Thewatergatheredslowlyonhershawl,andfellontothewetstones;butshelaytherecryingbitterly。Forsothelivingsoulwillcrytothedead,andthecreaturetoitsGod;andofallthiscryingtherecomesnothing。Theliftingupofthehandsbringsnosalvation;redemptionisfromwithin,andneitherfromGodnorman;itiswroughtoutbythesoulitself,withsufferingandthroughtime。
Doss,onthekitchendoorstep,shivered,andwonderedwherehismistressstayedsolong;andonce,sittingsadlythereinthedamp,hehaddroppedasleep,anddreamedthatoldOttogavehimapieceofbread,andpattedhimonthehead,andwhenhewokehisteethchattered,andhemovedtoanotherstonetoseeifitwasdrier。Atlastheheardhismistress’step,andtheywentintothehousetogether。Shelitacandle,andwalkedtotheBoer—woman’sbedroom。Onanailundertheladyinpinkhungthekeyofthewardrobe。Shetookitdownandopenedthegreatpress。Fromalittledrawershetookfiftypounds(allshehadintheworld),relockedthedoor,andturnedtohangupthekey。Themarksoftearswerestillonherface,butshesmiled。Thenshepaused,hesitated。
"Fiftypoundsforalover!Anoblereward!"shesaid,andopenedthewardrobeandreturnedthenotestothedrawer,whereEmmightfindthem。
Onceinherownroom,shearrangedthefewarticlessheintendedtotaketomorrow,burntheroldletters,andthenwentbacktothefrontroomtolookatthetime。Thereweretwohoursyetbeforeshemustcallhim。Shesatdownatthedressing—tabletowait,andleanedherelbowsonit,andburiedherfaceinherhands。Theglassreflectedthelittlebrownheadwithitsevenparting,andthetinyhandsonwhichitrested。"OnedayI
willlovesomethingutterly,andthenIwillbebetter,"shesaidonce。
Presentlyshelookedup。Thelarge,darkeyesfromtheglasslookedbackather。Shelookeddeepintothem。
"Weareallalone,youandI,"shewhispered;"noonehelpsus,nooneunderstandsus;butwewillhelpourselves。"Theeyeslookedbackather。
Therewasaworldofassuranceintheirstilldepths。Sotheyhadlookedathereversinceshecouldremember,whenitwasbutasmallchild’sfaceaboveabluepinafore。"Weshallneverbequitealone,youandI,"shesaid;"weshallalwaysbetogether,aswewerewhenwewerelittle。"
Thebeautifuleyeslookedintothedepthsofhersoul。
"Wearenotafraid;wewillhelpourselves!"shesaid。Shestretchedoutherhandandpresseditoverthemontheglass。"Deareyes!wewillneverbequitealonetilltheypartus——tillthen!"
Chapter2。X。GregoryRoseHasAnIdea。
GregoryRosewasintheloftputtingitneat。Outsidetherainpoured;asixmonths’droughthadbroken,andthethirstyplainwasdrenchedwithwater。Whatitcouldnotswallowranoffinmadrivuletstothegreatsloot,thatnowfoamedlikeanangryriveracrosstheflat。Eventhelittlefurrowbetweenthefarmhouseandthekraalswasnowastream,knee—
deep,whichalmostboreawaytheKafferwomenwhocrossedit。Ithadrainedfortwenty—fourhours,andstilltherainpouredon。Thefowlshadcollected——amelancholycrowd——inandaboutthewagon—house,andthesolitarygander,whoalonehadsurvivedthesixmonths’wantofwater,walkedhitherandthither,printinghiswebbedfootmarksonthemud,tohavethemwashedoutthenextinstantbythepeltingrain,whichateleveno’clockstillbeatonthewallsandroofswithunabatedardour。
