首页 >出版文学> When the World Shook>第23章
  "Doyoustillthreatenmewiththatoutstretchedhand,Preacher?"mockedOro。
  "Ican’tmoveit,"saidBastin;"itseemsturnedtostone。"
  "Bethankfulthatyoualsoarenotturnedtostone。But,becauseyourcouragepleasesme,Iwillspareyou,yes,andwilladvanceyouinmyNewKingdom。Whatshallyoube?ControllerofReligions,Ithink,sinceallthequalitiesthatahighpriestshouldhaveareyours——faith,fanaticismandfolly。"
  "Itisverystrange,"saidBastin,"butallofasuddenmyarmandhandarequitewellagain。Isupposeitmusthavebeen’pinsandneedles’orsomethingofthatsortwhichmademethrowawaythepistolandpullthetriggerwhenIdidn’tmeantodoso。"
  Thenhewenttofetchthatarticlewhichhadfallenbeyondthedais,andquiteforgothisintentionofexecutingOrointheinterestoftestingitsmechanism,whichprovedtobedestroyed。
  Tohisproposedappointmenthemadenoillusion。Ifhecomprehendedwhatwasmeant,whichIdoubt,hetookitasajoke。
  "Hearkenallofyou,"saidOro,liftinghisheadsuddenly,forwhileBastinrecoveredtherevolverhehadbeenbrooding。"ThegreatthingwhichIshalldotomorrowmustbewitnessedbyyoubecausetherebyonlycanyoucometounderstandmypowers。AlsoyonderwhereIbringitaboutinthebowelsoftheearth,youwillbesaferthanelsewhere,sincewhenandperhapsbeforeithappens,thewholeworldwillheaveandshakeandtremble,andI
  knownotwhatmaychance,eveninthesecaves。Forthisreasonalso,donotforgettobringthelittlehoundwithyou,sincehimleastofallofyouwouldIseecometoharm,perhapsbecauseonce,hundredsofgenerationsagoasyoureckontime,Ihadadogveryliketohim。Yourmotherlovedhimmuch,Yva,andwhenshedied,thisdogdiedalso。Heliesembalmedwithheronhercoffinyonderinthetemple,andyesterdayIwenttolookatbothofthem。Thebeastsarewonderfullyalike,whichshowstheeverlastingnessofblood。"
  Hepausedawhile,lostinthought,thencontinued:"AfterthedeedisdoneI’llspeakwithyouandyoushallchoose,Strangers,whetheryouwilldieyourownmasters,orliveontoserveme。
  Nowthereisoneproblemthatislefttometosolve——whetherI
  cansaveacertainland——donotaskwhichitis,Humphrey,thoughIseethequestioninyoureyes——ormustletitgowiththerest。
  IonlyansweryouthatIwilldomybestbecauseyouloveit。Sofarewellforawhile,and,Preacher,beadvisedbymeanddonotaimtoohighagain。"
  "Itdoesn’tmatterwhereIaim,"answeredBastinsturdily,"orwhetherIhitormiss,sincethereissomethingmuchbiggerthanmewaitingtodealwithyou。Thecountriesthatyouthinkyouaregoingtodestroywillsleepquiteaswelltomorrowastheydotonight,Oro。"
  "Muchbetter,Ithink,Preacher,sincebythentheywillhaveleftsorrowandpainandwickednessandwarfarbehindthem。"
  "Wherearewetogo?"Iasked。
  "TheLadyYvawillshowyou,"heanswered,wavinghishand,andoncemorebentoverhisendlesscalculations。
  Yvabeckonedtousandweturnedandfollowedherdownthehall。Sheledustoastreetnearthegatewayofthetempleandthenceintooneofthehouses。TherewasaporticotoitleadingtoacourtoutofwhichopenedroomssomewhatinthePompeianfashion。Wedidnotentertherooms,forattheendofthecourtwereametaltableandthreecouchesalsoofmetal,onwhichwerespreadrich—lookingrugs。WhencethesecameIdonotknowandneverasked,butIrememberthattheywereverybeautifulandsoftasvelvet。
  "Hereyoumaysleep,"shesaid,"ifsleepyoucan,andeatofthefoodthatyouhavebroughtwithyou。TomorrowearlyIwillcallyouwhenitistimeforustostartuponourjourneyintothebowelsoftheearth。"
