Having secured the door I slowly pushed my way through the bushes, which soon became less dense1. Then, with more case, but still under thick cover, I pursued in the track of the wood, keeping near its edge.
At length, in the darkened air, about fifty yards away, the shafts2 of the marble temple rose like phantoms3 before me, seen through the trunks of the old trees. Everything favored my enterprise. I had effectually mystified my servant and the people of the Dragon Volant, and so dark was the night, that even had I alarmed the suspicions of all the tenants4 of the inn, I might safely defy their united curiosity, though posted at every window of the house.
Through the trunks, over the roots of the old trees, I reached the appointed place of observation. I laid my treasure in its leathern case in the embrasure, and leaning my arms upon it, looked steadily5 in the direction of the chateau6. The outline of the building was scarcely discernible, blending dimly, as it did, with the sky. No light in any window was visible. I was plainly to wait; but for how long?
Leaning on my box of treasure, gazing toward the massive shadow that represented the chateau, in the midst of my ardent7 and elated longings8, there came upon me an odd thought, which you will think might well have struck me long before. It seemed on a sudden, as it came, that the darkness deepened, and a chill stole into the air around me.
Suppose I were to disappear finally, like those other men whose stories I had listened to! Had I not been at all the pains that mortal could to obliterate9 every trace of my real proceedings10, and to mislead everyone to whom I spoke11 as to the direction in which I had gone?
This icy, snake-like thought stole through my mind, and was gone.
It was with me the full-blooded season of youth, conscious strength, rashness, passion, pursuit, the adventure! Here were a pair of double-barreled pistols, four lives in my hands? What could possibly happen? The Count — except for the sake of my dulcinea, what was it to me whether the old coward whom I had seen, in an ague of terror before the brawling12 Colonel, interposed or not? I was assuming the worst that could happen. But with an ally so clever and courageous13 as my beautiful Countess, could any such misadventure befall? Bah! I laughed at all such fancies.
As I thus communed with myself, the signal light sprang up. The rose-colored light, couleur de rose, emblem14 of sanguine15 hope and the dawn of a happy day.
Clear, soft, and steady, glowed the light from the window. The stone shafts showed black against it. Murmuring words of passionate16 love as I gazed upon the signal, I grasped my strong box under my arm, and with rapid strides approached the Chateau de la Carque. No sign of light or life, no human voice, no tread of foot, no bark of dog indicated a chance of interruption. A blind was down; and as I came close to the tall window, I found that half-a-dozen steps led up to it, and that a large lattice, answering for a door, lay open.
A shadow from within fell upon the blind; it was drawn17 aside, and as I ascended18 the steps, a soft voice murmured —“Richard, dearest Richard, come, oh! come! how I have longed for this moment!”
Never did she look so beautiful. My love rose to passionate enthusiasm. I only wished there were some real danger in the adventure worthy19 of such a creature. When the first tumultuous greeting was over, she made me sit beside her on a sofa. There we talked for a minute or two. She told me that the Count had gone, and was by that time more than a mile on his way, with the funeral, to Père la Chaise. Here were her diamonds. She exhibited, hastily, an open casket containing a profusion20 of the largest brilliants.
“What is this?” she asked.
“A box containing money to the amount of thirty thousand pounds,” I answered.
“What! all that money?” she exclaimed.
“Every sou.”
“Was it not unnecessary to bring so much, seeing all these?” she said, touching21 her diamonds. “It would have been kind of you to allow me to provide for both, for a time at least. It would have made me happier even than I am.”
“Dearest, generous angel!” Such was my extravagant22 declamation23. “You forget that it may be necessary, for a long time, to observe silence as to where we are, and impossible to communicate safely with anyone.”
“You have then here this great sum — are you certain; have you counted it?”
“Yes, certainly; I received it today,” I answered, perhaps showing a little surprise in my face. “I counted it, of course, on drawing it from my bankers.”
“It makes me feel a little nervous, traveling with so much money; but these jewels make as great a danger; that can add but little to it. Place them side by side; you shall take off your greatcoat when we are ready to go, and with it manage to conceal24 these boxes. I should not like the drivers to suspect that we were conveying such a treasure. I must ask you now to close the curtains of that window, and bar the shutters25.”
I had hardly done this when a knock was heard at the room door.
“I know who this is,” she said, in a whisper to me.
I saw that she was not alarmed. She went softly to the door, and a whispered conversation for a minute followed.
“My trusty maid, who is coming with us. She says we cannot safely go sooner than ten minutes. She is bringing some coffee to the next room.”
She opened the door and looked in.
“I must tell her not to take too much luggage. She is so odd! Don’t follow — stay where you are — it is better that she should not see you.”
She left the room with a gesture of caution.
A change had come over the manner of this beautiful woman. For the last few minutes a shadow had been stealing over her, an air of abstraction, a look bordering on suspicion. Why was she pale? Why had there come that dark look in her eyes? Why had her very voice become changed? Had anything gone suddenly wrong? Did some danger threaten?
This doubt, however, speedily quieted itself. If there had been anything of the kind, she would, of course, have told me. It was only natural that, as the crisis approached, she should become more and more nervous. She did not return quite so soon as I had expected. To a man in my situation absolute quietude is next to impossible. I moved restlessly about the room. It was a small one. There was a door at the other end. I opened it, rashly enough. I listened, it was perfectly26 silent. I was in an excited, eager state, and every faculty27 engrossed28 about what was coming, and in so far detached from the immediate29 present. I can’t account, in any other way, for my having done so many foolish things that night, for I was, naturally, by no means deficient30 in cunning. About the most stupid of those was, that instead of immediately closing that door, which I never ought to have opened, I actually took a candle and walked into the room.
There I made, quite unexpectedly, a rather startling discovery.
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1
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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2
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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3
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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4
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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8
longings
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| 渴望，盼望( longing的名词复数 ) | |
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9
obliterate
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| v.擦去，涂抹，去掉...痕迹，消失，除去 | |
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10
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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11
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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12
brawling
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| n.争吵，喧嚷 | |
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13
courageous
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| adj.勇敢的，有胆量的 | |
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14
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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15
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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16
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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17
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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18
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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20
profusion
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| n.挥霍；丰富 | |
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21
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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22
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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23
declamation
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| n. 雄辩，高调 | |
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24
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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25
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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26
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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27
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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28
engrossed
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| adj.全神贯注的 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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