登陆注册
5291500000011

第11章 RIDING IN MIST(2)

Somehow, there was pleasure in this thought, that we might, or might not, strike that old quarry pit. The blood in us being hot, we had pure joy in charging its white, impalpable solidity, which made way, and at once closed in behind us. There was great fun in this yard-by-yard discovery that we were not yet dead, this flying, shelterless challenge to whatever might lie out there, five yards in front. We felt supremely above the wish to know that our necks were safe; we were happy, panting in the vapour that beat against our faces from the sheer speed of our galloping. Suddenly the ground grew lumpy and made up-hill. The mare slackened pace; we stopped. Before us, behind, to right and left, white vapour. No sky, no distance, barely the earth. No wind in our faces, no wind anywhere. At first we just got our breath, thought nothing, talked a little. Then came a chillness, a faint clutching over the heart. The mare snuffled; we turned and made down-hill. And still the mist thickened, and seemed to darken ever so little; we went slowly, suddenly doubtful of all that was in front. There came into our minds visions, so distant in that darkening vapour, of a warm stall and manger of oats; of tea and a log fire. The mist seemed to have fingers now, long, dark white, crawling fingers; it seemed, too, to have in its sheer silence a sort of muttered menace, a shuddery lurkingness, as if from out of it that spirit of the unknown, which in hot blood we had just now so gleefully mocked, were creeping up at us, intent on its vengeance.

Since the ground no longer sloped, we could not go down-hill; there were no means left of telling in what direction we were moving, and we stopped to listen. There was no sound, not one tiny noise of water, wind in trees, or man; not even of birds or the moor ponies.

And the mist darkened. The mare reached her head down and walked on, smelling at the heather; every time she sniffed, one's heart quivered, hoping she had found the way. She threw up her head, snorted, and stood still; and there passed just in front of us a pony and her foal, shapes of scampering dusk, whisked like blurred shadows across a sheet. Hoof-silent in the long heather--as ever were visiting ghosts--they were gone in a flash. The mare plunged forward, following. But, in the feel of her gallop, and the feel of my heart, there was no more that ecstasy of facing the unknown; there was only the cold, hasty dread of loneliness. Far asunder as the poles were those two sensations, evoked by this same motion. The mare swerved violently and stopped. There, passing within three yards, from the same direction as before, the soundless shapes of the pony and her foal flew by again, more intangible, less dusky now against the darker screen. Were we, then, to be haunted by those bewildering uncanny ones, flitting past ever from the same direction?

This time the mare did not follow, but stood still; knowing as well as I that direction was quite lost. Soon, with a whimper, she picked her way on again, smelling at the heather. And the mist darkened!

Then, out of the heart of that dusky whiteness, came a tiny sound; we stood, not breathing, turning our heads. I could see the mare's eye fixed and straining at the vapour. The tiny sound grew till it became the muttering of wheels. The mare dashed forward. The muttering ceased untimely; but she did not stop; turning abruptly to the left, she slid, scrambled, and dropped into a trot. The mist seemed whiter below us; we were on the road. And involuntarily there came from me a sound, not quite a shout, not quite an oath. I saw the mare's eye turn back, faintly derisive, as who should say: Alone I did it! Then slowly, comfortably, a little ashamed, we jogged on, in the mood of men and horses when danger is over. So pleasant it seemed now, in one short half-hour, to have passed through the circle-swing of the emotions, from the ecstasy of hot recklessness to the clutching of chill fear. But the meeting-point of those two sensations we had left out there on the mysterious moor! Why, at one moment, had we thought it finer than anything on earth to risk the breaking of our necks; and the next, shuddered at being lost in the darkening mist with winter night fast coming on?

And very luxuriously we turned once more into the lanes, enjoying the past, scenting the future. Close to home, the first little eddy of wind stirred, and the song of dripping twigs began; an owl hooted, honey-soft, in the fog. We came on two farm hands mending the lane at the turn of the avenue, and, curled on the top of the bank, their cosy red collie pup, waiting for them to finish work for the day.

