雙語·面紗 第六十四章

64

Dawn was breaking now, and here and there a Chinese was taking down the shutters of his shop. In its dark recesses, by the light of a taper, a woman was washing her hands and face. In a tea-house at a corner a group of men were eating an early meal. The grey, cold light of the rising day sidled along the narrow lanes like a thief. There was a pale mist on the river and the masts of the crowded junks loomed through it like the lances of a phantom army. It was chilly as they crossed and Kitty huddled herself up in her gay and colored shawl. They walked up the hill and they were above the mist. The sun shone from an unclouded sky. It shone as though this were a day like another and nothing had happened to distinguish it from its fellows.

“Wouldn't you like to lie down?” said Waddington when they entered the bungalow.

“No, I'll sit at the window.”

She had sat at the window so often and so long during the weeks that had passed and her eyes now were so familiar with the fantastic, garish, beautiful, and mysterious temple on its great bastion that it rested her spirit. It was so unreal, even in the crude light of mid-day, that it withdrew her from the reality of life.

“I'll get the boy to make you some tea. I'm afraid it will be necessary to bury him this morning. I'll make all the arrangements.”

“Thank you.”

第六十四章

天已經(jīng)破曉，街上各處店鋪的中國人正摘下門板，準備開業(yè)。在店鋪的黑暗處，借著蠟燭的光線，一位婦女正洗著手和臉。在茶館的一個角落中，一群人正在吃著早點。升起的日頭散發(fā)出灰白、清冷的光線，從狹窄小巷的側(cè)面偷偷地照射進來，如同竊賊一般。河面上彌漫著白色的霧氣，霧氣中擁擠的小船上的桅桿時隱時現(xiàn)，仿佛幽靈軍隊的長矛在逼近。當(dāng)他們渡河時，一股寒意陣陣襲來，凱蒂把自己裹在艷麗的花花綠綠的披肩中。他們走到了山上，也身處在云霧繚繞之中。太陽從萬里無云的天空上照耀著，好像這一天跟其他日子沒有什么兩樣，什么事也沒有發(fā)生。

“你不想躺會兒嗎？”當(dāng)他們走進平房，威廷頓說道。

“不了，我還是在窗戶邊坐會兒吧?！?/p>

她在過去的幾周里，經(jīng)常坐在窗邊，長久地眺望外面，她已經(jīng)對遠處城堡之中夢幻般的、金碧輝煌的、美麗多姿的、神秘莫測的廟宇非常熟悉了，它能夠讓她的心神平靜下來。一切都好像那么不真實，甚至就在正午未加遮掩的陽光之下，她竟脫離了現(xiàn)實的生活。

“我讓男仆給你沏點兒茶，恐怕今天上午就得埋葬他了。我得做點兒準備。”

“謝謝你。”