The Thirteenth Tale-第33章

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hester　gathered　up　the　papers　from　the　desk　and　left　the　room；　her　neat　footsteps　and　firm　closing　of　the　door　had　the　ring　of　satisfaction　about　them。

the　library　seemed　empty；　but　it　wasn’t。

lying　full…length　on　top　of　the　bookcases；　a　girl　was　biting　her　nails　and　thinking。

original　research。

is　it　because　of　emmeline　that　adeline　represses　the　girl　in　the　mist？

didn’t　take　a　genius　to　figure　out　what　was　going　to　happen　next。

they　did　it　at　night。

emmeline　never　stirred　as　they　lifted　her　from　her　bed。　she　must　have　felt　herself　safe　in　hester’s　arms；　perhaps　she　recognized　the　smell　of　soap　in　her　sleep　as　she　was　carried　out　of　the　room　and　along　the　corridor。　whatever　the　reason；　she　didn’t　realize　that　night　what　was　happening。　her　awakening　to　the　truth　was　hours　away。

it　was　different　for　adeline。　quick　and　sharp；　she　awoke　at　once　to　her　sister’s　absence。　darted　to　the　door　but　found　it　locked　already　by　hester’s　swift　hand。　in　a　flash　she　knew　it　all；　felt　it　all。　severance。　she　didn’t　shriek；　she　didn’t　fling　her　fists　against　the　door；　she　didn’t　claw　at　the　lock　with　her　nails。　all　the　fight　went　out　of　her。　she　sank　to　the　floor；　collapsed　into　a　little　heap　against　the　door；　and　that　is　where　she　stayed　all　night。　the　bare　boards　bit　into　her　jutting　bones；　but　she　didn’t　feel　the　pain。　there　was　no　fire　and　her　nightdress　was　thin；　but　she　didn’t　feel　the　cold。　she　felt　nothing。　she　was　broken。

when　they　came　for　her　the　next　morning；　she　was　deaf　to　the　key　in　the　lock；　didn’t　react　when　the　opening　door　shunted　her　out　of　its　way。　her　eyes　were　dead；　her　skin　bloodless。　how　cold　she　was。　she　might　have　been　a　corpse；　if　it　had　not　been　for　her　lips　that　twitched　ceaselessly；　repeating　a　silent　mantra　that　might　have　been　emmeline；　emmeline；　emmeline。

hester　lifted　adeline　in　her　arms。　not　difficult。　the　child　was　fourteen　now；　but　she　was　skin　and　bones。　all　her　strength　was　in　her　will；　and　when　that　was　gone；　the　rest　was　insubstantial。　they　carried　her　down　the　stairs　as　easily　as　if　she　were　a　feather　pillow　going　to　be　aired。

john　drove。　silent。　approving；　disapproving；　it　hardly　mattered。　hester　did　the　decision　making。

they　told　adeline　she　was　going　to　see　emmeline；　a　lie　they　needn’t　have　bothered　with；　they　could　have　taken　adeline　anywhere　and　she’d　not　have　fought　them。　she　was　lost。　absent　from　herself。　without　her　sister；　she　was　nothing　and　she　was　no　one。　it　was　just　the　shell　of　a　person　they　took　to　the　doctor’s　house。　they　left　her　there。

back　at　home；　they　moved　emmeline　from　the　bed　in　hester’s　room　back　into　her　own　without　waking　her。　she　slept　for　another　hour；　and　when　she　did　open　her　eyes　was　mildly　surprised　to　find　her　sister　gone。　as　the　morning　drew　on；　her　surprise　grew；　turning　to　anxiety　in　the　afternoon。　she　searched　the　house。　she　searched　the　gardens。　she　went　as　far　as　she　dared　in　the　woods；　the　village。

at　teatime　hester　found　her　at　the　road’s　edge；　staring　in　the　direction　that　would　have　taken　her；　if　she　had　followed　it；　to　the　door　of　the　doctor’s　house。　she　had　not　dared　follow　it。　hester　put　a　hand　on　emmeline’s　shoulder　and　drew　her　close；　then　led　her　back　to　the　house。　from　time　to　time；　emmeline　stopped；　hesitant；　wanting　to　turn　back；　but　hester　took　her　hand　and　guided　her　firmly　in　the　direction　of　home。　emmeline　followed　with　obedient　but　puzzled　steps。　after　tea　she　stood　by　the　window　and　looked　out。　she　grew　fearful　as　the　light　faded；　but　it　was　not　until　hester　locked　the　doors　and　began　the　routine　of　putting　emmeline　to　bed　that　she　became　distraught。

all　night　long　she　cried。　lonely　sobs　that　seemed　to　go　on　forever。　what　had　snapped　in　an　instant　in　adeline　took　an　agonizing　twenty…four　hours　to　break　in　emmeline。　but　when　dawn　came；　she　was　quiet。　she　had　wept　and　shuddered　herself　into　oblivion。

the　separation　of　twins　is　no　ordinary　separation。　imagine　surviving　an　earthquake。　when　you　e　to；　you　find　the　world　unrecognizable。　the　horizon　is　in　a　different　place。　the　sun　has　changed　color。　nothing　remains　of　the　terrain　you　know。　as　for　you；　you　are　alive。　but　it’s　not　the　same　as　living。　it’s　no　wonder　the　survivors　of　such　disasters　so　often　wish　they　had　perished　with　the　others。

miss　winter　sat　staring　into　space。　her　famous　copper　tint　had　faded　to　a　tender　apricot。　she　had　abandoned　her　hairspray　and　the　solid　coils　and　twists　had　given　way　to　a　soft；　shapeless　tangle。　but　her　face　was　set　hard　and　she　held　herself　rigid；　as　though　girding　herself　against　a　biting　wind　that　only　she　could　feel。　slowly　she　turned　her　eyes　to　mine。

