Chapter 4 Chapter Three Customs of the Village

If a bystander had been standing near the tumulus, he would have seen that these people were all men and children from the neighboring village.Every person who climbed the ancient tomb carried a heavy load of thorny firewood, which was carried by a long pole with sharpened ends that could easily pass through the firewood bundles, with two bundles at each end.They had come up a quarter of a mile from the tumulus somewhere in the moors, where there were almost nothing but brambles in the mountains. By carrying the bundle in this way, each man is completely hidden by the bundle, and until the bundle is lowered from his shoulders, he looks like a thornbush with legs.This group of people filed forward, like a herd of sheep walking upwards, that is to say, the strongest in front and the weakest in the rear.

All the fagots were piled together, and at the top of the tumulus rose a thirty-foot-circumference bramble pinnacle, known for miles around the tumulus as Rain Mound.Some people are busy preparing firewood, picking the driest brambles, and some are untying the vines that bind the bundles.While they were thus busy, the rest of the group lifted their eyes and surveyed the vast expanse of country which they could see from their position, which was now almost drowned in night.At any hour of the day, standing in the valley of the wasteland, you can see nothing as far as you can see except the wild face of the valley itself; The vast expanse of countryside on the horizon, and many landscapes beyond the wilderness.Right now, this vast landscape is gone, and there is only a distant blurred outline stretching forward.

While the men and children were building the pyre, the great shadow that showed the distant landscape changed.Red flames and piles of bonfires appeared one after the other, and the whole surrounding countryside appeared one after another.They were bonfires lit in other parishes and small villages, all busy with similar commemorations.Some fires looked far away, and in the thick night, the pale flames like straw radiated outwards in a fan shape around the fire.Some of the fires were very large and very close, and they glowed scarlet in the dark night, like wounds on a black animal hide.Some of the fires looked like Dionysian priestesses, with drunken faces and disheveled hair.The light of the fire cast a halo on the still clouds in the sky above the campfire, illuminating the sudden fluctuations in the clouds, turning them into boiling cauldrons.Counting carefully, there are about thirty bonfires lit in the entire area; although the people standing on the rain mound cannot see the surrounding scenery, they can determine the location of each bonfire according to the direction of these bonfires. The location is like the numbers on the clock, but the time can be known according to the hands on the clock face.

The first high light of fire shot up from the rain mound, drawing back the eyes of all who were gazing at the distant piles of campfires, and reminding them of the same activity they were about to do.The joyful firelight casts streaks of light on the faces of the people in the inner circle with its brilliant yellow light. At this moment, men and women come in twos and threes, making more people in the circle. It's cute, the light gets darker and darker as you go below the ancient tomb, and you can only see darkness below.In the light of the fire it could be seen that the tumulus was part of a sphere, as intact as when it had been piled up, and even the small ditch dug in the ground was still there.No plowshare has ever scratched the rough ground.To the farmer it was a barren land, but to the historian it was a fertile land.Because it has never been disturbed by human beings, it has not been damaged in any way.

It seems that the people lighting the bonfire seem to be standing on a bright and shining floor of the world, completely separated from the vast black wasteland below and exist independently.The wilderness below was now a vast abyss, disconnected from where they stood; their eyes were so adapted to the blinding fire that they could see nothing beyond its range.From time to time, quite literally, a fiercer and livelier flame sprang up from the burning faggot, and cast a blinding light downward, as if sending an adjutant, to light up a farther bush, pond, or It was a field of white sand, which had been painted the same golden yellow, against the light of the campfire, and then all was dark again.Then, the whole dark night below was like that extraordinary Florentine 】Standing on the edge of the imaginary hell; and the whimpering sound of the wind blowing in the valley, it sounds like the complaints and prayers of the noble souls above the head.

It all felt like these men and kids were suddenly jumping back into a lost past, picking up an hour from the past, doing something that used to happen here.Beneath their feet, the pyres of earlier Britons left the ashes on this tumulus still fresh and undisturbed.Long ago, the fire atop the tumulus shone brightly.The flames of the burning bodies danced and flickered, illuminating the lowlands below, as now from the campfires.Later, at the same place, a memorial to Thor [Note: Thor in Nordic mythology was lit. ] and Woden [Note: The main god in Germanic mythology. ] The sacrificial fire was also popular for a while.Indeed, it is well known that the heaps of flames, which the inhabitants of the moor are now admiring, are not so much an invention of the people as an outlet for a plot against gunpowder. ．Fox and others attempted to blow up the parliament building and kill the king's gunpowder conspiracy. ] feelings, it is better to say that they are Druids [Note: A group of knowledgeable people among the ancient Celts. 】The rites and Saxon celebrations are mixed and blended to this day.