  "Idon’twanttogoanydeeperthanweare,"saidBastindoubtfully。
  "Ithinkthatnoneofuswanttogo,Bastin,"sheansweredwithasigh。"Yetgowemust。Iprayofyou,angertheLordOronomoreonthisoranyothermatter。Inyourfollyyoutriedtokillhim,andasitchancedheboreitwellbecausehelovescourage。
  Butanothertimehemaystrikeback,andthen,Bastin——"
  "Iamnotafraidofhim,"heanswered,"butIdonotliketunnels。Still,perhapsitwouldbebettertoaccompanyyouthantobeleftinthisplacealone。NowIwillunpackthefood。"
  Yvaturnedtogo。
  "Imustleaveyou,"shesaid,"sincemyfatherneedsmyhelp。
  ThematterhastodowiththeForcethathewouldletloosetomorrow,anditsmeasurements;alsowiththepreparationoftherobesthatwemustwearlestitshouldharmusinitsleap。"
  Somethinginhereyestoldmethatshewishedmetofollowher,andIdidso。Outsidetheporticowherewestoodinthedesolate,lightedstreet,shehalted。
  "Ifyouarenotafraid,"shesaid,"meetmeatmidnightbythestatueofFateinthegreattemple,forIwouldspeakwithyou,Humphrey,where,ifanywhere,wemaybealone。"
  "Iwillcome,Yva。"
  "Youknowtheroad,andthegatesareopen,Humphrey。"
  Thenshegavemeherhandtokissandglidedaway。Ireturnedtotheothersandweate,somewhatsparingly,forwewishedtosaveourfoodincaseofneed,andhavingdrunkoftheLife—
  water,werenothungry。Alsowetalkedalittle,butbycommonconsentavoidedthesubjectofthemorrowandwhatitmightbringforth。
  Weknewthatterriblethingswereafoot,butlackinganyknowledgeofwhatthesemightbe,thoughtituselesstodiscussthem。Indeedweweretoodepressed,somuchsothatevenBastinandBickleyceasedfromarguing。ThelatterwassoovercomebytheexhibitionofOro’spowerswhenhecausedthepistoltoleapintotheairanddischargeitself,thathecouldnotevenpluckupcouragetolaughatthefailureofBastin’seffortstodojusticeontheoldSuper—man,orrathertopreventhimfromattemptingacolossalcrime。
  Atlengthwelaydownonthecouchestorest,Bastinremarkingthathewishedhecouldturnoffthelight,alsothathedidnotintheleastregrethavingtriedtokillOro。Sleepseemedtocometotheothersquickly,butIcouldonlydoze,towakeupfromtimetotime。OfthisIwasnotsorry,sincewheneverI
  droppedoffdreamsseemedtopursueme。Forthemostparttheywereofmydeadwife。Sheappearedtobetryingtoconsolemeforsomeloss,butthestrangethingwasthatsometimesshespokewithherownvoiceandsometimeswithYva’s,andsometimeslookedatmewithherowneyesandsometimeswiththoseofYva。I
  remembernothingelseaboutthesedreams,whichwereveryconfused。
  Afteroneofthem,themostvividofall,Iawokeandlookedatmywatch。Itwashalf—pasteleven,almosttimeformetobestarting。Theothertwoseemedtobefastasleep。PresentlyI
  roseandcreptdownthecourtwithoutwakingthem。Outsidetheportico,whichbythewaywasacuriousexampleofthesurvivalofcustominarchitecture,sincenonewasneededinthatweatherlessplace,Iturnedtotherightandfollowedthewidestreettothetempleenclosure。ThroughthepillaredcourtsI
  went,myfootsteps,althoughIwalkedassoftlyasIcould,echoingloudlyinthatintensesilence,throughthegreatdoorsintotheuttersolitudeofthevastandperfectfane。
