As the two entered here, Margaret halted,[258] and Saxe eagerly stepped to her side. The girl flashed the torch here and there, to reveal the nature of the place. Saxe guessed that the room had a diameter of about fifty feet. The walls of ragged8 rock formed an uneven9 circle. They bent10 inward in the ascent11, with a dome-like effect, to a height of hardly two score feet.
Margaret wasted no time. After one examination of the walls by the torch, she fixed12 the light on a portion of the side opposite them, a little to the left. Saxe, peering intently in this direction, thought that he detected two patches of shadow, a little denser13 than the surrounding dark, which might be the openings into other tunnels. The girl’s words proved his surmise14 right.
“There are two passages over there, close together,” she announced. “As I remember, the one we followed was that on the right. Of course, the money might be hidden anywhere. But we might go a little way in that passage first, so that you’ll understand how it runs downward.”
“Yes,” Saxe agreed. “The place in which to search is narrowed by the statement in the cipher15 about the bottom of the lake. Does the[259] other passage, too, run downward?”
The girl shook her head instinctively16, although the action was not visible, since the outdoor light did not penetrate4 thus far, and the beam cast by the torch was directed from her.
“I know nothing of the second passage,” she explained. “We didn’t enter it. Come.”
They set out across the chamber, walking side by side, and so came to the passage-way of which Margaret had had experience. This proved to be somewhat broader than that through which they had come. They had advanced but a very short way, when the floor began to slope sharply downward. Saxe realized that this rate of descent need not be continued long to bring them to the level of the lake’s bottom. He knew that the highest point of the island could have hardly more than a hundred feet of elevation17 above the surface of the lake. Indeed, he was sure that the entrance to the cavern18 was only a little distance above the level of the water. They had climbed the bluff19 that lined the shore, and had afterward20 ascended21 a few slight rises, but the total vertical22 height could not have been more than fifty[260] feet. The inclination23 of the passage downward was enough to overcome this speedily, if it should continue. And it did continue, for such a long way that at last Saxe was sure the waters of the lake lay above them.
The two wayfarers24 within this secret place of the earth spoke25 little, and that for the most part of the things immediately about them. The floor of this passage-way here was not free from rubble26, as the other had been. It was littered everywhere with fallen fragments, so that there was need to watch each step with care. Saxe experienced a new happiness when the difficulties of the path became so serious as to justify27 him in taking the hand of Margaret to help her in surmounting28 a fallen boulder29. As the pulse of her blood touched his, it throbbed30 a rapture31 in his heart. In this dark vault32 of the earth, he forgot the first object of the subterranean33 wandering—forgot in worship of the woman at his side; Margaret herself sharply recalled him to the prosaic34.
“Do you notice the difference in the light?” she asked. “I’m sure it’s dying out. It must need recharging. We must hurry back.”
A note of apprehension35 in the speaker’s voice[261] aroused Saxe to instant concern. He gave a quick glance toward the circle of light cast by the torch, and perceived that its radiance had in fact grown less.
“Yes,” he answered, “it’s failing. We must turn. Anyhow, I’ve seen enough to understand that this is the likeliest place in which to hunt for the gold.”
As he spoke, they turned about together, and began the ascent with hastening steps, for the thought that the torch might die out while they were still within the cavern was far from pleasant to either of them. The girl’s anxiety was revealed in the next question:
“Have you matches?”
With a start of dismay, Saxe recalled that he had left his match-safe in the pocket of his coat, which remained in the canoe. Nevertheless, he made a perfunctory search.
“No,” he admitted reluctantly; “I left them in the canoe.” He heard the girl sigh; but she said nothing more, only hastened her steps. The dimming of the torch was very apparent now.
The two scrambled36 over the unevennesses of the passage with what haste they might. Saxe[262] congratulated himself on the fact that there had been no other passages branching from that in which they had made the descent, for the turns, while never sharp, had been frequent enough to breed perilous37 confusion were there need of choice. In the next instant, however, he remembered the abstraction of his thoughts during the traversing of the route, and he was filled with self-reproach at the realization38 that, after all, there might have been such branches. And, just then, the two halted abruptly39, arrested by a sudden consciousness of the truth. They were descending40!
For a moment, neither spoke. In that little interval41, the feeble glow of the torch died out altogether.
There came a gasp42 of dismay from Margaret. Saxe’s clasp on her hand tightened43 in the instinct of protection. Then he essayed a cheerful laugh, albeit44 there was small merriment in it.
“Now,” he declared briskly, “we must stop right where we are until we’ve planned a campaign. This is a real adventure.” Even as he spoke, miserably45 aware of the serious predicament[263] into which the going out of the torch had plunged46 them, he was conscious of the delicate fragrance47 of her hair, so near his lips, and the vague, yet penetrant, perfume that exhaled48 from her to the ravishing of his senses. He fought manfully against the temptation to draw her to his breast, as every fibre of him besought49. Under the stress of desire denied, his voice came with a ring of imperiousness. “I had a lot of experiences in caves, when I was a boy. This thing will be easy.”
“Exactly!” Saxe conceded. “Somewhere, we turned off into a branch passage. Did you know of any branch?”
“No,” came the answer. The inflection of distress51 gave new strength to the temptation that beset52 him.