Not to mention, lighting a fire is an act of rebellion that people instinctively do when they enter the depths of winter and hear the curfew bells ringing everywhere urging people to turn off the lights and go to bed.The seasons come and go, bringing wearisome days, cold darkness, misery and death, so the lighting of the fires shows a kind of Promethean take on this inescapable law that people have spontaneously adopted. . ] style of resistance.The darkness of chaos has come, said the imprisoned gods of the earth, let the light come. The bright firelight and the dark shadows interweave and dance on the faces and clothes of the people around the fire, as if using Dürer's [Note: German painter. 】Strong brushstrokes and chic splashes of ink outline their outlines.However, the immutable and serious appearance of each face cannot be clearly delineated and expressed, because the lively flames are rising and jumping, devouring the surrounding air, making the bright and dark spots on the faces of this group of people all the time Not changing.Everything is not fixed, like a quivering leaf, and fleeting like lightning.The eye sockets that cannot be illuminated by the light are deeply sunken like the eye sockets of the dead, and suddenly become bright again; the protruding chin appears so deep, and then becomes very bright; Suddenly the light hits and the wrinkles are completely gone again.The nostrils became dark wells; the sinews sprouting from the old man's neck were cast like gold; Take the Jingchai pole, its tip is as bright as glass; the eyeballs of each person are shining like little lanterns.The dainty objects that nature fashioned became grotesque, and the grotesque became strange and unthinkable;

In this way, an old man who, like others, has been called up to the highlands by the rising fire, his nose and cheeks may lose their original shape altogether, and see only a rather full face.He stood there complacently, enjoying the warm firelight.He held a stick or a branch in his hand, and picked the scattered twigs into the fire. While staring at the center of the fire, he raised his eyes from time to time to estimate the height of the fire, or let his eyes follow the fire. Mars that sprang up and disappeared in the dark.The sparkling red light and the warming heat seemed to make him more and more excited, and soon, this excitement reached the level of exuberance.Holding a stick, he began to dance a solo Minuet [Note: Minuet popular in the seventeenth and eighth centuries. ], as a result, a string of brass pendants in his jacket swung brightly like a pendulum, and at the same time he began to sing, his voice was like a bee flying up a chimney:

one, two, and three, The king drank all the nobles one by one, Count Martial, I'm going to hear the queen's confession, You have to come with me. The count fell to his knees, Repeatedly begging the king to show mercy, No matter what the Queen says, Perhaps there is nothing to blame. Out of breath, his singing broke off; this attracted the attention of a middle-aged man standing firmly there, the two corners of his crescent-shaped mouth stretching sternly toward the cheeks, as if He didn't want to laugh, lest people mistake him for a playful grin. It's a beautiful song, Mr. Canter, but I don't think it's going to be easy for an old man with a wretched throat like yours to sing it well, and he's a wrinkled singer Opened up.Don't you want to be as young as eighteen again, Mr. Cantor, just like when you first learned to sing this song?

What's wrong?asked Uncle Canter, stopping dancing. I said, could it be that you still want to be young again?But now there seems to be a hollow in your poor chest. But I know the singing skills very well!If I couldn't sing big passages with such short breath as I do, I ain't got all this youthful look about my elders, don't I, Timothy? How are the newlyweds at the lady's shop down there?asked the other, pointing his finger to a dim light in the distance, in the far direction of the road, though evidently not at the same spot where the red-monger was sitting resting.What's the matter with them?You are a man of sense and should know.