  Wordscannottellthelonelinessofthatplace。Itflowedovermelikeaseaandseemedtoswallowupmybeing,sothateventhewildestandmostdangerousbeastwouldhavebeenwelcomeasacompanion。Iwasasterrifiedasachildthatwakestofinditselfdesertedinthedark。Alsoanuncannysenseofterrorstocomeoppressedme,tillIcouldhavecriedaloudifonlytohearthesoundofamortalvoice。YonderwasthegrimstatueofFate,theOracleoftheKingsoftheSonsofWisdom,whichwasbelievedtobowitsstonyheadinanswertotheirprayers。Irantoit,eagerforitsterribleshelter,foroneithersideofitwerefiguresofhumanbeings。Eventheircoldmarblewascompanyofasort,thoughalas!overallfrownedFate。
  LetanyoneimaginehimselfstandingalonebeneaththedomeofSt。Paul’s;inthecentreofthatcathedralbrilliantwithmysteriouslight,andstretchedallaboutitaLondonthathadbeendeadandabsolutelyunpeopledfortensofthousandsofyears。Ifhecandothishewillgathersomeideaofmyphysicalstate。Lethimaddtohismind—pictureaknowledgethatonthefollowingdaysomethingwastohappennotunliketheendoftheworld,asprognosticatedbytheBookofRevelationandbymostastronomers,andhewillhavesomeideaofmymentalperturbations。Addtothemixtureamostmysticyetveryrealloveaffairandanassignationbeforethatsymbolofthecoldfatewhichseemstoswaytheuniversesdowntothetiniestdetailofindividuallives,andhemaybegintounderstandwhatI,HumphreyArbuthnot,experiencedduringmyvigilinthissanctuaryofavanishedrace。
  ItseemedlongbeforeYvacame,butatlastshedidcome。I
  caughtsightofherfarawaybeyondthetemplegate,flittingthroughtheunholybrightnessofthepillaredcourtslikeawhitemothatnightandseemingquiteassmall。Sheapproached;nowshewasasaghost,andthendrawingnear,changedintoaliving,breathing,lovelywoman。Iopenedmyarms,andwithsomethinglikeasobshesankintothemandwekissedasmortalsdo。
  "Icouldnotcomemorequickly,"shesaid。"TheLordOroneededme,andthosecalculationswerelonganddifficult。Alsotwicehemustvisittheplacewhitherweshallgotomorrow,andthattooktime。"
  "Thenitiscloseathand?"Isaid。
  "Humphrey,benotfoolish。Doyounotremember,whohavetravelledwithhim,thatOrocanthrowhissoulafarandbringitbackagainladenwithknowledge,asthefeetofabeeareladenwithgoldendust?Well,hewentandwentagain,andImustwait。
  Andthentherobesandshields;theymustbepreparedbyhisartsandmine。Oh!asknotwhattheyare,thereisnotimetotell,anditmattersnothing。Somefolkarewiseandsomearefoolish,butallwhichmattersisthatwithinthemflowsthebloodoflifeandthatlifebreedslove,andthatlove,asIbelieve,althoughOrodoesnot,breedsimmortality。Andifso,whatisTimebutasagrainofsandupontheshore?"
  "This,Yva;itisours,whocancountonnothingelse。"
  "Oh!Humphrey,ifIthoughtthat,nomorewretchedcreaturewouldbreathetonightuponthisgreatworld。"
  "Whatdoyoumean?"Iasked,growingfearful,moreathermannerandherlookthanatherwords。
  "Nothing,nothing,exceptthatTimeissoveryshort。Akiss,atouch,alittlelightandalittledarkness,anditisgone。AskmyfatherOrowhohaslivedathousandyearsandsleptfortensofthousands,asIhave,andhewillsaythesame。ItisagainstTimethathefights;hewho,believinginnothingbeyond,willinheritnothing,asBastinsays;hetowhomTimehasbroughtnothingsaveapassing,blood—stainedgreatness,andtriumphendingindarknessanddisaster,andhopethatwillsurelysufferhope’seclipse,andpowerthatmustlaydownitscoronetindust。"
  "Andwhathasitbroughttoyou,Yva,beyondafairbodyandasoulofstrength?"
