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CHAPTER XXI A CROSS-EXAMINATION
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 ‘Wherein I am false I am honest—not true to be true.’
 
‘I will sing you a contrabandista song,’ said Concep?ion, as the party rode towards Toledo in the moonlight.  ‘The song we—they sing when the venture has been successful.  You may hear it any dark night in the streets of Gaucin.’
 
‘Sing,’ said the older soldier, ‘if it is in your lungs.  For us—we prefer to travel silent.’
 
Conyngham, mounted on the horse from which the Carlist rider had been dragged unceremoniously enough, rode a few paces in front.  The carriage had been left behind at the venta, where no questions were asked, and the injured men revived readily enough.
 
‘It is well,’ answered Concep?ion, in no way abashed1.  ‘I will sing.  In Andalusia we can all sing.  The pigs sing better there than the men of Castile.’
 
It was after midnight when the party rode past the Church of the Cristo de la Vega, and faced the long hill that leads to the gate Del Cambron.  Above them towered the city of Toledo—silent and dreamlike.  Concep?ion had ceased singing now, and the hard breathing of the horses alone broke the silence.  The Tagus, emerging here from rocky fastness, flowed noiselessly away to the west—a gleaming ribbon laid across the breast of the night.  In the summer it is no uncommon2 thing for travellers to take the road by night in Spain, and although many doubtless heard the clatter3 of horses’ feet on the polished cobble stones of the city, none rose from bed to watch the horsemen pass.
 
At that time Toledo possessed4, and indeed to the present day can boast of, but one good inn—a picturesque5 old house in the Plaza6 de Zocodover, overhung by the mighty7 Alcazar.  Here Cervantes must have eaten and Lazarillo de Tormes no doubt caroused8.  Here those melancholy9 men and mighty humorists must have delighted the idler by their talk.  Concep?ion soon aroused the sleeping porter, and the great doors being thrown open, the party passed into the courtyard without quitting the saddle.
 
‘It is,’ said Concep?ion, ‘an English Excellency and his suite10.’
 
‘We have another such in the house,’ answered the sleepy doorkeeper, ‘though he travels with but one servant.’
 
‘We know that, my friend, which is the reason why we patronise your dog-hole of an inn.  See that the two Excellencies breakfast together at a table apart in the morning.’
 
‘You will have matters to speak about with the Se?or Pleydell in the morning,’ said Concep?ion, as he unpacked11 Conyngham’s luggage a few minutes later.
 
‘Yes, I should like to speak to Se?or Pleydell.’
 
‘And I,’ said Concep?ion, turning round with a brush in his hand, ‘should like a moment’s conversation with Se?or Larralde.’
 
‘Ah!’
 
‘Yes, Excellency, he is in this matter too.  But the Se?or Larralde is so modest—so modest!  He always remains12 in the background.’
 
In the tents of Kedar men sleep as sound as those who lie on soft pillows, and Conyngham was late astir the next morning.  Sir John Pleydell was, it transpired13, already at his breakfast, and had ordered his carriage for an early hour to take the road to Talavera.  It was thus evident that Sir John knew nothing of the arrival of his fellow-countryman at midnight.
 
The cold face of the great lawyer wore a look of satisfaction as he sat at a small table in the patio14 of the hotel and drank his coffee.  Conyngham watched him for a moment from the balcony of the courtyard, himself unseen, while Concep?ion stood within his master’s bedroom, and rubbed his brown hands together in anticipation15 of a dramatic moment.  Conyngham passed down the stone steps and crossed the patio with a gay smile.  Sir John recognised him as he emerged from the darkness of the stairway, but his face betrayed neither surprise nor fear.  There was a look in the grey eyes, however, that seemed to betoken16 doubt.  Such a look a man might wear who had long travelled with assurance upon a road which he took to be the right one, and then at a turning found himself in a strange country with no landmark17 to guide him.
 
Sir John Pleydell had always outwitted his fellows.  He had, in fact, been what is called a successful man—a little cleverer, a little more cunning than those around him.
 