It's just kind of ridiculous, isn't it?I admit that I, Uncle Kantor, are just a little absurd, or he wouldn't be anything at all.But that was a rash mistake of youth, Neighbor Fairway, and it will be all right in old age. I hear they're going home tonight.They should be home by now.What else? The next thing we should do is to wish them happiness, isn't it? Oh, no. no?Well, I thought we must go.I have to go, or it won't be like me at all. Every time there is a carnival, I will always be the first to go! Put on a patchwork quickly, I also put on a cassock, We dress up as monks together, Let's go to see the queen's car together. Last night I ran into Mrs. Yeobright, the bride's aunt, who told me her son Clem was coming home for Christmas.I'm sure that's a very bright boy, and I'd like to have all the brains of that young man.Well, I told her so in my famously happy way, and she said, Oh, a man with such a respectable look to say such stupid things!That's what she told me.I don't care about her.If I cared then I was hooked, so I told her so.If I care about you, I will trap you.I said.I held her down, didn't I? I think she's holding you back.Fareway said. No, said Uncle Canter, with a little less air on his face.It wouldn't be so bad for me, would it? It seemed so; but, wouldn't Clem come back for Christmas and have to rearrange his mother for the marriage?Because now his mother is alone at home. Yes, yes, that's what happened.But listen to me, Timothy, said the gentleman very earnestly, even though I'm known to be a joker, you'll see me get serious, and I'll be a very sensible person, now , I am speaking seriously.I could tell you a lot about this new couple.Yes, at six o'clock this morning, they went to the village to do this. I haven't seen them since then, although I guess they should be home this afternoon, husband and wife , I have to say my wife, that's all.Doesn't that sound like a man's talk, Timothy?Didn't Mrs Yeobright despise me too much? Yes, let's just say it.I don't know if they've ever walked together since last fall when her aunt objected to their announcement of their marriage.How long has it been since this unhappiness has been made up for?You know what, Humphrey? Yeah, how long has it been?Uncle Canter also asked a question tactfully, and turned to Humphrey. I just want to ask this question. Just when her aunt changed her mind and said she might as well accept that man.replied Humphrey, his eyes still on the fire.He was a more or less serious young woodcutter, with a cutlass and leather gloves, and his legs, from his occupation, were wrapped in leather leggings, like the Philistines. The people who settled in the southern coast of Palestine in the early days. ] as hard as the copper greaves.I think that's why they went out to the outer boroughs to get married.You think Mrs Yeobright, with such a foolish fuss, and another objection to the announcement of the marriage, would tolerate the marriage in the same parish as if she had never objected to it, so remarkable that she Just like a fool. That's right, obviously like a fool; then, it would be too bad for the poor man, but I'm only thinking about it, really.said Uncle Cantor, still trying to put on a sensible demeanor. Oh yes, I was at church that day.Fauway said it was a surprise that something like that happened. If it weren't for that, I'd be a no-brainer, said Uncle Kanter with an emphasis.I haven't been to church in two years, and now that winter is here, I won't be. I ain't been to church for three years, said Humphrey, because I'm always in such a deep sleep on Sunday, and it's too far to get there; There are so many people who can't get it, so I'd better stay at home and not go. Not only did I happen to be there, said Fairway, again emphatically, but I happened to be sitting in the same row as Mrs. Yeobright.Although you may not take it very seriously, hearing her say that makes my blood run cold.Yes, it's a curious thing; but my blood really turns cold, for I'm seated next to her.The speaker glanced at the people around him, they