  "Ithasbroughtaspirit,Humphrey。Betweenthemthebodyandthesoulhavebredaspirit,andinthefiresoftribulationfromthatspirithasbeendistilledtheessenceofeternallove。ThatisTime’sgifttome,andtherefore,althoughstillherulesmehere,ImockatFate,"andshewavedherhandwithagestureofdefianceatthestern—faced,sexlesseffigywhichsataboveus,theswordacrossitsknees。
  "Look!Look!"shewentoninaswellingvoiceofmusic,pointingtothestatuesofthedotardandthebeauteouswoman。
  "TheyimploreFate,theyworshipFate。Idonotimplore,IdonotworshiporaskasignasevenOrodoesandasdidhisforefathers。Iriseaboveandtriumph。AsFate,thegodofmypeople,setshisfootuponthesun,soIsetmyfootuponFate,andthence,likeaswimmerfromarock,leapintothewatersofImmortality。"
  Ilookedatherwhosepresence,ashappenedfromtimetotime,hadgrownmajesticbeyondthatofwoman;Istudiedherdeepeyeswhichwerefulloflights,notofthisworld,andIgrewafraid。
  "Whatdoyoumean?"Iasked。"Yva,youtalklikeonewhohasfinishedwithlife。"
  "Itpasses,"sheansweredquickly。"Lifepasseslikebreathfadingfromamirror。Soshouldalltalkwhobreathebeneaththesun。"
  "Yes,Yva,butifyouwentandleftmestillbreathingonthatmockingglass——"
  "Ifso,whatofit?Willnotyourbreathfadealsoandjoinminewhereallvapoursgo?Orifitwereyoursthatfadedandminethatremainedforsomefewhours,isitnotthesame?I
  think,Humphrey,thatalreadyyouhaveseenabelovedbreathmeltfromtheglassoflife,"sheadded,lookingatmeearnestly。
  Ibowedmyheadandanswered:
  "Yes,andthereforeIamashamed。"
  "Oh!whyshouldyoubeashamed,Humphrey,whoarenotsurebutthattwobreathsmayyetbeonebreath?Howdoyouknowthatthereisadifferencebetweenthem?"
  "Youdrivememad,Yva。Icannotunderstand。"
  "NorcanIaltogether,Humphrey。WhyshouldI,seeingthatIamnomorethanwoman,asyouarenomorethanman?Iwouldalwayshaveyouremember,Humphrey,thatIamnospiritorsorceress,butjustawoman——likeheryoulost。"
  Ilookedatherdoubtfullyandanswered:
  "Womendonotsleepfortwohundredthousandyears。Womendonottakedreamjourneystothestars。Womendonotmakethedeadpastliveagainbeforethewatcher’seyes。Theirhairdoesnotglimmerinthedusknordotheirbodiesgleam,norhavetheysuchstrengthofsouloreyessowonderful,orlovelinesssogreat。"
  Thesewordsappearedtodistressherwho,asitseemedtome,wasaboveallthingsanxioustoproveherselfwomanandnomore。
  "Allthesequalitiesarenothing,Humphrey,"shecried。"Asforthebeauty,suchasitis,itcomestomewithmyblood,andwithittheglitterofmyhairwhichistheheritageofthosewhoforgenerationshavedrunkoftheLife—water。MymotherwaslovelierthanI,aswashermother,orsoIhaveheard,sinceonlythefairestwerethewivesoftheKingsoftheChildrenofWisdom。
  Fortherest,suchartsasIhavespringnotfrommagic,butfromknowledgewhichyourpeoplewillacquireindaystocome,thatis,ifOrosparesthem。SurelyyouaboveallshouldknowthatI
  amonlywoman,"sheaddedveryslowlyandsearchingmyfacewithhereyes。
  "Why,Yva?DuringthelittlewhilethatwehavebeentogetherI
  haveseenmuchwhichmakesmedoubt。EvenBickleythescepticdoubtsalso。"
  "Iwilltellyou,thoughIamnotsurethatyouwillbelieveme。"Sheglancedaboutherasthoughshewerefrightenedlestsomeoneshouldoverhearherwordsorreadherthoughts。Thenshestretchedoutherhandsanddrawingmyheadtowardsher,putherlipstomyearandwhispered:
  "Becauseonceyousawmedie,aswomenoftendie——givinglifeforlife。"
  "Isawyoudie?"Igasped。
  Shenodded,thencontinuedtowhisperinmyear,notinherownvoice,butanother’s:
  "Gowhereyouseemcalledtogo,faraway。Oh!thewonderfulplaceinwhichyouwillfindme,notknowingthatyouhavefoundme。Good—byeforalittlewhile;onlyforalittlewhile,myown,myown!"
