THESISTERS
Therewas
aucun
nohopeforhimthisfois
time:itwasthethirdstroke.
Nuit
NightafternightIhadpassedthemaison
house(itwasvacationtime)et
andstudiedthelightedsquareofwindow:et
andnightafternightIhadfounditlightedinla
thesameway,faintlyandevenly.Ifhewas
mort
dead,Ithought,Iwouldverrais
seethereflectionofcandlesonthedarkenedblindforIsavais
knewthattwocandlesmustbesetatthetête
headofacorpse.Hehadoften
dit
saidtome:“Iamnot
longtemps
longforthisworld,”andIhadpensé
thoughthiswordsidle.NowI
savais
knewtheyweretrue.Every
soir
nightasIgazedupatthewindowIdisais
saidsoftlytomyselfthemot
wordparalysis.Ithadalways
sonné
soundedstrangelyinmyears,comme
likethewordgnomoninle
theEuclidandthewordsimonyinle
theCatechism.Butnowit
sonnait
soundedtomelikethenom
nameofsomemaleficentandsinfulbeing.Itfilledmewithfear,
et
andyetIlongedtobenearertoitet
andtolookuponitsdeadlyœuvre
work.OldCotterwassittingat
le
thefire,smoking,whenIcamedownstairstosupper.Whilemyauntwasladling
hors
outmystirabouthesaid,assi
ifreturningtosomeformerremarkofson
his:.“No,Iwouldn’tsayhewas
exactement
exactly...buttherewas
quelque chose
somethingqueer...therewas
quelque chose
somethinguncannyabouthim.I’ll
dire
tellyoumyopinion....”Hebegantopuffathispipe,nodoubtarranginghisopinioninhis
esprit
mind.Tiresomeoldfool!
Whenwe
connu
knewhimfirstheusedtoberatherinteresting,parlant
talkingoffaintsandworms;mais
butIsoongrewtiredofhimet
andhisendlessstoriesaboutla
thedistillery.“Ihavemy
propre
owntheoryaboutit,”hedit
said.“Ithinkitwasoneof
ces
those...peculiarcases....
Butit’s
difficile
hardtosay....”Hebegantopuffagainathispipe
sans
withoutgivingushistheory.My
oncle
unclesawmestaringanddit
saidtome:.“Well,soyourold
ami
friendisgone,you’llbedésolé
sorrytohear.”“Who?”
said
Je
I.“FatherFlynn.”
“Ishedead?”
“MrCotterherehasjust
dire
toldus.Hewaspassingby
la
thehouse.”IknewthatIwas
sous
underobservationsoIcontinuedmanger
eatingasifthenewshadnotinterestedme.My
oncle
uncleexplainedtooldCotter.“Theyoungster
et
andheweregreatfriends.The
vieux
oldchaptaughthimagreatdeal,mindyou;et
andtheysayhehadun
agreatwishforhim.”“Godhavemercyonhissoul,”
dit
saidmyauntpiously.OldCotter
regardé
lookedatmeforawhile.I
sentais
feltthathislittlebeadyblackeyeswereexaminingmemais
butIwouldnotsatisfyhimbylookingupfrommyplate.He
retourné
returnedtohispipeandfinallyspatrudelyintola
thegrate.“Iwouldn’tlike
enfants
childrenofmine,”hesaid,“tohavetrop
toomuchtosaytoun
amanlikethat.”“Howdoyoumean,MrCotter?”
demandé
askedmyaunt.“WhatI
veux dire
meanis,”saidoldCotter,“it’smauvais
badforchildren.Myidea
est
is:letayounglad
courir
runaboutandplaywithjeune
youngladsofhisownageet
andnotbe....AmIright,Jack?”
“That’smyprinciple,too,”
dit
saidmyuncle.“Lethim
apprendre
learntoboxhiscorner.That’swhatI’m
toujours
alwayssayingtothatRosicrucianlà-bas
there:takeexercise.
