2. Yi bô piáu-sī boeh kan-sia̍p
"Lí kám bô kám-kak lán lóng chin gōng?" Egbert kek khin-sang án-ne kóng.
Ká-sú Anne Hj ū án-ne siūⁿ, yi bô án-ne kóng.
"Góa káⁿ-kóng, góa ū chi̍t pō͘-hūn ê m̄-tio̍h," Egbert kè-sio̍k kóng, i ê khin-sang kháu-khì teh siau-thè. "Chóng-kóng, góa mā-sī chi̍t-ê phó͘-thong lâng, che lí chai. Lí ká-ná bē-kì-tit góa mā sī lâng."
I kian-chhî chit-tiám, bē-su ū-lâng bô kin bô kì kóng i sī chún Satyr ê lō͘-sòaⁿ chhòng-chō ê, tī jîn-lūi lī-khui ê só͘-chāi kō͘ soaⁿ-iûⁿ lâi iân-sio̍k.
Âng-pak phú-chhiok iū-koh teh kho͘ Iphigenie en Tauride ê khek-tiāu. Egbert khai-sí kám-kak ut-chut. Anne Hj bô teh lim yi ê tê. Hoān-sè yi kám-kak bô chheng-chhái. M̄-koh, tī Anne Hj kám-kak bô chheng-chhái ê sî, yi mā bē koàn-sì tùi hit-ê chú-tê tiām-tiām. Yi siōng ài kóng ê chi̍t-kù ōe sī: "Bô-lâng chai-iáⁿ, siau-hòa put-liông hō͘ góa án-nóa kan-khó͘;" m̄-koh, m̄-chai-iáⁿ khó-lêng sī in-ūi thiaⁿ bô chin; chú-tê ê sìn-sit-liōng hoān-sè í-keng ū-kàu siá chi̍t-phiⁿ káng-lūn ê châi-liāu.
Chin bêng-hián, Anne Hj pēng bô kám-kak bô chheng-chhái.
Egbert khai-sí siūⁿ kóng, ka-tī siū tio̍h bô ha̍p-lí ê tùi-thāi; chū-jiân-te̍k, i tō khai-sí thè-niū.
"Góa káⁿ kóng," i ná án-ne kóng, ná chiàm hiòng Don Tarquinio khéng niū chhut ê óa hóe-lô͘ tē-thán ê tiong-sim só͘-chāi, "khó-lêng sī góa ê m̄-tio̍h. Góa goān-ì, ká-sú góa ē-tàng kā tāi-chì siu-pó͘ kàu chi̍t-ê khah hoaⁿ-hí ê tiûⁿ-bīn, lâi ín-niá chi̍t-ê khah hó ê seng-oa̍h."
I sió-khóa hòⁿ-kî, che ná ū khó-lêng? Lâi-kàu tiong-liân, ín-iú ē lâi chhōe i, té-chām koh bô kian-chhî, ná-chhiūⁿ chi̍t-ê bah-tiam siàu-liân-ke tī 2-goe̍h thó boeh-ài chi̍t ê Kitok-seⁿ ê a̍p-á, kō͘ bô pí i tī 12-goe̍h bô tit-tio̍h ê khah-hó ê lí-iû án-ne. I bô siūⁿ boeh tùi in khut-ho̍k, tō ná-chhiūⁿ i bô boeh bé hî-to kap phôe-chháu ûi-kin, hiah-ê mi̍h, tī chi̍t-nî 12-kò-goe̍h tang-tiong thàng-kòe kóng-kò-nôa ê mûi-thé, hū-jîn-lâng chóng-sī ē pī-pek hi-seng. M̄-koh, chit-chióng bô lâng iau-kiû tō hòng-khì khó-lêng ê chiâm-chāi ok-hēng, iáu sī ū ta̍t-tit kám-tōng ê só͘-chāi.
Anne Hj bô piáu-hiān chhut ū siū-tio̍h kám-tōng.
Egbert thàu-kòe ba̍k-kiàⁿ kin-tiuⁿ lia̍h yi khòaⁿ chi̍t-ē. Hām yi khí kháu-kak tì-kàu siōng bái ê kiat-kó, pēng m̄-sī siáⁿ sin keng-giām. Tì-kàu siōng bái ê chū-giân chū-gí, che chiah sī lóe-chì ê sin keng-giām.
