I crept to their doors and listened; they was snoring. So I tiptoed along, and got down stairs all right. There warn’t a sound anywheres. I peeped through a crack of the dining-room door, and see the men that was watching the corpse all sound asleep on their chairs. The door was open into the parlor, where the corpse was laying, and there was a candle in both rooms. I ed along, and the parlor door was open; but I see there warn’t nobody in there but the remainders of Peter; so I shoved on by; but the front door was locked, and the key wasn’t there. Just then I heard somebody coming down the stairs, back behind me. I run in the parlor and took a swift look around, and the only place I see to hide the bag was in the coffin. The lid was shoved along about a foot, showing the dead man’s face down in there, with a wet cloth over it, and his shroud on. I tucked the money-bag in under the lid, just down beyond where his hands was crossed, which made me creep, they was so cold, and then I run back across the room and in behind the door.
The person coming was Mary Jane. She went to the coffin, very soft, and kneeled down and looked in; then she put up her handkerchief, and I see she begun to cry, though I couldn’t hear her, and her back was to me. I slid out, and as I ed the dining-room I thought I’d make sure them watchers hadn’t seen me; so I looked through the crack, and everything was all right. They hadn’t stirred.
I slipped up to bed, feeling ruther blue, on s of the thing playing out that way after I had took so much trouble and run so much resk about it. Says I, if it could stay where it is, all right; because when we get down the river a hundred mile or two I could write back to Mary Jane, and she could dig him up again and get it; but that ain’t the thing that’s going to happen; the thing that’s going to happen is, the money ‘ll be found when they come to screw on the lid. Then the king ‘ll get it again, and it ‘ll be a long day before he gives anybody another chance to smouch it from him. Of course I wanted to slide down and get it out of there, but I dasn’t try it. Every minute it was getting earlier now, and pretty soon some of them watchers would begin to stir, and I might get catched—catched with six thousand dollars in my hands that nobody hadn’t hired me to take care of. I don’t wish to be mixed up in no such business as that, I says to myself.
When I got down stairs in the morning the parlor was shut up, and the watchers was gone. There warn’t nobody around but the family and the widow Bartley and our tribe. I watched their faces to see if anything had been happening, but I couldn’t tell.
Towards the middle of the day the undertaker come with his man, and they set the coffin in the middle of the room on a couple of chairs, and then set all our chairs in rows, and borrowed more from the neighbors till the hall and the parlor and the dining-room was full. I see the coffin lid was the way it was before, but I dasn’t go to look in under it, with folks around.
Then the people begun to flock in, and the beats and the girls took seats in the front row at the head of the coffin, and for a half an hour the people filed around slow, in single rank, and looked down at the dead man’s face a minute, and some dropped in a tear, and it was all very still and solemn, only the girls and the beats holding handkerchiefs to their eyes and keeping their heads bent, and sobbing a little. There warn’t no other sound but the scraping of the feet on the floor and blowing noses—because people always blows them more at a funeral than they do at other places except church.When the place was packed full the undertaker he slid around in his black gloves with his softy soothering ways, putting on the last touches, and getting people and things all ship-shape and comfortable, and making no more sound than a cat. He never spoke; he moved people around, he squeezed in late ones, he opened up ageways, and done it with nods, and signs with his hands. Then he took his place over against the wall. He was the softest, glidingest, stealthiest man I ever see; and there warn’t no more smile to him than there is to a ham. They had borrowed a melodeum—a sick one; and when everything was ready a young woman set down and worked it, and it was pretty skreeky and colicky, and everybody ed in and sung, and Peter was the only one that had a good thing, according to my notion. Then the Reverend Hobson opened up, slow and solemn, and begun to talk; and straight off the most outrageous row busted out in the cellar a body ever heard; it was only one dog, but he made a most powerful racket, and he kept it up right along; the parson he had to stand there, over the coffin, and wait—you couldn’t hear yourself think. It was right down awkward, and nobody didn’t seem to know what to do. But pretty soon they see that long-legged undertaker make a sign to the preacher as much as to say, “Don’t you worry—just depend on me.” Then he stooped down and begun to glide along the wall, just his shoulders showing over the people’s heads. So he glided along, and the powwow and racket getting more and more outrageous all the time; and at last, when he had gone around