The officer, a tall, lean man of fifty, briefly5 questioned Dominique. Although he spoke6 remarkably7 pure French he had a stiffness altogether Prussian.
“Do you belong to this district?” he asked.
“No; I am a Belgian,” answered the young man.
“Why then did you take up arms? The fighting did not concern you!”
Dominique made no reply. At that moment the officer saw Francoise who was standing8 by, very pale, listening; upon her white forehead her slight wound had put a red bar. He looked at the young folks, one after the other, seemed to understand matters and contented9 himself with adding:
“You do not deny having fired, do you?”
“I fired as often as I could!” responded Dominique tranquilly10.
This confession12 was useless, for he was black with powder, covered with sweat and stained with a few drops of blood which had flowed from the scratch on his shoulder.
“Very well,” said the officer. “You will be shot in two hours!”
Francoise did not cry out. She clasped her hands and raised them with a gesture of mute despair. The officer noticed this gesture. Two soldiers had taken Dominique to a neighboring apartment, where they were to keep watch over him. The young girl had fallen upon a chair, totally overcome; she could not weep; she was suffocating13. The officer had continued to examine her. At last he spoke to her.
“Is that young man your brother?” he demanded.
She shook her head negatively. The German stood stiffly on his feet with out a smile. Then after a short silence he again asked:
“Has he lived long in the district?”
She nodded affirmatively.
“In that case, he ought to be thoroughly14 acquainted with the neighboring forests.”
This time she spoke.
“He is thoroughly acquainted with them, monsieur,” she said, looking at him with considerable surprise.
He said nothing further to her but turned upon his heel, demanding that the mayor of the village should be brought to him. But Francoise had arisen with a slight blush on her countenance15; thinking that she had seized the aim of the officer’s questions, she had recovered hope. She herself ran to find her father.
Pere Merlier, as soon as the firing had ceased, had quickly descended17 to the wooden gallery to examine his wheel. He adored his daughter; he had a solid friendship for Dominique, his future son-in-law, but his wheel also held a large place in his heart. Since the two young ones, as he called them, had come safe and sound out of the fight, he thought of his other tenderness, which had suffered greatly. Bent18 over the huge wooden carcass, he was studying its wounds with a sad air. Five buckets were shattered to pieces; the central framework was riddled19. He thrust his fingers in the bullet holes to measure their depth; he thought how he could repair all these injuries. Francoise found him already stopping up the clefts20 with rubbish and moss21.
“Father,” she said, “you are wanted.”
And she wept at last as she told him what she had just heard. Pere Merlier tossed his head. People were not shot in such a summary fashion. The matter must be looked after. He re-entered the mill with his silent and tranquil11 air. When the officer demanded of him provisions for his men he replied that the inhabitants of Rocreuse were not accustomed to be treated roughly and that nothing would be obtained from them if violence were employed. He would see to everything but on condition that he was not interfered22 with. The officer at first seemed irritated by his calm tone; then he gave way before the old man’s short and clear words. He even called him back and asked him:
“What is the name of that wood opposite?”
“The forest of Sauval.”
“What is its extent?”
The miller23 looked at him fixedly24.
“I do not know,” he answered.
And he went away. An hour later the contribution of war in provisions and money, demanded by the officer, was in the courtyard of the mill. Night came on. Francoise watched with anxiety the movements of the soldiers. She hung about the room in which Dominique was imprisoned25. Toward seven o’clock she experienced a poignant26 emotion. She saw the officer enter the prisoner’s apartment and for a quarter of an hour heard their voices in loud conversation. For an instant the officer reappeared upon the threshold to give an order in German, which she did not understand, but when twelve men ranged themselves in the courtyard, their guns on their shoulders, she trembled and felt as if about to faint. All then was over: the execution was going to take place. The twelve men stood there ten minutes, Dominique’s voice continuing to be raised in a tone of violent refusal. Finally the officer came out, saying, as he roughly shut the door:
“Very well; reflect. I give you until tomorrow morning.”
And with a gesture he ordered the twelve men to break ranks. Francoise was stupefied. Pere Merlier, who had been smoking his pipe and looking at the platoon simply with an air of curiosity, took her by the arm with paternal27 gentleness. He led her to her chamber28.
