to-morrow-第1章

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To…morrow







by　Joseph　Conrad

















What　was　known　of　Captain　Hagberd　in　the　little



seaport　of　Colebrook　was　not　exactly　in　his　favour。



He　did　not　belong　to　the　place。　　He　had　come　to



settle　there　under　circumstances　not　at　all　myste…



rioushe　used　to　be　very　communicative　about



them　at　the　timebut　extremely　morbid　and　un…



reasonable。　　He　was　possessed　of　some　little　money



evidently；　because　he　bought　a　plot　of　ground；　and



had　a　pair　of　ugly　yellow　brick　cottages　run　up



very　cheaply。　　He　occupied　one　of　them　himself



and　let　the　other　to　Josiah　Carvilblind　Carvil；



the　retired　boat…buildera　man　of　evil　repute　as　a



domestic　tyrant。







These　cottages　had　one　wall　in　common；　shared



in　a　line　of　iron　railing　dividing　their　front　gar…



dens；　a　wooden　fence　separated　their　back　gardens。



Miss　Bessie　Carvil　was　allowed；　as　it　were　of　right；



to　throw　over　it　the　tea…cloths；　blue　rags；　or　an



apron　that　wanted　drying。







〃It　rots　the　wood；　Bessie　my　girl；〃　the　captain



would　remark　mildly；　from　his　side　of　the　fence；



each　time　he　saw　her　exercising　that　privilege。







She　was　a　tall　girl；　the　fence　was　low；　and



she　could　spread　her　elbows　on　the　top。　　Her　hands



would　be　red　with　the　bit　of　washing　she　had　done；



but　her　forearms　were　white　and　shapely；　and　she



would　look　at　her　father's　landlord　in　silencein



an　informed　silence　which　had　an　air　of　knowledge；



expectation　and　desire。







〃It　rots　the　wood；〃　repeated　Captain　Hagberd。



〃It　is　the　only　unthrifty；　careless　habit　I　know　in



you。　　Why　don't　you　have　a　clothes　line　out　in　your



back　yard？〃







Miss　Carvil　would　say　nothing　to　thisshe　only



shook　her　head　negatively。　　The　tiny　back　yard



on　her　side　had　a　few　stone…bordered　little　beds　of



black　earth；　in　which　the　simple　flowers　she　found



time　to　cultivate　appeared　somehow　extravagantly



overgrown；　as　if　belonging　to　an　exotic　clime；　and



Captain　Hagberd's　upright；　hale　person；　clad　in



No。　1　sail…cloth　from　head　to　foot；　would　be　emer…



ging　knee…deep　out　of　rank　grass　and　the　tall　weeks



on　his　side　of　the　fence。　　He　appeared；　with　the　col…



our　and　uncouth　stiffness　of　the　extraordinary　ma…



terial　in　which　he　chose　to　clothe　himself〃for　the



time　being；〃　would　be　his　mumbled　remark　to　any



observation　on　the　subjectlike　a　man　roughened



out　of　granite；　standing　in　a　wilderness　not　big



enough　for　a　decent　billiard…room。　　A　heavy　figure



of　a　man　of　stone；　with　a　red　handsome　face；　a　blue



wandering　eye；　and　a　great　white　beard　flowing



to　his　waist　and　never　trimmed　as　far　as　Colebrook



knew。







Seven　years　before；　he　had　seriously　answered；



〃Next　month；　I　think；〃　to　the　chaffing　attempt　to



secure　his　custom　made　by　that　distinguished　local



wit；　the　Colebrook　barber；　who　happened　to　be　sit…



ting　insolently　in　the　tap…room　of　the　New　Inn　near



the　harbour；　where　the　captain　had　entered　to　buy



an　ounce　of　tobacco。　　After　paying　for　his　pur…



chase　with　three　half…pence　extracted　from　the　cor…



ner　of　a　handkerchief　which　he　carried　in　the　cuff



of　his　sleeve；　Captain　Hagberd　went　out。　　As　soon



as　the　door　was　shut　the　barber　laughed。　　〃The



old　one　and　the　young　one　will　be　strolling　arm　in



arm　to　get　shaved　in　my　place　presently。　　The



tailor　shall　be　set　to　work；　and　the　barber；　and　the



candlestick　maker；　high　old　times　are　coming　for



Colebrook；　they　are　coming；　to　be　sure。　　It　used　to



be　'next　week；'　now　it　has　come　to　'next　month；'



