E. Thang-á Khui-khui | 窗仔開開 - 1. 三年前去拍獵無轉來

The Open Window /by H.H. Munro (Saki)

https://americanliterature.com/author/hh-munro-saki/short-story/the-open-window

Thang-á Khui-khui | 窗仔開開

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1. Saⁿ-nî chêng khì phah-la̍h bô tńg lâi

"Goán a-kīm liâm-mi tō lo̍h-lâi ah, Nuttel Ss," chi̍t-ê chin ū-chū-sìn ê 15-hòe ko͘-niû kā kóng; "chiām-sî chhiáⁿ lí tio̍h hām góa tī chia sió tán chi̍t-ē."

Framton Nuttel chīn-liōng kóng chèng-khak ê ōe, chi̍t-hong-bīn o-ló chit-ê gōe-seng-lí-á, chi̍t-hong-bīn mài khì chau-that tio̍h yi hit-ê tit-boeh kàu ê A-kīm. Su-té-hā, i pí kòe-khì koh-khah hoâi-gî, liân-sòa hóng-būn chiah-ê oân-choân chheⁿ-hūn ê lâng, tùi i tng-teh chìn-hêng ê sîn-keng tī-liâu kám chin-chiàⁿ ū pang-chō͘.

"Góa chai tāi-chì ē án-chóaⁿ," in a-chí tī i chún-pī boeh poaⁿ lâi chit-ê chng-kha só͘-chāi tòa ê sî án-ne kā kóng; "lí ē ka-tī bih tī hia, bô kap lâng kóng-ōe, lí ê sîn-keng ē in-ūi ut-chut koh-khah hāi. Góa lâi siá phe kài-siāu tī hia góa só͘ bat ê lâng hō͘ lí. Tī góa ê kì-tî nih, in ū-ê lâng chiâⁿ hó."

Framton siūⁿ boeh chai-iáⁿ, Sappleton Tt, iā-tō-sī i chah kài-siāu-phe lâi pài-hóng ê hit-ê hu-jîn sī-m̄-sī sio̍k-tī hó ê hit-pêng.

"Lí kám ū bat chin chē chit hū-kīn ê lâng?" hit-ê gōe-seng-lí-á mn̄g, yi kám-kak nn̄g-lâng tiām-tiām ū-kàu kú ah.

"Ē-sái kóng, bô," Framton kóng. "Goán a-chí tāi-khài 4-nî chêng tòa tī chia, tī chit-ê kàu-khu, lí chai hoⁿh. Yi siá kài-siāu phe hō͘ góa thang pài-hóng chi̍t-kóa chia ê lâng."

I kō͘ bêng-hián ê ûi-hām kháu-khì kóng chhut chòe-āu hit-kù ōe.

"Nā án-ne, lí si̍t-chè siōng sī m̄-bat goán a-kīm?" ū-chū-sìn ê ko͘-niû án-ne mn̄g.

"Kan-ta yi ê miâ-sèⁿ kap chū-chí," lâi pài-hóng ê lâng sêng-jīn. I siūⁿ boeh chai-iáⁿ Sappleton Tt tàu-té sī ū hun-in a̍h sī chiú-kóa ah. Pâng-keng lāi-té ū chi̍t-kóa bô bêng-khak ê mi̍h-kiāⁿ, ká-ná hián-sī ū cha-po͘ lâng tòa ê iáⁿ-jiah.

"Yi ê tōa pi-kio̍k hoat-seng tī 3-nî chêng," ko͘-niû kóng; "he sī chū lín a-chí hit-sî khai-sí ê."

"Yi ê pi-kio̍k?" Framton mn̄g; chóng-sī, tī chit-ê lêng-chēng ê chng-kha só͘-chāi, ká-ná bô sek-ha̍p ū pi-kio̍k.

"Lí khó-lêng kî-koài, sī án-chóaⁿ goán tī 10-goe̍h ē-po͘ kā thang-á khui hiah khui," gōe-seng-lí-á kóng, chhiú pí chi̍t-ê khui ǹg chháu-tiâⁿ ê Franse-sek ê khiā-thang [khiā tī tē-bīn ê thang-á-mûi].

"Tī chit-ê kùi-cheh, thiⁿ-khì un-loán," Framton kóng; "m̄-koh, hit-ê thang-á kap pi-kio̍k kám ū koan-hē?"

