Oakhurst(startinginastonishment;aside)。SandyMorton,mylostpartner’sfather!Thisisfate。
Morton。Youareastonished;butIthoughtso。Ay,youwillhearmenow!Iamyourfather,AlexanderMorton,whodroveyou,ahelplessboy,intodisgraceandmisery。Iknowyourshamelesslife:fortwentyyearsitwasmine,andworse,until,bythegraceofGod,Ireformed,asyoushall。Ihavestoppedyouinadisgracefulact。Yourmother——Godforgiveme!——leftHERhouse,forMYarms,aswickedly,aswantonly,asshamelessly——
Oakhurst。Stop,oldman!Stop!Anotherword(seizinghim),andI
mayforgetyouryears。
Morton。Butnotyourblood。No,AlexanderMorton,Ihavecomethousandsofmilesforonesacredpurpose,——tosaveyou;andI
shall,withGod’swill,doitnow。Beitso,ononecondition。
Youshallhavethisgirl;butlawfully,openly,withthesanctionofHeavenandyourparents。
Oakhurst(aside)。Iseearayofhope。ThisisSandy’sfather;
thecold,insensatebrute,whodrovehimintoexile,theonebittermemoryofhislife。Sandydisappeared,irreclaimable,orlivingalone,hatingirrevocablytheauthorofhismisery;whyshouldnotI——
Morton(continuing)。Ononecondition。Hearme,AlexanderMorton。
Ifwithinayear,you,abandoningyourevilpractices,yourwaywardlife,seektoreformbeneathmyroof,IwillmakethisproudSpanishDongladtoacceptyouasthemorethanequalofhisdaughter。
Oakhurst(aside)。Itwouldbeaneasydeception。Sandyhasgivenmethedetailsofhisearlylife。Atleast,beforetheimpositionwasdiscoveredIshallbe——(Aloud。)I——I——(Aside。)Perdition!
SHEiscoming!Thereisalightmovingintheupperchamber。DonJoseisawakened。(Aloud。)I——I——accept。
Morton。Itiswell。Takethesekeys,openyondergate,andfly!
(AsOAKHURSThesitates。)Obeyme。Iwillmeetyoursweetheart,andexplainall。Youwillcomehereatdaylightinthemorning,andclaimadmittance,notasavagabond,ahousebreaker,butasmyson。Youhesitate。AlexanderMorton,I,yourfather,commandyou。
Go!
OAKHURSTgoestothegate,opensit,asthesoundofDIEGO’Svoice,singinginthefog,comesfaintlyin。
Oyer’syourSandyMorton,Drinkhimdown!
Oyer’syourSandyMorton,Drinkhimdown!
Oyer’syourSandyMorton,Forhe’sdrunk,andgoin’a-courtin’。
Oyer’syourSandyMorton,Drinkhimdown!
OAKHURSTrecoilsagainstgate,MORTONhesitates,aswindowincorridoropens,andDONJOSEcallsfromuppercorridor。
DonJose。Concho!(Pause。)’TisthatvagabondDiego,losthiswayinthefog。StrangethatConchoshouldhaveoverlookedhim。I
willdescend。
Morton(toOAKHURST)。Doyouhear?
ExitOAKHURSTthroughgateway。MORTONclosesgate,andreturnstocentre。EnterJOVITAhurriedly。
Jovita。Ihaveithere。Quick!thereisalightinDonJose’schamber;myfatheriscomingdown。(SeesMORTON,andscreams。)
Morton(seizingher。)Hush!foryourownsake;forHIS;controlyourself。Heisgone,buthewillreturn。(ToJOVITA,stillstruggling。)Hush,Ibeg,MissJovita。Ibeg,Icommandyou,mydaughter。Hush!
Jovita(whispering)。Hisvoicehaschanged。Whatdoesthismean?
(Aloud。)Wherehashegone?andwhyareYOUhere?
