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lavengro-第64部分
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different direction; and not unfrequently brought to a stand…still。
Oh the cracking of whips; the shouts and oaths of the carters; and
the grating of wheels upon the enormous stones that formed the
pavement! In fact; there was a wild burly…burly upon the bridge;
which nearly deafened me。 But; if upon the bridge there was a
confusion; below it there was a confusion ten times confounded。
The tide; which was fast ebbing; obstructed by the immense piers of
the old bridge; poured beneath the arches with a fall of several
feet; forming in the river below as many whirlpools as there were
arches。 Truly tremendous was the roar of the descending waters;
and the bellow of the tremendous gulfs; which swallowed them for a
time; and then cast them forth; foaming and frothing from their
horrid wombs。 Slowly advancing along the bridge; I came to the
highest point; and there I stood still; close beside one of the
stone bowers; in which; beside a fruit…stall; sat an old woman;
with a pan of charcoal at her feet; and a book in her hand; in
which she appeared to be reading intently。 There I stood; just
above the principal arch; looking through the balustrade at the
scene that presented itself … and such a scene! Towards the left
bank of the river; a forest of masts; thick and close; as far as
the eye could reach; spacious wharfs; surmounted with gigantic
edifices; and; far away; Caesar's Castle; with its White Tower。 To
the right; another forest of masts; and a maze of buildings; from
which; here and there; shot up to the sky chimneys taller than
Cleopatra's Needle; vomiting forth huge wreaths of that black smoke
which forms the canopy … occasionally a gorgeous one … of the more
than Babel city。 Stretching before me; the troubled breast of the
mighty river; and; immediately below; the main whirlpool of the
Thames … the Maelstrom of the bulwarks of the middle arch … a
grisly pool; which; with its superabundance of horror; fascinated
me。 Who knows but I should have leapt into its depths? … I have
heard of such things … but for a rather startling occurrence which
broke the spell。 As I stood upon the bridge; gazing into the jaws
of the pool; a small boat shot suddenly through the arch beneath my
feet。 There were three persons in it; an oarsman in the middle;
whilst a man and woman sat at the stern。 I shall never forget the
thrill of horror which went through me at this sudden apparition。
What! … a boat … a small boat … passing beneath that arch into
yonder roaring gulf! Yes; yes; down through that awful water…way;
with more than the swiftness of an arrow; shot the boat; or skiff;
right into the jaws of the pool。 A monstrous breaker curls over
the prow … there is no hope; the boat is swamped; and all drowned
in that strangling vortex。 No! the boat; which appeared to have
the buoyancy of a feather; skipped over the threatening horror;
and; the next moment; was out of danger; the boatman … a true
boatman of Cockaigne that … elevating one of his sculls in sign of
triumph; the man hallooing; and the woman; a true Englishwoman that
… of a certain class … waving her shawl。 Whether any one observed
them save myself; or whether the feat was a common one; I know not;
but nobody appeared to take any notice of them。 As for myself; I
was so excited that I strove to clamber up the balustrade of the
bridge; in order to obtain a better view of the daring adventurers。
Before I could accomplish my design; however; I felt myself seized
by the body; and; turning my head; perceived the old fruit…woman;
who was clinging to me。
'Nay; dear! don't … don't!' said she。 'Don't fling yourself over …
perhaps you may have better luck next time!'
'I was not going to fling myself over;' said I; dropping from the
balustrade; 'how came you to think of such a thing?'
'Why; seeing you clamber up so fiercely; I thought you might have
had ill luck; and that you wished to make away with yourself。'
'Ill luck;' said I; going into the stone bower; and sitting down。
'What do you mean? ill luck in what?'
'Why; no great harm; dear! cly…faking perhaps。'
'Are you coming over me with dialects;' said I; 'speaking unto me
in fashions I wot nothing of?'
'Nay; dear! don't look so strange with those eyes of your'n; nor
talk so strangely; I don't understand you。'
'Nor I you; what do you mean by cly…faking?'
'Lor; dear! no harm; only taking a handkerchief now and then。'
'Do you take me for a thief?
'Nay; dear! don't make use of bad language; we never calls them
thieves here; but prigs and fakers: to tell you the truth; dear;
seeing you spring at that railing put me in mind of my own dear
son; who is now at Bot'ny: when he had bad luck; he always used to
talk of flinging himself over the bridge; and; sure enough; when
the traps were after him; he did fling himself into the river; but
that was off the bank; nevertheless; the traps pulled him out; and
he is now suffering his sentence; so you see you may speak out; if
you have done anything in the harmless line; for I am my son's own
mother; I assure you。'
'So you think there's no harm in stealing?'
'No harm in the world; dear! Do you think my own child would have
been transported for it; if there had been any harm in it? and;
what's more; would the blessed woman in the book here have written
her life as she has done; and given it to the world; if there had
been any harm in faking? She; too; was what they call a thief and
a cut…purse; ay; and was transported for it; like my dear son; and
do you think she would have told the world so; if there had been
any harm in the thing? Oh; it is a comfort to me that the blessed
woman was transported; and came back … for come back she did; and
rich too … for it is an assurance to me that my dear son; who was
transported too; will come back like her。'
'What was her name?'
'Her name; blessed Mary Flanders。'
'Will you let me look at the book?'
'Yes; dear; that I will; if you promise me not to run away with
it。'
I took the book from her hand; a short thick volume; at least a
century old; bound with greasy black leather。 I turned the yellow
and dog's…eared pages; reading here and there a sentence。 Yes; and
no mistake! HIS pen; his style; his spirit might be observed in
every line of the uncouth…looking old volume … the air; the style;
the spirit of the writer of the book which first taught me to read。
I covered my face with my hand; and thought of my childhood。 。 。 。
'This is a singular book;' said I at last; 'but it does not appear
to have been written to prove that thieving is no harm; but rather
to show the terrible consequences of crime: it contains a deep
moral。'
'A deep what; dear?'
'A … but no matter; I will give you a crown for this volume。'
'No; dear; I will not sell the volume for a cro
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