One night, two or three weeks later, when the boy was in bed, Rhoda Brook sat by the dying fire in her little house. She stared at the fire for a long time, but she saw only the picture in her head of the new wife. At last, tired from her day's work, she went to bed.
But the picture of Gertrude Lodge did not go away. When Rhoda slept, the young wife was still there in Rhoda's dreams. She sat on Rhoda's body in the bed, staring into Rhoda's face. Her blue eyes were cold, and with a cruel laugh, she put her left hand in front of Rhoda's eyes. There, on the third finger, was her wedding-ring. And the phantom of Gertrude Lodge laughed again.
Rhoda turned this way and that way, but the phantom was still there. It sat, heavier and heavier, on Rhoda's body, and now Rhoda could not move. Always in her ears was that cruel laugh, and always in front of her eyes was that left hand with its wedding-ring.
Always in her ears was that cruel laugh, and always in front of her eyes was that left hand with its wedding-ring.
At last, half-dead with terror, Rhoda suddenly put out her right hand, took hold of the phantom's left arm, and pulled it hard.
The phantom fell off the bed onto the floor, and Rhoda sat up.
Dear God!' she cried. She felt cold, so cold. 'That was not a dream – she was here!'
She could still feel the young woman's arm under her hand – a warm, living arm. She looked on the floor for the woman's body, but there was nothing there.
Rhoda Brook slept no more that night, and at the dairy early the next morning, she looked pale and ill. She could not forget the feel of that arm under her hand.
When she came home for breakfast, her son asked her,'What was that noise in your room last night, mother? Did you fall off the bed?'
Noise? What time did you hear it?'
About two o'clock. But what was it, mother? Something fell, I heard it. Was it you?'
Rhoda did not answer, and after breakfast she began to do her work in the house. At about midday she heard something, and looked out of the window. At the bottom of the garden stood a woman – the woman from her dream. Rhoda stood still, and stared.
The boy came to look out of the window too.
Oh, there's Mrs Lodge,' he said. 'She told me—'
Told you?' said his mother. She looked angry. 'Why did you speak to her? I told you not to.'
She spoke to me first. I met her in the road.'
When was this?'
Yesterday.'
What did you tell her?'
Nothing. She began to talk to me, and then she saw my old shoes. She said, "Do they keep the rain out?" And I said, "No, they don't, but mother and I have no money for new shoes." Then she said, "I can give you some better shoes." She's bringing them now, I think. Perhaps they're in her bag. She's very nice, mother – she gives things to lots of people.'
By now Mrs Lodge was at the door. Rhoda wanted to run away, but there was no back door in her little house. So she waited, and the boy ran to open the door.
The boy ran to open the door.
This is the right house then,' said Mrs Lodge, smiling at the boy. 'And this is your mother, is it?'
The face and body were the same as those of the phantom in Rhoda's dream, but there was nothing cruel in this face. The blue eyes were warm, and the smile was sweet and kind.
The young woman took the shoes out of her bag, and gave them to the boy. She smiled and talked in a warm and friendly way.
How kind she is!' thought Rhoda. 'How young and sweet and innocent! Why did I have that bad dream about her? She's a friend, not an enemy.'
Two days later Mrs Lodge came again, with a new shirt for the boy, and twelve days after that she visited Rhoda a third time. The boy was out that day.
I like walking up here on the hill,' Mrs Lodge told Rhoda. 'And your house is the only one up here.'
They talked about the weather and the village, then Mrs Lodge got up to leave. 'Are you well, Rhoda?' she asked. 'You look pale.'
Oh, I'm always pale,' said Rhoda. 'But what about you, Mrs Lodge? Are you well?'
Yes, I am, but... there is something... It's nothing very bad, but I don't understand it.'
There is something... It's nothing very bad, but I don't understand it,' said Mrs Lodge.
She uncovered her left hand and arm. There were marks on the arm, yellowy-brown marks, like marks made by fingers. Rhoda stared at them.
How did it happen?' she asked.
I don't know,' said Mrs Lodge. 'One night, when I was in bed, I had a dream... and then suddenly, my arm hurt very badly. Perhaps I hit it on something in the daytime, but I don't remember it.' She laughed. 'My dear husband says it's nothing very much, and he's right, of course.'
Yes... Which night was that?' said Rhoda.
Mrs Lodge thought for a moment. 'It was two weeks ago today. It was two o'clock in the night – I remember, because I heard the clock.'
It was the same night, the same hour, as Rhoda's dream of the phantom. Rhoda remembered the terror of it, and felt cold.
How can this be?' she thought, when Mrs Lodge left. 'Did I do that? But why? She is innocent and kind – I don't want to hurt her. And how can a thing like that happen? Only witches can do things like that...'
