I advanced eagerly. It was the Countess. She did not speak, but gave me her hand, and I led her to the scene of our last interview. She repressed the ardor3 of my impassioned greeting with a gentle but peremptory4 firmness. She removed her hood5, shook back her beautiful hair, and, gazing on me with sad and glowing eyes, sighed deeply. Some awful thought seemed to weigh upon her,
“Richard, I must speak plainly. The crisis of my life has come. I am sure you would defend me. I think you pity me; perhaps you even love me.”
At these words I became eloquent6, as young madmen in my plight7 do. She silenced me, however, with the same melancholy8 firmness.
“Listen, dear friend, and then say whether you can aid me. How madly I am trusting you; and yet my heart tells me how wisely! To meet you here as I do — what insanity9 it seems! How poorly you must think of me! But when you know all, you will judge me fairly. Without your aid I cannot accomplish my purpose. That purpose unaccomplished, I must die. I am chained to a man whom I despise — whom I abhor10. I have resolved to fly. I have jewels, principally diamonds, for which I am offered thirty thousand pounds of your English money. They are my separate property by my marriage settlement; I will take them with me. You are a judge, no doubt, of jewels. I was counting mine when the hour came, and brought this in my hand to show you. Look.”
“It is magnificent!” I exclaimed, as a collar of diamonds twinkled and flashed in the moonlight, suspended from her pretty fingers. I thought, even at that tragic11 moment, that she prolonged the show, with a feminine delight in these brilliant toys.
“Yes,” she said, “I shall part with them all. I will turn them into money and break, forever, the unnatural12 and wicked bonds that tied me, in the name of a sacrament, to a tyrant13. A man young, handsome, generous, brave, as you, can hardly be rich. Richard, you say you love me; you shall share all this with me. We will fly together to Switzerland; we will evade14 pursuit; in powerful friends will intervene and arrange a separation, and shall, at length, be happy and reward my hero.”
You may suppose the style, florid and vehement15, in which poured forth16 my gratitude17, vowed18 the devotion of my life, and placed myself absolutely at her disposal.
“Tomorrow night,” she said, “my husband will attend the remains19 of his cousin, Monsieur de St. Amand, to Père la Chaise. The hearse, he says, will leave this at half-past nine. You must be here, where we stand, at nine o’clock.”
I promised punctual obedience20.
“I will not meet you here; but you see a red light in the window of the tower at that angle of the chateau21?”
I assented22.
“I placed it there, that, tomorrow night, when it comes, you may recognize it. So soon as that rose-colored light appears at that window, it will be a signal to you that the funeral has left the chateau, and that you may approach safely. Come, then, to that window; I will open it and admit you. Five minutes after a carriage-carriage, with four horses, shall stand ready in the porte-cochère. I will place my diamonds in your hands; and so soon as we enter the carriage our flight commences. We shall have at least five hours’ start; and with energy, stratagem23, and resource, I fear nothing. Are you ready to undertake all this for my sake?”
Again I vowed myself her slave.
“My only difficulty,” she said, “is how we shall quickly enough convert my diamonds into money; I dare not remove them while my husband is in the house.”
Here was the opportunity I wished for. I now told her that I had in my banker’s hands no less a sum than thirty thousand pounds, with which, in the shape of gold and notes, I should come furnished, and thus the risk and loss of disposing of her diamonds in too much haste would be avoided.
“Good Heaven!” she exclaimed, with a kind of disappointment. “You are rich, then? and I have lost the felicity of making my generous friend more happy. Be it so! since so it must be. Let us contribute, each, in equal shares, to our common fund. Bring you, your money; I, my jewels. There is a happiness to me even in mingling24 my resources with yours.”
On this there followed a romantic colloquy25, all poetry and passion, such as I should in vain endeavor to reproduce. Then came a very special instruction.
“I have come provided, too, with a key, the use of which I must explain.”
It was a double key — a long, slender stem, with a key at each end — one about the size which opens an ordinary room door; the other as small, almost, as the key of a dressing-case.
