But they did not sleep. They waited and they listened. In the end Mr White got up to get a candle because the dark made him more afraid. He began to godownstairs, but suddenly he heard a noise at the front door.He stopped,and he listened. He could not move.Then the noise came again. This time he ran.He ran upstairs,back into the bedroom and he closed the door behind him. But again the noise came.
'What's that?' Mrs White cried, and she sat up in bed.
'Nothing! GO to sleep again!' her husband answered.
But Mrs White listened—and the noise came again.'It's Herbert! It's Herbert! she cried.'I'm going to open the door for him.'
And she got out of bed and ran to the door of the bedroom.Mr White got there first and stopped her.
'No!' he cried.'Think!'
'But it's my boy! It's Herbert,' she answered.
'No!Don't go!Don't…'her husband cried again.
But Mrs White did not listen to him. She opened the bed room door and ran from the room.'I'm coming, Herbert. I'm coming!' she called.
Mr White ran after her.'Stop!'he cried.'Remember, Herbert died in themachinery!You don't want to see him!'
For a minute Mrs White stopped and looked at her husband, but then the noise came again and she began to run downstairs.
'Help me! Help me!' she called to her husband.
But Mr White did not move.'The paw!' he thought.'Where's the monkey's paw?'
He ran back into the bedroom.'Quick!'he thought. 'Where is it?'At first he could not find it in the dark.Ah! There it was! He had it!
Just at that minute he heard his wife downstairs.
'Wait! Wait, Herbert! I'm coming!' she cried. She began to open the front door.
At the same time Mr White took the monkey's paw in his right hand and he made his third wish.
Mrs White gave a long unhappy cry and her husband ran down to her. Shestood by the open door. Very afraid,Old Mr White looked out into the dark.
The road was dark and quiet—and there was nobody there.
7
他們睡不著。他們?cè)诘取⒃诼?。最終,懷特先生還是起床點(diǎn)了一枝蠟燭,因?yàn)楹谝故顾麄兏ε?。他開始下樓,突然,他聽到前門有聲音。他停住了,仔細(xì)地聽。他沒(méi)有動(dòng)。接著,聲音又響了起來(lái),這次他跑上了樓,回到了臥室,關(guān)緊了他身后的門,但聲音又傳來(lái)了。
“那是什么?”懷特太太叫著從床上坐了起來(lái)。
“什么也沒(méi)有,睡覺(jué)吧!”她丈夫告訴她。
但懷特太太聽到聲音又響了起來(lái)。“是赫伯特,是赫伯特!我要去給他開門。”她說(shuō)。
她起床跑向臥室的門,但懷特先生搶先擋住了她。
“不要這樣,要好好想一想。”他叫道。
“但他是我的孩子!他是赫伯特。”她說(shuō)。
“不,千萬(wàn)不要去……”他丈夫又叫了起來(lái)。
但懷特太太并不聽他的,她打開臥室的門并從房間里跑了出來(lái)。“我來(lái)了,赫伯特,我來(lái)了。”她喊道。
懷特先生跟在她后面跑,“站住,別忘了赫伯特是死在機(jī)器里!你并不想看到他!”
懷特太太停下來(lái)看了他的丈夫一會(huì)兒,這時(shí),聲音又響了起來(lái),她又開始向樓下跑。
“幫幫我,幫幫我!”她叫她的丈夫。
但懷特先生沒(méi)有動(dòng)。他想到了猴爪。“猴爪,猴爪放在哪兒了?”
他跑回臥室。他心里在想,“快,猴爪在哪兒?”開始,在黑暗中他找不著,它在哪兒,他終于拿到了猴爪!.
就在這時(shí),他聽到了樓下妻子的聲音。
“等一等,赫伯特,我來(lái)啦!”她喊著,并開始開前面的門。
與此同時(shí),懷特先生把猴爪放在右手里開始許第三個(gè)愿。
懷特太太發(fā)出一聲長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的失望的叫聲,她丈夫跑下樓找她,她正站在打開的門旁。老懷特先生看著外面黑漆漆的夜,非??謶?。
馬路很暗且靜,一個(gè)人影也沒(méi)有。