witchery

精品资料

Auntie姑妈

YououghttohaveknownAunty;,tobemorespecific,she

wasn'tlovelyintheusualnoftheword,butshewassweetandcharmingand

funnyinherownway-justthetypetogossipaboutwhenoneisinthemoodtogossip

uldhavebeenputinaplay,justbecaushe

so

veryrespectable,evenifAgentNob,whomAuntycalledSnob,saidshewas

stage-struck.

"Thetheaterismyschoolroom,"shesaid,"have

s,forinstance,orJophandHis

Brethren-they'omthetheaterthatI'vegainedmyknowledge

ofworldhistory,geography,andhumannature.I'velearnedaboutParisianlifefrom

Frenchfarces-it'snaughty,vecriedoverThe

RiquebourgFamily-tothinkthatthehusbandhadtodrinkhimlftodeathjust

sohiswifecouldgetheryoungsweetheart!Ah,yes,many'sthetearI'veshedin

thefiftyyearsI'vebeengoingtothetheater!"

Auntykneweveryplay,everypieceofscenery,everyactorwhocameonoreverhad

llyonlylivedduringtheninemonthsofthetheatricalason.A

summerwithoutasummerstockcompanywanoughtoageher,whileaneveningat

n'tsay,as

peopledid,"Nowwewillhavespring;thestorkhascome!"or,"There'sanitemin

thepaperabouttheearlystrawberries!"Instead,sheannouncedthecomingofautumn,

"Haveyouenthattheboxofficeisopen?They'llbegintheperformancessoon!"

Shereckonedthevalueofahouanditslocationbyitsdistancefromthetheater.

Shewasheartbrokentohavetoleavethenarrowalleybehindthetheaterandmove

toawidestreetalittlefartheraway,andliveinahouwheretherewereno

neighborsoppositeher.

"'tsitbyyourlfwithout

reIlivenow,itemsasifI'vemovedwayoutinto

ttoepeople,Ihavetogointothekitchenandclimbup

',inthatoldalley

ofmineIcouldlookrightintothelinendealer's,andthenIwasonlythreesteps

fromthetheater;nowIamthreethousandstepsaway-aguardsman'ssteps,atthat!"

Auntymightsometimesbeill,buthoweverbadlyshehappenedtofeel,shenevermisd

ningherdoctororderedhertoputherfeetinsour-dough

poultices;shedidashetoldher,butrodeofftothetheaterandsattherewith

ldn

diedinthetheater;andshecalledthat"ablesddeath."

Shecouldnotimagineheaveniftherewerenotheaterthere;indeed,itwasnever

promidtous,butitsurelywasconceivablethatthemanygreatactorsandactress

whohadgoneonbeforewouldwanttocontinuetheirwork.

Auntyhadherownprivatewirefromthetheatertoherroom;andthe"telegram"came

n,ofthestage-tting

精品资料

ewhogavethesignalfortheraisingandloweringofthecurtain,

thettingorstrikingofthescenery.

Fromhimshereceivedabrief,peare's

Tempesthecalled"detestablestuff-there'ssomuchtotup!Why,itbeginswith

waterdowntothefirstsidedrop!"Thatistosay,therollingbillowxtended

therhand,ifaplaycouldgothroughfiveacts

inoneandthesamet,hesaiditwasnsibleandwellwritten;itwasaplay

ofrestthatcouldplayitlf,withoutallthatttinguptodo.

Intheearlierdays,Auntyrecalled,meaningsomethirty-oddyearsback,whenshe

nwereindeedmuchyounger,hewasthenalreadyinthemechanical

department,and,asshecalledhim,her"benefactor."Atthattimeitwascustomary

atthetown'sbigandonlytheatertoadmitspectatorsintothecockloft;everystage

ftenfilledtocapacity,and

withaverylectcompany;itwassaidthewivesofgeneralsandcouncilmenhad

beenthere,becauitwassointerestingtolookdownbehindthescenesande

howtheperformersstoodandmovedwhenthecurtainwasdown.

Auntyhadbeenthereveraltimes,totragediesandballets,fortheproductions

r

satupthereinalmostcompletedarkness,andmostpeoplebroughttheirsupperswith

ethreeapplesandapackageofsandwichesfilledwithsausagefell

straightdownintotheprisonwhereUgolinowasabouttodieofhunger!Thesausage

iencelaughedandcheered,andthesausagewas

oneofthemainreasonswhythemanagementdecidedtoforbidadmissiontothe

cockloft.

"ButstillI'vebeentherethirty-ventimes,"saidAunty."AndforthatIshall

n."

Onthelasteveningthatthecockloftwasopentothepublic,theyweregivingThe

ouldrememberitsowell,forfromherbenefactor,Mr.

Sivertn,thedervedit,for

healwaysmadefunofthetheaterandteadheraboutit,butstillshehadgot

edtolookatthegoings-oninthetheaterupside

down."Thowerehisverywords,andjustlikehim,"saidAunty.