“Be calm,” he said, “and try to sleep. Tomorrow, when it is light, we will see what can be done.”
As he withdrew he prudently29 locked her in. It was his opinion that women were good for nothing and that they spoiled everything when they took a hand in a serious affair. But Francoise did not retire. She sat for a long while upon the side of her bed, listening to the noises of the house. The German soldiers encamped in the courtyard sang and laughed; they must have been eating and drinking until eleven o’clock, for the racket did not cease an instant. In the mill itself heavy footsteps resounded30 from time to time, without doubt those of the sentinels who were being relieved. But she was interested most by the sounds she could distinguish in the apartment beneath her chamber. Many times she stretched herself out at full length and put her ear to the floor. That apartment was the one in which Dominique was confined. He must have been walking back and forth31 from the window to the wall, for she long heard the regular cadence32 of his steps. Then deep silence ensued; he had doubtless seated himself. Finally every noise ceased and all was as if asleep. When slumber33 appeared to her to have settled on the house she opened her window as gently as possible and leaned her elbows on the sill.
Without, the night had a warm serenity34. The slender crescent of the moon, which was sinking behind the forest of Sauval, lit up the country with the glimmer35 of a night lamp. The lengthened36 shadows of the tall trees barred the meadows with black, while the grass in uncovered spots assumed the softness of greenish velvet37. But Francoise did not pause to admire the mysterious charms of the night. She examined the country, searching for the sentinels whom the Germans had posted obliquely38. She clearly saw their shadows extending like the rounds of a ladder along the Morelle. Only one was before the mill, on the other shore of the river, beside a willow39, the branches of which dipped in the water. Francoise saw him plainly. He was a tall man and was standing motionless, his face turned toward the sky with the dreamy air of a shepherd.
When she had carefully inspected the locality she again seated herself on her bed. She remained there an hour, deeply absorbed. Then she listened once more: there was not a sound in the mill. She returned to the window and glanced out, but doubtless one of the horns of the moon, which was still visible behind the trees, made her uneasy, for she resumed her waiting attitude. At last she thought the proper time had come. The night was as black as jet; she could no longer see the sentinel opposite; the country spread out like a pool of ink. She strained her ear for an instant and made her decision. Passing near the window was an iron ladder, the bars fastened to the wall, which mounted from the wheel to the garret and formerly40 enabled the millers41 to reach certain machinery42; afterward43 the mechanism44 had been altered, and for a long while the ladder had been hidden under the thick ivy45 which covered that side of the mill.
Francoise bravely climbed out of her window and grasped one of the bars of the ladder. She began to descend16. Her skirts embarrassed her greatly. Suddenly a stone was detached from the wall and fell into the Morelle with a loud splash. She stopped with an icy shiver of fear. Then she realized that the waterfall with its continuous roar would drown every noise she might make, and she descended more courageously47, feeling the ivy with her foot, assuring herself that the rounds were firm. When she was at the height of the chamber which served as Dominique’s prison she paused. An unforeseen difficulty nearly caused her to lose all her courage: the window of the chamber was not directly below that of her apartment. She hung off from the ladder, but when she stretched out her arm her hand encountered only the wall. Must she, then, ascend48 without pushing her plan to completion? Her arms were fatigued49; the murmur50 of the Morelle beneath her commenced to make her dizzy. Then she tore from the wall little fragments of plaster and threw them against Dominique’s window. He did not hear; he was doubtless asleep. She crumbled51 more plaster from the wall, scraping the skin off her fingers. She was utterly52 exhausted53; she felt herself falling backward, when Dominique at last softly opened the window.
“It is I!” she murmured. “Catch me quickly; I’m falling!”
It was the first time that she had addressed him familiarly. Leaning out, he seized her and drew her into the chamber. There she gave vent3 to a flood of tears, stifling54 her sobs55 that she might not be heard. Then by a supreme56 effort she calmed herself.
“Are you guarded?” she asked in a low voice.
Dominique, still stupefied at seeing her thus, nodded his head affirmatively, pointing to the door. On the other side they heard someone snoring; the sentinel, yielding to sleep, had thrown himself on the floor against the door, arguing that by disposing himself thus the prisoner could not escape.
“You must fly,” resumed Francoise excitedly. “I have come to beg you to do so and to bid you farewell.”
