登陆注册
5160500000021

第21章 Chirp the Third(1)

THE Dutch clock in the corner struck Ten, when the Carrier sat downby his fireside.So troubled and grief-worn, that he seemed toscare the Cuckoo, who, having cut his ten melodious announcementsas short as possible, plunged back into the Moorish Palace again,and clapped his little door behind him, as if the unwontedspectacle were too much for his feelings.

If the little Haymaker had been armed with the sharpest of scythes,and had cut at every stroke into the Carrier's heart, he nevercould have gashed and wounded it, as Dot had done.

It was a heart so full of love for her; so bound up and heldtogether by innumerable threads of winning remembrance, spun fromthe daily working of her many qualities of endearment; it was aheart in which she had enshrined herself so gently and so closely;a heart so single and so earnest in its Truth, so strong in right,so weak in wrong; that it could cherish neither passion nor revengeat first, and had only room to hold the broken image of its Idol.

But, slowly, slowly, as the Carrier sat brooding on his hearth, nowcold and dark, other and fiercer thoughts began to rise within him,as an angry wind comes rising in the night.The Stranger wasbeneath his outraged roof.Three steps would take him to hischamber-door.One blow would beat it in.'You might do murderbefore you know it,' Tackleton had said.How could it be murder,if he gave the villain time to grapple with him hand to hand! Hewas the younger man.

It was an ill-timed thought, bad for the dark mood of his mind.Itwas an angry thought, goading him to some avenging act, that shouldchange the cheerful house into a haunted place which lonelytravellers would dread to pass by night; and where the timid wouldsee shadows struggling in the ruined windows when the moon was dim,and hear wild noises in the stormy weather.

He was the younger man! Yes, yes; some lover who had won the heartthat HE had never touched.Some lover of her early choice, of whomshe had thought and dreamed, for whom she had pined and pined, whenhe had fancied her so happy by his side.O agony to think of it!

She had been above-stairs with the Baby, getting it to bed.As hesat brooding on the hearth, she came close beside him, without hisknowledge - in the turning of the rack of his great misery, he lostall other sounds - and put her little stool at his feet.He onlyknew it, when he felt her hand upon his own, and saw her looking upinto his face.

With wonder? No.It was his first impression, and he was fain tolook at her again, to set it right.No, not with wonder.With aneager and inquiring look; but not with wonder.At first it wasalarmed and serious; then, it changed into a strange, wild,dreadful smile of recognition of his thoughts; then, there wasnothing but her clasped hands on her brow, and her bent head, andfalling hair.

Though the power of Omnipotence had been his to wield at thatmoment, he had too much of its diviner property of Mercy in hisbreast, to have turned one feather's weight of it against her.Buthe could not bear to see her crouching down upon the little seatwhere he had often looked on her, with love and pride, so innocentand gay; and, when she rose and left him, sobbing as she went, hefelt it a relief to have the vacant place beside him rather thanher so long-cherished presence.This in itself was anguish keenerthan all, reminding him how desolate he was become, and how thegreat bond of his life was rent asunder.

The more he felt this, and the more he knew he could have betterborne to see her lying prematurely dead before him with theirlittle child upon her breast, the higher and the stronger rose hiswrath against his enemy.He looked about him for a weapon.

There was a gun, hanging on the wall.He took it down, and moved apace or two towards the door of the perfidious Stranger's room.Heknew the gun was loaded.Some shadowy idea that it was just toshoot this man like a wild beast, seized him, and dilated in hismind until it grew into a monstrous demon in complete possession ofhim, casting out all milder thoughts and setting up its undividedempire.

That phrase is wrong.Not casting out his milder thoughts, butartfully transforming them.Changing them into scourges to drivehim on.Turning water into blood, love into hate, gentleness intoblind ferocity.Her image, sorrowing, humbled, but still pleadingto his tenderness and mercy with resistless power, never left hismind; but, staying there, it urged him to the door; raised theweapon to his shoulder; fitted and nerved his finger to thetrigger; and cried 'Kill him! In his bed!'

He reversed the gun to beat the stock up the door; he already heldit lifted in the air; some indistinct design was in his thoughts ofcalling out to him to fly, for God's sake, by the window -When, suddenly, the struggling fire illumined the whole chimneywith a glow of light; and the Cricket on the Hearth began to Chirp!

No sound he could have heard, no human voice, not even hers, couldso have moved and softened him.The artless words in which she hadtold him of her love for this same Cricket, were once more freshlyspoken; her trembling, earnest manner at the moment, was againbefore him; her pleasant voice - O what a voice it was, for makinghousehold music at the fireside of an honest man! - thrilledthrough and through his better nature, and awoke it into life andaction.

He recoiled from the door, like a man walking in his sleep,awakened from a frightful dream; and put the gun aside.Claspinghis hands before his face, he then sat down again beside the fire,and found relief in tears.

The Cricket on the Hearth came out into the room, and stood inFairy shape before him.

'"I love it,"' said the Fairy Voice, repeating what he wellremembered, '"for the many times I have heard it, and the manythoughts its harmless music has given me."'

'She said so!' cried the Carrier.'True!'

'"This has been a happy home, John; and I love the Cricket for itssake!"'

'It has been, Heaven knows,' returned the Carrier.'She made ithappy, always, - until now.'

