The Open Window

“My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel,” said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen; “in the meantime you must try and put up with me.”

Terjemahan“Tante saya akan segera turun, Tuan Nuttel,” kata seorang gadis lima belas tahun yang sangat tenang; “sementara itu Anda harus bersabar menghadapi saya.”

Framton Nuttel endeavoured to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come. Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much towards helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing.

TerjemahanFramton Nuttel berusaha mengucapkan sesuatu yang pantas, yang cukup menyanjung keponakan yang kebetulan ada di hadapannya tanpa terlalu merendahkan tante yang akan datang. Dalam hati ia meragukan, lebih dari sebelumnya, bahwa kunjungan-kunjungan resmi kepada serentetan orang yang sama sekali asing ini akan banyak membantu pengobatan sarafnya, yang seharusnya sedang ia jalani.

“I know how it will be,” his sister had said when he was preparing to migrate to this rural retreat; “you will bury yourself down there and not speak to a living soul, and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there. Some of them, as far as I can remember, were quite nice.”

Terjemahan“Aku tahu bagaimana jadinya,” kata kakak perempuannya waktu ia bersiap pindah ke tempat peristirahatan di pedesaan itu; “kamu akan mengubur diri di sana dan tak bicara dengan seorang pun, dan sarafmu akan makin parah karena murung. Aku akan memberimu surat pengantar untuk semua orang yang kukenal di sana. Beberapa di antaranya, kalau tak salah ingat, cukup menyenangkan.”

Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was presenting one of the letters of introduction, came into the nice division.

TerjemahanFramton bertanya-tanya apakah Nyonya Sappleton, wanita yang akan ia serahi salah satu surat pengantar itu, termasuk golongan yang menyenangkan.

“Do you know many of the people round here?” asked the niece, when she judged that they had had sufficient silent communion.

Terjemahan“Anda kenal banyak orang di sekitar sini?” tanya sang keponakan, ketika menurutnya mereka sudah cukup lama berbagi keheningan.

“Hardly a soul,” said Framton. “My sister was staying here, at the rectory, you know, some four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here.”

Terjemahan“Nyaris tak seorang pun,” kata Framton. “Kakak perempuan saya pernah tinggal di sini, di pastoran, Anda tahu, sekitar empat tahun lalu, dan ia memberi saya surat pengantar untuk beberapa orang di sini.”

He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.

TerjemahanIa mengucapkan pernyataan terakhir itu dengan nada penyesalan yang jelas.

“Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?” pursued the self-possessed young lady.

Terjemahan“Jadi Anda praktis tidak tahu apa-apa tentang tante saya?” lanjut gadis yang tenang itu.

“Only her name and address,” admitted the caller. He was wondering whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the married or widowed state. An undefinable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.

Terjemahan“Hanya nama dan alamatnya,” aku sang tamu. Ia bertanya-tanya apakah Nyonya Sappleton bersuami atau sudah janda. Ada sesuatu yang sulit dijelaskan di ruangan itu yang seakan menunjukkan adanya penghuni laki-laki.

“Her great tragedy happened just three years ago,” said the child; “that would be since your sister’s time.”

Terjemahan“Tragedi besarnya terjadi tepat tiga tahun lalu,” kata anak itu; “berarti sesudah masa kakak Anda tinggal di sini.”

“Her tragedy?” asked Framton; somehow in this restful country spot tragedies seemed out of place.

Terjemahan“Tragedinya?” tanya Framton; entah mengapa di sudut pedesaan yang tenteram ini tragedi terasa tak pada tempatnya.

“You may wonder why we keep that window wide open on an October afternoon,” said the niece, indicating a large French window that opened on to a lawn.

Terjemahan“Mungkin Anda heran kenapa kami membiarkan jendela itu terbuka lebar pada sore bulan Oktober,” kata sang keponakan sambil menunjuk sebuah jendela Prancis besar yang membuka ke arah halaman rumput.

“It is quite warm for the time of the year,” said Framton; “but has that window got anything to do with the tragedy?”

Terjemahan“Cukup hangat untuk musim ini,” kata Framton; “tapi apakah jendela itu ada hubungannya dengan tragedi tadi?”

“Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day’s shooting. They never came back. In crossing the moor to their favourite snipe-shooting ground they were all three engulfed in a treacherous piece of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that were safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never recovered. That was the dreadful part of it.” Here the child’s voice lost its self-possessed note and became falteringly human. “Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back some day, they and the little brown spaniel that was lost with them, and walk in at that window just as they used to do. That is why the window is kept open every evening till it is quite dusk. Poor dear aunt, she has often told me how they went out, her husband with his white waterproof coat over his arm, and Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing ‘Bertie, why do you bound? ’ as he always did to tease her, because she said it got on her nerves. Do you know, sometimes on still, quiet evenings like this, I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk in through that window—”

Terjemahan“Lewat jendela itu, tiga tahun lalu tepat pada hari ini, suaminya dan kedua adik laki-lakinya yang masih muda keluar untuk berburu seharian. Mereka tak pernah kembali. Ketika menyeberangi tanah rawa menuju tempat berburu burung berkik kesukaan mereka, ketiganya tertelan sepetak rawa yang menipu. Waktu itu musim panas yang mengerikan dan basah, Anda tahu, dan tempat-tempat yang aman di tahun-tahun lain mendadak ambles tanpa peringatan. Jasad mereka tak pernah ditemukan. Itulah bagian yang paling mengerikan.” Di sini suara anak itu kehilangan nada tenangnya dan berubah menjadi suara manusia yang goyah. “Tante yang malang selalu mengira mereka akan kembali suatu hari, mereka dan anjing spaniel cokelat kecil yang hilang bersama mereka, lalu masuk lewat jendela itu seperti dulu. Itulah sebabnya jendela dibiarkan terbuka setiap petang sampai benar-benar gelap. Tante yang malang, ia sering bercerita kepada saya bagaimana mereka pergi, suaminya dengan jas hujan putih tersampir di lengan, dan Ronnie, adik bungsunya, menyanyikan ‘Bertie, mengapa kau melompat-lompat?’ seperti biasa untuk menggodanya, karena kata Tante lagu itu menyiksa sarafnya. Tahukah Anda, kadang pada petang yang tenang dan sunyi seperti ini, saya nyaris dihinggapi perasaan ngeri bahwa mereka semua akan masuk lewat jendela itu —”

She broke off with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when the aunt bustled into the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in making her appearance.

TerjemahanIa tiba-tiba berhenti bicara sambil sedikit bergidik. Framton merasa lega ketika sang tante masuk ke ruangan dengan tergesa-gesa, menghamburkan permintaan maaf karena terlambat muncul.

“I hope Vera has been amusing you?” she said.

Terjemahan“Mudah-mudahan Vera sudah menghibur Anda?” katanya.

“She has been very interesting,” said Framton.

Terjemahan“Obrolan dengannya sangat menarik,” kata Framton.

“I hope you don’t mind the open window,” said Mrs. Sappleton briskly; “my husband and brothers will be home directly from shooting, and they always come in this way. They’ve been out for snipe in the marshes to-day, so they’ll make a fine mess over my poor carpets. So like you men-folk, isn’t it?”

Terjemahan“Semoga Anda tak keberatan dengan jendela yang terbuka,” kata Nyonya Sappleton dengan bersemangat; “suami dan adik-adik saya sebentar lagi pulang berburu, dan mereka selalu masuk lewat sini. Hari ini mereka berburu burung berkik di rawa, jadi mereka pasti akan mengotori karpet saya yang malang. Kalian kaum lelaki memang begitu, bukan?”

She rattled on cheerfully about the shooting and the scarcity of birds, and the prospects for duck in the winter. To Framton it was all purely horrible. He made a desperate but only partially successful effort to turn the talk on to a less ghastly topic; he was conscious that his hostess was giving him only a fragment of her attention, and her eyes were constantly straying past him to the open window and the lawn beyond. It was certainly an unfortunate coincidence that he should have paid his visit on this tragic anniversary.

TerjemahanIa mengoceh dengan riang tentang perburuan dan langkanya burung, dan peluang berburu bebek liar di musim dingin. Bagi Framton semuanya benar-benar mengerikan. Ia berusaha mati-matian, tetapi hanya berhasil sebagian, mengalihkan pembicaraan ke topik yang kurang menyeramkan; ia sadar tuan rumahnya hanya memberinya sebagian kecil perhatian, dan matanya terus melayang melewatinya ke jendela terbuka dan halaman di baliknya. Sungguh kebetulan yang malang bahwa ia berkunjung tepat pada peringatan tragedi ini.

“The doctors agree in ordering me complete rest, an absence of mental excitement, and avoidance of anything in the nature of violent physical exercise,” announced Framton, who laboured under the tolerably widespread delusion that total strangers and chance acquaintances are hungry for the least detail of one’s ailments and infirmities, their cause and cure. “On the matter of diet they are not so much in agreement,” he continued.