two sides of the room, he disappears down cellar. Then in about two seconds we heard a whack, and the dog he finished up with a most amazing howl or two, and then everything was dead still, and the parson begun his solemn talk where he left off. In a minute or two here comes this undertaker’s back and shoulders gliding along the wall again; and so he glided and glided around three sides of the room, and then rose up, and shaded his mouth with his hands, and stretched his neck out towards the preacher, over the people’s heads, and says, in a kind of a coarse whisper, “He had a rat!” Then he drooped down and glided along the wall again to his place. You could see it was a great satisfaction to the people, because naturally they wanted to know. A little thing like that don’t cost nothing, and it’s just the little things that makes a man to be looked up to and liked. There warn’t no more popular man in town than what that undertaker was. Well, the funeral sermon was very good, but pison long and tiresome; and then the king he shoved in and got off some of his usual rubbage, and at last the job was through, and the undertaker begun to sneak up on the coffin with his screw-driver. I was in a sweat then, and watched him pretty keen. But he never meddled at all; just slid the lid along as soft as mush, and screwed it down tight and fast. So there I was! I didn’t know whether the money was in there or not. So, says I, s’pose somebody has hogged that bag on the sly?—now how do I know whether to write to Mary Jane or not? S’pose she dug him up and didn’t find nothing, what would she think of me? Blame it, I says, I might get hunted up and jailed; I’d better lay low and keep dark, and not write at all; the thing’s awful mixed now; trying to better it, I’ve worsened it a hundred times, and I wish to goodness I’d just let it alone, dad fetch the whole business!
They buried him, and we come back home, and I went to watching faces again—I couldn’t help it, and I couldn’t rest easy. But nothing come of it; the faces didn’t tell me nothing.
The king he visited around in the evening, and sweetened everybody up, and made himself ever so friendly; and he give out the idea that his congregation over in England would be in a sweat about him, so he must hurry and settle up the estate right away and leave for home. He was very sorry he was so pushed, and so was everybody; they wished he could stay longer, but they said they could see it couldn’t be done. And he said of course him and William would take the girls home with them; and that pleased everybody too, because then the girls would be well fixed and amongst their own relations; and it pleased the girls, too—tickled them so they clean forgot they ever had a trouble in the world; and told him to sell out as quick as he wanted to, they would be ready. Them poor things was that glad and happy it made my heart ache to see them getting fooled and lied to so, but I didn’t see no safe way for me to chip in and change the general tune. Well, blamed if the king didn’t bill the house and the niggers and all the property for auction straight off—sale two days after the funeral; but anybody could buy private beforehand if they wanted to.
So the next day after the funeral, along about noon-time, the girls’ joy got the first jolt. A couple of nigger traders come along, and the king sold them the niggers reasonable, for three-day drafts as they called it, and away they went, the two sons up the river to Memphis, and their mother down the river to Orleans. I thought them poor girls and them niggers would break their hearts for grief; they cried around each other, and took on so it most made me down sick to see it. The girls said they hadn’t ever dreamed of seeing the family separated or sold away from the town. I can’t ever get it out of my memory, the sight of them poor miserable girls and niggers hanging around each other’s necks and crying; and I reckon I couldn’t a stood it all, but would a had to bust out and tell on our gang if I hadn’t knowed the sale warn’t no and the niggers would be back home in a week or two. The thing made a big stir in the town, too, and a good many come out flatfooted and said it was scandalous to separate the mother and the children that way. It injured the frauds some; but the old fool he bulled right along, spite of all the duke could say or do, and I tell you the duke was powerful uneasy.
Next day was auction day. About broad day in the morning the king and the duke come up in the garret and woke me up, and I see by their look that there was trouble. The king says:
“Was you in my room night before last?”
“No, your majesty”—which was the way I always called him when nobody but our gang warn’t around.
“Was you in there yisterday er last night?”
“No, your majesty.”
“Honor bright, now—no lies.”
“Honor bright, your majesty, I’m telling you the truth. I hain’t been a-near your room since Miss Mary Jane took you and the duke and showed it to you.”
The duke says:
“Have you seen anybody else go in there?”
“No, your grace, not as I , I believe.”
“Stop and think.”
I studied awhile and see my chance; then I says:
“Well, I see the niggers go in there several times.”
