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lavengro-第110部分

小说: lavengro 字数: 每页4000字

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drinking?  Of course I see him。'



'I shall turn back with him。  God bless you。'



'Go back with him not;' said Peter; 'he is one of those whom I like 

not; one of the clibberty…clabber; as Master Ellis Wyn observes … 

turn not with that man。'



'Go not back with him;' said Winifred。  'If thou goest with that 

man; thou wilt soon forget all our profitable counsels; come with 

us。'



'I cannot; I have much to say to him。  Kosko Divvus; Mr。 

Petulengro。'



'Kosko Divvus; Pal;' said Mr。 Petulengro; riding through the water; 

'are you turning back?'



I turned back with Mr。 Petulengro。



Peter came running after me:  'One moment; young man; … who and 

what are you?'



'I must answer in the words of Taliesin;' said I:  'none can say 

with positiveness whether I be fish or flesh; least of all myself。  

God bless you both!'



'Take this;' said Peter; and he thrust his Welsh Bible into my 

hand。







CHAPTER LXXXI







At a funeral … Two days ago … Very coolly … Roman woman … Well and 

hearty … Somewhat dreary … Plum pudding … Roman fashion … Quite 

different … The dark lane … Beyond the time … Fine fellow … Such a 

struggle … Like a wild cat … Fair Play … Pleasant enough spot … No 

gloves。



SO I turned back with Mr。 Petulengro。  We travelled for some time 

in silence; at last we fell into discourse。  'You have been in 

Wales; Mr。 Petulengro?'



'Ay; truly; brother。'



'What have you been doing there?'



'Assisting at a funeral。'



'At whose funeral?'



'Mrs。 Herne's; brother。'



'Is she dead; then?'



'As a nail; brother。'



'How did she die?'



'By hanging; brother。'



'I am lost in astonishment;' said I; whereupon Mr。 Petulengro; 

lifting his sinister leg over the neck of his steed; and adjusting 

himself sideways in the saddle; replied; with great deliberation; 

'Two days ago I happened to be at a fair not very far from here; I 

was all alone by myself; for our party were upwards of forty miles 

off; when who should come up but a chap that I knew; a relation; or 

rather a connection; of mine … one of those Hernes。  〃Aren't you 

going to the funeral?〃 said he; and then; brother; there passed 

between him and me; in the way of questioning and answering; much 

the same as has just now passed between me and you; but when he 

mentioned hanging; I thought I could do no less than ask who hanged 

her; which you forgot to do。  〃Who hanged her?〃 said I; and then 

the man told me that she had done it herself; been her own hinjiri; 

and then I thought to myself what a sin and shame it would be if I 

did not go to the funeral; seeing that she was my own mother…in…

law。  I would have brought my wife; and; indeed; the whole of our 

party; but there was no time for that; they were too far off; and 

the dead was to be buried early the next morning; so I went with 

the man; and he led me into Wales; where his party had lately 

retired; and when there; through many wild and desolate places to 

their encampment; and there I found the Hernes; and the dead body … 

the last laid out on a mattress; in a tent; dressed Romaneskoenaes 

in a red cloak; and big bonnet of black beaver。  I must say for the 

Hernes that they took the matter very coolly; some were eating; 

others drinking; and some were talking about their small affairs; 

there was one; however; who did not take the matter so coolly; but 

took on enough for the whole family; sitting beside the dead woman; 

tearing her hair; and refusing to take either meat or drink; it was 

the child Leonora。  I arrived at night…fall; and the burying was 

not to take place till the morning; which I was rather sorry for; 

as I am not very fond of them Hernes; who are not very fond of 

anybody。  They never asked me to eat or drink; notwithstanding I 

had married into the family; one of them; however; came up and 

offered to fight me for five shillings; had it not been for them I 

should have come back as empty as I went … he didn't stand up five 

minutes。  Brother; I passed the night as well as I could; beneath a 

tree; for the tents were full; and not over clean; I slept little; 