Gregory,asheworkedintheloft,tooknonoticeofitbeyondstuffingasackintothebrokenpanetokeepitout;and,inspiteofthepeltandpatter,Em’sclearvoicemightbeheardthroughtheopentrap—doorfromthediningroom,whereshesatatwork,singingthe"BlueWater:"
"Andtakemeaway,Andtakemeaway,Andtakemeaway,TotheBlueWater"——
thatquaint,childishsongofthepeople,thathasaworldofsweetness,andsad,vagueyearningwhensungoverandoverdreamilybyawoman’svoiceasshesitsaloneatherwork。
ButGregoryheardneitherthatnoryettheloudlaughteroftheKaffermaids,thateverynowandagainbrokethroughfromthekitchen,wheretheyjokedandworked。OflateGregoryhadgrownstrangelyimpervioustothesoundsandsightsabouthim。Hisleasehadrunout,butEmhadsaid,"Donotrenewit;Ineedonetohelpme;juststayon。"And,shehadadded,"Youmustnotremaininyourownlittlehouse;livewithme;youcanlookaftermyostrichesbetterso。"
AndGregorydidnotthankher。Whatdifferencediditmaketohim,payingrentornot,livingthereornot;itwasallone。Butyethecame。Emwishedthathewouldstillsometimestalkofthestrengthofthemaster—
rightofman;butGregorywasasonesmittenonthecheek—bone。
Shemightdowhatshepleased,hewouldfindnofault,hadnowordtosay。
Hehadforgottenthatitisman’srighttorule。Onthatrainymorninghehadlightedhispipeatthekitchenfire,andwhenbreakfastwasoverstoodinthefrontdoorwatchingthewaterrushdowntheroadtillthepipediedoutinhismouth。Emsawshemustdosomethingforhim,andfoundhimalargecalicoduster。Hehadsometimestalkedofputtingtheloftneat,andtodayshecouldfindnothingelseforhimtodo。Soshehadtheladderputtothetrap—doorthatheneednotgooutinthewet,andGregorywiththebroomanddustermountedtotheloft。Onceatworkheworkedhard。Hedusteddowntheveryrafters,andcleanedthebrokencandle—mouldsandbentforksthathadstuckinthethatchfortwentyyears。Heplacedtheblackbottlesneatlyinrowsonanoldboxinthecorner,andpiledtheskinsononeanother,andsortedtherubbishinalltheboxes;andateleveno’clockhisworkwasalmostdone。Heseatedhimselfonthepacking—casewhichhadonceheldWaldo’sbooks,andproceededtoexaminethecontentsofanotherwhichhehadnotyetlookedat。Itwascarelesslynaileddown。Heloosenedoneplank,andbegantoliftoutvariousarticlesoffemaleattire——old—fashionedcaps,aprons,dresseswithlongpointedbodiessuchasherememberedtohaveseenhismotherwearwhenhewasalittlechild。
Heshookthemoutcarefullytoseetherewerenomoths,andthensatdowntofoldthemupagainonebyone。TheyhadbelongedtoEm’smother,andthebox,aspackedatherdeath,hadstooduntouchedandforgottentheselongyears。Shemusthavebeenatallwoman,thatmotherofEm’s,forwhenhestooduptoshakeoutadresstheneckwasonalevelwithhis,andtheskirttouchedtheground。Gregorylaidanightcapoutonhisknee,andbeganrollingupthestrings;butpresentlyhisfingersmovedslowerandslower,thenhischinrestedonhisbreast,andfinallytheimploringblueeyeswerefixedonthefrillabstractedly。WhenEm’svoicecalledtohimfromthefootoftheladderhestarted,andthrewthenightcapbehindhim。