He looked up now at Conyngham, who was drawing forward a chair to the neighbouring table, and the cold eye, which had been the dread18 of many a criminal, wavered.
 
‘The waiter has set my breakfast near to yours,’ said Conyngham, unconcernedly seating himself.
 
And Concep?ion in the balcony above cursed the English for a cold-blooded race.  This was not the sort of meeting he had anticipated.  He could throw a knife very prettily19, and gave a short sigh of regret as he turned to his peaceful duties.
 
Conyngham examined the simple fare provided for him, and then looked towards his companion with that cheerfulness which is too rare in this world; for it is born of a great courage, and outward circumstances cannot affect it.  Sir John Pleydell had lost all interest in his meal, and was looking keenly at Conyngham—dissecting, as it were, his face, probing his mind, searching through the outward manner of the man, and running helplessly against a motive20 which he failed to understand.
 
‘I have in my long experience found that all men may be divided into two classes,’ he said acidly.
 
‘Fools and knaves22?’ suggested Conyngham.
 
‘You have practised at the Bar,’ parenthetically.
 
Conyngham shrugged23 his shoulders.
 
‘Unsuccessfully—anybody can do that.’
 
‘Which are you—a fool or a knave21?’ asked Sir John.
 
And suddenly Conyngham pitied him.  For no man is proof against the quick sense of pathos24 aroused by the sight of man, or dumb animal, baffled.  At the end of his life Sir John had engaged upon the greatest quest of it—an unworthy quest, no doubt, but his heart was in it—and he was an old man, though be bore his years well enough.
 
‘Perhaps that is the mistake you have always made,’ said Conyngham gravely.  ‘Perhaps men are not to be divided into two classes.  There may be some who only make mistakes, Sir John.’
 
Unconsciously he had lapsed25 into the advocate, as those who have once played the part are apt to do.  This was not his own cause, but Geoffrey Horner’s.  And he served his friend so thoroughly26 that for the moment he really was the man whose part he had elected to play.  Sir John Pleydell was no mean foe27.  Geoffrey Horner had succeeded in turning aside the public suspicion, and in the eternal march of events, of which the sound is louder as the world grows older and hollower, the murder of Alfred Pleydell had been forgotten by all save his father.  Conyngham saw the danger, and never thought to avoid it.  What had been undertaken half in jest would be carried out in deadly earnest.
 
‘Mistakes,’ said Sir John sceptically.  In dealing28 with the seamy side of life men come to believe that it is all stitches.
 
‘Which they may pass the rest of their lives in regretting.’
 
Sir John looked sharply at his companion, with suspicion dawning in his eyes again.  It was Conyngham’s tendency to overplay his part.  Later, when he became a soldier, and found that path in life for which he was best fitted, his superior officers and the cooler tacticians complained that he was over-eager, and in battle outpaced the men he led.
 
‘Then you see now that it was a mistake?’ suggested Sir John.  In cross-examinations the suggestions of Sir John Pleydell are remembered in certain courts of justice to this day.
 
‘Of course.’
 
‘To have mixed yourself in such an affair at all?’
 
‘Yes.’
 
Sir John seemed to be softening29, and Conyngham began to see a way out of this difficulty which had never suggested itself to him before.
 
‘Such mistakes have to be paid for—and the law assesses the price.’
 
Conyngham shrugged his shoulders.
 
‘It is easy enough to say you are sorry—the law can make no allowance for regret.’
 
Conyngham turned his attention to his breakfast, deeming it useless to continue the topic.
 
‘It was a mistake to attend the meeting at Durham—you admit that?’ continued Sir John.
 
‘Yes—I admit that, if it is any satisfaction to you.’
 
‘Then it was worse than a mistake to actually lead the men out to my house for the purpose of breaking the windows.  It was almost a crime.  I would suggest to you, as a soldier for the moment, to lead a charge up a steep hill against a body of farm labourers and others entrenched30 behind a railing.’
 
‘That is a mere31 matter of opinion.’
 
