,"saidEm。Howearlysheisthisevening!"
  ButLyndallsprangfromthebedandseizedthehandleofthedoor,shakingitfiercely。Thedoorwaslockedontheoutside。Shegroundherteeth。
  "Whatisthematter?"askedEm。
  Theroomwasinperfectdarknessnow。