CHAPTER XXVIII THE PRIOR’S ROOM

 The Count and I went back to the other room, where we found his sister playing with a great dog of curious breed, something between a wolf-hound and a blood-hound. Coffee was brought in, and the hostess begged we would smoke there. The dog came to me, treating my advances, however, rather suspiciously. I broke up a small cake and threw him morsels¹, which he devoured². Then something prompted me to try him with one of the sweetmeats in my pocket. Taking an opportunity when my worthy³ host was not favouring me with his attention, I threw the brute⁴ one, which, like the scraps⁵ of cake, he caught and swallowed. This, as it turned out, was no bad move of mine.

Presently I thought it well to appear drowsy⁶ and express a wish to retire. At that moment Bleisst glided⁷ in and announced that my room was ready for me. I bade good-night to my hostess, who seemed studiously to avoid meeting my eyes, then left the room with Bleisst, whom the Count desired to show me the way and see that I wanted nothing. On reaching my room I found it furnished with everything I could need, and was glad when the door was shut upon my conductor.

So the mystery of Professor Seemarsh was now cleared up beyond all doubt. After a few minutes’ [Pg 175]review of the evening’s events, I set myself to make a survey of the Prior’s room.

And a gloomy chamber⁸ it was, although made as cheerful as possible by a profusion⁹ of wax candles. What seemed its ordinary furniture was old, gaunt, and dilapidated, but this was supplemented by some articles of a quite modern type. The bed was a great four-posted one with dark hangings, which added to the general sombreness. Near the other end of the room stood a massive square wardrobe of dark oak. I opened this. It was a somewhat elaborate piece of furniture, panelled and carved inside as well as out. A good roomy receptacle for clothes, fitted round with hooks, all empty save one, from which hung what seemed an old riding cloak. There was nothing else remarkable¹⁰ in the room with the exception of several large pictures which, framed in black wood, hung high on the walls. One of them particularly attracted my notice. It was a rather striking full-length portrait of a young man, in what seemed a student’s dress of the last century. I don’t know what there was remarkable about it, except that it was painted with strength, and was one of those portraits which, without having seen the originals, one feels sure must be spirited likenesses.

He, whoever he was, had evidently been a gay young fellow, a dandy probably among his compeers; he had large laughing eyes, which rather contradicted the sobriety of his attitude, assumed no doubt merely for the ordeal¹¹ of the portrait painting.

Having finished my survey of the room, I began to consider as to the best way of passing the first hours of the night. I was supposed to be poisoned, or at least drugged; there was no doubt now that my life was sought, and my careless admission in the afternoon that my friends were ignorant of my whereabouts made my disappearance¹² safe.

[Pg 176]

I wondered if at that moment the Count’s familiars were digging a grave for me in the wood. Probably the unfortunate priest had had no friendly warning against the sweetmeats. The reason of mine was a puzzle about which I had then no time to speculate; my one thought had to be for action. The peril¹³ in which I stood quite removed any scruples¹⁴ I might have had with regard to letting anything stand in the way of my purpose. I looked carefully to my revolver, saw that the door of the room was fast locked, and set myself to wait until the night was further advanced.

It then occurred to me that as I, or any other victim of the Count’s polite hospitality, might reasonably be expected to lock the door, there should naturally be some other means of admittance for those who came in to make away with their damnable work. Accordingly I took one of the candles and made a thorough search round the room. There was no sign of any secret door or sliding panel. I examined the floor all over, especially under the bed, but to no purpose. So at last I gave up the search, and fell to speculating how long it would be before they came to find me. Would they wait till the morning? They had certainly not done so in the case of that poor priest. Anyhow, thought I, they will have a somewhat astonishing reception when they do come. Some books had been placed on a shelf for me, two or three of the newest French novels, and an English booklet of light essays. I took up this last with the idea that reading would be more likely to keep my nerves steady than letting my imagination run on the chances of the night. So, extinguishing all the candles but two, I threw myself on the bed and began to read.

I had turned over a good many pages, when, a little weary of reading, I let the book fall, and lay on my [Pg 177]back wondering how best to fight against the drowsiness¹⁵ which, after a fatiguing¹⁶ day, was stealing over me.

Suddenly the problem was solved by a sight which put me keenly on the alert.

My eyes happened to be casually¹⁷ fixed¹⁸ on one of the carved wooden rosettes which extended at intervals¹⁹ round the frieze²⁰ of the wall. The particular rosette in my line of sight was slowly revolving²¹. My first idea was to regard this as an ocular deception²²; then, watching it attentively²³, I concluded that such was not the case; the rose was actually turning. It gradually receded²⁴, till it disappeared altogether, leaving in its place a dark, circular aperture²⁵; doubtless a spy-hole commanding the whole room. Prepared for this, I had turned over, bringing my head into a higher position where it would be hidden from the expected watcher by the fringe of the bed-canopy. Through a gap in this I could still, unseen, keep the peep-hole under observation, and could detect, at least so it seemed, a pair of malignant²⁶ eyes glaring from its black recess²⁷.

