A flight of marble steps, ascending3 from a vast court, led into a hall of great dimensions, which was at the same time an orangery and a gallery of sculpture. It was illumined by a distinct, yet soft and subdued4 light, which harmonised with the beautiful repose5 of the surrounding forms, and with the exotic perfume that was wafted6 about. A gallery led from this hall to an inner hall of quite a different character; fantastic, glittering, variegated7; full of strange shapes and dazzling objects.
The roof was carved and gilt8 in that honeycomb style prevalent in the Saracenic buildings; the walls were hung with leather stamped in rich and vivid patterns; the floor was a flood of mosaic9; about were statues of negroes of human size with faces of wild expression, and holding in their outstretched hands silver torches that blazed with an almost painful brilliancy.
These saloons, lofty, spacious11, and numerous, had been decorated principally in encaustic by the most celebrated12 artists of Munich. The three principal rooms were only separated from each other by columns, covered with rich hangings, on this night drawn13 aside. The decoration of each chamber14 was appropriate to its purpose. On the walls of the ball-room nymphs and heroes moved in measure in Sicilian landscapes, or on the azure15 shores of Aegean waters. From the ceiling beautiful divinities threw garlands on the guests, who seemed surprised that the roses, unwilling16 to quit Olympus, would not descend17 on earth. The general effect of this fair chamber was heightened, too, by that regulation of the house which did not permit any benches in the ball-room. That dignified18 assemblage who are always found ranged in precise discipline against the wall, did not here mar2 the flowing grace of the festivity. The chaperons had no cause to complain. A large saloon abounded19 in ottomans and easy chairs at their service, where their delicate charges might rest when weary, or find distraction20 when not engaged.
All the world were at this fête of Sidonia. It exceeded in splendour and luxury every entertainment that had yet been given. The highest rank, even Princes of the blood, beauty, fashion, fame, all assembled in a magnificent and illuminated21 palace, resounding22 with exquisite23 melody.
Coningsby, though somewhat depressed24, was not insensible to the magic of the scene. Since the passage in the gardens of the Luxembourg, that tone, that glance, he had certainly felt much relieved, happier. And yet if all were, with regard to Sidonia, as unfounded as he could possibly desire, where was he then? Had he forgotten his grandfather, that fell look, that voice of intense detestation? What was Millbank to him? Where, what was the mystery? for of some he could not doubt. The Spanish parentage of Edith had only more perplexed25 Coningsby. It offered no solution. There could be no connection between a Catalan family and his mother, the daughter of a clergyman in a midland county. That there was any relationship between the Millbank family and his mother was contradicted by the conviction in which he had been brought up, that his mother had no relations; that she returned to England utterly26 friendless; without a relative, a connection, an acquaintance to whom she could appeal. Her complete forlornness was stamped upon his brain. Tender as were his years when he was separated from her, he could yet recall the very phrases in which she deplored27 her isolation28; and there were numerous passages in her letters which alluded29 to it. Coningsby had taken occasion to sound the Wallingers on this subject; but he felt assured, from the manner in which his advances were met, that they knew nothing of his mother, and attributed the hostility30 of Mr. Millbank to his grandfather, solely31 to political emulation32 and local rivalries33. Still there were the portrait and the miniature. That was a fact; a clue which ultimately, he was persuaded, must lead to some solution.
Coningsby had met with great social success at Paris. He was at once a favourite. The Parisian dames34 decided35 in his favour. He was a specimen36 of the highest style of English beauty, which is popular in France. His air was acknowledged as distinguished37. The men also liked him; he had not quite arrived at that age when you make enemies. The moment, therefore, that he found himself in the saloons of Sidonia, he was accosted38 by many whose notice was flattering; but his eye wandered, while he tried to be courteous39 and attempted to be sprightly40. Where was she? He had nearly reached the ball-room when he met her. She was on the arm of Lord Beaumanoir, who had made her acquaintance at Rome, and originally claimed it as the member of a family who, as the reader may perhaps not forget, had experienced some kindnesses from the Millbanks.
There were mutual41 and hearty42 recognitions between the young men; great explanations where they had been, what they were doing, where they were going. Lord Beaumanoir told Coningsby he had introduced steeple-chases at Rome, and had parted with Sunbeam to the nephew of a Cardinal43. Coningsby securing Edith’s hand for the next dance, they all moved on together to her aunt.
Lady Wallinger was indulging in some Roman reminiscences with the Marquess.
‘And you are not going to Astrachan to-morrow?’ said Edith.
‘Not to-morrow,’ said Coningsby.
‘You know that you said once that life was too stirring in these days to permit travel to a man?’
‘I wish nothing was stirring,’ said Coningsby. ‘I wish nothing to change. All that I wish is, that this fête should never end.’
‘Is it possible that you can be capricious? You perplex me very much.’
‘Am I capricious because I dislike change?’
‘But Astrachan?’
‘It was the air of the Luxembourg that reminded me of the Desert,’ said Coningsby.
Soon after this Coningsby led Edith to the dance. It was at a ball that he had first met her at Paris, and this led to other reminiscences; all most interesting. Coningsby was perfectly44 happy. All mysteries, all difficulties, were driven from his recollection; he lived only in the exciting and enjoyable present. Twenty-one and in love!
Some time after this, Coningsby, who was inevitably45 separated from Edith, met his host.
‘Where have you been, child,’ said Sidonia, ‘that I have not seen you for some days? I am going to Madrid tomorrow.’
