自考英語綜合二下冊(cè)課文 lesson 3
Lesson Three
The Man Who Could Work Miracles (II)H. G. Wells
On Sunday evening Mr.Fotheringay went to church,
and Mr.Maydig preached about "things that are not lawful ".
Mr. Fotheringay suddenly decided to consult Mr. Maydig,
who took him to his study."You don't believe, I suppose," said Mr. Fotheringay
"that some common sort of person like myself,for instance
is able to do things by his will. "
"Something of the sort, perhaps, is possible," said Mr. Maydig.
"I think I can show you by a sort of experiment," said Mr.Fotheringay.
"Now, take that tobacco jar on the table, for instance.
What I want to know is whether what I am going to do with it is a miracle or not
"He pointed to the tobacco jar, and said:
"Be a bowl of violets."The tobacco jar did as it was ordered.
Mr. Maydig stared at the change,
and presently he ventured to lean over the table and smell the violets.
Mr. Fotheringay said,"Just told it and there you are.Is that a miracle?
What do you think is the matter with me?"
"It's a most extraordinary thing."
"And this day last week I knew no more that I could do things like that
than you did It came quite suddenly.
It's something odd about my will, I suppose. "
"Is that the only thing? Could you do other things besides that?"
"Oh, yes," said Mr.Fotheringay."Just anything."He thought a little.
"Here! Change into a glass bowl full of water with goldfish swimming in it
You see that,Mr. Maydig?"
"It's incredible.""I could change it into just anything,"Said Mr. Fotheringay
"Here! Be a pigeon,will you?"
In another moment a blue pigeon was fluttering round the room.
"Stop there, will you?said Mr. Fotheringay,
and the pigeon hung motionless in the air."
I could change it back to a bowl of flowers," he said
and after placing the pigeon on the table he worked that miracle.
Then he restored the tobacco jar.
Mr.May dig had followed all these changes with small cries.
"Well,"he said.Mr.Fotheringay
told Mr. Maydig all about his strange experiences;the latter listened intently
"Amazing," he said,"
The power to work miracles is a gift, and a very rare gift.
Go on. Go on. "Mr. Fotheringay mentioned Winch.
"That's what troubled me most," he sad,
and what I'm in need of advice for most is about Winch;
of course he's in San Francisco.
You see, I'm in very great difficulties ...
"Mr. Maydig looked serious.
"Yes, it's a difficult position,"he said.
"But we'll leave Winch for a little and discuss the larger question.
I don't think this is criminal at all.
No,it's just miracles,miracles of the very highest class.
"He began to walk about while Mr. Fotheringay sat at the table,looking worried.
I don't see what I can do about Winch,"he said.
"If you can work miracles, " said Mr.Maydig, "you can find a way about Winch
My dear sir, you are a most important man.
A man of the most astonishing possibilities.
The things you may do..."
"Yes, I've thought of a thing or two," said Mr. Fotheringay.
"But I thought it better to ask someone.""Quite right," said Mr. Maydig.
"It's practically an unlimited gift.Let us test your powers. "
Mr. Fotheringay began to work miracles.
At first the miracles he worked were little things with cups and such things
But after they had worked a dozen of these,
their sense of power grew,their imagination increased,
and their ambition enlarged."And about Mr. Winch "said Mr. Fotheringay.
Mr. Maydig waved the Winch difficulty away,
and made a series of wonderful proposals.
The small hours found Mr. Maydig
and Mr. Fotheringay outside under the moon.
Mr. Fotheringay was no longer afraid of his greatness.
They had reformed every drunkard in the area;
they had changed all the beerand alcohol to water;
they had improved the railway communication of the place,
drained a swamp, and improved the soil.
"The place," gasped Mr. Maydig,"won't be the same place tomorrow.
And just at that moment the church clock struck three.
"I say," said Mr. Fotheringay, "I must be getting back.
I've got to be at business by eight."
"We're only beginning "said Mr. Maydig,
full of the sweetness of unlimited power.
