“You see I am dressed for the part; you came back so wet the last time that I thought I had better prepare for it too.”
“Quite right, my dear,” I said. “That pretty head of yours is level.” We went to the cellar at once where I had lamps and candles prepared and ready to light. I showed Marjory how to get up and down by herself, in case anything should happen to me. This made the gravity of our enterprise apparent. Her face grew a trifle anxious, though she did not change colour; I could see that all her anxiety was for me and none for herself. We took care to bring a plentiful2 supply of matches and candles, as well as an extra lamp and an oil can, and some torches and red and white lights. All these were in a tin box to insure their being kept dry. I had a meal of bread and meat packed ready; also a bottle of water and a flask3 of brandy, for the exploration might take a long time. The tide was not quite out, and there was still in places a[278] couple of feet of water; but we decided4 to go on at once as it would give us more time if we started on a falling tide.
I took Marjory first up the passage inland, so that she might understand something of the lines of the cave system. There was, however, too much tide just then to show her where I surmised5 there might be some deep opening, perhaps permanently6 under water, into some of the other caves. Then we retraced7 our steps and gained the pile of debris8 of the explosion at the cave’s mouth. I could not but notice how much Marjory was impressed by the stillness of the place. Here, the tide, filtering in by innumerable crevices9 and rifts10 between the vast pile of stones, showed no sign of the force of waves without. There was not time for the rise and fall of waves to be apparent; but the water maintained its level silently, except for that ceaseless gurgle which comes with the piling in of water anywhere, and is so constant that it does not strike one as a sound. It was borne in upon us that the wildest storm without, would make no impress upon us here in this cavern11 deep; and with it, as an inevitable12 corollary, came the depressing thought of our helplessness should aught go wrong in the fastnesses of this natural prison.
Marjory bounded over the slippery stones like a young deer, and when we passed through the natural archway into the cave beyond, her delight was manifest. She was hurrying on so quickly that I found it necessary to tell her she must go slow so as to be able to take stock of all around her as she went. It was needful to look back as well as forward, so that she might recognise the places when coming the other way. I reminded her of caution by holding up the great ball of stout13 cord which I carried, the end of which was attached to the rope of the windlass in the cellar. “Remember, dear,” I said, “that you have to be prepared for all eventualities; if necessary to go back[279] alone and in the dark.” She shuddered14 a little and drew closer to me; I felt that the movement was one of protection rather than of fear.
When we went along the passage, where on the first occasion I had found the water rise nearly to the roof, we had to wait; a little way ahead of us, where the cave dipped to its lowest, the water was still touching15 the top. We possessed16 our souls with what patience we could, and in about half an hour’s time we were able to pass. We were quite wet, however, for only our faces and our lamps were above water; with the exception, of course, of the tin box with the candles and matches and our provisions, which I took care to keep dry.
Marjory’s delight at the sight of the huge red cave was unspeakable. When I lit one of the red lights the blinding glow filled the place, exposing every nook and corner, and throwing shadows of velvet17 blackness. The natural red of the granite18 suited the red light, the effect being intensely rich. Whilst the light lasted it was all like a dream of fairyland; and Marjory hung on to me in an ecstasy19 of delight. Then, when the light died down and the last sparks fell into the natural darkness, it seemed as if we and all around us were steeped in gloom. The little patches of faint light from our lamps seemed to our dazzled eyes to openly emphasise20 the surrounding blackness.