Both of them gave a little jump, and looked like they hadn’t ever expected it, and then like they had. Then the duke says:
“What, all of them?”
“No—leastways, not all at once—that is, I don’t think I ever see them all come out at once but just one time.”
“Hello! When was that?”
“It was the day we had the funeral. In the morning. It warn’t early, because I overslept. I was just starting down the ladder, and I see them.”
“Well, go on, go on! What did they do? How’d they act?”
“They didn’t do nothing. And they didn’t act anyway much, as fur as I see. They tiptoed away; so I seen, easy enough, that they’d shoved in there to do up your majesty’s room, or something, s’posing you was up; and found you warn’t up, and so they was hoping to slide out of the way of trouble without waking you up, if they hadn’t already waked you up.”
“Great guns, this is a go!” says the king; and both of them looked pretty sick and tolerable silly. They stood there a-thinking and scratching their heads a minute, and the duke he bust into a kind of a little raspy chuckle, and says:
“It does beat all how neat the niggers played their hand. They let on to be sorry they was going out of this region! And I believed they was sorry, and so did you, and so did everybody. Don’t ever tell me any more that a nigger ain’t got any histrionic talent. Why, the way they played that thing it would fool anybody. In my opinion, there’s a fortune in ‘em. If I had capital and a theater, I wouldn’t want a better lay-out than that—and here we’ve gone and sold ‘em for a song. Yes, and ain’t privileged to sing the song yet. Say, where is that song—that draft?”
“In the bank for to be collected. Where would it be?”
“Well, that’s all right then, thank goodness.”
Says I, kind of timid-like:
“Is something gone wrong?”
The king whirls on me and rips out:
“None o’ your business! You keep your head shet, and mind y’r own affairs—if you got any. Long as you’re in this town don’t you forgit that—you hear?” Then he says to the duke, “We got to jest swaller it and say noth’n’: mum’s the word for us.”
As they was starting down the ladder the duke he chuckles again, and says:
“Quick sales and small profits! It’s a good business—yes.”
The king snarls around on him and says:
“I was trying to do for the best in sellin’ ‘em out so quick. If the profits has turned out to be none, lackin’ considable, and none to carry, is it my fault any more’n it’s yourn?”
“Well, they’d be in this house yet and we wouldn’t if I could a got my advice listened to.”
The king sassed back as much as was safe for him, and then swapped around and lit into me again. He give me down the banks for not coming and telling him I see the niggers come out of his room acting that way—said any fool would a knowed something was up. And then waltzed in and cussed himself awhile, and said it all come of him not laying late and taking his natural rest that morning, and he’d be blamed if he’d ever do it again. So they went off a-jawing; and I felt dreadful glad I’d worked it all off on to the niggers, and yet hadn’t done the niggers no harm by it. |
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Fui en silencio hasta sus puertas a escuchar; estaban roncando. As que segu de puntillas y baj las escaleras. No se oa un ruido por ninguna parte. Mir por una rendija de la puerta del comedor y vi a los hombres que velaban el cadver, todos dormidos en sus sillas. La puerta daba a la sala donde estaba el cuerpo y haba una vela en cada habitacin. Segu adelante hasta la puerta de la sala, que estaba abierta, pero vi que all no haba nadie ms que los restos de Peter, as que continu: la puerta principal estaba cerrada y no se vea la llave. Justo entonces o que alguien bajaba las escaleras detrs de m. Corr a la sala, mir rpidamente por all y el nico sitio que vi donde esconder la bolsa fue en el atad. La tapa estaba corrida como un pie y dejaba al descubierto la cara del muerto con un pao hmedo por encima y la mortaja. Met la bolsa del dinero debajo de la tapa, justo ms all de donde tena las manos cruzadas, cosa que me dio repels; estaban heladas, y despus volv a cruzar corriendo la habitacin y me escond detrs de la puerta.
La que entr fue Mary Jane. Fue junto al atad, andando despacito, se arrodill y mir dentro; despus sac el pauelo y vi que empezaba a llorar, aunque no la poda or y me daba la espalda. Sal de mi escondite y al pasar junto al comedor pens en asegurarme de que los del velatorio no me haban visto, as que mir por una rendija y todo estaba en orden. No se haban ni movido.