Morton(slowlyandseriously)。Hehasleftmeheretoanswertheunansweredquestionyouaskedhim。(EnterDonJoseandCol。
STARBOTTLE,R。andL。)IamheretotellyouthatIamhisfather,andthatheisAlexanderMorton。
TABLEAUX。
Curtain。
ENDOFACTI。
ACTII。
SCENE1。——RedGulch。Canyonofriver,anddistantviewofSierras,snow-ravined。Schoolhouseoflogsinrightmiddledistance。Ledgeofrocksincentre。Onstepsofschoolhousetwolargebunchesofflowers。EnterSTARBOTTLE,slowlyclimbingrocksL。,pantingandexhausted。Seatshimselfonrock,foreground,andwipeshisfacewithhispocket-handkerchief。
Starbottle。Thisisevidentlytheer——locality。Herearethe——er——
grovesofAcademus——theheightsofer——Ida!Ishouldsaythattheunwillingnesswhichthe——er——divineShakespearepointsoutinthe——
er——"whiningschoolboy"isintensifiedin——er——climbingthisheight,andthe——er——alacrityofhisdeparturemustbeinexactratiotohisgravitation。Goodidea。Ged!sayittoschoolma’am。
Wonderwhatshe’slike?Humph!theusualthin,weazened,hatchet-
facedYankeespinster,withanindecentfamiliaritywithWebster’sDictionary!Andthisisthewoman,Star,you’reexpectedtodiscover,andbringbacktoaffluenceandplenty。ThisisthenewfanaticismofMr。AlexanderMorton,sen。Ged!notsatisfiedwithdragginghisprodigalsonoutofmeritedobscurity,thismiserableoldlunaticcommissionsMEtohuntupanotherofhisabusedrelatives;someforty-fifthcousin,whosemotherhehadfrozen,beaten,orstarvedtodeath!Andallthistopleasehisprodigal!
Ged!ifthatprodigalhadn’tpresentedhimselfthatmorning,I’dhavepickedup——er——some——er——reducedgentleman——Ged,thatknewhowtospendtheoldman’smoneytobetteradvantage。(Musing。)Ifthisschoolmistresswerebarelygood-looking,Star,——andshe’ssuretohavefiftythousandfromtheoldman,——Ged,youmightgetevenwithAlexander,sen。,forbetrothinghisprodigaltoDonaJovita,inspiteofthe——er——evidentpreferencethatthegirlshowedforyou。Capitalidea!Ifshe’snotpositivelyhideousI’lldoit!
Ged!I’llreconnoitrefirst!(Musing。)Icouldstandoneeye;
yes——er——singleeyewouldnotbepositivelyobjectionableinthe——
er——presentexperimentsofsciencetowardthe——er——thesubstitutionofglass。Redhair,Star,is——er——Venetian,——thebeautyofGiorgione。(Goesuptoschoolhousewindow,andlooksin。)Tooearly!Sevenemptybenches;sevendeskssplashedwithink。The——
er——rostrumoftheawfulMinervaempty,but——er——adornedwithflowers,nosegays——demnme!Andhere,hereonthe——er——verythreshold(lookingdown),floraltributes。The——er——conceitoftheseNewEnglandschoolma’ams,andtheir——er——evidentJesuiticalinfluenceovertheyoung,isfraught,sir,fraughtwith——er——darklypoliticalsignificance。Eh,Ged!there’sacaricatureontheblackboard。(Laughing。)Ha,ha!Absurdchalkoutlineofridiculousfatperson。Evidentlytheschoolma’am’sadmirer。Ged!