Shewasonlycometotellhimthathiscupofsoupwasready;and,whenhecouldhearthatshewasgone,hepickedupthenightcapagain,andagreatbrownsun—kapje——justsuchakapjeandsuchadressasoneofthoseherememberedtohaveseenasisterofmercywear。Gregory’smindwasveryfullofthought。Hetookdownafragmentofanoldlooking—glassfrombehindabeam,andputthekapjeon。Hisbeardlookedsomewhatgrotesqueunderit;heputuphishandtohideit——thatwasbetter。Theblueeyeslookedoutwiththemildgentlenessthatbecameeyeslookingoutfromunderakapje。Nexthetookthebrowndress,and,lookingroundfurtively,slippeditoverhishead。Hehadjustgothisarmsinthesleeves,andwastryingtohookuptheback,whenanincreaseinthepatteroftherainatthewindowmadehimdragitoffhastily。Whenheperceivedtherewasnoonecominghetumbledthethingsbackintothebox,and,coveringitcarefully,wentdowntheladder。
Emwasstillatherwork,tryingtoadjustanewneedleinthemachine。
Gregorydrankhissoup,andthensatbeforeher,anawfulandmysteriouslookinhiseyes。
"Iamgoingtotowntomorrow,"hesaid。
"I’malmostafraidyouwon’tbeabletogo,"saidEm,whowasintentonherneedle;"Idon’tthinkitisgoingtoleaveofftoday。"
"Iamgoing,"saidGregory。
Emlookedup。
"Buttheslootsareasfullasrivers;youcannotgo。Wecanwaitforthepost,"shesaid。
"Iamnotgoingforthepost,"saidGregory,impressively。
Emlookedforexplanation;nonecame。
"Whenwillyoubeback?"
"Iamnotcomingback。"
"Areyougoingtoyourfriends?"
Gregorywaited,thencaughtherbythewrist。
"Lookhere,Em,"hesaidbetweenhisteeth,"Ican’tstanditanymore。I
amgoingtoher。"
Sincethatday,whenhehadcomehomeandfoundLyndallgone,hehadnevertalkedofher;butEmknewwhoitwaswhoneededtobespokenofbynoname。
Shesaid,whenhehadreleasedherhand:
"Butyoudonotknowwheresheis?"
"Yes,Ido。ShewasinBloemfonteinwhenIheardlast。Iwillgothere,andIwillfindoutwhereshewentthen,andthen,andthen!Iwillhaveher。"
Emturnedthewheelquickly,andtheill—adjustedneedlesprungintotwentyfragments。
"Gregory,"shesaid,"shedoesnotwantus;shetoldussoclearlyinthelettershewrote。"Aflushroseonherfaceasshespoke。"Itwillonlybepaintoyou,Gregory:Willsheliketohaveyounearher?"
Therewasananswerhemighthavemade,butitwashissecret,andhedidnotchoosetoshareit。Hesaidonly:
"Iamgoing。"
"Willyoubegonelong,Gregory?"
"Idonotknow;perhapsIshallnevercomeback。Dowhatyoupleasewithmythings。Icannotstayhere!"
Herosefromhisseat。
"Peoplesay,forget,forget!"hecried,pacingtheroom。Theyaremad!
theyarefools!Dotheysaysotomenwhoaredyingofthirst——forget,forget?Whyisitonlytoustheysayso!Itisalietosaythattimemakesiteasy;itisafterward,afterwardthatiteatsinatyourheart!
"Allthesemonths,"hecriedbitterly,"Ihavelivedherequietly,dayafterday,asifIcaredforwhatIate,andwhatIdrank,andwhatIdid!
Icarefornothing!Icannotbearit!Iwillnot!Forget!forget!"
ejaculatedGregory。"Youcanforgetalltheworld,butyoucannotforgetyourself。Whenonethingismoretoyouthanyourself,howareyoutoforgetit?
