Impia tortorum longas hic turba furores Sanguinis innocui non satiata, aluit.
Sospite nunc patria, fracto nunc funeris antro, Mors ubi dira fuit vita salusque patent.
[Quatrain composed for the gates of a market to be erected1 upon the site of the Jacobin Club House in Paris.]
I WAS sick, sick unto death, with that long agony, and when they at length unbound me, and I was permitted to sit, I felt that my senses were leaving me. The sentence, the dread2 sentence of death, was the last of distinct accentuation which reached my ears. After that, the sound of the inquisitorial voices seemed merged3 in one dreamy indeterminate hum. It conveyed to my soul the idea of REVOLUTION, perhaps from its association in fancy with the burr of a mill-wheel. This only for a brief period, for presently I heard no more. Yet, for a while, I saw, but with how terrible an exaggeration! I saw the lips of the black-robed judges. They appeared to me white -- whiter than the sheet upon which I trace these words -- and thin even to grotesqueness4; thin with the intensity5 of their expression of firmness, of immovable resolution, of stern contempt of human torture. I saw that the decrees of what to me was fate were still issuing from those lips. I saw them writhe7 with a deadly locution. I saw them fashion the syllables8 of my name, and I shuddered9, because no sound succeeded. I saw, too, for a few moments of delirious10 horror, the soft and nearly imperceptible waving of the sable11 draperies which enwrapped the walls of the apartment; and then my vision fell upon the seven tall candles upon the table. At first they wore the aspect of charity, and seemed white slender angels who would save me: but then all at once there came a most deadly nausea12 over my spirit, and I felt every fibre in my frame thrill, as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic battery, while the angel forms became meaningless spectres, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them there would be no help. And then there stole into my fancy, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave. The thought came gently and stealthily, and it seemed long before it attained13 full appreciation14; but just as my spirit came at length properly to feel and entertain it, the figures of the judges vanished, as if magically, from before
me; the tall candles sank into nothingness; their flames went out utterly15; the blackness of darkness superened; all sensations appeared swallowed up in a mad rushing descent as of the soul into Hades. Then silence, and stillness, and night were the universe.
I had swooned; but still will not say that all of consciousness was lost. What of it there remained I will not attempt to define, or even to describe; yet all was not lost. In the deepest slumber17 -- no! In delirium18 -- no! In a swoon -- no! In death -- no! Even in the grave all was not lost. Else there is no immortality19 for man. Arousing from the most profound of slumbers20, we break the gossamer21 web of some dream. Yet in a second afterwards (so frail23 may that web have been) we remember not that we have dreamed. In the return to life from the swoon there are two stages; first, that of the sense of mental or spiritual; secondly24, that of the sense of physical existence. It seems probable that if, upon reaching the second stage, we could recall the impressions of the first, we should find these impressions eloquent25 in memories of the gulf26 beyond. And that gulf is, what? How at least shall we distinguish its shadows from those of the tomb? But if the impressions of what I have termed the first stage are not at will recalled, yet, after long interval27, do they not come unbidden, while we marvel28 whence they come? He who has never swooned is not he who finds strange palaces and wildly familiar faces in coals that glow; is not he who beholds29 floating in mid-air the sad visions that the many may not view; is not he who ponders over the perfume of some novel flower; is not he whose brain grows bewildered with the meaning of some musical cadence30 which has never before arrested his attention.
Amid frequent and thoughtful endeavours to remember, amid earnest struggles to regather some token of the state of seeming nothingness into which my soul had lapsed31, there have been moments when I have dreamed of success; there have been brief, very brief periods when I have conjured33 up remembrances which the lucid34 reason of a later epoch35 assures me could have had reference only to that condition of seeming unconsciousness. These shadows of memory tell indistinctly of tall figures that lifted and bore me in silence down -- down -- still down -- till a hideous36 dizziness oppressed me at the mere37 idea of the interminableness of the descent. They tell also of a vague horror at my heart on account of that heart's unnatural38 stillness. Then comes a sense of sudden motionlessness throughout all things; as if those who bore me (a ghastly train!) had outrun, in their descent, the limits of the limitless, and paused from the wearisomeness of their toil39. After this I call to mind flatness and dampness; and then all is MADNESS -- the madness of a memory which busies itself among forbidden things.