‘And yet you did that,’ said Sir John.  ‘If you are going to break the law you should insure success before embarking32 on your undertaking33.’
 
Conyngham made no answer.
 
‘It was also a stupid error, if I may say so, to make your way back to Durham by Ravensworth, where you were seen and recognised.  You see I have a good case against you, Mr. Conyngham.’
 
‘Yes, I admit you have a good case against me, but you have not caught me yet.’
 
Sir John Pleydell looked at him coldly.
 
‘You do not even take the trouble to deny the facts I have named.’
 
‘Why should I, when they are true?’ asked Conyngham carelessly.
 
Sir John Pleydell leant back in his chair.
 
‘I have classified you,’ he said with a queer laugh.
 
‘Ah!’ answered Conyngham, suddenly uneasy.
 
‘Yes—as a fool.’
 
He leant forward with a deprecating gesture of his thin white hand.
 
‘Do not be offended,’ he said, ‘and do not reproach yourself for having given your case away.  You never had a case, Mr. Conyngham.  Chartists are not made of your material at all.  As soon as you gave me your card in Madrid, I had a slight suspicion.  I thought you were travelling under a false name.  It was plain to the merest onlooker34 that you were not the man I sought.  You are too easy-going, too much of a gentleman to be a Chartist.  You are screening somebody else.  You have played the part well, and with an admirable courage and fidelity35.  I wish my boy Alfred had had a few such friends as you.  But you are a fool, Mr. Conyngham.  No man on earth is worth the sacrifice that you have made.’
 
Conyngham slowly stirred his coffee.  He was meditating36.
 
‘You have pieced together a very pretty tale,’ he said at length.  ‘Some new scheme to get me within the reach of the English law, no doubt.’
 
‘It is a pretty tale—too pretty for practical life.  And if you want proofs I will mention the fact that the Chartist meeting was at Chester-le-Street, not Durham; that my house stands in a hollow and not on a hill; that you could not possibly go to Durham via Ravensworth, for they lie in opposite directions.  No, Mr. Conyngham, you are not the man I seek.  And, strange to say, I took a liking37 to you when I first saw you.  I am no believer in instinct, or mutual38 sympathy, or any such sentimental39 nonsense.  I do not believe in much, Mr. Conyngham, and not in human nature at all.  I know too much about it for that.  But there must have been something in that liking for you at first sight.  I wish you no harm, Mr. Conyngham.  I am like Balaam—I came to curse, and now stay to bless.  Or, perhaps, I am more like Balaam’s companion and adviser—I bray40 too much.’
 
He sat back again with a queer smile.
 
‘You may go home to England to-morrow if you care to,’ he added, after a pause, ‘and if that affair is ever raked up against you I will be your counsel, if you will have me.’
 
‘Thank you.’
 
‘You do not want to go home to England?’ suggested Sir John, whose ear was as quick as his eye.
 
‘No, I have affairs in Spain.’
 
‘Or—perhaps a castle here.  Beware of such—I once had one.’
 
And the cold grey face softened41 for an instant.  It seemed at times as if there were after all a man behind that marble casing.
 
‘A man who can secure such a friendship as yours has proved itself to be,’ said Sir John after a short silence, ‘can scarcely be wholly bad.  He may, as you say, have made a mistake.  I promise nothing; but perhaps I will make no further attempts to find him.’
 
Conyngham was silent.  To speak would have been to admit.
 
‘So far as I am concerned,’ said Sir John, rising, ‘you are safe in this or any country.  But I warn you—you have a dangerous enemy in Spain.’
 
‘I know,’ answered Conyngham, with a laugh, ‘Mr. Esteban Larralde.  I once undertook to deliver a letter for him.  It was not what he represented it to be, and after I had delivered it he began to suspect me of having read it.  He is kind enough to consider me of some importance in the politics of this country owing to the information I am supposed to possess.  I know nothing of the contents of the letter, but I want to regain42 it—if only for a few moments.  That is the whole story, and that is how matters stand between Larralde and myself.’
 