“I should have noticed it on the way down,” Saxe confessed, in great bitterness of spirit; “but my mind was wool-gathering.”
The girl ventured no question. Perhaps she guessed the nature of that distraction53.
“Anyhow, we’ve managed to leave the passage[264] in which we came down. We couldn’t have turned around in it, without knowing the fact. It seems to me that we’ve only to face about, and make our way upward again—merely watching out that we don’t get switched off another time. The ascent will surely take us back by one or the other of the two corridors into the big room above.”
“But—if it should not!” Margaret stammered54. The woe55 in her voice was pitiful. “Why, we might—here in the dark—no light—no food—oh!”
Saxe spoke with a manner of authority:
“Stop! Don’t imagine things. Worry wastes strength. Save yours for this exciting climb through the dark. There’s no danger—that I know.” The calm confidence with which he contrived56 to charge his voice soothed57 the girl, and restored to her some measure of courage. From his position on the left side of her, he put out his free hand, and touched the wall. “Put out your right hand,” he bade her, “until it reaches the wall. Now, we’ll turn round, and begin the journey in the right direction. Keep in touch with the wall, please. Move slowly, using your feet in place of eyes,[265] to avoid stumbling.”
In this fashion, they set forth58 through the blackness of the cavern. It was slow and tedious going. It had been tiresome59 enough when the torch made plain the obstacles strewn over the floor. Now, the difficulties were multiplied an hundredfold by the absence of light. They could only shuffle60 a foot about cautiously until it secured a firm place, then by like clumsy feeling choose the next step. Often, one or the other stumbled, was near to falling, but, since these mishaps61 occurred rarely at the same instant, the one still in balance gave sufficient support. Yet, slow as was their progress, Saxe found heart to be content with it. Always it was upward, until he dared believe that they were actually in either the passage by which they had descended62, or in that which opened near it in the big room. He told his faith to Margaret, and she strove her best to throw off the gloom bred of this hateful environment, but could not; nevertheless, despite her fears, they won through at last to the great chamber.
“Hurrah!” cried Saxe. His guiding left hand swept suddenly into emptiness—another step, and still there had been no contact[266] to his roving fingers. It was then that he halted, and gave a shout of triumph. “There’s no wall on your side?” he demanded.
The girl put out her hand, but there was nothing within reach. With a pang63 of compunction, she realized that she had been remiss64 in the duty appointed her, for she had not felt the wall even once in a long while. She made admission of her guilt65, with charming contrition66.
“It’s no matter,” Saxe declared. Profound relief sounded in his words. “We’ve come safe to the big room, and nothing else counts.” In sheer exuberance67 over their escape, he pressed the fingers that lay so lightly within his.
The girl thrilled in answer to the clasp. The announcement of their return to the chamber came to her overwrought mind as a reprieve68 from fearful doom69. With the joy now possessing her, there came relaxation70 of the tension that had sustained her. In the warm pressure of his hand over hers was a comfort that loosed the self-control in which she had held herself hitherto. Without[267] any warning, she drooped71 as she stood; her form grew limp. She would have fallen, had not Saxe, in terror for her as he felt the yielding of her muscles, drawn72 her to his breast. He held her close there. It seemed strange to him, as she lay motionless within his embrace, the while his lips touched softly a strand73 of the wonderful hair, that the glory of those tresses should not make all things visibly radiant in the blackness of the cavern, even as the nearness of her made a golden sunlight in his heart. He did not utter a word or venture aught beyond the kiss on that lock which kindliest fate had laid across his lips—only rested motionless, holding her firmly, reverently74, what time she wept softly on his bosom75. Surely, there needed no clumsy vehicle of words between those two embraced in the solitary76 dark. Twain pulses throbbed as one. In their rhythm ran a song of heavenly things.
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1
slant
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| v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向 | |
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apex
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| n.顶点，最高点 | |
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3
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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6
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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7
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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8
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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10
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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11
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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12
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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13
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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14
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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15
cipher
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| n.零；无影响力的人；密码 | |
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16
instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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17
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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19
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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20
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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21
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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22
vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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23
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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24
wayfarers
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| n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 ) | |
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25
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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26
rubble
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| n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾 | |
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27
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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28
surmounting
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| 战胜( surmount的现在分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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29
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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30
throbbed
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| 抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 )； （心脏、脉搏等）跳动 | |
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31
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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32
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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33
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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34
prosaic
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| adj.单调的，无趣的 | |
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35
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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36
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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37
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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38
realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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39
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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40
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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41
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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42
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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43
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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44
albeit
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| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
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45
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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46
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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47
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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48
exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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49
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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50
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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51
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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52
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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53
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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54
stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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55
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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56
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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57
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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58
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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59
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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60
shuffle
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| n.拖著脚走，洗纸牌；v.拖曳，慢吞吞地走 | |
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61
mishaps
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| n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 ) | |
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62
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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63
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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64
remiss
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| adj.不小心的，马虎 | |
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65
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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66
contrition
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| n.悔罪，痛悔 | |
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67
exuberance
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| n.丰富；繁荣 | |
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68
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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69
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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70
relaxation
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| n.松弛，放松；休息；消遣；娱乐 | |
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71
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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72
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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73
strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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74
reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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75
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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76
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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