"Saⁿ-nî chêng ê chit chi̍t-kang, yin ang hām yin nn̄g-ê sió-tī, ùi hit-ê thang-á-mn̂g chhut-khì phah-la̍h. In lóng bô koh tńg lâi. Tī keng-kòe hong-iá khì in kah-ì ê la̍h-tiûⁿ ê sî, in 3-ê lóng khì hō͘ chi̍t-ê hiám-ok ê làm-tē thun khì. He sī chi̍t-ê khó-phà ê kāu hō͘-chúi ê joa̍h-thiⁿ, lí chai hoⁿh, tī pa̍t-nî an-choân ê só͘-chāi, bô kéng-kò tō hut-leh lop loeh. In ê sí-thé lóng bô chhōe tio̍h. Che tō sī khó-phà ê pō͘-hūn." Kóng kàu chia, gín-á ê siaⁿ-im sit-khì chū-sìn ê kháu-khì, i-i ū-ū chhiong-móa kám-sèng. "Khó-liân ê A-kīm chóng-sī siūⁿ-kóng ū-chi̍t-kang in ē tńg lâi, in kap hit-chiah hām in tâng-chê sit-chong ê chang-sek sió la̍h-káu, ē chhiūⁿ kòe-khì kāng-khoán, ùi hit-ê thang-á-mn̂g ji̍p lâi. In-ūi án-ne, hit-ê thang-á-mn̂g ta̍k-kang kàu boeh-àm iáu sī khui-khui, it-ti̍t kàu àm-o͘. Khó-liân ê A-kīm, yi tiāⁿ-tiāⁿ kā góa kóng, in án-chóaⁿ chhut-khì, yin ang chhiú-kut hiaⁿh chi̍t-niá pe̍h-sek hō͘-moa, á yin siōng-sè-hàn ê sió-tī Ronnie ná chhiùⁿ ‘Bertie, lí ná ē tiô?’, i chóng-sī án-ne kā lāng, in-ūi yi kóng án-ne ē hō͘ yi khí kín-tiuⁿ. Lí chai bô, ū-sî tī tiām-chēng ê hông-hun, chhin-chhiūⁿ chit-chūn, góa kiông-boeh giâ ke-bó-phôe, kám-kak in ē ùi hit-ê thang-á-mn̂g kiâⁿ ji̍p lâi..."

Yi ka-lún-sún chi̍t-ē, thêng lo̍h-lâi. Khòaⁿ tio̍h yin a-kīm hiong-kông kiâⁿ ji̍p-lâi, Framton kui-ê khin-sang khí-lâi; A-kīm it-ti̍t kā hōe-sit-lé, kóng yi siuⁿ bān kàu.

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1. 三年前去拍獵無轉來

"阮阿妗 liâm-mi tō 落來 ah, Nuttel Ss," 一个真有自信 ê 15 歲姑娘 kā 講; "暫時請你著和我 tī chia 小等一下."

Framton Nuttel 盡量講正確 ê 話, 一方面 o-ló 這个外甥女仔, 一方面莫去蹧躂著她彼个得欲到 ê 阿妗. 私底下, 伊比過去 koh 較懷疑, 連紲訪問 chiah-ê 完全生份 ê 人, 對伊 tng-teh 進行 ê 神經治療敢真正有幫助.

"我知代誌會按怎," in 阿姊 tī 伊準備欲搬來這个庄跤所在蹛 ê 時 án-ne kā 講; "你會 ka-tī 覕 tī hia, 無 kap 人講話, 你 ê 神經會因為鬱卒 koh 較害. 我來寫批介紹 tī hia 我所捌 ê 人予你. Tī 我 ê 記持 nih, in 有 ê 人誠好."

Framton 想欲知影, Sappleton Tt, 也 tō 是伊扎介紹批來拜訪 ê 彼个夫人是毋是屬 tī 好 ê 彼爿.

"你敢有捌真濟這附近 ê 人?" 彼个外甥女仔問, 她感覺兩人恬恬有夠久 ah.

"會使講, 無," Framton 講. "阮阿姊大概 4 年前蹛 tī chia, tī 這个教區, 你知 hoⁿh. 她寫介紹批予我通拜訪一寡 chia ê 人."

伊 kō͘ 明顯 ê 遺憾口氣講出最後彼句話.

