A cold night; sharp frost; winter set in. The shutters1 are closed, the curtains drawn2, the fire burns clear, and the lights are softly shaded in Alban Morley's drawing-room.
The old bachelor is at home again. He had returned that day; sent to Lionel to come to him; and Lionel had already told him what had transpired3 in his absence—from the identification of Waife with William Losely, to Lady Montfort's visit to Fawley, which had taken place two days before, and of which she had informed Lionel by a few hasty lines, stating her inability to soften4 Mr. Darrell's objections to the alliance between Lionel and Sophy; severely5 blaming herself that those objections had not more forcibly presented themselves to her own mind, and concluding with expressions of sympathy, and appeals to fortitude6, in which, however brief, the exquisite7 kindness of her nature so diffused8 its charm, that the soft words soothed10 insensibly, like those sounds which in Nature itself do soothe9 us we know not why.
The poor Colonel found himself in the midst of painful subjects. Though he had no very keen sympathy for the sorrows of lovers, and no credulous11 faith in everlasting12 attachments14, Lionel's portraiture15 of the young girl, who formed so mysterious a link between the two men who, in varying ways, had touched the finest springs in his own heart, compelled a compassionate16 and chivalrous17 interest, and he was deeply impressed by the quiet of Lionel's dejection. The young man uttered no complaints of the inflexibility18 with which Darrell had destroyed his elysium. He bowed to the will with which it was in vain to argue, and which it would have been a criminal ingratitude19 to defy. But his youth seemed withered20 up; down- eyed and listless, he sank into that stupor21 of despondency which so drearily22 simulates the calm of resignation.
"I have but one wish now," said he, "and that is to change at once into some regiment23 on active service. I do not talk of courting danger and seeking death. That would be either a senseless commonplace, or a threat, as it were, to Heaven! But I need some vehemence24 of action—some positive and irresistible25 call upon honour or duty that may force me to contend against this strange heaviness that settles down on my whole life. Therefore, I entreat26 you so to arrange for me, and break it to Mr. Darrell in such terms as may not needlessly pain him by the obtrusion27 of my sufferings. For, while I know him well enough to be convinced that nothing could move him from resolves in which he had entrenched28, as in a citadel29, his pride or his creed30 of honour, I am sure that he would take into his own heart all the grief which those resolves occasioned to another's."
"You do him justice there," cried Alban; "you are a noble fellow to understand him so well! Sir, you have in you the stuff that makes English gentlemen such generous soldiers."
"Action, action, action," exclaimed Lionel. "Strife31, strife! No other chance of cure. Rest is so crushing, solitude32 so dismal33."
Lo! how contrasted the effect of a similar cause of grief at different stages of life! Chase the first day-dreams of our youth, and we cry, "Action—Strife!" In that cry, unconsciously to ourselves, HOPE speaks and proffers34 worlds of emotion not yet exhausted35. Disperse36 the last golden illusion in which the image of happiness cheats our experienced manhood, and HOPE is silent; she has no more worlds to offer—unless, indeed, she drop her earthly attributes, change her less solemn name, and float far out of sight as "FAITH!"
Alban made no immediate37 reply to Lionel; but, seating himself more comfortably in his chair—planting his feet still more at ease upon his fender—the kindly38 Man of the World silently revolved39 all the possible means by which Darrell might yet be softened40 and Lionel rendered happy. His reflections dismayed him. "Was there ever such untoward41 luck," he said at last, and peevishly42, "that out of the whole world you should fall in love with the very girl against whom Darrell's feelings (prejudices if you please) must be mailed in adamant43! Convinced, and apparently44 with every reason, that she is not his daughter's child, but, however innocently, an impostor, how can he receive her as his young kinsman's bride? How can we expect it?"
"But," said Lionel, "if, on farther investigation45, she prove to be his daughter's child—the sole surviving representative of his line and name?"
"His name! No! Of the name of Losely—the name of that turbulent sharper, who may yet die on the gibbet—of that poor, dear, lovable rascal46 Willy, who was goose enough to get himself transported for robbery!—a felon's grandchild the representative of Darrell's line! But how on earth came Lady Montfort to favour so wild a project, and encourage you to share in it?—she who ought to have known Darrell better?"
"Alas47! she saw but Sophy's exquisite, simple virtues48, and inborn49 grace; and, believing her claim to Darrell's lineage, Lady Montfort thought but of the joy and blessing50 one so good and so loving might bring to his joyless hearth51. She was not thinking of morbid52 pride and mouldering53 ancestors, but of soothing54 charities and loving ties. And Lady Montfort, I now suspect, in her scheme for our happiness—for Darrell's—had an interest which involved her own!"
"Her own!"
"Yes; I see it all now."
"See what? you puzzle me."
"I told you that Darrell, in his letter to me, wrote with great bitterness of Lady Montfort."
"Very natural that he should. Who would not resent such interference?"
"Listen. I told you that, at his own command, I sent to her that letter; that she, on receiving it, went herself to Fawley, to plead our cause. I was sanguine55 of the result."
"Why?"
"Because he who is in love has a wondrous56 intuition into all the mysteries of love in others; and when I read Darrell's letter I felt sure that he had once loved—loved still, perhaps—the woman he so vehemently57 reproached."