同类推荐
  • 戒子孙

    戒子孙

    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。
  • 上清三尊谱箓

    上清三尊谱箓

    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。
  • 物理论

    物理论

    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。
  • 道德真经藏室纂微篇开题科文疏

    道德真经藏室纂微篇开题科文疏

    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。
  • 巫庙

    巫庙

    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
  • 魔音一曲:索你一世承诺

    魔音一曲:索你一世承诺

    【本文已完结,请放心阅读】某男窝在她耳边说:“不许你对着其他的男人笑。”“我爹爹和哥哥也不能吗”“不能”“女扮男装可以吗”“不能”每一个爱她的人都不会有好的结果,她的爱不会有好的归宿——这是世人认定给她的命。前一世她是天煞孤星命,注定是被亲人抛弃的,当再度醒来时,她是五王爷的爱女素羽郡主,而国师看她的第一眼就说她是天煞孤星命,她独自一人生活在凉寺。她卷入江湖纷争,国家战乱,她体会到阴谋和背叛。一曲魔音,是争夺,是爱恨,是江湖的无奈,是战争的噩耗。
  • 辛卯侍行记(西北史地丛书·第三辑)

    辛卯侍行记(西北史地丛书·第三辑)

    由于陶保廉有亲历之实,其《辛卯侍行记》对于西北边疆一些问题的记载和认识应该说既有可信度也很有见地。因此,此书也成为晚清西北史地学研究中的重要组成部分,具有重要的学术价值,而且,书中对某些西北边疆问题的关注和分析在一定程度上也是值得今人借鉴的。
  • 百魅夜行

    百魅夜行

    细思恐极的小故事,人艰不拆的大世界。知名媒体人 才女作家刘颖的惊艳之作,开启轻阅读时代的“微悬恐”小说书写。以优美锐利而又意味深长的小故事还原生活的本来面目,从《所谓爱情》《我们的生活》《上班,上班》《你的钱,干净吗》《貌美如花》《美味佳肴》《物化》《动物君》《未来》等几个部分洞见人性。人物栩栩如生,故事曲折缠绵,细节生动巧妙。
  • 阅胥

    阅胥

    齐武宗康宁二十七年,安远侯褚阅逝,同年七月,死而复生。这是一个由小小的褚家、由人心的贪念、由数不清的恩仇与隐匿于童谣话本中的真实神话所堆砌起来的故事。庙堂高远,人心叵测,唯有缓步慎行,才可胥于高位。
  • 世界最具英雄性的军事将帅(5)

    世界最具英雄性的军事将帅(5)

    我的课外第一本书——震撼心灵阅读之旅经典文库,《阅读文库》编委会编。通过各种形式的故事和语言,讲述我们在成长中需要的知识。
  • 绝版婚宠,呆萌娇妻你别跑

    绝版婚宠,呆萌娇妻你别跑

    在苏温暖眼里,许堇年简直就是南山市豪门圈的另类。当别的公子哥吃喝玩乐游戏人间的时候,他在手术台上救人。当兄弟们娶老婆、为婆媳关系发愁的时候,他还在手术台上救人。初见,她带着两瓶颜料,泼在了他的白大褂上吸引他的注意.
  • 暴君他偏要宠我

    暴君他偏要宠我

    作为小侍女,苏酒只想老实本分地过日子。可是她伺候的贵公子大魔王,偏偏整日里作天作地,各种吓唬她、欺负她,非要把她惹哭才罢休。她长大的那年,大魔王突然对她咬耳朵,“苏小酒,老子喜欢你很久了!”——本该是国公府千金的苏酒,被遗弃乡野明珠蒙尘。却有那心黑手辣、残暴奸佞的权门庶子,把她紧紧护在掌心,为她神挡杀神佛挡杀佛,直到把她捧到千万人中央,那本就属于她的位置!金陵风月,百年春秋;美人闺秀,英雄风流,您的暴君已上线!(凶残病娇小狼崽+天真励志小青梅+干净甜宠)
  • 冷酷王爷妖娆妃

    冷酷王爷妖娆妃

    "她是武功独步天下的玲珑少主,为救心爱的男人,她化身城破家亡的冷家小姐,只为了成为他的王妃,得到他那块可以让死人复活的赤血玉玦。温软缠绵之中,她伏在他的胸膛,“嫣儿此生只做王爷的女人...”皇宫晚宴之上,她一曲曼舞,技惊四座,而她却只是那般深情地看着他,“王爷,嫣儿为你而舞……”他终于放下防备,许她一世恩宠。而她,竟带着他的传家玉玦,背离而去。他恨极成魔,开始一点一点地摧毁她的一切,可有谁知,他要的,无非是她的心。
  • 一不留神

    一不留神

    据说世界上有两种人:第一种人知道自己是混蛋,第二种人不知道自己是混蛋,而坏事则大多是第二种人干的。方路就是这样一个混蛋。一不留神就被捕了两次,自此他知道了金钱和女人都是不好惹的,除非你的胆子比倭瓜还大。
  • 重生之小说巨匠

    重生之小说巨匠

    脑中被植入容量300G的小说U盘,重生与地球平行的位面,本着传播文化、娱乐大众的心态,他以笔做剑,挑动天下。【飞雪连天射白鹿,笑书神侠倚碧鸳。】“他是武侠界的真命天子,我等只好去扶桑国了。”【小李飞刀非绝响,人间又见楚留香。】“武侠未死,只是需要换个姿势。”《哈利波特》席卷天下,他被称为“魔法爸爸”;《无人生还》、《白夜行》、《达芬奇密码》横空出世,他是当之无愧的“推理之王”。当所有媒体都在猜测他将荣耀封笔的时候,他在稿纸上写下“老人与海”四个字……“凡是有人的地方,就有他的小说,无法想象文学界没有他会是何等的荒芜不堪。”——贝尔诺奖颁奖词