登陆注册
5159000000068

第68章

`Wasn't this bound to happen?' said Gudrun, with heavy hateful irony.But he hardly heard, and she glanced over her shoulder to see her way.The half-dark waters were sprinkled with lovely bubbles of swaying lights, the launch did not look far off.She was rocking her lights in the early night.Gudrun rowed as hard as she could.But now that it was a serious matter, she seemed uncertain and clumsy in her stroke, it was difficult to paddle swiftly.She glanced at his face.He was looking fixedly into the darkness, very keen and alert and single in himself, instrumental.

Her heart sank, she seemed to die a death.`Of course,' she said to herself, `nobody will be drowned.Of course they won't.It would be too extravagant and sensational.' But her heart was cold, because of his sharp impersonal face.It was as if he belonged naturally to dread and catastrophe, as if he were himself again.

Then there came a child's voice, a girl's high, piercing shriek:

`Di -- Di -- Di -- Di -- Oh Di -- Oh Di -- Oh Di!'

The blood ran cold in Gudrun's veins.

`It's Diana, is it,' muttered Gerald.`The young monkey, she'd have to be up to some of her tricks.'

And he glanced again at the paddle, the boat was not going quickly enough for him.It made Gudrun almost helpless at the rowing, this nervous stress.

She kept up with all her might.Still the voices were calling and answering.

`Where, where? There you are -- that's it.Which? No -- No-o-o.Damn it all, here, here --' Boats were hurrying from all directions to the scene, coloured lanterns could be seen waving close to the surface of the lake, reflections swaying after them in uneven haste.The steamer hooted again, for some unknown reason.Gudrun's boat was travelling quickly, the lanterns were swinging behind Gerald.

And then again came the child's high, screaming voice, with a note of weeping and impatience in it now:

`Di -- Oh Di -- Oh Di -- Di --!'

It was a terrible sound, coming through the obscure air of the evening.

`You'd be better if you were in bed, Winnie,' Gerald muttered to himself.

He was stooping unlacing his shoes, pushing them off with the foot.

Then he threw his soft hat into the bottom of the boat.

`You can't go into the water with your hurt hand,' said Gudrun, panting, in a low voice of horror.

`What? It won't hurt.'

He had struggled out of his jacket, and had dropped it between his feet.

He sat bare-headed, all in white now.He felt the belt at his waist.They were nearing the launch, which stood still big above them, her myriad lamps making lovely darts, and sinuous running tongues of ugly red and green and yellow light on the lustrous dark water, under the shadow.

`Oh get her out! Oh Di, darling! Oh get her out! Oh Daddy, Oh Daddy!' moaned the child's voice, in distraction.Somebody was in the water, with a life belt.Two boats paddled near, their lanterns swinging ineffectually, the boats nosing round.

`Hi there -- Rockley! -- hi there!'

`Mr Gerald!' came the captain's terrified voice.`Miss Diana's in the water.'

`Anybody gone in for her?' came Gerald's sharp voice.

`Young Doctor Brindell, sir.'

`Where?'

`Can't see no signs of them, sir.Everybody's looking, but there's nothing so far.'

There was a moment's ominous pause.

`Where did she go in?'

`I think -- about where that boat is,' came the uncertain answer, `that one with red and green lights.'

`Row there,' said Gerald quietly to Gudrun.

`Get her out, Gerald, oh get her out,' the child's voice was crying anxiously.He took no heed.

`Lean back that way,' said Gerald to Gudrun, as he stood up in the frail boat.`She won't upset.'

In another moment, he had dropped clean down, soft and plumb, into the water.Gudrun was swaying violently in her boat, the agitated water shook with transient lights, she realised that it was faintly moonlight, and that he was gone.So it was possible to be gone.A terrible sense of fatality robbed her of all feeling and thought.She knew he was gone out of the world, there was merely the same world, and absence, his absence.The night seemed large and vacuous.Lanterns swayed here and there, people were talking in an undertone on the launch and in the boats.She could hear Winifred moaning: ` Oh do find her Gerald, do find her ,' and someone trying to comfort the child.Gudrun paddled aimlessly here and there.The terrible, massive, cold, boundless surface of the water terrified her beyond words.

Would he never come back? She felt she must jump into the water too, to know the horror also.

She started, hearing someone say: `There he is.' She saw the movement of his swimming, like a water-rat.And she rowed involuntarily to him.

