Франкенштейн/Frankenstein (Мэри Шелли). Страница 48 из 86

Понятно

Понятно

Для того чтобы воспользоваться закладками, необходимо

Войти или зарегистрироваться

Отмена

Для того чтобы воспользоваться озвучкой предложений, необходимо

Войти или зарегистрироваться

Отмена

Озвучка предложений доступна при наличии PRO-доступа

Купить PRO-доступ

Отмена

Предыдущая страница

"

The

old

man

paused

and

then

continued

,

'

If

you

will

unreservedly

confide

to

me

the

particulars

of

your

tale

,

I

perhaps

may

be

of

use

in

undeceiving

them

.

I

am

blind

and

can

not

judge

of

your

countenance

,

but

there

is

something

in

your

words

which

persuades

me

that

you

are

sincere

.

I

am

poor

and

an

exile

,

but

it

will

afford

me

true

pleasure

to

be

in

any

way

serviceable

to

a

human

creature

.

'

"

'

Excellent

man

!

I

thank

you

and

accept

your

generous

offer

.

You

raise

me

from

the

dust

by

this

kindness

;

and

I

trust

that

,

by

your

aid

,

I

shall

not

be

driven

from

the

society

and

sympathy

of

your

fellow

creatures

.

'

"

'

Heaven

forbid

!

Even

if

you

were

really

criminal

,

for

that

can

only

drive

you

to

desperation

,

and

not

instigate

you

to

virtue

.

I

also

am

unfortunate

;

I

and

my

family

have

been

condemned

,

although

innocent

;

judge

,

therefore

,

if

I

do

not

feel

for

your

misfortunes

.

'

Отключить рекламу

"

'

How

can

I

thank

you

,

my

best

and

only

benefactor

?

From

your

lips

first

have

I

heard

the

voice

of

kindness

directed

towards

me

;

I

shall

be

forever

grateful

;

and

your

present

humanity

assures

me

of

success

with

those

friends

whom

I

am

on

the

point

of

meeting

.

'

"

'

May

I

know

the

names

and

residence

of

those

friends

?

'

"

I

paused

.

This

,

I

thought

,

was

the

moment

of

decision

,

which

was

to

rob

me

of

or

bestow

happiness

on

me

forever

.

I

struggled

vainly

for

firmness

sufficient

to

answer

him

,

but

the

effort

destroyed

all

my

remaining

strength

;

I

sank

on

the

chair

and

sobbed

aloud

.

At

that

moment

I

heard

the

steps

of

my

younger

protectors

.

I

had

not

a

moment

to

lose

,

but

seizing

the

hand

of

the

old

man

,

I

cried

,

'

Now

is

the

time

!

Save

and

protect

me

!

You

and

your

family

are

the

friends

whom

I

seek

.

Do

not

you

desert

me

in

the

hour

of

trial

!

'

"

'

Great

God

!

'

exclaimed

the

old

man

.

'

Who

are

you

?

'

"

At

that

instant

the

cottage

door

was

opened

,

and

Felix

,

Safie

,

and

Agatha

entered

.

Who

can

describe

their

horror

and

consternation

on

beholding

me

?

Agatha

fainted

,

and

Safie

,

unable

to

attend

to

her

friend

,

rushed

out

of

the

cottage

.

Felix

darted

forward

,

and

with

supernatural

force

tore

me

from

his

father

,

to

whose

knees

I

clung

,

in

a

transport

of

fury

,

he

dashed

me

to

the

ground

and

struck

me

violently

with

a

stick

.

I

could

have

torn

him

limb

from

limb

,

as

the

lion

rends

the

antelope

.

But

my

heart

sank

within

me

as

with

bitter

sickness

,

and

I

refrained

.

I

saw

him

on

the

point

of

repeating

his

blow

,

when

,

overcome

by

pain

and

anguish

,

I

quitted

the

cottage

,

and

in

the

general

tumult

escaped

unperceived

to

my

hovel

.

"

Отключить рекламу

Cursed

,

cursed

creator

!

Why

did

I

live

?

Why

,

in

that

instant

,

did

I

not

extinguish

the

spark

of

existence

which

you

had

so

wantonly

bestowed

?

I

know

not

;

despair

had

not

yet

taken

possession

of

me

;

my

feelings

were

those

of

rage

and

revenge

.

I

could

with

pleasure

have

destroyed

the

cottage

and

its

inhabitants

and

have

glutted

myself

with

their

shrieks

and

misery

.

"

When

night

came

I

quitted

my

retreat

and

wandered

in

the

wood

;

and

now

,

no

longer

restrained

by

the

fear

of

discovery

,

I

gave

vent

to

my

anguish

in

fearful

howlings

.

I

was

like

a

wild

beast

that

had

broken

the

toils

,

destroying

the

objects

that

obstructed

me

and

ranging

through

the

wood

with

a

staglike

swiftness

.

Oh

!

What

a

miserable

night

I

passed

!

The

cold

stars

shone

in

mockery

,

and

the

bare

trees

waved

their

branches

above

me

;

now

and

then

the

sweet

voice

of

a

bird

burst

forth

amidst

the

universal

stillness

.

All

,

save

I

,

were

at

rest

or

in

enjoyment

;

I

,

like

the

arch-fiend

,

bore

a

hell

within

me

,

and

finding

myself

unsympathized

with

,

wished

to

tear

up

the

trees

,

spread

havoc

and

destruction

around

me

,

and

then

to

have

sat

down

and

enjoyed

the

ruin

.

"

But

this

was

a

luxury

of

sensation

that

could

not

endure

;

I

became

fatigued

with

excess

of

bodily

exertion

and

sank

on

the

damp

grass

in

the

sick

impotence

of

despair

.

There

was

none

among

the

myriads

of

men

that

existed

who

would

pity

or

assist

me

;

and

should

I

feel

kindness

towards

my

enemies

?

No

;

from

that

moment

I

declared

everlasting

war

against

the

species

,

and

more

than

all

,

against

him

who

had

formed

me

and

sent

me

forth

to

this

insupportable

misery

.

Предыдущая страница

Предыдущая

Следующая

Следующая страница

Следующая страница