Where is the evidence that doth accuse me?
Unto the frowning judge?—Richard III.
"You have trifled long enough," said the commissioner4; "declare what you know, or you shall be dealt with summarily."
A long journey, manacled like a felon5, and guarded by dragoons with loaded carbines; a rigorous imprisonment6, already five months protracted7; repeated examinations before a military tribunal; cross-questionings, threats, and insults, to extort8 his supposed secrets;—all these had formed a sharp transition from the halcyon9 days of Vassall Morton's prosperity.
"Declare what you know, or you shall be dealt with summarily."
"I know nothing, and therefore can declare nothing."
"You have held that tone long enough. Do you imagine that we are to be deceived by your inventions? Tell what you know, or in twenty minutes you will be led to the rampart and shot."
"I am in your power, and you can do what you will."
The commissioner spoke10 in German to the corporal of the guard, who took Morton into custody11, and was leading him from the room.
"Stop," cried the official, from his seat.
Morton turned.
"You are destroying yourself, young man."
"It is false. You are murdering me."
"Do not answer me. I tell you, you are murdering yourself. Are you the fool to fling away your life in a fit of obstinacy12?"
The corporal led his prisoner along the corridor, which had grown ruefully familiar to Morton's eye; but instead of following the way which led to the latter's cell, he turned into a much wider and more commodious16 passage. Here, at his open door, stood Padre Luca, confessing priest of the castle.
Padre Luca had mistaken his calling, when he took it upon him to discharge such a function. He was too tender of heart, too soft of nature; ill seasoned, moreover, to his work, for he had been but a week in the fortress17, and this was the first victim whom it behooved18 him to prepare for death. And when he saw the young prisoner, and learned the instant doom19 under which he stood, his nerves grew tremulous, and he found no words to usher20 in his ghostly counsels.
Corporal Max Kubitski, with a face unperturbed as a block, unfettered Morton's wrists, left him with the confessor, and withdrew, placing a soldier on guard at the door without. Morton sat silent and calm. The hand of Padre Luca quivered with agitation21.
"I trust," he said, finding his tongue again, "that you are a faithful child of our holy mother, the church, and that the heresies23 and infidelities of these times——"
"Father," said Morton, willingly adopting the filial address to the kind-hearted priest, "I am a Protestant. I was born and bred among Protestants. I respect your ancient church for the good she has done in ages past, and for the good men who have held her faith; but I do not believe her doctrine24, nor approve her practice."
The priest's face betrayed his discomposure.
"My son, my dear son, it is not too late; it is never too late. Listen to the truth; renounce25 your fatal errors. I will baptize you; and when you are gone, I will pray our great saint of Milan to intercede26 for you, and I will say masses for your soul."
Morton smiled faintly, and shook his head.
"So young!" exclaimed Padre Luca; "and so calm on the brink29 of eternity30! Ah, it is hard to die, when so much is left to enjoy; but it is worse to plunge31 from present suffering into everlasting32 despair." And he proceeded to give a most graphic33 picture of post-mortal torments34, drawn35 from the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, a work very familiar to his meditations36. This dire37 imagery failed to convince the dying heretic.
"My mind is made up. I cannot believe your doctrine, but I can feel your kindness. You have spoken the first friendly words that I have heard for months."
"It is hard that you should die so unprepared, and so young. You have relatives? You have friends?"
"More than friends! More than friends!" groaned38 Morton. And as a flood of recollection swept over him, his heart for a moment was sick with anguish39.
"Come with me," whispered Padre Luca. He led the way into the chapel40 of the castle, which adjoined his room. Here he bowed and crossed himself before an altar, over which was displayed a painting of the Virgin41.
"Our Blessed Mother is full of love, full of mercy. See,—hang this round your neck"—placing in his hand a small medal on which her image was stamped. "Go and kneel before that altar, and repeat these words," pointing to the Ave Maria in a little book of devotion. "Call on her with a true heart, and she will have pity. She cannot see you perish, body and soul. She will appear, and teach you the truth."
There was so much of earnestness and sincerity42 in his words, that Morton felt nothing but gratitude43 as he answered,—
"It would be no better than a mockery, if I should do as you wish. I cannot——"
Here a clear, deep voice from the adjacent room interrupted him.
"I am ready," answered Morton, in a voice firm as that which summoned him.
He returned to the priest's apartment, and in the doorway45 stood the athletic46 corporal, like the statue of a modern Mars.
"Mio figlio! Mio caro figlio!" faltered Padre Luca, laying a tremulous hand on the young man's shoulder. The kindly47 accents of the melodious48 Italian fell on his ear like a strain of music.
"You must not die now; you are not prepared. I will go to the commissioner. He will grant time."
He was pushing past the corporal, when Morton gently checked him.
"I thank you, father, a thousand times; but if I must die, there is no mercy in a half hour's delay. Let me go. This sentence may be, after all, a kindness."
The corporal took him into custody; and, with three soldiers before and three behind, he moved towards his place of execution. He seemed to himself like one not fully15 awake; the stern reality would not come home to his thoughts, until, as he was mounting a flight of steps leading to the rampart, a vivid remembrance glowed upon him of that summer evening when, in her father's garden, Edith Leslie had accepted his love. It was with a desperate effort of pride and resolution that he quelled49 the emotion which rose choking to his throat, and murmuring a petition for her safety, walked forward with an unchanged face.