“You cannot employ too much caution tomorrow night. An interruption would murder all my hopes. I have learned that you occupy the haunted room in the Dragon Volant. It is the very room I would have wished you in. I will tell you why — there is a story of a man who, having shut himself up in that room one night, disappeared before morning. The truth is, he wanted, I believe, to escape from creditors26; and the host of the Dragon Volant at that time, being a rogue27, aided him in absconding28. My husband investigated the matter, and discovered how his escape was made. It was by means of this key. Here is a memorandum29 and a plan describing how they are to be applied30. I have taken them from the Count’s escritoire. And now, once more I must leave to your ingenuity31 how to mystify the people at the Dragon Volant. Be sure you try the keys first, to see that the locks turn freely. I will have my jewels ready. You, whatever we divide, had better bring your money, because it may be many months before you can revisit Paris, or disclose our place of residence to anyone: and our passports — arrange all that; in what names, and whither, you please. And now, dear Richard” (she leaned her arm fondly on my shoulder, and looked with ineffable32 passion in my eyes, with her other hand clasped in mine), “my very life is in your hands; I have staked all on your fidelity33.”
As she spoke34 the last word, she, on a sudden, grew deadly pale, and gasped35, “Good God! who is here?”
At the same moment she receded36 through the door in the marble screen, close to which she stood, and behind which was a small roofless chamber37, as small as the shrine38, the window of which was darkened by a clustering mass of ivy39 so dense40 that hardly a gleam of light came through the leaves.
I stood upon the threshold which she had just crossed, looking in the direction in which she had thrown that one terrified glance. No wonder she was frightened. Quite close upon us, not twenty yards away, and approaching at a quick step, very distinctly lighted by the moon, Colonel Gaillarde and his companion were coming. The shadow of the cornice and a piece of wall were upon me. Unconscious of this, I was expecting the moment when, with one of his frantic41 yells, he should spring forward to assail42 me.
I made a step backward, drew one of my pistols from my pocket, and cocked it. It was obvious he had not seen me.
I stood, with my finger on the trigger, determined43 to shoot him dead if he should attempt to enter the place where the Countess was. It would, no doubt, have been a murder; but, in my mind, I had no question or qualm about it. When once we engage in secret and guilty practices we are nearer other and greater crimes than we at all suspect.
“There’s the statue,” said the Colonel, in his brief discordant44 tones. “That’s the figure.”
“Alluded to in the stanzas45?” inquired his companion.
“The very thing. We shall see more next time. Forward, Monsieur; let us march.” And, much to my relief, the gallant46 Colonel turned on his heel and marched through the trees, with his back toward the chateau, striding over the grass, as I quickly saw, to the park wall, which they crossed not far from the gables of the Dragon Volant.
I found the Countess trembling in no affected47, but a very real terror. She would not hear of my accompanying her toward the chateau. But I told her that I would prevent the return of the mad Colonel; and upon that point, at least, that she need fear nothing. She quickly recovered, again bade me a fond and lingering good-night, and left me, gazing after her, with the key in my hand, and such a phantasmagoria floating in my brain as amounted very nearly to madness.
There was I, ready to brave all dangers, all right and reason, plunge48 into murder itself, on the first summons, and entangle49 myself in consequences inextricable and horrible (what cared I?) for a woman of whom I knew nothing, but that she was beautiful and reckless!
I have often thanked heaven for its mercy in conducting me through the labyrinths50 in which I had all but lost myself.
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1
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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2
mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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3
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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peremptory
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| adj.紧急的，专横的，断然的 | |
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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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6
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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abhor
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| v.憎恶；痛恨 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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14
evade
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| vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避 | |
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vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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assented
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| 同意，赞成( assent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stratagem
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| n.诡计，计谋 | |
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24
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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colloquy
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| n.谈话，自由讨论 | |
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creditors
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| n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 ) | |
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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absconding
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| v.（尤指逃避逮捕）潜逃，逃跑( abscond的现在分词 ) | |
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memorandum
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| n.备忘录，便笺 | |
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30
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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31
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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32
ineffable
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| adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的 | |
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33
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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34
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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35
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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receded
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| v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题 | |
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37
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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39
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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40
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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41
frantic
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| adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的 | |
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42
assail
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| v.猛烈攻击，抨击，痛斥 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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45
stanzas
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| 节，段( stanza的名词复数 ) | |
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46
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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47
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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48
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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49
entangle
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| vt.缠住，套住；卷入，连累 | |
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50
labyrinths
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| 迷宫( labyrinth的名词复数 )； （文字，建筑）错综复杂的 | |
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