双语·面纱 第六十五章
They buried him three hours later. It seemed horrible to Kitty that he must be put into a Chinese coffin, as though in so strange a bed he must rest uneasily, but there was no help for it. The nuns, learning of Walter's death as they learned everything that happened in the city, sent by a messenger a cross of dahlias, stiff and formal, but made as though by the accustomed hands of a florist; and the cross, alone on the Chinese coffin, looked grotesque and out of place. When all was ready they had to wait for Colonel Yü who had sent to Waddington to say that he desired to attend the funeral. He came accompanied by an A.D.C. They walked up the hill, the coffin borne by half a dozen coolies, to a little plot of land where lay buried the missionary whose place Walter had taken. Waddington had found among the missionary's effects an English prayer-book and in a low voice, with an embarrassment that was unusual to him, read the burial service. Perhaps, reciting those solemn but terrible words, the thought hovered in his mind that if he in his turn fell a victim to the pestilence there would be no one now to say them over him. The coffin was lowered into the grave and the grave-diggers began to throw in the earth.
Colonel Yü, who had stood with bared head by the grave-side, put on his hat, saluted Kitty gravely, said a word or two to Waddington, and followed by his A.D.C. walked away. The coolies, curious to watch a Christian burial, had lingered and now in a straggling group, their yokes trailing in their hands, sauntered off. Kitty and Waddington waited till the grave was filled and then placed on the mound, smelling of fresh earth, the nuns' prim dahlias. She had not wept, but when the first shovelful of earth rattled on the coffin she felt a dreadful pang at her heart.
She saw that Waddington was waiting for her to come away.
“Are you in a hurry?” she asked. “I don't want to go back to the bungalow just yet.”
“I have nothing to do. I am entirely in your hands.”
三个小时以后，他们埋葬了他。在凯蒂看来，他不得不被安放在中国式样的棺材里，好像他必须很难受地躺在一张不舒服的床上一样，这太可怕了，但她又无能为力。修女们知道了沃尔特的死讯，就如同知道城里发生的一切一样。她们派人送来了大丽花编成的十字花环，死板而缺乏生气，但是好像还是出自花艺师惯常的手法，而这个十字花环，被孤零零地放在中国样式的棺材上，看上去荒诞不经和不合时宜。当一切都准备好了以后，他们不得不等着余上校的到来，他已经派人告诉威廷顿说他希望参加葬礼。最后他在一名副官的陪同下到了。他们向山上走去，六个苦力抬着棺材，来到一小块墓地上，这块地埋葬着沃尔特的前任，死去的那位传教士。威廷顿从传教士的遗物中找到了一本英文祷告书，他用低沉的声音，略带着对他而言不同寻常的尴尬，宣读着送葬词。也许，读着这些庄严但可怕的词语，有种念头会在他脑海中盘旋，下次可能就轮到他作为瘟疫的牺牲品了，却没人能在他的葬礼上为他读悼词了。棺材被慢慢地放进了墓穴，挖墓人开始往上面填土了。
余上校脱帽站在了墓穴旁，戴上帽子后很庄重地对凯蒂敬了一个礼，跟威廷顿说了一两句话后，在其副官的跟随下，大踏步地走了。苦力们好奇地看着这场基督教的葬礼，在一旁逡巡了一会儿，现在也三五成群地，手里拿着抬棺材的轭和抵肩，漫步而去。凯蒂和威廷顿一直等到墓穴被填满，然后又把新鲜的泥土和修女们送来的雅致的大丽花环放到了坟丘上。她并没有哭泣，可是当第一锨泥土撒在棺材上时，她的心如针扎般疼痛。
她看见威廷顿正等着她离开。
“你有急事吗？”她问道，“我还不想回到平房去。”
“我没什么事，我会照你说的办。”
