CHAPTER XXXII.

 And, far the blackest there, the traitor¹ friend.—Dryden.

 

 

Several days had passed, during which Vinal contrived² to have more than one private interview with his new acquaintance, Speyer. He had sounded him with much astuteness³; found that he could serve him; and was confirmed in his assurance that he would.

 

Morton, he knew, was to leave Paris on the next morning. The time to act was now, or never.

 

At about three in the afternoon, he discovered his rival sauntering along an avenue in the garden of the Tuileries; and walking up behind, he joined him.

 

"There are some of us," said Vinal, after a few moments' conversation, "going to Versailles to-morrow. Will you go?"

 

"I mean to leave Paris to-morrow."

 

"To-morrow! That's very sudden."

 

"I shall come back again in a few months."

 

"Your first move is to Italy, I think you said."

 

"No, to Austria and the Danube."

 

"O, I remember; it is West who is going to Italy. I think he has chosen the better route of the two."

 

"Yes, as far as history and works of art are concerned. But the Austrian provinces are the best field for me. I am mounted on a hobby, you know, and my time is so short that I must make the most of what I have."

 

"You wish to see the people—the different races—is that it?"

 

"Yes."

 

"You ought to be well booked up before you go, or you'll lose time. By the way, I made an acquaintance a little while ago in the diligence from Strasburg—a very agreeable man, a professor at Berlin——"

 

"O, the professor whom you and Richards were going to see, the other night."

 

A thrill shot through Vinal's nerves; but the unsuspecting Morton almost instantly relieved his terror.

 

"I was standing⁴ on the steps as you went out, and heard you say that you were going to visit him. From the way in which you spoke⁵, I imagined him to be some professor of the noble art of self-defence."

 

"Ha, ha!" laughed Vinal, not quite recovered from his surprise; "no, not precisely⁶ that; Speyer is a philologist—that's his department."

 

"And Richards knows him, too?"

 

"Yes, through my introduction."

 

"From your calling him 'his friend, the professor,' I imagined that the acquaintance began the other way."

 

"Yes, his friend, with a vengeance⁷. Confound the fellow, as I was walking with him the other day, we met Speyer, and I, thinking no harm, introduced them; but it wasn't twenty-four hours before Richards was at him to borrow money, which Speyer let him have. I dare say Richards has bled you as well."

 

"No."

 

"No? Then you are luckier than I am. I advise you to keep out of his way, or he'll pin you before you know it."

 

"I should judge as much."

 

"I spoke of Professor Speyer because he was born in some outlandish corner of the Austrian empire,—Croatia, I think he told me,—and had his head full of political soap bubbles founded on the distribution of races in that part of the world. He put me to sleep half a dozen times with talking about Pansclavism and the manifest destinies of the Sclavic peoples. He is the very man for you; and I am sorry I didn't think of it before."

 

"Well," said Morton, "I must blunder through as I can."

 

"Are you at leisure? I'll go with you this afternoon, if you like, and call on him."

 

"I dare say my visit would bore him."

 

"Get him upon the races in the Austrian empire, and he will be more apt to bore you. Are you free at four o'clock?" pursued Vinal, looking at his watch.

 

"Yes, quite so."

 

"Very well. I'm going now to my tailor's. Every genuine American, you know, must have a new fit-out in Paris. I'll meet you at Meurice's at four, and we'll go from there to Speyer's."

 

Vinal had three quarters of an hour to spare. He spent a part of them in forging the next link of his chain. At four he rejoined Morton, and they walked out together.

 

"I think you'll like Professor Speyer," said Vinal. "I have become quite intimate with him, on the strength of a fortnight's acquaintance. He urges me to go to Hungary and Transylvania, and offered me introductions to his friends there. It would not be a bad plan for you to ask him for letters. They would not make you acquainted with the Austrian haut ton, but they would bring you into contact with men of his own stamp,—people of knowledge and intelligence, who could be of great service to you, and with whom you needn't be on terms of much ceremony.—Here's the place;—he lives here."

 

It was a lodging⁸ house on the Rue⁹ Rivoli. Vinal rang the bell. The porter appeared.

 

"Is Professor Speyer at home?"

 

"Non, monsieur; il est sorti."

 

Vinal had just bribed¹⁰ the man to give this answer.

 

"That's unlucky," he said. "Well, if you like, we can come again this evening."

 

"I am engaged to dine this evening at Madame ——'s."

 

Vinal had known of this engagement.

 

"I don't see, then, but that you will lose your chance with Speyer. Well, fortune de guerre. I should like to have had you see him, though."

 

And they walked towards the Boulevards, conversing¹¹ on indifferent matters.

1 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

2 contrived   

adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的

参考例句：

• There was nothing contrived or calculated about what he said.他说的话里没有任何蓄意捏造的成分。
• The plot seems contrived.情节看起来不真实。

3 astuteness   

n.敏锐；精明；机敏

参考例句：

• His pleasant, somewhat ordinary face suggested amiability rather than astuteness. 他那讨人喜欢而近乎平庸的脸显得和蔼有余而机敏不足。 来自互联网
• Young Singaporeans seem to lack the astuteness and dynamism that they possess. 本地的一般年轻人似乎就缺少了那份机灵和朝气。 来自互联网

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

6 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

7 vengeance   

n.报复，报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• He swore vengeance against the men who murdered his father.他发誓要向那些杀害他父亲的人报仇。
• For years he brooded vengeance.多年来他一直在盘算报仇。

8 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

9 rue   

n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔

参考例句：

• You'll rue having failed in the examination.你会悔恨考试失败。
• You're going to rue this the longest day that you live.你要终身悔恨不尽呢。

10 bribed   

v.贿赂( bribe的过去式和过去分词 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• They bribed him with costly presents. 他们用贵重的礼物贿赂他。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He bribed himself onto the committee. 他暗通关节，钻营投机挤进了委员会。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 conversing   

v.交谈，谈话( converse的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I find that conversing with her is quite difficult. 和她交谈实在很困难。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They were conversing in the parlor. 他们正在客厅谈话。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》