Why,whenIwas
un
anippereverymorningofmyvie
lifeIhadacoldbath,winteret
andsummer.Andthat’swhat
tient
standstomenow.Educationisall
très
veryfineandlarge....MrCotter
pourrait
mighttakeapickofthatlegmutton,”headdedtomyaunt.“No,no,notforme,”
dit
saidoldCotter.Myaunt
apporté
broughtthedishfromthecoffre-fort
safeandputitonthetable.“But
pourquoi
whydoyouthinkit’snotbon
goodforchildren,MrCotter?”she
demandé
asked.“It’sbadforchildren,”
dit
saidoldCotter,“becausetheirmindsaresoimpressionable.Quand
Whenchildrenseethingslikethat,yousavez
know,ithasaneffect....”IcrammedmymouthwithstiraboutforfearImight
donner
giveutterancetomyanger.Tiresome
vieux
oldred-nosedimbecile!Itwas
tard
latewhenIfellasleep.ThoughIwasangrywith
vieux
oldCotterforalludingtomeasaenfant
child,Ipuzzledmyheadtoextractmeaningfromhisunfinishedsentences.In
le
thedarkofmyroomIimaginedque
thatIsawagaintheheavygreyvisage
faceoftheparalytic.Idrew
les
theblanketsovermyheadet
andtriedtothinkofChristmas.Mais
Butthegreyfacestillsuivait
followedme.Itmurmured;
andI
compris
understoodthatitdesiredtoconfessquelque chose
something.Ifeltmysoulrecedingintosomepleasant
et
andviciousregion;andthereagainI
trouvé
founditwaitingforme.Itbegantoconfesstomeinamurmuringvoice
et
andIwonderedwhyitsmiledcontinuallyet
andwhythelipsweresomoistwithspittle.Mais
ButthenIrememberedthatithadmort
diedofparalysisandIsenti
feltthatItoowassmilingfeeblyasiftoabsolvele
thesimoniacofhissin.The
lendemain
nextmorningafterbreakfastIwentdowntolookatthepetit
littlehouseinGreatBritainRue
Street.Itwasanunassumingshop,registered
sous
underthevaguenameofDrapery.La
Thedraperyconsistedmainlyofchildren’sbooteeset
andumbrellas;andonordinarydays
une
anoticeusedtohanginthewindow,disant
saying:UmbrellasRe-covered.
Nonoticewasvisible
maintenant
nowfortheshutterswereup.Un
Acrapebouquetwastiedtothedoor-knockeravec
withribbon.Twopoorwomen
et
andatelegramboywerelisaient
readingthecardpinnedonla
thecrape.Ialsoapproached
et
andread:.July1st,1895
Le
TheRev.JamesFlynn(formerlyofS.Catherine’sChurch,MeathRue
Street),agedsixty-fiveyears.R.I.P.La
Thereadingofthecardpersuadedmethathewasmort
deadandIwasdisturbedtoretrouver
findmyselfatcheck.Hadhenotbeen
mort
deadIwouldhavegoneintothelittledarkroomderrière
behindtheshoptofindhimassis
sittinginhisarm-chairbythefeu
fire,nearlysmotheredinhisgreat-coat.Peut-être
Perhapsmyauntwouldhavedonné
givenmeapacketofHighToastforhimet
andthispresentwouldhaverousedhimfromhisstupefieddoze.Itwas
toujours
alwaysIwhoemptiedthepacketintohisblacksnuff-boxforhishandstrembledtrop
toomuchtoallowhimtofaire
dothiswithoutspillinghalfthesnuffsur
aboutthefloor.Evenasheraisedhislargetrembling
main
handtohisnoselittlecloudsofsmokedribbledtravers
throughhisfingersoverthedevant
frontofhiscoat.It
peut
mayhavebeentheseconstantshowersofsnuffqui
whichgavehisancientpriestlygarmentstheirgreenfadedlookfortherouge
redhandkerchief,blackened,asittoujours
alwayswas,withthesnuff-stainsofasemaine
week,withwhichhetriedtobrushawaythetombés
fallengrains,wasquiteinefficacious.I
voulais
wishedtogoinandregarder
lookathimbutIhadnotthecouragetoknock.Iwalkedawayslowlyalongthesunny
côté
sideofthestreet,readingtoutes
allthetheatricaladvertisementsintheshop-windowsasIwent.I
trouvai
founditstrangethatneitherInorle
thedayseemedinamourningmoodet
andIfeltevenannoyedatdiscoveringinmyselfune
asensationoffreedomassi
ifIhadbeenfreedfromquelque chose
somethingbyhisdeath.Iwonderedat
cela
thisfor,asmyunclehaddit
saidthenightbefore,hehadtaughtmeagreatdeal.Hehadstudiedin
le
theIrishcollegeinRomeet
andhehadtaughtmetopronounceLatinproperly.Hehad
raconté
toldmestoriesaboutthecatacombset
andaboutNapoleonBonaparte,andhehadexplainedtomethemeaningofthedifférents
differentceremoniesoftheMasset
andofthedifferentvestmentswornbythepriest.Parfois
Sometimeshehadamusedhimselfbyposant
puttingdifficultquestionstome,askingmewhatoneshouldfaire
doincertaincircumstancesorwhethertel
suchandsuchsinsweremortalou
orvenialoronlyimperfections.Hisquestions
montré
showedmehowcomplexandmysteriouswerecertaininstitutionsofles