"Iread,"hesaid——"yes;andthenIcometoawordsheused,anditisallbackwithmeagain!Igotocountmysheep,andIseeherfacebeforeme,andIstandandletthesheeprunby。Ilookatyou,andinyoursmile,asomethingatthecornerofyourlips,Iseeher。HowcanIforgetherwhen,wheneverIturn,sheisthere,andnotthere?Icannot,Iwillnot,livewhereIdonotseeher。
"Iknowwhatyouthink,"hesaid,turninguponher。"YouthinkIammad;
youthinkIamgoingtoseewhethershewillnotlikeme!Iamnotsofoolish。Ishouldhaveknownatfirstshenevercouldsufferme。WhoamI,whatamI,thatsheshouldlookatme?Itwasrightthatsheleftme;
rightthatsheshouldnotlookatme。Ifanyonesaysitisnot,itisalie!Iamnotgoingtospeaktoher,"headded——"onlytoseeher;onlytostandsometimesinaplacewhereshehasstoodbefore。"
Chapter2。XI。AnUnfinishedLetter。
GregoryRosehadbeengonesevenmonths。Emsataloneonawhitesheepskinbeforethefire。
TheAugustnight—wind,weirdandshrill,howledroundthechimneysandthroughthecrannies,andinwallsanddoors,andutteredalonglowcryasitforceditswayamongthecleftsofthestonesonthekopje。Itwasawildnight。Theprickly—peartree,stiffanduprightasithelditsarms,feltthewind’smight,andknockeditsflatleavesheavilytogether,tillgreatbranchesbrokeoff。TheKaffers,astheysleptintheirstrawhuts,whisperedonetoanotherthatbeforemorningtherewouldnotbeanarmfulofthatchleftontheroofs;andthebeamsofthewagon—housecreakedandgroanedasifitwereheavyworktoresisttheimportunityofthewind。
Emhadnotgonetobed。Whocouldsleeponanightlikethis?Sointhediningroomshehadlightedafire,andsatonthegroundbeforeit,turningtheroaster—cakesthatlayonthecoalstobake。Itwouldsaveworkinthemorning;andsheblewoutthelightbecausethewindthroughthewindow—chinksmadeitflickerandrun;andshesatsingingtoherselfasshewatchedthecakes。Theylayatoneendofthewidehearthonabedofcoals,andattheotherendafireburntupsteadily,castingitsamberglowoverEm’slighthairandblackdress,withtheruffleofcrepeabouttheneck,andoverthewhitecurlsofthesheepskinonwhichshesat。
Louderandmorefiercelyyethowledthestorm;butEmsangon,andheardnothingbutthewordsofhersong,andheardthemonlyfaintly,assomethingrestful。Itwasanold,childishsongshehadoftenheardhermothersinglongago:
Wherethereedsdancebytheriver,Wherethewillow’ssongissaid,Onthefaceofthemorningwater,Isreflectedawhiteflower’shead。
Shefoldedherhandsandsangthenextversedreamily:
Wherethereedsshakebytheriver,Wherethemoonlight’ssheenisshed,Onthefaceofthesleepingwater,Twoleavesofawhiteflowerfloatdead。
Dead,Dead,Dead!
Sheechoedtherefrainsoftlytillitdiedaway,andthenrepeatedit。Itwasasif,unknowntoherself,itharmonizedwiththepicturesandthoughtsthatsatwithhertherealoneinthefirelight。Sheturnedthecakesover,whilethewindhurleddownarowofbricksfromthegable,andmadethewallstremble。
Presentlyshepausedandlistened;therewasasoundasofsomethingknockingattheback—doorway。Butthewindhadraiseditslevelhigher,andshewentonwithherwork。Atlastthesoundwasrepeated。Thensherose,litthecandleandthefire,andwenttosee。Onlytosatisfyherself,shesaid,thatnothingcouldbeoutonsuchanight。
Sheopenedthedooralittleway,andheldthelightbehindhertodefenditfromthewind。Thefigureofatallmanstoodthere,andbeforeshecouldspeakhehadpushedhiswayin,andwasforcingthedoortoclosebehindhim。
"Waldo!"shecriedinastonishment。
Hehadbeengonemorethanayearandahalf。
"Youdidnotexpecttoseeme,"heanswered,asheturnedtowardher;"I
shouldhavesleptintheouthouse,andnottroubledyoutonight;butthroughtheshutterIsawglimmeringsofalight。"
"Comeintothefire,"shesaid;"itisaterrificnightforanycreaturetobeout。Shallwenotgoandfetchyourthingsinfirst?"sheadded。
"Ihavenothingbutthis,"hesaid,motioningtothelittlebundleinhishand。
"Yourhorse?"
