《魔法師的外甥》第37期:燈柱前的戰鬥(3)
And really it was uncommonly like Nothing. There were no stars. It was so dark that they couldn't see one another at all and it made no difference whether you kept your eyes shut or open. Under their feet there was a cool, flat something which might have been earth, and was certainly not grass or wood. The air was cold and dry and there was no wind.
"My doom has come upon me," said the Witch in a voice of horrible calmness.
"Oh don't say that," babbled Uncle Andrew. "My dear young lady, pray don't say such things. It can't be as bad as that. Ah - Cabman - my good man - you don't happen to have a flask about you? A drop of spirits is just what I need."
"Now then, now then," came the Cabby's voice, a good firm, hardy voice. "Keep cool everyone, that's what I say. No bones broken, anyone? Good. Well there's something to be thankful for straight away, and more than anyone could expect after falling all that way. Now, if we've fallen down some diggings - as it might be for a new station on the Underground - someone will come and get us out presently, see! And if we're dead - which I don't deny it might be - well, you got to -remember that worse things 'appen at sea and a chap's got to die sometime. And there ain't nothing to be afraid of if a chap's led a decent life. And if you ask me, I think the best thing we could do to pass the time would be sing a 'ymn."
And he did. He struck up at once a harvest thanksgiving hymn, all about crops being "safely gathered in". It was not very suitable to a place which felt as if nothing had ever grown there since the beginning of time, but it was the one he could remember best. He had a fine voice and the children joined in; it was very cheering. Uncle Andrew and the Witch did not join in.
Towards the end of the hymn Digory felt someone plucking at his elbow and from a general smell of brandy and cigars and good clothes he decided that it must be Uncle Andrew. Uncle Andrew was cautiously pulling him away from the others. When they had gone a little distance, the old man put his mouth so close to Digory's ear that it tickled, and whispered:
"Now, my boy. Slip on your ring. Let's be off."
But the Witch had very good ears. "Fool!" came her voice and she leaped off the horse. "Have you forgotten that I can hear men's thoughts? Let go the boy. If you attempt treachery I will take such vengeance upon you as never was heard of in all worlds from the beginning."
"And," added Digory, "if you think I'm such a mean pig as to go off and leave Polly - and the Cabby - and the horse in a place like this, you're well mistaken."
"You are a very naughty and impertinent little boy," said Uncle Andrew.
"Hush!" said the Cabby. They all listened.
確實，這是個罕見的虛無國。天空沒有星星，四下一團漆黑，誰也看不見誰，眼睛睜開和閉上都是一樣。他們腳下平整、涼爽的東西肯定不是草地或者木頭，而可能是泥土。空氣乾燥、凜冽，一絲風也沒有。
“我的末日到了。”女巫的聲膏裏有一種可怕的平靜。
“噢，別這樣說，”安德魯舅舅嘮叨起來，“我親愛的年輕女士，求求你，別說這種話。事情不會那麼嚴重。啊——馬車伕——我的好人——你身上沒帶着酒瓶嗎？我需要一口烈酒。”
“喂，喂，”馬車伕有一副好嗓子，他用堅強的口吻說，“我想說，大家都冷靜下來。沒有人摔斷骨頭，是吧，好。實在應該感到欣慰。像這樣摔下來，結果比任何人估計的都要好。假如我們是掉進了一些房屋裏——例如地鐵的一個新站頭——很快就會有人把我們救出去的，對不對！要是我們死了——我不否認有這種可能——那麼，你們該記得有時海上會發生比這更壞的事，總有人要死的。如果一個人曾經體面地生活過，便沒什麼可怕的。你們如果問我，我想，我們打發時間的最好辦法就是唱一首聖歌。”
他馬上就唱起了一首收穫時節感恩的聖歌，唱的是莊稼被“圓滿地收創歸倉”。在一個似乎從一開始就沒有牛長過東西的地方唱這種歌並不十分合適，但這是他記得最清楚的一首歌。他的音色優美，孩子們也跟着唱了起來。氣氛歡暢愉快。安德魯舅舅和女巫沒有加入進去。
聖歌接近尾聲時，迪格雷覺得有人在拉他的胳膊，那股白蘭地和雪茄的氣味以及那身很好的衣服告訴他，是安德魯舅舅。安德公舅舅小心地將他朝旁邊拉。和其他人隔開一段距離後，這老傢伙把嘴巴湊到迪格雷的耳邊，弄得他耳朵發癢。他悄悄說：
“孩子，戴上戒指，我們走吧。”
女巫的耳朵非常靈敏。“蠢貨！”她的聲音傳了過來，“你忘了我能聽見人的想法嗎？放開那小孩。如果你想耍花招，我會用任何世界都沒有聽說過的辦法報復你。”
“而且，”迪格雷補充一句，“如果你以爲我是一頭卑鄙的豬，可以把波莉、馬車伕和那匹馬丟在這樣的地方自己逃走，那你就大錯而特錯了。”
“你是個非常調皮、不懂禮貌的小孩。”安德魯舅舅說。
“噓！”馬車伕說。他們都在聽着。