immenselyfunny!Ah!boyswillbeboys。Likeyou,Star,justlikeyou,——alwaysuptotrickslikethat。Asentencescrawledbelowthefigureseemstobe——er——explanation。Hem!(Takesouteyeglass。)
Let’ssee(reading。)"Thisisold"——old——er——old——demme,sir!——
"Starbottle!"Thisisinfamous。Ihaven’tbeenforty-eighthoursintheplace,andtomycertainknowledgehaven’tspokentoachild。Ged,sir,it’sthe——er——postingofalibel!Thewoman,the——er——female,whopermitsthiskindofthing,shouldbemaderesponsible——er——personallyresponsible。Eh,hush!Whathavewehere?(Retirestoledgeofrocks。)
EnterMISSMARYL。,readingletter。
MissMary。Strange!Isitalladream?No!herearethefamiliarrocks,thedistantsnow-peaks,theschoolhouse,thespringbelow。
AnhouragoIwasthepoorschoolmistressofRedGulch,withnoambitionnorhopebeyondthismountainwall;andnow——oh,itmustbeadream!Buthereistheletter。Certainlythisisnodelusion:itistooplain,formal,business-like。(Reads。)
MYDEARCOUSIN——IaddresstheonlysurvivingchildofmycousinMaryandherhusbandJohnMorris,bothdeceased。ItismydutyasaChristianrelativetoprovideyouwithahome——tosharewithyouthatwealthandthoseblessingsthatakindprovidencehasvouchsafedme。Iamawarethatmyconducttoyourfatherandmother,whileinmysinfulandunregeneratestate,isnowarranteeformypresentpromise;butmylegaladviser,Col。Starbottle,whoisempoweredtotreatwithyou,willassureyouofthesincerityofmyintention,andmylegalabilitytoperformit。Hewillconductyoutomyhouse;youwillshareitsroofwithmeandmyprodigalsonAlexander,nowbythegraceofGodrestored,andmindfuloftheerrorofhisways。Iencloseadraftforonethousanddollars:ifyourequiremore,drawuponmeforthesame。
Yourcousin,ALEXANDERMORTON,SEN。
Mymother’scousin——so!CousinAlexander!arichman,andreunitedtothesonhedroveintoshamefulexile。Well!wewillseethisconfidentiallawyer;anduntilthen——untilthen——why,wearetheschoolmistressofRedGulch,andresponsibleforitsyouthfulprodigals。(Goingtoschoolhousedoor。)
MissMary(stoppingtoexamineflowers)。Poor,poorSandy!
Anotheroffering,and,ashefondlybelieves,unknownandanonymous!Asifhewerenotvisibleineverypetalandleaf!
Themariposablossomoftheplain。ThesnowflowerIlongedfor,fromthosecoolsnowdriftsbeyondtheridge。AndIreallybelievehewassoberwhenhearrangedthem。Poorfellow!Ibegintothinkthatthedissipatedportionofthiscommunityarethemostinteresting。Ah!someonebehindtherock,——Sandy,I’llwager。
No!astranger!
Col。Starbottle(aside,andadvancing)。IfIcouldmakeherthinkIleftthoseflowers!(Aloud。)WhenIstatethat——er——Iamperhaps——er——stranger——
MissMary(interruptinghimcoldly)。Youexplain,sir,yourappearanceonaspotwhichtherudecourtesyofeventhisrudeminer’scamphaspreservedfromintrusion。
Starbottle(slightlyabashed,butrecoveringhimself)。Yes——Ged!——
thatis,I——er——sawyouadmiring——er——tribute——er——humbletributeofflowers。Iammyselfpassionatelydevotedtoflowers。Ged!
I’vespenthours——in——er——bendingoverthe——er——gracefulsunflower,in——er——pluckingthetimidvioletfromtheoverhangingbutreluctantbough,incollectingthe——er——er——fauna——Imeanthe——er——
flora——ofthis——er——district。
MissMary(whohasbeenregardinghimintently)。Permitmetoleaveyouinuninterruptedadmirationofthem。(Handinghimflowers。)Youwillhaveampletimeinyourjourneydownthegulchtoindulgeyourcuriosity!