theChurchwhichIhadtoujours
alwaysregardedasthesimplestacts.ThedutiesofthepriesttowardstheEucharist
et
andtowardsthesecrecyoftheconfessionalseemedsogravetomeque
thatIwonderedhowanybodyhadevertrouvé
foundinhimselfthecouragetoundertakethem;et
andIwasnotsurprisedquand
whenhetoldmethatthefathersoftheChurchhadécrit
writtenbooksasthickasthePostBureau
OfficeDirectoryandascloselyprintedastheloi
lawnoticesinthenewspaper,elucidatingtoutes
alltheseintricatequestions.Often
quand
whenIthoughtofthisIpouvais
couldmakenoansweroronlyatrès
veryfoolishandhaltingoneuponlaquelle
whichheusedtosmileet
andnodhisheadtwiceou
orthrice.SometimesheusedtoputmethroughtheresponsesoftheMasswhichhehad
faisait
mademelearnbyheart;et
and,asIpattered,heusedtosmilepensivelyet
andnodhishead,nowet
andthenpushinghugepinchesofsnuffupchaque
eachnostrilalternately.Whenhesmiledheusedtouncoverhisbigdiscolouredteeth
et
andlethistonguelieuponhislowerlip—ahabitqui
whichhadmademefeeluneasyinthebeginningofouracquaintanceavant
beforeIknewhimwell.AsI
marchant
walkedalonginthesunIrememberedvieux
oldCotter’swordsandtriedtorememberwhathadpassé
happenedafterwardsinthedream.Iremembered
que
thatIhadnoticedlongvelvetcurtainset
andaswinginglampofantiquefashion.IfeltthatIhadbeen
très
veryfaraway,insomelandoù
wherethecustomswerestrange—inPersia,Ipensais
thought....ButIcouldnotremember
la
theendofthedream.Intheeveningmyaunt
emmené
tookmewithhertovisitthemaison
houseofmourning.Itwas
après
aftersunset;butthewindow-panesof
les
thehousesthatlookedtoles
thewestreflectedthetawnygoldofagrand
greatbankofclouds.Nanniereceivedusin
le
thehall;and,asit
été
wouldhavebeenunseemlytohaveshoutedather,myauntshookhandswithherfortout
all.Theoldwomanpointedupwardsinterrogatively
et
and,onmyaunt’snodding,proceededtotoilupthenarrowstaircasedevant
beforeus,herbowedheadbeingscarcelyabovethelevelofthebanister-rail.At
la
thefirstlandingshestoppedet
andbeckonedusforwardencouraginglytowardsla
theopendoorofthedead-room.Myauntwentin
et
andtheoldwoman,seeingque
thatIhesitatedtoenter,begantobeckontomeagainrepeatedlyavec
withherhand.Iwentinontiptoe.
Theroom
travers
throughthelaceendoftheblindwassuffusedwithduskygoldenlumière
lightamidwhichthecandlesressemblaient
lookedlikepalethinflames.Hehadbeencoffined.
Nannie
donné
gavetheleadandwethreekneltdownatla
thefootofthebed.Ipretendedtopray
mais
butIcouldnotgathermythoughtsparce que
becausetheoldwoman’smutteringsdistractedme
me.Inoticedhowclumsilyherskirtwashookedat
les
thebackandhowtheheelsofherclothbootsweretroddendownalltoun
oneside.Thefancycametomethat
le
theoldpriestwassmilingashelaythereinhiscoffin.Mais
Butno.Whenweroseet
andwentuptothetête
headofthebedIvu
sawthathewasnotsmiling.Therehelay,solemn
et
andcopious,vestedasforthealtar,hislargehandslooselyretainingun
achalice.Hisfacewas
très
verytruculent,greyandmassive,avec
withblackcavernousnostrilsandcircledbyascantywhitefur.Therewas
une
aheavyodourintheroom—theflowers.Weblessedourselves
et
andcameaway.Inthelittleroomdownstairswe
trouvé
foundElizaseatedinhisarm-chairinstate.Igropedmy
chemin
waytowardsmyusualchairinle
thecornerwhileNanniewenttole
thesideboardandbroughtoutun
adecanterofsherryandquelques
somewine-glasses.Shesettheseonthetable
et
andinvitedustotakeun
alittleglassofwine.Then,athersister’sbidding,shefilledoutthesherryintotheglasses
et
andpassedthemtous.Shepressedmeto
prendre
takesomecreamcrackersalsomais
butIdeclinedbecauseIpensais
thoughtIwouldmaketoomuchnoisemangeant
eatingthem.Sheseemedtobesomewhatdisappointedatmyrefusal
et
andwentoverquietlytole
thesofawhereshesatdownderrière
behindhersister.Noone
parlé
spoke:weallgazedat
la
theemptyfireplace.Myaunt
attendu
waiteduntilElizasighedandthendit
said:.“Ah,well,he’sgoneto
un
abetterworld.”Elizasighed
nouveau
againandbowedherheadinassent.Myauntfingered
la
thestemofherwine-glassavant
beforesippingalittle.“Didhe...
peacefully?”
she
demandé
asked.“Oh,quitepeacefully,ma’am,”
dit
saidEliza.“Youcouldn’ttell
quand
whenthebreathwentoutofhim.He
eu
hadabeautifuldeath,Godbepraised.”“Andeverything...?”
