Des. — Talk you of killing2?’
Oth. — Ay, I do.
Des. — Then, heaven
Have mercy on me!
OTHELLO.
I quivered with shame, for I felt my heart sink. But there was no pause in the smooth, sarcastic3 tones behind me. “When a man persists in judging of his duty contrary to the dictates4 of reason, he must expect restraint from those who understand his position better than he does himself.”
“Then,” quoth I, with suddenly acquired strength, “I am to understand that the respectable family of Pollard finds itself willing to resort to the means and methods of highwaymen in order to compass its ends and teach me my duty.”
“You are,” a determined5 voice returned.
At that word, uttered as it was in a tone inexorable as fate, my last ray of hope went out. The voice was that of a woman.
I however, made a strong effort for the preservation6 of my dignity and person.
“And will Samuel Pollard’s oldest and best-beloved son, the kind~hearted and honest Dwight, lend himself to a scheme of common fraud and violence?” I asked.
The reply came in his brother’s most sarcastic tones. “Dwight has left us,” he declared. “We have no need of honesty or kind~heartedness here. What we want for this business is an immovable determination.”
Startled, I looked up. The lantern which had hitherto swung from the hand of my guide stood on the floor. By its light three things were visible. First, that we stood at the head of a staircase descending7 into a depth of darkness which the eye could not pierce; secondly8, that in all the area about me but two persons stood; and third, that of these two persons one of them was masked and clad in a long black garment, such as is worn at masquerade balls under the name of a domino. Struck with an icy chill, I looked down again. Why had I allowed myself to be caught in such a trap? Why had I not followed Mr. Nicholls immediately to Boston when I heard that he was no longer in town? Or, better still, why had I not manufactured for myself a safeguard in the form of a letter to that gentleman, informing him of the important document which I held, and the danger in which it possibly stood from the family into whose toils10 I had now fallen? I could have cursed myself for my dereliction.
“David Barrows,” came in imperative11 tones from the masked figure, “will you tell us where this will is?”
“No,” I returned.
“Is it not on your person?” the inquisitorial voice pursued.
“It is not,” I answered, firmly, thankful that I spoke12 the truth in this.
“It is in your rooms, then; in your desk, perhaps?”
I remained silent.
“Is it in your rooms?” the indomitable woman proceeded.
“You who have been there should know,” I replied, feeling my courage rise, as I considered that they could not assail13 my honor, while my life without my secret would benefit them so little that it might be said to stand in no danger.
“I do not understand you,” the icy voice declared; while Guy, stepping forward, planted his hand firmly on my shoulder and said:
“Wherever it is, it shall be delivered to our keeping to-night. We are in no mood for dallying14. Either you will give us your solemn promise to obtain this will, and hand it over to us without delay and without scandal, or the free light of heaven is shut out from you forever. You shall never leave this mill.”
“But,” I faltered15, striving in vain to throw off the incubus16 of horror which his words invoked17, “what good would my death do you? Could it put Mr. Pollard’s will in your hands?”
“Yes,” was the brief and decided18 reply, “if it is anywhere in your rooms.”
It was a word that struck home. The will was in my rooms, and I already saw it, in my imagination, torn from its hiding-place by the unscrupulous hand that held me.
Mastering my emotion with what spirit I could, I looked quickly about me. Was there no means of escape? I saw none. In the remote and solitary19 place which they had chosen for this desperate attempt, a cry would be but waste breath, even if we were in that part of the mill which looked toward the road. But we were not; on the contrary, I could see by the aid of the faint glimmer20 which the lantern sent forth21, that the room in which we had halted was as far as possible from the front of the building, for its windows were obscured by the brush-wood which only grew against the back of the mill. To call out, then, would be folly22, while to seek by any force or strategy to break away from the two relentless23 beings that controlled me could only end in failure, unless darkness would come to my aid and hide my road of escape. But darkness could only come by the extinguishing of the lantern, and that it was impossible for me to effect; for I was not strong enough to struggle in its direction with Guy Pollard, nor could I reach it by any stretch of foot or hand. The light must burn and I must stay there, unless — the thought came suddenly — I could take advantage of the flight of steps at the head of which I stood, and by a sudden leap, gain the cellar, where I would stand a good chance of losing myself amid intricacies as little known to them as to myself. But to do this I must be free to move, and there was no shaking myself loose from the iron clutch that held me.
“You see you are in our power,” hissed24 the voice of the woman from between the motionless lips of her black mask.
“I see I am,” I acknowledged, “but I also see that you are in that of God.” And I looked severely25 towards her, only to drop my eyes again with an irrepressible shudder26.
For, lay it to my weakness or to the baleful influence which emanated27 from the whole ghostly place, there was something absolutely appalling28 in this draped and masked figure with its gleaming eyes and cold, thin voice.
“Shall we have what we want before your death or after?” proceeded Guy Pollard, with a calm but cold ignoring of my words that was more threatening than any rudeness.