were all listening to him now, he was speaking unhurriedly, quite seriously, his lips were tighter than ever. To do something like that in a place like that is no joke.said a woman behind. You have to explain in public.The pastor said so.Fareway went on, while a woman stood up next to me and touched me slightly.Why, it's not Mrs. Yeobright who is standing up.I said to myself.Folks, it's true, even though I was in church, I said so.I just cursed that out of nowhere, and I hope any woman here doesn't take it seriously.But what I say is what I say, and I'd be lying if I didn't admit it. That's what it is, folks at Fairway.It's not Mrs. Yeobright who stands up.I say, and the narrator repeats the incantation with the same expressionless and serious face as before, and he does this to show that he is repeating the sentence entirely out of context. Out of necessity, not on purpose, the next thing I heard, I disputed the wedding announcement, she said.I'll talk to you after the service.The pastor said that he looked like he was chatting about family affairs. Yes, he suddenly became an ordinary person like you and me, not a pious priest at all.Ah, how pale her face is!Maybe you can recall that the memorial statue in Weserburg Church is the statue of a soldier sitting cross-legged with his arm knocked off by a schoolboy?Well, the woman's face was like the face of the stone statue when she said that I objected to the marriage announcement. The audience cleared their throats and threw a few sticks of firewood into the bonfire. It wasn't that the fire was waiting to add firewood, but they just wanted to take this time to give themselves a little time to weigh the moral weight of this matter. . I am quite sure that when I heard their marriage was opposed, I was as glad as if I had been offered sixpence.A voice said rather eagerly that it was Ollie.Dalton, a woman who makes a living by tying or brushing brooms.Her temperament was one of treating friend and foe equally, being very polite, and grateful for the world for allowing her to live. But now the girl is still married to him.Humphrey said.That was after Mrs. Yeobright had turned the corner to give her assent.Fairway interjected, with an air of unimpressed air, to show that what he said had nothing to do with what Humphrey said, but was the result of his personal knowledge of the matter. Even if they're embarrassed, I really don't see why they shouldn't get married here.It was a large woman whose bodice creaked like a shoe, whether she stood or turned away.It is a very good thing to have the neighbors gathered together after a while to have a good time, so perhaps it is not a bad thing to have a wedding and make a scene like a religious festival.I don't like being so sneaky about things. Well, you may not believe it, but I don't give a damn about those happy weddings, Timothy.said Faherway, looking around again.If I had to be honest, I wouldn't blame Thomasy at all.Neighbors Yeobright and Wildeve have done it so quietly.A wedding at home means dancing five and six reels hour after hour. 】; A man who dances so much after the age of forty can't stand his legs. That's right.Once you're in a housewife's house, you simply can't resist doing a jig. ]'s dance partner, because you have always understood that people want you to be worthy of the many good things you eat. You've got to dance at Christmas, because that's once a year, and you've got to dance at weddings, because it's only once in a lifetime.Even at christenings people sneak a reel dance or two, even if no one dances after the first or second lad.And that's not to mention the songs you must sing. As far as I'm concerned, I'd love nothing more than to go to a heartfelt funeral.Just as full and full as any other banquet, and even better.Standing up and gossiping a poor wretch won't make you jump your legs like stakes like you do hornpipe dancing. I think nine out of ten people would admit that dancing was too much at that time, right?Uncle Canter said tentatively. At that kind of banquet, a steady man doesn't feel at ease until after a few rounds of drinking. Hey, I really don't understand, a guy like Tansy [Note: Thomasy's nickname. 