"Think of all the good we're doing. "
"But ..." said Mr.Fotheringay.
Mr. Maydig gripped his arm suddenly. His eyes were bright and wild.
"My dear chap," he said, "there's no hurry.
Look!"He pointed to the moon. "Stop it!"
"That's a bit tall," he said after a pause."Why not?" said Mr.Maydig.
"Of course it don't stop.You stop the rotation of the earth, you know.
Time slops.It isn't as if we were doing harm." "Well,"said Mr. Fotheringay.
"I'll try."He spoke to theturning earth.
"Just stop rotating, will you?"
Immediately he was flying head over heels through
at the rate of dozens of miles a minute.
He was turning round and round.
He thought in a second, and willed."Let me down safe and sound."
He willed it only just in time,
for his clothes,heated by his rapid flight through the air,
were already beginning to burn.
He came down with a forcible bump on what appeared to be some fresh-turned earth
A flying cow hit the ground and smashed like an egg.
There was a crash that made all the most violent crashes of his past life
seem like the sound of falling dust.
A vast wind roared throughout earth and heaven,
so that he could scarcely lift his head to look.
For a while he was too breathless and astonished
even to see where he was or what had happened.
"Good heavens!" he gasped."I was nearly killed!What has gone wrong?
And only a minute ago,a fine night.
What a wind! Where's Maydig?"He looked around him.
"The sky's all right,"said Mr. Fotheringay.
"There's the moon overhead. Just as it was. But the rest?
Where's the village?Where's anything?
And what started this wind? I didn't order the wind."Mr.Fotheringay
struggled to get to his feet in vain and remained on all fours,holding on
Far and wide nothing was visible
through the dust that flew in the wind except masses of earth and heaps of ruins.
No trees, no houses,no familiar shapes,
only a wilderness of disorderand a rising storm.
When Mr. Fotheringay stopped the rotation of the solid globe,
he said nothing about the movables upon its surface.
And the earth spins so fast that the surface at its equator
is travelling at more than a thousand miles an hour.
So that the village,
and everything and everybody had been thrown violently forward
at about nine miles per second much more violently
than if they had been fired out of a cannon.
And every human being,every living creature,every house,
and every tree had been so jerked and smashed and utterly destroyed.
That was all
These things Mr.Fotheringay did not fully appreciate.
But he perceived that his miracle had miscarried,
and with that a great disgust of miracles came upon him.
A great roaring of wind and waters filled the earth and sky,
and he saw a wall of water pouring towards him.
"Stop!" cried Mr.Fotheringay to the advancing water.
"Stop just a moment while I collect my thoughts-.. "said Mr. Fotheringay
to the storm and the thunder.
"And now what shall I do? Oh, I wish Maydig was about. "
He remained on all fours leaning against the wind,
intent to have everything right."I know," said Mr.Fotheringay.
"Let nothing that I'm going to order happen until I say 'Off!'.
"He lifted his voice against the whirlwind,
shouting louder and louder in a vain desire to hear himself speak.
"Now! Remember what I said just now.In the first place,
when all I've got to say is done, let me lose my miraculous power;
let all these dangerous miracles be stopped.
And second, let me be back just before the miracles began;
let everything be just as it was before that lamp turned upside down.
It's a big job, but it's the last.Have you got it?
That's it! Yes. "He dug his fingers into the earth, closed his eyes,
"Off!"Everything became perfectly still."So you say," said a voice.
He opened his eyes and found himself in the bar,
arguing about miracles with Toddy Beamish.
He had a vague sense of some great thing forgotten,which passed immediately
Except for the loss of his miraculous powers,everything was back as it had been
And among other things, of course, he did not believe in miracles.
"I tell you that miracles can't possibly happen,"
he said,"and I'm prepared to prove it. "
"That's what you think,"said Toddy Beamish.
"Look here,Mr.Beamish," said Mr. Fotheringay.
"Let us clearly understand what a miracle is. . . "
