第2章 黑猫(2)

这个想法的确不错。我用一根撬杠，没费什么力气就把砖撬掉了，然后仔细把尸体紧贴着内墙放好，我撑着尸体让它不掉下来，然后我又顺利地把墙按照原来的样子砌好。我拿来了石灰、黄沙和乱发，做好一切防范。我准备好了一种与旧灰泥几乎无异的新灰泥，非常仔细地把它涂在新砌的砖墙上。一切完毕。我看到一切顺利，感到非常满意。这面墙看不出一丝动过的痕迹，地上的垃圾我也非常仔细地收拾干净。我得意地四下看看，自语道：“总算没有白忙活。”

下一步就是要找到那只招惹出这起悲惨灾难的畜生，我终于下定决心要置它于死地。我再看见它的时候，毫无疑问，那就是它的死期。但它很狡猾，乘我刚才暴怒之时，就警觉地逃走了。而我现在正怒火中烧，它自然不敢现身。这只讨厌的畜生终于消失了，我的心头一阵轻松，这种高兴劲儿实在难以形容和想象。到了晚上，那只猫还没有出现。自从它来到这屋子里之后，我还从来没像今晚这样睡得如此踏实而安宁，哪怕此时，我的内心还背负着杀人的重担！

第二天、第三天过去了，那只折磨我的猫还没现身。我又可以像自由人那样呼吸了。那个恶魔害怕了、逃走了，永远地离开了我。我再也看不见它了！我高兴极了！我甚至没有为自己的罪行感到不安，心里只洋溢着喜悦。警察来问过几次妻子的行踪，不过，我早已想好了答案，因此也就顺利地度过了危机。他们甚至还搜查过一次，当然，什么也没有发现。我觉得未来高枕无忧。

谋杀后的第四天，一群警察不期而至，再次严密地搜查了房子。不过，我认为自己藏匿的地方不可能被猜到，很安全，所以一点儿都不慌张。那些警察命令我陪他们搜查。他们没有放过任何隐蔽的地方和任何一个角落。最后搜到第三、第四遍，他们开始转向地窖。我一点儿也不紧张，泰然自若地跟着他们，就像清白者那样平静。我从地窖的一端走向另一端。我将双臂抱于胸前，若无其事地来回走动。警察什么也没发现，正准备离开，而我也高兴得心花怒放，感觉有一肚子话要说，庆祝自己的胜利，同时也让他们更加确信我是无罪的。

“先生们，”当这群人上楼梯的时候，我终于开口说道，“我非常高兴澄清了嫌疑。我祝福你们都健康，给你们请安。顺便说一下，这间屋子结构非常牢固。”（我只想开口说话，却根本不知道自己都说了什么）“可以说这屋子的结构非常棒。这些墙壁——你们要走了吗？先生们——这些墙非常牢固地砌在一起。”说到这里，我脑子一热，装作很有信心的样子，举起手中的棍子，猛地敲打藏着我妻子尸体的那堵墙。

上帝保佑，把我从虎口中拯救出来吧！我敲墙的余音未完，就听见从墙里传出一阵如同从坟墓里发出来的声音。那哭声，一开始压抑得断断续续，就像小孩子的抽噎，很快就成了持续不断的厉声尖叫，声音异常，惨绝人寰，一声号叫，一声痛哭，半是恐怖，半是得意，就好像地狱里的冤鬼痛苦的叫声和魔鬼诅咒的狂喜呼声混在一起。

说到我当时的想法，实在是太荒唐了。我昏头昏脑，踉踉跄跄地走到对面那面墙。那时，台阶上的警察都害怕起来，呆若木鸡。不一会儿，就有十多条粗壮的手臂在拆那堵墙。那墙完全倒塌。尸体已经腐烂，凝结着血块，直立在大家的面前。在尸体头上，坐着那可怕的畜生，张着血盆大口，独眼里冒着火。它捣了鬼，诱使我杀了妻子。如今它又发出声音，将我推向了绞刑架：原来我把这只怪物也砌到墙里去了！

For the most wild， yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen， I neither expect nor solicit belief. Mad indeed would I be to expect it， in a case where my very senses reject their own evidence.Yet， mad am I not—and very surely do I not dream.But tomorrow I die， and today I would unburthen my soul.My immediate purpose is to place before the world， plainly， succinctly， and without comment， a series of mere household events.In their consequences， these events have terrified—have tortured—have destroyed me.Yet I will not attempt to expound them.To me， they have presented little but Horror—to many they will seem less terrible than baroque.Hereafter， perhaps， some intellect may be found which will reduce my phantasm to the common-place—some intellect more calm， more logical， and far less excitable than my own， which will perceive， in the circumstances I detail with awe， nothing more than an ordinary succession of very natural causes and effects.

From my infancy I was noted for the docility and humanity of my disposition. My tenderness of heart was even so conspicuous as to make me the jest of my companions.I was especially fond of animals， and was indulged by my parents with a great variety of pets.With these I spent most of my time， and never was so happy as when feeding and caressing them.This peculiarity of character grew with my growth， and in my manhood， I derived from it one of my principal sources of pleasure.To those who have cherished an affection for a faithful and sagacious dog， I need hardly be at the trouble of explaining the nature or the intensity of the gratification thus derivable.There is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute， which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere Man.

I married early， and was happy to find in my wife a disposition not uncongenial with my own. Observing my partiality for domestic pets， she lost no opportunity of procuring those of the most agreeable kind.We had birds， goldfish， a fine dog， rabbits， a small monkey， and a cat.

This latter was a remarkably large and beautiful animal， entirely black， and sagacious to an astonishing degree. In speaking of his intelligence， my wife， who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition， made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion， which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise.Not that she was ever serious upon this point—and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than that it happens， just now， to be remembered.

Pluto—this was the cat's name—was my favorite pet and playmate. I alone fed him， and he attended me wherever I went about the house.It was even with difficulty that I could prevent him from following me through the streets.

Our friendship lasted， in this manner， for several years， during which my general temperament and character—through the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance—had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse. I grew， day by day， more moody， more irritable， more regardless of the feelings of others.I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife.At length， I even offered her personal violence.My pets， of course， were made to feel the change in my disposition.I not only neglected， but ill-used them.For Pluto， however， I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from maltreating him， as I made no scruple of maltreating the rabbits， the monkey， or even the dog， when by accident， or through affection， they came in my way.But my disease grew upon me—for what disease is like Alcohol！—and at length even Pluto， who was now becoming old， and consequently somewhat peevish—even Pluto began to experience the effects of my ill temper.