‘And I must think, I suppose, of Cambridge.’
‘Well, you have seen something; you will find it more profitable when you have digested it: and you will have opportunity. That’s the true spring of wisdom: meditate46 over the past. Adventure and Contemplation share our being like day and night.’
The resolute47 departure for England on the morrow had already changed into a supposed necessity of thinking of returning to Cambridge. In fact, Coningsby felt that to quit Paris and Edith was an impossibility. He silenced the remonstrance48 of his conscience by the expedient49 of keeping a half-term, and had no difficulty in persuading himself that a short delay in taking his degree could not really be of the slightest consequence.
It was the hour for supper. The guests at a French ball are not seen to advantage at this period. The custom of separating the sexes for this refreshment50, and arranging that the ladies should partake of it by themselves, though originally founded in a feeling of consideration and gallantry, and with the determination to secure, under all circumstances, the convenience and comfort of the fair sex, is really, in its appearance and its consequences, anything but European, and produces a scene which rather reminds one of the harem of a sultan than a hall of chivalry51. To judge from the countenances52 of the favoured fair, they are not themselves particularly pleased; and when their repast is over they necessarily return to empty halls, and are deprived of the dance at the very moment when they may feel most inclined to participate in its graceful53 excitement.
These somewhat ungracious circumstances, however, were not attendant on the festival of this night. There was opened in the Hotel of Sidonia for the first time a banqueting-room which could contain with convenience all the guests. It was a vast chamber of white marble, the golden panels of the walls containing festive54 sculptures by Schwanthaler, relieved by encaustic tinting55. In its centre was a fountain, a group of Bacchantes encircling Dionysos; and from this fountain, as from a star, diverged56 the various tables from which sprang orange-trees in fruit and flower.
The banquet had but one fault; Coningsby was separated from Edith. The Duchess of Grand Cairo, the beautiful wife of the heir of one of the Imperial illustrations, had determined57 to appropriate Coningsby as her cavalier for the moment. Distracted, he made his escape; but his wandering eye could not find the object of its search; and he fell prisoner to the charming Princess de Petitpoix, a Carlist chieftain, whose witty58 words avenged59 the cause of fallen dynasties and a cashiered nobility.
Behold60 a scene brilliant in fancy, magnificent in splendour! All the circumstances of his life at this moment were such as acted forcibly on the imagination of Coningsby. Separated from Edith, he had still the delight of seeing her the paragon61 of that bright company, the consummate62 being whom he adored! and who had spoken to him in a voice sweeter than a serenade, and had bestowed63 on him a glance softer than moonlight! The lord of the palace, more distinguished even for his capacity than his boundless64 treasure, was his chosen friend; gained under circumstances of romantic interest, when the reciprocal influence of their personal qualities was affected65 by no accessory knowledge of their worldly positions. He himself was in the very bloom of youth and health; the child of a noble house, rich for his present wants, and with a future of considerable fortunes. Entrancing love and dazzling friendship, a high ambition and the pride of knowledge, the consciousness of a great prosperity, the vague, daring energies of the high pulse of twenty-one, all combined to stimulate66 his sense of existence, which, as he looked around him at the beautiful objects and listened to the delicious sounds, seemed to him a dispensation of almost supernatural ecstasy67.
About an hour after this, the ball-room still full, but the other saloons gradually emptying, Coningsby entered a chamber which seemed deserted68. Yet he heard sounds, as it were, of earnest conversation. It was the voice that invited his progress; he advanced another step, then suddenly stopped. There were two individuals in the room, by whom he was unnoticed. They were Sidonia and Miss Millbank. They were sitting on a sofa, Sidonia holding her hand and endeavouring, as it seemed, to soothe69 her. Her tones were tremulous; but the expression of her face was fond and confiding70. It was all the work of a moment. Coningsby instantly withdrew, yet could not escape hearing an earnest request from Edith to her companion that he would write to her.
In a few seconds Coningsby had quitted the hotel of Sidonia, and the next day found him on his road to England.
END OF BOOK VI.
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alterations
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| n.改动( alteration的名词复数 )；更改；变化；改变 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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wafted
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| v.吹送，飘送，（使）浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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variegated
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| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
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gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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mosaic
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| n./adj.镶嵌细工的，镶嵌工艺品的，嵌花式的 | |
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suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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azure
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| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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deplored
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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rivalries
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| n.敌对，竞争，对抗( rivalry的名词复数 ) | |
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dames
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| n.（在英国）夫人（一种封号），夫人（爵士妻子的称号）( dame的名词复数 )；女人 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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accosted
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| v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 )；跟…搭讪；（乞丐等）上前向…乞讨；（妓女等）勾搭 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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sprightly
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| adj.愉快的，活泼的 | |
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mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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cardinal
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| n.(天主教的)红衣主教；adj.首要的，基本的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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remonstrance
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| n抗议，抱怨 | |
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expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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festive
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| adj.欢宴的，节日的 | |
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tinting
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| 着色，染色（的阶段或过程） | |
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56
diverged
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| 分开( diverge的过去式和过去分词 )； 偏离； 分歧； 分道扬镳 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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avenged
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| v.为…复仇，报…之仇( avenge的过去式和过去分词 )；为…报复 | |
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behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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paragon
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| n.模范，典型 | |
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consummate
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| adj.完美的；v.成婚；使完美 [反]baffle | |
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bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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confiding
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| adj.相信人的，易于相信的v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的现在分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等） | |
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