‘are　you　all　right？“　she　asked。　”judith　says　you　don’t　eat　very　much。“

‘i’ve　always　been　like　that。“

‘but　you　look　pale。“

‘a　bit　tired；　maybe。“

we　finished　early。　neither　of　us；　i　think；　felt　up　to　carrying　on。

．。



DO　YOU　BELIEVE　IN　GHOSTS？

（／小｜说｜网）
the　next　time　i　saw　her；　miss　winter　looked　different。　she　closed　her　eyes　wearily；　and　it　took　her　longer　than　usual　to　conjure　the　past　and　begin　to　speak。　while　she　gathered　the　threads；　i　watched　her　and　noticed　that　she　had　left　off　her　false　eyelashes。　there　was　the　habitual　purple　eye　shadow；　the　sweeping　line　of　black。　but　without　the　spider　lashes；　she　had　the　unexpected　appearance　of　a　child　who　had　been　playing　in　her　mother’s　makeup　box。

things　weren’t　as　hester　and　the　doctor　expected。　they　were　prepared　for　an　adeline　who　would　rant　and　rage　and　kick　and　fight。　as　for　emmeline；　they　were　counting　on　her　affection　for　hester　to　reconcile　her　to　her　twin’s　sudden　absence。　they　were　expecting；　in　short；　the　same　girls　they　had　before；　only　separate　where　they　had　been　together。　and　so；　initially；　they　were　surprised　by　the　twins’　collapse　into　a　pair　of　lifeless　rag　dolls。

not　quite　lifeless。　the　blood　continued　to　circulate；　sluggishly；　in　their　veins。　they　swallowed　the　soup　that　was　spooned　into　their　mouths　by　in　one　house　the　missus；　in　the　other　the　doctor’s　wife。　but　swallowing　is　a　reflex；　and　they　had　no　appetite。　their　eyes；　open　during　the　day；　were　unseeing；　and　at　night；　though　their　eyes　closed；　they　had　not　the　tranquility　of　sleep。　they　were　apart；　they　were　alone；　they　were　in　a　kind　of　limbo。　they　were　like　amputees；　only　it　was　not　a　limb　they　were　missing；　but　their　very　souls。

did　the　scientists　doubt　themselves？　stop　and　wonder　whether　they　were　doing　the　right　thing？　did　the　lolling；　unconscious　figures　of　the　twins　cast　a　shadow　over　their　beautiful　project？　they　were　not　willfully　cruel；　you　know。　only　foolish。　misguided　by　their　learning；　their　ambition；　their　own　self…deceiving　blindness。

the　doctor　carried　out　tests。　hester　observed。　and　they　met　every　day；　to　pare　notes。　to　discuss　what　at　first　they　optimistically　called　progress。　behind　the　doctor’s　desk；　or　in　the　angelfield　library；　they　sat　together；　heads　bent　over　papers　on　which　were　recorded　every　detail　of　the　girls’　lives。　behavior；　diet；　sleep。　they　puzzled　over　absent　appetites；　the　propensity　to　sleep　all　the　time—that　sleep　which　was　not　sleep。　they　proposed　theories　to　account　for　the　changes　in　the　twins。　the　experiment　was　not　going　as　well　as　they　had　expected；　had　begun　in　fact　disastrously；　but　the　two　scientists　skirted　around　the　possibility　that　they　might　be　doing　harm；　preferring　to　retain　the　belief　that　together　they　could　work　a　miracle。

the　doctor　derived　great　satisfaction　from　the　novelty　of　working　for　the　first　time　in　decades　with　a　scientific　mind　of　the　highest　order。　he　marveled　at　his　protegee’s　ability　to　grasp　a　principle　one　minute　and　to　apply　it　with　professional　originality　and　insight　the　next。　before　long　he　admitted　to　himself　that　she　was　more　a　colleague　than　a　protegee。　and　hester　was　thrilled　to　find　that　at　long　last　her　mind　was　adequately　nourished　and　challenged。　she　came　out　of　their　daily　meetings　aglow　with　excitement　and　pleasure。　so　their　blindness　was　only　natural。　how　could　they　be　expected　to　understand　that　what　was　doing　them　such　good　could　be　doing　such　great　harm　to　the　children　in　their　care？　unless　perhaps；　in　the　evenings；　each　sitting　in　solitude　to　write　up　the　day’s　notes；　they　might　individually　have　raised　their　eyes　to　the　unmoving；　dead…eyed　child　in　a　chair　in　the　corner　and　felt　a　doubt　cross　their　minds。　perhaps。　but　if　they　did；　they　did　not　record　it　n　their　notes；　did　not　mention　it　to　the　other。

so　dependent　did　the　pair　bee　on　their　joint　undertaking　that　hey　quite　failed　to　see　that　the　grand　project　was　making　no　progress　at　ill。　emmeline　and　adeline　were　all　but　catatonic；　and　the　girl　in　the　mist　vas　nowhere　to　be　seen。　undeterred　by　their　lack　of　findings；　the　scientists　continued　their　work：　they　made　tables　and　charts；　proposed　theories　and　developed　elaborate　experiments　to　test　them。　with　each　failure　hey　told　themselves　that　they　had　eliminated　something　from　the　field　of　examination　and　went　on　to　the　next　big　idea。

the　doctor’s　wife　and　the　missus　were　involved；　but　at　one　remove；　the　physical　care　of　the　girls　was　their　responsibility。　they　spooned　soup　into　the　unresisting　mouths　of　their　charges　three　times　a　day。　they　dressed　the　twins