Terjemahan“Para dokter sepakat menyuruh saya beristirahat total, tanpa ketegangan pikiran, dan menghindari segala bentuk olahraga fisik yang keras,” kata Framton, yang termakan anggapan keliru yang cukup lazim bahwa orang yang sama sekali asing dan kenalan sepintas sangat haus akan detail sekecil apa pun tentang penyakit dan kelemahan seseorang, sebab dan obatnya. “Soal pola makan mereka tidak terlalu sepakat,” lanjutnya.

“No?” said Mrs. Sappleton, in a voice which only replaced a yawn at the last moment. Then she suddenly brightened into alert attention—but not to what Framton was saying.

Terjemahan“Oh ya?” kata Nyonya Sappleton, dengan suara yang baru pada detik terakhir menggantikan sebuah kuapan. Lalu mendadak wajahnya cerah oleh perhatian yang waspada — tetapi bukan pada apa yang dikatakan Framton.

“Here they are at last!” she cried. “Just in time for tea, and don’t they look as if they were muddy up to the eyes!”

Terjemahan“Akhirnya mereka datang juga!” serunya. “Pas untuk waktu minum teh, dan lihat, bukankah mereka tampak berlumpur sampai ke mata!”

Framton shivered slightly and turned towards the niece with a look intended to convey sympathetic comprehension. The child was staring out through the open window with dazed horror in her eyes. In a chill shock of nameless fear Framton swung round in his seat and looked in the same direction.

TerjemahanFramton bergidik sedikit dan berpaling kepada sang keponakan dengan tatapan yang dimaksudkan untuk menyampaikan pengertian yang penuh simpati. Anak itu menatap keluar lewat jendela terbuka dengan kengerian yang terpana di matanya. Diserang rasa takut yang dingin dan tak bernama, Framton memutar tubuh di kursinya dan memandang ke arah yang sama.

In the deepening twilight three figures were walking across the lawn towards the window; they all carried guns under their arms, and one of them was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: “I said, Bertie, why do you bound?”

TerjemahanDalam senja yang kian pekat, tiga sosok berjalan melintasi halaman rumput menuju jendela; semuanya membawa senapan terselip di bawah lengan, dan salah satunya menanggung beban tambahan berupa jas putih yang tersampir di bahunya. Seekor spaniel cokelat yang lelah mengikuti rapat di belakang mereka. Tanpa suara mereka mendekati rumah, lalu sebuah suara muda yang serak melantun dari kegelapan petang: “Kubilang, Bertie, mengapa kau melompat-lompat?”

Framton grabbed wildly at his stick and hat; the hall-door, the gravel-drive, and the front gate were dimly-noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run into the hedge to avoid an imminent collision.

TerjemahanFramton menyambar tongkat dan topinya dengan panik; pintu ruang depan, jalan berkerikil, dan gerbang depan hanyalah tahap-tahap samar dalam pelariannya yang membabi buta. Seorang pesepeda yang lewat di jalan terpaksa membanting setir ke pagar tanaman untuk menghindari tabrakan yang nyaris tak terelakkan.

“Here we are, my dear,” said the bearer of the white mackintosh, coming in through the window; “fairly muddy, but most of it’s dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?”

Terjemahan“Kami pulang, Sayang,” kata pembawa jas hujan putih itu sambil masuk lewat jendela; “lumayan berlumpur, tapi sebagian besar sudah kering. Siapa tadi yang kabur ketika kami datang?”

“A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel,” said Mrs. Sappleton; “could only talk about his illnesses, and dashed off without a word of good-bye or apology when you arrived. One would think he had seen a ghost.”

Terjemahan“Pria yang sungguh aneh, namanya Tuan Nuttel,” kata Nyonya Sappleton; “hanya bisa bicara tentang penyakit-penyakitnya, dan melesat pergi tanpa pamit atau minta maaf begitu kalian tiba. Orang bisa mengira ia baru saja melihat hantu.”

“I expect it was the spaniel,” said the niece calmly; “he told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunted into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Ganges by a pack of pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly dug grave with the creatures snarling and grinning and foaming just above him. Enough to make anyone lose their nerve.”

Terjemahan“Mungkin gara-gara spaniel itu,” kata sang keponakan dengan tenang; “katanya ia sangat takut pada anjing. Dulu ia pernah dikejar sampai ke sebuah pemakaman di suatu tempat di tepi Sungai Gangga oleh sekawanan anjing liar, dan harus bermalam di liang kubur yang baru digali, dengan binatang-binatang itu menggeram, menyeringai, dan berbusa tepat di atasnya. Cukup untuk membuat siapa pun kehilangan nyali.”

Romance at short notice was her speciality.

TerjemahanMengarang kisah khayal secara dadakan adalah keahliannya.