Проклятие мумии, или Камень Семи Звезд/The Curse of the Mummy, or the Stone of the Seven Stars (Брэм Стокер). Страница 140 из 148

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"

Where

are

you

going

?

"

I

came

back

and

took

her

hand

and

stroked

it

as

I

answered

:

"

I

shall

come

back

when

the

unrolling

is

over

!

"

She

looked

at

me

long

,

and

a

faint

suggestion

of

a

smile

came

over

her

face

as

she

said

:

"

Perhaps

you

had

better

stay

,

too

!

It

may

be

useful

to

you

in

your

work

as

a

barrister

!

"

She

smiled

out

as

she

met

my

eyes

:

but

in

an

instant

she

changed

.

Her

face

grew

grave

,

and

deadly

white

.

In

a

far

away

voice

she

said

:

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"

Father

is

right

!

It

is

a

terrible

occasion

;

we

need

all

to

be

serious

over

it

.

But

all

the

same

--

nay

,

for

that

very

reason

you

had

better

stay

,

Malcolm

!

You

may

be

glad

,

later

on

,

that

you

were

present

tonight

!

"

My

heart

sank

down

,

down

,

at

her

words

;

but

I

thought

it

better

to

say

nothing

.

Fear

was

stalking

openly

enough

amongst

us

already

!

By

this

time

Mr.

Trelawny

,

assisted

by

Mr.

Corbeck

and

Doctor

Winchester

,

had

raised

the

lid

of

the

ironstone

sarcophagus

which

contained

the

mummy

of

the

Queen

.

It

was

a

large

one

;

but

it

was

none

too

big

.

The

mummy

was

both

long

and

broad

and

high

;

and

was

of

such

weight

that

it

was

no

easy

task

,

even

for

the

four

of

us

,

to

lift

it

out

.

Under

Mr.

Trelawny

's

direction

we

laid

it

out

on

the

table

prepared

for

it

.

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Then

,

and

then

only

,

did

the

full

horror

of

the

whole

thing

burst

upon

me

!

There

,

in

the

full

glare

of

the

light

,

the

whole

material

and

sordid

side

of

death

seemed

staringly

real

.

The

outer

wrappings

,

torn

and

loosened

by

rude

touch

,

and

with

the

colour

either

darkened

by

dust

or

worn

light

by

friction

,

seemed

creased

as

by

rough

treatment

;

the

jagged

edges

of

the

wrapping-cloths

looked

fringed

;

the

painting

was

patchy

,

and

the

varnish

chipped

.

The

coverings

were

evidently

many

,

for

the

bulk

was

great

.

But

through

all

,

showed

that

unhidable

human

figure

,

which

seems

to

look

more

horrible

when

partially

concealed

than

at

any

other

time

.

What

was

before

us

was

Death

,

and

nothing

else

.

All

the

romance

and

sentiment

of

fancy

had

disappeared

.

The

two

elder

men

,

enthusiasts

who

had

often

done

such

work

,

were

not

disconcerted

;

and

Doctor

Winchester

seemed

to

hold

himself

in

a

business-like

attitude

,

as

if

before

the

operating-table

.

But

I

felt

low-spirited

,

and

miserable

,

and

ashamed

;

and

besides

I

was

pained

and

alarmed

by

Margaret

's

ghastly

pallor

.

Then

the

work

began

.

The

unrolling

of

the

mummy

cat

had

prepared

me

somewhat

for

it

;

but

this

was

so

much

larger

,

and

so

infinitely

more

elaborate

,

that

it

seemed

a

different

thing

.

Moreover

,

in

addition

to

the

ever

present

sense

of

death

and

humanity

,

there

was

a

feeling

of

something

finer

in

all

this

.

The

cat

had

been

embalmed

with

coarser

materials

;

here

,

all

,

when

once

the

outer

coverings

were

removed

,

was

more

delicately

done

.

It

seemed

as

if

only

the

finest

gums

and

spices

had

been

used

in

this

embalming

.

But

there

were

the

same

surroundings

,

the

same

attendant

red

dust

and

pungent

presence

of

bitumen

;

there

was

the

same

sound

of

rending

which

marked

the

tearing

away

of

the

bandages

.

There

were

an

enormous

number

of

these

,

and

their

bulk

when

opened

was

great

.

As

the

men

unrolled

them

,

I

grew

more

and

more

excited

.

I

did

not

take

a

part

in

it

myself

;

Margaret

had

looked

at

me

gratefully

as

I

drew

back

.

We

clasped

hands

,

and

held

each

other

hard

.

As

the

unrolling

went

on

,

the

wrappings

became

finer

,

and

the

smell

less

laden

with

bitumen

,

but

more

pungent

.

We

all

,

I

think

,

began

to

feel

it

as

though

it

caught

or

touched

us

in

some

special

way

.

This

,

however

,

did

not

interfere

with

the

work

;

it

went

on

uninterruptedly

.

Some

of

the

inner

wrappings

bore

symbols

or

pictures

.

These

were

done

sometimes

wholly

in

pale

green

colour

,

sometimes

in

many

colours

;

but

always

with

a

prevalence

of

green

.

Now

and

again

Mr.

Trelawny

or

Mr.

Corbeck

would

point

out

some

special

drawing

before

laying

the

bandage

on

the

pile

behind

them

,

which

kept

growing

to

a

monstrous

height

.

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