Very suddenly there came back to my soul motion and sound -- the tumultuous motion of the heart, and in my ears the sound of its beating. Then a pause in which all is blank. Then again sound, and motion, and touch, a tingling40 sensation pervading41 my frame. Then the mere consciousness of existence, without thought, a condition which lasted long. Then, very suddenly, THOUGHT, and shuddering42 terror, and earnest endeavour to comprehend my true state. Then a strong desire to lapse32 into insensibility. Then a rushing revival43 of soul and a successful effort to move. And now a full memory of the trial, of the judges, of the sable draperies, of the sentence, of the sickness, of the swoon. Then entire forgetfulness of all that followed; of all that a later day and much earnestness of endeavour have enabled me vaguely44 to recall.
So far I had not opened my eyes. I felt that I lay upon my back unbound. I reached out my hand, and it fell heavily upon something damp and hard. There I suffered it to remain for many minutes, while I strove to imagine where and what I could be. I longed, yet dared not, to employ my vision. I dreaded45 the first glance at objects around me. It was not that I feared to look upon things horrible, but that I grew aghast lest there should be NOTHING to see. At length, with a wild desperation at heart, I quickly unclosed my eyes. My worst thoughts, then, were confirmed. The blackness of eternal night encompassed46 me. I struggled for breath. The intensity of the darkness seemed to oppress and stifle47 me. The atmosphere was intolerably close. I still lay quietly, and made effort to exercise my reason. I brought to mind the inquisitorial proceedings48, and attempted from that point to deduce my real condition. The sentence had passed, and it appeared to me that a very long interval of time had since elapsed. Yet not for a moment did I suppose myself actually dead. Such a supposition, notwithstanding what we read in fiction, is altogether inconsistent with real existence; -- but where and in what state was I? The condemned49 to death, I knew, perished usually at the auto-da-fes, and one of these had been held on the very night of the day of my trial. Had I been remanded to my dungeon50, to await the next sacrifice, which would not take place for many months? This I at once saw could not be. Victims had been in immediate51 demand. Moreover my dungeon, as well as all the condemned cells at Toledo, had stone floors, and light was not altogether excluded.
A fearful idea now suddenly drove the blood in torrents52 upon my heart, and for a brief period I once more relapsed into insensibility. Upon recovering, I at once started to my feet, trembling convulsively in every fibre. I thrust my arms wildly above and around me in all directions. I felt nothing; yet dreaded to move a step, lest I should be impeded53 by the walls of a TOMB. Perspiration54 burst from every pore, and stood in cold big beads55 upon my forehead. The agony of suspense56 grew at length intolerable, and I cautiously moved forward, with my arms extended, and my eyes straining from their sockets57, in the hope of catching58 some faint ray of light. I proceeded for many paces, but still all was blackness and vacancy59. I breathed more freely. It seemed evident that mine was not, at least, the most hideous of fates.
And now, as I still continued to step cautiously onward60, there came thronging61 upon my recollection a thousand vague rumours63 of the horrors of Toledo. Of the dungeons64 there had been strange things narrated65 -- fables66 I had always deemed them -- but yet strange, and too ghastly to repeat, save in a whisper. Was I left to perish of starvation in this subterranean67 world of darkness; or what fate perhaps even more fearful awaited me? That the result would be death, and a death of more than customary bitterness, I knew too well the character of my judges to doubt. The mode and the hour were all that occupied or distracted me.
My outstretched hands at length encountered some solid obstruction68. It was a wall, seemingly of stone masonry69 -- very smooth, slimy, and cold. I followed it up; stepping with all the careful distrust with which certain antique narratives70 had inspired me. This process, however, afforded me no means of ascertaining71 the dimensions of my dungeon; as I might make its circuit, and return to the point whence I set out, without being aware of the fact, so perfectly72 uniform seemed the wall. I therefore sought the knife which had been in my pocket when led into the inquisitorial chamber73, but it was gone; my clothes had been exchanged for a wrapper of coarse serge. I had thought of forcing the blade in some minute crevice74 of the masonry, so as to identify my point of departure. The difficulty, nevertheless, was but trivial, although, in the disorder75 of my fancy, it seemed at first insuperable. I tore a part of the hem6 from the robe, and placed the fragment at full length, and at right angles to the wall. In groping my way around the prison, I could not fail to encounter this rag upon completing the circuit. So, at least, I thought, but I had not counted upon the extent of the dungeon, or upon my own weakness. The ground was moist and slippery. I staggered onward for some time, when I stumbled and fell. My excessive fatigue76 induced me to remain prostrate77, and sleep soon overtook me as I lay.