HandsSTARBOTTLEflowers,entersschoolhouse,andquietlyclosesdooronSTARBOTTLEasSANDYMORTONenterscautiouslyandsheepishlyfromleft。SANDYstopsinastonishmentonobservingSTARBOTTLE,andremainsbywingleft。
Starbottle(smellingflowers,andnotnoticingMISSMARY’Sabsence)。
Beautiful——er——exquisite。(Lookingupatcloseddoor。)Ged!Mostextraordinarydisappearance!(Looksaround,anddiscoversSANDY;
examineshimforamomentthroughhiseyeglass,andthen,afterapause,inflateshischest,turnshisbackonSANDY,andadvancestoschoolhousedoor。SANDYcomesquickly,and,asSTARBOTTLEraiseshiscanetorapondoor,seizeshisarm。Bothmen,regardingeachotherfixedly,holdingeachother,retreatslowlyandcautiouslytocentre。ThenSTARBOTTLEdisengageshisarm。)
Sandy(embarrassedlybutdeterminedly)。Lookyer,stranger。Bytherulesofthiscamp,thisplaceissacredtotheschoolma’amandherchildren。
Starbottle(withloftyseverity)。Itis!Then——er——permitmetoask,sir,whatYOUaredoinghere。
Sandy(embarrassed,anddroppinghisheadinconfusion)。Iwas——
passing。Thereisnoschoolto-day。
Starbottle。Then,sir,Ged!permitmeto——er——DEMAND——DEMAND,sir——
anapology。Youhavelaid,sir,yourhanduponmyperson——demnme!Notthefirsttime,sir,either;for,ifIamnotmistaken,youarethe——er——inebriatedmenial,sir,whotwomonthsagojostledme,sir,——demnme,——asIenteredtheranchoofmyfriendDonJoseCastro。
Sandy(starting,aside)。DonJose!(Aloud。)Hush,hush!Shewillhearyou。No——thatis——(stops,confusedandembarrassed。
Aside。)Shewillhearofmydisgrace。Hewilltellherthewholestory。
Starbottle。Ishallawaityourapologyonehour。Attheendofthattime,ifitisnotforthcoming,Ishall——er——er——waiveyourmenialantecedents,andexpectthe——er——satisfactionofagentleman。Good-morning,sir。(Turnstoschoolhouse。)
Sandy。No,no:youshallnotgo!
Starbottle。Whowillpreventme?
Sandy(grapplinghim)。Iwill。(Appealingly。)Lookyer,stranger,don’tprovokeme,I,adesperateman,desperateandcrazedwithdrink,——don’tye,don’tyedoit!ForGod’ssake,takeyourhandsoffme!Yedon’tknowwhatyedo。Ah!(Wildly,holdingSTARBOTTLEfirmly,andforcinghimbackwardtoprecipicebeyondledgeofrocks。)Hearme。Threeyearsago,inamomentlikethis,Idraggedaman——myfriend——tothisprecipice。I——I——
no!no!——don’tangermenow!(Sandy’sgriponSTARBOTTLErelaxesslightly,andhisheaddroops。)
Starbottle(coolly)。Permitmetoremark,sir,thatanyreminiscenceofyour——er——friend——oranyothermanis——er——atthismoment,irrelevantandimpertinent。Permitmetopointoutthe——er——fact,sir,thatyourhandispressingheavily,demnedheavily,onmyshoulder。
Sandy(fiercely)。Youshallnotgo!
Starbottle(fiercely)。Shallnot?
Struggle。STARBOTTLEdrawsderringerfromhisbreast-pocket,andSANDYseizeshisarm。Inthispositionbothpartiesstruggletoledgeofrocks,andCOL。STARBOTTLEisforcedpartlyover。
MissMary(openingschoolhousedoor)。IthoughtIheardvoices。
(Lookingtowardledgeofrocks,whereCOL。STARBOTTLEandSANDYarepartlyhiddenbytrees。BothmenrelaxgraspofeachotheratMISS
MARY’Svoice。)
Col。Starbottle(aloudandwithvoiceslightlyraised,toSANDY)。
By——er——leaningoverthiswayamoment,asinglemoment,youwill——
er——perceivethetrailIspeakof。Itfollowsthecanyontotheright。Itwillbringyouto——er——thesettlementinanhour。(ToMISSMARY,asifobservingherforthefirsttime。)IbelieveI
am——er——right;but,being——er——morefamiliarwiththelocality,youcandirectthegentlemanbetter。
SANDYslowlysinksonhiskneesbesiderock,withhisfaceavertedfromschoolhouse,asCOL。STARBOTTLEdisengageshimself,andadvancesjauntilyandgallantlytoschoolhouse。
Col。Starbottle。In——er——er——showingthestrangerthe——er——way,I
perhapsinterruptedourinterview。The——er——observancesof——er——
civilityandhumanitymustnotbeforegone,evenfor——er——theladies。I——er——believeIaddressMissMaryMorris。WhenI——er——
statethatmynameisCol。Starbottle,chargedonmissionof——er——
delicatenature,IbelieveI——er——explainMYintrusion。
MISSMARYbows,andmotionstoschoolhousedoor;COL。STARBOTTLE,bowingdeeply,enters;butMISSMARYremainsstandingbydoor,lookingtowardtreesthathideSANDY。
MissMary(aside)。IamsureitwasSandy’svoice!Butwhydoesheconcealhimself?