Marjory suggested that we should explore the great cavern before we did anything else. I acquiesced21, for it was just as well that we should be thoroughly22 acquainted with the various ramifications23 of the cave. I was not by any means sure as yet that we should be able to get to the cave of the treasure. Here, all around us, was red; we were entirely24 within the sienite formation. When I had been first in the cave I had not seen it lit up. Only where the comparatively feeble light of my bicycle lantern[280] had fallen had I seen anything at all. Of course it may have been that the red light which I had burned had misled me by overwhelming everything in its lurid25 glow. So this time I got a white light out of the box and lit it. The effect was more ghastly and less pleasant. In the revealing glare, the edges of everything stood out hard and cold, and so far repulsive26 that instinctively27 Marjory drew closer to me. While the light remained, however, I was able to satisfy myself of one thing; all around was only the red granite. Colour and form and texture28 all told the same thing; we had passed the stratification of gneiss and entered on that of the sienite. I began to wonder and to think, though I did not at once mention the matter to Marjory. The one guiding light as to locality in the Don’s narrative29 was the description of the cave “the black stone on one hand and the red on the other.” Now at Broad Haven30 the gneiss and the red sienite join, and the strata31 in places seem as if welded together or fused by fire. Here and there can be found patches in the cliff where it is hard to say where one class of rock ends and the other begins. In the centre bay, however, to the north of my house, there is a sort of dip in the cliff covered deep with clay, and bright with grass and wild flowers. Through this a tiny stream rushes in wet weather, or in dry trickles32 down the steep incline. This is the natural or main division between the geological formations; for on either side of it is a different kind of rock—it was here that I expected to find that the treasure cave was situated33. It had been of course impossible for me, though I had had a compass with me, to fix exactly the windings34 of the cave. I knew, however, that the general trend was to the right; we must, therefore, have passed behind the treasure cave and come into the region of red granite. I began to have an idea, or rather the rudiment35 of one, that later on we should have to go back on our[281] tracks. Inasmuch as my own house stood on the gneiss formation, we should have to find whereabout in the cave windings the red and the black rocks joined. From this point we might be able to make new and successful progress towards discovery of the treasure itself. In the meantime I was content to linger a few minutes in the great cavern. It was evident that Marjory was in love with it, and was at present in a whirl of delight. And, after all, she was my world, and her happiness my sunshine. I fully36 realised in the delightful37 passages of our companionship the truth of the lover’s prayer in Herrick’s pretty poem.
“Give me but what this Ribbon bound,
Take all the rest the sun goes round.”
Every day, every hour, seemed to me to be revealing new beauties of my wife’s character and nature. She was herself becoming reconciled to our new relationship; and in the confidence of her own happiness, and in her trust of her husband, the playful and sweet sides of her nature were gaining a new development. I could not help feeling at times that all was going on for the best; that the very restraint of the opening of our married life was formative of influence for good on us both. If all young husbands and wives could but understand the true use of the old-fashioned honeymoon38, the minute knowledge of character coming in moments of unconscious self-revelation, there might be more answers in the negative to the all important nineteenth century philosophical39 query40, “Is marriage a failure?” It was evident that Marjory was reluctant to leave the cave. She lingered and lingered; at last in obedience41 to a command of hers, conveyed—for she said nothing—in some of those subtle feminine ways, which, though I did not understand their methods, I was beginning to learn to obey, I lit a torch. Holding it aloft, and[282] noticing with delight how the light danced in my wife’s beautiful eyes as she clapped her hands joyously42 with the overt43 pleasure of a child, I said:
“Lead on!” she said. “Her Majesty is pleased with the ready understanding of her Royal Consort46, and with his swift obedience to her wishes; and oh! Archie isn’t this simply too lovely for anything!” The quick change into the vernacular47 made us both laugh; and taking hands like two children we walked round the cavern. At the upper end of it, almost at the furthest point from where we entered, we came across a place where, under an overhanging red wall which spread out overhead like a canopy48, a great rock rose from the level floor. It was some nodule of especial hardness which in the general trituration had not been worn away by the wash of the water and the rolling of pebbles49 which at one time undoubtedly50 helped to smooth the floor. In the blinking light of the torch, the strength of which was dimmed in the vastness of the cavern, the isolated51 rock, standing45 as it did under the rocky canopy whose glistening52 surface sent down a patchy reflex of the glare, seemed like a throne. The idea occurred simultaneously53 to both of us; even as I spoke54 I could see that she was prepared to take her seat:
“Will not Her Majesty graciously take her seat upon the throne which the great Over-Lord, Nature, has himself prepared for her?”