and　so　onsoon　it　will　be　next　spring；　for　all　I



know。〃







Noticing　a　stranger　listening　to　him　with　a　va…



cant　grin；　he　explained；　stretching　out　his　legs　cyn…



ically；　that　this　queer　old　Hagberd；　a　retired　coast…



ing…skipper；　was　waiting　for　the　return　of　a　son　of



his。　　The　boy　had　been　driven　away　from　home；　he



shouldn't　wonder；　had　run　away　to　sea　and　had



never　been　heard　of　since。　　Put　to　rest　in　Davy



Jones's　locker　this　many　a　day；　as　likely　as　not。



That　old　man　came　flying　to　Colebrook　three



years　ago　all　in　black　broadcloth　（had　lost　his　wife



lately　then）；　getting　out　of　a　third…class　smoker



as　if　the　devil　had　been　at　his　heels；　and　the　only



thing　that　brought　him　down　was　a　lettera　hoax



probably。　　Some　joker　had　written　to　him　about　a



seafaring　man　with　some　such　name　who　was　sup…



posed　to　be　hanging　about　some　girl　or　other；　either



in　Colebrook　or　in　the　neighbourhood。　　〃Funny；



ain't　it？〃　　The　old　chap　had　been　advertising　in



the　London　papers　for　Harry　Hagberd；　and　offer…



ing　rewards　for　any　sort　of　likely　information。



And　the　barber　would　go　on　to　describe　with　sar…



donic　gusto；　how　that　stranger　in　mourning　had



been　seen　exploring　the　country；　in　carts；　on　foot；



taking　everybody　into　his　confidence；　visiting　all



the　inns　and　alehouses　for　miles　around；　stopping



people　on　the　road　with　his　questions；　looking　into



the　very　ditches　almost；　first　in　the　greatest　excite…



ment；　then　with　a　plodding　sort　of　perseverance；



growing　slower　and　slower；　and　he　could　not　even



tell　you　plainly　how　his　son　looked。　　The　sailor



was　supposed　to　be　one　of　two　that　had　left　a　tim…



ber　ship；　and　to　have　been　seen　dangling　after　some



girl；　but　the　old　man　described　a　boy　of　fourteen



or　so〃a　clever…looking；　high…spirited　boy。〃　　And



when　people　only　smiled　at　this　he　would　rub　his



forehead　in　a　confused　sort　of　way　before　he　slunk



off；　looking　offended。　　He　found　nobody；　of



course；　not　a　trace　of　anybodynever　heard　of



anything　worth　belief；　at　any　rate；　but　he　had　not



been　able　somehow　to　tear　himself　away　from　Cole…



brook。







〃It　was　the　shock　of　this　disappointment；　per…



haps；　coming　soon　after　the　loss　of　his　wife；　that



had　driven　him　crazy　on　that　point；〃　the　barber



suggested；　with　an　air　of　great　psychological　in…



sight。　　After　a　time　the　old　man　abandoned　the　ac…



tive　search。　　His　son　had　evidently　gone　away；



but　he　settled　himself　to　wait。　　His　son　had　been



once　at　least　in　Colebrook　in　preference　to　his　na…



tive　place。　　There　must　have　been　some　reason　for



it；　he　seemed　to　think；　some　very　powerful　induce…



ment；　that　would　bring　him　back　to　Colebrook



again。







〃Ha；　ha；　ha！　　Why；　of　course；　Colebrook。



Where　else？　　That's　the　only　place　in　the　United



Kingdom　for　your　long…lost　sons。　　So　he　sold　up



his　old　home　in　Colchester；　and　down　he　comes　here。



Well；　it's　a　craze；　like　any　other。　　Wouldn't　catch



me　going　crazy　over　any　of　my　youngsters　clear…



ing　out。　　I've　got　eight　of　them　at　home。〃　　The



barber　was　showing　off　his　strength　of　mind　in　the



midst　of　a　laughter　that　shook　the　tap…room。







Strange；　though；　that　sort　of　thing；　he　would



confess；　with　the　frankness　of　a　superior　intelli…



gence；　seemed　to　be　catching。　　His　establishment；



for　instance；　was　near　the　harbour；　and　whenever　a