Me fui a la cama, bastante triste, por cmo estaban saliendo las cosas despus de haberme preocupado yo tanto y haber corrido tantos peligros. Me dije: Si pudiera quedarse donde est, muy bien; porque cuando lleguemos al ro, a cien o doscientas millas, podra escribir a Mary Jane y ella podra desenterrarlo y sacarlo, pero eso no es lo que va a pasar; lo que va a pasar es que encontrarn el dinero cuando vayan a cerrar la tapa. Entonces el rey volver a quedarse con l y no va a darle a nadie otra oportunidad de que se lo birle. Naturalmente, yo quera bajar y sacarlo de all, pero no me atreva a intentarlo. A cada minuto se acercaba el amanecer y dentro de muy poco algunos de los del velorio empezaran a moverse y quiz me pescaran con seis mil dlares en las manos cuando nadie me haba encargado a m del dinero. Maldita la falta que me hace verme metido en una cosa as, me dije. Cuando baj por la maana, el saln estaba cerrado y los del velorio se haban ido. No quedaba nadie ms que la familia, la viuda Bartley y nuestra tribu. Les mir a las caras a ver si haba pasado algo, pero no logr ver nada.
Hacia el medioda lleg el enterrador con su ayudante y colocaron el atad en medio del saln apoyado en un par de sillas; luego pusieron todas nuestras sillas en filas y pidieron ms prestadas a los vecinos hasta que el recibidor, el comedor y el saln estuvieron llenos. Vi que la tapa del atad estaba igual que antes, pero no me atrev a mirar lo que haba debajo de ella, con tanta gente delante.
Entonces empez a llegar la gente y las autoridades y las chicas ocuparon asientos en la fila de delante, junto a la cabecera del atad, y durante media hora la gente fue pasando en fila india y contemplando un momento la cara del muerto, y algunos derramaron una lgrima, todo muy en silencio y muy solemne, y las chicas y las autoridades eran los nicos que se llevaban pauelos a los ojos, mantenan la cabeza baja y geman un poco. No se oa ningn otro ruido, salvo el roce de los pies en el suelo y las narices que sonaban, porque la gente siempre se suena ms las narices en un funeral que en ningn otro sitio, salvo en la iglesia.
Cuando la casa estuvo llena, el enterrador se pase por todas partes con sus guantes negros y sus modales blandos y tranquilizantes, aadiendo los ltimos toques, poniendo todas las cosas en orden y haciendo que la gente se sintiera cmoda, sin hacer ruido, como un gato. No deca ni una palabra; cambiaba a la gente de sitio, encontraba lugar para los ltimos en llegar, abra pasillos, y todo ello con gestos de la cabeza y de las manos. Despus ocup su puesto apoyado en la pared. Era el hombre ms blando, resbaladizo y untuoso que he visto en mi vida; y nunca sonrea, era como un pedazo de carne.
Haban pedido prestado un armonio que estaba bastante mal; cuando todo estuvo dispuesto una joven se sent a l y lo empez a tocar, pero no soltaba ms que chirridos y ventosidades, y todo el mundo se puso a cantar. Peter era el nico que se lo pas bien, segn me pareci. Despus le toc el turno al reverendo Hobson, que empez a hablar lento y solemne, e inmediatamente se oy en el stano el ruido ms horroroso que se pueda imaginar: no era ms que un perro, pero armaba un escndalo de miedo y no paraba; el cura tuvo que quedarse all junto al atad y esperar: no se poda or otra cosa. Era verdaderamente terrible y pareci que nadie saba qu hacer. Pero en seguida vieron que aquel enterrador tan alto haca una seal al cura como para decirle: No se preocupe; aqu estoy yo. Despus se inclin y empez a deslizarse junto a la pared; no se vean ms que sus hombros por encima de las cabezas de la gente. As que sigui deslizndose, con aquel escndalo cada vez ms horroroso, y por fin, cuando recorri dos lados de la habitacin, desapareci hacia el stano. Despus, al cabo de unos dos segundos, omos un golpetazo y el perro termin con un ladrido o dos de lo ms raro, y despus todo el mundo se qued quieto y el cura retom su charla solemne donde la haba interrumpido. Al cabo de un minuto o dos reaparecen la espalda y los hombros del enterrador deslizndose otra vez junto a la pared, y sigui deslizndose por tres lados de la habitacin; despus se levant, hizo bocina con las manos y, alargando el cuello hacia el cura, dijo con una especie de susurro ronco, por encima de las cabezas de la gente: Tena una rata! Despus volvi a deslizarse junto a la pared para volver a su sitio. Se notaba que aquello resultaba muy satisfactorio para la gente, porque naturalmente quera saber de qu se trataba. Esas cosillas no cuestan nada y son las que le consiguen iracin y respeto a un hombre. En todo el pueblo no haba nadie ms popular que aquel enterrador.
