雙語·面紗 第六十二章
But she was awakened by a loud knocking. At first, since it was interwoven with the dream from which she was aroused, she could not attach the sound to reality. The knocking went on and she was conscious that it must be at the gateway of the compound. It was quite dark. She had a watch with phosphorised hands and saw that it was half past two. It must be Walter coming back--how late he was--and he could not awake the boy. The knocking went on, louder and louder, and in the silence of the night it was really not a little alarming. The knocking stopped and she heard the withdrawing of the heavy bolt. Walter had never come back so late. Poor thing, he must be tired out! She hoped he would have the sense to go straight to bed instead of working as usual in that laboratory of his.
There was a sound of voices, and people came into the compound. That was strange, for Walter coming home late, in order not to disturb her, took pains to be quiet. Two or three persons ran swiftly up the wooden steps and came into the room next door. Kitty was a little frightened. At the back of her mind was always the fear of an anti-foreign riot. Had something happened? Her heart began to beat quickly. But before she had time to put her vague apprehension into shape someone walked across the room and knocked at her door.
“Mrs. Fane.”
She recognised Waddington's voice.
“Yes. What is it?”
“Will you get up at once. I have something to say to you.”
She rose and put on a dressing-gown. She unlocked the door and opened it. Her glance took in Waddington in a pair of Chinese trousers and a pongee coat, the house-boy holding a hurricane lamp, and a little farther back three Chinese soldiers in khaki. She started as she saw the consternation on Waddington's face; his head was tousled as though he had just jumped out of bed.
“What is the matter?” she gasped.
“You must keep calm. There's not a moment to lose. Put on your clothes at once and come with me.”
“But what is it? Has something happened in the city?”
The sight of the soldiers suggested to her at once that there had been an outbreak and they were come to protect her.
“Your husband's been taken ill. We want you to come at once.”
“Walter?” she cried.
“You mustn't be upset. I don't exactly know what's the matter. Colonel Yü sent this officer to me and asked me to bring you to the Yamen at once.”
Kitty stared at him for a moment, she felt a sudden cold in her heart, and then she turned.
“I shall be ready in two minutes.”
“I came just as I was,” he answered. “I was asleep, I just put on a coat and some shoes.”
She did not hear what he said. She dressed by the light of the stars, taking the first things that came to hand; her fingers on a sudden were so clumsy that it seemed to take her an age to find the little clasps that closed her dress. She put round her shoulders the Cantonese shawl she had worn in the evening.
“I haven't put a hat on. There's no need, is there?”
“No.”
The boy held the lantern in front of them and they hurried down the steps and out of the compound gate.
“Take care you don't fall,” said Waddington. “You'd better hang on to my arm.”
The soldiers followed immediately behind them.
“Colonel Yü has sent chairs. They're waiting on the other side of the river.”
They walked quickly down the hill. Kitty could not bring herself to utter the question that trembled so horribly on her lips. She was mortally afraid of the answer. They came to the bank and there, with a thread of light at the bow, a sampan was waiting for them.
“Is it cholera?” she said then.
“I'm afraid so.”
She gave a little cry and stopped short.
“I think you ought to come as quickly as you can.” He gave her his hand to help her into the boat. The passage was short and the river almost stagnant; they stood in a bunch at the bow, while a woman with a child tied on her hip with one oar impelled the sampan across.
“He was taken ill this afternoon, the afternoon of yesterday that is,” said Waddington.
“Why wasn't I sent for at once?”
Although there was no reason for it they spoke in whispers. In the darkness Kitty could only feel how intense was her companion's anxiety.
“Colonel Yü wanted to, but he wouldn't let him. Colonel Yü has been with him all the time.”
“He ought to have sent for me all the same. It's heartless.”
“Your husband knew that you had never seen any one with cholera. It's a terrible and revolting sight. He didn't want you to see it.”
“After all he is my husband,” she said in a choking voice.
Waddington made no reply.
“Why am I allowed to come now?”
Waddington put his hand on her arm.
“My dear, you must be very brave. You must be prepared for the worst.”
She gave a wail of anguish and turned away a little, for she saw that the three Chinese soldiers were looking at her. She had a sudden strange glimpse of the whites of their eyes.
“Is he dying?”
“I only know the message Colonel Yü gave to this officer who came and fetched me. As far as I can judge collapse has set in.”
“Is there no hope at all?”
“I'm dreadfully sorry, I'm afraid that if we don't get there quickly we shan't find him alive.”
She shuddered. The tears began to stream down her cheeks.
“You see, he's been overworking, he has no powers of resistance.”
She withdrew from the pressure of his arm with a gesture of irritation. It exasperated her that he should talk in that low, anguished voice.
They reached the side and two men, Chinese coolies, standing on the bank helped her to step on shore. The chairs were waiting. As she got into hers Waddington said to her:
“Try and keep a tight hold on your nerves. You'll want all your self-control.”