"Ha!" said the Man of the World, intimate with Guy Darrell from his school-days—"Ha! is it possible! And they say that I know everything! You were sanguine,—I understand. Yes, if your belief were true—if there were some old attachment13 that could be revived—some old misunderstanding explained away—stop; let me think. True, true—it was just after her marriage that he fled from the world. Ah, my dear Lionel; light, light! light dawns on me! Not without reason were you sanguine. Your hand, my dear boy; I see hope for you at last. For if the sole reason that prevented Darrell contracting a second marriage was the unconquered memory of a woman like Lady Montfort (where, indeed, her equal in beauty, in disposition58 so akin59 to his own ideal of womanly excellence60?)—and if she too has some correspondent sentiment for him, why then, indeed, you might lose all chance of being Darrell's sole heir; your Sophy might forfeit61 the hateful claim to be the sole scion62 on his ancient tree; but it is precisely63 by those losses that Lionel Haughton might gain the bride he covets64; and if this girl prove to be what these Loselys affirm, that very marriage, which is now so repugnant to Darrell, ought to insure his blessing. Were he himself to marry again—had he rightful representatives and heirs in his own sons—he should rejoice in the nuptials65 that secured to his daughter's child so honourable66 a name and so tender a protector. And as for inheritance, you have not been reared to expect it; you have never counted on it. You would receive a fortune sufficiently67 ample to restore your ancestral station; your career will add honours to fortune. Yes, yes; that is the sole way out of all these difficulties. Darrell must marry again; Lady Montfort must be his wife. Lionel shall be free to choose her whom Lady Montfort approves—be friends—no matter what her birth; and I—I—Alban Morley-shall have an arm-chair by two smiling hearths68."
At this moment there was heard a violent ring at the bell, a loud knock at the street door; and presently, following close on the servant, and pushing him aside as he asked what name to announce, a woman, severely dressed in irongrey, with a strongly-marked and haggard countenance69, hurried into the room, and, striding right up to Alban Morley, as he rose from his seat, grasped his arm, and whispered into his ear, "Lose not a minute—come with me instantly—as you value the safety, perhaps the life of Guy Darrell!"
"Guy Darrell!" exclaimed Lionel, overhearing her, despite the undertones of her voice.
"Who are you?" she said, turning fiercely; "are you one of his family?"
"His kinsman—almost his adopted son—Mr. Lionel Haughton," said the
Colonel. "But pardon me, madam—who are you?"
"Do you not remember me? Yet you were so often in Darrell's house that you must have seen my face, as you have learned from your friend how little cause I have to care for him or his. Look again; I am that Arabella Fossett who—"
"Ah, I remember now; but—"
"But I tell you that Darrell is in danger, and this night. Take money; to be in time you must hire a special train. Take arms, though to be used only in self-defence. Take your servant if he is brave. This young kinsman—let him come too. There is only one man to resist; but that man," she said, with a wild kind of pride, "would have the strength and courage of ten were his cause not that which may make the strong man weak, and the bold man craven. It is not a matter for the officers of justice, for law, for scandal; the service is to be done in secret, by friends, by kinsmen70; for the danger that threatens Darrell—stoop—stoop, Colonel Morley—close in your ear"; and into his ear she hissed71, "for the danger that threatens Darrell in his house this night is from the man whose name his daughter bore. That is why I come to you. To you I need not say, 'Spare his life—Jasper Losely's life.' Jasper Losely's death as a midnight robber would be Darrell's intolerable shame. Quick, quick, quick!—come, come!"
The End
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1
shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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2
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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3
transpired
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| （事实，秘密等）被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 )； 泄露； 显露； 发生 | |
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4
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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5
severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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9
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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10
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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11
credulous
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| adj.轻信的，易信的 | |
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12
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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13
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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14
attachments
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| n.（用电子邮件发送的）附件( attachment的名词复数 )；附着；连接；附属物 | |
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15
portraiture
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| n.肖像画法 | |
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compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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17
chivalrous
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| adj.武士精神的；对女人彬彬有礼的 | |
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18
inflexibility
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| n.不屈性，顽固，不变性；不可弯曲；非挠性；刚性 | |
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19
ingratitude
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| n.忘恩负义 | |
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20
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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21
stupor
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| v.昏迷；不省人事 | |
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22
drearily
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| 沉寂地，厌倦地，可怕地 | |
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23
regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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24
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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25
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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26
entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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27
obtrusion
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| n.强制，莽撞 | |
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28
entrenched
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| adj.确立的，不容易改的(风俗习惯) | |
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29
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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30
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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31
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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32
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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33
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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34
proffers
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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35
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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36
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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37
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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38
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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39
revolved
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
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40
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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41
untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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42
peevishly
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| adv．暴躁地 | |
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43
adamant
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| adj.坚硬的，固执的 | |
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44
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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45
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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46
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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47
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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48
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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49
inborn
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| adj.天生的，生来的，先天的 | |
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50
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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51
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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52
morbid
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| adj.病的；致病的；病态的；可怕的 | |
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53
mouldering
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| v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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54
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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55
sanguine
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| adj.充满希望的，乐观的，血红色的 | |
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56
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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57
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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58
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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59
akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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60
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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61
forfeit
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| vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物 | |
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62
scion
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| n.嫩芽，子孙 | |
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63
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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64
covets
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| v.贪求，觊觎( covet的第三人称单数 ) | |
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65
nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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66
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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67
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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68
hearths
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| 壁炉前的地板，炉床，壁炉边( hearth的名词复数 ) | |
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69
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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70
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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71
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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