】.How could a quiet and ladylike little girl like Yeobright get married so unobtrusively, fat woman Susan.Nasaqi opened her mouth, and she still liked to talk about the topic at the beginning.No poor man could do a worse marriage than this.I don't think that man is very good, although some people will say he is handsome. To be fair, he's a smart guy.As far as he was concerned, being a learned man was pretty much the same as Clem Ellen used to be.About as smart as Bright.The education he received in the past and the things he learned are much better than opening this lady's shop.We all know an engineer, that's what he is; but he throws his chances aside, and just keeps a hotel to make ends meet.His knowledge was of no use to him at all. That's the way it often is, said Ollie the Broomstick, and yet someone goes after it and gets it!Some guys used to try to draw a circle so they wouldn't go to hell, but they couldn't even draw a circle, but now even these guys can write their names without even shaking their pens, often with ink The stains will not fall off; is that the case?Hey, don't even need a desk to lean on. Yes, it's amazing how much the world has changed.Humphrey said. That's right, in four years [Note: 1804, during the war between Britain and France. 】Before I enlisted in the Screaming Township Regiment (that's what we were called at the time), Uncle Cantor jumped in with great interest, and like the most ordinary of you, he didn't know anything about the world.And now, anyway, I'm not going to say I'm not good at it, am I? Never mind, said Fairway, as soon as you were young enough to marry a woman, you could re-enter those registers, just like Wilderf and Miss Tansy, Humphrey Leigh couldn't do it, because he was just as knowledgeable as his father.Well, Humphrey, I remember it well, when I signed my name on the register when I was married, I saw your father draw it on it and stare me in the face .He and your mother happened to be the couple who got married before the two of us, and the one your father drew on it stretched his arms and kicked his legs, which looked like a carefree scarecrow.That black cross is really scary, just like your father!Despite all the hustle and bustle of marriage at the time, my woman hooked me tightly, and Jack.Changeri and a lot of boys were grinning at me from the church window, making me sweat like I was in dog days, but when I saw that dot, God bless me, I couldn't help but laugh.But in a little while, a thin straw will knock me down, because I remember that if your father and your mother once quarreled angrily, they have done twice since they were married. Ten times now, I've seen myself in the same trouble, another poor fool. Well, hey, that was enough of that day! Wildef was several years older than Tansy.She is also a pretty girl.A young girl with a family must be a fool to weep her clothes for such a man. The speaker, a peat digger, had just come into the company, and on his shoulder was a wide, heart-shaped shovel, the tool of his trade; The blade of the shovel shone like a silver bow. If he asks, a hundred women will want him.said the fat woman. Folks, do you know a man that no woman would ever marry?asked Humphrey. I've never heard of that.said the peat digger. I haven't heard of it either.said another. I don't know either.said Uncle Cantor. Hey, I've heard of it.Timothy.Make one leg more stable, says Faherway.I really know that there is such a person.However, remember, only met once.He cleared his throat carefully, as if it was his duty not to make his raspy voice unintelligible.Yes, I know such a person.He said. What does the poor wretch look like, and is it really so ugly, Mr. Fairway?Ask about peat digging. Humph, that man is neither deaf, nor dumb, nor blind.But I won't tell you what he looks like. Do people in this area know him?Ollie.Dalton asked. Few people know anyone, Timothy said: but I can't call him by name, boys, keep the fire going. Christine.Why are Kanter's teeth chattering all the time?A boy in the shadow of smoke