He raised his sharp nose and looked at us dewily. We turned down, padding softly in the wet fox-red drifts under the beechtrees, whereon the last leaves still flickered out in the darkening whiteness, that now seemed so little eerie. We passed the grey-green skeleton of the farm-yard gate. A hen ran across us, clucking, into the dusk. The maze drew her long, home-coming snuffle, and stood still.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 顾先生别凶我

    顾先生别凶我

    推荐新文《重生甜妻:特级老公,超宠我!》“放开!”她被那个人攥在手里,听他霸道宣布:除非死,否则,你永远也逃不开。重生前,慕夕瑶被恶毒叔婶害瞎双眼,被渣男送到那人的身边,一次次挣扎与逃离,他偏执成魔,为她成狂,却也令她害怕。重生后,她在他的身边醒来,重获光明,心也重获新生,脚踩渣男,手撕贱女。“滚回来!罚你把他碰过的手洗一百次!”顾先生将小丫头拎到身边。乖乖洗完,慕夕瑶转身,却发现那人露出胸肌、腹肌、人鱼线,躺平等她了。“老公……我累。”男人扯松衣领:“体力这么差,还不多锻炼锻炼?”
  • 囚爱成瘾:总裁大人别爱我

    囚爱成瘾:总裁大人别爱我

    害死自己的爸爸不说,还要把自己禁锢在身边,长得帅的男的不准看,长得美的美女也不能摸!!!这是什么世道?“周熠谦,你这锅里放油了吗就开始炒菜?”“哦。”拿起油往满是菜的锅里倒。“你怎么那么笨啊?后加一万句嫌弃!“好了好了,你不要再说我了,你说我自己不还是要心疼!”What?情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 弘道录

    弘道录

    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。
  • 幽幽的紫云英

    幽幽的紫云英

    “天地有正气,杂然赋流形。下则为河岳,上则为日星。于人曰浩然,沛乎塞苍冥。”每当吟诵这首千古传颂的《正气歌》时,浑身总是有一种不可征服的凛然之气在回荡,眼前也就会浮现出七百多年前的民族英雄文天祥那威武不屈的高大身影。
  • 墨流

    墨流

    落古都,经过上古神的领域讨伐,最终被划分成了五大路。东临,西影,南斗,北通。中牠。五大陆分别由五大体质巅峰的代言人霸主所管理着。霸主是皇室与江湖的一道分割线。更是和平的象征。由于五大体质相生相克所以五大霸主谁都没有统一世界的野心。直到一副神秘的水墨壁画凭空的出世。使一位霸主莫名的身死,另一位失踪。由此以来,食物链之环掉了两节。世界便开始拉起了血腥的帷幕。
  • 小丑之花

    小丑之花

    太宰治以其自杀经历,向读者剖析真正的自我。太宰治二十一岁时,在银座咖啡馆认识一有夫之妇,同居三天后,他俩吞下安眠药,在鎌仓投水自杀。结果太宰治获救,年仅十八岁的女方死亡。太宰治因而被控“帮助自杀罪”,后虽被判不予起诉,但他基于相约殉情却让女人独自死亡的罪恶意识,创作了《小丑之花》。《小丑之花》主角大庭叶藏与《人间失格》主角同名,描写的是叶藏殉情失败后进疗养院的事,但不同于《人间失格》中叶藏的自卑、怯懦、颓废,《小丑之花》里的的叶藏,年轻、冲动又骄傲。在这篇作品里,作者剖析了他日后的巅峰之作《人间失格》里看似消极颓废,实际上却在绝境中求活的主角大庭叶藏的心路历程,还透露了许多关于写作的秘密。
  • 盛宠大牌千金

