[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
her. Keawe had borne himself before his wife like a brave man; it became her little in the
hour of weakness to intrude upon his shame. With the thought she drew back into the house.
"Heaven," she thought, "how careless have I been how weak! It is he. not 1, that stands in
mis eternal peril; it was he, not I, that took the curse upon his soul. It is for my sake, and for
the love of a creature of so little worth and such poor help, that he now beholds so close to
him the flames of hell ay, and smells the smoke of it, lying without there in the wind and
moonlight. Am 1 so dull of spirit that never till now I have surmised my duty, or have I seen it
before and turned aside? But now, at least. 1 take up my soul in both the hands of my
affection; now I say farewell to the white steps of heaven and the waiting faces of my friends.
A love for a
love, and let mine be equalled with Keawe's! A soul for a soul, and be it mine to perish!"
She was a deft woman with her hands, and was soon apparelled. She took in her hand the
change the precious centimes they kept ever at their side; for this coin is little used, and
they had made provision at a government office. When she was forth in the avenue clouds
came on the wind.and the moon was blackened. The town slept, and she knew not whither
to turn till she heard one coughing in the shadow of the trees.
"Old man," said Kokua, "what do you here abroad in the cold night?"
The old man could scarce express himself for coughing, but she made out that he was old
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
and poor. and a stranger in the island.
"Will you do me a service?" said Kokua. "As one stranger to another, and as an old man to
a young woman, will you help a daughter of Hawaii?"
"Ah," said the old man. "So you are me witch from the Eight Islands, and even my old soul
you seek to entangle. But I have heard of you, and defy your wickedness."
"Sit down here," said Kokua, "and let me tell you a tale." And she told him the story of
Keawe from the begin- ning to the end.
"And now," said she, "1 am his wife, whom he bought with his soul's welfare. And what
should I do? If 1 went to him myself and offered to buy it, he will refuse. But if you go, he will
sell it eagerly; I will await you here; you will buy it for four centimes, and I will buy it again for
three. And the Lord -strengthen a poor girl!"
"If you meant falsely." said the old man, "I think God would strike you dead."
"He would!" cried Kokua. "Be sure He would- I could not be so treacherous; God would not
suffer it."
"Give me the four centimes and await me here," said the old man.
Now, when Kokua stood alone in the street, her spirit died. The wind roared in the trees,
and it seemed to her the rushing " " ^f the flames of hell; the shadows towered in the light of
the .street lamp. and they seemed to her the snatching hands of
344 Robert Louis Stevenson
evil ones. If she had had the strength, she must have run away, and if she had had the
breath, she must have screamed aloud; but, in tnith, she could do neither, and stood and
trembled in the avenue, like an affrighted child.
Then she saw the old man returning, and he had the bottle in his hand.
"I have done your bidding," said he. "I left your husband weeping like a child; tonight he will
sleep easy." And he held the bottle forth.
"Before you give it to me." Kokua panted, "take the good with the evil ask to be delivered
from your cough."
"I am an old man," replied the other, "and too near the gate of the grave to take a favor from
the devil. But what is this? Why do you not take the bottle? Do you hesitate?"
"Not hesitate!" cried Kokua. "I am only weak. Give me a moment. It is my hand resists, my
flesh shrinks back from the accursed thing. One moment only!"
The old man looked upon Kokua kindly. "Poor child!" said he, "you fear: your soul misgives
you. Well, let me keep it. 1 am old. and can never more be happy in this world, and as for the
next "
"Give it me!" gasped Kokua. "There is your money. Do you think I am so base as that? Give
me the bottle."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"God bless you, child," said the old man.
Kokua concealed the bottle under her holoku, said farewell to the old man, and walked off
along the avenue, she cared not whither. For all roads were now me same to her, and led
equally to hell. Sometimes she walked, and sometimes ran;
sometimes lay by the wayside in the dust and wept. All that she had heard of hell came
back to her, she saw the flames blaze, and she smeiled the smoke, and her flesh withered
on the coals.
Near day she came to her mind again, and returned to -the house. It was even as the old
man said Keawe slumbered fake a child. Kokua stood and gazed upon his face.
"Now my husband," said she, "it is your turn to steep. When you wake it will be your turn to
sing and laugh. But for poor Kokua, alas! that meant no evil for poor Kokua no more steep,
no more singing, no more delight, whether in earth or heaven."
THE BOTTLE iMP 345
With that she lay down in the bed by his side, and her misery was so extreme that she fell in
a deep shunber instantly.
Late in me morning her husband woke her and gave her the good news. It seemed he was
silly with delight, for he paid no heed to her distress, ill though she dissembled it. The words
stuck in her mouth, it mattered not; Keawe did the speaking. She ate not a bite, but who was
to observe it? For Keawe cleared the dish. Kokua saw and heard him, like some strange
thing in a dream; there were times when she forgot or doubted, and put her hands to her
brow; to know herself doomed and hear her husband babble seemed so monstrous.
All the while Keawe was eating and talking, and planning the time of their return, and
thanking her for saving him and fondling her. and calling her the true helper after a!l. He
laughed at the old man that was fool enough to buy that bottle.
"A worthy man he seemed," Keawe said. "But no one can judge by appearances. For why
did the old reprobate require the bottle?"
"My husband," said Kokua humbly, "his purpose may have been good.' *
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]