Sandy(aside,risingslowlytohisfeet,withhisbacktoschoolhousedoor)。Eventhisconceitedbullyovercomesme,andshamesmewithhisreadinessandtact。Hewasquicktospareher——
astranger——thespectacleoftwoangrymen。I——I——mustneedswranglebeforeherverydoor!Well,well!betteroutofhersightforever,thananobjectofpityorterror。[Exitslowly,andwithdowncasteyes,right。
MissMary(watchingthetrail)。ItWASSandy!andthisconcealmentmeanssomethingmorethanbashfulness。Perhapsthestrangercanexplain。
[Entersschoolhouse,andclosesdoor。
SCENE2。——Thesame。EnterCONCHO,lame,cautiously,fromR。
PausesatR。,andthenbeckonstoHOPSING,whofollowsR。
Concho(impatiently)。Well!yousawhim?
HopSing。Meseehim。
Concho。Andyourecognizedhim?
HopSing。Noshabelikoquize。
Concho(furiously)。Youknewhim,eh?Carramba!YouKNEWhim。
HopSing(slowlyandsententiously)。MeshabemanyoucalleeDiego。MeshabbeeLedGulcheecallSandy。MeshabbeemanPokerFlatcalleeAlexandleeMolton。Alleesame,John!Alleesame!
Concho(rubbinghishands)。Bueno!GoodJohn!goodJohn!AndyouknewhewascalledAlexanderMorton?Andgoon——goodJohn——goon!
HopSing。Meplenteewasheeshirtee——MelicanmanPokerFlat。MeplenteewasheeshirtAlexandleeMolton。Alwayslitee,liteeonshirtalleetime。(Pointingtotailofhisblouse,andimitatingwritingwithfinger。)AlexandleeMolton。Melicanmantelleeme——
shirtsayAlexandleeMolton——shabbee?
Concho。Bueno!ExcellentJohn。GoodJohn。HislinenmarkedAlexanderMorton。Theproofsaregathering!(crossestoC。)——theletterIfoundinhispack,addressedtoAlexanderMorton,PokerFlat,whichfirstputmeonhistrack;thestoryofhiswife’sinfidelity,andherflightwithhispartnertoredGulch,thequarrelandfightthatseparatedthem,hisflighttoSanJose,hiswanderingstothemissionofSanCarmel,totheranchooftheHolyFisherman。Therecordiscomplete!
HopSing。AlexandleeMolton——
Concho(hurriedlyreturningtoHOPSING)。Yes!goodJohn;yes,goodJohn——goon。AlexanderMorton——
HopSing。AlexandleeMolton。Mewasheeshirt,AlexandleeMolton;
henopaywashee。Mewasheeflowtydozenhep——fourbittiedozen——
twentydollarhep。AlexandleeMoltonnopayee。Hesay,"Gotohellee!"Youpayme(extendinghishand)。
Concho。Car——!(checkinghimself)。Pocotiempo,John!Ingoodtime,John。Fortydollar——yes。Fiftydollar!Tomorrow,John。
HopSing。Menolikee"to-mollow!"Menolikee"nextime,John!"
AlleetimeMelicanmansay,"Chalkeeup,John,""Nosmalleechange,John,"——umph。Plentyfoolee...剩余内容请长按扫描二维码或下载丁香书院APP继续免费看:
前往下载:https://www.kanbaapp.com/share/