But he did not seem to hear her. He repeated:
“What? Is it you; is it you? Oh, what fear you caused me! You might have killed yourself!”
He seized her hands; he kissed them.
“How I love you, Francoise!” he murmured. “You are as courageous46 as good. I had only one dread57: that I should die without seeing you again. But you are here, and now they can shoot me. When I have passed a quarter of an hour with you I shall be ready.”
Little by little he had drawn58 her to him, and she leaned her head upon his shoulder. The danger made them dearer to each other. They forgot everything in that warm clasp.
“Ah, Francoise,” resumed Dominique in a caressing59 voice, “this is Saint Louis’s Day, the day, so long awaited, of our marriage. Nothing has been able to separate us, since we are both here alone, faithful to the appointment. Is not this our wedding morning?”
“Yes, yes,” she repeated, “it is our wedding morning.”
They tremblingly exchanged a kiss. But all at once she disengaged herself from Dominique’s arms; she remembered the terrible reality.
“You must fly; you must fly,” she whispered. “There is not a minute to be lost!”
And as he stretched out his arms in the darkness to clasp her again, she said tenderly:
“Oh, I implore60 you to listen to me! If you die I shall die also! In an hour it will be light. I want you to go at once.”
Then rapidly she explained her plan. The iron ladder descended to the mill wheel; there he could climb down the buckets and get into the boat which was hidden away in a nook. Afterward it would be easy for him to reach the other bank of the river and escape.
“But what of the sentinels?” he asked.
“There is only one, opposite, at the foot of the first willow.”
“What if he should see me and attempt to give an alarm?”
Francoise shivered. She placed in his hand a knife she had brought with her. There was a brief silence.
“What is to become of your father and yourself?” resumed Dominique. “No, I cannot fly! When I am gone those soldiers will, perhaps, massacre61 you both! You do not know them. They offered me my life if I would consent to guide them through the forest of Sauval. When they discover my escape they will be capable of anything!”
The young girl did not stop to argue. She said simply in reply to all the reasons he advanced:
“Out of love for me, fly! If you love me, Dominique, do not remain here another moment!”
Then she promised to climb back to her chamber. No one would know that she had helped him. She finally threw her arms around him to convince him with an embrace, with a burst of extraordinary love. He was vanquished62. He asked but one more question:
“Can you swear to me that your father knows what you have done and that he advises me to fly?”
“My father sent me!” answered Francoise boldly.
She told a falsehood. At that moment she had only one immense need: to know that he was safe, to escape from the abominable63 thought that the sun would be the signal for his death. When he was far away every misfortune might fall upon her; that would seem delightful64 to her from the moment he was secure. The selfishness of her tenderness desired that he should live before everything.
“Very well,” said Dominique; “I will do what you wish.”
They said nothing more. Dominique reopened the window. But suddenly a sound froze them. The door was shaken, and they thought that it was about to be opened. Evidently a patrol had heard their voices. Standing locked in each other’s arms, they waited in unspeakable anguish65. The door was shaken a second time, but it did not open. They uttered low sighs of relief; they comprehended that the soldier who was asleep against the door must have turned over. In fact, silence succeeded; the snoring was resumed.
Dominique exacted that Francoise should ascend to her chamber before he departed. He clasped her in his arms and bade her a mute adieu. Then he aided her to seize the ladder and clung to it in his turn. But he refused to descend a single round until convinced that she was in her apartment. When Francoise had entered her window she let fall in a voice as light as a breath:
“Au revoir, my love!”
She leaned her elbows on the sill and strove to follow Dominique with her eyes. The night was yet very dark. She searched for the sentinel but could not see him; the willow alone made a pale stain in the midst of the gloom. For an instant she heard the sound produced by Dominique’s body in passing along the ivy. Then the wheel cracked, and there was a slight agitation66 in the water which told her that the young man had found the boat. A moment afterward she distinguished67 the somber68 silhouette69 of the bateau on the gray surface of the Morelle. Terrible anguish seized upon her. Each instant she thought she heard the sentinel’s cry of alarm; the smallest sounds scattered70 through the gloom seemed to her the hurried tread of soldiers, the clatter71 of weapons, the charging of guns. Nevertheless, the seconds elapsed and the country maintained its profound peace. Dominique must have reached the other side of the river. Francoise saw nothing more. The silence was majestic72. She heard a shuffling73 of feet, a hoarse74 cry and the hollow fall of a body. Afterward the silence grew deeper. Then as if she had felt Death pass by, she stood, chilled through and through, staring into the thick night.