dream n. a picture in your head when you are sleeping 夢
cruel adj. not kind; giving pain or unhappiness to other people 殘忍的,殘酷的
wedding-ring n. a ring on the third finger, to show you are married 婚戒
terror n. very great fear 恐懼
phantom n. a ghost; a 'person' who is not real 鬼魂,幻影
fall v. to go down quickly; to drop 跌倒,摔落
ill adj. not in good health 生病的;不適的
noise n. a sound of any kind, especially a disagreeable one 聲音,響聲;嘈雜聲
midday n. the middle of the day 正午
bottom n. the lower side of anything 底部,盡頭
run away to leave a place, especially secrectly, in order to escape from someone or something 逃跑
kind adj. friendly and helpful 好心的,友善的
enemy n. a person who hates you; the opposite of 'friend' 敵人
uncover v. to remove the cover from something 露出
兩三周后的一天夜里,男孩兒睡下以后,羅達·布魯克坐在她那小房子里即將熄滅的爐火旁。她朝爐火望了很長時間,腦子里卻只有那位新夫人的影像。最后,累了一天的她終于上床入睡了。
可是格特魯德·洛奇的影像卻沒有離去。羅達睡著之后,那位年輕夫人又出現在她的夢中。她來到床邊,坐在羅達身上,死死盯著羅達的臉。她藍色的眼睛冷冰冰的,殘忍地笑著,并把左手伸到羅達眼前。那只手的無名指上,戴著她的結婚戒指。接著,格特魯德·洛奇的幻影再一次笑了起來。
羅達輾轉反側,可幻影一直揮之不去。它坐在羅達身上,越來越重,現在羅達已經動彈不得了。她的耳朵里灌滿了那殘忍的笑聲,眼前一直晃動著那只戴著結婚戒指的左手。
終于,嚇得半死的羅達猛地伸出右手,抓住了幻影的左臂,用力一拉。
幻影從床上摔到地板上,羅達也坐了起來。
“天??!”她叫道。她感到冷,特別冷。“這不是夢——她剛才就在這兒!”
她仍能感受到那年輕女人的胳膊握在她的手中——那是一只溫熱的、活生生的胳膊。她望向地板,尋找那女人的身體,但地上什么都沒有。
那天夜里,羅達·布魯克再也睡不著了。第二天一大早在奶牛場里,她看起來面色蒼白,病懨懨的。她忘不了手中抓著那只胳膊的感覺。
回家吃早飯的時候,兒子問她:“媽媽,昨天夜里你屋子里的響動是怎么回事?是你從床上掉下來了嗎?”
“響動?你什么時候聽到的?”
“大概兩點鐘。到底是怎么回事,媽媽?什么東西掉下來了,我聽到了。是你嗎?”
羅達沒有回答。吃過早飯,她開始做家務。大約正午時分,她聽到有聲音,就向窗外望了望。有個女人站在花園的盡頭——正是她夢里的女人。羅達動也不動地站著,注視著她。
男孩兒也湊過來,向窗外望去。
“哦,那是洛奇夫人?!彼f,“她跟我說——”
“她跟你說?”他母親說。她看上去生氣了。“你為什么跟她說話?我告訴過你不要跟她說話的?!?/p>
“是她先跟我說話的。我在路上碰到她來著?!?/p>
“什么時候?”
“昨天?!?/p>
“你跟她說什么了?”
“沒說什么。她跟我聊起天來,后來看到我的舊鞋子,就問:‘這鞋能擋雨嗎?’我說:‘不行,擋不了??晌液蛬寢寷]錢買新鞋子?!缓笏f:‘我可以給你雙好點兒的鞋子?!蚁胨F在是把鞋子帶來了,可能就在她的袋子里。她人很好,媽媽——她給很多人送過東西?!?/p>
這時候,洛奇夫人已來到了門前。羅達想跑掉,可她家的小房子沒有后門,她只得等在那里。男孩兒跑去開門。
“看來就是這座房子啦?!甭迤娣蛉藳_男孩兒微笑著說,“這是你媽媽,對嗎?”
這面容,這身材,跟羅達夢里的幻影一模一樣,只是她的臉上沒有半點兒殘忍的樣子。她那藍色的眼睛里流露著溫暖,她的微笑甜美又善良。
年輕女人從包里拿出鞋子,遞給了男孩兒。她微笑著,說話的語氣溫和而友善。
“多好的一個人啊!”羅達心想,“那么年輕,那么可愛,那么純真!為什么我會做那個關于她的噩夢?她是朋友,不是敵人啊?!?/p>
兩天之后,洛奇夫人又給男孩兒送來一件新襯衫。十二天之后,她第三次造訪了羅達的家。男孩兒那天沒在家。
“我喜歡走到山坡上來?!甭迤娣蛉藢α_達說,“而你家是這地方唯一的房子?!?/p>
她們聊了聊天氣和村里的事,之后洛奇夫人起身告辭?!澳闵眢w好嗎,羅達?”她問,“你的臉色看起來很蒼白?!?/p>
“哦,我臉色總是蒼白的?!绷_達說,“您呢,洛奇夫人?您身體好嗎?”
“我還好,只不過……有點兒……不是什么很嚴重的問題,可我不明白是怎么回事。”
她挽起衣袖,露出左手和左臂。她的胳膊上有一些黃褐色的印跡,像是被手指抓過似的。羅達盯著這些印跡。
“這是怎么回事?”她問。
“我不知道?!甭迤娣蛉苏f?!耙惶煲估?,我睡覺的時候做了一個夢……接著,我的胳膊突然就疼得厲害。或許我白天撞到了什么東西,自己沒察覺?!彼χf,“我親愛的丈夫說沒什么大不了的,我肯定他說得對?!?/p>
“對,沒事……這是哪天夜里的事?”羅達問。
洛奇夫人想了一會兒?!皟芍芤郧暗慕裉臁r間是夜里兩點——我記得,因為我聽到了鐘聲?!?/p>
這件事發(fā)生在羅達夢到幻影的同一天夜里,同一個時間。羅達記起了那可怕的夢,感到渾身發(fā)冷。
“怎么會這樣?”洛奇夫人離開后,她想,“確實是我做的嗎?可這是為什么?她那么純真,那么善良——我不想傷害她。怎么會發(fā)生這樣的事情?這種事只有女巫才可以做到啊……”