She took the stick which she carried to steady her in the wading55, and holding it like a sceptre, said, and oh, but her sweet voice sounded like far music stealing through the vastness of the cavern:
“Her Majesty, now that she has ascended56 her throne, and so, formally taken possession of her Kingdom, hereby decrees that her first act of power shall be to confer the[283] honour of Knighthood on her first and dearest subject. Kneel therefore at the feet of your Queen. Answer me by your love and loyalty58. Do you hereby promise and vow59 obedience to the wishes of your Queen? Shall you love her faithfully and truly and purely60? Shall you hold her in your heart of hearts, yielding obedience to all true wishes of hers, and keeping the same steadfastly62 to the end? Do—you—love—me?”
Here she paused; the rising emotion was choking her words. The tears welled into her eyes and her mouth quivered. I was all at once in a fire of devotion. I could then, and indeed when I think of it I can now, realise how of old, in the days when loyalty was a passion, a young knight57’s heart flowered and blossomed in the moment of his permitted devotion. It was with all the truth of my soul and my nature that I answered:
“I do love you, oh, my gracious Queen. I hereby take all the vows63 you have meted64 to me. I shall hold you ever, as I do now, in my very heart of hearts. I shall worship and cherish you till death parts us. I shall reverence65 and obey your every true wish; even as I have already promised beside the sea and at the altar. And whithersoever my feet may go in obedience to your will, my Queen and my Love, they shall go on steadfast61, to the end.” Here I stopped, for I feared to try to say more; I was trembling myself and the words were choked in my throat. Marjory bent66 over as I knelt, laid her wand on my shoulder and said:
“Rise up, Sir Archibald, my own True Knight and Loyal Lover!” Before I rose I wanted to kiss her hand, but as I bent, her foot was temptingly near. I stooped lower to kiss it. She saw my intention and saying impulsively67: “Oh, Archie dear, not that wet, dirty shoe,” kicked it off. I stooped still lower and kissed her bare foot.
[284]
As I looked up at her face adoringly, a blush swept over it and left her pale; but she did not flinch68. Then I stood up and she stepped down from her throne, and into my arms. She laid her head against my shoulder, and for a few moments of ecstasy our hearts beat together.
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1
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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flask
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| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
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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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surmised
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| v.臆测，推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 )；揣测；猜想 | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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retraced
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| v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 )；回忆；回顾；追溯 | |
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debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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rifts
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| n.裂缝( rift的名词复数 )；裂隙；分裂；不和 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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15
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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20
emphasise
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| vt.加强...的语气，强调，着重 | |
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21
acquiesced
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| v.默认，默许( acquiesce的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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ramifications
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| n.结果，后果( ramification的名词复数 ) | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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strata
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| n.地层（复数）；社会阶层 | |
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32
trickles
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| n.细流( trickle的名词复数 )；稀稀疏疏缓慢来往的东西v.滴( trickle的第三人称单数 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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windings
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| （道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手） | |
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rudiment
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| n.初步；初级；基本原理 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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honeymoon
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| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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query
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| n.疑问，问号，质问；vt.询问，表示怀疑 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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42
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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overt
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| adj.公开的，明显的，公然的 | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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45
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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46
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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47
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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48
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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49
pebbles
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| [复数]鹅卵石； 沙砾； 卵石，小圆石( pebble的名词复数 ) | |
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50
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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51
isolated
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| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
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52
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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53
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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54
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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55
wading
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| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
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56
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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57
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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58
loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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59
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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61
steadfast
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| adj.固定的，不变的，不动摇的；忠实的；坚贞不移的 | |
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steadfastly
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| adv.踏实地，不变地；岿然；坚定不渝 | |
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vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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64
meted
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| v.（对某人）施以，给予（处罚等）( mete的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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66
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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impulsively
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| adv.冲动地 | |
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flinch
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| v.畏缩，退缩 | |
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