2. I hiong-kông sa koái-á kap bō-á, kín chông chhû-khì
"Góa hi-bāng Vera hō͘ lí bē bô-liâu?" yi kóng.
"Yi it-ti̍t lóng chiâⁿ chhù-bī," Framton kóng.
"Góa hi-bāng lí bē kòa-ì thang-á khui-khui," Sappleton Tt khin-khoài kóng; "goán ang hām sió-tī-á khì phah-la̍h tit-boeh tńg lâi ah, in chóng-sī ùi hia ji̍p lâi. Kin-á-ji̍t in khì làm-á-tē hia phah-la̍h, só͘-í in ē kā góa khó-liân ê tē-thán hut kah loān chhau-chhau. Lín cha-po͘-lâng tō sī chit-lō thé, kám m̄-sī?"
Yi hoaⁿ-thâu-hí-bīn sòa leh kóng phah-la̍h kap chiáu-á chió ê būn-tê, koh kóng tio̍h kôaⁿ-thiⁿ ah-á ê chōng-hóng. Chāi Framton, che lóng chiâⁿ khó-phà. I piàⁿ-miā boeh kā ōe-tê choán kàu khah bē hiah khióng-pò͘ ê só͘-chāi, m̄-koh bô-siáⁿ sêng-kong. I chù-ì tio̍h, chit-ê lú chú-lâng bô siáⁿ teh chù-ì i, yi ê ba̍k-kng put-sî sóa khui i, sàu ǹg hit-ê khui-khui ê thang-á kap gōa-kháu ê chháu-tiâⁿ. Ti chit-ê pi-chhám ê kì-liām-ji̍t lâi hóng-būn, che tong-jiân sī chi̍t-ê put-hēng ê khá-ha̍p.
"I-seng lóng kiò góa tio̍h oân-choân hioh-khùn, mài ū sim-lí-tek ê chhì-kek, mā ài pī-bián jīm-hô ke̍k-lia̍t ê sin-thé ūn-tōng," Framton kong-khai kóng, i ū chi̍t-ê chin phó͘-phiàn ê chhò-kak, kiò-sī chheⁿ-hūn lâng a̍h tú sio-bat ê lâng lóng chiâⁿ ài thiaⁿ pa̍t-lâng ê pēⁿ-thiàⁿ ê sè-chiat, tì-pēⁿ goân-in kap tī-liâu chōng-hóng. "Nā kóng tio̍h chia̍h-mi̍h, in soah bô siáⁿ it-tì," i koh án-ne kóng.
"Bô, hioh?" Sappleton Tt kóng, hit-ê ōe-siaⁿ tú-hó tòng-tiâu yi ê hah-hì. Hut-jiân, yi ba̍k-chiu peh-kim, thê-ko kéng-kak -- m̄-koh m̄-sī chiam-tùi Framton teh kóng ê ōe.
"In chóng-sǹg lâi lah!" yi hoah kóng. "Tú hó ē-hù lim ē-tàu-tê. In khòaⁿ tio̍h ná chhiūⁿ kui-sin-khu thô͘!"
Framton sió-khóa chhoah chi̍t-ē, oa̍t-thâu khòaⁿ gōe-seng-lí-á, siūⁿ-boeh piáu-ta̍t tông-chêng ê lí-kái. Hit-ê gín-á kim-kim khòaⁿ khui-khui ê thang-á gōa, ba̍k-chiu ū chi̍t-chióng bâng-bâng ê kiaⁿ-hiâⁿ. Tī chi̍t-chióng bo̍k-bêng ê kiaⁿ-hiâⁿ, Framton ùi i ê chē-ūi oa̍t-sin, ǹg kāng hong-hiòng khòaⁿ kòe-khì.