on the other side of the fire said, Have you caught a cold, Christine? Only a thin and timid voice replied, not cold, not cold at all. Come forward, Christine, and show your face.I didn't know you were here already.said Faherway, looking sympathetically around the corner. Following his words, a wobbly figure appeared, with thin hair, thin shoulders that were almost gone, most of his wrists and ankles were exposed outside his clothes, and he walked on his own volition After one or two steps, he took another six or seven steps under the urging of others.He is the youngest son of Uncle Cantor. Why are you shaking so badly, Christine?asked the peat digger mildly. That man is me. which man? The man no woman would marry him. Ah, you are the one!Timothy.Fareway said the eyes were so wide that they covered Christine and everything around him; at the same time, Master Cantor's eyes were too wide, like a hen staring at it. Like a newly hatched duckling. Yes, that's me; it really makes me cringe, said Christine, and don't you think it's embarrassing for me?I'll keep saying I don't care, swear I don't care, even though I actually hate it all the time. Why, if that's not the most astonishing thing I know, then hell, said Mr. Fairway, I wasn't talking about you at all.That is to say, there is such a person here!Christine, why are you admitting to yourself? I thought, what's going on is always going to be what's going on.It's not up to me, right?He watched them with sad round eyes, circles of wrinkles around them like targets. Yes, that's true.It's a sad thing, though, and my blood runs cold to hear you say that, because I thought there was only one of these wretches, and there were two.It really hurts you, Christine.How do you know that a woman doesn't want to marry you? I asked them. I really didn't expect you to have the face to ask them.Hey, what did the last woman you asked tell you?Speaking of which, I probably didn't say anything that made people feel uncomfortable, right? Go away, you soft, skinny monkey fool.That's what the woman told me. I gotta say, that's pretty depressing to hear, said Fairway, and fuck off, you soft, skinny monkey, that's too much of a refusal.Even so, though, time and patience might make it all pass, and the shrew would still have gray hair on her head.How old are you, Christine? Thirty-one when I dig potatoes this year, Mr. Faherway. Not too small, not too small.But there is hope. That was the age from the day of my christening, for it was entered in that great register kept by the parish council; but my mother told me that I was born a few days before my christening. oh! But she couldn't tell when that was, even if it took her life to tell, all she knew was that there was no moon that night. No moon, that's too bad.Hey, folks, it's been really bad for him! Yes, that's bad, said Uncle Canter, shaking his head. Mother also knew that there was no moon on that day, as the old saying goes, there is no man without the moon, and this made her fear every time she had a boy, so every time she had a child, she always had to ask another woman, because she had an almanac.Do you really think, Mr. Faherway, that the absence of the moon would make things very bad? Yeah; no moon no man is one of the truest sayings ever told.Babies born on the New Year's Day never turn out well.Christine, you are very unlucky; indeed, there are so many days in a month, and you were born at that time. I think when you were born, the moon must have been extremely round, right?said Christine, looking hopelessly at Fareway with admiration. No, it's not a new moon, replied Mr. Fairway, giving him a cool look. I would rather not drink alcohol during the harvest season than to be born when there is no moon, Christine continued with her trembling voice, as if endorsing it.People say I'm skinny like a skeleton and pretty useless to my family, and I guess that's why. Well, said Uncle Canter, somewhat gloomily, when the boy was born his mother cried so much for fear that he would grow too fast and be sent to the army. Well, there are plenty of unlucky people like him, said