A light shone in upon the passage, and they stood in a moment upon the rampart, whence a panorama50 of sunny mountains opened on the view. It was a space of some extent, paved with flag-stones, and compassed with battlements and walls. On one side stood, leaning on their muskets51, a file of Bohemian soldiers, in their close frogged uniforms and long mustaches. These, with their officer, Corporal Kubitski, with his six men, a sub-official acting52 for the commissioner, and Padre Luca, were the only persons present, besides the prisoner. The latter was placed before the Bohemians, at the distance of twelve or fourteen paces. The corporal and his men drew aside.
"Now," demanded the deputy, "will you confess what you know, or will you die?"
"I have told you, once and again, that I have nothing to confess."
"Then take the consequence of your obstinacy."
He motioned to the officer. A word of command was given. Each soldier loaded with ball, and the ramrods rattled53 as they sent home the charge. Another command, and the cocked muskets rose to the level, concentrating their aim against the prisoner's breast.
"If you will speak, speak now. You have a quarter of a minute to save yourself." And the deputy took out his watch.
Morton turned his head slowly, and looked at him for an instant in silence.
"Speak, speak," cried Padre Luca, pressing towards him; "tell him what you know."
The sharp voice of the officer warned him back.
Morton stood with compressed lips, and every nerve at its tension, in instant expectation of the volley; already, in fancy, he felt the bullets plunging54 through his breast; but not a muscle flinched55, and he fronted the deadly muzzles56 with an unblenching eye. The deputy scrutinized57 his face, and turned away, muttering. At that moment a man, who through the whole scene had stood hidden in the entrance of a passage, ran out with a pretence58 of great haste and earnestness, and called to stop the execution, since the commissioner had granted a reprieve59. In fact, the whole affair was a sham60, played off upon the prisoner to terrify him into confession61.
The Bohemians recovered their muskets, and the bewildered Morton was once more in custody of the corporal, who led him, guarded as before, back towards his cell. Padre Luca, who thought that an interposition of the Virgin had softened62 the commissioner's heart, hastened to his oratory63 to pray for the heretic's conversion. Faint and heartsick, Morton scarcely knew what was passing, till he was thrust in at his narrow door. The jailer was there, but the corporal entered also, to aid in taking the handcuffs from his wrists.
One might have looked in vain among ten thousand to find a nobler model of masculine proportion than this soldier. He stood more than six feet high, and Morton, who loved to look upon a man, had often, even in his distress64, admired his martial65 bearing and the powerful symmetry of his frame. His face, too, was singularly fine in its way, and though the discipline of long habit usually banished66 from it any distinct expression, yet the cast of the features, and the manly67 curve of the lip, which the thick brown mustache could not wholly hide, seemed to augur68 a brave, generous, and loyal nature.
More stupefied than cheered at being snatched, as he supposed, from the jaws69 of death, Morton stood passive while his hands were released. The jailer left him for a moment, and crossed over to the opposite corner of the cell. His back was turned as he did so. The corporal's six soldiers were all in the passage without. At that instant, Morton felt a warm breath at his ear, and heard whispered in a barbarous accent,—
"Courage, mon ami! Vive la liberté! Vive l'Amerique!"
He turned; but the martial visage of the corporal was unmoved as bronze; and, in a moment more, the iron door clanged behind him as he disappeared.
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1
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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2
slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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3
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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4
commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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5
felon
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| n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的 | |
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6
imprisonment
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| n.关押，监禁，坐牢 | |
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7
protracted
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| adj.拖延的；延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
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8
extort
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| v.勒索，敲诈，强要 | |
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9
halcyon
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| n.平静的，愉快的 | |
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10
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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11
custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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12
obstinacy
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| n.顽固；（病痛等）难治 | |
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13
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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14
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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15
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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16
commodious
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| adj.宽敞的；使用方便的 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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18
behooved
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| v.适宜( behoove的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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20
usher
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| n.带位员，招待员；vt.引导，护送；vi.做招待，担任引座员 | |
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21
agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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22
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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23
heresies
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| n.异端邪说，异教( heresy的名词复数 ) | |
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24
doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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25
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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26
intercede
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| vi.仲裁，说情 | |
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27
conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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28
heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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29
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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30
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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31
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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32
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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33
graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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34
torments
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| （肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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35
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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36
meditations
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| 默想( meditation的名词复数 )； 默念； 沉思； 冥想 | |
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37
dire
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| adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的 | |
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38
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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39
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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40
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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41
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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42
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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43
gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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44
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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45
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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46
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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47
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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48
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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49
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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51
muskets
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| n.火枪，（尤指）滑膛枪( musket的名词复数 ) | |
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52
acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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53
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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54
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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55
flinched
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| v.（因危险和痛苦）退缩，畏惧( flinch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
muzzles
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| 枪口( muzzle的名词复数 )； （防止动物咬人的）口套； （四足动物的）鼻口部； （狗）等凸出的鼻子和口 | |
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57
scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58
pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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59
reprieve
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| n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解 | |
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60
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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61
confession
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| n.自白，供认，承认 | |
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62
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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63
oratory
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| n.演讲术；词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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64
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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65
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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66
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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68
augur
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| n.占卦师；v.占卦 | |
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69
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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