and had my eyes about me; for I knew the kind of people I was 

among。



'Early in the morning the funeral took place。  The body was placed 

not in a coffin but on a bier; and carried not to a churchyard but 

to a deep dell close by; and there it was buried beneath a rock; 

dressed just as I have told you; and this was done by the bidding 

of Leonora; who had heard her bebee say that she wished to be 

buried; not in gorgious fashion; but like a Roman woman of the old 

blood; the kosko puro rati; brother。  When it was over; and we had 

got back to the encampment; I prepared to be going。  Before 

mounting my gry; however; I bethought me to ask what could have 

induced the dead woman to make away with herself … a thing so 

uncommon amongst Romanies; whereupon one squinted with his eyes; a 

second spirted saliver into the air; and a third said that he 

neither knew nor cared; she was a good riddance; having more than 

once been nearly the ruin of them all; from the quantity of 

brimstone she carried about her。  One; however; I suppose rather 

ashamed of the way in which they had treated me; said at last that 

if I wanted to know all about the matter none could tell me better 

than the child; who was in all her secrets; and was not a little 

like her; so I looked about for the child; but could find her 

nowhere。  At last the same man told me that he shouldn't wonder if 

I found her at the grave; so I went back to the grave; and sure 

enough there I found the child Leonora; seated on the ground above 

the body; crying and taking on; so I spoke kindly to her; and said; 

〃How came all this; Leonora? tell me all about it。〃  It was a long 

time before I could get any answer; at last she opened her mouth 

and spoke; and these were the words she said; 〃It was all along of 

your Pal〃; and then she told me all about the matter … how Mrs。 

Herne could not abide you; which I knew before; and that she had 

sworn your destruction; which I did not know before。  And then she 

told me how she found you living in the wood by yourself; and how 

you were enticed to eat a poisoned cake; and she told me many other 

things that you wot of; and she told me what perhaps you don't wot; 

namely; that finding you had been removed; she; the child; had 

tracked you a long way; and found you at last well and hearty; and 

no ways affected by the poison; and heard you; as she stood 

concealed; disputing about religion with a Welsh Methody。  Well; 

brother; she told me all this; and; moreover; that when Mrs。 Herne 

heard of it; she said that a dream of hers had come to pass。  I 

don't know what it was; but something about herself; a tinker; and 

a dean; and then she added that it was all up with her; and that 

she must take a long journey。  Well; brother; that same night 

Leonora; waking from her sleep in the tent where Mrs。 Herne and she 

were wont to sleep; missed her bebee; and; becoming alarmed; went 

in search of her; and at last found her hanging from a branch; and 

when the child had got so far; she took on violently; and I could 

not get another word from her; so I left her; and here I am。'



'And I am glad to see you; Mr。 Petulengro; but this is sad news 

which you tell me about Mrs。 Herne。'



'Somewhat dreary; brother; yet; perhaps; after all; it is a good 

thing that she is removed; she carried so much Devil's tinder about 

with her; as the man said。'



'I am sorry for her;' said I; 'more especially as I am the cause of 

her death … though the innocent one。'



'She could not bide you; brother; that's certain; but that is no 

reason' … said Mr。 Petulengro; balancing himself upon the saddle … 

'that is no reason why she should prepare drow to take away your 

essence of life; and; when disappointed; to hang herself upon a 

tree:  if she was dissatisfied with you; she might have flown at 

you; and scratched your face; or; if she did not judge herself your 

match; she might have put down five shillings for a turn…up between 

you and some one she thought could beat you … myself; for example … 

and so the matter might have ended comfortably; but she was always 

too fond of covert ways; drows; and brimstones。  This is not the 

first poisoning affair she has been engaged in。'



'You allude to drabbing bawlor。'



'Bah!' said Mr。 Petulengro; 'there's no harm in that。  No; no! she 

has cast drows in her time for other guess things than bawlor; both 

Gorgios and Romans have tasted of them; and died。  Did you never 

hear of the poisoned plum pudding?'



'Never。'



'Then I will tell you about it。  It happened about six years ago; a 

few months after she had quitted us … she had gone first amongst 

her own people; as she called them; but there was another small 

party of Romans;

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