"Isdead。"
Hesatdownonthebenchbeforethefire。
"Thecakesarealmostready,"shesaid;"Iwillgetyousomethingtoeat。
Wherehaveyoubeenwanderingallthiswhile?"
"Upanddown,upanddown,"heansweredwearily;"andnowthewhimhasseizedmetocomebackhere。Em,"hesaid,puttinghishandonherarmasshepassedhim,"haveyouheardfromLyndalllately?"
"Yes,"saidEm,turningquicklyfromhim。
"Whereisshe?Ihadoneletterfromher,butthatisalmostayearagonow——justwhensheleft。Whereisshe?"
"IntheTransvaal。Iwillgoandgetyousomesupper;wecantalkafterward。"
"Canyougivemeherexactaddress?Iwanttowritetoher。"
ButEmhadgoneintothenextroom。
Whenfoodwasonthetableshekneltdownbeforethefire,turningthecakes,babblingrestlessly,eagerly,nowofthis,nowofthat。Shewasgladtoseehim——TantSanniewascomingsoontoshowherhernewbaby——hemuststayonthefarmnow,andhelpher。AndWaldohimselfwaswellcontenttoeathismealinsilence,askingnomorequestions。
"Gregoryiscomingbacknextweek,"shesaid;"hewillhavebeengonejustahundredandthreedaystomorrow。Ihadaletterfromhimyesterday。"
"Wherehashebeen?"
Buthiscompanionstoopedtoliftacakefromthefire。
"Howthewindblows!Onecanhardlyhearone’sownvoice,"shesaid。
"Takethiswarmcake;noone’scakesarelikemine。Why,youhaveeatennothing!"
"Iamalittleweary,"hesaid;"thewindwasmadtonight。"
Hefoldedhisarms,andrestedhisheadagainstthefireplace,whilstsheremovedthedishesfromthetable。Onthemantelpiecestoodaninkpotandsomesheetsofpaper。Presentlyhetookthemdownandturnedupthecornerofthetablecloth。
"Iwillwriteafewlines,"hesaid;"tillyouarereadytositdownandtalk。"
Em,assheshookoutthetablecloth,watchedhimbendingintentlyoverhispaper。Hehadchangedmuch。Hisfacehadgrownthinner;hischeekswerealmosthollow,thoughtheywerecoveredbyadarkgrowthofbeard。
Shesatdownontheskinbesidehim,andfeltthelittlebundleonthebench;itwaspainfullysmallandsoft。Perhapsitheldashirtandabook,butnothingmore。Theoldblackhathadapieceofunhemmedmuslintwistedroundit,andonhiselbowwasalargepatchsofixedonwithyellowthreadthatherheartached。Onlyhishairwasnotchanged,andhunginsilkybeautifulwavesalmosttohisshoulders。
Tomorrowshewouldtaketheraggededgeoffhiscollar,andputanewbandroundhishat。Shedidnotinterrupthim,butshewonderedhowitwasthathesattowritesointentlyafterhislongwearywalk。Hewasnottirednow;hispenhurriedquicklyandrestlesslyoverthepaper,andhiseyewasbright。PresentlyEmraisedherhandtoherbreast,wherelaytheletteryesterdayhadbroughther。Soonshehadforgottenhim,asentirelyashehadforgottenher;eachwasinhisownworldwithhisown。HewaswritingtoLyndall。Hewouldtellherallhehadseen,allhehaddone,thoughitwerenothingworthrelating。Heseemedtohavecomebacktoher,andtobetalkingtohernowhesatthereintheoldhouse。
"——andthenIgottothenexttown,andmyhorsewastired,soIcouldgonofurther,andlookedforwork。Ashopkeeperagreedtohiremeassalesman。Hemademesignapromisetoremainsixmonths,andhegavemealittleemptyroomatthebackofthestoretosleepin。Ihadstillthreepoundsofmyown,andwhenyoujustcomefromthecountrythreepoundsseemsagreatdeal。