But he was near another boat, a bigger one.Still she rowed towards him.

She must be very near.She saw him -- he looked like a seal.He looked like a seal as he took hold of the side of the boat.His fair hair was washed down on his round head, his face seemed to glisten suavely.She could hear him panting.

Then he clambered into the boat.Oh, and the beauty of the subjection of his loins, white and dimly luminous as be climbed over the side of the boat, made her want to die, to die.The beauty of his dim and luminous loins as be climbed into the boat, his back rounded and soft -- ah, this was too much for her, too final a vision.She knew it, and it was fatal The terrible hopelessness of fate, and of beauty, such beauty!

He was not like a man to her, he was an incarnation, a great phase of life.She saw him press the water out of his face, and look at the bandage on his hand.And she knew it was all no good, and that she would never go beyond him, he was the final approximation of life to her.

`Put the lights out, we shall see better,' came his voice, sudden and mechanical and belonging to the world of man.She could scarcely believe there was a world of man.She leaned round and blew out her lanterns.They were difficult to blow out.Everywhere the lights were gone save the coloured points on the sides of the launch.The blueygrey, early night spread level around, the moon was overhead, there were shadows of boats here and there.

同类推荐
  • 善住意天子所问经

    善住意天子所问经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Tea-table Talk

    Tea-table Talk

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 迦叶仙人说医女人经

    迦叶仙人说医女人经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大乘顶王经

    大乘顶王经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 会真集

    会真集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 秘药

    秘药

    有名青年半夜走在路上,平地刮来一阵阴风,青年裹紧身上大衣,双手叉到了腋下取暖。他往前又继续走了约莫二十分钟,忽然停下了脚步,在夜路上驻足并非他本意,只是他已经不能再往前走了。大家切莫担心,这名青年没有倒霉到刚领了工钱就在半夜回家的路上被劫匪抢去钱财,也不是他的身体出了什么问题,或双脚忽然丧失了前行的动力,而是这条狭窄的只容一人通过的小路上。
  • 弃夫难甩

    弃夫难甩

    梧桐新文《总裁的代育禁宠》颜曼蝶,现代女子,婚礼前夕,她无意间撞见继母与未婚夫偷情而被推进大海致命一劫,她在赫连堡刚死的新娘身上重生然而等待她的却是万劫不复他说:“你最好祈祷浅唱能活过来,否则我要你陪葬!”他说:“你不过是一棵棋子而已。在百里山庄是,在赫连堡亦是!”他说:“我要你求生不得,求死不能…”失身、失心、失子…让她再一次尝透爱情的苦当殷红的血从下身不断洇出,她才明白,她于他而言,永远只是棋子前世今生,古代现代,两段婚姻背后都是阴谋她,要如何逃出棋子的宿命?眼看她绝望的纵身跃下悬崖,他才彻底醒悟,她才是他生命之重仰天长啸,却悔之已晚逃妻难追,穿越时空来寻你站在车来车往的大街,汽车喇叭声不绝于耳迷茫的仰望她的世界,他态度坚决:“蝶儿,不管是前世今生,还是上天入地,我都要找到你!”★花絮★:某幢雄伟的大楼前,颜曼蝶在众多保安、职员的拥护下走出,他冲上去急切的呼唤:“蝶儿…”她回头,片刻的怔忡之后,勾唇冷笑:“先生,请问你哪位?”“我是你的夫…”“夫?不好意思,我未婚夫在这里!”随手一指,他看到一张和百里熙一模一样的脸孔,瞬间苍白了脸,“你到底,还是和他在一起了…”“我已经是你的人了,你要对我负责!”莫名其妙的一夜春宵后,床上古典美的男人腆着脸赖皮道。某女满头黑线:“赫连先生,你N百年前就不是处了,我负什么责啊?”“那,你的处是我破的,换我对你负责好了!”某男嘿嘿一笑,再次把她扑倒,心里暗暗发誓,“小女人,这辈子你休想再甩掉我!”《浅唱篇》——苏浅唱和百里熙的故事。江南苏家曾名盛一时。用父亲的话来说,平生得意之事,一是娶了个如花似玉的母亲,二是收着一部祖传的剑谱——虽然他没学成功,但在江湖上提起来,也是挺骄傲的。谁能想到,就这是两桩,成了苏家灭门的原因。五岁的苏浅唱,眼睁的看见着母亲被奸杀,那一刻,仇恨的火就燃烧了她。辗转多年,一场居心叵测的南北联姻,成全她复仇的心愿。可是,也毁了心上人的一生。悬崖边上,她抱着昏迷不醒的他,慢慢落下泪来。如果时光可以重来,她会不会还选择伤害他?郑重推荐梧桐的另一个文文《总裁的嚣张弃妇》(已完结)他们是父母之命,媒妁之言他们是王子与公主的完美结合然而婚姻不是童话的结尾,却是另一段故事的开始谁人知道,这天作之合背后竟然是相敬如“冰”
  • 让未来的你,喜欢现在勇敢的自己

