文檔英語閱讀一-The-open-window

“Myauntwillcomedownverysoon,Mr.Nuttel,”saidaverycalmyoungladyoffifteenyearsofage;“meanwhileyoumusttrytobearmycompany.”

FramtonNutteltriedtosaysomethingwhichwouldpleasetheniecenowpresent,withoutannoyingtheauntthatwasabouttocome.Hewassupposedtobegoingthroughacureforhisnerves;buthedoubtedwhetherthesepolitevisitstoanumberoftotalstrangerswouldhelpmuch.

“Iknowhowitwillbe,”hissisterhadsaidwhenhewaspreparingtogoawayintothecountry;“youwillloseyourselfdownthereandnotspeaktoalivingsoul,andyournerveswillbeworsethaneverthroughloneliness.IshalljustgiveyoulettersofintroductiontoallthepeopleIknowthere.Someofthem,asfarasIcanremember,werequitenice.”“納托先生，我姑媽很快就會(huì)下來”，說話人是一位十五歲的年輕小姐，看上去沉著自信，“現(xiàn)在我來陪您，請(qǐng)多包涵。”

弗雷頓想說些讓面前這位侄女高興，而且又不會(huì)令即將到來的姑媽感到厭煩的話。弗雷頓?納托目前需要接受精神憂郁癥的治療，可是一個(gè)接著一個(gè)的拜訪這樣完全陌生的人真的會(huì)對(duì)他的神經(jīng)有什么幫助嗎？

當(dāng)時(shí)他正收拾行裝準(zhǔn)備來鄉(xiāng)下靜居，姐姐對(duì)他說：“我知道最后會(huì)是什么樣子！到了那里你會(huì)迷糊，不跟任何人說一句話，而你的神經(jīng)會(huì)因?yàn)橐钟舨粯范兊酶釉愀狻Ｎ疫€是要寫一些引見信，把你介紹給那里所有我認(rèn)識(shí)的人，在我的印象中，有些人還是很和善的?！盕ramtonwonderedwhetherMrs.Sappleton,theladytowhomhewasbringingoneofthelettersofintroduction,oneoftheniceones.

“Doyouknowmanyofthepeopleroundhere?”askedtheniece,whenshethoughtthattheyhadsatlongenoughinsilence.

“Hardlyone,”saidFramton.“Mysisterwasstayinghere,youknow,aboutfouryearsago,andshegavemelettersofintroductiontosomeofthepeoplehere.”

Hemadethelaststatementinasadvoice.弗雷頓現(xiàn)在就要把這樣一封引見信交給賽普頓夫人，不知道這位夫人是不是屬于和善之流。

“您在這里認(rèn)識(shí)很多人嗎？”那位小姐開口問道，因?yàn)樗l(fā)現(xiàn)他們這樣沉默的交流時(shí)間過長了。

“幾乎一個(gè)人都不認(rèn)識(shí)，”弗雷頓答道，“四年前我的姐姐在這里住過一段時(shí)間，是她寫的引見信讓我認(rèn)識(shí)這里的人。”他說最后一句話時(shí)，語氣中透露出傷感。

“Thenyouknowalmostnothingaboutmyaunt?”continuedthecalmyounglady.

“Onlyhernameandaddress;”Framtonadmitted.HewaswonderingwhetherMrs.Sappletonwasmarried;perhapsshehadbeenmarriedandherhusbandwasdead.Buttherewassomethingofamanintheroom.

“Hergreatsorrowcamejustthreeyearsago,”saidthechild.“Thatwouldbeafteryoursister’stime.

“Hersorrow?”askedFramton.Somehow,inthisrestfulcountryplace,sorrowsseemedfaraway.