“Tell the bearers to make haste.”
“They have orders to go as fast as they can.”
The officer, already in his chair, passed by and as he passed called out to Kitty's bearers. They raised the chair smartly, arranged the poles on their shoulders, and at a swift pace set off. Waddington followed close behind. They took the hill at a run, a man with a lantern going before each chair, and at the water-gate the gate-keeper was standing with a torch. The officer shouted to him as they approached and he flung open one side of the gate to let them through. He uttered some sort of interjection as they passed and the bearers called back. In the dead of the night those guttural sounds in a strange language were mysterious and alarming. They slithered up the wet and slippery cobbles of the alley and one of the officer's bearers stumbled. Kitty heard the officer's voice raised in anger, the shrill retort of the bearer, and then the chair in front hurried on again. The streets were narrow and tortuous. Here in the city was deep night. It was a city of the dead. They hastened along a narrow lane, turned a corner, and then at a run took a flight of steps; the bearers were beginning to blow hard; they walked with long, rapid strides, in silence; one took out a ragged handkerchief and as he walked wiped from his forehead the sweat that ran down into his eyes; they wound this way and that so that it might have been a maze through which they sped; in the shadow of the shuttered shops sometimes a form seemed to be lying, but you did not know whether it was a man who slept to awake at dawn or a man who slept to awake never; the narrow streets were ghostly in their silent emptiness and when on a sudden a dog barked loudly it sent a shock of terror through Kitty's tortured nerves. She did not know where they went. The way seemed endless. Could they not go faster? Faster. Faster. The time was going and any moment it might be too late.
但是她被一陣大聲的敲門聲驚醒了。起初，敲門聲交織著她正在做的夢，她還分不清是夢境還是現實。有人一直在敲著門，她意識到聲音是從院門那兒傳來的。外面一片漆黑，她有一塊手表，指針是磷光的，能夠看出是深夜兩點半。一定是沃爾特回來了——今天回來得太晚了——他無法叫醒男仆。敲門聲還在繼續(xù)，而且聲音越來越大，在夜晚的寂靜中顯得格外刺耳。敲門聲停了，她聽見沉重的門閂被拉開的聲音。沃爾特從來沒有這么晚回來過，可憐的人，他一定是累壞了！她希望他能直接上床睡覺，而不要像往常那樣去他的實驗室里工作。
一陣嘈雜的聲音傳來，有人進了院子。很蹊蹺，每次沃爾特回家晚了，為了不打擾她，都會輕手輕腳地進來。兩三個人快速跑上木制的臺階，進了隔壁的房間。凱蒂有點兒害怕了，在她意識深處，總是害怕有反抗外國人的暴亂。到底發(fā)生了什么事？她的心開始怦怦跳了，但是在她把朦朧的恐懼搞清楚之前，有人已經穿過了客廳，開始敲她臥室的門了。
