第 16 节
作者:圈圈      更新:2021-02-21 16:11      字数:5161
  the   Appearance;   her   eyes   most   certainly   did   follow   the   direction   of   its
  pointed finger; and rest in great hesitation and trouble upon the prisoner's
  face。 Two additional illustrations will suffice。 On the eighth day of the trial;
  after the pause which was every day made early in the afternoon for a few
  minutes' rest and refreshment; I came back into Court with the rest of the
  Jury some little time before the return of the Judges。 Standing up in   the
  box    and   looking    about    me;   I  thought    the  figure   was    not  there;   until;
  chancing   to   raise   my   eyes   to   the   gallery;   I   saw   it   bending   forward;   and
  leaning over a very decent woman; as if to assure itself whether the Judges
  had    resumed      their  seats   or   not。  Immediately       afterwards     that  woman
  screamed; fainted; and was carried out。 So with the venerable; sagacious;
  and patient Judge who conducted the trial。 When the case was over; and he
  settled himself and his papers to sum up; the murdered man; entering by
  the Judges' door; advanced to his Lordship's desk; and looked eagerly over
  his   shoulder   at   the   pages   of   his   notes   which   he   was   turning。 A  change
  came over his Lordship's face; his hand stopped; the peculiar shiver; that I
  knew so well; passed over him; he faltered; 〃Excuse me; gentlemen; for a
  few moments。 I am somewhat oppressed by the vitiated air;〃 and did not
  recover until he had drunk a glass of water。
  Through all the monotony of six of those interminable ten days;the
  same Judges and others on the bench; the same Murderer in the dock; the
  same lawyers at the table; the same tones of question and answer rising to
  the   roof   of   the   court;   the   same   scratching   of   the   Judge's   pen;   the   same
  ushers going   in   and out;  the same   lights   kindled   at the   same   hour   when
  there had been any natural light of day; the same foggy curtain outside the
  great   windows   when   it   was   foggy;   the   same   rain   pattering   and   dripping
  when it was rainy; the same footmarks of turnkeys and prisoner day after
  day on the same sawdust; the same keys locking and unlocking the same
  heavy doors;through all the wearisome monotony which made me feel as
  if I had been Foreman of the Jury for a vast cried of time; and Piccadilly
  54
  … Page 55…
  Three Ghost Stories
  had   flourished   coevally  with   Babylon;   the   murdered   man   never lost   one
  trace of his distinctness in my eyes; nor was he at any moment less distinct
  than anybody else。 I must not omit; as a matter of fact; that I never once
  saw the Appearance which I call by the name of the murdered man look at
  the Murderer。 Again   and   again   I   wondered;  〃Why  does   he   not?〃   But   he
  never did。
  Nor did he look at me; after the production of the miniature; until the
  last closing   minutes of   the  trial  arrived。 We   retired   to   consider;  at   seven
  minutes before ten at night。 The idiotic vestryman and his two parochial
  parasites gave us so much trouble that we twice returned into Court to beg
  to have certain extracts from the Judge's notes re…read。 Nine of us had not
  the smallest doubt about those passages; neither; I believe; had any one in
  the Court; the dunder…headed triumvirate; having no idea but obstruction;
  disputed them for that very reason。 At length we prevailed; and finally the
  Jury returned into Court at ten minutes past twelve。
  The murdered man at   that time stood directly opposite the   Jury…box;
  on the other side of the Court。 As I took my place; his eyes rested on me
  with   great   attention;   he seemed   satisfied;  and   slowly  shook   a great   gray
  veil;   which   he   carried   on   his   arm   for   the   first   time;   over   his   head   and
  whole form。 As I gave in our verdict; 〃Guilty;〃 the veil collapsed; all was
  gone; and his place was empty。
  The Murderer; being asked by the Judge; according to usage; whether
  he had   anything to   say before  sentence of Death should be passed upon
  him; indistinctly muttered something which was described in the leading
  newspapers of the following day as 〃a few rambling; incoherent; and half…
  audible words;  in   which   he  was   understood to   complain   that  he  had   not
  had a fair trial; because the Foreman of the Jury was prepossessed against
  him。〃    The   remarkable     declaration    that  he   really   made   was   this:  〃MY
  LORD;   I   KNEW  I   WAS A  DOOMED   MAN;   WHEN THE   FOREMAN
  OF     MY    JURY     CAME      INTO     THE    BOX。     MY    LORD;      I  KNEW      HE
  WOULD NEVER LET ME OFF; BECAUSE; BEFORE I WAS TAKEN;
  HE SOMEHOW GOT TO MY BEDSIDE IN THE NIGHT; WOKE ME;
  AND PUT A ROPE ROUND MY NECK。〃
  55