Fairway, and wethers have to live like other sheep, poor thing. So, I have to make do with it?Should I be afraid of the night, Mr. Fairway? All your life you will have to sleep alone; and when night comes and a ghost appears, it is always with a bachelor, never with a married couple.Someone recently saw a ghost.A strange ghost. No please help don't talk about this!I was alone in bed; just thinking about it made me shiver.But you'll tell, you'll tell, I know, Timothy; I've been dreaming about it all night, a very strange ghost?What kind of ghost do you mean, a very strange ghost, Timothy?No, don't tell me. I myself don't believe in anything.But I think it's a really queer thing, that's what I've heard.It was a little boy who saw the ghost. What does that ghost look like?no don't say A red ghost.True, most ghosts are white, but this one seemed to have been soaked in blood. Christine took a deep breath, but it didn't make him any bigger, when Humphrey spoke, where did you see that? Not here, exactly; but on this wasteland.Don't talk about it here though.What did you just say?Fareway went on in a light tone, and from his tone it sounded like it wasn't Mr Canter's idea that you said we should go and sing to the couple before bed tonight as a token of honor to their newlyweds Day celebration?When people get married, they should not be sad, but happy.I'm not much of a drinker, you know, but when the women and the kids go home, we'll go to the lady's and have a dance at the couple's door.That would make the bride happy, and it's something I'm happy to do, because when she lived with her aunt in Hualuo Village, I got wineskin wine from her many times. Well, then we'll have it too!Uncle Canter said, turning around so lightly, the string of copper pendants on his body suddenly jingled.Standing here in the wind, I look like a spinach, and I haven't had a drink since lunch today.It is said that the newly opened barrels of wine in the lady's shop taste really good.Folks, so what if it's too late, tomorrow is Sunday, we can sleep in it all day, can't we? Lord Cantor!You are an elderly person, but you still do things so nonchalantly.said the fat woman. I don't care about things; I don't care enough to please women!Ha ha!I'll sing about happy companions, or whatever, even if it would make a wizened old man weep with grief.I don't care about anything. The king turned his head to the left, angry face impatient Opening up, Earl Marshall If I hadn't promised before, I should have sent you to the gallows. Well, that's what we're going to do, said Fairway, we're going to sing them a song, and that'll please God too.They were all married, so what was the point of Thomasy's cousin Clem coming home?If he wanted to stop the marriage and let her marry himself, he should come back before they were married. Maybe he was planning to come back and live with his mother for a while, because now that the bride was gone, she would feel very lonely by herself. Oh, that's odd, I'm never lonely by myself no, not at all, said Mr Canter, I'm as brave as a general at night. By this time, the bonfire began to grow smaller, because the firewood was no longer the kind of hard wood, and it was impossible to burn the bonfire again.The flames of most campfires across the wide horizon also began to dim.Observe carefully the brightness of each fire, the color of the flame, and the height from which the flames rise, and you will know what kind of firewood is burning; and you can know the natural products of the area where each fire is located what is it.大多數火堆的火焰明亮璀璨，表明那是一片石南和荊豆花叢生的鄉野，跟他們這兒的差不多，朝一個方向綿亙伸展；其他一些篝火的火焰倏忽即逝，表明燒的都是些不經燒的柴火麥秸、豆秸，以及耕地上的廢棄物。而所有篝火中最經久耐燒的就像星星那樣穩定不變表明那燒的是木頭，比如榛樹枝、荊柴和粗木塊。燒這種硬柴的火堆很稀少，相對說來，跟周圍那些短暫的火光相比，它的火光範圍不大，可現在由於它火焰燃燒得持久，卻顯示出它是四周篝火中最經久耐燒的了。那些最明亮的篝火在漸次消逝，可這些火堆依然在燃燒著。它們的位置處於眼力所及的最遙遠的地區，也就是北面天際那些長著茂盛的灌木叢和林帶的突兀而起的山上，那一帶土壤肥沃，石南叢在那兒就顯得稀疏少見了。 只有一堆篝火，是所有那些光亮持久的篝火中離這兒最近的，成了閃閃耀眼的篝火群中的一輪明月。它的位置正好就在底下山谷那扇小窗的正對面。這堆篝火的位置實在是太近了，因而儘管火堆那麼小，但卻比其他的篝火更耀眼。 這堆篝火就像一隻一眨不眨的眼睛，先前就時不時地引起人們的注意；等到他們自己篝火的火焰開始萎縮暗淡，那堆篝火就顯得更注目；甚至在另外一些用硬木柴點起的篝火也開始暗淡下去時，這一堆篝火卻明亮閃爍依然如故。 說真的，那堆篝火離這兒可真近！費厄韋說，我似乎還能看見火堆旁有個人在走動。一點不假，那堆火可說是點得又小巧又明亮。 