Upon awaking, and stretching forth78 an arm, I found beside me a loaf and a pitcher79 with water. I was too much exhausted80 to reflect upon this circumstance, but ate and drank with avidity. Shortly afterwards I resumed my tour around the prison, and with much toil came at last upon the fragment of the serge. Up to the period when I fell I had counted fifty-two paces, and upon resuming my walk I had counted forty-eight more, when I arrived at the rag. There were in all, then, a hundred paces; and, admitting two paces to the yard, I presumed the dungeon to be fifty yards in circuit. I had met, however, with many angles in the wall, and thus I could form no guess at the shape of the vault81, for vault I could not help supposing it to be.
I had little object -- certainly no hope -- in these researches, but a vague curiosity prompted me to continue them. Quitting the wall, I resolved to cross the area of the enclosure. At first I proceeded with extreme caution, for the floor although seemingly of solid material was treacherous82 with slime. At length, however, I took courage and did not hesitate to step firmly -- endeavouring to cross in as direct a line as possible. I had advanced some ten or twelve paces in this manner, when the remnant of the torn hem of my robe became entangled83 between my legs. I stepped on it, and fell violently on my face.
In the confusion attending my fall, I did not immediately apprehend84 a somewhat startling circumstance, which yet, in a few seconds afterward22, and while I still lay prostrate, arrested my attention. It was this: my chin rested upon the floor of the prison, but my lips, and the upper portion of my head, although seemingly at a less elevation85 than the chin, touched nothing. At the same time, my forehead seemed bathed in a clammy vapour, and the peculiar86 smell of decayed fungus87 arose to my nostrils88. I put forward my arm, and shuddered to find that I had fallen at the very brink89 of a circular pit, whose extent of course I had no means of ascertaining at the moment. Groping about the masonry just below the margin90, I succeeded in dislodging a small fragment, and let it fall into the abyss. For many seconds I hearkened to its reverberations as it dashed against the sides of the chasm91 in its descent; at length there was a sullen92 plunge93 into water, succeeded by loud echoes. At the same moment there came a sound resembling the quick opening, and as rapid closing of a door overhead, while a faint gleam of light flashed suddenly through the gloom, and as suddenly faded away.
I saw clearly the doom94 which had been prepared for me, and congratulated myself upon the timely accident by which I had escaped. Another step before my fall, and the world had seen me no more and the death just avoided was of that very character which I had regarded as fabulous95 and frivolous96 in the tales respecting the Inquisition. To the victims of its tyranny, there was the choice of death with its direst physical agonies, or death with its most hideous moral horrors. I had been reserved for the latter. By long suffering my nerves had been unstrung, until I trembled at the sound of my own voice, and had become in every respect a fitting subject for the species of torture which awaited me.
Shaking in every limb, I groped my way back to the wall -- resolving there to perish rather than risk the terrors of the wells, of which my imagination now pictured many in various positions about the dungeon. In other conditions of mind I might have had courage to end my misery97 at once by a plunge into one of these abysses; but now I was the veriest of cowards. Neither could I forget what I had read of these pits -- that the SUDDEN extinction98 of life formed no part of their most horrible plan.
Agitation99 of spirit kept me awake for many long hours; but at length I again slumbered100. Upon arousing, I found by my side, as before, a loaf and a pitcher of water. A burning thirst consumed me, and I emptied the vessel101 at a draught102. It must have been drugged, for scarcely had I drunk before I became irresistibly103 drowsy104. A deep sleep fell upon me -- a sleep like that of death. How long it lasted of course I know not; but when once again I unclosed my eyes the objects around me were visible. By a wild sulphurous lustre105, the origin of which I could not at first determine, I was enabled to see the extent and aspect of the prison.
In its size I had been greatly mistaken. The whole circuit of its walls did not exceed twenty-five yards. For some minutes this fact occasioned me a world of vain trouble; vain indeed -- for what could be of less importance, under the terrible circumstances which environed me than the mere dimensions of my dungeon? But my soul took a wild interest in trifles, and I busied myself in endeavours to account for the error I had committed in my measurement. The truth at length flashed upon me. In my first attempt at exploration I had counted fifty-two paces up to the period when I fell; I must then have been within a pace or two of the fragment of serge; in fact I had nearly performed the circuit of the vault. I then slept, and upon awaking, I must have returned upon my steps, thus supposing the circuit nearly double what it actually was. My confusion of mind prevented me from observing that I began my tour with the wall to the left, and ended it with the wall to the right.