“那么您實(shí)際上對(duì)我姑媽是一無所知了？”年輕的小姐繼續(xù)問道。

“只知道她的名字和地址，”弗雷頓承認(rèn)，同時(shí)他又在暗自考慮，這位賽普頓夫人是否結(jié)婚了，可能她結(jié)過婚但她的丈夫去世了。但房間里有些說不清的跡象表明這里是有男人居住的。

“三年前她的家里發(fā)生了一場(chǎng)悲劇，”那孩子接著說，“當(dāng)時(shí)您的姐姐應(yīng)該已經(jīng)離開這里了。”

“悲??？”弗雷頓覺得有些不可思議，不知為什么他覺得在這樣的鄉(xiāng)村靜地是不會(huì)發(fā)生什么悲劇的?！癥oumaywonderwhywekeepthatwindowwideopenonanOctoberafternoon,”saidtheniece,pointingtoalongwindowthatopenedlikeadoorontothegrassoutside.

“Itisquitewarmforthetimeoftheyear,”saidFramton;“buthasthatwindowgotanythingtodowithyouraunt’ssorrow?”“也許您會(huì)奇怪，為什么十月份的下午我們會(huì)將窗戶大敞著，”那位小姐用手指著那扇寬敞的象扇門的落地窗說。窗外是一片草坪?！敖衲甑氖绿鞖獠皇呛軟?，”弗雷頓回答，“不過你的意思是說，這扇窗戶跟那場(chǎng)悲劇有什么關(guān)系嗎？”“Outthroughthatwindow,exactlythreeyearsago,herhusbandandhertwoyoungbrotherswentofffortheirday’sshooting.Theynevercameback.Incrossingthecountrytotheshooting-ground,theywereallthreeswallowedinabog.Ithadbeenthatterriblewetsummer,youknow,andplacesthatweresafeinotheryearsbecamesuddenlydangerous.Theirbodieswereneverfound.Thatwastheworstpartofit.”Herethechild’svoicelostitscalmsoundandbecamealmosthuman.“Poorauntalwaysthinksthattheywillcomebacksomeday,theyandthelittlebrowndogthatwaslostwiththem,andwalkinatthatwindowjustastheyusedtodo.Thatiswhythewindowiskeptopeneveryeveningtillitisquitedark.Poordearaunt,shehasoftentoldmehowtheywentout,herhusbandwithhiswhitecoatoverhisarm,andRonnie,heryoungestbrother,singingasong,ashealwaysdidtoannoyher,becauseshesaiditaffectedhernerves.Doyouknow,sometimesonquieteveningslikethis,Ialmostgetastrangefeelingthattheywillallwalkinthroughthewindow??”“三年前的今天，她的丈夫和兩個(gè)弟弟，就是穿過那扇窗戶去打獵，但是一去無返。他們當(dāng)時(shí)要去那塊最適合獵射的地方，但是在穿過野地的時(shí)候，三個(gè)人意想不到的全部陷進(jìn)沼澤里。就是那個(gè)可怕的潮濕的夏天，讓在其他年份里一直很安全的地方變得突然危險(xiǎn)了。最糟糕的是從未找到他們的尸體。”說到這小孩的聲音變得不再鎮(zhèn)定，而是充滿了感情色彩。“可憐的姑媽總是相信他們有一天會(huì)回來，他們?nèi)齻€(gè)，還有那條跟他們一塊兒失蹤的棕色獵狗，會(huì)像從前一樣從那扇窗戶走進(jìn)來。那就是為什么這扇窗每個(gè)傍晚都會(huì)敞開著直到很晚的時(shí)候才關(guān)?？蓱z的，親愛的姑媽，她總是跟我提起當(dāng)時(shí)他們出門的情景，她的丈夫胳膊上搭著一件白色外衣，她最小的弟弟，羅尼，象平常一樣唱著會(huì)讓她心煩意亂的歌，她曾說他的歌刺激著她的神經(jīng)。你知道嗎，在這樣安靜的夜晚，我有時(shí)也會(huì)覺得他們會(huì)從那扇窗子走進(jìn)來，這種感覺讓我渾身發(fā)怵。”Shestoppedandtrembled.ItwasarelieftoFramtonwhentheauntcamebusilyintotheroomandapologizedforbeinglate.

“IhopeVerahasbeenamusingyou?”shesaid.

“Shehasbeenveryinteresting,”saidFramton.

“Ihopeyoudon’tmindtheopenwindow,”saidMrs.Sappletonbrig