按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
‘—where his wife； hilda bowling； is seriously ill。’
the next instant the plummy voice went on： ‘here is another s。o。s。 will percival chute； who was last heard of—’； but i didn’t wait to hear any more。 i just walked straight on。 what made me feel rather proud； when i thought it over afterwards； was that when i heard those words e out of the loudspeaker i never turned an eyelash。 not even a pause in my step to let anyone know that i was george bowling； whose wife hilda bowling was seriously ill。 the landlord’s wife was in the lounge； and she knew my name was bowling； at any rate she’d seen it in the register。 otherwise there was nobody there except a couple of chaps who were staying at the george and who didn’t know me from adam。 but i kept my head。 not a sign to anyone。 i merely walked on into the private bar； which had just opened； and ordered my pint as usual。
i had to think it over。 by the time i’d drunk about half the pint i began to get the bearings of the situation。 in the first place； hilda wasn’t ill； seriously or otherwise。 i knew that。 she’d been perfectly well when i came away； and it wasn’t the time of the year for ‘flu or anything of that kind。 she was shamming。 why？
obviously it was just another of her dodges。 i saw how it was。 she’d got wind somehow—trust hilda！—that i wasn’t really at birmingham； and this was just her way of getting me home。 couldn’t bear to think of me any longer with that other woman。 because of course she’d take it for granted that i was with a woman。 can’t imagine any other motive。 and naturally she assumed that i’d e rushing home as soon as i heard she was ill。
but that’s just where you’ve got it wrong； i thought to myself as i finished off the pint。 i’m too cute to be caught that way。 i remembered the dodges she’d pulled before； and the extraordinary trouble she’ll take to catch me out。 i’ve even known her； when i’d been on some journey she was suspicious about； check it all up with a bradshaw and a road…map； just to see whether i was telling the truth about my movements。 and then there was that time when she followed me all the way to colchester and suddenly burst in on me at the temperance hotel。 and that time； unfortunately； she happened to be right—at least； she wasn’t； but there were circumstances which made it look as if she was。 i hadn’t the slightest belief that she was ill。 in fact； i knew she wasn’t； although i couldn’t say exactly how。
i had another pint and things looked better。 of course there was a row ing when i got home； but there’d have been a row anyway。 i’ve got three good days ahead of me； i thought。 curiously enough； now that the things i’d e to look for had turned out not to exist； the idea of having a bit of holiday appealed to me all the more。 being away from home—that was the great thing。 peace perfect peace with loved ones far away； as the hymn puts it。 and suddenly i decided that i would have a woman if i felt like it。 it would serve hilda right for being so dirty…minded； and besides； where’s the sense of being suspected if it isn’t true？
but as the second pint worked inside me； the thing began to amuse me。 i hadn’t fallen for it； but it was damned ingenious all the same。 i wondered how she’d managed about the s。o。s。 i’ve no idea what the procedure is。 do you have to have a doctor’s certificate； or do you just send your name in？ i felt pretty sure it was the wheeler woman who’d put her up to it。 it seemed to me to have the wheeler touch。
but all the same； the cheek of it！ the lengths that women will go！ sometimes you can’t help kind of admiring them。
。。
PART Ⅳ…6
？小说、网
after breakfast i strolled out into the market…place。 it was a lovely morning； kind of cool and still； with a pale yellow light like white wine playing over everything。 the fresh smell of the morning was mixed up with the smell of my cigar。 but there was a zooming noise from behind the houses； and suddenly a fleet of great black bombers came whizzing over。 i looked up at them。 they seemed to be bang overhead。
the next moment i heard something。 and at the same moment； if you’d happened to be there； you’d have seen an interesting instance of what i believe is called conditioned reflex。 because what i’d heard—there wasn’t any question of mistake—was the whistle of a bomb。 i hadn’t heard such a thing for twenty years； but i didn’t need to be told what it was。 and without taking any kind of thought i did the right thing。 i flung myself on my face。
after all i’m glad you didn’t see me。 i don’t suppose i looked dignified。 i was flattened out on the pavement like a rat when it squeezes under a door。 nobody else had been half as prompt。 i’d acted so quickly that in the split second while the bomb was whistling down i even had time to be afraid that it was all a mistake and i’d made a fool of myself for nothing。
but the next moment—ah！
boom…brrrrr！
a noise like the day of judgment； and then a noise like a ton of coal falling on to a sheet of tin。 that was falling bricks。 i seemed to kind of melt into the pavement。 ‘it’s started；’ i thought。 ‘i knew it！ old hitler didn’t wait。 just sent his bombers across without warning。’
and yet here’s a peculiar thing。 even in the echo of that awful； deafening crash； which seemed to freeze me up from top to toe； i had time to think that there’s something grand about the bursting of a big projectile。 what does it sound like？ it’s hard to say； because what you hear is mixed up with what you’re frightened of。 mainly it gives you a vision of bursting metal。 you seem to see great sheets of iron bursting open。 but the peculiar thing is the feeling it gives you of being suddenly shoved up against reality。 it’s like being woken up by somebody shying a bucket of water over you。 you’re suddenly dragged out of your dreams by a clang of bursting metal； and it’s terrible； and it’s real。
there was a sound of screams and yells； and also of car brakes being suddenly jammed on。 the second bomb which i was waiting for didn’t fall。 i raised my head a little。 on every side people seemed to be rushing round and screaming。 a car was skidding diagonally across the road； i could hear a woman’s voice shrieking； ‘the germans！ the germans！’ to the right i had a vague impression of a man’s round white face； rather like a wrinkled paper bag； looking down at me。 he was kind of dithering：
‘what is it？ what’s happened？ what are they doing？’
‘it’s started；’ i said。 ‘that was a bomb。 lie down。’
but still the second bomb didn’t fall。 another quarter of a minute or so； and i raised my head again。 some of the people were still rushing about； others were standing as if they’d been glued to the ground。 from somewhere behind the houses a huge haze of dust had risen up； and through it a black jet of smoke was streaming upwards。 and then i saw an extraordinary sight。 at the other end of the market…place the high street rises a little。 and down this little hill a herd of pigs was galloping； a sort of huge flood of pig…faces。 the next moment； of course； i saw what it was。 it wasn’t pigs at all； it was only the schoolchildren in their gas… masks。 i suppose they were bolting for some cellar where they’d been told to take cover in case of air…raids。 at the back of them i could even make out a taller pig who was probably miss todgers。 but i tell you for a moment they looked exactly like a herd of pigs。
i picked myself up and walked across the market…place。 people were calming down already； and quite a little crowd had begun to flock towards the place where the bomb had dropped。
oh； yes； you’re right； of course。 it wasn’t a german aeroplane after all。 the war hadn’t broken out。 it was only an accident。 the planes were flying over to do a bit of bombing practice—at any rate they were carrying bombs—and somebody had put his hands on the lever by mistake。 i expect he got a good ticking off for it。 by the time that the postmaster had rung up london to ask whether there was a war on； and been told that there wasn’t； everyone had grasped that it was an accident。 but there’d been a space of time； something between a minute and five minutes； when several thousand