So the time for action was at hand. I turned sleepily on my pillow, and blew out the lights. That would put an end to the watching, which was intolerable. Then I listened. Not a sound. The very silence showed me that my nerves were in order—not even imagination conjured²⁸ up the slightest movement. After waiting a few minutes, I quietly slipped out of bed, and resumed such of my clothes as I had put off. I took my revolver, matches and a candle, and made ready to meet the danger I felt was coming. From what quarter it would appear I was quite ignorant, and not a little curious; anyhow, I was not going to stay where it would expect to find me. I crossed the room, and took my stand beside the square wardrobe, ready for a dash, and listening intently.

 

I had some time to wait, the most exciting suspense²⁹, perhaps, of my life. There I stood in pitch darkness, straining my ears for the sound I knew must surely be coming. But when? Whence?

I waited on grimly, revolver in hand, with every faculty³⁰ on the alert, for the slightest indication that the room contained a living being beside myself. At last it came.

1 morsels   

n.一口( morsel的名词复数 )；（尤指食物）小块，碎屑

参考例句：

• They are the most delicate morsels. 这些确是最好吃的部分。 来自辞典例句
• Foxes will scratch up grass to find tasty bug and beetle morsels. 狐狸会挖草地，寻找美味的虫子和甲壳虫。 来自互联网

2 devoured   

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

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

3 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

4 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

5 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

6 drowsy   

adj.昏昏欲睡的，令人发困的

参考例句：

• Exhaust fumes made him drowsy and brought on a headache.废气把他熏得昏昏沉沉，还引起了头疼。
• I feel drowsy after lunch every day.每天午饭后我就想睡觉。

7 glided   

v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔

参考例句：

• The President's motorcade glided by. 总统的车队一溜烟开了过去。
• They glided along the wall until they were out of sight. 他们沿着墙壁溜得无影无踪。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

9 profusion   

n.挥霍；丰富

参考例句：

• He is liberal to profusion.他挥霍无度。
• The leaves are falling in profusion.落叶纷纷。

10 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

11 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

12 disappearance   

n.消失，消散，失踪

参考例句：

• He was hard put to it to explain her disappearance.他难以说明她为什么不见了。
• Her disappearance gave rise to the wildest rumours.她失踪一事引起了各种流言蜚语。

13 peril   

n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物

参考例句：

• The refugees were in peril of death from hunger.难民有饿死的危险。
• The embankment is in great peril.河堤岌岌可危。

14 scruples   

n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• I overcame my moral scruples. 我抛开了道德方面的顾虑。
• I'm not ashamed of my scruples about your family. They were natural. 我并未因为对你家人的顾虑而感到羞耻。这种感觉是自然而然的。 来自疯狂英语突破英语语调

15 drowsiness   

n.睡意；嗜睡

参考例句：

• A feeling of drowsiness crept over him. 一种昏昏欲睡的感觉逐渐袭扰着他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This decision reached, he finally felt a placid drowsiness steal over him. 想到这，来了一点平安的睡意。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

16 fatiguing   

a.使人劳累的

参考例句：

• He was fatiguing himself with his writing, no doubt. 想必他是拼命写作，写得精疲力尽了。
• Machines are much less fatiguing to your hands, arms, and back. 使用机器时，手、膊和后背不会感到太累。

17 casually   

adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地

参考例句：

• She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
• I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。

18 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

19 intervals   

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

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

20 frieze   

n.(墙上的)横饰带，雕带

参考例句：

• The Corinthian painter's primary ornamental device was the animal frieze.科林斯画家最初的装饰图案是动物形象的装饰带。
• A careful reconstruction of the frieze is a persuasive reason for visiting Liverpool. 这次能让游客走访利物浦展览会，其中一个具有说服力的原因则是壁画得到了精心的重建。

21 revolving   

adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想

参考例句：

• The theatre has a revolving stage. 剧院有一个旋转舞台。
• The company became a revolving-door workplace. 这家公司成了工作的中转站。

22 deception   

n.欺骗，欺诈；骗局，诡计

参考例句：

• He admitted conspiring to obtain property by deception.他承认曾与人合谋骗取财产。
• He was jailed for two years for fraud and deception.他因为诈骗和欺诈入狱服刑两年。

23 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

25 aperture   

n.孔，隙，窄的缺口

参考例句：

• The only light came through a narrow aperture.仅有的光亮来自一个小孔。
• We saw light through a small aperture in the wall.我们透过墙上的小孔看到了亮光。

26 malignant   

adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的

参考例句：

• Alexander got a malignant slander.亚历山大受到恶意的诽谤。
• He started to his feet with a malignant glance at Winston.他爬了起来，不高兴地看了温斯顿一眼。

27 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

28 conjured   

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

参考例句：

• He conjured them with his dying breath to look after his children. 他临终时恳求他们照顾他的孩子。
• His very funny joke soon conjured my anger away. 他讲了个十分有趣的笑话，使得我的怒气顿消。

29 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

30 faculty   

n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员

参考例句：

• He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
• He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。