按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
odies。 You did not see the mother shot； nor the sister； nor the brother。 You heard about it； you heard the shots； and you saw the bodies。
Pilar had made him see it in that town。
If that woman could only write。 He would try to write it and if he had luck and could remember it perhaps he could get it down as she told it。 God； how she could tell a story。 She's better than Quevedo； he thought。 He never wrote the death of any Don Faustino as well as she told it。 I wish I could write well enough to write that story； he thought。 What we did。 Not what the others did to us。 He knew enough about that。 He knew plenty about that behind the lines。 But you had to have known the people before。 You had to know what they had been in the village。
Because of our mobility and because we did not have to stay afterwards to take the punishment we never knew how anything really ended； he thought。 You stayed with a peasant and his family。 You came at night and ate with them。 In the day you were hidden and the next night you were gone。 You did your job and cleared out。 The next time you came that way you heard that they had been shot。 It was as simple as that。
But you were always gone when it happened。 The _partizans_ did their damage and pulled out。 The peasants stayed and took the punishment。 I've always known about the other； he thought。 What we did to them at the start I've always known it and hated it and I have heard it mentioned shamelessly and shamefully； bragged of； boasted of； defended； explained and denied。 But that damned woman made me see it as though I had been there。
Well； he thought； it is part of one's education。 It will be quite an education when it's finished。 You learn in this war if you listen。 You most certainly did。 He was lucky that he had lived parts of ten years ifl Spain before the war。 They trusted you on the language； principally。 They trusted you on understanding the language completely and speaking it idiomatically and having a knowledge of the different places。 A Spaniard was only really loyal to his village in the end。 First Spain of course； then his own tribe； then his province； then his village； his family and finally his trade。 If you knew Spanish he was prejudiced in your favor； if you knew his province it was that much better； but if you knew his village and his trade you were in as far as any foreigner ever could be。 He never felt like a foreigner in Spanish and they did not really treat him like a foreigner most of the time； only when they turned on you。
Of course they turned on you。 They turned on you often but they always turned on every one。 They turned on themselves； too。 If you had three together； two would unite against one； and then the two would start to betray each other。 Not always； but often enough for you to take enough cases and start to draw it as a conclusion。
This was no way to think； but who censored his thinking？ Nobody but himself。 He would not think himself into any defeatism。 The first thing was to win the war。 If we did not win the war everything was lost。 But he noticed； and listened to； and remembered everything。 He was serving in a war and he gave absolute loyalty and as complete a performance as he could give while he was serving。 But nobody owned his mind； nor his faculties for seeing and hearing； and if he were going to form judgments he would form them afterwards。 And there would be plenty of material to draw them from。 There was plenty already。 There was a little too much sometimes。
Look at the Pilar woman； he thought。 No matter what comes； if there is time； I must make her tell me the rest of that story。 Look at her walking along with those two kids。 You could not get three better…looking products of Spain than those。 She is like a mountain and the boy and the girl are like young trees。 The old trees are all cut down and the young trees are growing clean like that。 In spite of what has happened to the two of them they look as fresh and clean and new and untouched as though they had never heard of misfortune。 But according to Pilar； Maria has just gotten sound again。 She must have been in an awful shape。
He remembered a Belgian boy in the Eleventh Brigade who had enlisted with five other boys from his village。 It was a village Of about two hundred people and the boy had never been away froni the village before。 When he first saw the boy； out at Hans' Brigade Staff； the other five from the village had all been killed and the boy was in very bad shape and they were using him as an orderly to wait on table at the staff。 He had a big； blond； ruddy Flemish face and huge awkward peasant hands and he moved； with the dishes； as powerfully and awkwardly as a draft horse。 But he cried all the time。 All during the meal he cried with no noise at all。
You looked up and there he was； crying。 If you asked for the wine； he cried and if you passed your plate for stew； he cried； turning away his head。 Then he would stop； but if you looked up at him； tears would start coming again。 Between courses he cried in the kitchen。 Every one was very gentle with him。 But it did no good。 He would have to find out what became of him and whether he ever cleared up and was fit for soldiering again。
Maria was sound enough now。 She seemed so anyway。 But he was no psychiatrist。 Pilar was the psychiatrist。 It probably had been good for them to have been together last night。 Yes； unless it stopped。 It certainly had been good for him。 He felt fine today； sound and good and unworried and happy。 The show looked bad enough but he was awfully lucky； too。 He had been in others that announced themselves badly。 Announced themselves； that was thinking in Spanish。 Maria was lovely。
Look at her； he said to himself。 Look at her。
He looked at her striding happily in the sun； her khaki shirt open at the neck。 She walks like a colt moves； he thought。 You do not run onto something like that。 Such things don't happen。 Maybe it never did happen； he thought。 Maybe you dreamed it or made it up and it never did happen。 Maybe it is like the dreams you have when some one you have seen in the cinema comes to your bed at night and is so kind and lovely。 He'd slept with them all that way When he was asleep in bed。 He could remember Garbo still； and Harlow。 Yes； Harlow many times。 Maybe it was like those dreams。
But he could still remember the time Garbo came to his bed the flight before the attack at Pozoblanco and she was wearing a soft silky wool sweater when he put his arm around her and when she leaned forward her hair swept forward and over his face and she said why had he never told her that he loved her when she had loved him all this time？ She was not shy； nor cold； nor distant。 She was just lovely to hold and kind and lovely and like the old days with Jack Gilbert and it was as true as though it happened and he loved her much more than Harlow though Garbo was only there once while Harlowmaybe this was like those dreams。
Maybe it isn't too； he said to himself。 Maybe I could reach over and touch that Maria now； he said to himself。 Maybe you are afraid to he said to himself。 Maybe you would find out that it never happened and it was not true and it was something you made up like those dreams about the people of the