CHAPTER II
關燈
小
中
大
Abandoninghisbicycle,whichfellbeforeaservantcouldcatchit,theyoungmansprangupontotheverandah.Hewasallanimation.“Hamidullah,Hamidullah!amIlate?”hecried.
“Donotapologize,”saidhishost.“Youarealwayslate.”
“Kindlyanswermyquestion.AmIlate?HasMahmoudAlieatenallthefood?IfsoIgoelsewhere.Mr.MahmoudAli,howareyou?”
“Thankyou,Dr.Aziz,Iamdying.”
“Dyingbeforeyourdinner?Oh,poorMahmoudAli!”
“Hamidullahhereisactuallydead.Hepassedawayjustasyourodeuponyourbike.”
“Yes,thatisso,”saidtheother.“Imagineusbothasaddressingyoufromanotherandahappierworld.”
“Doestherehappentobesuchathingasahookahinthathappierworldofyours?”
“Aziz,don’tchatter.Wearehavingaverysadtalk.”
Thehookahhadbeenpackedtootight,aswasusualinhisfriend’shouse,andbubbledsulkily.Hecoaxedit.Yieldingatlast,thetobaccojettedupintohislungsandnostrils,drivingoutthesmokeofburningcowdungthathadfilledthemasherodethroughthebazaar.Itwasdelicious.Helayinatrance,sensuousbuthealthy,throughwhichthetalkofthetwoothersdidnotseemparticularlysad—theywerediscussingastowhetherornoitispossibletobefriendswithanEnglishman.MahmoudAliarguedthatitwasnot,Hamidullahdisagreed,butwithsomanyreservationsthattherewasnofrictionbetweenthem.Deliciousindeedtolieonthebroadverandahwiththemoonrisinginfrontandtheservantspreparingdinnerbehind,andnotroublehappening.
“Well,lookatmyownexperiencethismorning.”
“IonlycontendthatitispossibleinEngland,”repliedHamidullah,whohadbeentothatcountrylongago,beforethebigrush,andhadreceivedacordialwelcomeatCambridge.
“Itisimpossiblehere.Aziz!Thered-nosedboyhasagaininsultedmeinCourt.Idonotblamehim.Hewastoldthatheoughttoinsultme.Untillatelyhewasquiteaniceboy,buttheothershavegotholdofhim.”
“Yes,theyhavenochancehere,thatismypoint.Theycomeoutintendingtobegentlemen,andaretolditwillnotdo.LookatLesley,lookatBlakiston,nowitisyourred-nosedboy,andFieldingwillgonext.Why,IrememberwhenTurtoncameoutfirst.ItwasinanotherpartoftheProvince.Youfellowswillnotbelieveme,butIhavedrivenwithTurtoninhiscarriage—Turton!Ohyes,wewereoncequiteintimate.Hehasshownmehisstampcollection.”
“Hewouldexpectyoutostealitnow.Turton!Butred-nosedboywillbefarworsethanTurton!”
“Idonotthinkso.Theyallbecomeexactlythesame,notworse,notbetter.IgiveanyEnglishmantwoyears,beheTurtonorBurton.Itisonlythedifferenceofaletter.AndIgiveanyEnglishwomansixmonths.Allareexactlyalike.Doyounotagreewithme?”
“Idonot,”repliedMahmoudAli,enteringintothebitterfun,andfeelingbothpainandamusementateachwordthatwasuttered.“FormyownpartIfindsuchprofounddifferencesamongourrulers.Red-nosemumbles,Turtontalksdistinctly,Mrs.Turtontakesbribes,Mrs.Red-nosedoesnotandcannot,becausesofarthereisnoMrs.Red-nose.”
“Bribes?”
“DidyounotknowthatwhentheywerelenttoCentralIndiaoveraCanalScheme,someRajahorothergaveherasewingmachineinsolidgoldsothatthewatershouldrunthroughhisstate.”
“Anddoesit?”
“No,thatiswhereMrs.Turtonissoskilful.Whenwepoorblackstakebribes,weperformwhatwearebribedtoperform,andthelawdiscoversusinconsequence.TheEnglishtakeanddonothing.Iadmirethem.”
“Wealladmirethem.Aziz,pleasepassmethehookah.”
“Oh,notyet—hookahissojollynow.”
“Youareaveryselfishboy.”Heraisedhisvoicesuddenly,andshoutedfordinner.Servantsshoutedbackthatitwasready.Theymeantthattheywisheditwasready,andweresounderstood,fornobodymoved.ThenHamidullahcontinued,butwithchangedmannerandevidentemotion.
“Buttakemycase—thecaseofyoungHughBannister.Hereisthesonofmydear,mydeadfriends,theReverendandMrs.Bannister,whosegoodnesstomeinEnglandIshallneverforgetordescribe.Theywerefatherandmothertome,ItalkedtothemasIdonow.InthevacationstheirRectorybecamemyhome.Theyentrustedalltheirchildrentome—IoftencarriedlittleHughabout—ItookhimuptotheFuneralofQueenVictoria,andheldhiminmyarmsabovethecrowd.”
“QueenVictoriawasdifferent,”murmuredMahmoudAli.
“IlearnnowthatthisboyisinbusinessasaleathermerchantatCawnpore.ImaginehowIlongtoseehimandtopayhisfarethatthishousemaybehishome.Butitisuseless.TheotherAnglo-Indianswillhavegotholdofhimlongago.HewillprobablythinkthatIwantsomething,andIcannotfacethatfromthesonofmyoldfriends.Oh,whatinthiscountryhasgonewrongwitheverything,VakilSahib?Iaskyou.”
Azizjoinedin.“WhytalkabouttheEnglish?Brrrr...!Whybeeitherfriendswiththefellowsornotfriend