"WhenIhadbeenintheshopthreedaysIwantedtogoawayagain。Aclerkinashophasthelowestworktodoofallthepeople。Itismuchbettertobreakstones;youhavetheblueskyaboveyou,andonlythestonestobendto。Iaskedmymastertoletmego,andIofferedtogivehimmytwopounds,andthebagofmealiesIhadboughtwiththeotherpound;buthewouldnot。
"Ifoundoutafterwardhewasonlygivingmehalfasmuchashegavetotheothers——thatwaswhy。IhadfearwhenIlookedattheotherclerksthatI
wouldatlastbecomelikethem。Alldaytheywerebowingandsmirkingtothewomenwhocamein;smiling,whenalltheywantedwastogettheirmoneyfromthem。Theyusedtorunandfetchthedressesandribbonstoshowthem,andtheyseemedtomelikewormswithoilon。Therewasonerespectablethinginthatstore——itwastheKafferstoreman。Hisworkwastoloadandunload,andheneverneededtosmileexceptwhenheliked,andhenevertoldlies。
"TheotherclerksgavemethenameofOldSalvation;buttherewasonepersonIlikedverymuch。Hewasclerkinanotherstore。Heoftenwentpastthedoor。Heseemedtomenotlikeothers——hisfacewasbrightandfreshlikealittlechild’s。WhenhecametotheshopIfeltIlikedhim。
OnedayIsawabookinhispocket,andthatmademefeelnearhim。I
askedhimifhewasfondofreading,andhesaid,yes,whentherewasnothingelsetodo。Thenextdayhecametome,andaskedmeifIdidnotfeellonely;heneversawmegoingoutwiththeotherfellows;hewouldcomeandseemethatevening,hesaid。
"Iwasglad,andboughtsomemeatandflour,becausethegreymareandI
alwaysatemealies;itisthecheapestthing;whenyouboilithardyoucan’teatmuchofit。Imadesomecakes,andIfoldedmygreatcoatontheboxtomakeitsofterforhim;andatlasthecame。
"’You’vegotarummyplacehere,’hesaid。
"Youseetherewasnothinginitbutpacking—casesforfurniture,anditwasratherempty。WhileIwasputtingthefoodontheboxhelookedatmybooks;hereadtheirnamesoutaloud。’ElementaryPhysiology,’’FirstPrinciples。’
"’Golly!’hesaid;’I’vegotalotofdrystufflikethatathomeIgotforSunday—schoolprizes;butIonlykeepthemtolightmypipewithnow;theycomeinhandyforthat。’ThenheaskedmeifIhadeverreadabookcalledthe’Black—eyedCreole。’’Thatisthestyleforme,’hesaid;’therewherethefellowtakesthenigger—girlbythearm,andtheotherfellowcutsitoff!That’swhatIlike。’
"ButwhathesaidafterthatIdon’tremember,onlyitmademefeelasifI
werehavingabaddream,andIwantedtobefaraway。
"Whenhehadfinishedeatinghedidnotstaylong;hehadtogoandseesomegirlshomefromaprayer—meeting;andheaskedhowitwasheneversawmewalkingoutwithanyonSundayafternoons。Hesaidhehadlotsofsweethearts,andhewasgoingtoseeonethenextWednesdayonafarm,andheaskedmetolendmymare。Itoldhimshewasveryold。Buthesaiditdidn’tmatter;hewouldcomethenextdaytofetchher。
"Afterhewasgonemylittleroomgotbacktoitsoldlook。Iloveditso;
Iwassogladtogetintoitatnight,anditseemedtobereproachingmeforbringinghimthere。Thenextdayhetookthegreymare。OnThursdayhedidnotbringherback,andonFridayIfoundthesaddleandbridlestandingatmydoor。
"Intheafternoonhelookedintotheshop,andcalledout:’Hopeyougotyoursaddle,Farber?Yourbag—of—boneskickedoutsixmilesfromhere。