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 abashed szJzyQ     
adj.窘迫的,尴尬的v.使羞愧,使局促,使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed. 他怪罪的一瞥,朱丽叶自然显得很窘。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The girl was abashed by the laughter of her classmates. 那小姑娘因同学的哄笑而局促不安。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 uncommon AlPwO     
adj.罕见的,非凡的,不平常的
参考例句:
  • Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
  • Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。
3 clatter 3bay7     
v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声
参考例句:
  • The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当的。
  • Don't clatter your knives and forks.别把刀叉碰得咔哒响。
4 possessed xuyyQ     
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的
参考例句:
  • He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
  • He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。
5 picturesque qlSzeJ     
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的
参考例句:
  • You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
  • That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。
6 plaza v2yzD     
n.广场,市场
参考例句:
  • They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
  • The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。
7 mighty YDWxl     
adj.强有力的;巨大的
参考例句:
  • A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
  • The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。
8 caroused 1405ff270b777eb8a64873f0a8608ffc     
v.痛饮,闹饮欢宴( carouse的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • Engaging in boisterous, drunken merrymaking, we caroused whole night. 狂欢、喧哗、畅饮、狂欢作乐了整夜。 来自互联网
9 melancholy t7rz8     
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
参考例句:
  • All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
  • He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
10 suite MsMwB     
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员
参考例句:
  • She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
  • That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
11 unpacked 78a068b187a564f21b93e72acffcebc3     
v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等)
参考例句:
  • I unpacked my bags as soon as I arrived. 我一到达就打开行李,整理衣物。
  • Our guide unpacked a picnic of ham sandwiches and offered us tea. 我们的导游打开装着火腿三明治的野餐盒,并给我们倒了些茶水。 来自辞典例句
12 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
13 transpired eb74de9fe1bf6f220d412ce7c111e413     
(事实,秘密等)被人知道( transpire的过去式和过去分词 ); 泄露; 显露; 发生
参考例句:
  • It transpired that the gang had had a contact inside the bank. 据报这伙歹徒在银行里有内应。
  • It later transpired that he hadn't been telling the truth. 他当时没说真话,这在后来显露出来了。
14 patio gSdzr     
n.庭院,平台
参考例句:
  • Suddenly, the thought of my beautiful patio came to mind. I can be quiet out there,I thought.我又忽然想到家里漂亮的院子,我能够在这里宁静地呆会。
  • They had a barbecue on their patio on Sunday.星期天他们在院子里进行烧烤。
15 anticipation iMTyh     
n.预期,预料,期望
参考例句:
  • We waited at the station in anticipation of her arrival.我们在车站等着,期待她的到来。
  • The animals grew restless as if in anticipation of an earthquake.各种动物都变得焦躁不安,像是感到了地震即将发生。
16 betoken 3QhyL     
v.预示
参考例句:
  • He gave her a gift to betoken his gratitude.他送她一件礼物表示感谢。
  • Dark clouds betoken a storm.乌云予示着暴风雨的来临。
17 landmark j2DxG     
n.陆标,划时代的事,地界标
参考例句:
  • The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
  • The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。
18 dread Ekpz8     
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧
参考例句:
  • We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
  • Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。
19 prettily xQAxh     
adv.优美地;可爱地
参考例句:
  • It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back.此件雕刻精美,背面有花饰图案。
  • She pouted prettily at him.她冲他撅着嘴,样子很可爱。
20 motive GFzxz     
n.动机,目的;adv.发动的,运动的
参考例句:
  • The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
  • He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。
21 knave oxsy2     
n.流氓;(纸牌中的)杰克
参考例句:
  • Better be a fool than a knave.宁做傻瓜,不做无赖。
  • Once a knave,ever a knave.一次成无赖,永远是无赖。
22 knaves bc7878d3f6a750deb586860916e8cf9b     
n.恶棍,无赖( knave的名词复数 );(纸牌中的)杰克
参考例句:
  • Give knaves an inch and they will take a yard. 我一日三餐都吃得很丰盛。 来自互联网