"Góa lâi-khì ōaⁿ chia̍h-àm ê saⁿ-khò͘," i án-ne kóng, kháu-khì tang-tiong ū tām-po̍h piáu-sī giâm-lē ê ì-sù.
Kàu mn̂g-kháu, chòe-āu chi̍t-chhù jīn-su ê ki-hōe, pek-sú i koh chò chi̍t-ê sò͘-kiû.
"Lán án-ne kám bē siuⁿ gōng?"
"Gōng tōa-tai!" che sī tī Egbert chhut-khì, mn̂g koaiⁿ khí-lâi ê sî, Don Tarquinio sim-lāi ê ì-kiàn. Jiân-āu, i kā mô͘ chhàng-chhàng ê chêng-kha gia̍h koân, khin-sang thiàu chiūⁿ âng-pak phú-chhiok lông-á-ē ê chheh-kè. Che sī i tē-it pái hián-sī i ū chù-ì tio̍h hit-chiah chiáu ê chûn-chāi, m̄-koh, kō͘ cheng-chún ê sêng-se̍k su-khó, i tng-teh chip-hêng chi̍t-ê tn̂g-kî hêng-sêng ê hêng-tōng lí-lūn. Hit-chiah chóng-sī siūⁿ-kóng ka-tī sī pà-ông ê âng-pak phú-chhiok, chek-sî tò-kiu kàu kan-ta pêng-sî ê saⁿ-hun-chi̍t; jiân-āu tó lo̍h, si̍t phia̍t bô-hāu, koh chiam-siaⁿ kiò. I ê kè-siàu, bô hâm hit-ê lông-á, 27 shilling, m̄-koh Anne Hj bô piáu-sī boeh kan-sia̍p ê ì-sù. Yi í-keng sí tī hia nn̄g tiám-cheng.
--
2. 她無表示欲干涉
"你敢無感覺咱 lóng 真戇?" Egbert 激輕鬆 án-ne 講.
假使 Anne Hj 有 án-ne 想, 她無 án-ne 講.
"我 káⁿ 講, 我有一部份 ê 毋著," Egbert 繼續講, 伊 ê 輕鬆口氣 teh 消退. "總講, 我 mā 是一个普通人, 這你知. 你 ká-ná 袂記得我 mā 是人."
伊堅持這點, 袂輸有人無根無據講伊是準 Satyr ê 路線創造 ê, tī 人類離開 ê 所在 kō͘ 山羊來延續.
紅腹殕雀又閣 teh kho͘ Iphigenie en Tauride ê 曲調. Egbert 開始感覺鬱卒. Anne Hj 無 teh 啉她 ê 茶. 凡勢她感覺無清彩. 毋過, tī Anne Hj 感覺無清彩 ê 時, 她 mā 袂慣勢對彼个主題恬恬. 她上愛講 ê 一句話是: "無人知影, 消化不良予我按怎艱苦;" 毋過, 毋知影可能是因為聽無真; 主題 ê 信息量凡勢已經有夠寫一篇講論 ê 材料.
真明顯, Anne Hj 並無感覺無清彩.
Egbert 開始想講, 家己受著無合理 ê 對待; 自然 te̍k, 伊 tō 開始退讓.
"我 káⁿ 講," 伊 ná án-ne 講, ná 佔向 Don Tarquinio 肯讓出 ê 倚火爐地毯 ê 中心所在, "可能是我 ê 毋著. 我願意, 假使我會當 kā 代誌修補到一个較歡喜 ê 場面, 來引領一个較好 ê 生活."
伊小可好奇, 這那有可能? 來到中年, 引誘會來揣伊, 短站 koh 無堅持, ná 像一个肉砧少年家 tī 2 月討欲愛一个基督生 ê 盒仔, kō͘ 無比伊 tī 12 月無得著 ê 較好 ê 理由 án-ne. 伊無想欲對 in 屈服, tō ná 像伊無欲買魚刀 kap 皮草圍巾, hiah-ê mi̍h, tī 一年 12 個月當中迵過廣告欄 ê 媒體, 婦人 lâng 總是會被迫犧牲. 毋過, 這種無人要求 tō 放棄可能 ê 潛在惡行, 猶是有值得感動 ê 所在.
