第 8 节
作者:
天净沙 更新:2021-02-25 00:30 字数:9322
fees and costs to live on。 What is the natural result? Why; he never
looks into the justice of a casenever once。 All he looks at is which
client has got the money。 So this one piled the fees and costs and
everything on to me。 I could pay specie; don't you see? and he knew
mighty well that if he put the verdict on to Mrs。 Brown; where it
belonged; he'd have to take his swag in currency。〃
〃Currency? Why; has Bermuda a currency?〃
〃Yes…onions。 And they were forty per cent。 discount; too; then; because
the season had been over as much as three months。 So I lost my case。
I had to pay for that cat。 But the general trouble the case made was the
worst thing about it。 Broke up so much good feeling。 The neighbors
don't speak to each other now。 Mrs。 Brown had named a child after me。
But she changed its name right away。 She is a Baptist。 Well; in the
course of baptizing it over again it got drowned。 I was hoping we might
get to be friendly again some time or other; but of course this drowning
the child knocked that all out of the question。 It would have saved a
world of heartbreak and ill blood if she had named it dry。〃
I knew by the sigh that this was honest。 All this trouble and all this
destruction of confidence in the purity of the bench on account of a
seven…shilling lawsuit about a cat! Somehow; it seemed to 〃size〃 the
country。
At this point we observed that an English flag had just been placed at
half…mast on a building a hundred yards away。 I and my friends were busy
in an instant trying to imagine whose death; among the island
dignitaries; could command such a mark of respect as this。 Then a
shudder shook them and me at the same moment; and I knew that we had
jumped to one and the same conclusion: 〃The governor has gone to England;
it is for the British admiral!〃
At this moment Mr。 Smith noticed the flag。 He said with emotion:
〃That's on a boarding…house。 I judge there's a boarder dead。〃
A dozen other flags within view went to half…mast。
〃It's a boarder; sure;〃 said Smith。
〃But would they half…mast the flags here for a boarder; Mr。 Smith?〃
〃Why; certainly they would; if he was dead。〃
That seemed to size the country again。
IV
The early twilight of a Sunday evening in Hamilton; Bermuda; is an
alluring time。 There is just enough of whispering breeze; fragrance of
flowers; and sense of repose to raise one's thoughts heavenward; and just
enough amateur piano music to keep him; reminded of the other place。
There are many venerable pianos in Hamilton; and they all play at
twilight。 Age enlarges and enriches the powers of some musical
instrumentsnotably those of the violinbut it seems to set a piano's
teeth on edge。 Most of the music in vogue there is the same that those
pianos prattled in their innocent infancy; and there is something very
pathetic about it when they go over it now; in their asthmatic second
childhood; dropping a note here and there where a tooth is gone。
We attended evening service at the stately Episcopal church on the hill;
where five or six hundred people; half of them white and the other half
black; according to the usual Bermudian proportions; and all well
dresseda thing which is also usual in Bermuda and to be confidently
expected。 There was good music; which we heard; and doubtlessa good
sermon; but there was a wonderful deal of coughing; and so only the high
parts of the argument carried over it。 As we came out; after service;
I overheard one young girl say to another:
〃Why; you don't mean to say you pay duty on gloves and laces! I only pay
postage; have them done up and sent in the Boston Advertiser。〃
There are; those that believe that the most difficult thing to create is
a woman who can comprehend that it is wrong to smuggle; and that an
impossible thing to create is a woman who will not smuggle; whether or
no; when she gets a chance。 But these may be errors。
We went wandering off toward the country; and were soon far down in the
lonely black depths of a road that was roofed over with the dense foliage
of a double rank of great cedars。 There was no sound of any kind there;
it was perfectly still。 And it was so dark that one could detect nothing
but somber outlines。 We strode farther and farther down this tunnel;
cheering the way with chat。
Presently the chat took this shape: 〃How insensibly the character of the
people and of a government makes its impress upon a stranger; and gives
him a sense of security or of insecurity without his taking deliberate
thought upon the matter or asking anybody a question! We have been in
this land half a day; we have seen none but honest faces; we have noted
the British flag flying; which means efficient government and good order;
so without inquiry we plunge unarmed and with perfect confidence into
this dismal place; which in almost any other country would swarm with
thugs and garroters〃
'Sh! What was that? Stealthy footsteps! Low voices! We gasp; we close
up together; and wait。 A vague shape glides out of the dusk and
confronts us。 A voice speaksdemands money!