sailorman　came　in　for　a　hair…cut　or　a　shaveif　it



was　a　strange　face　he　couldn't　help　thinking　di…



rectly；　〃Suppose　he's　the　son　of　old　Hagberd！〃



He　laughed　at　himself　for　it。　　It　was　a　strong



craze。　　He　could　remember　the　time　when　the　whole



town　was　full　of　it。　　But　he　had　his　hopes　of　the



old　chap　yet。　　He　would　cure　him　by　a　course　of



judicious　chaffing。　　He　was　watching　the　progress



of　the　treatment。　　Next　weeknext　monthnext



year！　　When　the　old　skipper　had　put　off　the　date



of　that　return　till　next　year；　he　would　be　well　on



his　way　to　not　saying　any　more　about　it。　　In　other



matters　he　was　quite　rational；　so　this；　too；　was



bound　to　come。　　Such　was　the　barber's　firm　opin…



ion。







Nobody　had　ever　contradicted　him；　his　own　hair



had　gone　grey　since　that　time；　and　Captain　Hag…



berd's　beard　had　turned　quite　white；　and　had　ac…



quired　a　majestic　flow　over　the　No。　1　canvas　suit；



which　he　had　made　for　himself　secretly　with　tarred



twine；　and　had　assumed　suddenly；　coming　out　in



it　one　fine　morning；　whereas　the　evening　before　he



had　been　seen　going　home　in　his　mourning　of



broadcloth。　　It　caused　a　sensation　in　the　High



Streetshopkeepers　coming　to　their　doors；　people



in　the　houses　snatching　up　their　hats　to　run　out



a　stir　at　which　he　seemed　strangely　surprised　at



first；　and　then　scared；　but　his　only　answer　to　the



wondering　questions　was　that　startled　and　evasive；



〃For　the　present。〃







That　sensation　had　been　forgotten；　long　ago；



and　Captain　Hagberd　himself；　if　not　forgotten；



had　come　to　be　disregardedthe　penalty　of　daili…



nessas　the　sun　itself　is　disregarded　unless　it



makes　its　power　felt　heavily。　　Captain　Hagberd's



movements　showed　no　infirmity：　he　walked　stiffly



in　his　suit　of　canvas；　a　quaint　and　remarkable　fig…



ure；　only　his　eyes　wandered　more　furtively　perhaps



than　of　yore。　　His　manner　abroad　had　lost　its　ex…



citable　watchfulness；　it　had　become　puzzled　and



diffident；　as　though　he　had　suspected　that　there



was　somewhere　about　him　something　slightly　com…



promising；　some　embarrassing　oddity；　and　yet　had



remained　unable　to　discover　what　on　earth　this



something　wrong　could　be。







He　was　unwilling　now　to　talk　with　the　townsfolk。



He　had　earned　for　himself　the　reputation　of　an



awful　skinflint；　of　a　miser　in　the　matter　of　living。



He　mumbled　regretfully　in　the　shops；　bought　in…



ferior　scraps　of　meat　after　long　hesitations；　and



discouraged　all　allusions　to　his　costume。　　It　was



as　the　barber　had　foretold。　　For　all　one　could　tell；



he　had　recovered　already　from　the　disease　of　hope；



and　only　Miss　Bessie　Carvil　knew　that　he　said　noth…



ing　about　his　son's　return　because　with　him　it　was



no　longer　〃next　week；〃　〃next　month；〃　or　even



〃next　year。〃　　It　was　〃to…morrow。〃







In　their　intimacy　of　back　yard　and　front　gar…



den　he　talked　with　her　paternally；　reasonably；　and



dogmatically；　with　a　touch　of　arbitrariness。　　They



met　on　the　ground　of　unreserved　confidence；　which



was　authenticated　by　an　affectionate　wink　now　and



then。　　Miss　Carvil　had　come　to　look　forward　rather



to　these　winks。　　At　first　they　had　discomposed　her：



the　poor　fellow　was　mad。　　Afterwards　she　had



learned　to　laugh　at　them：　there　was　no　harm　in



him。　　Now　she　was　aware　of　an　unacknowledged；



pleasurable；　incredulous　emotio