Anne Hj 無表現出有受著感動.
Egbert 透過目鏡緊張掠她看一下. 和她起口角致到上䆀 ê 結果, 並毋是啥新經驗. 致到上䆀 ê 自言自語, 這才是餒志 ê 新經驗.
"我來去換食暗 ê 衫褲," 伊 án-ne 講, 口氣當中有淡薄表示嚴厲 ê 意思.
到門口, 最後一次認輸 ê 機會, 迫使伊 koh 做一个訴求.
"咱 án-ne 敢袂 siuⁿ 戇?"
"戇大呆!" 這是 tī Egbert 出去, 門關起來 ê 時, Don Tarquinio 心內 ê 意見. 然後, 伊 kā 毛聳聳 ê 前跤攑懸, 輕鬆跳上紅腹殕雀籠仔下 ê 冊架. 這是伊第一擺顯示伊有注意著彼隻鳥 ê 存在, 毋過, kō͘ 精準 ê 成熟思考, 伊 tng-teh 執行一个長期形成 ê 行動理論. 彼隻總是想講家己是霸王 ê 紅腹殕雀, 即時倒勼到干焦平時 ê 三分一; 然後倒落, 翼 phia̍t 無效, koh 尖聲叫. 伊 ê 價數, 無含彼个籠仔, 27 shilling, 毋過 Anne Hj 無表示欲干涉 ê 意思. 她已經死 tī hia 兩點鐘.
--
2.
"Don't you think we're being rather foolish?" said Egbert cheerfully.
If Lady Anne thought so she didn't say so.
"I dare say the fault has been partly on my side," continued Egbert, with evaporating cheerfulness. "After all, I'm only human, you know. You seem to forget that I'm only human."
He insisted on the point, as if there had been unfounded suggestions that he was built on Satyr lines, with goat continuations where the human left off.
The bullfinch recommenced its air from Iphigenie en Tauride. Egbert began to feel depressed. Lady Anne was not drinking her tea. Perhaps she was feeling unwell. But when Lady Anne felt unwell she was not wont to be reticent on the subject. "No one knows what I suffer from indigestion" was one of her favourite statements; but the lack of knowledge can only have been caused by defective listening; the amount of information available on the subject would have supplied material for a monograph.
Evidently Lady Anne was not feeling unwell.
Egbert began to think he was being unreasonably dealt with; naturally he began to make concessions.
"I dare say," he observed, taking as central a position on the hearth-rug as Don Tarquinio could be persuaded to concede him, "I may have been to blame. I am willing, if I can thereby restore things to a happier standpoint, to undertake to lead a better life."
He wondered vaguely how it would be possible. Temptations came to him, in middle age, tentatively and without insistence, like a neglected butcher-boy who asks for a Christmas box in February for no more hopeful reason that than he didn't get one in December. He had no more idea of succumbing to them than he had of purchasing the fish-knives and fur boas that ladies are impelled to sacrifice through the medium of advertisement columns during twelve months of the year. Still, there was something impressive in this unasked-for renunciation of possibly latent enormities.
Lady Anne showed no sign of being impressed.
Egbert looked at her nervously through his glasses. To get the worst of an argument with her was no new experience. To get the worst of a monologue was a humiliating novelty.
"I shall go and dress for dinner," he announced in a voice into which he intended some shade of sternness to creep.
At the door a final access of weakness impelled him to make a further appeal.
"Aren't we being very silly?"
"A fool" was Don Tarquinio's mental comment as the door closed on Egbert's retreat. Then he lifted his velvet forepaws in the air and leapt lightly on to a bookshelf immediately under the bullfinch's cage. It was the first time he had seemed to notice the bird's existence, but he was carrying out a long-formed theory of action with the precision of mature deliberation. The bullfinch, who had fancied himself something of a despot, depressed himself of a sudden into a third of his normal displacement; then he fell to a helpless wing-beating and shrill cheeping. He had cost twenty-seven shillings without the cage, but Lady Anne made no sign of interfering. She had been dead for two hours.
--
// 2022-6-15
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