    让未来的你,喜欢现在勇敢的自己

    生活值得你一次又一次的尝试,只要生命没有终结,所有的过程都不是你的“拦路虎”,而是你美丽人生的财富与风景。本书告诉你:生命不在其长短,只要活得充实;不在其华丽,而要活得真实。不要在能吃苦的年纪选择安逸,不要在年华逝去后嘲笑自己。
  • 万界大帝尊

    万界大帝尊

    叶昊曾经身份显赫,却意外沦为卑微奴才。因为善心救人,获得了《补天图》拥有至高传承。从此如彗星崛起,一路横扫各路天才,建立自己的帝国,横推一切宗门,家族!在叶昊面前,无人比他天才。因为无人拥有他这般无限的潜力!天才之路,无人能敌!帝国之路,顺我者生,逆我者亡!新书9月15,中秋节发布!!
  • 桃儿杏儿

    桃儿杏儿

    林希有一句令人咀嚼的话:唯有小说无可说。邵燕祥在评价林希小说时,说过一句很精辟的话,他说林希是把“二十年代的砂变成九十年代的朱”。林希写了《桃儿杏儿》,用他自己的话说“以纪念那些写了那些行止见识皆出于我之上的美丽女性。”
  • Miss Sarah Jack, of Spanish Town, Jamaica

    Miss Sarah Jack, of Spanish Town, Jamaica

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 三嫁未晚

    三嫁未晚

    看到陌溪的第一眼,三生做了一个伟大的决定。“我要勾搭你!”陌溪神君,三界最可怕的战神,以冰冷无情闻名三界。这样的他,却对她说:“若是你能找到我,便来勾搭吧。”他给了她三生的时间,她却成了他三世的劫数——第一世,她是他的童养媳,但却为了他的前程,甘愿牺牲性命;第二世,她是他囚禁的妖物,但却为了他的弟子,被他亲手诛杀;第三世,她是他最想保护的人,但他却一次一次将她错失……三生石灵搅乱了他的三生劫,那就只好用她余生来补了……
  • 二十几岁女人要做的100件事

    二十几岁女人要做的100件事

    婚前女孩的必读书,婚后女人的必备书。100条创造幸福人生的自我修炼术。没有漂亮的外表,没有聪明的头脑,一样可以成为命好的女人。女人要知道,幸福不是天注定,好不好命,就看自己怎么做!每一个女人的幸福,都像是一粒深深埋在心里的种子,只有不断施水浇肥才会长成一棵树。
  • 隐身草的秘密

    隐身草的秘密

    放暑假的第一天,罗奕奕迎来了他的堂妹豌豆妹妹。豌豆妹妹的大名叫做罗琬琬,不过每个人都叫她“豌豆妹妹”,因为豌豆是她最喜欢的蔬菜。豌豆妹妹离不开豌豆,就像熊猫离不开箭竹,兔子离不开青草。绿蘑菇状的叶片可以隐身,青樱桃状的果实可以现身。叶片是甜的,果实是苦的。一次偶然的发现,奕奕和豌豆妹妹掌握了用隐身草隐身的诀窍,这可比玩具战斗机、捉迷藏和之前玩过的任何游戏都要刺激有趣得多。
  • 不认输:赫连娜职场蜕变计

    不认输:赫连娜职场蜕变计

    当看了太多“职场生存手册”、“商战胜经”后,我们更需要一种永不言败的力量,特别对于刚入职场的新人而言,在冬意正浓的当下,斗志精神远比那些生硬的说教来得更有意义。《不认输》正是这样一本可以提升你斗志的励志小说。小说主人公赫连娜长相平平,条件一般,机缘巧合下……