"若 án-ne, 你實際上是毋捌阮阿妗?" 有自信 ê 姑娘 án-ne 問.

"干焦她 ê 名姓 kap 住址," 來拜訪 ê 人承認. 伊想欲知影 Sappleton Tt 到底是有婚姻 a̍h 是守寡 ah. 房間內底有一寡無明確 ê 物件, ká-ná 顯示有查埔人蹛 ê 影跡.

"她 ê 大悲劇發生 tī 3 年前," 姑娘講; "彼是自恁阿姊彼時開始 ê."

"她 ê 悲劇?" Framton 問; 總是, tī 這个寧靜 ê 庄跤所在, ká-ná 無適合有悲劇.

"你可能奇怪, 是按怎阮 tī 10 月下晡 kā 窗仔開 hiah 開," 外甥女仔講, 手比一个開 ǹg 草埕 ê Franse 式 ê 徛窗 [徛 tī 地面 ê 窗仔門].

"Tī 這个季節, 天氣溫暖," Framton 講; "m̄-koh, 彼个窗仔 kap 悲劇敢有關係?"

"三年前 ê 這一工, yin 翁和 yin 兩个小弟, ùi 彼个窗仔門出去拍獵. In lóng 無 koh 轉來. Tī 經過荒野去 in 佮意 ê 獵場 ê 時, in 3 个 lóng 去予一个險惡 ê 湳地吞去. 彼是一个可怕 ê 厚雨水 ê 熱天, 你知 hoⁿh, tī 別年安全 ê 所在, 無警告 tō hut-leh lop loeh. In ê 死體 lóng 無揣著. 這 tō 是可怕 ê 部份." 講到 chia, 囡仔 ê 聲音失去自信 ê 口氣, i-i ū-ū 充滿感性. "可憐 ê 阿妗總是想講有一工 in 會轉來, in kap 彼隻和 in 同齊失蹤 ê 棕色小獵狗, 會像過去仝款, ùi 彼个窗仔門入來. 因為 án-ne, 彼个窗仔門逐工到欲暗猶是開開, 一直到暗烏. 可憐 ê 阿妗, 她定定 kā 我講, in 按怎出去, yin 翁手骨 hiaⁿh 一領白色雨幔, á yin 上細漢 ê 小弟 Ronnie ná 唱 ‘Bertie, 你那會趒?’, 伊總是 án-ne kā 弄, 因為她講 án-ne 會予她起緊張. 你知無, 有時 tī 恬靜 ê 黃昏, 親像這陣, 我強欲夯雞母皮, 感覺 in 會 ùi 彼个窗仔門行入來..."

她 ka-lún-sún 一下, 停落來. 看著 yin 阿妗兇狂行入來, Framton 規个輕鬆起來; 阿妗一直 kā 會失禮, 講她 siuⁿ 慢到.

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1.

"My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel," said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; "in the meantime you must try and put up with me."

Framton Nuttel endeavored to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come. Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much towards helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing

"I know how it will be," his sister had said when he was preparing to migrate to this rural retreat; "you will bury yourself down there and not speak to a living soul, and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there. Some of them, as far as I can remember, were quite nice."

Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was presenting one of the letters of introduction came into the nice division.

"Do you know many of the people round here?" asked the niece, when she judged that they had had sufficient silent communion.

"Hardly a soul," said Framton. "My sister was staying here, at the rectory, you know, some four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here."

He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.

"Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?" pursued the self-possessed young lady.

"Only her name and address," admitted the caller. He was wondering whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the married or widowed state. An undefinable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.

"Her great tragedy happened just three years ago," said the child; "that would be since your sister's time."

"Her tragedy?" asked Framton; somehow in this restful country spot tragedies seemed out of place.

"You may wonder why we keep that window wide open on an October afternoon," said the niece, indicating a large French window that opened on to a lawn.

"It is quite warm for the time of the year," said Framton; "but has that window got anything to do with the tragedy?"

"Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day's shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to their favorite snipe-shooting ground they were all three engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered. That was the dreadful part of it." Here the child's voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human. "Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back someday, they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in at that window just as they used to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt, she has often told me how they went out, her husband with his white waterproof coat over his arm, and Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing 'Bertie, why do you bound?' as he always did to tease her, because she said it got on her nerves. Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in through that window--"

She broke off with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when the aunt bustled into the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in making her appearance.

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