双语·面纱 第四十三章

43

The chapel was no more than a long low room with whitewashed walls and rows of deal benches; at the end was the altar on which stood the image; it was in plaster of Paris painted in crude colors; it was very bright and new and garish. Behind it was a picture in oils of the Crucifixion with the two Marys at the foot of the Cross in extravagant attitudes of grief. The drawing was bad and the dark pigments were put on with an eye that knew nothing of the beauty of color. Around the walls were the Stations of the Cross painted by the same unfortunate hand. The chapel was hideous and vulgar.

The nuns on entering knelt down to say a prayer and then, rising, the Mother Superior began once more to chat with Kitty.

“Everything that can be broken is broken when it comes here, but the statue presented to us by our benefactor came from Paris without so much as the smallest chip. There is no doubt that it was a miracle.”

Waddington's malicious eyes gleamed, but he held his tongue.

“The altarpiece and the Stations of the Cross were painted by one of our Sisters, Soeur St. Anselme.” The Mother Superior crossed herself. “She was a real artist. Unfortunately, she fell a victim to the epidemic. Do you not think that they are very beautiful?”

Kitty faltered an affirmative. On the altar were bunches of paper flowers and the candlesticks were distractingly ornate.

“We have the privilege of keeping here the Blessed Sacrament.”

“Yes?” said Kitty, not understanding.

“It has been a great comfort to us during this time of so terrible trouble.”

They left the chapel and retraced their steps to the parlour in which they had first sat.

“Would you like to see the babies that came in this morning before you go?”

“Very much,” said Kitty.

The Mother Superior led them into a tiny room on the other side of the passage. On a table, under a cloth, there was a singular wriggling. The Sister drew back the cloth and displayed four tiny, naked infants. They were very red and they made funny restless movements with their arms and legs; their quaint little Chinese faces were screwed up into strange grimaces. They looked hardly human; queer animals of an unknown species, and yet there was something singularly moving in the sight. The Mother Superior looked at them with an amused smile.

“They seem very lively. Sometimes they are brought in only to die. Of course we baptize them the moment they come.”

“The lady's husband will be pleased with them,” said Sister St. Joseph. “I think he could play by the hour with the babies. When they cry he has only to take them up, and he makes them comfortable in the crook of his arm, so that they laugh with delight.”

Then Kitty and Waddington found themselves at the door. Kitty gravely thanked the Mother Superior for the trouble she had taken. The nun bowed with a condescension that was at once dignified and affable.

“It has been a great pleasure. You do not know how kind and helpful your husband has been to us. He has been sent to us by Heaven. I am glad that you came with him. When he goes home it must be a great comfort to him to have you there with your love and your--your sweet face. You must take care of him and not let him work too hard. You must look after him for all our sakes.”

Kitty flushed. She did not know what to say. The Mother Superior held out her hand and while she held it Kitty was conscious of those cool, thoughtful eyes which rested on her with detachment and yet with something that looked like a profound understanding.

Sister St. Joseph closed the door behind them and Kitty got into her chair. They went back through the narrow, winding streets. Waddington made a casual remark: Kitty did not answer. He looked round, but the side curtains of the chair were drawn and he could not see her. He walked on in silence. But when they reached the river and she stepped out, to his surprise he saw that her eyes were streaming with tears.

“What is the matter?” he asked, his face puckered into an expression of dismay.

“Nothing.” She tried to smile. “Only foolishness.”

第四十三章

小教堂只不过是一个狭长低矮的房间，四周是白色石灰水粉刷过的墙壁，以及一排排的长条板凳。圣坛的尽头立着一个用熟石膏做成的圣像，涂绘着粗陋的色彩，很亮丽、崭新和俗艳。圣像的后面是一幅油画，画着耶稣被钉在十字架上受难的情景，两个玛利亚在十字架的下面，悲伤的神情很是夸张。这幅画画得很蹩脚，黑色的颜料糊在上面，显然作者对色彩的美学一无所知。墙的四周是同一作者所画的耶稣受难经过的画像[1]，也同样糟糕。这个小教堂看上去是那么的丑陋和粗俗。