I did not answer at first, and his grip upon me tightened29; but next moment, from what motive30 I cannot say, it somewhat relaxed; and, startled, with the hope of freedom, I exclaimed with a vehemence31 for which my former speech must have little prepared them:
“You shall not have it at all. I cannot break my word with your father, and I will not stay here to be threatened and killed;” and making a sudden movement, I slipped from his grasp, and plunged32 down the steps into the darkness below.
But, scarcely had my feet touched the cellar floor, before I heard the warning cry shrill33 out from above:
“Take care! There is an open vat before you. If you fall into that, we shall be free of your interference without lifting a hand.”
An open vat! I had heard of the vats34 in the old mill’s cellar. Instinctively35 recoiling36, I stood still, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. At the same moment I heard the sound of steps descending the stairs.
“So you think this a better place for decision than the floor above?” exclaimed Guy Pollard, drawing up by my side. “Well, I not sure but you are right,” he added; and I saw by the light of the lantern which his companion now brought down the stairs, the cold glimmer of a smile cross his thin lips and shine for a moment from his implacable eyes. Not knowing what he meant, I glanced anxiously about, and shrank with dismay as I discerned the black hole of the vat he had mentioned, yawning within three feet of my side. Was it a dream, my presence in this fearful spot? I looked at the long stretch of arches before me glooming away into the darkness beyond us, and felt the chill of a nameless horror settle upon my spirit.
Was it because I knew those circles of blackness held many another such pit of doom37 as that into which I had so nearly stumbled? Or was it that the grisly aspect of the scene woke within me that slumbering38 demon39 of the imagination which is the bane of natures like mine.
Whatever it was, I felt the full force of my position, and scarcely cared whether my voice trembled or not as I replied:
“You surely have me in your hands; but that does not mean that it is I who must make a decision. If I understand the situation, it is for you to say whether you will be murderers or not.”
“Then you do not intend to put us in possession of my father’s will?”
“No,” I murmured, and bowed my head for the blow I expected from him.
But he dealt me no blow. Instead of that he eyed me with a look which grew more and more sinister41 as I met his glance with one which I meant should convey my indomitable resolution. At last he spoke again:
“I think you will reconsider your determination,” said he, with a meaning I did not even then fathom42, and exchanging a quick glance with the silent figure at his right, he leaned towards me and — what happened? For a moment I could not tell, but soon, only too soon, I recognized by my stunned43 and bleeding body, by the closeness of the air I suddenly breathed, and by the circle of darkness that shut about me, and the still more distinct circle of light that glimmered44 above, that I had been pushed into the pit whose yawning mouth had but a few short moments before awakened45 in me such dismay.
Aghast, almost mad with the horror of a fate so much more terrible than any I had anticipated, I strove to utter a cry; but my tongue refused its office, and nothing but an inarticulate murmur40 rose from my lips. It was not piercing enough to clear the edge of the vat, and my soul sunk with despair as I heard its fruitless gurgle and realized by the sound of departing steps, and the faint and fainter glimmer of the circle of light which at my first glance had shone quite brightly above my hideous46 prison-house, that my persecutors had done their worst and were now leaving me alone in my trap to perish.
God! what an instant it was! To speak, to shriek47, to call, nay48 plead for aid, was but the natural outcome of the overwhelming anguish49 I felt, but the sound of steps had died out into an awful stillness, and the glimmering50 circle upon which my staring eyes were fixed51 had faded into a darkness so utter and complete, that had the earth been piled above my head, I could not have been more wholly hidden from the light.
I had fallen on my knees, and desperate as I was, had made no attempt to rise. Not that I thought of prayer, unless my whole dazed and horrified52 being was a prayer. The consolations53 which I had offered to others did not seem to meet this case. Here was no death in the presence of friends and under the free light of heaven. This was a horror. The hand of God which could reach every other mortal, whatever their danger or doom, seemed to stop short at this gate of hell. I could not even imagine my soul escaping thence. I was buried; body and soul, I was buried and yet I was alive and knew that I must remain alive for days if not for weeks.
I do not suppose that I remained in this frightful54 condition of absolute hopelessness for more than five minutes, but it seemed to me an eternity55. If a drowning man can review his life in an instant, what was there not left for me to think and suffer in the lapse56 of those five horrible minutes? I was young when the unscrupulous hand of this daring murderer pushed me into this pit; I was old when with a thrill of joy such as passes over the body but once In a life~time, I heard a voice issue from the darkness, saying severely, “David Barrows, are you prepared for a decision now?” and realized that like the light which now sprang into full brilliance57 above my head, hope had come again into my life, and that I had to speak but a dozen words to have sunshine and liberty restored to me.
