第66部分(第3/7 頁)

How　terrible　it　was！　There　was　a　horrible　fascination

in　it……human　bodies　and　lives　subjected　in　slavery　to　that

symmetric　monster　of　the　colliery。　There　was　a　swooning；

perverse　satisfaction　in　it。　For　a　moment　she　was　dizzy。

Then　she　recovered；　felt　herself　in　a　great　loneliness；

where…in　she　was　sad　but　free。　She　had　departed。　No　more　would

she　subscribe　to　the　great　colliery；　to　the　great　machine　which

has　taken　us　all　captives。　In　her　soul；　she　was　against　it；　she

disowned　even　its　power。　It　had　only　to　be　forsaken　to　be　inane；

meaningless。　And　she　knew　it　was　meaningless。　But　it　needed　a

great；　passionate　effort　of　will　on　her　part；　seeing　the

colliery；　still　to　maintain　her　knowledge　that　it　was

meaningless。

But　her　Uncle　Tom　and　her　mistress　remained　there　among　the

horde；　cynically　reviling　the　monstrous　state　and　yet　adhering

to　it；　like　a　man　who　reviles　his　mistress；　yet　who　is　in　love

with　her。　She　knew　her　Uncle　Tom　perceived　what　was　going　on。

But　she　knew　moreover　that　in　spite　of　his　criticism　and

condemnation；　he　still　wanted　the　great　machine。　His　only　happy

moments；　his　only　moments　of　pure　freedom　were　when　he　was

serving　the　machine。　Then；　and　then　only；　when　the　machine

caught　him　up；　was　he　free　from　the　hatred　of　himself；　could　he

act　wholely；　without　cynicism　and　unreality。

His　real　mistress　was　the　machine；　and　the　real　mistress　of

Winifred　was　the　machine。　She　too；　Winifred；　worshipped　the

impure　abstraction；　the　mechanisms　of　matter。　There；　there；　in

the　machine；　in　service　of　the　machine；　was　she　free　from　the

clog　and　degradation　of　human　feeling。