I’llsendyouacoupleofshillingstomorrow,thoughtheoldhidewasn’tworthit。Goodmorning。’
"ButIsprungoverthecounter,andgothimbyhisthroat。Myfatherwassogentlewithher;heneverwouldrideheruphill,andnowthisfellowhadmurderedher!Iaskedhimwherehehadkilledher,andIshookhimtillheslippedoutofmyhand。Hestoodinthedoorgrinning。
"’Itdidn’ttakemuchtokillthatbag—of—bones,whosemastersleepsinapacking—case,andwaitstillhiscompany’sfinishedtoeatontheplate。
Shouldn’twonderifyoufedheronsugar—bags,’hesaid;’andifyouthinkI’vejumpedher,you’dbettergoandlookyourself。You’llfindheralongtheroadbytheaasvogelsthatareeatingher。’
"Icaughthimbyhiscollar,andIliftedhimfromtheground,andIthrewhimoutintothestreet,half—wayacrossit。Iheardthebookkeepersaytotheclerkthattherewasalwaysthedevilinthosemumfellows;buttheynevercalledmeSalvationafterthat。
"Iamwritingtoyouofverysmallthings,butthereisnothingelsetotell;ithasbeenallsmallandyouwilllikeit。WheneveranythinghashappenedIhavealwaysthoughtIwouldtellittoyou。Thebackthoughtinmymindisalwaysyou。Afterthatonlyoneoldmancametovisitme。I
hadseenhiminthestreetsoften;healwaysworeverydirtyblackclothes,andahatwithcreperoundit,andhehadoneeye,soInoticedhim。Onedayhecametomyroomwithasubscription—listforaminister’ssalary。
WhenIsaidIhadnothingtogivehelookedatmewithhisoneeye。
"’Youngman,’hesaid,’howisitIneverseeyouinthehouseoftheLord?’Ithoughthewastryingtodogood,soIfeltsorryforhim,andI
toldhimIneverwenttochapel。’Youngman,’hesaid,’itgrievesmetohearsuchgodlesswordsfromthelipsofonesoyoung——sofargoneinthepathsofdestruction。Youngman,ifyouforgetGod,Godwillforgetyou。
Thereisaseatontheright—handsideasyougoatthebottomdoorthatyoumayget。Ifyouaregivenovertotheenjoymentandfrivolitiesofthisworld,whatwillbecomeofyourneverdyingsoul?’
"HewouldnotgotillIgavehimhalfacrownfortheminister’ssalary。
AfterwardIheardhewasthemanwhocollectedthepewrentsandgotapercentage。Ididn’tgettoknowanyoneelse。
"WhenmytimeinthatshopwasdoneIhiredmyselftodriveoneofatransport—rider’swagons。
"Thatfirstmorning,whenIsatinthefrontandcalledtomyoxen,andsawnothingaboutmebutthehills,withthebluecomingdowntothem,andthekaroobushes,Iwasdrunk;Ilaughed;myheartwasbeatingtillithurtme。
Ishutmyeyestight,thatwhenIopenedthemImightseetherewerenoshelvesaboutme。Theremustbeabeautyinbuyingandselling,ifthereisbeautyineverything:butitisveryuglytome。Mylifeastransport—
riderwouldhavebeenthebestlifeintheworldifIhadhadonlyonewagontodrive。Mymastertoldmehewoulddriveone,Itheother,andhewouldhireanotherpersontodrivethethird。ButthefirstdayIdrovetwotohelphim,andafterthatheletmedriveallthree。Wheneverwecametoanhotelhestoppedbehindtogetadrink,andwhenherodeuptothewagonshecouldneverstand;theHottentotandIusedtolifthimup。
Wealwaystravelledallnight,andusedtooutspanforfiveorsixhoursintheheatofthedaytorest。IplannedthatIwouldlieunderawagonandreadforanhourortwoeverydaybeforeIwenttosleep,andIdidforthefirsttwoorthree;butafterthatIonlywantedtosleep,liketherest,andIpackedmybooksaway。