    盛宠大牌千金

    第一次见面,他开着拉风的悍马勇士,溅了了她一身脏泥。本以为良心发现,可最后,他却丢给她一个滚字。从此,冷面战神,成了她口中的“疯狗”。再次,她怎么都没想到,他居然成了她相亲的对象!于是,仇人见面,分外眼红,可到最后,居然还整出了“二女争一夫”的八卦头条。但是,她怎么都想不到,就这么一个冷面阎王似的男人,怎么就对她展开了爱情攻势,完全偏离了他以往的作风。继而,她的生活波澜起伏,被暗杀都成为了寻常小事,再没了之前的风平浪静。☆●☆卓婉觉得,她这辈子除了付以然都不会再喜欢别人,可是,三年的等待、努力与付出,到最后通通都变成了一个笑话。男朋友三年后归来跟别的女人订了婚,本以为跟自己不可能在一起的男人却对她上演各种浓情蜜意!好不容易接受现实决定重新开始,丫的!这又是什么狗血的剧情?……三年后,当红色玫瑰再度归来,身后,赫然跟着两只小拖油瓶。傲娇的女人被重新整编入伍,华丽转身之后,竟然一反常态……贯彻甭管是妖的、媚的、御姐的、萝莉的、撒娇的、不要脸的,只要是能将穆斯尘的心抓住的,那就是正确的基本原则,某个女人展开了疯狂的倒追行动。等等!不是说不接受她么?那么每天把她摁倒在首长办公室的男人,到底是谁?!【片段一】他说,“我们在一起吧。”她答,“做梦呢吧,我有男朋友!”他继续说,“我们结婚吧。”她再回答,“我男朋友对我很好,我没理由现在劈腿。”他凑近了她,“我知道他在几年前事故了,那场国际反恐行动,没有回来,就证明活的几率小之又小,你别自欺欺人了。”她咬咬牙,狠瞪他,“怎么着,我就相信他没有离开,即便他真的不在了——”微微拉长了语调,她气死人不偿命,“你,也没戏!”【片段二】某人义愤填膺,气喘吁吁的一把推开首长办公室的大门,怒瞪着办公桌前的男人。“穆斯尘!我有权控告你虐待我手底下的兵!”他勾唇,轻启薄唇,“哦?都是新兵,何来你手底下之说?”暗暗咬牙,她的气势立马被扑灭了大半儿,“他们好歹原来也在我手底下做事儿了,你变相儿体罚是什么意思!”他知道,其实是她累的受不住了。站起身,慢慢的走到她身边,将她逼到桌子边儿上,然后俯下头,在她耳边轻咬一下。“那你说,我应该怎么做?”浑身一个颤栗,她瞪大眼珠子狠狠的喘了一口气,“穆斯尘!我在跟你说正经事儿!”“我也在跟你办正经事儿……”
  • 三千位面大抽奖

    三千位面大抽奖

    苦逼男杨凡意外获得了穿梭位面的能力,从此他的人生开始绚丽多彩……赌神位面任务完成,杨凡抽奖获得了超高科技机器人管家一位。于是,从赌神位面开始,无数电影位面随之而来,任务也开始不断,抽奖更是不能断!“恭喜宿主完成任务,获得抽奖机会一次!”“恭喜宿主抽得星际战舰……”穿梭不同位面,完成任务就可以抽奖,这就是杨凡的牛逼人生。
  • 黑氏梵志经

    黑氏梵志经

    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。
  • 田园有喜之憨夫宠入骨

    田园有喜之憨夫宠入骨

    顾家有女名欢喜,长辈疼哥哥宠,原以为一世欢喜,奈何一朝风云起,娘亲死,哥哥下落不明,父亲很快娶继室,百两银子卖欢喜。面对家徒四壁,全是极品的田家,没关系,欢喜会种地,还会持家,更擅长赚钱和养娃,手撕白莲花,怒踹贱渣渣。赚个盆满钵满,妇唱夫随乐呵呵。“娘子,咱们去种田吧!”“好啊!”