点击收听单词发音
1 militia | |
n.民兵,民兵组织 | |
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2 belligerents | |
n.交战的一方(指国家、集团或个人)( belligerent的名词复数 ) | |
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3 vent | |
n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄 | |
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4 levy | |
n.征收税或其他款项,征收额 | |
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5 briefly | |
adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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6 spoke | |
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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7 remarkably | |
ad.不同寻常地,相当地 | |
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8 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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9 contented | |
adj.满意的,安心的,知足的 | |
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10 tranquilly | |
adv. 宁静地 | |
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11 tranquil | |
adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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12 confession | |
n.自白,供认,承认 | |
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13 suffocating | |
a.使人窒息的 | |
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14 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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15 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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16 descend | |
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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17 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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18 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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19 riddled | |
adj.布满的;充斥的;泛滥的v.解谜,出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
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20 clefts | |
n.裂缝( cleft的名词复数 );裂口;cleave的过去式和过去分词;进退维谷 | |
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21 moss | |
n.苔,藓,地衣 | |
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22 interfered | |
v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 );调停;妨碍;干涉 | |
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23 miller | |
n.磨坊主 | |
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24 fixedly | |
adv.固定地;不屈地,坚定不移地 | |
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25 imprisoned | |
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26 poignant | |
adj.令人痛苦的,辛酸的,惨痛的 | |
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27 paternal | |
adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的 | |
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28 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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29 prudently | |
adv. 谨慎地,慎重地 | |
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30 resounded | |
v.(指声音等)回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 );产生回响;(指某处)回荡着声音 | |
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31 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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32 cadence | |
n.(说话声调的)抑扬顿挫 | |
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33 slumber | |
n.睡眠,沉睡状态 | |
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34 serenity | |
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗 | |
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35 glimmer | |
v.发出闪烁的微光;n.微光,微弱的闪光 | |
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36 lengthened | |
(时间或空间)延长,伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37 velvet | |
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 | |
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38 obliquely | |
adv.斜; 倾斜; 间接; 不光明正大 | |
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39 willow | |
n.柳树 | |
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40 formerly | |
adv.从前,以前 | |
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41 millers | |
n.(尤指面粉厂的)厂主( miller的名词复数 );磨房主;碾磨工;铣工 | |
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42 machinery | |
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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43 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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44 mechanism | |
n.机械装置;机构,结构 | |
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45 ivy | |
n.常青藤,常春藤 | |
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46 courageous | |
adj.勇敢的,有胆量的 | |
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47 courageously | |
ad.勇敢地,无畏地 | |
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48 ascend | |
vi.渐渐上升,升高;vt.攀登,登上 | |
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49 fatigued | |
adj. 疲乏的 | |
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50 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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51 crumbled | |
(把…)弄碎, (使)碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 ); 衰落; 坍塌; 损坏 | |
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52 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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53 exhausted | |
adj.极其疲惫的,精疲力尽的 | |
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54 stifling | |
a.令人窒息的 | |
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55 sobs | |
啜泣(声),呜咽(声)( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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56 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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57 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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58 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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59 caressing | |
爱抚的,表现爱情的,亲切的 | |
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60 implore | |
vt.乞求,恳求,哀求 | |
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61 massacre | |
n.残杀,大屠杀;v.残杀,集体屠杀 | |
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62 vanquished | |
v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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63 abominable | |
adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
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64 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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65 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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66 agitation | |
n.搅动;搅拌;鼓动,煽动 | |
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67 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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68 somber | |
adj.昏暗的,阴天的,阴森的,忧郁的 | |
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69 silhouette | |
n.黑色半身侧面影,影子,轮廓;v.描绘成侧面影,照出影子来,仅仅显出轮廓 | |
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70 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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71 clatter | |
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
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72 majestic | |
adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的 | |
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73 shuffling | |
adj. 慢慢移动的, 滑移的 动词shuffle的现在分词形式 | |
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74 hoarse | |
adj.嘶哑的,沙哑的 | |
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