I had been deceived too in respect to the shape of the enclosure. In feeling my way I had found many angles, and thus deduced an idea of great irregularity, so potent107 is the effect of total darkness upon one arousing from lethargy or sleep! The angles were simply those of a few slight depressions or niches108 at odd intervals109. The general shape of the prison was square. What I had taken for masonry seemed now to be iron, or some other metal in huge plates, whose sutures or joints110 occasioned the depression. The entire surface of this metallic111 enclosure was rudely daubed in all the hideous and repulsive112 devices to which the charnel superstition113 of the monks114 has given rise. The figures of fiends in aspects of menace, with skeleton forms and other more really fearful images, overspread and disfigured the walls. I observed that the outlines of these monstrosities were sufficiently115 distinct, but that the colours seemed faded and blurred116, as if from the effects of a damp atmosphere. I now noticed the floor, too, which was of stone. In the centre yawned the circular pit from whose jaws117 I had escaped; but it was the only one in the dungeon.
All this I saw indistinctly and by much effort, for my personal condition had been greatly changed during slumber. I now lay upon my back, and at full length, on a species of low framework of wood. To this I was securely bound by a long strap118 resembling a surcingle. It passed in many convolutions about my limbs and body, leaving at liberty only my head, and my left arm to such extent that I could by dint119 of much exertion120 supply myself with food from an earthen dish which lay by my side on the floor. I saw to my horror that the pitcher had been removed. I say to my horror, for I was consumed with intolerable thirst. This thirst it appeared to be the design of my persecutors to stimulate121, for the food in the dish was meat pungently122 seasoned.
Looking upward, I surveyed the ceiling of my prison. It was some thirty or forty feet overhead, and constructed much as the side walls. In one of its panels a very singular figure riveted123 my whole attention. It was the painted figure of Time as he is commonly represented, save that in lieu of a scythe124 he held what at a casual glance I supposed to be the pictured image of a huge pendulum125, such as we see on antique clocks. There was something, however, in the appearance of this machine which caused me to regard it more attentively126. While I gazed directly upward at it (for its position was immediately over my own), I fancied that I saw it in motion. In an instant afterward the fancy was confirmed. Its sweep was brief, and of course slow. I watched it for some minutes, somewhat in fear but more in wonder. Wearied at length with observing its dull movement, I turned my eyes upon the other objects in the cell.
A slight noise attracted my notice, and looking to the floor, I saw several enormous rats traversing it. They had issued from the well which lay just within view to my right. Even then while I gazed, they came up in troops hurriedly, with ravenous127 eyes, allured128 by the scent16 of the meat. From this it required much effort and attention to scare them away.
It might have been half-an-hour, perhaps even an hour (for I could take but imperfect note of time) before I again cast my eyes upward. What I then saw confounded and amazed me. The sweep of the pendulum had increased in extent by nearly a yard. As a natural consequence, its velocity129 was also much greater. But what mainly disturbed me was the idea that it had perceptibly DESCENDED130. I now observed, with what horror it is needless to say, that its nether131 extremity132 was formed of a crescent of glittering steel, about a foot in length from horn to horn; the horns upward, and the under edge evidently as keen as that of a razor. Like a razor also it seemed massy and heavy, tapering133 from the edge into a solid and broad structure above. It was appended to a weighty rod of brass134, and the whole HISSED135 as it swung through the air.
I could no longer doubt the doom prepared for me by monkish136 ingenuity137 in torture. My cognisance of the pit had become known to the inquisitorial agents -- THE PIT, whose horrors had been destined138 for so bold a recusant as myself, THE PIT, typical of hell, and regarded by rumour62 as the Ultima Thule of all their punishments. The plunge into this pit I had avoided by the merest of accidents, and I knew that surprise or entrapment139 into torment140 formed an important portion of all the grotesquerie of these dungeon deaths. Having failed to fall, it was no part of the demon141 plan to hurl142 me into the abyss, and thus (there being no alternative) a different and a milder destruction awaited me. Milder! I half smiled in my agony as I thought of such application of such a term.