修女们走进教堂，跪了下来默念祷告词，随后又站了起来。院长嬷嬷又一次和凯蒂聊起天来。

“当东西运到这儿的时候，每一件易碎的东西都碎了，只有我们眼前的这个雕像，它由我们在巴黎的捐助者所赠，丝毫没有损坏，这无疑是个奇迹。”

威廷顿古灵精怪的眼睛又闪亮了，但这次他没有说话。

“祭坛的装饰品和耶稣受难组像是我们的一个修女——圣安舍尔米姐妹画的。”院长嬷嬷在胸前画了一个十字，“她是个真正的艺术家，不幸的是，她也成了这场瘟疫的牺牲品。你不认为这些作品非常漂亮吗？”

凯蒂支吾了一下，勉强说了几句肯定的话。在祭坛上，有好几束纸花，烛台华丽的装饰让人分神。

“我们非常荣幸能在这儿分发圣餐。”

“是吗？”凯蒂说道，似乎不太理解。

“在可怕的灾难降临的时候，这对我们来说是莫大的安慰。”

他们离开了小教堂，又重新回到了他们一开始落座的客厅。

“在你离开之前，你愿意看看今天上午送来的婴儿吗？”

“非常乐意。”凯蒂说道。

院长嬷嬷领着他们来到走廊另一边的小房间里，在一张桌子上，有什么东西在一块布的下面奇怪地蠕动着。圣约瑟夫修女拿掉了那块布，四个非常小的、赤裸的婴儿露了出来，他们的身体发红，胳膊和腿儿在不安地乱动着，看上去很滑稽。他们古怪的小脸奇怪地揪揪着，好像在扮鬼脸。他们看上去都不像人类，而是一些未知物种的奇异动物，在人们的视线中诡异地动着。院长嬷嬷看着他们，嘴角上带着微笑，好像觉得很好玩。

“他们似乎活蹦乱跳的，有时他们被带来时都快死了。当然，他们一到，我们就给他们施洗礼。”

“这位女士的丈夫和这些孩子在一起一定会很开心。”圣约瑟夫修女说道，“我觉得他会按钟点来和这些婴儿玩的，他们哭的时候，他只能把他们抱起来，在他的臂弯中悠晃着，让他们觉得舒服，他们甚至会乐开了花。”

当凯蒂和威廷顿准备告辞来到门口的时候，凯蒂郑重地向院长嬷嬷表示感谢，对她造访所带来的麻烦表示歉意。嬷嬷鞠了一躬，但威严而又可亲的神态立即又恢复了。

“您的来访让我十分荣幸，您不知道您的丈夫对我们有多么的好，真是帮了我们大忙了。他是上帝派给我们的，我很高兴您陪他一起来了。他工作一天回到家里后，一定会感到极大的放松和宽慰，因为迎接他的有您的爱，还有您的——您的甜美的面庞。您一定要照顾好他，不要让他工作得太辛苦，您千万要替我们大家伙儿照顾好他呀。”

凯蒂的脸唰地红了，她一时不知说什么好。院长嬷嬷向她握手告别，凯蒂和她握手时，能够感觉到她冷静、睿智的目光落在自己身上，有一种冷静客观，同时又有某种看上去是对生活深刻理解的东西。

圣约瑟夫修女在他们身后关上了大门，凯蒂坐上了轿椅，他们通过狭窄、曲折的街道走上了返程的路。威廷顿偶尔闲聊几句，而凯蒂没有搭腔。他向轿椅看了看，但轿椅的窗帘已经拉下来了，他看不见她的表情，只好一声不吭地走着。但当他们到了河边时，她从轿椅中走了出来，让他吃惊的是，他看到她的眼里闪动着泪珠。

“怎么啦？”他问道，脸上的五官又挤成一团，露出惊愕的表情。

“没什么。”她努力地想笑一笑，“只是犯傻。”

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[1]原文直译为苦路十四处（The Stations of the Cross），指的是十四幅描绘耶稣受难经过的画像。