  IknewthevoiceasIknewthewords,andknowing,IthinkthatIshouldhavefallentotheground,hadshenotsupportedmewithherstrongarms。
  "Whotoldyou?"Istammered。"WasitBickleyorBastin?Theyknew,thoughneitherofthemheardthoseholywords。"
  "NotBickleynorBastin,"sheanswered,shakingherhead,"no,noryouyourself,awakeorsleeping,thoughonce,bythelakeyonder,yousaidtomethatwhenacertainonelaydying,shebadeyouseekherelsewhere,forcertainlyyouwouldfindher。
  Humphrey,IcannotsaywhotoldmethosewordsbecauseIdonotknow。Ithinktheyareamemory,Humphrey!"
  "Thatwouldmeanthatyou,Yva,arethesameasonewhowas——
  notcalledYva。"
  "ThesameasonewhowascalledNatalie,Humphrey,"sherepliedinsolemnaccents。"Onewhomyoulovedandwhomyoulost。"
  "Thenyouthinkthatweliveagainuponthisearth?"
  "Againandyetagain,untilthetimecomesforustoleavetheearthforever。Ofthis,indeed,Iamsure,forthatknowledgewaspartofthesecretwisdomofmypeople。"
  "Butyouwerenotdead。Youonlyslept。"
  "Thesleepwasadeath—sleepwhichwentbylikeaflash,yes,inaninstant,orsoitseemed。Onlytheshellofthebodyremainedpreservedbymortalarts,andwhenthereturningspiritandthelightoflifewerepouredintoitagain,itawoke。Butduringthislongdeath—sleep,thatspiritmayhavespokenthroughotherlipsandthatlightmayhaveshonethroughothereyes,thoughoftheseIremembernothing。"
  "Thenthatdreamofourvisittoacertainstarmaybenodream?"
  "Ithinknodream,andyou,too,havethoughtasmuch。"
  "Inaway,yes,Yva。ButIcouldnotbelieveandturnedfromwhatIheldtobeaphantasy。"
  "Itwasnatural,Humphrey,thatyoushouldnotbelieve。
  Hearken!InthistempleawhileagoIshowedyouapictureofmyselfandofamanwholovedmeandwhomIloved,andofhisdeathatOro’shands。Didyounoteanythingaboutthatman?"
  "Bickleydid,"Ianswered。"Washeright?"
  "Ithinkthathewasright,sinceotherwiseIshouldnothavelovedyou,Humphrey。"
  "Iremembernothingofthatman,Yva。"
  "Itisprobablethatyouwouldnot,sinceyouandheareveryfarapart,whilebetweenyouandhimflowwideseasofdeath,whereinaresetislandsoflife;perhapsmanyofthem。ButI
  remembermuchwhoseemtohavelefthimbutaverylittlewhileago。"
  "Whenyouawokeinyourcoffinandthrewyourarmsaboutme,whatdidyouthink,Yva?"
  "Ithoughtyouwerethatman,Humphrey。"
  Therewassilencebetweenusandinthatsilencethetruthcamehometome。ThentherebeforetheeffigyofFateandinthedesolate,glowingtempleweplightedanewourtrothmadeholybyapast。thatthussowonderfullylivedagain。
  OfthisconsecratedhourIsaynomore。Leteachpictureitashewill。Agloryasofheavenfelluponusandinitwedweltaspace。
  "Beloved,"shewhisperedatlengthinavoicethatwaschokedasthoughwithtears,"ifitchancesthatweshouldbeseparatedagainforalittlewhile,youwillnotgrieveovermuch?"
  "KnowingallIshouldtrynottogrieve,Yva,seeingthatintruthwenevercanbeparted。ButdoyoumeanthatIshalldie?"
  "Beingmortaleitherofusmightseemtodie,Humphrey,"andshebentherheadasthoughtohideherface。"Youknowwegointodangersthisday。"
  "DoesOroreallypurposetodestroymuchoftheworldandhasheintruththepower,Yva?"
  "Hedoessopurposeandmostcertainlyhehasthepower,unless——unlesssomeotherPowershouldstayhishand。"
  "Whatotherpower,Yva?"