What boots it to tell of the long, long hours of horror more than mortal, during which I counted the rushing oscillations of the steel! Inch by inch -- line by line -- with a descent only appreciable143 at intervals that seemed ages -- down and still down it came! Days passed -- it might have been that many days passed -- ere it swept so closely over me as to fan me with its acrid144 breath. The odour of the sharp steel forced itself into my nostrils. I prayed -- I wearied heaven with my prayer for its more speedy descent. I grew frantically145 mad, and struggled to force myself upward against the sweep of the fearful scimitar. And then I fell suddenly calm and lay smiling at the glittering death as a child at some rare bauble146.
There was another interval of utter insensibility; it was brief, for upon again lapsing147 into life there had been no perceptible descent in the pendulum. But it might have been long -- for I knew there were demons148 who took note of my swoon, and who could have arrested the vibration149 at pleasure. Upon my recovery, too, I felt very -- oh! inexpressibly -- sick and weak, as if through long inanition. Even amid the agonies of that period the human nature craved150 food. With painful effort I outstretched my left arm as far as my bonds permitted, and took possession of the small remnant which had been spared me by the rats. As I put a portion of it within my lips there rushed to my mind a half-formed thought of joy -- of hope. Yet what business had I with hope? It was, as I say, a half-formed thought -man has many such, which are never completed. I felt that it was of joy -- of hope; but I felt also that it had perished in its formation. In vain I struggled to perfect -- to regain151 it. Long suffering had nearly annihilated152 all my ordinary powers of mind. I was an imbecile -- an idiot.
The vibration of the pendulum was at right angles to my length. I saw that the crescent was designed to cross the region of the heart. It would fray153 the serge of my robe; it would return and repeat its operations -- again -- and again. Notwithstanding its terrifically wide sweep (some thirty feet or more) and the hissing154 vigour155 of its descent, sufficient to sunder156 these very walls of iron, still the fraying157 of my robe would be all that, for several minutes, it would accomplish; and at this thought I paused. I dared not go farther than this reflection. I dwelt upon it with a pertinacity158 of attention -- as if, in so dwelling159, I could arrest HERE the descent of the steel. I forced myself to ponder upon the sound of the crescent as it should pass across the garment -- upon the peculiar thrilling sensation which the friction160 of cloth produces on the nerves. I pondered upon all this frivolity161 until my teeth were on edge.
Down -- steadily162 down it crept. I took a frenzied163 pleasure in contrasting its downward with its lateral164 velocity. To the right -- to the left -- far and wide -- with the shriek165 of a damned spirit! to my heart with the stealthy pace of the tiger! I alternately laughed and howled, as the one or the other idea grew predominant.
Down -- certainly, relentlessly166 down! It vibrated within three inches of my bosom167! I struggled violently -- furiously -- to free my left arm. This was free only from the elbow to the hand. I could reach the latter, from the platter beside me to my mouth with great effort, but no farther. Could I have broken the fastenings above the elbow, I would have seized and attempted to arrest the pendulum. I might as well have attempted to arrest an avalanche168!
Down -- still unceasingly -- still inevitably169 down! I gasped170 and struggled at each vibration. I shrunk convulsively at its very sweep. My eyes followed its outward or upward whirls with the eagerness of the most unmeaning despair; they closed themselves spasmodically at the descent, although death would have been a relief, O, how unspeakable! Still I quivered in every nerve to think how slight a sinking of the machinery171 would precipitate172 that keen glistening173 axe174 upon my bosom. It was hope that prompted the nerve to quiver -- the frame to shrink. It was HOPE -- the hope that triumphs on the rack -- that whispers to the death-condemned even in the dungeons of the Inquisition.
I saw that some ten or twelve vibrations175 would bring the steel in actual contact with my robe, and with this observation there suddenly came over my spirit all the keen, collected calmness of despair. For the first time during many hours, or perhaps days, I THOUGHT. It now occurred to me that the bandage or surcingle which enveloped176 me was UNIQUE. I was tied by no separate cord. The first stroke of the razor-like crescent athwart any portion of the band would so detach it that it might be unwound from my person by means of my left hand. But how fearful, in that case, the proximity177 of the steel! The result of the slightest struggle, how deadly! Was it likely, moreover, that the minions178 of the torturer had not foreseen and provided for this possibility! Was it probable that the bandage crossed my bosom in the track of the pendulum? Dreading179 to find my faint, and, as it seemed, my last hope frustrated180, I so far elevated my head as to obtain a distinct view of my breast. The surcingle enveloped my limbs and body close in all directions save SAVE IN THE PATH OF THE DESTROYING CRESCENT.