The rush of emotion which this startling change brought was almost too much for my reason. Looking up into the sardonic58 face, I could now discern peering over the edge of the vat, I asked with a frantic59 impulse that left me no time for thought, if an immediate9 restoration to freedom would follow my compliance60 with his wishes, and when he answered: “Yes,” I beheld61 such a vision of sunshiny fields and a happy, love-lighted home, that my voice almost choked as I responded, that I did not think his father would have wished me to sacrifice my life or force a son of his into the crime of murder, for the sake of any reparation which money could offer. And as I saw the face above me grow impatient, I told in desperate haste where I had concealed62 the will and how it could be obtained without arousing the suspicions of my neighbors.
He seemed satisfied and hastily withdrew his face; but soon returned and asked for the key of my house. I had it in my pocket and hurriedly pitched it up to him, when he again disappeared.
“When shall I be released?” I anxiously called out after him.
But no answer came back, and presently the light began to fade as before, and the sound of steps grow fainter and fainter till silence and darkness again settled upon my dreadful prison-house.
But this time I had hope to brighten me, and shutting my eyes, I waited patiently. But at last, as no change came and the silence and darkness remained unbroken, I became violently alarmed and cried to myself: “Am I the victim of their treachery? Have they obtained what they want and now am I to be left here to perish?”
The thought made my hair stand on end and had I not been a God~fearing man I should certainly have raised my voice in curses upon my credulity and lack of courage. But before my passion could reach its height, hope shone again in the shape of returning light. Some one had entered the cellar and drawn63 near the edge of the vat; but though I strained my gaze upward, no face met my view, and presently I heard a voice which was not that of Guy Pollard utter in tones of surprise and apprehension64:
“Where is the clergyman? Guy said I should find him here in good condition?”
The masked figure, who was doubtless the one addressed, must have answered with a gesture towards the hole in which I lay, for I heard him give vent65 to a horrified exclamation66 and then say in accents of regret and shame: “Was it necessary?” and afterwards: “Are you sure he is not injured?”
The answer, which I did not hear, seemed to satisfy him, for he said no more, and soon, too soon, walked away again, carrying the light and leaving me, as I now knew, with that ominous67 black figure for my watch and guardian68 — a horror that lent a double darkness to the situation which was only relieved now by the thought that Dwight Pollard’s humanity was to be relied on, and that he would never wantonly leave me there to perish after the will had been discovered and destroyed.
It was well that I had this confidence, for the time I now had to wait was long. But I lived it through and at last had the joy of hearing footsteps and the voice of Guy saying in a dry and satisfied tone: “It is all right,” after which the face of Dwight looked over the edge of the vat and he gave me the help which was needed to lift me out.
I was a free man again. I had slipped from the gates of hell, and the world with all its joys and duties lay before me bright and beautiful as love and hope could make it. Yet whether it was the gloom of the cellar in which we still lingered, or the baleful influence that emanated, from the three persons in whose presence I once more stood, I felt a strange sinking at my heart and found myself looking back at the pit from which I had just escaped, with a sensation of remorse69, as if in its horrid70 depths I had left or lost something which must create a void within me forever.
My meditations71 in this regard were interrupted by the voice of Guy.
“David Barrows,” said he, “we hold the paper which was given you by my father.”
I bowed with a slight intimation of impatience72.
“We have looked at it and it is as he said, his will. But it is not such a one as we feared, and to-morrow, or as soon as we can restore the seal, we shall return it to you for such disposition73 as your judgment74 suggests.”
I stared at him in an amazement75 that made me forget my shame.
“You will give it back?” I repeated.
“To-morrow,” he laconically76 replied.
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收听单词发音
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1
vat
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| n.(=value added tax)增值税，大桶 | |
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2
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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sarcastic
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| adj.讥讽的，讽刺的，嘲弄的 | |
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4
dictates
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| n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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5
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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preservation
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| n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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9
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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toils
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| 网 | |
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imperative
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| n.命令，需要；规则；祈使语气；adj.强制的；紧急的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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13
assail
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| v.猛烈攻击，抨击，痛斥 | |
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dallying
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| v.随随便便地对待( dally的现在分词 )；不很认真地考虑；浪费时间；调情 | |
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15
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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incubus
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| n.负担；恶梦 | |
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invoked
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| v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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hissed
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| 发嘶嘶声( hiss的过去式和过去分词 )； 发嘘声表示反对 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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emanated
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的过去式和过去分词 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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shrill
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| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
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vats
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| varieties 变化，多样性，种类 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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recoiling
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| v.畏缩( recoil的现在分词 )；退缩；报应；返回 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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43
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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glimmered
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| v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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46
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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48
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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49
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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50
glimmering
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| n.微光，隐约的一瞥adj.薄弱地发光的v.发闪光，发微光( glimmer的现在分词 ) | |
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51
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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52
horrified
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| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
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53
consolations
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| n.安慰，慰问( consolation的名词复数 )；起安慰作用的人（或事物） | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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55
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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56
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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57
brilliance
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| n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智 | |
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sardonic
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| adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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61
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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62
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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63
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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66
exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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67
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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68
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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69
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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70
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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71
meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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72
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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73
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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74
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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75
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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laconically
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| adv.简短地，简洁地 | |
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