Bueno, el sermn funerario result muy bien, pero horriblemente largo y cansado; despus se meti el rey y solt unas cuantas de sus tonteras de costumbre, y por fin termin el asunto y el enterrador se acerc al atad con su destornillador. Yo me puse a sudar y lo mir muy atento. Pero no vio nada, se limit a correr la tapa, suave como si estuviera engrasada, y la atornill bien atornillada. As estbamos! No saba si el dinero estaba all dentro o no. Entonces me dije: Y si alguien se ha llevado la bolsa a escondidas? Como s yo si escribir a Mary Jane o no? Y si lo desentierra y no encuentra nada, qu va a pensar de m? Dita sea, me dije, lo mismo me buscan y me encierran: ms me vale quedarme bien calladito y no escribir nada; ahora todo est hecho un lo y por tratar de mejorarlo lo he dejado cien veces peor que antes; ojal lo hubiera dejado todo en paz. Maldito sea todo el asunto!
Lo enterraron, volvimos a casa y me dediqu otra vez a mirar las caras a todos; no poda evitarlo ni quedarme tranquilo. Pero no pas nada; las caras no me decan nada.
El rey estuvo viendo a mucha gente aquella tarde, tranquilizando a todos, muy amistoso, y les dio a entender que en Inglaterra sus feligreses estaran preocupados por l, as que tena que darse prisa y resolver inmediatamente lo de la herencia antes de marcharse. Lamentaba mucho tener tantas prisas, y lo mismo les pasaba a los dems; queran que se quedara ms tiempo, pero decan que entendan que era imposible. Y dijo que naturalmente William y l se llevaran a las chicas a casa con ellos, lo cual tambin agrad mucho a todos, porque entonces las chicas estaran bien protegidas y entre sus propios parientes, y tambin agrad a las chicas; les gust tanto que prcticamente se olvidaron de que tenan algn problema en el mundo y le dijeron que lo vendiera todo en cuanto quisiera, que ellas estaban dispuestas. Las pobrecillas estaban tan contentas y felices que me dola el corazn de ver cmo las engaaban y las mentan tanto, pero no vea una forma segura de intervenir y hacer que cambiara el estado general de cosas.
Bueno, maldito si el rey no puso inmediatamente la casa y los negros y todas las tierras en subasta inmediatamente, dos das despus del funeral; pero todo el mundo que quisiera poda comprar en privado antes si quera.
As que el da despus del funeral, hacia el medioda, las muchachas se llevaron la primera sorpresa. Apareci un par de tratantes de esclavos y el rey les vendi los negros a precio razonable, por letras a tres das, segn dijeron ellos, y se los llevaron: los dos hijos ro arriba, a Menphis, y su madre ro abajo, a Orleans. Cre que aquellas pobres muchachas y los negros se iban a quedar con el corazn roto de la pena; lloraban juntos y estaban tan tristes que casi me puse malo de verlo. Las chicas dijeron que jams haban soado con ver a aquella familia separada o vendida lejos del pueblo. Nunca me podr borrar de la memoria la visin de aquellas pobres chicas y los negros tan tristes, abrazados y llorando; creo que no lo habra podido soportar, sino que habra reventado y delatado a nuestra banda de no haber sabido que aquella venta no vala y que los negros estaran de vuelta a casa dentro de una o dos semanas.
Aquello tambin llam mucho la atencin en el pueblo y muchos vinieron corriendo a decir que era un escndalo separar as a la madre y los hijos. Les sent mal a los farsantes, pero el viejo se empe en seguir adelante, pese a lo que dijera o hiciese el duque, y os aseguro que el duque se senta muy incmodo.