Scarcely had I dropped my head back into its original position when there flashed upon my mind what I cannot better describe than as the unformed half of that idea of deliverance to which I have previously181 alluded182, and of which a moiety183 only floated indeterminately through my brain when I raised food to my burning lips. The whole thought was now present -- feeble, scarcely sane184, scarcely definite, but still entire. I proceeded at once, with the nervous energy of despair, to attempt its execution.
For many hours the immediate vicinity of the low framework upon which I lay had been literally185 swarming186 with rats. They were wild, bold, ravenous, their red eyes glaring upon me as if they waited but for motionlessness on my part to make me their prey187. "To what food," I thought, "have they been accustomed in the well?"
They had devoured188, in spite of all my efforts to prevent them, all but a small remnant of the contents of the dish. I had fallen into an habitual189 see-saw or wave of the hand about the platter; and at length the unconscious uniformity of the movement deprived it of effect. In their voracity190 the vermin frequently fastened their sharp fangs191 in my fingers. With the particles of the oily and spicy192 viand which now remained, I thoroughly193 rubbed the bandage wherever I could reach it; then, raising my hand from the floor, I lay breathlessly still.
At first the ravenous animals were startled and terrified at the change -- at the cessation of movement. They shrank alarmedly back; many sought the well. But this was only for a moment. I had not counted in vain upon their voracity. Observing that I remained without motion, one or two of the boldest leaped upon the frame-work and smelt194 at the surcingle. This seemed the signal for a general rush. Forth from the well they hurried in fresh troops. They clung to the wood, they overran it, and leaped in hundreds upon my person. The measured movement of the pendulum disturbed them not at all. Avoiding its strokes, they busied themselves with the annointed bandage. They pressed, they swarmed195 upon me in ever accumulating heaps. They writhed196 upon my throat; their cold lips sought my own; I was half stifled197 by their thronging pressure; disgust, for which the world has no name, swelled198 my bosom, and chilled with heavy clamminess my heart. Yet one minute and I felt that the struggle would be over. Plainly I perceived the loosening of the bandage. I knew that in more than one place it must be already severed199. With a more than human resolution I lay STILL.
Nor had I erred200 in my calculations, nor had I endured in vain. I at length felt that I was FREE. The surcingle hung in ribands from my body. But the stroke of the pendulum already pressed upon my bosom. It had divided the serge of the robe. It had cut through the linen201 beneath. Twice again it swung, and a sharp sense of pain shot through every nerve. But the moment of escape had arrived. At a wave of my hand my deliverers hurried tumultously away. With a steady movement, cautious, sidelong, shrinking, and slow, I slid from the embrace of the bandage and beyond the reach of the scimitar. For the moment, at least I WAS FREE.
Free! and in the grasp of the Inquisition! I had scarcely stepped from my wooden bed of horror upon the stone floor of the prison, when the motion of the hellish machine ceased and I beheld202 it drawn203 up by some invisible force through the ceiling. This was a lesson which I took desperately204 to heart. My every motion was undoubtedly205 watched. Free! I had but escaped death in one form of agony to be delivered unto worse than death in some other. With that thought I rolled my eyes nervously206 around on the barriers of iron that hemmed207 me in. Something unusual -- some change which at first I could not appreciate distinctly -- it was obvious had taken place in the apartment. For many minutes of a dreamy and trembling abstraction I busied myself in vain, unconnected conjecture208. During this period I became aware, for the first time, of the origin of the sulphurous light which illumined the cell. It proceeded from a fissure209 about half-an-inch in width extending entirely210 around the prison at the base of the walls which thus appeared, and were completely separated from the floor. I endeavoured, but of course in vain, to look through the aperture211.
As I arose from the attempt, the mystery of the alteration212 in the chamber broke at once upon my understanding. I have observed that although the outlines of the figures upon the walls were sufficiently distinct, yet the colours seemed blurred and indefinite. These colours had now assumed, and were momentarily assuming, a startling and most intense brilliancy, that give to the spectral213 and fiendish portraitures an aspect that might have thrilled even firmer nerves than my own. Demon eyes, of a wild and ghastly vivacity214, glared upon me in a thousand directions where none had been visible before, and gleamed with the lurid215 lustre of a fire that I could not force my imagination to regard as unreal.
