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The Burial of the Guns-Part8_Thomas Nelson Page(1853-1922)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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that any man could be such a fool as to drink liquor; that he had determined

never to touch another drop. He presently relapsed into silence,



and the other reached out his hand to say good-by. Suddenly rising, he said:

"Well, suppose we go and have just one for old times' sake. Just one now,



mind you; for I have not touched a drop in ----" He turned away,

and I did not catch the length of the time mentioned. But I have



reason to believe that "No. 4" overstated it.

The next time I saw him was in the police court. I happened to be there when



he walked out of the pen among as miscellaneous a lot of chronicdrunkards,

thieves, and miscreants of both sexes and several colors as were ever



gathered together. He still had on his old black suit, buttoned up;

but his linen was rumpled and soiled like himself, and he was manifestly



just getting over a debauch, the effects of which were still visible on him

in every line of his perspiring face and thin figure. He walked with



that exaggerated erectness which told his self-deluded state as plainly as if

he had pronounced it in words. He had evidently been there before,



and more than once. The justice nodded to him familiarly:

"Here again?" he asked, in a tone part pleasantry, part regret.



"Yes, your honor. Met an old soldier last night, and took a drop

for good fellowship, and before I knew it ----" A shrug of the shoulders



completed the sentence, and the shoulders did not straighten any more.

The tall officer who had picked him up said something to the justice



in a tone too low for me to catch; but "No. 4" heard it -- it was evidently

a statement against him -- for he started to speak in a deprecating way.



The judge interrupted him:

"I thought you told me last time that if I let you go you would not take



another drink for a year."

"I forgot," said "No. 4", in a low voice.



"This officer says you resisted him?"

The officer looked stolidly at the prisoner as if it were a matter



of not the slightest interest to him personally. "Cursed me and abused me,"

he said, dropping the words slowly as if he were checking off a schedule.



"I did not, your honor; indeed, I did not," said "No. 4", quickly.

"I swear I did not; he is mistaken. Your honor does not believe



I would tell you a lie! Surely I have not got so low as that."

The justice turned his pencil in his hand doubtfully, and looked away.



"No. 4" took in his position. He began again.

"I fell in with an old soldier, and we got to talking about the war --



about old times." His voice was very soft. "I will promise your honor

that I won't take another drink for a year. Here, I'll take an oath to it.



Swear me." He seized the greasy little Bible on the desk before him,

and handed it to the justice. The magistrate took it doubtfully.



He looked down at the prisoner half kindly, half humorously.

"You'll just break it." He started to lay the book down.



"No; I want to take the pledge," said "No. 4", eagerly. "Did I ever break

a pledge I made to your honor?"



"Didn't you promise me not to come back here?"

"I have not been here for nine months. Besides, I did not come



of my own free will," said "No. 4", with a faint flicker of humor

on his perspiring face.



"You were here two months ago, and you promised not to take another drink."

"I forgot that. I did not mean to break it; indeed, I did not.



I fell in with ----"

The justice looked away, considered a moment, and ordered him



back into the pen with, "Ten days, to cool off."

"No. 4" stood quite still till the officer motioned him to the gate,



behind which the prisoners sat in stolid rows. Then he walked dejectedly

back into the pen, and sat down by another drunkard. His look touched me,



and I went around and talked to the magistrate privately.

But he was inexorable; he said he knew more of him than I did,



and that ten days in jail would "dry him out and be good for him."

I told him the story of the battle. He knew it already,



and said he knew more than that about him; that he had been one of

the bravest soldiers in the whole army; did not know what fear was;



had once ridden into the enemy and torn a captured standard from

its captors' hands, receiving two desperate bayonet-wounds in doing it;



and had done other acts of conspicuousgallantry on many occasions.

I pleaded this, but he was obdurate; hard, I thought at the time,



and told him so; told him he had been a soldier himself, and ought

to be easier. He looked troubled, not offended; for we were friends,



and I think he liked to see me, who had been a boy during the war,

take up for an old soldier on that ground. But he stood firm. I must do him



the justice to say that I now think it would not have made any difference

if he had done otherwise. He had tried the other course many times.



"No. 4" must have heard me trying to help him, for one day,




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