Tī lú lâi lú chhim ê àm-hun tiong-kan, saⁿ-ê lâng-iáⁿ keng-kòe chháu-tiâⁿ tng-teh ǹg thang-á kiâⁿ lâi, in ê kòe-lâng-kha lóng gia̍p chhèng, kî-tiong chi̍t-ê ê keng-thâu ke chi̍t-niá pe̍h-sek hō͘-moa. Chi̍t-chiah thiám-thiám ê chang-sek sió la̍h-káu tòe tī in ê kha piⁿ. In chēng-chēng kiâⁿ óa chhù, hut-jiân chi̍t-ê sau-sau ê siàu-liân siaⁿ tī àm-hun tiong chhiùⁿ: "Góa kóng, Bertie, lí ná ē tiô?"
Framton hiong-kông sa i ê koái-á kap bō-á; tōa-thiaⁿ mn̂g, chhùi-chio̍h-á lō͘, hām chhù-tiâⁿ chêng ê mn̂g, sī i chhóng-pōng tiong tô-miā só͘ keng-kòe ê kai-tōaⁿ. Chi̍t-ê khiâ kha-ta̍h-chhia ê lâng ūi-tio̍h siám i, soah khì lòng tio̍h chhiū-á lî-pa.
"Goán tńg lâi ah, chhin-ài ê," chhēng pe̍h hō͘-moa hit-ê lâng kóng, ná ùi thang-á ji̍p-lâi, "ū kō-thô͘, m̄-koh lóng ta ah. goán kiâⁿ óa ê sî, chông chhut-khì hit-ê sī siáng?"
"Chi̍t-ê chin te̍k-pia̍t ê lâng, kiò-chò Nuttel Ss," Sappleton Tt kóng; "i kan-ta tiu-tiu kóng i ê pēⁿ, lín kàu-ūi ê sî, i liân chài-kiàn a̍h sit-lé to bô kóng, tō lōng leh cháu, bē-su khòaⁿ tio̍h kúi."
"Góa khòaⁿ sī in-ūi sió la̍h-káu," gōe-seng-lí-á pêng-chēng kóng; "i kă kóng, i chiok kiaⁿ káu. Ū chi̍t-kái, i tī Indo ê Ganga hô-piⁿ, khì hō͘ chi̍t-tīn káu-á jiok kàu bōng-á-po͘, soah tio̍h tī chi̍t-ê sin óe ê bōng-khut keh-mê, hit-tīn káu tī i téng-koân pūi, koh giàng-gê, koh phùn-nōa. Che si̍t-chāi ū-kàu hō͘ lâng sim kiaⁿ táⁿ thiàu."
Tī té sî-kan lāi pian kò͘-sū sī yi ê choan-tióng.
[Soah]
--
2. 伊兇狂捎枴仔 kap 帽仔, 緊傱出去
"我希望 Vera 予你袂無聊?" 她講.
"她一直 lóng 誠趣味," Framton 講.
"我希望你袂掛意窗仔開開," Sappleton Tt 輕快講; "阮翁和小弟仔去拍獵得欲轉來 ah, in 總是 ùi hia 入來. 今仔日 in 去湳仔地 hia 拍獵, 所以 in 會 kā 我可憐 ê 地毯拂 kah 亂操操. 恁查埔人 tō 是 chit-lō 體, 敢毋是?"
她歡頭喜面紲 leh 講拍獵 kap 鳥仔少 ê 問題, koh 講著寒天鴨仔 ê 狀況. 在 Framton, 這 lóng 誠可怕. 伊拚命欲 kā 話題轉到較袂 hiah 恐怖 ê 所在, m̄-koh 無啥成功. 伊注意著, 這个女主人無啥 teh 注意伊, 她 ê 目光不時徙開伊, 掃 ǹg 彼个開開 ê 窗仔 kap 外口 ê 草埕. Ti 這个悲慘 ê 紀念日來訪問, 這當然是一个不幸 ê 巧合.
"醫生 lóng 叫我著完全歇睏, 莫有心理 tek ê 刺激, mā 愛避免任何劇烈 ê 身體運動," Framton 公開講, 伊有一个真普遍 ê 錯覺, 叫是生份人 a̍h 拄相捌 ê 人 lóng 誠愛聽別人 ê 病疼 ê 細節, 致病原因 kap 治療狀況. "若講著食物, in 煞無啥一致," 伊 koh án-ne 講.