UNREAL! -- Even while I breathed there came to my nostrils the breath of the vapour of heated iron! A suffocating216 odour pervaded217 the prison! A deeper glow settled each moment in the eyes that glared at my agonies! A richer tint218 of crimson219 diffused220 itself over the pictured horrors of blood. I panted ' I gasped for breath! There could be no doubt of the design of my tormentors -- oh most unrelenting! oh, most demoniac of men! I shrank from the glowing metal to the centre of the cell. Amid the thought of the fiery221 destruction that impended222, the idea of the coolness of the well came over my soul like balm. I rushed to its deadly brink. I threw my straining vision below. The glare from the enkindled roof illumined its inmost recesses223. Yet, for a wild moment, did my spirit refuse to comprehend the meaning of what I saw. At length it forced -it wrestled224 its way into my soul -- it burned itself in upon my shuddering reason. O for a voice to speak! -- oh, horror! -- oh, any horror but this! With a shriek I rushed from the margin and buried my face in my hands -- weeping bitterly.
The heat rapidly increased, and once again I looked up, shuddering as if with a fit of the ague. There had been a second change in the cell -- and now the change was obviously in the FORM. As before, it was in vain that I at first endeavoured to appreciate or understand what was taking place. But not long was I left in doubt. The inquisitorial vengeance225 had been hurried by my two-fold escape, and there was to be no more dallying226 with the King of Terrors. The room had been square. I saw that two of its iron angles were now acute -two consequently, obtuse227. The fearful difference quickly increased with a low rumbling228 or moaning sound. In an instant the apartment had shifted its form into that of a lozenge. But the alteration stopped not here -- I neither hoped nor desired it to stop. I could have clasped the red walls to my bosom as a garment of eternal peace. "Death," I said "any death but that of the pit!" Fool! might I not have known that INTO THE PIT it was the object of the burning iron to urge me? Could I resist its glow? or if even that, could I withstand its pressure? And now, flatter and flatter grew the lozenge, with a rapidity that left me no time for contemplation. Its centre, and of course, its greatest width, came just over the yawning gulf. I shrank back -but the closing walls pressed me resistlessly onward. At length for my seared and writhing229 body there was no longer an inch of foothold on the firm floor of the prison. I struggled no more, but the agony of my soul found vent106 in one loud, long, and final scream of despair. I felt that I tottered230 upon the brink -- I averted231 my eyes -
There was a discordant232 hum of human voices! There was a loud blast as of many trumpets233! There was a harsh grating as of a thousand thunders! The fiery walls rushed back! An outstretched arm caught my own as I fell fainting into the abyss. It was that of General Lasalle. The French army had entered Toledo. The Inquisition was in the hands of its enemies.
THE END
收听单词发音 |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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2
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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3
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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4
grotesqueness
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5
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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hem
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| n.贴边，镶边；vt.缝贴边；(in)包围，限制 | |
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7
writhe
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| vt.挣扎，痛苦地扭曲；vi.扭曲，翻腾，受苦；n.翻腾，苦恼 | |
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8
syllables
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| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
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9
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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10
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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11
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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12
nausea
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| n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
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13
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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14
appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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15
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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16
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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17
slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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18
delirium
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| n. 神智昏迷,说胡话;极度兴奋 | |
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19
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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20
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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21
gossamer
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| n.薄纱，游丝 | |
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22
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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23
frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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24
secondly
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| adv.第二，其次 | |
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25
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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26
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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27
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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28
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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29
beholds
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| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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30
cadence
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| n.（说话声调的）抑扬顿挫 | |
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31
lapsed
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| adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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32
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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33
conjured
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| 用魔术变出( conjure的过去式和过去分词 )； 祈求，恳求； 变戏法； （变魔术般地） 使…出现 | |
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34
lucid
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| adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的 | |
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35
epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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36
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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37
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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38
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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39
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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40
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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41
pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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42
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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43
revival
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| n.复兴，复苏，（精力、活力等的）重振 | |
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44
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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45
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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46
encompassed
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| v.围绕( encompass的过去式和过去分词 )；包围；包含；包括 | |
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47
stifle
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| vt.使窒息；闷死；扼杀；抑止，阻止 | |
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48
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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49
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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50
dungeon
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| n.地牢，土牢 | |
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51
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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52
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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53
impeded
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| 阻碍，妨碍，阻止( impede的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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54
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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55
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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56
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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57
sockets
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| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
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58
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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59
vacancy
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| n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺 | |
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60
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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61
thronging
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的现在分词 ) | |
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62
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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63
rumours
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| n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传 | |
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64
dungeons
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| n.地牢( dungeon的名词复数 ) | |
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65
narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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66
fables
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| n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说 | |
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67
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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68
obstruction
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| n.阻塞，堵塞；障碍物 | |
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69
masonry
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| n.砖土建筑；砖石 | |
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70
narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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71
ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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72
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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73
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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74
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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75
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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76
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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77
prostrate
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| v.拜倒，平卧，衰竭；adj.拜倒的，平卧的，衰竭的 | |
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78
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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79
pitcher
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| n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手 | |
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80
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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81
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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82
treacherous
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| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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83
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
apprehend
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| vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑 | |
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85
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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86
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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87
fungus
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| n.真菌，真菌类植物 | |
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88
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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89
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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90
margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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91
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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92
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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93
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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94
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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95
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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96
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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97
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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98
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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99
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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100
slumbered
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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101
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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102
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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103
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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104
drowsy
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| adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的 | |