我都能把一塊石頭扔到那兒。一個男孩說。 我也行！坎特大爺說。 不，不，你不行，我的小寶貝。儘管那堆火看起來那麼近，可它至少在一英哩開外。 它是在荒原上，可燒的不是荊柴。挖泥煤的人說。 它燒的是劈柴，所以火那麼亮，那麼經燒，蒂摩西．費厄韋說，除了無節疤的木材，其他柴火都燒不出那樣的火焰。那堆火就在迷霧岡老船長家門前的那座小丘上。那老人是個最古怪的人！一個人就在自家的坡溝內點起一個小火堆，讓別人都沒法走攏去欣賞欣賞！這老傢伙一定是個老古怪，獨自個兒點起了篝火卻不讓年輕人去湊樂子。 維伊船長今天走了好長一段路，他相當乏累了，坎特大爺說，因此看來不像是他點的火。 再說他根本捨不得用那樣好的木材來點篝火。胖女人說。 那麼說一定是他的外孫女兒了，費厄韋說，像她那樣年紀的小姐，不太會想要點火取樂的。 她這人的行為舉止算得上是很怪的，獨自個兒住在那兒，找樂子的方式也怪，蘇珊說。 她可真是個俊妞，挖泥煤的漢弗萊說，尤其在穿上一件好看的衣服時更是漂亮。 是那麼回事，費厄韋說，好了，隨她的篝火燒去吧。看來我們的篝火也燒得差不多了。 火快燒盡了，四下看去多黑啊！克里斯廷．坎特說，用他那對兔子眼朝身後看了看，鄉親們，你們認為我們不該結伴回家了嗎？我知道，荒原上的鬼魂還沒出來；不過，我們還是回家的好啊，那是什麼？ 只有風呀。挖泥煤的人說。 我覺得在十一月五日這一天，除非是在鎮上，否則都不該熬夜。像這種不吉祥的地方只該在白天來。 胡扯，克里斯廷。打起精神，拿出點男子漢的模樣來！蘇珊，親愛的，你和我還該來跳支吉格舞嗨，怎麼樣，寶貝？別等天完全黑下來，要不就沒法看清你依然是那麼漂亮的俊模樣兒，儘管你丈夫，那婊子養的，把你從我這兒奪走那麼多年了。 這番話是衝著蘇珊．納薩奇說的；接下來周圍眾人看到的是這個胖女人的碩大身軀很快地向篝火那兒移去。原來，那是費厄韋先生趁她不注意，一把摟住她的腰，將她的身子抱了起來。那堆篝火如今只剩下了一圈灰燼，荊柴已完全燒完，只剩下一些火紅的餘燼和火星還在發出微光。一走進這圈子，他便拉著她轉了一圈又一圈，跳起了舞。她是個全身到處都發出聲響的女人，除了衣服的胸、腰圍用鯨骨和支條撐起外，她不分冬夏，不管下雨天晴，總是穿著木拖鞋，而留著靴子不捨得穿；這一來，當費厄韋開始帶著她跳起舞時，木拖鞋的嗒嗒聲，衣服撐條的吱嘎聲，加上她驚訝的尖叫聲，便成了一個響亮吵鬧的音樂會。 我可要砸碎你這笨蛋了，你這討厭鬼！納薩奇太太說道，她正毫無辦法地跟著他一圈圈跳著舞，兩隻腳就像鼓槌一樣在火星中踩來踩去。我的腳踝先前在走過那扎人的荊豆花叢時就火燒火燎的了，這會兒你讓我踩著這些火星，可把它們弄得更痛啦！ 蒂摩西．費厄韋的狂熱行動真富有感染力。挖泥煤的一把抓住了老奧利．道頓，帶著她也跳起了環形舞步，可動作多少要溫和得多。年輕人的動作可不慢，也紛紛學起他們長者的樣，逮住了一個個女士；坎特大爺拄著他的拐杖，活像長了三條腿，就這麼在其他人中間跳起了吉格舞；不一會兒，只見雨塚上一片黑幢幢的人影在轉動，踢起了點點火星，在他們腰際四周飛濺跳閃。一片鬧聲中只聽到女人們的尖利叫聲、男人們的歡笑聲、蘇珊的衣服撐條的吱嘎聲和木拖鞋聲，以及奧利．道頓不時發出的噓｜噓｜噓聲，此外可聽到風刮過灌木叢時發出的雜亂呼呼聲，這一切和著他們那瘋狂的舞步，組成了一種十分調和的音調。克里斯廷獨自個兒站在一邊，他的身子不安地來回晃動，一邊嘟噥著，他們不該這麼幹瞧火星飛得多高啊！這會把鬼魂招引過來的，真的。 what is that?一個小夥子停住腳，問道。 啊在哪兒？克里斯廷問，趕緊往人堆裡靠。 所有的跳舞者都放慢了步子。 就在你身後，克里斯廷，我聽到的就在那兒。 喲就在我身後！克里斯廷說。馬太，馬可，路加，約翰保佑我安然入睡吧；四位天使保佑 Shut up.Who is that?費厄韋說。 喂｜！黑暗中傳來了一聲叫聲。 喂｜哎！費厄韋應道。 有沒有車道從這兒經過直達花落村的約布賴特太太家啊？還是先前那個聲音發問道，與此同時，一個瘦長模糊的身影走近了雨塚。 鄉親們，難道我們還不該趕快回家嗎？已經這麼晚了，克里斯廷說，你們知道，我的意思是別分開，一起走。 把零零碎碎的荊柴刮刮攏，再燒起一點火，我們好看清這是誰，費厄韋說。火焰躥起，映出了一個身穿緊身衣，從頭到腳通紅的年輕人。 從這兒有沒有路可通到約布賴特太太家？他重複問了一遍。 哎順著這條道一直往那兒走就得。 我是說有沒有一條由兩匹馬拉的車走的路？ 噢，是啊；費點功夫你就能順底下那個山谷爬上來了。路不太好走，不過假如你弄一盞燈，你的馬多加小心就可以走過去了。你把馬車趕到上面來了嗎，紅土販子？ 我把車停在下面，離這兒大約半英哩。天色太晚，我先走過來探探路，我有好久沒到這兒來了。 噢，沒問題，你可以過去，費厄韋說，乍一見他，可真把我嚇了一大跳！他對大夥，也包括紅土販子，補了一句。看在老天分上，我還以為是什麼可怕的鬼怪來找我們麻煩了呢？紅土販子，這不是輕慢你的尊容，因為你是同紅土打交道的，模樣還可以，但你的樣子確實很古怪。我只是說我覺得實在太奇怪了。我幾乎以為你就是那個小孩講到的惡魔或是那個紅鬼了呢。 我也一樣，嚇了一大跳，蘇珊．納薩奇說，因為昨晚我還夢見了一個死人的腦袋。 你們就別再說了，克里斯廷說。假如他用一塊手帕包住頭，他確確實實就像那幅《試探》【註：指魔鬼在曠野裡對耶穌的試探。】畫中的那個魔鬼了。 很好，謝謝你告訴我，年輕的紅土販子說道，淺淺一笑。祝大家晚安。 他轉身走下雨塚，從眾人的視線中消失了。 我想我以前見過這年輕人，漢弗萊說，不過是在哪兒，怎麼見到的，或是他叫什麼，我可都想不起了。 紅土販子剛走沒一會，另一個人來到了這堆半熄半明的篝火邊。原來這是鄉裡一個遠近知曉、受人尊敬的寡婦，唯有用有教養這個詞兒才能表明她的身分。在四周黑魆魆的枯萎石南的襯托下，她的臉顯得十分白皙，卻無半點光澤，就像一座浮雕。 她中等年紀，眉清目秀，這種面容主要表現出的便是一種十分聰慧的靈氣。時不時地，她會流露出一種從尼波山【註：《聖經．Old Testament.申命記》中記載的山。 】上凝神注視事物，而不屑與周圍其他人為伍的神色。她自有一種與人疏遠的神態：她那張從荒原上出現的臉上，儼然集中地表現出了荒原的那種孤寂之氣。她瞧著這批荒原居民的神色表明，她絲毫沒把他們放在眼裡，要不就表明她對他們或許會產生的、對她在這一時刻來到這一孤寂冷落之地的種種揣測毫不在乎，這就間接地表明了，在某種程度上，他們並不是同她處於同一等級之上。這一切的原因就在於她的丈夫曾是個小農莊主，而她自己則是個教區助理牧師的女兒，曾夢想著能幹出一番更好的事業來。 凡有個性的人，就同行星一樣，總帶有他們自身運動軌跡的特定氣質；這位現在出場的女主婦也是，而且總是如此，帶有其自有的處世待人之風格。置身於荒原居民之中，她通常表現的就是沉默，這是因為她自覺具有高人一等的交往能力。然而，這位新來者單身獨人在黑暗中躑躅而來，來到人群和光亮之中，她的態度就比平時顯得友好，而這又主要是通過臉容表情而不是在言語中表現出來的。 哎呀，這不是約布賴特太太嘛，費厄韋說，約布賴特太太，才不過十分鐘前，有一個男人到這兒打聽過你是一個紅土販子。 What does he want to do?she asked. He didn't say. 我想，是要賣什麼東西吧；可那會是什麼我就說不上了。 太太，聽說你兒子克萊姆先生要回家過聖誕，我很高興，挖泥煤的薩姆說，想當年他點起篝火來有多帶勁啊！ Yes.我想他就要回來了。she says. 這回他一準成了個了不起的人物了。費厄韋說。 現在他長大成人了。她平靜地應了一句。 太太，今晚你一個人來到荒原上可有點孤寂，克里斯廷從他一直待著的不為人注意的角落裡走了出來，說道。你可得留神別迷了路。在埃頓荒原上迷了路可糟了，今晚的風聲可要比我以往聽到的古怪得多。那些對埃頓荒原十分熟悉的人，在這兒也不時會被搞得稀裡糊塗的。 是你嗎，克里斯廷？約布賴特太太問道，你幹嘛要躲著我？ 太太，那是因為我先前不知道你也會來這兒；而作為一個內心悲傷的人，我也有點害怕，就這麼回事兒。假如你經常能了解我內心裡是多麼悲苦，你一定會提心吊膽，唯恐我會自殺。 你一點不像你父親。約布賴特太太說道，朝篝火那兒望去，坎特大爺就像先前大夥兒那樣，獨自個兒還在那兒跳著舞，火星在他四周跳閃，他的舞姿可並不怎麼樣。 好了，大爺，蒂摩西．費厄韋說，我們真為你感到害臊。像你這麼一個虔誠的老教民至少有七十歲了還獨自大跳角笛舞！ 一個令人煩惱的老人，約布賴特太太，克里斯廷沮喪地說道，像他那樣愛鬧愛玩，要是我能離開他，我是連一個星期也不會和他待在一起的。 坎特大爺，看來你最好還是老老實實待著別動，好歡迎約布賴特太太，你可是這兒最德高望重的人了。紮掃帚的女人說。 說真的，倒該是這麼回事兒，這位狂歡者有點後悔不迭地說道，我的腦筋糟透了，約布賴特太太，我竟忘了他們大夥是多麼看重我。你一定會說，我的精神可真是好極了，對不？不過並不總是這樣的。一個人被人看作是個帶頭人，對他一定有很大的壓力，我就時常有這種感覺。 很抱歉打斷你的話，約布賴特太太說，可我現在一定得走了。我正好經過角堡路，到我侄女的新居去，今晚她會跟丈夫回來；我看到了篝火，聽到大夥兒的聲音中有奧利的聲音，我就上來看看這兒是怎麼回事兒。我很希望她跟我一起走，因為她跟我同路。 哎，沒問題，太太，我正想走呢。Ollie said. 哎呀，你一定會碰到我跟你說起的那個紅土販子的，費厄韋說，他只是回到他的馬車那兒去。我們聽說你侄女和她丈夫一結了婚就回家來了，我們不多會也要去那兒，想給他們唱支歡迎曲呢。 真太謝謝你了。約布賴特太太說。 不過我們想穿過灌木叢走一條近路，可你穿著長袍沒法打那兒走；因此你就不必費事等我們了。 很好你好了嗎，奧利？ yes ma'am.瞧，你侄女的窗口有燈亮著呢。那就不會讓我們走岔道了。 她指著費厄韋剛才指點的那個山谷底的一點微弱的亮光；兩個女人走下了雨塚。