  "Oh!perhapsthatwhichyouworship,thatwhichiscalledLove。
  Theloveofmanmayavertthemassacreofmen。Ihopesowithallmyheart。Hist!Orocomes。Ifeel,Iknowthathecomes,thoughnotinsearchofuswhoareveryfarfromhisthoughttonight。
  Followme。Swiftly。"
  Shespedacrossthetempletowhereachapelopenedoutofit,whichwasfullofthestatuesofdeadkings,forherewastheentrancetotheirburialvault。Wereacheditandhidbehindthebaseofoneofthesestatues。Bystandingtoourfullheight,withoutbeingseenwestillcouldseebetweenthefeetofthestatuethatstooduponapedestal。
  ThenOrocame。
  ChapterXXIV
  TheChariotofthePitOrocameandofnecessityalone。Yettherewasthatinhisairasheadvancedintothetemple,whichsuggestedamonarchsurroundedbythepompandpanoplyofagreatcourt。Hemarched,hisheadheldhigh,asthoughheraldsandpursuivantswentinfrontofhim,asthoughnoblessurroundedhimandguardsorregimentsfollowedafterhim。Letitbeadmittedthathewasagreatfigureinhisgorgeousrobes,withhislongwhitebeard,hishawk—likefeatures,histallshapeandhisglitteringeyes,whichevenatthatdistanceIcouldsee。IndeedonceortwiceI
  thoughtthatheglancedoutofthecornersofthemtowardsthechapelwherewewerehid。ButthisIthinkwasfancy。ForasYvasaid,histhoughtsweresetelsewhere。
  HereachedthestatueofFateandstoodforawhilecontemplatingitandthesuppliantfiguresoneitherside,asthoughhewerewaitingforhisinvisiblecourttoarrangeitself。
  Thenhedoffedhisjewelledcaptotheeffigy,andkneltbeforeit。Yes,OrotheAncient,theSuper—man,theGod,astheearlypeoplesoftheearthfanciedsuchabeing,namely,onefullofwrath,revenge,jealousy,capriceandpower,kneltinsupplicationtothisimageofstonewhichhebelievedtobethehomeofaspirit,therebyshowinghimselftobeafterallnotsofarremovedfromthesavageswhoseidolBastinhaddestroyed。
  More,inaclearandresonantvoicewhichreachedusevenacrossthatgreatspace,heputuphisprayer。Itransomethingasfollows,foralthoughIdidnotunderstandthelanguageinwhichhespokeYvatranslatedittomeinawhisper:
  "GodoftheSonsofWisdom,Godofthewholeearth,onlyGodtowhommustboweveryotherPowerandDominion,totheeI,OrotheGreatKing,makeprayerandoffersacrifice。TwentytimestenthousandyearsandmorehavegonebysinceI,Oro,visitedthis,thytempleandkneltbeforethis,thylivingeffigy,yetthou,ruleroftheworld,dostremembertheprayerImadeandthesacrificeIoffered。Theprayerwasfortriumphovermyenemiesandthesacrificeapromiseofthelivesofhalfofthosewhointhatdaydweltupontheearth。Thouheardesttheprayer,thoudidstbowthyheadandacceptthesacrifice。Yea,theprayerwasgrantedandthesacrificewasmade,andinitwerecountedthenumberofmyfoes。
  "ThenIslept。ThroughcountlessgenerationsIsleptonandatmysidewastheonechildofmybodythatwaslefttome。Whatchancedtomyspiritandtohersduringthatsleep,thouknowestalone,butdoubtlesstheywentforthtoworkthyends。
  "Attheappointedtimewhichthoudidstdecree,Iawokeagainandfoundinmyhousestrangersfromanotherland。InthecompanyofoneofthosewhosespiritIdrewforth,Ivisitedthepeoplesofthenewearth,andfoundthemevenbaserandmoreevilthanthosewhomIhadknown。Therefore,sincetheycannotbebettered。
  Ipurposetodestroythemalso,andontheirwrecktorebuildagloriousempire,suchaswasthatoftheSonsofWisdomatitsprime。
  "Asign!OFate,ruleroftheworld,givemeasignthatmydesireshallbefulfilled。"
  Hepaused,stretchingouthisarmsandstaringupwards。WhilehewaitedIfeltthesolidrockonwhichIstoodquiverandswaybeneathmyfeetsothatYvaandIclungtoeachotherlestweshouldfall。Thischancedalso。Theshockoftheearthtremor,forsuchwithoutdoubtitwas,threwdownthefiguresoftheancientmanandthelovelywomanwhichkneltasthoughmakingprayerstoFate,andshookthemarbleswordfromoffitsknees。