Lesson 12 Which Was Witch?

In Korea, there once lived a wise and learned man named Kim Su-ik, whose mind was entirely taken up with study and books. One night he was absorbed in studying a Chinese classic when he suddenly felt hungry. He clapped his hands to summon a servant; immediately his door opened, and his wife stepped in. “What does the master of the house desire?” she asked.

“Food,” he replied briefly, his attention once again on his book.

“There is nothing much in the house but roasted chestnuts,” she said. “If they will satisfy you, I w ill bring them to you myself, for the servants have all gone to bed.”

Kim Su-ik grunted^① his approval and went on with his studies. Soon the door opened again and his wife came in carrying a brass bow l full of hot roasted chestnuts. He helped himself to one and was just putting it into his mouth when once more the door opened and in stepped his wife with a brass bow l full of hot roasted chestnuts.

But his wife was already there, standing beside him with the bow l in her hands! Kim Su-ik, with a chestnut halfway into his mouth, looked in astonishment from one to the other of the women. They were as like as two pins—faces, features, figures, clothes, everything. Never were twins more completely alike!

He passed his hands before his eyes. “I must have overdone my studying,” he thought to himself. “My eyes are playing tricks on me—they are making me see double!”

But when he looked again, the two women were still there, and what was stranger still, they did not seem aware of each other. Both stood quietly, gracefully, their eyes fastened upon him as if waiting to know his pleasure.

Kim Su-ik leaped to his feet, choking back the cry of terror that rose in his throat. He knew suddenly exactly what this meant. It was midnight, the moon was full, and ghosts, w itches, and goblins^② would be abroad^③, filled with evil power. One of these two creatures standing before him was his wife, known and loved by him all his wedded life. The other must be a w itch, able to change into any form she chose at the tw inkling of an eye!

But which was which? How could he protect his wife and drive the evil double away? Being a quick thinker as well as a w ise one, Kim Su-ik sprang into action. He seized the arm of one of the women with his right hand and the arm of the other with his left hand. They both turned mildly reproachful^④ eyes upon him but made no effort to free themselves.

“My dear,” said one, “too much study has fevered your brow.”

“My dear,” said the other, “too much reading of books has affected your mind.”

Kim Su-ik looked from one to the other, but from neither could he get a hint as to which was wife and which was w itch. He shook them gently, but they smiled indulgently^⑤ as at a child. He shook harder, yet neither one seemed resentful or struggled to get free. He was tempted to relax his grip on the two arms but he knew he must not for a moment do that.

Minutes went by, then hours, the dull slow-moving hours between m idnight and cockcrow, while the three stood motionless, silent, in the same spot. Kim Su-ik grew weary beyond words, and he knew his wife, too, must be weary, but neither of the two women showed emotion at all.

Kim Su-ik was very troubled indeed, for it wasn’t like his wife not to say or do something. What in the world had gotten into her? Was she be w itched, or could she be walking in her sleep? Perhaps she was not either one of these women—maybe they were both evil spirits! He wanted to rush into the other part of the house to see if his wife was there, thus proving that both of these creatures beside him were w itches. But he did not move, just hung on, grim ly, silently.

At long last a cock crowed. Instantly the woman at his left tried to w rench^⑥ her arm free while the other remained absolutely quiet.

Kim Su-ik released the unresisting one and threw all his strength into a struggle with the other. Like a w ild thing, the creature fought—biting, snarling^⑦, spitting, leaping back and forth. Still Kim Su-ik held on to her, unw illing to let her go free.

The arm in his hand shrank and grew hairy, the whole figure dw indled, and the eyes grew round and green and blazed with fury. Another cock crowed and another, and the first gray light of dawn melted the dark shadows out of doors. But Kim Su-ik did not notice the coming of morning. With a hideous shriek^⑧ the creature changed before his very eyes into a powerful w ildcat. In horror he loosed his hold, and she leaped through the w indow and was gone.

“I still think you are studying too much,”said a quiet, familiar voice behind him. He turned around and saw his wife, pale, trembling a little, but sm iling confidently.

“Why didn’t you let me know which was which?” demanded Kim Su-ik.

His wife laughed. “I don’t know what you are talking about. You behaved very strangely, but then one never knows what to expect of a scholar. Which was which what?”

“Witch!” said Kim Su-ik.

Notes

① grunt [ɡrʌnt] vt. 咕哝着说；发哼声，咕哝

② goblin [ˑɡɒblɪn] n. 小妖精，丑妖精

③ abroad [əˑbrɔ:d] adv. 广为流传地; 到国外，在海外

④ reproach ful [rɪˑprəʊtʃfl] adj. 责备的，斥责的

⑤ indulgently [ɪnˑdʌldʒəntlɪ] adv. 放纵地，纵容地

⑥ wrench [rentʃ] vt. 扭伤；扭转；歪曲

n. 扳手；扭伤

⑦ snarl [snɑ:l] vi. （动物）吠，嗥叫；（人）咆哮；缠结

⑧ shriek [ʃri:k] n. 尖叫声；尖锐的声音

Exercises

Ⅰ. How well did you read?

1. [Check the details] Kim first realized that there was w itch in the house when___.

A. he called for food and his wife said there was nothing but chestnuts

B. he thought his wife came in tw ice

C. he saw two wom en side by side

2. [Note the fact] The first thing Kim did was to___.

A. look for his wife in the other rooms

B. catch hold of both women

C. look for a hint of which his wife was

3. [Evaluate the information] During the time the w itch was in the house, the wife seemed___.

A. to be impatient with Kim’s strange actions

B. to be too frightened to speak

C. not to know there was a w itch

4. [Note the reason] The w itch struggled to free herself because___.

A. Kim Su-ik had guessed the truth

B. the true wife had revealed herself

C. daylight had arrived

5. [Draw a conclusion] Kim Su-ik was___.

A. a believer in witchcraft

B. a serious scholar

C. both A and B

6. [Draw a conclusion] One outstanding trait of Korean wives is___.

A. smart 　B. a sense of humor 　C. obedience

7. [Draw a conclusion] This story probably came from a___.

A. great Chinese classic

B. book of folk tales and fables

C. newspaper report

Ⅱ. Read for words and exp ressions

1. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined words.

(1) They were as like as two pins—faces, features, figures, clothes, everything. (Para. 5)

A. numerical symbols; numbers

B.designs and patterns

C. human forms

(2) Minutes went by, then hours, the dull slow-moving hours between midnight and cockcrow, while the three stood motionless, silent, in the same spot. (Para. 13)

A. blunt; not pointed 　B. boring 　C. stupid

(3) Kim Su-ik grew weary beyond words, and he knew his wife, too, must be weary, but neither of the two women showed emotion at all. (Para. 13)

A. tired 　B. uninterested 　C. broken

(4) At long last a cock crowed. (Para. 15)

A. boasted 　B. expressed pleasure 　C. made the cry of a rooster

(5) …the eyes grew round and green and blazed with fury. (Para. 17)

A. sound 　B. fire

C. violent or very strong anger

2. Choose one best paraphrase for the underlined expression.

In Korea, there once lived a w ise and learned man named Kim Su-ik, whose mind was entirely taken up with study and books. (Para. 1)

A. busy and fully occupied with

B. supported

C. interested in

language box

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