Chapter 2
So next day, atseven o’clock, I came to the shop in a cab. There were not very many people inthe road, because it was early in the morning. In November it is dark at seveno’clock in the morning, and I could not see the shop very well. I waited fiveminutes. A postman walked past. Then the door of the shop opened, and thecreature, Merrick, came out.
I could not seehis 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 inthe cloth in front of his eyes. He could see out of the hole but I could notsee in. He wore a long black coat, too. The coat began at his neck, and endedat his feet, so I could not see his arms, his body, or his legs. On his feet hewore big shoes, like old bags.
He had a stick inhis left hand, and he walked very slowly. I opened the door of the cab, and gotout.
“Good morning, Mr.Merrick,” I said. “Can you get in?”
“Elpmyupasteps,” hesaid.
“I'm sorry,” Isaid. “I don't understand.”
For a minute hestood by the door of the cab and said nothing. Then he hit the cab with hisstick.
“STEPS!” he saidloudly. “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'msorry,” I said. “Let me help you.”
I took his lefthand and began to help him. My right hand was behind his back. I felt verystrange. 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 oneenormous foot on the first step, and then he stopped. After a minute, he movedhis second foot slowly. Then he stopped and waited again.
“Hello, sir. Can Ihelp you?”
I looked behindme. It was the postman. And behind him, I could see three young boys. One ofthe boys laughed.
The postmansmiled. “Is the gentleman ill?” he asked.
I thought quickly.“Yes. But this is a lady, not a gentleman. I'm a doctor, and she's ill. Takeher hand, so I can help her better.”
The postman took Merrick's left hand, and I helped him with two hands frombehind. Slowly, very slowly, Merrick went upthe steps and into the cab.
One boy was verynear the cab. He called to his friends.
“Come and seethis, 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,” Isaid to the postman.
“That's all right,sir,” he said. “She's a strange lady, sir, isn't she?”
“She's ill, that'sall,” I said quickly. ‘We're going to the hospital. Goodbye, and thank you. ’
The cab drove downthe road to the hospital. I looked at Merrick.“That was difficult, wasn't it?” I said.
At first he saidnothing, but then he spoke. His voice was very strange, but I listened to himcarefully, and I could understand him.
“The steps werevery difficult, ’he said. ‘But most things are difficult for me.”
“Yes,” I said. “Nothingis easy for you, is it?”
“No,” he said. Hewas very quiet for a minute. Then he said, “Who are you, sir?”
“Who am I? Oh, I'msorry, My name is Dr. Treves. Here, this is my card.”
I gave him a cardwith 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 tohim very much at the hospital. I looked at his head and arms and legs and bodyvery carefully. Then I wrote the important things about him in a little book. Anurse helped me. Merrick looked at hersometimes, but she did not smile at him or talk to him. I think she was afraidof him. I think Merrick was afraid too,because he was very quiet.
At four o’clock Itook him back to the shop in a cab. The next day I looked in the shop windowagain, but the picture was not there.
第二章
於是第二天早上七點鐘，我駕著馬車來到了商店。因為天剛亮，所以路上沒有很多人。十一月，早上七點鐘天還是黑的，商店還看不清楚。我等了五分鐘。一個郵差走過。然後商店門打開了，那怪物，梅里克走了出來。
我無法看到他的臉和他的身體。他的頭上戴著一頂黑色大帽子，就像一個大盒子。一塊灰色的布從帽子上垂下來，蓋住他的臉。眼睛前面的布有個洞。他可以從洞裡朝外看，但我無法看到裡面。而他身上也穿著一件黑色的長大衣。那件外套從他的脖子開始，一直蓋住他的腳，所以我看不到他的手臂、他的身體或者他的腿。他的腳上穿著一雙大鞋，就像舊口袋。
他的左手拿著一根拐杖，走得很慢。我打開馬車的門，下了車。
「早安，梅里克先生，「我說。「你能上車嗎？」
「Elpmyupasteps，」 他說。
「對不起，」我說。「我聽不懂。」
他在車門旁邊站了一會兒，什麼也沒說。然後，他用他的拐杖敲了敲車子。
「上車！」他大聲說。「幫我上車！」
然後我明白了。馬車上有三個台階，而他無法爬上去。
「是的，我明白了。我很抱歉，」我說。「讓我來幫你。」
我拉著他的左手，右手扶著他的背幫助他上車。我覺得很奇怪。他的左手像年輕女人的手，但被外套蓋住的背卻很可怕。我能摸到他外套裡背上的那些老皮腫囊。
他巨大的腳踏上了第一個台階，然後停了下來。過了一會兒，才慢慢地移動另一隻腳。然後又停下來再次等著。
「你好，先生。需要幫忙嗎？」
我回頭看我身後。是那個郵差。在他身後，我看到三個小男孩。其中一個男孩大笑著。
那個郵差笑了。「這位先生病了嗎？」他問。
我靈機一動。「是的。不過這是一位女士，不是先生。我是個醫生，而她病了。扶著她的手，這樣我就可以好好幫助她。」
郵差拉著梅里克的左手，我用兩隻手從後面推他。慢慢地，非常緩慢，梅里克走上台階進入馬車。
其中一個男孩離馬車很近。他朝他的朋友大聲呼喊：「夥伴們，你們快過來看看！一個穿著黑大衣的胖女人！看看那頂大帽子！」
男孩們大笑走到馬車旁。我迅速地關上門。
「謝謝你，」我對郵差說。
「不客氣，先生，」他說。「這位女士長得很奇怪啊，先生！」
「她生病了，僅此而已，」我趕緊說。「我們要去醫院。再見了，謝謝你。」
馬車沿著往醫院的路駛去。我看著梅里克。「這真是不容易啊，不是嗎？」我說。
起初，他什麼也沒說，但後來他開口。他的嗓音很奇怪，但我仔細地聽著，我能理解他的意思。
「上台階對我是很困難的，」他說。「大多數的事情都對我來說都很困難。」
「是的，」我說。「對你來說沒有什麼是容易的，對嗎？」
「對，」他沉默了一會兒。接著說，「先生，你是誰？」
「我？哦，對不起，我是特里夫斯博士。這是我的名片。」
我給了他印有我名字的名片。我轉念一想，這沒什麼用。這個人不識字。但梅里克接過名片，認真地看著它。然後，他將名片放進褲子口袋裡。
在醫院裡我並沒有跟他說很多話。我非常仔細地看著他的頭、手臂、腿以及身體。然後，我把有關他的重要事項寫在一本小冊子裡。一名護士來協助我。有時，梅里克望著她，但她沒有對他笑也沒有跟他說話。我想她很怕他。我覺得梅里克也很害怕，因為他非常安靜。下午四點鐘我用馬車送他回到商店。第二天我又往商店的櫥窗看去，但照片已經不在了。
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