“費恩太太?！?/p>
她聽出了是威廷頓的聲音。
“嗯，怎么了？”
“你能馬上起床嗎？我有事跟你說?！?/p>
她起床了，披上了睡袍，把門閂拉開，打開了房門。她看到威廷頓穿著一條中國人的褲子和繭綢的外套，家里的男仆手里拿著一盞馬燈，他們的身后是三名穿著卡其布軍服的士兵。當她看到威廷頓臉上驚慌的神色大吃了一驚，他頭發(fā)亂糟糟的，好像剛從床上跳起來一樣。
“發(fā)生什么事了？”她緊張地問道。
“你必須保持冷靜，我們一分鐘也不能耽擱了，你立刻穿上外衣，跟我走。”
“怎么了？城里發(fā)生什么事了嗎？”
看到士兵她馬上想到是不是發(fā)生了什么暴亂，他們被派過來保護她。
“你丈夫病倒了，我們想讓你即刻過去?！?/p>
“沃爾特嗎？”她喊道。
“你先別慌，我還不知道確切的情況，余上校派這個軍官來找我，讓我馬上把你帶到衙門去?！?/p>
凱蒂驚恐地看了他一會兒，突然覺得心底一涼。隨后，她轉過身去。
“我兩分鐘后就會準備妥當?！?/p>
“我就這樣來了。”威廷頓回答說，“我正在睡覺，我只穿上了一件外套和鞋子?！?/p>
她沒聽見他在說什么，隨便拿了一件手邊的衣服，借著星光開始穿衣，她的手指變得很笨，費了好長時間才找到扣子把衣服扣好。她把一件在晚上穿的廣州人常穿的披肩披在了肩上。
“我還沒戴上帽子，但也沒必要了，對吧？”
“是的?！?/p>
家里的男仆舉著燈籠走在他們前面，他們匆忙地走下臺階，出了院門。
“小心別滑倒了?！蓖㈩D說道，“你最好挽著我的胳膊?！?/p>
士兵們快速地跟在了他們的后面。
“余上校已經派人找來了轎椅，他們正在河的對岸等著呢。”
他們迅速地下了山，凱蒂的嘴唇可怕地顫抖著，嘴邊的問題不敢問出口，因為她對可能的答案心里怕得要死。他們來到岸邊，在船頭一絲光線的照射下，一艘小舢板正在等著他們。
“是霍亂嗎？”她終于忍不住問道。
“恐怕是的?！?/p>
她驚叫了一聲又馬上住嘴了。
“我認為你應該盡快地趕過去?！彼咽诌f給她，想在她上船時扶她一把。上船的木板很短，河水也幾乎不動。他們一群人站在船頭，撐船的是個女人，她把一個孩子綁在腰部，用一支船槳把小船搖到了對岸。
“他是今天下午病倒的，昨天下午染上的病。”威廷頓說道。
“那為什么不馬上派人跟我說？”
雖然沒有必要，但他們說話都盡量壓低了聲音。在黑暗當中，凱蒂能夠感覺到她同伴的焦慮。
“余上校想這樣做，但是沃爾特不讓。余上校一直在陪著他?！?/p>
“他還是應該早點兒告訴我，真是沒心沒肺。”
“你丈夫知道你從來沒見過得霍亂的病人，那景象很可怕的，令人作嘔，他不想讓你看到?！?/p>
“可他畢竟是我的丈夫?！彼眠煅实穆曇粽f道。
威廷頓沒吭聲。
“為什么我現在可以來看他了？”
威廷頓把手放在了她的肩上。
“我親愛的，你一定要勇敢，你必須有最壞的心理準備?！?/p>
她發(fā)出了痛苦的哀號，把臉扭到了一邊，因為她看到那三個中國士兵正在看著她，她突然很奇怪地看到了他們的眼白。
“他快死了嗎？”
“我只知道余上校給我的口信，他派這位軍官過來接上了我。據我判斷，情況比較危急。”
“一點兒希望都沒有了嗎？”
“我真的非常抱歉，但恐怕不趕緊到那兒，我們就見不上他最后一面了。”
她渾身顫抖，淚水開始在臉頰上流淌。
“你知道，他總是加班加點地工作，都沒有抵抗力了?！?/p>
她生氣地把手從他胳膊底下抽了出來，他用那種低沉而令人痛苦的聲音說話激怒了她。
他們到達了河對岸，兩個轎夫正等在岸邊，他們幫她上了岸，轎椅已經備好，當她坐上了轎椅，威廷頓對她說道：
“保持鎮(zhèn)定，你一定要控制好自己的情緒?！?/p>
“告訴轎夫們抓緊時間?！?/p>
“他們已經得到要盡可能快的命令了?！?/p>
已經坐在轎椅上的那位軍官，路過凱蒂的轎椅時，大聲呵斥著轎夫快點兒出發(fā)。他們很麻利地抬起轎椅，把轎杠放到自己的肩上，邁著快速的步伐出發(fā)了，威廷頓的轎椅緊隨其后。他們沿著山腳一路小跑，每個轎椅的旁邊都有一個人舉著燈籠走在前面。在水閘處，守水閘的人正拿著一個火把站在那兒。當他們走近的時候，軍官向他喊叫著，他推開了門的一邊，讓他們魚貫而過。當他們經過的時候，他發(fā)出種種感嘆，而轎夫們也回應了他。在死一樣沉寂的夜里，用奇怪的語言發(fā)出的那些刺耳的聲音神秘而嚇人。他們在用鵝卵石鋪成的又濕又滑的小巷中跌跌撞撞地行進，抬著軍官的一位轎夫腳底一滑，差點兒跌倒。凱蒂聽到軍官生氣地罵著，而轎夫們尖聲地回嘴，然后前面的轎椅又繼續(xù)前進了。街道狹窄而又彎彎曲曲，這座城鎮(zhèn)正處在深夜當中，它是一座死亡之城。他們沿著一條狹窄的小巷匆匆趕路，拐了一個彎，然后小跑著上了好幾級的臺階，轎夫們開始氣喘吁吁了，他們在沉默中大步快速走著，一個轎夫拿出了一塊破爛的手巾，一邊走著，一邊擦著額頭的汗水，防止流入眼睛。他們加速走在彎彎曲曲的、如同迷宮般的街道上，在窗戶緊閉的店鋪的陰影中，有時會看到似乎躺著的人形，但你不知道這個睡覺的人是會在黎明時醒來，還是永遠地長眠不醒了。狹窄的街道在空寂中如同鬼魅一般，突然有一只狗大聲叫了起來，讓恐懼彌漫在凱蒂飽受折磨的神經中好一陣子。她不知道他們要去哪兒，路似乎沒有盡頭。他們難道不能再快一點兒嗎？再快點兒，更快點兒。時間在流逝，可每一刻都顯得如此漫長。