〃A shilling; gentlemen; if you please; to help build the new Methodist
church。〃
Blessed sound! Holy sound! We contribute with thankful avidity to the
new Methodist church; and are happy to think how lucky it was that those
little colored Sunday…school scholars did not seize upon everything we
had with violence; before we recovered from our momentary helpless
condition。 By the light of cigars we write down the names of weightier
philanthropists than ourselves on the contribution cards; and then pass
on into the farther darkness; saying; What sort of a government do they
call this; where they allow little black pious children; with
contribution cards; to plunge out upon peaceable strangers in the dark
and scare them to death?
We prowled on several hours; sometimes by the seaside; sometimes inland;
and finally managed to get lost; which is a feat that requires talent in
Bermuda。 I had on new shoes。 They were No。 7's when I started; but were
not more than 5's now; and still diminishing。 I walked two hours in
those shoes after that; before we reached home。 Doubtless I could have
the reader's sympathy for the asking。 Many people have never had the
headache or the toothache; and I am one of those myself; but every body
has worn tight shoes for two or three hours; and known the luxury of
taking them off in a retired place and seeing his feet swell up and
obscure the firmament。 Once when I was a callow; bashful cub; I took a
plain; unsentimental country girl to a comedy one night。 I had known her
a day; she seemed divine; I wore my new boots。 At the end of the first
half…hour she said; 〃Why do you fidget so with your feet?〃 I said; 〃Did
I?〃 Then I put my attention there and kept still。 At the end of another
half…hour she said; 〃Why do you say; 'Yes; oh yes!' and 'Ha; ha; oh;
certainly! very true!' to everything I say; when half the time those are
entirely irrelevant answers?〃 I blushed; and explained that I had been a
little absent…minded。 At the end of another half…hour she said; 〃Please;
why do you grin so steadfastly at vacancy; and yet look so sad?〃
I explained that I always did that when I was reflecting。 An hour
passed; and then she turned and contemplated me with her earnest eyes and
said; 〃Why do you cry all the time?〃 I explained that very funny
comedies always made me cry。 At last human nature surrendered; and I
secretly slipped my boots off。 This was a mistake。 I was not able to
get them on any more。 It was a rainy night; there were no omnibuses
going our way; and as I walked home; burning up with shame; with the girl
on one arm and my boots under the other; I was an object worthy of some
compassionespecially in those moments of martyrdom when I had to pass
through the glare that fell upon the pavement from street…lamps。
Finally; this child of the forest said; 〃Where are your boots?〃 and being
taken unprepared; I put a fitting finish to the follies of the evening
with the stupid remark; 〃The higher classes do not wear them to the
theater。〃
The Reverend had been an army chaplain during the war; and while we were
hunting for a road that would lead to Hamilton he told a story about two
dying soldiers which interested me in spite of my feet。 He said that in
the Potomac hospitals rough pine coffins were furnished by government;
but that it was not always possible to keep up with the demand; so; when
a man died; if there was no coffin at hand he was buried without one。
One night; late; two soldiers lay dying in a ward。 A man came in with a
coffin on his shoulder; and stood trying to make up his mind which of
these two poor fellows would be likely to need it first。 Both of them
begged for it with their fading eyesthey were past talking。 Then one
of them protruded a wasted hand from his blankets and made a feeble
beckoning sign with the fingers; to signify; 〃Be a good fellow; put it
under my bed; please。〃 The man did it; and left。 The lucky soldier
painfully turned himself in his bed until he faced the other warrior;
raised himself partly on his elbow; and began to work up a mysterious