  • Knaves and robbers can obtain only what was before possessed by others. 流氓、窃贼只能攫取原先由别人占有的财富。 来自互联网
23 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
vt.耸肩(shrug的过去式与过去分词形式)
参考例句:
  • Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀,什么也没说。
  • She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩,装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
24 pathos dLkx2     
n.哀婉,悲怆
参考例句:
  • The pathos of the situation brought tears to our eyes.情况令人怜悯,看得我们不禁流泪。
  • There is abundant pathos in her words.她的话里富有动人哀怜的力量。
25 lapsed f403f7d09326913b001788aee680719d     
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
参考例句:
  • He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
  • He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
26 thoroughly sgmz0J     
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地
参考例句:
  • The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
  • The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。
27 foe ygczK     
n.敌人,仇敌
参考例句:
  • He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
  • A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌,友是友,必须分清界限。
28 dealing NvjzWP     
n.经商方法,待人态度
参考例句:
  • This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
  • His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。
29 softening f4d358268f6bd0b278eabb29f2ee5845     
变软,软化
参考例句:
  • Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家(1-26) - 家(1-26)
  • He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的,已经成了个软心肠的人了。
30 entrenched MtGzk8     
adj.确立的,不容易改的(风俗习惯)
参考例句:
  • Television seems to be firmly entrenched as the number one medium for national advertising.电视看来要在全国广告媒介中牢固地占据头等位置。
  • If the enemy dares to attack us in these entrenched positions,we will make short work of them.如果敌人胆敢进攻我们固守的阵地,我们就消灭他们。
31 mere rC1xE     
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过
参考例句:
  • That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
  • It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
32 embarking 7f8892f8b0a1076133045fdfbf3b8512     
乘船( embark的现在分词 ); 装载; 从事
参考例句:
  • He's embarking on a new career as a writer. 他即将开始新的职业生涯——当一名作家。
  • The campaign on which were embarking was backed up by such intricate and detailed maintenance arrangemets. 我们实施的战争,须要如此复杂及详细的维护准备。
33 undertaking Mfkz7S     
n.保证,许诺,事业
参考例句:
  • He gave her an undertaking that he would pay the money back with in a year.他向她做了一年内还钱的保证。
  • He is too timid to venture upon an undertaking.他太胆小,不敢从事任何事业。
34 onlooker 7I8xD     
n.旁观者,观众
参考例句:
  • A handful of onlookers stand in the field watching.少数几个旁观者站在现场观看。
  • One onlooker had to be restrained by police.一个旁观者遭到了警察的制止。
35 fidelity vk3xB     
n.忠诚,忠实;精确
参考例句:
  • There is nothing like a dog's fidelity.没有什么能比得上狗的忠诚。
  • His fidelity and industry brought him speedy promotion.他的尽职及勤奋使他很快地得到晋升。
36 meditating hoKzDp     
a.沉思的,冥想的
参考例句:
  • They were meditating revenge. 他们在谋划进行报复。
  • The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics. 这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。
37 liking mpXzQ5     
n.爱好;嗜好;喜欢
参考例句:
  • The word palate also means taste or liking.Palate这个词也有“口味”或“嗜好”的意思。
  • I must admit I have no liking for exaggeration.我必须承认我不喜欢夸大其词。
38 mutual eFOxC     
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的
参考例句:
  • We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
  • Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。
39 sentimental dDuzS     
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的
参考例句:
  • She's a sentimental woman who believes marriage comes by destiny.她是多愁善感的人,她相信姻缘命中注定。
  • We were deeply touched by the sentimental movie.我们深深被那感伤的电影所感动。
40 bray hnRyv     
n.驴叫声, 喇叭声;v.驴叫
参考例句:
  • She cut him off with a wild bray of laughter.她用刺耳的狂笑打断了他的讲话。
  • The donkey brayed and tried to bolt.这头驴嘶叫着试图脱缰而逃。
41 softened 19151c4e3297eb1618bed6a05d92b4fe     
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
参考例句:
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
42 regain YkYzPd     
vt.重新获得,收复,恢复
参考例句:
  • He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
  • The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。


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