“FatherO’Rourkewasin
avec
withhimaTuesdayandanointedhimet
andpreparedhimandall.”“He
savait
knewthen?”“Hewasquiteresigned.”
“Helooksquiteresigned,”
dit
saidmyaunt.“That’swhat
la
thewomanwehadintowashhimdit
said.Shesaidhejustlookedasifhewasasleep,helookedthatpeaceful
et
andresigned.Noonewould
penserait
thinkhe’dmakesuchabeau
beautifulcorpse.”“Yes,indeed,”saidmyaunt.
Shesipped
un
alittlemorefromherglasset
andsaid:.“Well,MissFlynn,atanyrateit
doit
mustbeagreatcomfortforyoutosavoir
knowthatyoudidallyoupouviez
couldforhim.Youwere
deux
bothverykindtohim,Idois
mustsay.”Elizasmoothedherdressoverherknees.
“Ah,
pauvre
poorJames!”shesaid.
“God
sait
knowswedoneallwepouvions
could,aspoorasweare—wewouldn’tverrions
seehimwantanythingwhilehewasinit.”Nanniehadleanedher
tête
headagainstthesofa-pillowandseemedsur
abouttofallasleep.“There’s
pauvre
poorNannie,”saidEliza,lookingather,“she’sworeout.Tout
Alltheworkwehad,sheet
andme,gettinginthefemme
womantowashhimandthenlayinghimoutet
andthenthecoffinandthenarrangingabouttheMassinthechapel.Onlyfor
Père
FatherO’RourkeIdon’tknowwhatwe’dhavefait
doneatall.Itwashim
apporté
broughtusallthemflowerset
andthemtwocandlesticksoutofthechapelet
andwroteoutthenoticefortheFreeman’sGeneralet
andtookchargeofallthepapersforthecemeteryet
andpoorJames’sinsurance.”“Wasn’tthatgoodofhim?”
saidmyaunt.
Eliza
fermé
closedhereyesandshookhertête
headslowly.“Ah,there’snofriends
comme
liketheoldfriends,”shedit
said,“whenallissaidet
anddone,nofriendsthatun
abodycantrust.”“Indeed,that’strue,”
dit
saidmyaunt.“AndI’m
sûr
surenowthathe’sgonetohiseternalrewardhewon’toubliera
forgetyouandallyourkindnesstohim.”“Ah,
pauvre
poorJames!”saidEliza.
“Hewas
pas
nogreattroubletous.Youwouldn’thearhimin
la
thehouseanymorethannow.Still,I
sais
knowhe’sgoneandalltothat....”“It’s
quand
whenit’salloverthatyou’llmisshim,”dit
saidmyaunt.“Iknowthat,”
dit
saidEliza.“Iwon’tbebringinghiminhiscupofbeef-teaany
plus
more,noryou,ma’am,sendinghimhissnuff.Ah,
pauvre
poorJames!”Shestopped,as
si
ifshewerecommuningwithle
thepastandthensaidshrewdly:.“Mindyou,Inoticed
y
therewassomethingqueercomingoverhimlatterly.WheneverI’d
apportais
bringinhissouptohimthereI’dtrouvais
findhimwithhisbreviarytombé
fallentothefloor,lyingdos
backinthechairandhismouthopen.”Shelaid
un
afingeragainsthernoseet
andfrowned:thenshecontinued:.
“Butstill
et
andallhekeptondire
sayingthatbeforethesummerwasoverhe’dgooutforadriveonefinejour
dayjusttoseetheoldmaison
houseagainwhereweweretous
allborndowninIrishtownet
andtakemeandNannieavec
withhim.Ifwecouldonly
obtenir
getoneofthemnew-fangledcarriagesthatfait
makesnonoisethatFatherO’Rourkedit
toldhimabout,themwiththerheumaticwheels,forthejournée
daycheap—hesaid,atJohnnyRush’soverthechemin
waythereanddriveoutthetrois
threeofustogetherofaSundayevening.Hehadhismindsetonthat....
Pauvre
PoorJames!”“TheLordhavemercyonhissoul!”
saidmyaunt.
Elizatookoutherhandkerchief
et
andwipedhereyeswithit.Thensheputitbackagaininherpocket
et
andgazedintotheemptygrateforsometemps
timewithoutspeaking.