"無, hioh?" Sappleton Tt 講, 彼个話聲拄好擋牢她 ê 哈唏. 忽然, 她目睭擘金, 提高警覺 -- m̄-koh 毋是針對 Framton teh 講 ê 話.
"In 總算來 lah!" 她喝講. "拄好會赴啉下晝茶. In 看著 ná 像規身軀塗!"
Framton 小可掣一下, 越頭看外甥女仔, 想欲表達同情 ê 理解. 彼个囡仔金金看開開 ê 窗仔外, 目睭有一種茫茫 ê 驚惶. Tī 一種莫名 ê 驚惶, Framton ùi 伊 ê 坐位越身, ǹg 仝方向看過去.
Tī lú 來 lú 深 ê 暗昏中間, 三个人影經過草埕 tng-teh ǹg 窗仔行來, in ê kòe-lâng-kha lóng 挾銃, 其中一个 ê 肩頭加一領白色雨幔. 一隻忝忝 ê 棕色小獵狗綴 tī in ê 跤邊. In 靜靜行倚厝, 忽然一个梢梢 ê 少年聲 tī 暗昏中唱: "我講, Bertie, 你那會趒?"
Framton 兇狂捎伊 ê 枴仔 kap 帽仔; 大廳門, 碎石仔路, 和厝庭前 ê 門, 是伊衝碰中逃命所經過 ê 階段. 一个騎跤踏車 ê 人為著閃伊, 煞去挵著樹仔籬笆.
"阮轉來 ah, 親愛 ê," 穿白雨幔彼个人講, ná ùi 窗仔入來, "有 kō 塗, m̄-koh lóng 焦 ah. 阮行倚 ê 時, 傱出去彼个是 siáng?"
"一个真特別 ê 人, 叫做 Nuttel Ss," Sappleton Tt 講; "伊干焦 tiu-tiu 講伊 ê 病, 恁到位 ê 時, 伊連再見 a̍h 失禮 to 無講, tō 浪 leh 走, 袂輸看著鬼."
"我看是因為小獵狗," 外甥女仔平靜講; "伊 kă 講, 伊足驚狗. 有一改, 伊 tī Indo ê Ganga 河邊, 去予一陣狗仔 jiok 到墓仔埔, 煞著 tī 一个新挖 ê 墓窟隔暝, 彼陣狗 tī 伊頂懸吠, koh 齴牙, koh 噴 nōa. 這實在有夠予人心驚膽跳."
Tī 短時間內編故事 sī 她 ê 專長.
[煞]
--
2.
"I hope Vera has been amusing you?" she said.
"She has been very interesting," said Framton.
"I hope you don't mind the open window," said Mrs. Sappleton briskly; "my husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting, and they always come in this way. They've been out for snipe in the marshes today, so they'll make a fine mess over my poor carpets. So like you menfolk, isn't it?"
She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds, and the prospects for duck in the winter. To Framton it was all purely horrible. He made a desperate but only partially successful effort to turn the talk on to a less ghastly topic, he was conscious that his hostess was giving him only a fragment of her attention, and her eyes were constantly straying past him to the open window and the lawn beyond. It was certainly an unfortunate coincidence that he should have paid his visit on this tragic anniversary.
"The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise," announced Framton, who labored under the tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one's ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure. "On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement," he continued.
"No?" said Mrs. Sappleton, in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment. Then she suddenly brightened into alert attention--but not to what Framton was saying.
"Here they are at last!" she cried. "Just in time for tea, and don't they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes!"
Framton shivered slightly and turned towards the niece with a look intended to convey sympathetic comprehension. The child was staring out through the open window with a dazed horror in her eyes. In a chill shock of nameless fear Framton swung round in his seat and looked in the same direction.
In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window, they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: "I said, Bertie, why do you bound?"
Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid imminent collision.
"Here we are, my dear," said the bearer of the white mackintosh, coming in through the window, "fairly muddy, but most of it's dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?"
"A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel," said Mrs. Sappleton; "could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of goodby or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost."
"I expect it was the spaniel," said the niece calmly; "he told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him. Enough to make anyone lose their nerve."
Romance at short notice was her speciality.
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