第一章姐妹们.docx

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1、第一章姐妹们Chapter 1 The Sisters费林神父的病又发作了，这次他可能真的活不过 去了。不过确切的消息是吃饭的时候姑父告诉我的，那个 时候他和家里的科特正在谈论这个神父。我和费林神父 的关系不错，老科特对我们之间的交往颇有微词，他告诉姑妈与费林神父接触多了会影响我们小孩子的心灵一一他大概 是对费林有意见吧，我并不喜欢这个老头。晚上我睡得很晚，脑海中翻滚着费林神父瘫痪的样子和垂死的 面容，那似乎是一副向我忏悔的表情。第二天早上，我专程去了费林神父居处，门口正贴着神父的讣 告。看着这个情景，我想到了神父吸鼻烟的样子，要是他现在还活 着的话，我肯定还会给他带姑妈送他的鼻烟的。我跟着费

2、林神父学过很多关于宗教和神职礼仪方面的东西，我 对那些东西其实比较感兴趣，当然还有历史和文法，然而现在我却 没有勇气走进这个房子，站在外面我甚至有种轻松的感觉。我走在路上，老科特的话和昨晚的梦境都浮现在脑海里，但又我们在神父灵前祈祷黄昏的时候我跟着姑妈拜访了神父的遗孀和女儿。神父的遗孀把 我们领上了楼，老太太还特意招呼我进了神父停灵的房间。我们在神 父灵前做了祈祷，我却有点心不在焉。祈祷之后，我见到了神父的 尸体，那表情严肃庄重，双手还抱着一个圣杯，房间里则满是花香。我们下了楼，神父的遗孀给我们准备了吃的东西。神父的一个 女儿伊莱扎也在这里，姑妈和伊莱扎聊起了神父去世之前的事情。 从伊莱扎那儿

3、我们了解到，费林神父走得很安详，另一个神父奥洛 克还提前为费林做了临终的仪式。大家都觉得费林神父是一个安于天命的人，伊莱扎回忆着父 亲，姑妈则劝慰伊莱扎，说她们已经尽了心，而实际上也的确是， 神父的身后事都是他的遗孀和女儿张罗的。伊莱扎想起了那些每天要为神父做的事情，现在都已经没有了 意义，不停地哀叹着。神父的女儿还告诉我们，在他后来的时间里 表现得有点奇怪，比如手里的书总会掉在地上。费林神父一直都想 带全家人回老家玩，可惜到如今也没能实现。在伊莱扎的眼里，费林神父是一个很较真的人，尤其是对于自 己的神职，更是一丝不苟。这次神父病重，实际上就跟那个被一个 顽皮的孩子打碎的圣杯有关。我们也听说过

4、这件事，现在从伊莱扎 这儿得到了证实。这件事情本来跟神父是没有关系的，而且也没有那么神秘，更 不会有什么神灵的责罚，但费林仍然认为是自己的失职，所以他常 常会一个人偷偷溜到教堂里独自忏悔，害得大家到处找他。圣杯事 件严重影响了费林神父的精神状态，以至于最后卧病不起。伊莱扎现在还能记得，神父独自忏悔时那种轻轻发笑的神情， 那时候费林已经犯病了。, HERE was no hope for him this time: it was the third stroke. Night after night I had passed the house (it was vacation time) a

5、nd studied the lighted square of window: and night after night I had found it lighted in the same way, faintly and evenly. If he was dead, I thought, I would see the reflection of candles on the darkened blind for I knew that two candles must be set at the head of a corpse. He had often said to me:

6、I am not long for this world/) and I had thought his words idle. Now I knew they were true. Every night as I gazed up at the window I said softly to myself the word paralysis. It had always sounded strangely in my ears, like the word gnomon in the Euclid and the word simony in the Catechism. But now

7、 it sounded to me like the name of some maleficent and sinful being. It filled me with fear, and yet I longed to be nearer to it and to look upon its deadly work.Old Cotter was sitting at the fire, smoking, when I came downstairs to supper. While my aunt was ladling out my stirabout he said, as if r

8、eturning to some former remark of his:“No, I wouldnt say he was exactly. but there was something queer. there was something uncanny about him. ll tell you my opinion.,He began to puff at his pipe, no doubt arranging his opinion in his mind. Tiresome old fool! When we knew him first he used to be rat

9、her interesting, talking of faints and worms; but I soon grew tired of him and his endless stories about the distillery.“I have my own theory about it J he said. t4I think it was one of those . peculiar cases . But it,s hard to say.”He began to puff again at his pipe without giving us his theory. My

10、 uncle saw me staring and said to me:“Well, so your old friend is gone, you,ll be sorry to hear.“Who?” Said I.uFather Flynn.”“Is he dead?”“Mr. Cotter here has just told us. He was passing by the house.,I knew that I was under observation so I continued eating as if the news had not interested me. My

11、 uncle explained to old Cotter.tThe youngster and he were great friends. The old chap taught him a great deal, mind you; and they say he had a great wish for him.”“God have mercy on his SoUIj said my aunt piously.Old Cotter looked at me for a while. I felt that his little beady black eyes were exami

12、ning me but I would not satisfy him by looking up from my plate. He returned to his pipe and finally spat rudely into the grate.“I wouldnt like children of mine, he said, “to have too much to say to a man like that.”“How do you mean, Mr. Cotter? asked my aunt.4What I mean is,“ said old Cotter, 44it,

13、s bad for children. My idea is: let a young lad run about and play with young Iads of his own age and not be. Am I right, Jack?”Thats my principle, too, said my uncle. Let him Ieam to box his corner. That,s what m always saying to that Rosicrucian there: take exercise. Why, when I was a nipper every

14、 morning of my life I had a cold bath, winter and summer. And that,s what stands to me now. Education is all very fine and large. Mr. Cotter might take a pick of that leg mutton/* he added to my aunt.“No, no, not for me,“ said old Cotter.My aunt brought the dish from the safe and put it on the table

15、.“But why do you think it,s not good for children, Mr. Cotter?” she asked.“Its bad for children, said old Cotter, because their mind are so impressionable. When children see things like that, you know, it has an effect.,I crammed my mouth with stirabout for fear I might give utterance to my anger. T

16、iresome old red-nosed imbecile!It was late when I fell asleep. Though I was angry with old Cotter for alluding to me as a child, I puzzled my head to extract meaning from his unfinished sentences. In the dark of my room I imagined that 1 saw again the heavy grey face of the paralytic. I drew the blankets over my head and tried to think of Christmas. But the grey face