AndsohesawTheJudgmentofSolomonfromabove,ldsurely

t

untilafterthetheaterwaslockedupandhadtospendthewholedarknightupin

storytotellofhiswakingup,butAuntydidn'tbelieveaword

gmentofSolomonwasplayedout,thelightswereout,andallthepeople

wereout,aboveandbelow;butthenbegantheepilogue,therealcomedy,thebest

thingofall,fecameintotheproperties,andit

wasn'tTheJudgmentofSolomonthatwasgivennow;no,itwasJudgmentDayatthe

sAgentNobimpudentlytriedtocramintoAunty;thatwasherthanks

forgettinghimintothecockloft.

Thestorytheagenttoldwasamusingenoughtohear,butthereweremockeryandspite

behindit.

精品资料

"Itwasverydarkupthere,"saidtheagent,"butthenthewitcherybegan,thegreat

spectacle,takerswereatthedoors,andevery

spectatorhadtoshowhisspiritualtestimonial,todecidewhetherhecouldenter

freeorhandcuffed,cietypeople,whocametoo

late,aftertheperformancehadbegun,andyoungfellowswhowastedtheirtimewere

heyweremuzzled,andhadfeltsolesputundertheirshoes,

ntheybeganJudgment

DayattheTheater.

"Purelywickedness,"saidAunty,"whichourLordknowsnothingabout!"

Hadthescenepainterwantedtogetintoheavenhewouldhavehadtoclimbupsome

,

ofcour,gecarpenterwhohad

placedtheplantsandbuildingsinlandswheretheydidn'tbelonghadtomovethem

intotheirproperplacesbeforecockcrowingtime,ifheexpectedtogotoheaven.

ldhavetowatchhisownchancesofgettingthere!Andtohearwhathe

saidabouttheactors,bothincomedyandtragedy,orinsonganddance-why,it

!!Heneverdervedhisplaceinthecockloft!Aunty

didn'rittenitallout,hesaid-thesnob!

-andwouldhaveitprinted,butnotuntilhewasdeadandburied,sincehehadno

wishtobeskinnedalive.

OnlyoncehadAuntyknownterrorandanguishinherowntempleofhappiness,the

neofthograywinterdayswhenwehaveonlytwohoursoffoggy

daylight;itwascoldandsnowing,re

givingHermannvonUnna,besidesalittleoperaandagrandballet,withprologue

adtobethere;herlodger

hadlentherapairofsleighboots,shaggybothoutsideandinside,thatreached

allthewayupherlegs.

Auntyarrivedatthetheaterandwasatedinabox;thebootsfeltwarm,soshe

lytherearothecryof"Fire!"assmokerolledfromoneof

thewingsanddownfromthecockloft!Therewasafearfulpanic,andpeoplestormed

assittingfarthestfromthedoor-"condtier,left-handside;from

therethedecorationslookbest,"shesaid."Theyalwaysarrangethemsotheywill

looktheprettiestfromtheKing'ssideofthehou."Nowshewantedtogetout

ofthere,buttheexcitedpeopleinfrontofherthoughtlesslyslammedandjammed

asAunty,withnowayoutandnowayin,forthepartitions

ledforhelp,

shelookedoveratthetierbeneath,shesawitwampty;thebalustradewaslow;

andthedropwasn'ghtmadeherfeelyoungandactive,soshe

onefootontheatandtheotherovertherailing;there

shesatastride,welldrapedinherfloweredskirt,withonelonglegdanglingbelow,

sasighttoe!Anditwasen,whenfinally

hercrieswereheard;andthenshewaasilyrescued,forthefiredidn'tamount

tomuch.

精品资料

Thatwasthemostmemorableeveningofherlife,shesaid,andshewasgladshehadn't

enherlf,forshewouldhavediedofshame!

Herbenefactorinthemechanicaldepartment,n,cametoeherregularly

teryears,inthemiddle

oftheweek,asmallchildwouldcometoherforthe"leavings";thatis,toget

hersupperfromtheremainsofAunty'sdinner.

yed

therolesofapageorafairy,butherhardestpartwasthehindlegsofthelion

inMozart'ntuallygrewuptobecomethefrontlegs,butfor

thisshewaspaidonlythreemarks,whileasthehindlegsshehadreceivedone

hadtocreepaboutasthehindlegs,stooping,pantingforfresh

sveryinterestingtoknow,thoughtAunty.

Auntydervedtohavelivedaslongasthetheateritlf,butshecouldn'thold

outthatlong;nordidshedieinthetheater,butquietlyanddecentlyinherown

ngwordswerefullofsignificance;sheasked,"Whataretheyplaying

tomorrow?"

Shemusthaveleftaboutfivehundredrix-dollars;wecametothatconclusionfrom

theyearlyrental,eywasleftbyAunty

obeud

foraatinthecondtier,leftside,everySaturday,forthatwaswhenthey

satinthetheatereverySaturday,shewastothinkofAuntylyinginhergrave.

ThiswasAunty'sreligion.