# ■ Chapter 2 The Card

So next day, at seven o'clock, I came to the shop in a cab. There were not very many people in the road, be－cause it was early in the morning. In November it is dark at seven o'clock in the morning, and I could not see the shop very well. I waited five minutes. A postman walked past. Then the door of the shop opened, and the creature, Merrick, came out.

I could not see his face or his body. He had an enormous black hat on his head, like a big box. A grey cloth came down from the hat, in front of his face. There was a hole in the cloth in front of his eyes. He could see out of the hole but I could not see in. He wore a long black coat, too. The coat began at his neck, and ended at his feet, so I could not see his arms, his body, or his legs. On his feet he wore big shoes, like old bags.

He had a stick in his left hand, and he walked very slowly. I opened the door of the cab, and got out.

Good morning, Mr Merrick, 'I said. 'Can you get in？'

Elpmyupasteps, 'he said.

I'm sorry, 'I said. 'I don't understand. '

For a minute he stood by the door of the cab and said nothing. Then he hit the cab with his stick.

STEPS! 'he said loudly. 'Help me up the steps! '

Then I understood. There were three steps up into the cab, and he could not get up them.

Yes, I see. I'm sorry, 'I said. 'Let me help you. '

I took his left hand and began to help him. My right hand was behind his back. I felt very strange. His left hand was like a young woman's, but his back under the coat, was horrible. I could feel the bags of old skin on his back under the coat.

He put one enormous foot on the first step, and then he stopped. After a minute, he moved his second foot slowly. Then he stopped and waited again.

Hello, sir. Can I help you？'

I looked behind me. It was the postman. And behind him, I could see three young boys. One of the boys laughed.

The postman smiled. 'Is the gentleman ill？'he asked.

I thought quickly. 'Yes. But this is a lady, not a gentle-man. I'm a doctor, and she's ill. Take her hand, so I can help her better. '

The postman took Merrick's left hand, and I helped him with two hands from behind. Slowly, very slowly, Merrick went up the steps and into the cab.

One boy was very near the cab. He called to his friends.

Come and see this, boys! A fat lady in a black coat! And look at that enormous hat! '

The boys laughed. They were very near the cab too, now. I closed the door quickly.

Thank you, 'I said to the postman.

That's all right, sir, 'he said. 'She's a strange lady, sir, isn't she？'

She's ill, that's all, 'I said quickly. 'We're going to the hospital. Goodbye, and thank you. '

The cab drove down the road to the hospital. I locked at Merrick. 'That was difficult, wasn't it？'I said.

At first he said nothing, but then he spoke. His voice was very strange, but I listened to him carefully, and I could understand him.

The steps were very difficult, 'he said. 'But most things are difficult for me. '

Yes, 'I said. ' Nothing is easy for you, is it？'

No, 'he said. He was very quiet for a minute. Then he said, 'Who are you, sir？'

Who am I？Oh, I'm sorry, My name is Dr Treves. Here, this is my card. '

I gave him a card with my name on. Then I thought, 'That was no good. This man can't read. 'But Merrick took the card and looked at it very carefully. Then he put it in his trousers pocket.

I did not talk to him very much at the hospital. I looked at his head and arms and legs and body very carefully. Then I wrote the important things about him in a little book. A nurse helped me. Merrick looked at her sometimes, but she did not smile at him or talk to him. I think she was afraid of him. I think Merrick was afraid too, because he was very quiet.

At four o'clock I took him back to the shop in a cab. The next day I looked in the shop window again, but the picture was not there.

■ 2 名片

第二天七點鐘，我乘著馬車來到這家商店。天剛剛亮，路上沒有多少人。十一月份的早上七點鐘天還是黑的，商店還看不太清楚。我等了五分鐘，一個郵遞員恰好經過，後來商店門開了，那個怪物——麥裡克出來了。

我看不見他的臉和身體，他頭上戴著一頂大黑帽子，就像頂著一個大盒子。帽子上搭著一塊灰色的布一直遮著臉，眼睛前面的布上有個洞，他可以從洞裡朝外看，可我卻看不見裡面。他還穿了一件黑色的長外套，外套從頸子上一直拖到腳下，所以我看不見他的手臂、身體和腿。他腳上穿著一雙大鞋，就像兩條舊口袋。

他左手拿著一根柺杖，走得很慢，我打開車門，走了出來。

“早上好，麥裡克先生，”我說，“你能上去嗎？”“Elpmyupasteps.他說。

“對不起，”我說，“我聽不懂。”

他在車門邊站了一會兒，什麼話也沒有說。後來他用柺杖敲了敲車子。

“上車。”他大聲地說，“幫我上車。”

後來，我明白了，馬車上有三級臺階，他邁不上去。

“噢，對不起，”我說，“我來幫你。”

我左手拉著他的左手，右手扶著他的背幫助他上車。我覺得很奇怪，他的左手就像年輕女人的手，而他外套裡面的背部卻是很可怕。我可以摸到外套裡面背上那些老皮囊腫。他一隻大腳先邁上了頭一個臺階，就停下了。過了一會兒，又慢慢地挪動另外一隻腳，然後又停了下來再次等著。

“喂，先生，要我幫忙嗎？”

我朝身後一看，是那位郵遞員，在他的身後還有三個小男孩，其中有一個在大聲笑著。

這位郵遞員微笑著問：“這位先生病了嗎？”我靈機一動：“對，但這是位女士，不是先生。我是醫生，她病了，拉著她的手，這樣我能更好地幫助她。”

郵遞員拉著麥裡克的左手，我用雙手從後面推他。麥裡克慢慢地移動步子，走進馬車。一個小男孩離馬車很近，他對著他的夥伴們大聲地喊著：“過來看，一個穿黑外套的胖女人！瞧那頂大帽子！”

孩們們鬨笑著走到馬車旁，我迅速地關上車門轉身對郵遞員說：“謝謝你。”他說：“不用謝，先生。這位女士長得很怪呀！”我很快地回答：“她是病人。我們要去醫院，謝謝你，再見。”

馬車沿著去醫院的路駛去。我看了看麥裡克說：“很不容易，是吧？”

他先是什麼都不說，可後來他開口了，他的嗓音很怪，可我還是認真地聽著，我能聽懂他講的意思。

“上臺階很困難。”他說，“大多數事情對於我都很困難。”

“對您來說沒有容易的事，對吧？”

“對。”他沉默了一會兒，然後問道：“您是誰，先生？”

“我是誰？哦，對不起，我是特里維斯博士。瞧，這是我的名片。”

我遞給了他一張上面有我名字的名片。但轉念一想，這沒什麼用，他不識字。麥裡克拿著名片認真地看了看，然後就收進褲子口袋裡。

在醫院裡我和他談得不多，我很仔細地看過他的頭、手臂、腿和身子，然後我將有關他的重要情況記在了一個小筆記本里。一位護士來協助我工作。麥裡克時不時地朝她看看，可她既不朝他微笑也不與他說話。我想她是怕他，麥裡克可能也怕她，因為他一直很安靜。

四點鐘時，我用馬車將他送回那個商店。第二天我又朝小店櫥窗裡看了看，可那張照片已不見了。