Al da siguiente era el de la subasta. Ya bien entrada la maana, el rey y el duque subieron a la buhardilla a despertarme y por su gesto vi que haba problemas. El rey va y dice:
––Estuviste en mi habitacin anteanoche?
––No, vuestra majestad ––que era como siempre lo llamaba cuando no haba delante ms que gente de nuestra banda.
––Estuviste all ayer o anoche?
––No, vuestra majestad.
––Tu palabra de honor; sin mentir.
––Mi palabra de honor, vuestra majestad. Le digo la verdad. No he estado cerca de su habitacin desde que la seorita Mary Jane le llev all con el duque para ensersela.
El duque va y dice:
––Has visto entrar en ella a otra persona?
––No, vuestra gracia, no que yo recuerde, creo.
––Pinsalo con calma.
Estuve pensndolo un momento y al ver mi oportunidad dije:
––Bueno, he visto entrar all varias veces a los negros. Los dos dieron un saltito, como si jams se lo hubieran esperado, y despus como si pareciera que s. Despus el duque va y dice:
––Cmo, todos ellos?
––No, o sea, por lo menos no todos de una vez; creo que nunca los vi salir juntos, ms que una vez.
––Vaya! Cundo fue eso?
El da del funeral, por la maana. No fue temprano porque yo dorm hasta tarde. Estaba empezando a bajar las escaleras cuando los vi.
––Bueno, sigue, sigue! Qu hicieron? Qu pas despus?
––No hicieron nada. Y tampoco pas nada especial, que yo viera. Se marcharon de puntillas; as que vi muy bien que haban ido a hacer la habitacin de vuestra majestad, o algo as, si es que ya se haba levantado, y al ver que no se haba levantado, esperaban desaparecer y no meterse en jaleos en lugar de despertarle, si es que ya no le haban despertado.
––Diablo, sta s que es buena! ––dice el rey, y los dos se quedaron con un gesto desesperado y bastante tonto. Se quedaron all pensando y rascndose las cabezas, y el duque solt una especie de risita carraspeante y dijo:
––Es fabuloso cmo han jugado su baza esos negros. Hicieron como que estaban tan tristes por marcharse de esta regin! Y yo cre que lo estaban de verdad, igual que t e igual que todo el mundo. Que nadie me vuelva a decir que los negros no tienen talento histrinico. Han hecho una interpretacin que engaara a cualquiera. Para m que valen una fortuna. Si yo tuviera capital y un teatro no querra mejores actores... Y los hemos vendido por una ganga. S, y ni siquiera podemos tocar esa ganga todava. Oye, dnde est esa ganga... esa letra?
––En el banco esperando al cobro. Dnde iba a estar?
––Bueno, entonces no importa, gracias a Dios.
Yo pregunt, como tmido:
––Ha pasado algo?
El rey se volvi hacia m y exclam:
––No es asunto tuyo! T cierra la boca y mtete en tus cosas... Si es que las tienes. Y mientras ests en este pueblo, que no se te olvide, entiendes? ––y despus dice al duque––: tenemos que aguantar y no decir nada; tenemos que mantenernos callados.
Cuando empezaron a bajar la escalera, el duque volvi a rerse y dijo:
––Ventas rpidas y pequeos beneficios! Es un buen negocio. S.
El rey le solt un bufido y le dijo:
––Cuando los vend tan rpido estaba tratando de hacer lo que ms nos convena. Si resulta que no hay beneficios, que no sacamos nada y no nos llevamos nada, tengo ms culpa yo que t?
––Bueno, si se me hubiera escuchado, ellos seguiran en esta casa y nosotros no.
El rey le respondi lo mejor que pudo y despus se dio la vuelta y volvi a meterse conmigo. Me peg un rapapolvo por no decirle que haba visto a los negros salir de su habitacin de aquella manera, que hasta un idiota habra comprendido que pasaba algo. Y despus volvi a cambiar y se maldijo sobre todo a s mismo durante un rato, y dijo que todo haba pasado por no haberse quedado en la cama hasta tarde y haber descansado todo lo que necesitaba aquella maana, y que maldito si volva a hacerlo en su vida. As que se marcharon de charla y yo me sent contentsimo de haberle echado toda la culpa a los negros sin por eso haberles hecho ningn dao. |
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