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105
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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106
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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107
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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108
niches
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| 壁龛( niche的名词复数 )； 合适的位置[工作等]； （产品的）商机； 生态位（一个生物所占据的生境的最小单位） | |
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109
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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110
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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111
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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112
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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113
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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114
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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115
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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116
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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117
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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118
strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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119
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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120
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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121
stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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122
pungently
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| adv.苦痛地，尖锐地 | |
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123
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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124
scythe
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| n. 长柄的大镰刀，战车镰； v. 以大镰刀割 | |
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125
pendulum
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| n.摆，钟摆 | |
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126
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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127
ravenous
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| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
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128
allured
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| 诱引，吸引( allure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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129
velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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130
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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131
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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132
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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133
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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134
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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135
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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136
monkish
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| adj.僧侣的，修道士的，禁欲的 | |
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137
ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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138
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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139
entrapment
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| n.（非法）诱捕，诱人犯罪；诱使犯罪 | |
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140
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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141
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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142
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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143
appreciable
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| adj.明显的，可见的，可估量的，可觉察的 | |
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144
acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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145
frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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146
bauble
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| n.美观而无价值的饰物 | |
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147
lapsing
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| v.退步( lapse的现在分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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148
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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149
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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150
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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151
regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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152
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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153
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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154
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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155
vigour
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| （=vigor）n.智力，体力，精力 | |
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156
sunder
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| v.分开；隔离；n.分离，分开 | |
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157
fraying
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| v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的现在分词 ) | |
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158
pertinacity
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| n.执拗，顽固 | |
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159
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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160
friction
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| n.摩擦，摩擦力 | |
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161
frivolity
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| n.轻松的乐事，兴高采烈；轻浮的举止 | |
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162
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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163
frenzied
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| a.激怒的；疯狂的 | |
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164
lateral
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| adj.侧面的，旁边的 | |
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165
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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166
relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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167
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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168
avalanche
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| n.雪崩，大量涌来 | |
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169
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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170
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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171
machinery
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| n.(总称)机械，机器；机构 | |
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172
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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173
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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174
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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175
vibrations
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| n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动 | |
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176
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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177
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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178
minions
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| n.奴颜婢膝的仆从( minion的名词复数 )；走狗；宠儿；受人崇拜者 | |
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179
dreading
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| v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 ) | |
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180
frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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181
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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182
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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183
moiety
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| n.一半；部分 | |
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184
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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185
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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186
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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187
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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188
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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189
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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190
voracity
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| n.贪食，贪婪 | |
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191
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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192
spicy
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| adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的 | |
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193
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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194
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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195
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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196
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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197
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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198
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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199
severed
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| v.切断，断绝( sever的过去式和过去分词 )；断，裂 | |
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200
erred
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| 犯错误，做错事( err的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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201
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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202
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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203
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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204
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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205
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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206
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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207
hemmed
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| 缝…的褶边( hem的过去式和过去分词 )； 包围 | |
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208
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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209
fissure
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| n.裂缝；裂伤 | |
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210
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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211
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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212
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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213
spectral
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| adj.幽灵的，鬼魂的 | |
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214
vivacity
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| n.快活，活泼，精神充沛 | |
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215
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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216
suffocating
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| a.使人窒息的 | |
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217
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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218
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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219
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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220
diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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221
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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222
impended
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| v.进行威胁，即将发生( impend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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223
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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224
wrestled
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| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
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225
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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226
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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227
obtuse
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| adj.钝的；愚钝的 | |
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228
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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229
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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230
tottered
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| v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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231
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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232
discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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233
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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